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so I wanna go on a tirade about smoking cigarettes ( and the alternatives for for Pot)
I live on Oahu.
Views: 555
Business are privately owned. I think any business should be able to choose if they allow smoking or not with the exception that if they allow smoking then they should not allow persons under the age of 18 in. As for the workers, you don't have to work at a bar that allows smoking. If you don't like it find a job that doesn't allow smoking on site. If a place is going to have smoking and non smoking areas they should have to have ventilation that creates a negative pressure towards the smoking section or completely seals the smoking section from the non smoking section including separate entrances.
Plenty of privately-owned businesses are subject to other, similar ordinances. Saying that they're a private business, and they can do whatever they want is an invalid argument, unless you want to nullify just about every regulation on any private business.
And why force the age restriction on any business that wants to allow smoking? That seems more restrictive than the general smoking-ban.
Scott that's a pretty antideluvian sentiment there! What is the difference between a barmaid or bartender and an asbestos worker? an office worker? (thousands of secretaries died of lung cancer that never smoked, they got pleenty at work)
The "negative pressure" area or smoking room is an unnecessary expense and not justifiable. Why spend good money too support the tobacco companies?
"Well one of these hands has to hold booze, I can't waste my precious time looking for a garbage can to get rid of this."
"Yeah, I don't care if you have ashtrays outside, I'm smoking in your house."
I want to title something: Stupid Pot-smokers. Giving the halfway decent pot smokers a really bad name.
My (20 year old)sister also took up smoking because it "made her look cool" and "calmed her nerves".
I, on the other hand, have gotten lung infections from the two times I've actually smoked. It's a sign! A sign that I have very sensitive lungs. I am a delicate flower when it comes to anything stronger than Caffiene, apparently.
Also, I hate people who are existing on food stamps but will take the money to finance such an EXPENSIVE habit.
"Yeah, I don't care if you have ashtrays outside, I'm smoking in your house."
You've actually heard this one? Christ. Anyone who tried smoking in my house despite my express demand not to would no longer be my friend.
Friend of the family. He was about to light up inside and I pointed out that we have a looovely back deck, covered from the harsh sun for the day and already containing 2 ashtrays for use, as well as comfy chairs to recline in.
He also killed our Orchid. Asshole.
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Posted: 10:38 pm Wednesday, December 14th, 2016
By Jamie Dupree
The post-election dustup over charges that Russia was behind the email hacks of Democratic Party officials and a top aide to Hillary Clinton only seemed to expand on Wednesday, as a GOP Senator said his campaign email had been hacked, and allies of President-Elect Trump feuded with the U.S. Intelligence Community over what is really known about the Russian operation.
I have had a lot of people in recent days ask questions about the rumblings over possible Russian interference in the 2016 elections, what has been proven, what has not, and what sort of evidence is out there and more.
So, let's run through a little more about this story.
1. This is not about the Russians hacking the election results. Let's get one thing out of the way at the start – this is not about hackers going after voting machines or state and local elections software, voting numbers, or anything like that. The Russians did not change the vote totals from Election Day. What U.S. Intelligence has believed – since before November 8 – is that the Russians were involved in the email disclosures by Wikileaks, which centered on officials at the Democratic National Committee and top Clinton aide John Podesta. Here is the statement that was issued by the Director of National Intelligence just over a month before Election Day:
2. But what about the evidence? Where is the evidence? As usual, U.S. Intelligence does not hand out press releases to reporters with a handy-dandy rundown of why their analysis points at Moscow. So, the statement above is the most public item there is at this point. James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, was asked about the assessment at a post-election hearing of the House Intelligence Committee. "We gave considerable thought to diming out Russia with that statement," Clapper told lawmakers, as he said there was "forensic" and other intelligence that implicated the Russians.
3. US Intel sees links between Russia and Wikileaks. The charge that Wikileaks worked hand-in-hand with Russian Intelligence has brought strong denials from the internet freedom group, which has sternly and repeatedly denied any such link. Publicly, U.S. officials have not made a hard and fast connection between Wikileaks and the Russians, but recent reports about Russian actions indicate that some in the Intelligence Community – but maybe not all – have connected those dots. You can find ex-intelligence veterans who will say that it's not true, and you can find others who think it's been a badly kept secret.
Moscow didn't "hack" DNC+Podesta. They used standard SIGINT methods. In this case, GRU. They passed the take to Wikileaks. Not complicated.
— John Schindler (@20committee) December 12, 2016
4. But wait – wasn't Podesta hacked by spear-phishing? Yes, John Podesta was the victim of a regular type of phishing attack, where he (and others inside the Clinton campaign apparatus) were fooled by a fake message from Google, telling Podesta to re-set his password. For many, that evidence shows this could not have been Russian Intelligence, as they argue Moscow would have used much more advanced means to crack into the emails of the Clinton Campaign. But a report by an internet security firm based in Atlanta found several hundred similar phishing attacks against people working for Clinton, whether via their gmail.com or hillaryclinton.com email addresses. The assessment from June was that those phishing attacks were "gathering intelligence on behalf of the Russian government."
5. What will the Congress do on this matter? While Democrats have been pushing for an independent commission or a special committee to investigate any Russian interference, Republicans have said they will let existing committees in the House and Senate review the evidence. Not surprisingly, Democrats charge the GOP is trying to avoid getting answers – but Republicans on Wednesday night were aiming their barbs at the Intelligence Community, accusing the IC of not revealing what it knows to the Congress, by refusing to brief the House Intelligence Committee. "It is unacceptable that the Intelligence Community directors would not fulfill the House Intelligence Committee's request to be briefed tomorrow on the cyber-attacks that occurred during the presidential campaign," said Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), considered a close ally of President-Elect Trump. Here is the full Nunes statement:
And here is the response from the Director of National Intelligence:
6. The CIA gets kicked around like a political football After President-Elect Trump publicly criticized the U.S. Intelligence Community last week over reports on Russian interference in the elections, some former intelligence operatives speculated that there would be retaliation against Trump by the CIA or other agencies – retaliation in the sense of pushing back with leaks against Trump on the question of Russia's actions. Some think those type of leaks have been going on in recent days, as news stories about Russian hacks on the DNC and the Clinton campaign have been greeted with social media heckling by conservatives.
I'm old enough to remember when liberals were skeptical of the CIA, especially when it leaks to journalists to advance an agenda.
— Damon Linker (@DamonLinker) December 14, 2016
7. The White House pushes Trump on Russia. While some are giving the U.S. Intelligence Community hell, the White House has been slowly edging its way into a more confrontational mode on this matter with President-Elect Trump. The Obama White House wants some kind of review done before Mr. Trump takes office – critics contend that will be a biased reading of what the Intelligence Community really knows about Russian efforts. Here was the read of White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest from Wednesday at the daily briefing:
8. It was more than just Democrats who were hacked. With reports this week that there were hacks of emails at the Republican National Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told CNN on Wednesday that his campaign email account was hacked by Russia, saying the FBI told him in August that the hack had occurred in June. "They're trying to destabilize democracy all over the world," Graham said of the Russians.
9. But what about the FBI and CIA disagreement on this? What the FBI and CIA disagree on is important – but don't forget the basics. As was stated above on October 7, the U.S. Intelligence Community believes that the Russians were involved in the hacking of emails from the DNC, Podesta, and according to reports this week, maybe the RNC as well. The dispute between the FBI and CIA centers on the next step – can you categorically say that the Russians were trying to get Donald Trump elected? Or were the Russians just trying to screw with the elections.
10. Trump supporters say this is nothing more than sour grapes. For many backers of President-Elect Donald Trump, all of this hand wringing about Russia and the election is nothing more than a way for Democrats to whine about their election loss. "It's amazing to me that after a year or more talking about the seriousness of Hillary's four unsecured servers, that the Democrats ONLY get upset about hacking when they lose an election," one aggravated voter told me on Facebook. Mr. Trump knows his audience well, as he seems in no mood to suddenly change his view on the Russian hacking angle, which he has labeled "ridiculous."
If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016
Stay tuned on this Russia issue – it's not going away anytime soon.

