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2010-2011 Goals
Goal 1 Student Learning and Success
Ensure student learning and success by promoting an innovative and supportive learning environment.
1.1 Offer and promote a variety of programs and services that address diverse cultures and prepare students for success in a global society.
1.2 Enhance teaching and learning experiences by increasing innovative techniques and interactive technologies.
1.3 Support successful student transitions to CPCC and then on to universities, the workforce, and the community.
1.4 Engage students as responsible partners in the learning process.
1.5 Enhance communication and collaboration to support student learning and success.
Goal 2 Organizational Learning and Development
Foster an organizational culture that maximizes individual growth through expanded learning opportunities.
2.1 Recruit, retain, develop, reward, and empower employees who share responsibility for student learning and success.
2.2 Ensure that part-time employees are engaged and supported in the learning environment at the College.
2.3 Facilitate a more collaborative and cohesive learning environment in line with the College's vision, mission, and values.
2.4 Prepare employees to anticipate and respond appropriately to regional issues within a global framework.
2.5 Encourage the analysis and interpretation of data to inform decision making.
Goal 3 Community Catalyst
Be a catalyst for the educational and socio-economic development of the community through partnerships, coalitions, life-long learning, and civic engagement.
3.1 Expand partnerships with business and industry to determine the future high-demand job growth areas and the skills needed for those jobs.
3.2 Develop bridges with business, industry, and educational partners to benefit existing and emerging workers.
3.3 Increase public knowledge of the educational opportunities and services at CPCC.
3.4 Respond to the vocational and intellectual learning needs of an increasingly diverse community.
Goal 4 Organizational Capacity to Serve
Plan and manage human, physical, financial, and technological resources so that College programs, services, and infrastructure meet student and community needs.
4.1 Explore and implement ways to increase funding for educational opportunities for students and to establish and sustain programs.
4.2 Plan and manage growth to optimize organizational effectiveness.
4.3 Collaborate with business, education, and other organizations to secure needed levels of public and private support.
4.4 Promote the effective and efficient utilization of human, physical, fiscal, and technological resources to reinforce public trust.
4.5 Communicate the value and benefits of the College to increase community involvement and support.
4.6 Expand and manage facilities and operations in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner.
Goal 5 Organizational Excellence and Innovation
Promote and sustain innovation, entrepreneurship, and excellence throughout the organization.
5.1 Expand the use of collaborative teams to innovatively respond to emerging needs.
5.2 Institute strategies that measure outcomes and analyze results to improve organizational effectiveness and excellence.
5.3 Engage in continuous improvement and move toward a culture of evidence to effectively measure efforts and increase positive outcomes.


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- 3 cans whole green beans drained
- 4-5 slices of bacon
- Marinade:
- 1/2 stick butter 1/4 cup
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- Spread green beans evenly in a 9x13 pan.
- Cut bacon into pieces and arrange on top of beans.
- Melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, garlic salt and soy sauce. Heat until mixed.
- Pour evenly over beans.
- Refrigerator overnight.
- Bring pan to room temperature before baking (or increase bake time slightly).
- Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.
- If beans are done and bacon isn't, broil carefully for a minute or so.
Terri's Notes
~ If fresh green beans are available, I started off with 1 1/2 pounds of fresh beans.
Snip both ends, put in a pot with an inch or so of water, cover and bring to a boil.
Boil 3-5 minutes, until they turn bright green. Run cool water over them and drain.
Proceed with the rest of the recipe as written.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Many homeowners seeking to refinance are learning that the process is taking longer than the 30-day period they had been expecting.
Continue Reading Below
Here's why:
Mortgage-backed securities (MBS) continue to be a sought-after investment in these economic times, providing safe, conservative returns compared to stock. Following suit, mortgage rates remain historically low, with the 30-year fixed rate interest rate around 3.2 percent.
In turn, lenders, banks and credit unions are experiencing higher aggregated volume than their normal operational capacity supports during this time of year. Daily, lenders are dealing with a radically increased demand for refinance money over purchase money requests.
Will your refinance close? Yes, but it will likely take more than 30 days.
Lending institutions
Given the increased appetite for debt restructuring, deciding which company will support your transaction the most efficiently can help you stay ahead of the curve.
- Large depository banks and financial institutions: Mortgage loan origination, including both refinance and purchase activity, is only a single division of their business. These banks are also looking for other credit products — deposits, credit cards, etc. — and focus on all banking products collectively. Refinance turn times of 90 days are not uncommon.
- Mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers: By specializing in residential mortgage loan origination only, these institutions facilitate faster operational turn times, typically 45 days in most markets.
Refinance tips
While longer turn times should be expected, there are a few things homeowners can do to make the refinance process go more smoothly:
- Pick the right mortgage lender by getting numbers in writing upfront and deciding if the product and costs are reasonable enough for you.
- If your current mortgage lender/servicer is soliciting you to refinance your loan, obtain in writing how long it's going to take and keep them accountable. Most of the time they're in the same boat as large banks and will require all of your financial documentation. It's best to research a second option.
- Let the mortgage professional pull your credit report and review your financials to make sure you have the best possibility of qualifying for the home loan. The last thing you want to do is wait a few weeks for an underwriting response and then get a suspended loan or worse, a denied loan.
- Don't take a 30-day lock if your loan will take 45 days to close escrow. The lender or you will have to pay the 15-day cost to extend the interest rate into the future. It's best to consider taking the 45-day rate lock for a slightly higher cost. Many lenders offer 45-day locks for 30-day pricing.
- If you do have to extend your rate lock, ask the lender to wave the extension fee. Most mortgage lenders will gladly accept the cost of extending a mortgage rate lock for the opportunity to close your loan. (If your loan is approved with underwriting, the lender will be more likely to extending your loan and absorbing the lock extension fee.)
- Should you attain mortgage approval, it will most likely be a "conditional loan approval." Some lenders will claim to have final loan approval upfront, but that is very rare in this credit market. The mortgage company will need additional information from you to sign off conditions and release your file for funding. Providing the necessary documentation to the mortgage company within 24 hours ensures a faster close of escrow.
For many homeowners the opportunity to refinance into a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, 15-year fixed rate mortgage or any other fixed-rate term with rates in the low to mid-3′s provides a net tangible benefit, and most borrowers will break even in 12 months or less. Today's mortgage rates make a refi an attractive tool to help people accomplish their goals, borrow low, start debt relief and minimize interest expense.
Read More From Zillow:


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Customizer-in-Residence Open Studio Series
Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 14, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013 - 5:00pm
Friday, 5–8 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 1–4 pm
Catch Bay Area hackers, makers, and DIYers in action as part of the we/customize Customizer-in-Residence series. Watch the process of expert customizers and participate in transforming objects with clothing mash-ups, toy hacking, music remixing, and more! This week, join Oakland 6th graders Annabel Blue Dudash and Elsa Rudoph, the customizers behind the re-envisioned toys they call Mutants. Visit the open studio to customize something different every week, then see your finished work featured on Flickr and wecustomize.org!


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Lukro necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 198 diseños de 50 diseñadores freelance.
cloud9design is your new manufacturer for personalized wedding invitations. Underground design embraced dignified classic and kissed sensual elegance.
Our customers are design-oriented and sophisticated people aged 25-35 years. The wedding invitation will be the first card of a complete butterfly series.
The butterfly invitation should be a light but not cheap design. The couple is in love and has "butterflies in one's stomach" and the card should send out the same feeling.
There will be a "real" butterfly stuck on the card – the same you'll see on the attached picture. Please use the picture to show on your designed card how it will look with the butterfly!
The size of the card is 115mm x 165mm, horizontal and opened over the top edge (see picture attached)
The size of the butterfly is approx: 95 mm x 55mm and is fixed at the top/right corner of the closed card. (see picture attached)
The slogan on the card should be: "butterflies in one's stomach" and written in a silver "contrail". The primary colour should be white, but a third colour to the silver is great!
We'll need the file open for Photoshop (psd), because it will be used to fit on the other cards of the butterflies series.
Ratings System:
1 star -Wrong direction, start over again with something completely different
2 star - some elements I like
3 star - getting closer but need revisions or a different take on your design
4 star - design is being considered
5 star - made the final cut!