subset: commoncrawl


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photo 1 of 105
UFC® RIO Open Workouts Photo Gallery
gennaio 11, 2012
105 Photos
UFC 142 Open Workouts at Barra de Tijuca Beach on January 11, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Getty Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image or clip. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for: actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image or clip, and, where appropriate, the costs of collection and/or statutory damages up to $150,000 (USD).


text: In my previous columns, I have discussed issues of significance to our nation's criminal justice system such as mandatory videotaping of custodial interrogations. In this issue, six months into my term as President, I narrow my focus and address issues relating to NACDL itself. More specifically, I devote this column to some of the new activities, programs and member services that the NACDL has initiated within the past year.New committeesWe have formed two committees to help our members practice law more effectively. The Federal Circuit Oral Argument Committee, chaired by Howard and Scott Srebnick, consists of a team of knowledgeable and experienced lawyers to sit as a moot court to prepare a member for an argument in a federal appellate court. (We continue our Supreme Court Oral Argument moot court program, coordinated by Professor David Cole, with the Supreme Court Institute of the Georgetown University Law Center.) We have initiated a tutoring program, c


text:
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Enforcement effort averaging 500 citations per month; decals must be affixed to vehicles
The New York State Police and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today reminded commercial motor carriers that they must register their vehicles for highway use tax with the Tax Department.
Motor carriers are required to display their new registration decal on the front of vehicles. Citations for failing to do so averaged 500 per month for February, March and April.
Effective Jan. 1, each vehicle registered to pay HUT was required to have a decal affixed to the front bumper. This applies to all vehicles with a gross weight of more than 18,000 pounds, other than a truck transporting automotive fuel.
There have been 54,407 registrants to date - 92 percent of them registering online. As a result of the registration, the department collected $3.5 million in outstanding taxes, which are required to be paid before a registration is accepted.
The new decal requirement also applies to vehicles that have an automotive fuel carrier certificate - any truck, trailer, semitrailer or other "attached device" transporting automotive fuel on New York state highways and weighing more than 18,000 pounds.
Operating a vehicle without the proper HUT or AFC decal can bring a fine of between $100 and $250 for the first conviction. A subsequent conviction could bring a fine of $250 to $500, and could include imprisonment for up to 10 days.
Certain vehicles weighing more than 18,000 pounds, such as government vehicles, buses or highway construction vehicles, are exempt from HUT and AFC requirements. The full list of exclusions can be found in the Tax Department's Publication 529.
Fast online filing
Motor carriers can take advantage of the Tax Department's HUT Web file, a faster way to file their returns online. The benefits of filing this form electronically include automatic computations that eliminate math errors and an instant "time-stamped" confirmation of the filing emailed back to the taxpayer.
To file online, motor carriers need to create an online services account with the Tax Department.


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Saturday, July 24, 2010
Baking In The Sun(HA!)-Danishes,Dates,Dried Figs,Chocolate Chunks,Cinnamon Sugared Apples,Sesame Seeds,Banana Bread,Banana Cookies,Brunch,& Ice Cream
PB&J Danish.
to boot.
upon the fields of barley, you'll forget the sun in his jealous sky,as we walk in fields of gold-en,flaky,crakly,buttery,soft danish pastry dough.
not cheesy,funny!okay?
besides danishes,i've been doing other baking too,okay?like these:
Banana Sesame Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.
so,i've been really into sesame lately.really.a lot.so sue me.so i combined it with other things i obviously love.like bananas,oatmeal cookies,and chocolate.scrumptious,chewy,crunchy,and a tad chocolate-y.
with a macchiato from stumptown in the ace hotel.
oatmeal and bananas make these very,very healthy,right?!
and of course,bananas,are an excellent segue to...you guessed it...
Banana Chocolate Chunk Bread.
a veritable classic.recently someone i baked for back in april told me they "still dream about that banana chocolate chip bread".
obviously this was made to be eaten with peanut butter,as a delightful sammich.well,to MADE to be,but MADE that way.
chocolate isn't everything,though.how's about fruit?
Cinnamon Sugar Banana Oatmeal Bread.
the cinnamon sugar apples give this the most invigorating smell,and the texture of the chewy apples and oatmeal is to die for.one of my fave loafs.
who doesn't love peanut butter and oats?or peanut butter and apples?
Banana Bread with Medjool Dates.
brought this when i was working at the rogan sample sale.
my roommate kind of mentioned to her co workers that i baked....turned out well!
Dried Fig Banana Bread.
dried figs are great in banana bread-chew AND crunch from the seeds.
i prefer calimyrna or turkish figs.the big golden ones,over little black mission figs.which of course,still have their place.
here's some fresh fig food porn.since it's summer,and they're here,and they're uh-ma-zing.
White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
and every weekend for everyman espresso i baked white chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies:
White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips.
great mix.i love me some white chocolate peanut butter.
and some things i didn't bake that were delicious,and probably peanut butter-y or something:
sea salt pretzel with peanut butter sauce from sigmund pretzel shop.
amazing,chewy,bready,pretzels.with peanut butter.sweet and salty.
peanut butter and mango on toasted bread.
like a pb&j,but with fresh haitian mango.seriously,peanut butter and mango is an amazing over looked combo.
peanut butter,banana,and cashew butter sammich.
why a picture?because it's the best and must not be forgotten in all the complex amazing peanut butter combo whatever goodness.i guess.
Lunch Box Special PB&J from Peanut Butter and Co and Cappuccino from Third Rail Coffee.
another plain ol pb&j.but this one was like,$7 or something.
BUT amazing coffee from third rail,one of the best specialty coffee shops in nyc,hands down.serving both intelligentsia and stumptown coffee roasters beans,now.
another different type of peanut butter sammich:
back to nature peanut butter cookies.
if oreos were organic and basically all made of peanut butter.i must say,superior even to peanut butter newman os.
sweet and sara peanut butter s'mores.
i've written about these so many times,and the incredible sara sohn and her marshmallows,but these rule.even the graham cracker cookies crust thing alone is tops.totally deserved that big article in the newest vegnews,too!
and it's the hottest summer of my life.could it be more appropriate that i am more obsessed than ever with vegan softserve from kyotofu?
this is raspberry.4th of july-i love america-heat record-breaking(literally) raspberry:
raspberry chocolate swirl softserve.hay.
i had two this day-i went back when i watched the fireworks from 51st street and 11th ave.only 2 aves and 2 blocks away!
fireworks kind of sucked though.i left before the finale.
lemon softserve.
second time i've gone and they had this,second time it's been unbelieveable.so refreshing and lemon-y,but SO creamy.gah!
passionfruit chocolate twist softserve.
didn't know passionfruit could be so great.
but i'm saving the best for last:
strawberry softserve.
kathryn hostettler of the blog 'best vegan thing i ever ate' on girly girl army is interviewing me for september(whoo!) and i almost chose this as the 'best vegan thing i ever ate'.
i went back twice and had 3 of them:
strawberry with strawberry sauce.
strawberry green tea twist.oooh.
matcha green tea softserve.
but the vegan world is clearly not devoid in the ice cream category considering how many other places i've seem to had it:
Banana(!!!!) and Pistachio(!!) SOY GELATO from Scoopz in Park Slope.
randomly found this place one morning while coming back with a friend from them filming a show at a coffee shop on atlantic.
delicious,too.great banana.
and of course,lula's,more popluar than ever,is still here:
caramel graham cracker marshmallow.
banana split with strawberry,peanut butter fudge,and cookies n cream ice cream,hot caramel sauce,graham cracker,whipped cream,and a cherry on top.
not a joke.
peanut butter fudge.
also not a joke-i ALMOST didn't finish it.i know,i know.
toffee nut crunch,vanilla,and cookies n cream sundae to go.
and of course,you've heard of soft serve mondays,no?
well the first i went to was strawberry,and it was fabulous.my fave softserve lula's pumps out.
thank god they still had some the following wednesday!
and well,when it's 2 in the morning,and you're coming back from seeing glasscandy and just obnoxiously,but you swear it was accidentally,drank 2 long island iced teas,and really need an ice cream fix,you soemtimes turn to the corner store,and given this is nyc you soemtimes come across gems like:
purely decadent coconut milk ice creams.
this one didn't have enough add-ins,but okay nonetheless.
BEST BY FAR!i LOVED cookies n cream.would get again.marry me.AND this one was FREE b/c i asked to sample it and after the girl was just like "well,if you liked it....take it!".score for me AND vegan ice cream.
see?that says like,free,and the clerks signature.
this was the actual one i ate after seeing glasscandy,at the window of gracefully.it was great.needed more chocolate covered almonds,and less plain almonds,though!
another winner,BUT y'know how sometimes you've never tried pomegranate ice cream,try it,love it,get excited,and then eat it till yr stomach hurts?bin-go.
and,well,i've had some pretty fancy ice creams this summer,too.
at candle 79,when a certain special somebody took me these for brunch.
mixed berry crepe with coconut cream,vanilla ice cream,and chocolate sauce.
so dessert like it hurt.and it hurt good.the coconut cream was SO fluffy and amazing.
but of course there was real dessert.real,ice cream-y dessert:
home made watermelon,lavender,and chocolate vanilla swirl ice creams.
lavender was the real winner here.first time having it,too!
chocolate-peanut butter bliss.
with some o' that chocolate vanilla swirl ice cream a top.
cannoli with vanilla chocolate chip ice cream.
i dunno how authentic these were since i was never a cannoli eater(that i can remember...)before i was vegan,but they were great.loved that crunch.
and the meal was pretty desserty,too,but it ruled-
waffles with strawberries,bananas,candied pecans and maple syrup.
pancakes with strawberry compote and strawberry butter.
these were SO good.to die for.omgomgomg.
strawberry butter.
banana blueberry mini muffs.
and i'll end with the fancy brunch drinks:
watermelon green chile sake martini.
ginger rush.
french 79.
besides ice cream,how about some other refreshing treats?
People's Pops Apricot Creme popsicle.
i got this baby when sarchan and i went to see camera obscura play for free at brooklyn flea last month.
actual chunks of apricots!
sara was lame and only had some crazy iced nectarine lemonade or something like that.okay,i guess it wasn't lame,but still.
and most refreshing of all...
i have drawings up at cafe grumpy in chelsea until the end of august!so go see!and get a postcard!
and i'll end with some new drawings:
this one is really big!
well for me,and ballpoint pen...
okay,i am gonna update again really really soon,like a week,because my sister just visited and i'll make a special post all about that,because there was lots of great baking(duh) and sweets eatings.
4 comments:
- mirbrewer said...
Looking at your food p0rn makes my salivary glands ache. Mmmmmmmmm.
- July 25, 2010 at 5:51 AM
- Amanda said...
Really your baked goods are the most porniest of food porn. when's the book of recipes coming out?!?! :)
- July 25, 2010 at 3:40 PM
You gonna mail me one of them postcards or what?
- July 25, 2010 at 9:15 PM
- Abigail S. Bean said...
You would have really disappointed me if you hadn't finished that incredible Lula's sundae!
As a peanut butter lover, how do you rate the C79 dessert?
- July 26, 2010 at 1:15 PM
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text:
Summary - Description of DVD Region Codes
This article discusses DVD region codes. DVD movies use region codes to represent the geographical area in which DVD playback is intended. This article describes what DVD region codes are, lists the DVD region codes, and contains information about how DVD region codes are used.
DVD Region Codes
DVD movies have one or more region codes. Region codes represent the region or the regions of the world in which DVD playback is intended. Region codes help prevent playback of certain DVD discs in certain regions. For example, a DVD movie that is set to a certain region can only be played on a DVD player that is set to that same region.
Region codes appear as a label that contains a globe icon together with the region number. (Figure 1)
Figure 1: Example of the Label for Region 1
One or more region codes can be applied to a DVD movie. Region codes can be used in the following ways:
DVD Region Code Areas
The DVD region codes and the countries and regions of the world that they represent are listed as follows:
DVD Region Code Security
When trying to play a DVD movie that is coded for a region other than the region for which a DVD player is configured, a region code lock error message appears. In most cases, the region setting can be changed on the DVD player.
Some DVD players may only let the region be changed a specific number of times. For example, a DVD player may only allow five region changes. After the limit is reached, the DVD player is locked to the last region that was selected and only DVD discs that are set to that particular region can be played.
Article ID: SLN266495
Last Date Modified: 05/28/2009 12:00 AM
Thank you for your feedback.


text:
News >> Browse Articles >> Stimulus & Legislation
Where to Find Obama's Stimulus Plan Jobs
Compiled from Monster.com
August 24, 2009
Just graduated college and can't find a job? You're not alone.
You've probably heard about all the money President Obama has dumped into the economy, but chances are you haven't seen it first hand. So, where are all the jobs?
President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the Stimulus Plan) is expected to save or create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years.
The plan also includes provisions to help both employed and unemployed Americans: 95 percent of workers and their families will receive the Making Work Pay tax cut of up to $1,000, and millions of unemployed workers will receive an additional $100 in unemployment benefits per month. The plan also includes funding to help unemployed workers pay for COBRA health care coverage.
While the stimulus is designed to create jobs across the economy, four strategic sectors are receiving the majority of stimulus funding targeted for job creation. This is where the jobs are!


text:
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The best deals come to your inbox. Sign up for GEMPLER'S emails to get exclusive offers and first dibs on hot new products!
Write on this notebook paper, even in a downpour
Be certain your important field notes remain safe even in the harshest weather with this Rite in the Rain notebook. This remarkable paper sheds water so you can write on it even in a downpour. Smudging and ink runs are eliminated when used with a pencil or with the all-weather pen, item number 32312 (sold separately). This notebook features a flexible, yet strong, yellow Polydura cover and measures 8-1/2"W x 11"L. Universal page pattern. Side-spiral design. 42 sheets.
See all surveying supplies and accessories


text:
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Abigail's Banana Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup
Tired of pancakes with maple syrup? Get creative with the toppings! This lovely pancake was made by Abigail Braiman, and we think Elvis would've approved as well.
Abigail's Banana Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup
1 pancake (type/flavor of choice; whole-wheat chocolate chip pictured)
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup peanut butter (It's easiest if you put it in a coffee mug)
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‡ In these countries please contact our distributor
To celebrate the 160th anniversary of the founding of Smith & Nephew in Hull, the site completed a charity event that had a genuine connection to the company's philanthropic roots.
Over 500 employees completed the 'Helping Hands' event, which involved building 125 prosthetic hands. These have since been delivered to landmine victims all over the world, entirely free of charge to the recipient.
Including a previous visit by the Helping Hands charity to Smith & Nephew in Australia we have now contributed 171 hands in total; all made by Smith & Nephew employees.
"Our business is focused on increasing access to medical devices and supporting healthcare professionals worldwide. We felt that providing prosthetic hands for people who face a daily struggle to complete the simplest of tasks was the perfect way to mark 160 years in the medical device business," said Tanya Childs, Corporate Brand Director.
◊ Trademark of Smith & Nephew


text:
Dispelling Myths: Are top 3 picks a crap shoot?
For a post elsewhere, I did some research to see how the top 3 picks were turning out, and thought it might be an interesting post to talk about here, given that there is a lot of worry that even if we do pick in the top 3, the pick could be a dud. That is a valid concern, but I got to wondering just how often a top 3 pick is a dud. Is it blown out of proportion because we've seen it happen a few times in the last 30 years, or does it happen quite regularly still? I chose the top 3 to look at, because, as it stands right now, the worst we could pick is #3 and the best we could pick is number 1. Of course, that could change depending on where we slot when the season is over. The purpose of this post though is to help determine if: top-3 picks are commonly that much of an unknown, are overrated, or are game changers.
Top-3 Picks Of The Last 10 Years
Here is a list of the top-3 draft picks from each year from 2000 to 2009 in the NHL.
Continue reading 'Dispelling Myths: Are top 3 picks a crap shoot?'»