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I was brought up in an evangelical home, and every Sunday our church service consisted of a long Bible study as the sermon. My favorites were when the pastor went through the Old Testament and pointed out the prophecies of Jesus that were fulfilled in the New Testament.
Some of the prophecies were very specific such as, "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a child, and shall call his name Emmanuel," or "Out of you Bethlehem . . . shall come one who shall be the ruler over Israel." However, the ones I liked best were more mysterious. The pastor explained that they were "archetypes of Christ." They were mysterious images that were fulfilled in the Gospels.
He explained that Jesus was "foreshadowed" through the various characters of the Old Testament stories. So, for example, David the shepherd king points to Jesus, the Son of David who is the Good Shepherd and the King of the Jews. Moses, who taught on the mountain and provided manna in the wilderness, points to Jesus who gave the Sermon on the Mount and gave us himself as the Bread of Heaven.
Jesus is also pictured through signs and symbols. The tabernacle and specifically the "tent of meeting" where Moses met God was fulfilled in Jesus' body, according to St. John, who says in the first chapter of his Gospel that the Word was made flesh and "dwelt among us," The phrase "dwelt among us" can be translated "pitched his tent among us" or "he was tabernacled among us."
The pastor pointed out many such archetypal references to Jesus and the apostles from the Old Testament, but it was only when I became a Catholic that I realized how the Old Testament is also full of archetypal references to the Blessed Virgin Mary. If we are in conversation with Protestant Christians and they complain that we "worship Mary," or say there is very little in the Bible about Mary, then we need to be ready with some answers.
One of the ways we see Mary in the Old Testament is in the actions and character of the various women of faith in the Old Testament. Miriam, for instance, is the sister of Moses, and the name "Mary" is a variation of the Hebrew name Miriam. Miriam was the brave young girl who took her brother, put him in a reed basket and hid him in the shallows of the river Nile so he would not be slaughtered by Pharaoh's soldiers (see Ex 2:1-10). In this story Moses is a type of Jesus, and baby Moses in the reed basket is a picture of the baby Jesus in the manger. Miriam carries Moses, nurtures him and keeps him safe just as Mary kept Jesus safe from Herod's slaughter.
Finally, like Mary, she hands Moses over to the world so he can fulfill his destiny.
The stories in the Old Testament of a miraculous birth all point to Mary's role in the Incarnation. Old Sarah who was past childbearing (see Gn 17:15-22), the mother of Samson who prayed for a son (Jgs 13:2-5), and Hannah (1 Sm 1:9-23), the mother of the prophet Samuel — all are women who conceived naturally, but through a miraculous answer to prayer. Although Mary's conception of Jesus was of a greater order, we see her obedience and faith mirrored in the holy women of the Old Testament.
The prophecy to Eve in the Garden of Eden that she would trample the serpent's head is a sign of Mary, the victor over evil (see Gn 4:14-15). As the second Eve, Mary's "yes" to God counters Eve's rebellion, and through her obedience Mary overcomes the devil.
Mary as the Warrior is pictured in the brave woman Deborah (Jgs 5), who led the Israelites in battle, while Mary as Queen is pictured in Queen Esther (Est 2) and Queen Bathsheba (1 Kgs 1), Queen Mother in the court of Solomon.
Where else do we see Mary in the Old Testament? In addition to the holy women who prefigure Mary, we see the Blessed Virgin reflected in signs and symbols. The Fathers of the Church saw in the burning bush (see Ex 3) a symbol of Mary, who was touched by the Holy Spirit, but whose virginity was not consumed.
The Fathers of the Eastern Orthodox tradition also saw the Blessed Virgin prefigured in the golden censer in the Temple (see 1 Kgs 7:50). As the censer held the red hot coal on which to burn the incense, so Mary held the fire of the Holy Spirit, and the smoke of the incense is the sweet sacrifice of Christ rising to heaven. The pot of manna in the Temple also pointed to Mary, who held within her body Christ, the Bread of Heaven.
Mary was pictured as the Gate of Jerusalem (see Jer 17:27; Mi 1:12) because she is the door through which Jesus came into the world. Also, Jerusalem is a pointer to heaven, so she is the gate through which we come to salvation. Mary is also pictured as the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was the gold-covered wooden box in which was placed the tablets of the law of Moses, the manna and the miraculous rod of the high priest Aaron (Ex 40).
The Ark of the Covenant was a sign of the Virgin Mary because she contained the Word of God, the Bread of Heaven and the Source of Life — her son Christ the Lord. That the Ark of the Covenant is a valid symbol of the Blessed Virgin is confirmed in the New Testament in Revelation 12, in which St. John has a vision of the temple of heaven and sees the Ark of the Covenant, and then he sees a "great sign . . . in heaven" (12:1, RSV), which is the woman clothed in the sun with stars around her head and the moon under her feet. This woman is the mother of the King of the nations — in other words, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The story of God's salvation of His people is complex and beautiful. Every detail harmonizes and fits together. At the beginning we are given the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and then St. Paul teaches us that Jesus Christ is the second Adam. The first theologians in the Church understood that Mary was therefore the second Eve.
Throughout the Old Testament the prophecies of Christ the Lord come to us through individuals, signs and symbols. The prophecies of Mary His mother, the apostles and the Church, as well as the sacraments, are all hidden there. St. Augustine said, "The New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old is made manifest in the New."
When we look more deeply into the Old Testament and study the writings of the Fathers of the Church, we can see how the mystery of God's salvation was woven into the stories of the Jews right from the beginning. Once we gather even a little of this information we will be equipped to share our knowledge with those who attack and misunderstand our faith.
Father Dwight Longenecker's latest book is "Catholicism Pure and Simple." Visit his blog, browse his books and be in touch at dwightlongenecker.com.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.


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2013-01-17 / Police Blotter
Unsolved Crimes Construction equipment was damaged along Fisher Road in Standing Stone Township between 5 p.m. on Jan. 5 and 6 a.m. on Jan. 6. Windows were smashed out on two vehicles, but it did not appear that anything had been taken.
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Design project
Bajeti $10-30 USD
Need: logo. My intails KW and then 'training'. I thought of it having the W or K as a silhouette of someone using dumbells e.g a shoulder press
Imetuzwa kwa:
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Injury Report: Week 10
Game Status:
WR Terry Glenn (Knee)
WR Isaiah Stanback (Shoulder)
FB Oliver Hoyte (Neck)
CB Anthony Henry (Ankle)
S Pat Watkins (Ankle)
Rookie wide receiver Isaiah Stanback had his first start in the NFL last week and ended up suffering a shoulder injury that will likely leave him out for this game. It has not been announced if Tyson Thompson will get his kick return job back or if Miles Austin will get his shot.
Rookie fullback Deon Anderson was placed on thje Injured Reserve on Monday after a season ending rotator cuff injury incurred last Sunday. FB Oliver Hoyte is expected to play after missing the last six game with a neck injury.
Safety Pat Watkins sprained his ankle last week in the fourth quarter against the Eagles and has had limited practice this week.


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – MIT athletic director and department head Julie Soriero announced the hiring of Holly Glynn as the new head coach of the women's lacrosse program. Glynn comes to Cambridge following a brief stint as an assistant coach at Mount Ida College.
Prior to her time at Mount Ida, Glynn was the head of lacrosse at Sedbergh School in Sedbergh, United Kingdom for the 2011 season. During her tenure, she coached the school's three teams and handled all of the administrative responsibilities for the program. Glynn has also served as a coach at the NoCar Lacrosse Camp in Davidson, N.C. and the Uptown Lacrosse Camp in New York City.
"Holly brings a great deal of successful experience as a student-athlete at Columbia, in which she holds numerous records and led her team as captain," said Soriero. "Her dedication to the sport and for coaching was clearly evident throughout the entire search process. I believe she will be a good fit for MIT and our student-athletes will respond to her enthusiasm and leadership."
A 2009 graduate of Columbia University, Glynn earned a bachelor's degree in political science. She closed her career as the Lions' all-time leader in career points, career goals, points in a season, goals in a season, goals in a game, and assists in a game. Glynn was a two-time IWLCA All-Region selection and was the first player in program history to earn a spot on the first team. In addition, she was tabbed to the All-Ivy team in 2008 and 2009.
"I am honored to serve as the next head women's lacrosse coach at MIT and lead this program to the next level," commented Glynn. "I would like to thank Julie Soriero and the search committee for this wonderful opportunity; I accept this role with great excitement and pride and look forward to working with this talented group of student-athletes."