text:
A new spreadsheet that can help pork producers and seedstock suppliers make better decisions is now available from the Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) at Iowa State University. Professor of animal science Ken Stalder developed the free tool along with animal science graduate student Caitlyn Abell.
"This spreadsheet can be used to estimate the total costs associated with genome-enabled selection," he said. "Producers also can see how much improvement in a weaned pig will be necessary in order to breakeven on the costs associated with genome-enabled selection."
People are invited to register for a free download of the program on the IPIC website.
Stalder, who also is an Iowa State Extension and Outreach swine specialist, said producers can use the spreadsheet to determine whether they think investing in animals that have been selected based on genomic methods is an economically viable option. Seedstock suppliers can use the tool when making breeding program decisions.
April 9, 2013 - IPIC


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Der Bat Artist / Maurice Sendak RIP
Source: Stuart Wright Collection – Randall Jarrell Papers #1169-005.6.u
Staff Person: Jonathan Dembo
Poet Randall Jarrell collaborated on three children's books with illustrator Maurice Sendak: Fly by Night (1976), The Animal Family (1965) and The Bat-Poet (1964). Of the three, The Bat-Poet has always been my favorite. Shortly before publication of The Bat Poet, in 1964, Sendak sent this undated letter to Jarrell. In place of a signature, Sendak signed his letter with a characteristically charming and tiny pen & ink cartoon of himself in the guise of "Der Bat Artist" flourishing his brush in hand (or foot) and about to create. The miniature drawing perfectly captures the spirit of Jarrell's poetic hero, who, like a real human child, tale is just so eager and sweet and shy and curious, yet manages all this without being too cloying. The small bat wants to know things, and then he wants to sing, and when that doesn't work, he begins to make up poems, trying to express himself. He sets out to explore the day world, for example, and he gets a creative crush on the vain yet talented mockingbird. Little by little, he puts his observations into words. When he received Sendak's letter, Jarrell filed it carefully inside his copy of The Bat Poet, where it remained until Joyner Library acquired it in 2010.
This post is in honor of Maurice Sendak who died on 8 May 2012 in Danbury, Connecticut at age 83.


text:
(recreating accidentally-deleted topic. See sublimetextwiki.com/cgi-bin/ ... kupsPlugin)
"Automatic Backups" is a plugin by SteveCooper.
When you edit text files (scripts, prose, whatever) you often find yourself wishing for an older version. This plugin takes a copy of every file you save and copies it into a backup directory structure, ensuring that you never lose an old version of the file.
You can download the plugin from sublimetextwiki.com/SteveCoo ... gin.py.txt
Installation instructions;
* Download the file.
* Save to your UserPluginFolder.
* Open the file and change the line that reads return "c:\\backups\\" so that it points at the folder you want to save backups to. Around line 19.
* Remove the .txt extension from the file.
* Start SublimeText
* Open the console with the View | Console menu item.
* When you save a file, you should see a line like this, indicating that the file has been backed up;
Automatic backup: backing up to d:\backups\C-drive\Documents and Settings\steve\Application Data\Sublime Text\Packages\User\AutomaticBackupsPlugin-2008-03-22-22-22-46.py`
A new version is up, and it's now a full-blown sublime package. Also, I've included it in my new set of packages that are automatically downloaded by my package downloader (https://forum.sublimetext.com/t/package-release-packagedownloader/38/1)
This means that if you install both, you shouldn't need to worry about upgrading, because you'll be able to do an 'auto-update' to get new versions of the package.
When you edit text files (scripts, prose, whatever) you often find yourself wishing for an older version. Ever accidentally deleted a chunk from an important configuration file, or wished you could roll back a document a few hours? This plugin takes a copy of every file you save and copies it into a backup directory structure, ensuring that you never lose an old version of the file.
Once installed, any file you save will be copied into your documents folder, eg \Sublime Text Backups. For example, if you change c:\autoexec.bat, you'll get a backup saved to:
c:\Documents and Settings\yourUserName\Sublime Text Backups\c-drive\autoexec-2008-03-22-22-22-46.bat
That end bit is the timestamp, so you can see when the file was edited.
To install it, download the package from sublimetextwiki.com/sublime- ... me-package and save it to c:\program files\sublime text\Pristine Packages. Then restart Sublime Text.
If you want to back up your files somewhere other than your documents folder, you can add an option. To change where all backups are made, open the Preferences menu and choose Preferences. Then double-click Application, and add a line like this to the end of the file;
backupDir c:\my files\archive\
To see if it's working, open the console with the View | Console menu item. When you save a file, you should see a line like this, indicating that the file has been backed up;
ps, if you downloaded an earlier version, please delete it from your user directory (Eg c:\documents and settings\username\Application data\sublime text\packages\user) or you'll have two versions running at the same time.
Hi! Feel free to update the plugin with these changes. They sound really useful. Whack them on the server and I'll pick them up with the package downloader. Nicely done.
I added a few features (on my local machine), would you like me to commit (some of) them?
I added a command to show a quick panel with all the backups of the current file. WinMerge will be launched with the current file and the selected backup file.
Same thing but instead of launching WinMerge, the selected backup file will be shown on a 2nd pane with a 2-pane vertical layout.
Since that makes a lot of commands, I added a package menu.
Good idea
You can access it here: http://bitbucket.org/gpfsmurf/automaticbackups/
When I try to give m Merge it returns me the following message:"You are viewing the current version of this file. Navigate to the backup version before merging."
But I surfed a few versions back and even then the this message.Out also that my shortcut did not work.
Someone could tell me what might be happening?Hugs!
Is there a way to configure this package github.com/akalongman/sublimetext-autobackups to save timestamped backup whenever I save my file instead of doing only and overwriting the last save.
I'm using ST3. With ST2 I'v been using this github.com/joelpt/sublimetext-automatic-backups , but there is no update for v3.
Well, I was looking for the same solution...
Today, there is still no way to configure this package github.com/akalongman/sublimetext-autobackupsBUT, you can patch this file github.com/akalongman/sublimete ... _helper.pyas it was shown there: Automatic Backups for Sublime Text 2 and ST3 (solution)
It is pretty dirty solution, but it does the job.


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Forumwarz is the first "Massively Single-Player" online RPG completely built around Internet culture.
You are currently looking at Flamebate, our community forums. Players can discuss the game here, strategize, and role play as their characters.
You need to be logged in to post and to see the uncensored versions of these forums.
|Trolls: Adult Diaper here, cheapish.
No reserve, buyout for 20m. 12 hour auction.
Just trying to get rid of it.
|Posted On: 04/12/2010 7:09AM
|View Chuck Diesel's Profile | #


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DIY Home Decor and Project Ideas
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The purpose of this site is to inspire you. I believe in giving credit to the amazing designers from companies who are on the cutting edge of great interior design. While I love showcasing people who have imitated the decor of these brilliant designers I don't advertise selling or making money off them. Knock Off Decor does not advocate taking these tutorials or products and selling them. Okie dokie?


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Oracle, the world's largest enterprise software company, and Fujitsu Technology Solutions, the leading European IT infrastructure provider, have been collaborating closely for about two decades. Our customers can enjoy integrated end-to-end solutions from the application to the IT infrastructure stack. This makes Fujitsu Technology Solutions the natural choice for optimizing your Oracle infrastructure.
Our goal is to fully assist in all aspects of developing and operating your Oracle IT infrastructure. We offer you comprehensive technological, business and project management expertise from start to finish in the following stages: CONSULT, DESIGN, BUILD, OPERATE and MAINTAIN.
Using data across the enterprise, reliably and in real time: the Oracle Warehouse Infrastructure from Fujitsu offers businesses economical, powerful solutions that can be deployed immediately to enable just that. Four best-practice configurations, developed to meet different customer needs, are available as pre-installed solutions. The Oracle Warehouse Infrastructure from Fujitsu allows enterprises to focus on leveraging their data optimally – at an unbeatable price.
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Gluten-Free Chili Cornbread Bake Recipe
Delicious, no-compromise recipes for those who need to live a gluten-free lifestyle, but don't want it to taste like it.
This recipes uses leftover chili and turns it into an easy casserole.
The cornbread topping bakes up light and fluffy. If desired, stir in chopped scallions (about 1/4 cup) 1 cup whole corn kernels or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder into the batter before baking
Recipe adapted from How to Cook Gluten-Free by Elizabeth Barbone. Published by Lake Isle Press 2012
Read more: Gluten-Free Tuesday: Chili Cornbread Bake
- Yield:6 to 8
- Active time: 20 minutes
- Total time:50 minutes
- Cornbread Topping:
- 1 cup gluten-free cornmeal
- 1/2 cup white rice flour
- 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Filling:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, optional
- 1 small onion, finely chopped, optional
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press, optional
- 1 pound extra-lean ground beef or lean ground turkey
- 3 to 6 cups cooked chili
- 4 ounces (1 cup) cheddar cheese, grated, optional
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Spray a 13 by 9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. To make the cornbread topping, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, white rice flour, sweet rice flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and oil.
To make the filling with meat. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the onion is soft and tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft and aromatic, about one minute. Add the ground turkey or beef and cook, breaking up the clumps with the wooden spoon, until thoroughly cooked and browned. If desired, remove and discard any excess fat. Add three cups of chili. Stir until combined and cook until it begins to bubble. The mixture should be loose but not watery. Add an additional 1/4 cup water if it seems dry. Continue to step four.
To make the filling without meat. Place six cups of chili in a medium pot and heat over medium heat. Stir frequently until chili gently bubbles. The chili should be loose but not watery. Add an additional 1/4 cup water if it seems thick.
Pour the chili filling into the prepared pan. If desired, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Finish the cornbread topping: Pour the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture. Stir with a fork to combine. Pour the batter evenly over the cheese. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread batter evenly.
Bake the casserole for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cornbread topping is light golden brown and no longer jiggles. A tester inserted into the middle of the cornbread should come out dry. Serve hot. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This casserole can be frozen.
This Recipe Appears InGluten-Free Tuesday: Chili Cornbread Bake
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


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|"There are plenty of eye-witness accounts. Just because you're so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you–"
This article contains a list of appearances, but currently has few or no notes and references. Please help the Harry Potter Wiki by adding notes and/or references to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.
- "Tamper with the deepest mysteries — the source of life, the essence of self — only if prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind."
- —Adalbert Waffling regarding the first law[src]
The Fundamental Laws of Magic are, presumably, a number of statements about the general nature of magic. They were formulated by the magical theoretician Adalbert Waffling, the first of which is quoted above. It's unknown how many Laws Waffling created.
First law Interpretations
The exact consequences mentioned in the first law are not known, only vaguely stated to be "of the most extreme and dangerous kind". However, during Albus Dumbledore's discussion of the first law in his notes on the well known fairytale "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" (in The Tales of Beedle the Bard), he mentions that "in seeking to become super-human this foolhardy young man renders himself inhuman".
Likewise, Dumbledore also notes that the creation of a Horcrux evokes the first law, tampering with the essence of self or rather "dividing what was clearly not meant to be divided...body and soul". Voldemort created the number of Horcruxes he did solely in order to fulfil his perennial goal of evading death. Therefore, when he was finally killed the result is almost as karmic as the aforementioned warlock's: in seeking to fix himself immutably to one plane forever he renders himself eternally removed from all of them, save "the between-space".
Therefore, it may be that the consequences of the first Fundamental Law of Magic (when evoked) mimic Newton's Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
In this light, it has been suggested that Merope Gaunt may also have been a victim of this law - she is suspected by Dumbledore of having been using Amortentia to tamper with affairs of the heart, which appear to be inextricably linked with the essence of self in the Warlock's Hairy Heart (and indeed, love is counted amongst the deepest mysteries of magic).
This theory is supported even further by the grave and ironic consequences that Merope is seen to have incurred in her quest to magically manufacture true love, e.g. driving away forever the very person she sought to be eternally bonded with, as well as rendering herself devoid of all positive feeling (depressed) in her attempt to reproduce one particular emotion above all others. Likewise, the only tangible thing her struggle for a union of true love ever produced was a being completely incapable of even comprehending the notion, who would go on to preach a campaign of hatred long after her death.
Evokers of the first law
- The warlock with a hairy heart.
- Anyone who created a Horcrux.
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Mentioned only)


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Almost every actor who wants to be in commercials wants an agent. Landing legitimate representation for commercials can be easy sometimes, but it can also be challenging. Here are some suggestions that might help in the process.
1. Do your research.
Start by getting a list of franchised agents from SAG/AFTRA or check out Backstage's online directory of agents and managers. There are some agents who are not SAG-franchised. That does not mean they are not reputable. SAG members are just easier to check out and are accountable to a supervising entity.
2. Buy resources.
Then, buy updated books, such as Backstage's Call Sheet, that list and describe agents and managers. (In New York, they are sold at the Drama Book Shop or they can be ordered online.) Study how many agents are in the agency, where the agency is located, how long the agency has been in business, etc.
3. Ask people you know.
If you know industry professionals, acting classmates, teachers, or relatives who are involved in the business, ask them the following questions about agents.
-Who would you recommend and who should be avoided?
-How do I contact them?
-Do you know anyone who could refer me?
4. Go online.
Visit the websites of the agents you are considering and read about the agency, company history, and the people who work there. Once you have a short list, check your choices with the Better Business Bureau and find out if they have had claims filed against them.
5. Decide where to submit.
The size and status of the office you should realistically approach is determined by where you are in your career. When starting out, you will find that the small- and medium-sized offices are often more receptive to meeting new talent, but if you do have an "in" at a major agency or just want to try to get with one, you should pursue it. If your timing, talent, and type are right, you could get lucky.
6. Submit your materials.
Now that you know the reputable agents you wish to pursue, submit your headshot, resume, and a cover letter. Don't mail to one at a time and wait for them to reply. Also, don't waste money mailing to every agent in town. Mail to a select fifteen or twenty. Actors bombard agents with submissions all the time. You might hear from some agents within a few days or weeks. If you don't get responses, submit to your second round of choices. Agents and managers will call you for a meeting if they are interested in what they see in your submission.
If you have industry contacts, teachers, or friends who can recommend you to your desired agent(s) ask your contact, if appropriate, if they would advise the agent to expect your submission. If you get minimal or no response after the second round of submissions, get new headshots, redo your resume and cover letter, and then submit again to your first then second choices. Client rosters often change, making room for an actor who was of no interest just a few weeks earlier.
For more Great Tips and Advice, Please Subscribe to https://www.backstagephotographynyc.com/backstagephotography-blog
#actorslife #agentsnyc #actorssuccess #nycactors #audition #create#headshots #theatrelife #filmactor #inspireothers #backstage


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Burlesque Clothing & Accessories
What is burlesque clothing? Think along the lines of 40's and 50's clothing, combined with Victorian corsets and you're almost there. Now step it up a notch or two and think evening wear, and you're absolutely on the right track for choosing your burlesque clothing. A typical burlesque outfit is: burlesque fascinator, corset, gloves, stockings and heels.
Burlesque costumes are typically costumes with burlesque feather bustle skirts, corset tops, flamboyant ostrich feather fascinators. Our burlesque shop is in the UK and we've been selling burlesque clothing UK since 2009. Our burlesque costumes are sent worldwide from our UK warehouse.
Beautiful Corsets
Typically corsets were used for waist reduction and I love corsets for this purpose. Corsets give you a really beautiful hourglass shape by pulling your waist in and shaping it. A steel bone corset can do this for you and our steel bone corsets make your waist an average of 2" to 4" smaller. A steel bone corset takes some patience to lace up the first few times you wear it, and it's perhaps best to get a friend to help you with your corset. The few times you wear your corset, don't lace it too tightly. You should get used to it first, and lacing up with 2" reduction will allow the corset fabric to get used to being worn without putting too much strain on it. You can gradually lace your corset tighter. I can't get more reduction than 4" without making myself feel very short of breath and uncomfortable. Why is this? Because these corsets are only designed to give you 2" to 4" reduction. If you want more than that you should find a professional corsetier, who will design a corset for you which will offer greater waist reduction.
Burlesque Outfits
We have the biggest online selection of burlesque outfits in the United Kingdom. Our burlesque outfits comprise corset, skirt, fascinators and gloves. With our burlesque outfits you don't need anything else - you have your complete burlesque outfit all ready! Our burlesque outfits are unique, high quality items and all burlesque outfits are sent worldwide from our UK warehouse.