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(MCT) — CHICAGO — Lost in Wednesday's giggly revelation at Halas Hall that NFL players have been known to take Viagra for an edge was Brandon Marshall seriously embracing what gives the Bears offense its biggest boost.
"We understand that we are the focal points of the offense right now," Marshall said. "We know that the offense goes through us, Jay (Cutler) being the quarterback obviously and me being the No. 1 receiver. But I guess that is why they pay us pretty good to make plays."
The Bears pay running back Matt Forte pretty well too to make plays — $30.4 million over a four-year contract he signed last summer. Yet nobody in the room batted an eye when Marshall stated the obvious that the Bears offense "goes through" Cutler and him.
Nobody thought immediately, What about Forte? Nor did Marshall's statement sound incomplete or egotistical. It merely reflected the new normal for the Bears in respect to their so-called franchise running back.
Matt Forgotten.
Forte practiced on a limited basis because of the right ankle he re-injured against the Vikings but concern surrounding his status for the Seahawks game bordered on perfunctory. If Marshall was gimpy enough to leave the previous game, we would call orthopedists all over the Midwest daily for projections. When Cutler goes down with an injury, Chicagoans often hear about it before traffic and weather. Forte?
"He'll be fine," offensive coordinator Mike Tice predicted after Wednesday's practice.
Coach Lovie Smith wasn't asked.
For the Bears to evolve fully into the Super Bowl contender they envision, Forte needs to be more than fine the final five games. The Bears need Forte to conjure up his own fourth-and-29 miracle conversion the way Ray Rice of the Ravens did. They need the third member of the Bears' offensive triumvirate to keep up with Cutler and Marshall better than he has.
Nothing against right guard Lance Louis, the victim of a season-ending cheap shot from Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, but the biggest injury concern after last Sunday's attrition should have surrounded Forte. Louis indeed has been the Bears' best of a bad group of offensive linemen but teams rarely win or lose games based on whether the right guard plays.
Forte, in contrast, means more to the Bears' overall outlook by design — at least he should. He should account for a larger piece of the offensive pie. Yet whether because of injury or opportunity, Forte has produced results lately that look more ordinary than elite.
Forte's two 100-yard rushing games have come against the NFL's 27th- and 29th-ranked run defenses — the Titans and Jaguars, respectively. In the Bears' three losses, Forte has 44 carries for 133 yards.
In the last 16 regular-season games, the equivalent of a season in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, Forte has missed five games with two different injuries and rushed 163 times for 695 yards and three touchdowns. He has just 27 receptions for 184 yards in that span, largely because Tice's offense doesn't utilize backs in the passing game like Mike Martz's did.
Backup running back Michael Bush's numbers over the same 16-game span mirror Forte's. Including the final five games of last year for the Raiders and the 2012 season, Bush has rushed 199 times for 675 yards and six touchdowns. Bush has 26 catches for 228 yards.
Some will consider the comparison unfair because Forte missed so much time with injuries, but that underscores the point. Durability issues Forte insisted he was immune to during contract negotiations indeed have plagued him in the first year of his new deal. For the Bears to stay in any Super Bowl conversations, Forte must stay on the field.
Smith stressed that the main story of beating the Vikings was 39 rushing plays. It showed Tice's renewed commitment to the run. Chances are Smith wants to create the same narrative against a Seahawks defense that gave up 189 rushing yards to the Dolphins and will rely on a big, physical cornerback tandem to pose Marshall's toughest challenge yet.
The arrival of December football in Chicago coincides with the Bears' stated desire to make their running backs more important. To make the offense go through them more, if you will. If Forte cannot rise to the occasion for whatever reason, the Bears will turn to Bush.
By now, we should be able to tell a bigger difference.


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- Home
- Emergency Status
- About OEM
- Disaster Assistance
- Disaster Preparedness
- Partnerships
- Contact Us
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management (OEM) plans, coordinates and supports a wide-range of activities that help prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and large-scale emergencies, while also reducing vulnerabilities to hazards.
(Click the blue button below for emergency
and severe weather updates)
RSS Feed | Subscribe via email
For information about assistance and resources available for those affected by the 2013 Flood.
The Boulder Office of Emergency Management, in partnership with Boulder County and the City of Boulder, will begin audible testing of the countywide emergency sirens at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 2. The test is the first of the monthly emergency audible siren tests, which take place each year on the first Monday of each month from April through August. For more...
Sign-up at www.boco911alert.com to receive messages about imminent threats and hazards by text message, email, and/or on your cell, home or work phone. For more ...
Download the Boulder OEM Emergency Preparedness Guide, which provides a comprehensive view on how to prepare for the possible risks and hazards in our community. For more ...
The All-Hazards Alert System (AHA) is a way of quickly determining the current threat level of an emergency, and a basic idea of the nature of the threat using the common green, yellow and red symbols. For more ...


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O2 Joggler family organiser
More PMP than parental PDA
Review The knack in marketing a product that can perform a multitude of tasks is obviously picking the right ones to focus on but, at the same time, not forgetting to mention anything really interesting. O2 has decided to pitch its new Joggler primarily as an interactive digital calendar for the busy modern family but, after a thorough nose around this oddly named device, we are not entirely sure O2 is focusing on its best side.
O2's Joggler: silly name, but clever device
In appearance, the Joggler is nothing too out of the ordinary – looking half PMP, half digital photo frame. The body of the device measures 115 x 180 x 25mm and it stands propped up at around sixty degrees by its fixed and non-removable metal stand. The front is of the unit is dominated by a 7in 800x480 LCD screen and, rather unusually, it is completely devoid of controls, buttons or logos.
Without any sort of on/off switch you just plug the Joggler in and wait for it to spring into life whereupon you will be presented with a pleasant green/blue hued home page with fifteen on-screen buttons that provide access to the Joggler's various functions. These include your O2 calendar, photos, music, videos, games, news – current affairs and sports – weather and traffic information.
The remaining buttons take you to a 'what's new/important from O2' page, settings, tools including calculator, alarm clock and memo pad, and a help page. OK, that's only 13. The last two buttons are currently blanked out but, at some point following a firmware update, they will enable access Internet radio stations and messages – presumably e-mails rather than texts.
The current top ten news headlines are sourced from Sky, as is the local three day weather forecast. Traffic data comes from Trafficmaster and simply shows reduced speed warnings on congested roads nationwide. Alas, you can't set the traffic map to show your local area as the default. So, every time you use it you have a drag the map to the right area, which gets a little tiresome after a while.
Current affairs and sports news are provided by Sky
Navigating around the Joggler is eminently straightforward. Just tap the icon or file title you want to launch and away you go while an omnipresent image of a house in the top left corner takes you directly back to the home page. When on standby, the Joggler switches to a large and clear display of the current time and date.


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An updated edition of Lawyers, Gems and Money.
Conroy reveals a tale of corporate crime and deception that proves sometimes fact can be stranger than fiction.
Melbourne lawyer Max Green paid the ultimate price for his multi-million dollar fraud when he was murdered, and more recently Kerry and Kay Danes have been detained.
Whoops - sorry, so far I've not added any other entries about this book to the website (yet).


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About Bubblegum casting
Bubblegumcasting.com is currently casting females 18-22 years old for paid modeling gigs. No experience is needed we specialize in working with first time models, instruction is given through out all our jobs and most are very simple.
There are no fees associated with working with us, you will placed with a professional photographer around your own age - work at your own comfort level - jobs pay same day in cash.
Please use our application form to apply. Applications will be responded to within 24 hours.


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Mayagüez is the largest city on the Western side of the island of Puerto Rico.
Mayagüez has roughly 90,000 inhabitants, plus a floating population of ~15,000, on weekdays, particularly when the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPR-M) is not in recess. In its heyday, Mayagüez was a major manufacturing center, particularly famous for food processing (tuna canning and beer). Currently, besides being a college town, it has an industry mostly based on trade of goods and services. Tourists may use it as a base for exploring the Western coast of Puerto Rico.
Get in[edit]
By auto[edit]
Mayagüez is served by PR-2, a primary four-lane road that links San Juan and Ponce and passes through most towns in the northern, western, and southwestern coasts of Puerto Rico. Should you drive into it from the north, you'll enter the municipality through the bridge over the Río Grande de Añasco; from the south, you will enter town by driving past the Mayagüez Mall, right after the overpass that serves as the terminus to road PR-100, which leads to the resort town of Cabo Rojo.
Other roads link Mayagüez to smaller towns in the area. From the south, visitors can enter Mayagüez through road PR-102, a coastline road with a particularly scenic view of Mayagüez Bay, the city itself, and coastal towns such as Rincón.
By air[edit]
Mayagüez also has a local airport, Eugenio María de Hostos International Airport (MAZ, also called El Maní because of the section of town where it is located), which has daily flights to and from San Juan and are operated by Cape Air. International charter flights from Spain, Canada and the United Kingdom arrive at nearby Rafael Hernández Marín International Airport, (BQN), about 20 mi. north of Mayagüez.
By sea[edit]
You can travel by ferry to and from the Dominican Republic from the city's port.
Get around[edit]
Mayagüez is a small city, roughly shaped like a crescent. Many of its landmarks are within walking distance of each other, but the location of some will demand that you use alternate means of transport. The downtown section roughly follows a grid pattern. The main thoroughfares of the grid are the Calle de La Candelaria (from west to east) and Calle Méndez Vigo (from east to west), which run parallel to each other. They are closest to each other near the town square, the Plaza de Colón (Christopher Columbus Square), whose four corners are still called Las Cuatro Esquinas by some older mayagüezanos. City Hall (whose bell tower is roughly modeled after New York's) and the local Roman Catholic cathedral, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria are located at opposite sides of the square. Slighly west of the city center the Avenida Ramón Emeterio Betances runs across the city from north to south. Towards the north, the Avenida Betances makes a sharp turn towards the northwest, becomes the Boulevard Alfonso Valdés Cobián, and borders part of UPR-M.
Towards the north of the city square you will find three residential subsections (barrios): Paris and Antonio de Balboa (working class) and the student district of Barcelona. South of the square you'll find the subsections of Salud, Santurce and Liceo, among others; towards the west you will find "Mayagüez Playa", by now mostly a business district, and the barrios of Dulces Labios and Trastalleres. All these subdivisions are at least 100 years old, and many of their inhabitants have lived there for generations.
Public transportation is scarce. If you rent an automobile, be advised: parking is even more scarce. Parking meters abound in the downtown section, but parking laws are not consistently enforced. You are advised to cover your stay by using them, though; fines cost $25-$250 depending on the infraction. There are private parking lots around town, whose hourly rates are relatively cheap (roughly $1/hr), but most are small, and many close by 5:00 PM. Should you be staying at a downtown hotel you may be entitled to use a parking space at one of these for the night.
If you need to travel reliably through town your best bet is to book a taxi, which is relatively cheap compared to San Juan's (a drive within the downtown section is approximately USD$7). There are two taxi companies: Yellow Cab (just south of the Cathedral) and White Cab (on Calle José de Diego, two streets north of the Plaza de Colón)
There's a free municipal trolley which makes a short circuit between its terminal just north of City Hall and the Palacio de Recreación y Deportes, which has a large, free parking lot. It mostly runs during work hours, 7:00 AM through 5:00 PM.
If you are adventurous, you may walk to the Terminal de Carros Públicos and take a publico (fixed-route public car). Most likely you will have to wait until the vehicle is full of passengers before the driver departs. Most routes cover nearby towns as well as Mayagüez Urbano, defined roughly as the expanse covered by Betances Avenue, and PR-2 up to the Mayagüez Mall. The rides are cheap, but as the routes are fixed, please discuss your plans with the driver before boarding.
Travel by bicycle, although convenient, may be limited by the availability of parking facilities. Assume that, if you travel with one, you will have to lock and fasten your bike securely. Many drivers are not used to sharing the road with cyclists, although there is at least one dedicated bike trail on road PR-3108, near the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.
See[edit][add listing]
The campus spread from its origins on top of a very steep hill in the northern side of the city, and features multiple architectural styles. It also features more than 100 mostly tropical botanical species -some of the larger trees are identified.
The campus' original quadrangle is formed by three buildings (De Diego -the main administration building-, Celis and the Old Library / Student Deanship), and by a replica of the campus' emblematic structure: the porch of the former Federico Degetau building. When Mayaguez was struck by an earthquake and tsunami in 1918, the building suffered considerable structural damage and its ruins had to be demolished, but crews noticed that the frontispiece of the building resisted efforts to knock it down. A second building was erected, adapting the porch to its design. When the campus proved too small, the building had to be demolished. Again, the wrecking crews noticed the porch was too sturdy to come down. The crews eventually demolished the porch, but many students and faculty members felt offended by this action -somehow the porch served as a spiritual reminder of the resilience of El Colegio. Based on a photograph of the old porch -with a palm tree behind the porch's ruins-, the University incorporated a stylized image of the porch in its emblem. Eventually, a subscription fund was raised to erect a replica of the old porch, very near where the original one stood.
Do[edit][add listing]
Buy[edit][add listing]
Mayaguez is similar to most U.S. cities in that you will find multinational chain stores such as Sears, Wal-Mart, and KMart. Their presence, however, has determined that local commerce gravitate towards shopping malls and away from the city center.
The city's main shopping center is the Mayagüez Mall, at the southern edge of the city. The mall features about 100 stores, its anchor stores are Sears, JC Penney's and Wal-Mart. Two other large shopping centers are Western Plaza, at the northern side of the city (anchor stores are Home Depot, K-Mart and Sam's Club) and Mayagüez Town Center (whose larger retailer is Pueblo Supermarket)
Truly local to the town, however, are many eateries: Mayagüez and nearby Cabo Rojo are renowned for their gastronomy. There is also a once-a-month arts and crafts fair, set up on tents at the Plaza de Colón.
Eat[edit][add listing]
Mayagüez is known for its gastronomy: many popular Puerto Rican dishes and treats were either developed or popularized in town. Arguably bread (French-style baguettes, as well as the local varieties pan soba(d)o and pan de agua) is the food staple Mayagüez is best known for. The Ricomini Bakery chain has by now become the best known provider, and its flagship store at Calle Mendez Vigo near the city's center (which dates from 1905) has become a popular meeting place for locals. It features deli sandwiches, pastries, and local Puerto Rican fare.
Another revered institution, E. Franco y Co. (near the end of Calle Mendez Vigo) dates from 1850. Its jelly rolls ("brazo gitano", or Gypsy's Arm) are well known around Puerto Rico; they're sold in twelve flavor combinations (most popular are guava, Bavarian creme and cream cheese) and two sizes (the shorter one is sometimes called a "tuco gitano", or Gypsy's Stub). Franco also features gourmet imports (particularly from Europe), deli sandwiches, and local Puerto Rican fare.
Two other small eateries on Calle José De Diego also have a following: Siglo XX and El Cacique Lounge. The former is better known for its breakfast variety; the latter is known for its Cuban-style lunches. Both have reasonable prices: Siglo XX is favored by senior citizens, while Cacique Lounge is favored by students.
Before multinational ice cream eateries set camp in town, Mayagüez had two local establishments, named Rex Cream, which date from the early 1960s and still operate. One of them is just north of City Hall; the second one is relatively close at Calle Méndez Vigo. Their corn sherbet has a cult following; about twelve other fruit flavors are also served.
Other establishments are:
If you prefer familiar fare, multinational chain restaurants such as Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell, Sizzler, Applebees, etc. can also be found here.
Drink[edit][add listing]
Mayagüez has the largest brewery in Puerto Rico: the Compañía Cervecera de Puerto Rico (CCPR), founded in 1937. Its flagship brand is Cerveza Medalla (Silver Key is another brand, and the company has plans to diversify its offerings in the future). The local brand is usually cheaper than imports, and it is decent enough to have deserved awards in Europe and New Zealand. A family business, CCPR sponsors the local baseball team, the Indios de Mayagüez (named after a revered former brand, Cerveza India) as well as various sport events and festivals through Puerto Rico.
Occasionally the CCPR also hosts events of its own, particularly their Yellow Pass events near the start of the University of Puerto Rico's start of term (late August), near Halloween (late October), and during the summer. International DJs such as Tiesto and Armin Van Buuren have been featured in some of these.
Another revered alcoholic concoction is Sangría de Fido. The heirs of Wilfrido "Fido" Aponte still bottle it: a powerful concoction inspired on sangria, but actually made with fruit juices, Bacardi 151 rum and burgundy wine (technically not from Bourgogne, but produced by E & J Gallo Winery in Modesto, California). Originally bottled by hand by the bartender since the mid-1970s, "Sangría de Fido" has a sizeable reputation outside Puerto Rico, and can claim tasters from as far away as California and Spain. E & J Gallo once awarded Aponte with a "Customer of the Year" award and flew him to their headquarters. (Aponte was reportedly offered $250,000 by Bacardi to sell his original recipe once, to which he refused). The heirs have set up a small lounge at Calle Dulievre, in the Balboa subsection of town, very close to Aponte's original watering hole.
Sleep[edit][add listing]
Lodging in Puerto Rico tends to be more expensive than their value. There are alternatives for every budget, although not as many as you would expect.
Stay safe[edit]
Get out[edit]
The nearby towns of Rincon, Anasco & Isabela offer beautiful beaches, surfing and accommodations. Head South to the bioluminescent by at La Parguera.