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When selling a home, there are many factors which affect market value and the eventual sale price of a home, such as location, condition, size, amenities, features, improvements and upgrades, local economic conditions, the current real estate market and mortgage interest rates, among others. Some of these factors are within the control of the owner, and others are beyond the control of the owner.
The definition of Fair Market Value includes various terms such as: the most probable price which a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale; the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably; assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus; normal marketing time period, informed buyer and seller.
In helping owners obtain a Market Value estimate for their home, Realtors can provide a Comparative Market Analysis (commonly referred to as CMA). A thorough Market Analysis will include full property details and pricing information of the most comparable type properties currently listed on the market for sale, pending or under contract sales where a contract offer has been recently accepted, closed sale transactions and listings which have expired, those that did not sell during the marketing time period. The purpose of a report like this is to provide the owner with factual information to help them in their decision to sell by providing a recommended asking price and estimated sales price. While no two properties are truly identical, an analysis like this can provide home owners with the most reliable method of obtaining a market value estimate for their home.
In the process of reviewing the pricing information however, it is quite common for owners to question the market value estimate and pricing recommendations. The questions and concerns they have about price, while valid in their situation, do not have an affect in determining the market value for their home. What are some of the factors that do not have an effect in establishing Market Value?
The price paid for a home one year ago, three years ago, five or ten years ago has nothing to do with what the home is worth today. Real estate values exist at a fixed point in time. A home may have been purchased for $300,000 three years ago, and may be worth $315,000 today. Someone else may have bought a substantially similar home for $250,000 five years ago and it is worth $315,000 today. That is a drastic difference in equity in a relatively short period of time.
Real estate ownership has been blessed with appreciation in home values, but that appreciation is not always in a straight line. Real estate values are not static. Over the long term, an investment in real estate is generally considered the most valuable type of investment, one with the best financial returns. Over the long run, it is probably the best investment people can make.
Depending on the market conditions when the home was purchased, some owners were fortunate and purchased their home in a buyers market before the increases in real estate values like we just recently witnessed between 2001 and early 2006. Others may have bought at the end of a strong real market and were forced to pay top dollar in a highly competitive sellers market, as many owners are experiencing now who purchased their home in 2006. It is economic market conditions, the economy, employment, mortgage rates and supply and demand that create changes in the real estate market and cause real estate values to increase, remain stable and perhaps drop at different periods of time. These are the factors that are beyond a seller's control.
All owners would like to get the price they feel they should get for their home when they choose to sell. The reality is, their home is worth what it is worth, and that is the price a buyer is willing to pay. A buyer will not pay more for a home than what they would have to pay for another home with similar features and amenities in a similar location, something called the "Principle of Substitution".
It is for that reason why so much reliance is placed on sales data when establishing market value, and not personal emotions or personal circumstances.
Whether a home was purchased twenty five years ago, three years ago or just last year, the purchase price was the value when it was purchased, and has nothing to do with it's current market value when being sold. A seller with twenty five years of home ownership and substantial equity has the same right to fair market value as an owner with just 3 years of home ownership and perhaps little or no equity.
Decisions to sell may be more difficult for owners with short term ownership especially when real estate values have not increased or have dropped since the home was purchased. Home owners with short term ownership may have mortgage balances higher than the value of the home and a sale would require bringing cash to the closing to pay off the mortgage balance.
Home owners with long term ownership and substantial equity can make selling decisions easier than owners selling their home without the benefit of real estate appreciation.
In either case, the real estate market is the real estate market, regardless of when the home was purchased, and the home is worth what is worth.
While it is true that that the condition of a home has a definite affect on its market value, and that a well maintained home will sell for more than a home in need of updating and repair, the actual cost of making repairs and improvements may not be equal to the increase in market value. Why? Cost does not necessarily equal value in real estate. Repairs and improvements are two different things.
A repair corrects something that is broken or is not working properly, and does not necessarily add value to a home when fixed. Some types of repairs are considered necessary repairs. A leaking faucet, broken windows, clogged drains, screens with holes, gutters hanging from the roof, missing downspouts, cracked concrete walkways, among others, are examples of this.
Repairs like these can be considered deferred maintenance, and are considered minor repairs. They are maintenance related and are easily noticed by buyers. They draw attention and become distracting to buyers when viewing a home. If not taken care of, conditions like these will definitely have a negative impact on the marketability of a home, which then will have a negative affect on market value. When repaired or fixed, these type repairs make a home more saleable, not necessarily more valuable.
In other words, just because repairs like these cost $1,500 does not mean that they have increased the value of the home in the same amount. However, if not repaired, they could result in a loss in value of more than the cost to repair and, maybe more important, the loss of potential buyers because they feel the home needs too much repair and work.
What about the roof, exterior siding, windows, heating system, electrical system, central air conditioning system and hot water heater? These type improvements are more costly than the repair items noted above and can have a larger impact on marketability and market value. While a buyer may not rave about how beautiful the furnace looks because it is now, they will definitely have negative thoughts on a home where the furnace is original and is 50 years old. A new or newer furnace will be more efficient than the original, save the buyer money in monthly fuel bills and, more importantly, is an item that will not need to be replaced by the buyer in the near future. These type items relate to the effective age of a home. The chronological age of a home can be much different than its effective age. There is a life expectancy in how long a roof will last, how long a furnace will last, etc. A 50 year home can have an effective age of 20-30 years when improvements like these have been made. When comparing homes, buyers are concerned with near future essential repairs and improvements which need to be made, especially those that are costly, like these.
Quite often buyers will pass up on homes they are interested in simply because they need too much near future updating, even if the asking price is appropriate considering the condition of the home. Why? Very often buyers just do not have the time or inclination to take care of major updating, but more importantly, they may not have the additional cash to make the improvements after closing as they have exhausted their savings for the down payment and closing costs.
Should a homeowner replace the original 50 year old furnace when they are ready to sell? Should they invest the $2,300 to $4,000 and have the furnace replaced? A furnace is an integral system in the home, and something buyers are concerned with. However, it is just one aspect of the home. The question relates more to whether it will cost more to sell the home with the original furnace than what it would cost to replace it. If the furnace is the only item requiring immediate attention, it may not prevent a sale. However, if there are other must do improvements, the furnace will have a negative impact on market value.
Decisions like this have to take into consideration the overall condition of the home. When investing in a new furnace today and spending $2,500, what is the likelihood of receiving a full return on the investment? The reality is that it will help sell the home, but not necessarily at a price to recapture the actual cost of new furnace.
What about the home where a state of the art kitchen or main bath are new improvements made by the owner? Can a seller expect to recapture all or most of the cost? Improvements like these are very costly, and will definitely add to market value. But will the seller recapture all or most of the cost? That depends on various other factors, such as how recent the improvements are, what the overall condition of the home is, the price range the home is in, where the home is located and, more importantly, what buyers are expecting to see in a home like this.
With regard to major improvements in a home, all too often the improvements are made for the benefit and enjoyment of the owner and not solely for recapturing the total investment! Each and every major improvement to a home is unique. There is no rule that guarantees an exact amount of value added for specific improvements.
There are studies available that approximate increased values for specific improvements, but every real estate market area is different! For more information, just Google "cost versus value improvements".
How Much the Seller Needs Whether a home owner has owned their home for 30 years and has paid off their mortgage, or is one who has owned their home for only a few years and has an equity loan on top of the original mortgage, the market value of their home is what it is. Market value has nothing to do with mortgage balance.
Likewise, where the owner is planning on moving to another home, what they need to spend for their next home does not have an affect on the value of their current home. Their home is worth what is worth, whether they are moving into a home they already own, buying a less expensive home or are purchasing a much more expensive home. Market value has nothing to do with the amount the owner needs to purchase another home.
In either scenario, there is a reality however. In order to sell a current home, there needs to be sufficient sale proceeds to pay off the existing mortgage(s) and, or, provide enough equity to enable the purchase of the next home. For many owners, it is a matter of choice. Is it worth it to me to sell my current home and move forward or not? For others, the options are not that simple.
Home buyers make their purchase price decisions based on how much a home is worth to them, not on how much the seller is asking or how much the seller needs. Buyers look and compare one home to another. They ask to see comparable sales, and they base their contract offer on what the real estate market is saying the value of the home is. In most cases, a home buyer will not pay more for a home than it would cost them to find a similar home, in similar condition and with similar amenities, commonly referred to as the "principle of substitution".
Written by David Fialk