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Difference between revisions of "Belarus"
Revision as of 09:34, 9 September 2013
Belarus [3] is in Eastern Europe. It has borders with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Originally part of Kievan Rus, Belarus was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the Polish Partitions in the 18th century. After over a hundred years of Russian rule followed by seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. However, under authoritarian rule, it has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December, 1999, envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious steps towards implementation have seen limited success. The economy is completely dependent on Russia, and the Belarusian government has taken vitriolic, anti-Western stance. The country has not seen much structural reform in the past few years. Political and journalistic activity is tightly controlled. Even though the country was the most developed republic (excluding the three Baltic states) in the former USSR, the country has a lot of remains of its socialist past, and is one of the countries with the highest poverty rate in Europe.
Other destinations
Get in
Visa requirements, basic information
Belarusian visas at Minsk National Airport (MSQ) are issued to the nationals of the countries with no consular offices of the Republic of Belarus at EUR 90. However, the prices for the nationals WITH a Belarusian consulate in their passport country are rather high - EUR 180 when they apply AT MSQ Airport on arrival. Standard documents like a letter of invitation has to be provided, too - a hotel booking is not enough, at least for a tourist visa, but not other entry points. See the visa price-list in English
To the nationals of other countries (Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, China, Estonia, Egypt, France, Hungary, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Republic of South Africa, Slovak Republic, Montenegro, Switzerland, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA), visas may be issued upon arrival on an exceptional basis only. However, this option will be unavailable to people with Belarusian embassies in their countries starting from 1 September 2012, except if the reason for entry is urgent (such as illness or death of family).
You can apply the visa from Belarusian Consulate or Embassy. The list can be found from Embassy & consulate list & [5] on Foreign Affairs Ministry web-site. Quick visa is more expensive, but you will get it within half a day.
Visa fees and processing changes so make sure that you check with the local embassy or consulate before you plan your travel. A visa will take a full page of your passport so make sure you have at least 1 page free.
Visa fees are generally as follows:
Japanese and Serbian passport holders are exempted from visa fees.
There is now a trend to spare the transit tourists from a need to apply for a transit visa at MSQ Airport. There is no document with guidelines available to public, but if you come from a migration secure country and travel with Belavia via Minsk to the third destination it is highly unlikely that you will need a transit visa. ALWAYS check with the Minsk Airport Consulate.
There is no possibility to get a Belarusian entry visa on the border (except for the Minsk National Airport)
Latest prices and procedures are available from the Embassy Sites [6]. Pre-issued visas save a lot of time on entry.
Belarusian visa is issued in 5 working days, there is also a possibility to get it urgently (in 48 hours) by paying double fee.
Normal fee for Belarusian private or business single visa can vary from US$40 to US$80. Visas for children under 16 are issued free of charge, visa processing fee can be levied in this case by certain Belarusian embassies or consulates.
In order to get a visa you will also need a passport and an invitation, other papers depending on the type of visa you apply for. There is a compulsory state medical insurance for visitors to Belarus if you do have a policy valid in Belarus. The fee for this insurance is US$0.50 per day rounded up to the nearest US$ (i.e. 1-2 days: US$1; 3-4 days: US$2; etc.). The citizens of the UK are the only nation exempt from this procedure. Even if your medical insurance is valid in Belarus, it is common for customs control to insist you purchase insurance at the airport. This can be purchased just before you go through customs, so it is important you carry a few euros on you.
To get a Belarusian business visa a foreigner has to present an invitation of any Belarusian legal entity officially registered in the Republic of Belarus. The invitation is to be written on letterhead paper and should contain name, personal and passport details as well as purpose and duration of visit. The invitation is to be signed and bear official seal of the inviting organization. Embassies or consulates (with the exception of Consular office at the National airport) can often except invitations received by fax. Multiple business visa is obtainable against payment of US$300 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consular department upon presentation of all required documents (contact phone + 375 17 222 26 61).
To get a short-term visa for private purposes (visiting Belarusian relatives, friends, other private matters) with a validity of 30 days, maximum for 1-, 2- or multiple entries for citizens of the EU as well as nationals of several other countries, such as Australia, Andorra, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Chili, Island, Israel, Norway, Swiss Confederation, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Uruguay, Republic of South Africa and Japan, no visa support documents shall be required (letter of invitation etc. documents). Short term visas are available from Minsk airport, consulates and embassies.
To get a visa for private purposes a foreigner who is planning to stay in the country for more than 30 days has to present the invitation issued for a Belarusian resident by his citizenship and migration office. The original invitation should be handed over to the embassy/consulate or Consular office at the National airport in this case, any fax or photocopy is excluded. Multiple private visa is issued upon presentation of the original invitation to foreigners, visiting their close relatives. Very often Belarusian consulates grant private visas to the nationals of migration secure countries without any invitation papers.
Visas can be valid for one, two, three or multiple entries. They are to be used within the period indicated therein.
Foreigners visiting Belarus must register within a period of 5 business days with local Migration and Citizenship Department and have registration put in their migration card. If you are staying in a hotel, this will be arranged by the hotel. A police registration form can be found here[7].
If needed, private or business visas can be extended up to 90 days when staying in Belarus. It will be done by Minsk city citizenship and migration office (contact phone + 375 17 231 38 09) or Regional citizenship and migration office in Hrodna, Brest, Minsk, Mahilyou, Homel upon presentation of all required documents.
Exit permits required for all foreigners intending to leave the country with expired visas. They are issued by Minsk city passport and visa office or Regional passport and visa offices in Hrodna, Brest, Minsk, Mogilev, Homel.
Some agencies provide letters of invitation, apartments, airport transfers etc. Any good search engine should provide links. Avoid belarusrent.com, however. Reports have been received of them taking money through paypal, though not delivering on services and refusing refunds.
ENTRY FROM LITHUANIA It is only in Consulate in Vilnius that you can submit your documents applying DIRECTLY for a visa to Belarus. They issue all visas on the same day - if it is urgent you pay twice as much, get the visa on the same day and it is valid from tomorrow (for example), if not, you pay a normal fee, still collect it on the same day, but travel only within one week (for example).
It is very unlikely for the visa regime to become any softer for EU citizens in the near future. First attempts for visa free traveling are made in the Polish and Lithuanian border areas where people (who reside there permanently) will be able to travel visa free in the 50 km border area.
By plane
Several European airlines have flights to Minsk (operating at National airport Minsk [8] situated approximately 40 km from capital Minsk). Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Lot Polish airlines, Air Baltic, Czech Airlines, and some other carriers offer this destination. The only national airlines - Belavia [9] and Gomelavia [10]- could be competitive due to attractive ticket prices. If you opt to land in Minsk National Airport, you should be aware of certain issues that might keep you slow when going through the airport procedures.
Flying directly to Belarus is expensive if you do not book tickets early in advance. For example, Estonian Air [11] sells tickets for €92 if you make reservations 4 months in advance. If you buy the same ticket a week before the trip, the price is much higher.
If you have time and want to save some money, fly to Vilnius or Kaunas, (both in Lithuania) and take a train to Minsk. The train ride from Vilnius is only four hours and generally trains leave twice per day. You will save a great deal of money compared to a short notice direct flight. Visas are, of course, still required.
By train
Some of the entry/exit points along the Poland/Belarus border include:
You can take a local train between the two corresponding border towns.
Timetable information are available on sites like: Deutsche Bahn (DB) [12], Polish trains PKP (english) [13] (polish) [14], Commonwealth of independent states (CIS) trains (and others) [15], Latvia trains 1 [16], Latvia trains 2 [17] Lithuania train timetables [18] trains and bus timetables at Baltic countries [19] Belarussian railway timetables: [20]
Estonia train timetables 1: [21] Estonia train & bus timetables 2: [22]
N.B. There is no direct train from Estonia, but via track Tallin-Tartu- Valga/Valka (Valga/Valka is city at the Estonian/Latvian border. There are a few trains that go to Riga. The name of the train station in Valka is Lugazi. There are plans that direct trains will start in 2010, removing the need for changing in Valka/ Valga, from Estonia, Tallin to Latvia, Riga.
Passport, customs controls
Passport controls happen in the train itself. In the get in to Belarus direction, they happen typically even before the train leaves the station in Poland.
Customs controls happen in a room of the train station in the Belarus train station. As of 2005, you are most likely to have a short chat with a customs officer - the system of green (nothing to declare) and red (something to declare) streams and random checks of suspicious looking people in the green stream - everyone is presumed to be suspicious. In practice, the rules seem to be fairly standard - declare expensive goods, you can import/export a small quantity of alcohol, cigarettes, computer equipment for personal use. However, the formal content of the customs form asks whether you are carrying any publications. So if you have, e.g. a US passport and are carrying a whole bunch of do-it-yourself-color-revolution materials and you have that subversive look about you, then you will probably be giving the customs people have a legal reason to detain you and/or deport you.
Warning: the customs room in the train station where you exit Belarus may be difficult to find (especially if you walk around the station rather casually and your Cyrillic is weak) and it closes a long time before the train leaves; if you arrive only 10 minutes before the train leaves, you will be refused customs control and access to the train. Customs may also be carried out at the border while on the train. It adds over an hour to the trip, but other than that, the officials are efficient and friendly.
On a local train between two border towns, chances are high that you will be accompanied/befriended by women trading underpants, soap powder, strawberries, cigarettes etc across the border. They may be friendly and casual or (leaving Belarus) they might put pressure on you to help them in their trade by carrying cigarettes over the border for them - the idea is that you buy it cheap in Belarus and that you resell it to them once you're in Poland. Chances are also good that their friendly mafia boss is with them and you'll all travel together in the same train carriage, so chances of you getting away and reselling the cigarettes independently are probably weak. Instead, just smile, use your common sense and probably best not to provoke them. If you take their cigarettes, make sure not to take more than a legal allowance and return them to the women in Poland. Don't expect to be paid for it. Don't look to the border guards for help. They know the women traders and seem to have some informal deal with them (e.g. not being strict about visas, etc) - the Belarus border guards are worried only about political subversives; they have higher priorities than defending you against women trading underpants and cigarettes.
By car
At the Terespol/Brest crossing, there are about six different controls. As of August 2009, the Polish side seems to work quite slowly. Being on the outer border of the European Union, they check whether one isn't exporting a stolen car, isn't wanted by European authorities etc.
After crossing the bridge over river Bug and getting on the Belarusian side, one has to show passports and gets a piece of paper with the car's registration mark on it. Then one goes to either green or red channel depending on whether a customs control is needed. In the green channel one has to complete two checks, the completion of each check is recorded on the paper received on entering the Belarusian side.
First passport/visa/migration card checks are done by an officer who comes towards your car. They also check medical insurance and it is quite likely you will be forced to purchase the state compulsory medical insurance at the border. The cost for two weeks was about 5 euros.
Second is the transport/car check, for which one needs to go to a special window towards the end of the customs area. You will be required to produce a "green card" (proof of insurance) valid for Belarus, or will have to purchase a compulsory car insurance at the border. In August 2009 the insurance for 14 days was 17 euros and there was no problem buying it at the Terespol/Brest crossing. You will also get another piece of paper with your car registration mark. You will need to show this one on the way back.
With the stamped paper, one can go forward towards the last barrier. The officer there just takes the paper, checks that you have completed the controls, and lets you into Belarus.
It would be nice to believe that there's a geiger counter to check for stuff which is radioactive from the Chernobyl accident, but it's unclear if this is used in practice - it's not done in any obvious way.
On leaving Belarus, one has to pay a special "environmental" tax before being allowed to enter the border control area. It costs 1 euro, and in Brest is sold in a large building just before the border on the right.
By bus
Taking a bus from any border of the country of Belarus is easy. From all the Baltic countries there is a lot of bus traffic to Belarus here are some samples:
From Estonia, Tallin there are direct buses to Minsk [23] and [24]
From Baltic countries: Olimp [25], Nordeka [26], Eurolines [27] Ecolines [28]
By boat
Belarus shares many rivers with its neigbouring countries, so it's no big surprise that in Belarus each major city has a riverport and possibilities for river cruises. The easiest way to check departure times, routes and availability is to call Belarussian River Steamship Company [30] and/or Belarusian tourist companies [31]. PLEASE NOTE! Cruice inquiries are recommended to do with phone. If you cannot reach one number it is good to call other numbers that same company have (Phone numbers and e-mail addresses change in rapid phase in Belarus)
Belarusian border crossing cruises are such as from Belarus, Polotsk into Latvia's Daugavpilis and Poland's Augustow chanel. Augustow chanal cruises departure from Belarusian city called Grodno and the route is via Neman river.
By a canoe
Kayak paddling, rowing and canoeing are popular hobbies in Belarus.
In some cases with special pre-planning and preparations with the authorities and tourist agents one can cross the border also by canoeing.
By foot
If you're at one of the double town crossings, e.g.
there may be some places where you can cross by foot - e.g. because you're on the last day of your Belarus visa and you want to be sure not to overstay - but more likely you'll have to befriend some people in a car who will adopt you for a few hours and will (implicitly) pretend that you're travelling with them. The border guards have no problem with this. Remember that the people in the car are taking a risk as well as you - as far as they know you might be a National Endowment for Democracy agent who will be discovered by the Belarus border guard and get them into a heap of trouble. So if they are Belarusians and they ask for a fee of US$5 consider it fair. See the section By car above for what happens in your adopted car.
Get around
Travelling by car will get you far, since the infrastructure in Belarus was well developed after World War II. Petrol is relatively cheap by European standards. 1 litre is <USD$1 (as of April 2010). All petrol stations have the same prices (mandated by the government), so no need for shopping around. You can rent cars in Minsk at the airport or city from the major international rental chains or smaller local companies. Traveling by train around the country will get you to a lot of desired destinations relatively cheap and fast (make sure that you book an express train). Also, you will get a chance to capture a glimpse of Belarusian nature, as the forests and plains often start right on the edges of the cities. Notice how there are almost no elevations in this part of Europe - it is all vast green plain. Do not count on being lucky to spot wild animals by the railroad tracks - they are normally afraid of loud noises and savage passengers. Belarus is not a large country, and a traveller can reach from one side of its border to the other in less than a day.
Belarusian and Russian are the two official languages. Both languages are part of the Slavic language family and are closely related, and there are many similarities in those languages. According to the 2009 official census, 53.2% of Belarusian residents considered Belarusian to be their native language. However only 23% predominantly speak it at home, and these are for the most part older inhabitants of rural villages where the intense Russification of the soviet era was less strongly felt. Polish is spoken in the western parts, especially around Grodno. But most local Poles use their own dialect with Belarusian as the base and with only some Polish words and sounds. There is a similar mixture of Belarusian and Russian, called Трасянка (Trasianka).
At least some knowledge of Russian is essential for an independent traveller, but if you do know Russian, you'll find that it, rather than Belarusian, will get you everything you need. There is little practical point in learning Belarusian, unless you want to impress the cultural elite or join the political opposition (which is highly inadvisable). The authorities (and some of the trendier shops in big cities like Minsk) make an effort to use Belarusian, but it's mostly a token one and any information you actually need to know will most likely be in Russian. Expect to speak Russian, not Belarusian, in shops, museums, and on the street. Information in museums and other places of cultural interest will most likely also be in Belarusian, but if you have a good working knowlege of Russian, then understanding the gist of Belarusian speech is not difficult. Reading presents a bit more of a problem as Belarusian spelling rules are different to Russian, but if you say the word out loud with a Russian accent, in most cases the equivalent Russian word will become obvious.
English is not widely spoken in Belarus, especially not by people born before the fall of communism. Although in theory everyone learns English in school from the age of 7, in practice a combination of bad teaching and having no-one to practise on means that a lot of people have a very good vocabulary and can understand you if you talk slowly, but will struggle to put together a sentence in reply. Among the older generation, German is a more common second language. As Western tourists are so rare, every English speaker you come across will jump at the chance to practise their English on you, and if you agree, then it may very quickly become quite a big commitment on your part.
Belarus is visited, annually, by about 100,000 tourists; during at the same period about 12 million people went from the country as tourists. The profit from foreign tourism amounts to less than USD 200 per each tourist. The volume of tourism in total export makes up 1%. The most popular among the visitors are: Minsk City — 40% of visitors; Grodno - 32%; Brest - 22%, Vitebsk - 5%.
Inside of Belarus, you can get Belarusian rubles (but NOT always US dollars or euros) from automatic bank machines for standard types of credit/debit cards, and you can change US dollars and euros into Belarusian rubles at many exchange kiosks in big railway stations and centers of big cities. Although not all banks or exchange kiosks do, you might be asked for a passport in order to exchange currency. Most larger supermarkets, stores and hotels have credit card terminals, but smaller shops often do not. Visa and Mastercard are accepted, while American Express is not.
If you live in the UK or another country where the currency isn't US dollars, Euros or Russian roubles, you should buy some US dollars before you leave as you will most likely not be able to exchange your local currency inside Belarus. Similarly, you won't be able to pay by card or take money out at an ATM and will need to go to a bank with proof of ID to withdraw money from a card. You will be charged a commission of 1-2 per cent.
Converting Belarusian rubles back into hard currency shortly before departure or once you are outside of Belarus will probably be extremely difficult (except in Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, strangely enough). However, if you exchange all your rubles before leaving, any last-minute purchases (or fines for overstaying, customs, whatever) would have to be paid in dollars/euros.
Be very careful: exchange kiosks will not exchange any bill that is damaged or marked. About half of the bills you currently have in your wallet will be rejected for exchange in Belarus. Be sure to take only relatively new and undamaged foreign money with you.
Prices are typically much lower than in Western Europe, especially for supermarket food and service industry. Although 1 US dollar is equivalent to 9000 rubles, in practice about 3000 will buy you $1's worth of locally produced food or goods. Foreign imports, though, will often be closer in price to what they sell for in their country of origin. Although it is possible to find hotels that are cheaper than western Europe, the quality may be significantly lower too. For a western standard hotel you'll have to pay western prices (and quite often a lot more than you would pay in neighboring Poland). For a western restaurant-standard meal, you will have to pay comparatively large sums of money (which may sometimes be as high as western prices). A cheaper alternative is a local cafe or столовая (stolovaya, self-service cafe/dining room), where you can get a meal for only 2-3 USD.
Potatoes, pork, bread, & beef - in a nutshell. Most of the products and ingredients are organic, and radiation levels are constantly checked in the food to avoid contamination.
Belarusian cookbook
Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions, which have undergone a long historical evolution. But the main methods of traditional Belarusian cuisine are carefully kept by the people. Common in Belarusian cuisine were dishes from potato which is called among people "the second bread". The Belarusians bring fame to their beloved potato in their verses, songs, dances. There are special potato cafes in the country where you can try various potato dishes. Potato is included into many salads and it is served together with mushrooms and/or meat; different pirazhki (patties) and baked puddings are made from it. The most popular among the Belarusians is traditional draniki (known as "latkes" to North Americans, but eaten only with sour cream, never apple sauce), thick pancakes prepared from shredded potatoes. A wide spread of potato dishes in Belarusian cuisine can be explained by natural climatic conditions of Belarus which are propitious for growing highly starched and tasty sorts of potatoes.
Meat and meat products play a major role in the diet of Belarusians, especially to the pork and salted pork fat. One of the people's proverbs says: "There is no fish more tasty than tench, as well as there is no meat better than pork". The salted pork fat is used slightly smoked and seasoned with onions and garlic. Pyachysta is one of the traditional holiday dishes. This is boiled, stewed or roasted sucking pig, fowl or large chunks of pork or beef. Dishes prepared from meat are usually served together with potatoes or vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, black radish, peas, etc. It is characteristic that many vegetable and meat dishes are prepared in special stoneware pots.
Among dishes from fish, the Belarusians prefer yushka, galki and also baked or boiled river-fish without special seasonings. In general, what concerns the most common seasonings such as onions, garlic, parsley, dill, caraway seeds, pepper; they are used very moderately in Belarusian cookery. The national dishes are hearty and tasty nonetheless. The choices of are fresh, dried, salted and pickled mushrooms, and also berries such as bilberry, wild strawberries, red whortlberry, raspberries, cranberries and some others. Of flour dishes, the most popular is zacirka. Pieces of specially prepared dough are boiled in water and then poured over with milk or garnished with salted pork fat. The Belarusians prefer to use whole milk, which affected some methods of making yoghurt and the so called klinkovy cottage cheese. In Belarusian cuisine, the milk is widely used for mixing in vegetable and flour dishes. Myadukha, berezavik, kvas, and beer are traditional Belarusian drinks.
As of September 2012, current international chain restaurants are comprised of McDonald's and TGI Fridays. Many of the restaurants featuring foreign cuisine are Italian or French in origin although some Asian and American cuisine is also available. Pizza is a popular meal in Belarus and travellers will generally find a significant number of restaurants offering pizza in the larger cities such as Minsk or Vitebsk.
You can get soft drinks and beer everywhere in Belarus. Vodka, bitter herbal nastoikas (especially Belavezhskaja) and sweet balsams are the most common alcoholic drinks.
"Legal theft". Most hotels in Minsk are safe. However, be aware of the Belarusian trick. Since Belarusians are very afraid of the authorities and thus of committing a crime, some corrupt hotels may practice a very annoying way of stealing, so called "legal theft" involving maids (often in conspiracy with the reception personnel). While cleaning your room (in your absence) they may hide your personal belongings in the most outrageous parts of your room, combining bizarre sets of items, such as a cellular phone with a piece of bread, a wallet with a cheap magazine or a pair of glasses (!). The trick is: if you miss them, the maid will come and collect them later, if you report the items missing (or find them by yourself) you won't be able to do a thing (since the items never left the room, it is not considered a theft). The personnel may also ridicule your allegation by pointing out why on earth they would want to hide some bread or a hotel magazine - they just accidentally tucked the items away while cleaning. Avoid such unpleasant situations by always locking your valuables in the hotel safe or at least taking them with you. Before checking out, always search the room thoroughly (wardrobes, cabinets, deep shelves, behind sofas and radiators).
Russian language courses at the Belarus State Economic University [34] and the Minsk State Linguistic University [35].
Stay safe
If you participate in a street demonstration with political banners, expect to be detained within minutes. Westerners especially should avoid any political discussions, protests, etc. due to the government's keen opposition to dissenting views. With that said, many Belarusians freely express their political views during regular conversation without fear of immediate arrest or some type of governmental retribution. Active demonstrations against the government are certainly inadvisable; however, foreigners should not feel unduly threatened by any restrictions on freedom of political speech.
Aforementioned demonstrations can be identified by seeing a red and white banner, a white background, with a strip of red going horizontally across in the center, forming a white red white flag. If you see said flag, do your best to stay away from the demonstration.
Security personnel may at times place you, as a foreigner, under surveillance; hotel rooms, telephones, and fax machines may be monitored, and personal possessions in hotel rooms may be searched. Taking photographs of anything that could be perceived as being of military or security interest may result in problems with authorities; these sites are not always clearly marked and application of these restrictions is subject to interpretation.
Belarus police organizations are well trained and professional, but severely restricted by an un-reformed Soviet-era legal system, corruption, and politicization of the police force and other government authorities. Sophisticated criminal investigations are often inconclusive because of a lack of resources and/or political will.
Stay healthy
Historically, Belarus maintained an excellent health system. Ambulances are poorly equipped and unreliable; a wait time of 30 minutes or more is not unusual. The fastest way to secure Western-level care is medical evacuation to the European Union.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an increasingly serious health concern in Belarus. Vaccinations against this disease is highly recommended. You need to consult to a doctor first and get the vaccination before entering Belarus.
In Belarus, there is a big institute and lots of funding for studying the after effects of the Chernobyl disaster, which happened in 1986 in a nuclear power plant on the Ukraine-Belarus border, in the food chain. In principle, food inspectors check food not only for bacterial contamination but also for radiation levels, and except for the banned region within about 50 kilometers of the Chernobyl plant itself and a second hotspot starting from the point where Russia, Ukraine and Belarus all touch each other, and running roughly 100 km to the North of this point, food is considered safe.
Since Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian cultures are very close and thus share much in common, many of the same principles of behavior that can be applied to Russians and Ukrainians, are also applicable to the Belarus populace.
There are 3 major GSM providers in Belarus:
All of them offer no-contract GSM SIM-cards and USB modems for Internet access. Cellular communications are very affordable and popular in Belarus. Each of these companies has numerous stores in Minsk, Brest and other regional centers. You will need your passport to purchase a SIM card, but many tariffs are available only to those who are registered with the authorities in Belarus. However, a stamp by your hotel on the back of the immigration card in your passport is sufficient to be registered, and this is routinely done by hotels upon check-in. See Prepaid with Data Wiki and PrepaidGSM.net for more information in English about buying SIM cards.