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Teen must show her parents she's mature enough to date
DEAR ABBY: I'm a 14-year-old girl who's having a disagreement with my parents about dating. There's this guy, "Connor," who likes me, and I'm very comfortable with him. His older sister and I are good friends.
The trouble is, my parents have strict rules against dating and I think it's unfair. I think I'm mature enough to date, and I know right from wrong. My friends say I'm very mature for my age, and they approve of Connor because he's friendly and has an outgoing personality. I have tried talking to my parents about this, but I always end up in tears.
Can you tell me how I can convince them to give this guy a chance? — GROWN UP AT 14, PRINCE GEORGE, CANADA
DEAR GROWN UP: A sure way to show your parents you're mature enough to date would be to show them you're a responsible person. Do they know when they ask you a question that they'll get an honest answer with no evasion? Have you shown them that you respect their curfews? Do you do the chores that are expected of you without having to be reminded? Is the same true about your homework?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then do they KNOW Connor? Do they know his parents? If they do, they might feel more comfortable about your seeing him, IF it's in a group rather than one-on-one.
DEAR ABBY: I'm 13 years old and I recently enrolled in a new school. I have met two boys, "Jake" and "Cory," and I have been crushing on both of them.
I really like Jake for everything, but I'm not sure he likes me back. I like Cory for his looks and popularity, and I'm positive he likes me because he said so. Should I ask Jake to go with me first, and if he says no, rebound to Cory? — CONFUSED IN RAYMOND, MISS.
DEAR CONFUSED: The school year has just started and it's a little early to be asking someone to "go" with you. If you take your time — say, wait a month — Jake may find the courage to tell you he likes you, too. If he doesn't, tell Cory you're interested in him and see if he still feels the same way about you. (The odds are 50/50.) And who knows? In another month, there might be a third guy.
DEAR ABBY: My brother thinks I eat too slow, and I think he eats too fast. He claims it's rude to eat slow and make others wait for you. I say eating slowly is healthy, and it's better than wolfing down your food to keep up with the people you're with. Who's right? — AT MY OWN PACE IN EDDINGTON, MAINE
DEAR AT YOUR OWN PACE: You're both right. If you eat so slowly that the rest of the people at your table must wait for you to finish, ask them to proceed with their dessert and coffee so they won't have to sit there and watch you masticate. And wolfing down one's food causes some people to overeat, which is why weight-loss specialists advise against it.
DEAR ABBY: What do new fathers hand out today instead of cigars? — NONSMOKER IN SAVANNAH
DEAR NONSMOKER: Because so much more is now understood about the dangers of tobacco, many new fathers today hand out small gift bags of candy instead — blue for a baby boy or pink for a daughter.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.


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May 2011 4xForwardPosted in Features on May 1, 2011
It's true, the mighty jeep turns 70 this year. It's the one that started our hobby/sport/passion/virus/reason for divorce/whatever you want to call it. Sure, there were other 4x4 rigs before the jeep, but the invention of the jeep in WWII and afterwards its introduction to America and the world are why you are reading this editorial right now. It's not because Dodge or Ford or Mitsubishi (oh wait, we took care of the Mitzis back then) or anyone else took up the fight, or the cause, or the patriotism, or the will to win, but the mighty jeep helped our soldiers in the dirt to change the course of the world. Can you say that about yourself? Very few can.
We owe a lot to the jeep, whose humble beginnings came from some brilliant dog soldiers who knew what was coming and what was needed back in the '30s. In the end these guys convinced the Army to solicit bids from 135 manufacturers. Only Bantam was successful in completing and presenting to the Army on time in 49 days the first working jeep-although the jeep name wouldn't be envisioned then or even trademarked for a dozen years after that. Yes, Willys and Ford made the original jeeps in WWII, and then Willys, Kaiser, and AMC produced every variation and iteration after that up to today, when Italian-based Chrysler LLC carries on the tradition of the Jeep brand. But make no mistake: Bantam was the originator, innovator, and true father of the vehicle we owe everything to in this sport.
The town of Butler, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the American Bantam Car Company, is having an incredible event this summer to celebrate the jeep and the saving of the historic plant that produced it, now owned by A.K. Steel. We could fill a whole issue of what the jeep means to the world and to you, regardless of whether you drive a buggy, Bronco, Blazer, Rodeo, or anything else. It all started there in Butler, and I challenge any driver of a jeep or non-jeep to show up and honor the event simply because you would do that for your grandpa.
We plan to have a presence at the Jeep Parade and other goings-on in Butler this summer. Won't you join us for the festivities as well as the thousands of other 4x4 aficionados? For the hot smoke and dope on the event to be held August 12-14, contact the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau at www.bantamjeepfestival.com, or call 724.234.4619. Enjoy Butler this summer along with the sponsors like Quadratec, Meridian Off Road Center, Rousch Creek Off Road Park, Hyline OffRoad, Diehl Jeep, Outdoor Adventure Off-Road Park, and others, along with all the local help that goes into putting on such a grand celebration. Jeep. Just Do It.


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Successful Dress: Joshiraku's Personality Costuming
by AJtheFourth. Regardless of what one decides to wear, and regardless of whether one is actively aware of it or not, one projects an image to those who see them. Without ever speaking, one's clothing informs passersby of one's personality, … Continue reading
Posted in Anime/ Manga, Editorial, Fashion, Guest Posts, Joshiraku Tagged Anime, Bloody Mary, color, Daria, fashion, Hello Kitty, identifier, identifiers, Joshiraku, Manga, rakugo, uniform 21 Comments


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The distributor has acquired all North American rights to And While We Were Here and has set an Aug 13 ultra-VoD launch followed by theatrical release on Sept 13.
Kate Bosworth, Iddo Goldberg, Jamie Blackley and Claire Bloom star in Kat Coiro's black-and-white romance set in Italy.
Paris Kasidokostas Latsis and Terry Dougas's 1821 Pictures financed the film and Lauren Bratman and Coiro produced.
Well Go USA Entertainment president Doris Pfardrescher brokered the deal with WME Global's Deb McIntosh on behalf of the producer.


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Morning accident leaves driver in critical condition
A three-vehicle accident Thursday morning at the intersection U.S. Highway 59 and Oklahoma Highway 83 resulted in one woman being flown to a Tulsa hospital for treatment.According to witnesses at the scene, a silver four-door car attempted to turn onto U.S. Highway 59 and in doing so, reportedly pulled out in front of a northbound black pickup. The impact caused the pickup to turn onto it's side and slide into a semi tractor trailer carrying fuel. Witnesses said the pickup impacted with the rear wheels of the semi then came to rest on it's wheels. The woman was freed from the wreckage by the Poteau and Heavener Fire Departments. LeFlore County Emergency Medical Services arranged for medical helicopter to land at the scene to take the woman to a Tulsa trauma center where she is listed in critical condition.Three other people were involved in the accident, including the woman's six-month-old child. Witnesses said none of the three were injured.