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SOURCE: American Small Business League
November 05, 2012 19:43 ET
PETALUMA, CA--(Marketwire - Nov 5, 2012) - The following is a statement by American Small Business League President Lloyd Chapman:
I can tell you two of President Obama's broken campaign promises you will never hear Mitt Romney mention.
At every campaign stop for two years, Barack Obama promised that if he were elected President, he would enact a windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry. He said the proceeds would go to help Americans pay their energy bills. The day after he was elected, the windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry was the first item listed under the economy section of his "Change.gov" website. That was Wednesday. By Thursday, the windfall profits tax proposal had mysteriously vanished without a trace or any explanation. President Obama never mentioned it again and he never made any attempt to explain to the American people why he so mysteriously dropped one of his most consistent campaign promises. As far as I know, not one member of the press ever asked President Obama what happened to the windfall profits tax. Not one -- ever.
In a blog for the Huffington Post, I broke the story that President Obama had dropped his much promised windfall profits tax. The story was picked up across the globe and garnered around 3,500 comments.
The price of gas has remained high under President Obama. Oil companies are still making record profits and paying miniscule federal taxes. We are struggling to balance our federal budget and reduce our spiraling deficit, but you will never hear Mitt Romney or President Obama mention a windfall tax on the oil and gas industry. You will probably never hear any politician make any mention of oil companies paying a fair tax rate. The oil and gas industry has the kind of political muscle even a president is afraid of.
The next was President Obama's broken campaign promise to end the Bush administration's policy of diverting billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to Fortune 1000 firms here in the U.S. and to dozens of corporate giants worldwide.
In February 2008, Barack Obama released this statement: "98 percent of all American companies have fewer than 100 employees. Over half of all Americans work for a small business. Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy and we must protect this great resource. It's time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants."
Not only did President Obama fail to keep that campaign promise, the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants worldwide is getting worse. Some of the firms the Obama administration has diverted federal small business contracts to include Boeing, Hewlett Packard, AT&T, Motorola, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Apple, John Deere, Rockwell Collins, General Electric, General Dynamics, Office Depot, Xerox, Dell and ManTech.
Every year of the Obama administration, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG) has named the diversion of federal small business contracts to large businesses as the number one management challenge facing the SBA.
Not only did President Obama fail to keep his campaigns promise to end the diversion of small business contracts to large businesses, he tried to cover it up by removing the parent company Dun & Bradstreet number from the government's Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. Federal investigators, aiming to uncover big businesses masquerading as small businesses, use this number. This little cover-up would have also gone unnoticed had I not pointed it out and issued a national press release about it. In the end, I sued the General Services Administration (GSA) in federal court and forced them to restore the number.
So, in the midst of the worst economic downturn in 80 years, in a country where the U.S. Census Bureau tells us small businesses create more than 90 percent of net new jobs, President Obama knowingly, willfully and intentionally diverted federal small business contracts to hundreds of the biggest companies in the world and tried to cover it up. The single most astonishing thing is not one single member of the press in four years has ever asked him why he has diverted federal small business funds to worldwide corporate giants. NOT ONE -- EVER! So much for preserving journalistic integrity.
In all likelihood, Mitt Romney won't even come close to winning the election. Clearly, he would rather lose than mention two of President Obama's most damaging broken campaign promises.
Contact: Lloyd Chapman
American Small Business LeagueEmail Contact
(707) 789-9575
Contact: Lloyd Chapman
American Small Business LeagueEmail Contact
(707) 789-9575
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The GTX 560M with 3GB GDDR5 of memory is a high-end laptop graphics card that will offer similar performance to that of the older GTX 480. The GTX 560M is based on the GF116, which is in fact an optimized GF100 (Geforce GTX 480M).
The G74SX does not use Intel's integrated graphics. It comes with Nvidia's GTX 560M. Nvidia Optimus is not included, which means the GTX 560M runs all the time.
Having a 120Hz monitor is a shame to waste but note that 3D gaming is not possible with all games in 1920x1080, simply because 3D tends to double graphics requirements.
Gaming in classic 2D mode will not be a problem, not even at 1920x1080. However, some more demanding games will require turning off effects and antialiasing.
Dirt 2
Asus G74SX instantly got ahead of the pack of slower laptops we included in the table. With graphics settings at 'High', G74SX outran Alienware's Mx14, which has Nvidia GT 555M graphics.
Metro 2033
Metro 2033 allowed for gaming at native 1920x1080 with settings at 'Normal Quality', although we did turn off tessellation and DOF.
Crysis 2 / DirectX 9
Crysis 2 was easily playable in DX9 version.
Crysis 2 / DirectX 11
We downloaded the DX 11 patch and high res textures, which decreased the result you see in the table abowe by only a few frames. The real work for GTX 560M begins when Crysis 2 is ran in 3D.
'High' setttings at 1920x1080 coupled with 3D resulted in only 24-27fps. Once we turned on DX11 and high resolution textures, we saw that about 1.6GB was used in the graphics card's memory (DirectX 9 took up 1.23GB). All in all, memory was not a bottleneck as the GTX 560M we had on our tests boasts 3GB.
Crysis 2 / DirectX 9 in 3D
Crysis 2 / DirectX 11 in 3D


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Sudanese family 'very tired,' thankful for freedom
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (AP) — The husband of a Sudanese woman who refused to recant her Christian faith in the face of a death sentence said Friday the family is healthy but "very tired" and grateful for the global efforts to free his wife.
Meriam Ibrahim flew from Rome with her husband, Daniel Wani, and two children to Philadelphia and ultimately on to New Hampshire. Wani has family in Manchester, where they will make their new home.
In a statement issued through a spokesman Friday afternoon, Wani thanked members of Congress, human rights organizations, diplomats and lawyers who helped free Ibrahim.
"Everyone is in good health but are very tired," Wani said.
The family is planning to address the media next week after taking the weekend to rest.
Ibrahim had been sentenced to death over charges of apostasy, the abandonment of a religion. Her father was Muslim, and her mother was an Orthodox Christian. She married Wani, a Christian from southern Sudan, in 2011. Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, and children must follow their fathers' religions.
Sudan initially blocked Ibrahim from leaving the country even after its highest court overturned her death sentence in June. The family took refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.
Daniel Wani was granted U.S. citizenship when he fled to the United States as a child to escape civil war, but he later returned and was a citizen of South Sudan.
Manchester, a city of 110,000 residents about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Boston, has been a magnet for immigrants and refugees for decades. There are about 500 Sudanese living in the city.


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This is an activity about similarities and differences between the Earth and Mars. Learners will investigate how Mars compares to the Earth, working together to create an Earth-Mars Comparison Poster to post in the program facility/library and share... (View More) with their community. Their poster will feature basic facts about Mars and the Earth, as well as a scale model using balloons to represent the two planets. It also includes specific tips for effectively engaging girls in STEM. This is activity 2 in Explore: Life on Mars? that was developed specifically for use in libraries. (View Less)
Audience: Informal education