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IN JULY 2010, Elizabeth Gomez, a mother of three from Medford, had just finished her workout at Woburn's North Suburban YMCA and went to pick up her kids from the day-care room. When she sat down and started nursing her 3-month-old son, Christian, two day-care workers approached Gomez and told her she was in violation of the "no food" policy. Incredulous, irate, she returned home, determined to spread the word to her fellow moms — and find out if what had happened was, as she suspected, illegal under the state's newly passed breast-feeding law.
After a frustrating call to YMCA management, Gomez posted a description of the incident on several local parenting listservs. And they told two friends. And they told two friends. And so on and so on. The story ultimately rippled out to moms all over the Boston area, triggering widespread outrage. Gomez recalls hearing that "so many people started to call them that their phone lines were jammed." By the end of the week, the YMCA reversed course, disciplining the instigating employee and saying it would retrain its 1,500 staff members across Boston on the issue. "If it weren't for local online groups," says Gomez, "this incident would have not have received any attention or response."
Chalk up another victory to the power of the mom network.
A generation ago, a new mom up all night with a screaming newborn had few places to turn: a tattered copy of Dr. Spock; an apologetic call to her pediatrician's answering service; a desperate one to her own mother. Today, the new mom can flip open her laptop and solicit instantaneous opinions from others in the trenches, either on anonymous chat boards, like YouBeMom or UrbanBaby, or from her "intimate'' circle of 350 Facebook friends. When she's looking for a baby sitter, a Mama & Me class, a gluten-free bakery, she taps her local moms' listserv. When she loves a product, she posts it on Pinterest. When it fails or frustrates her, she tweets, YouTubes, blogs all about it. And whatever she has to say, her fellow moms are listening.
"This need to connect, it's a very palpable thing," says Christine Koh, who founded Boston Mamas, a portal for all things parenting, six years ago. "We don't have the benefit of a village anymore, as much as all of us would love one. The way people have coped is to look to the power of online to develop those connections and feel like you're not alone."
"Parenting boards were some of the first ones out there," observes Anita Blanchard, an associate professor of psychology and organization science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who studies online communities such as the popular Dooce mommy blog. "Parents have less freedom to go out and mingle, but a strong desire to connect with other parents."
And though the technology is always shifting — from Myspace to LinkedIn, from Meetup to GroupMe — the impulse remains the same. "If there is a will, there is a way to make a community on any technology," says Blanchard. "Wherever there are women who want to have a group, there will be a group. The technology is less important than the determination. Technology can make it easier or harder to have a discussion. But the people are key to the success."
However, with all this connection comes a note of caution. While a mom's opinions once only stretched so far — to her local play group or over the backyard fence — now they are amplified and shot around the world with a keystroke. And if you make a mom mad, the power of her network is a force to be reckoned with.
"Everyone has a megaphone these days, everyone — moms, dads, the crackpot on the side of the road. You can't ignore them anymore," says Kristin Brandt, president of the marketing firm Sundin Associates, and co-host of the Manic Mommies podcast. "The moms, when they figure it out — stay out of their way," Brandt says.
"There's been a tremendous paradigm shift from top down to the first-person user," agrees Stacy DeBroff, founder of Mom Central Consulting, a marketing firm in Newton. "Moms are driving this. We no longer trust the brand to tell us about your product. We're like, you're going to lie. We want someone who's experienced it to tell us why we'll love it. We're seeing the rise of the recommendation culture."
As a result, corporations have been forced to change strategies. "Marketers used to rely on carefully thought out messages that they would push in broadcast,'' says DeBroff. "Now, moms — who control at least 85 percent of family spending — hijack the conversation." For many companies, this isn't always good news. "There is a tremendous amount of trepidation," she adds. "They can't control the process."
DeBroff points to the 2010 debacle involving Pampers Dry Max diapers. A small group of parents, convinced the newly released diapers were causing rashes on their babies, created a Facebook page calling for the product's recall.
"Procter & Gamble basically said, we don't have to listen to you, we believe in our technology and we're going to ignore you," observes DeBroff. "So even though they had all the science, in the end, the product floundered because of the word-of-mouth of moms. Then they had to scramble and be in crisis mode. They stacked up a line of diaper scientists, and moms said: 'I don't care how many experts, I heard from 10 moms and they're more credible. I don't want to take the risk. So I'm going with Huggies.' " (Although the diapers received a clean bill from a US Consumer Product Safety Commission investigation, a group of parents filed a class-action suit, which was ultimately settled. Dry Max technology still remains in certain lines of the diapers today – although the company no longer touts it on the packaging.)
Of course, dads can spark social media campaigns of their own — recall their indignation over a Huggies TV spot in March portraying them as helplessly inept. But father-focused chat groups seem scarce; some dads do participate in their local moms' or parents' listserv, but the majority of active participants are women.
For small businesses, a few mentions from a mom on her local listserv can have a powerful effect on sales. "If there is someone who is a respected member and giving honest opinions, that opinion is going to carry an enormous amount of weight, and we will get a rush of people into the store," observes Sheri Gurock, founder and owner of Magic Beans, a local chain of kid-related gear.
Lauren Monahan, founder of the popular Hingham-based UPPAbaby stroller and gear company, recalls the moment in 2006 when she knew her upstart product was legit — when it was being chatted up across the country in a California moms' listserv. "Friends in San Francisco forwarded me the info posted, saying, 'Hey, they're talking about your stroller!' That was the first [realization] that this isn't just us talking about this. People were really talking about it — people that we don't know."
A business doesn't even have to be kid-related to curry favor within a given moms' group. Suzanne Logan found the power of the Belmont Family Group helpful in boosting her Cambridge-based interior design business to the point that the town has become a significant part of her revenue. After reconnecting with an old friend over Facebook in 2009 for a home renovation project, Logan started getting calls from other Belmont parents based on her friend's enthusiastic recommendations. "The power of the mommy network is pretty crazy," concludes Logan, who is not a mother herself.
On the flip side, a negative encounter gone viral can damage a business's reputation. Gurock recalls arriving at Logan, ready to take off on a vacation, when she got an urgent call from a manager at her Wellesley store. In what Gurock describes as a moment of poor judgment, an employee had accused a regular customer of being a stroller thief — wrongly, as it turned out.
The irate mom, detained and interrogated by the police, returned home and blasted about the incident on the Wellesley Mothers Forum listserv. "We were inundated with angry e-mails," recalls Gurock, who leapt into damage control, e-mailing out an apology to the moms' groups and ultimately firing the employee. She later held an in-person meeting with the Wellesley moms' group. Most telling that she handled it right? The wronged mom is still a customer.
Still, she shudders to think what the impact could have been if that call had come when she was already in the air and unreachable. "There are social-media lynch mobs all the time," says Gurock. "I think anybody who has a prayer of making it is listening acutely to moms. The follow-up is important. If they're upset and you handle it badly, you've sealed your fate. Handle it well, you can maybe take a disaster and turn it into something positive."
She points to the failure of the makers of the Jane PowerTwin to correct a design flaw in a highly anticipated stroller model. "Once it started to get out there, that completely killed the product. Even though they made fixes, the damage had been done." The European company ended up pulling its US distribution. "The strength of the mom network has forced a lot of companies to up their customer service," she says. "They can't afford to make a mistake."
A TESTAMENT TO THE MOM NETWORK is that many decade-old listservs are still going strong, despite parents moving on or aging out, and newer, shinier forms of communication emerging. An endorsement by a neighborhood mom retains a level of credibility that high-profile mommy bloggers may have lost, with so many of them blatantly taking freebies from marketers in exchange for "reviewing" the products.
"There's a reason why [listservs] continue to be active year after year — that connection you have with moms that live right in your community," says Isis Parenting's former director of community and social media Cindy Meltzer. "People don't want to come on [the nationwide] Baby Center, they want to go to the mom around the corner."
According to Fiona O'Donnell, an analyst at Mintel, a market research firm that puts out the annual report Marketing to Moms, use of chat boards had hit 11 percent in 2011, compared with 5 percent four years earlier. Meanwhile, even though 93 percent of Internet-using moms aged 18 to 44 employ social media sites to connect, the growth seems finally to be leveling off. "Social networking is a quick hit, where you announce good news," O'Donnell says. "What if you need advice, like, my child is doing drugs? The chat forums are for moms who really want to talk about issues with people who are like them."
One of the earliest of these private, neighborhood-based parenting e-mail groups was the Berkeley Parents Network, founded in 1993 by a University of California at Berkeley grad student; it continues today with 30,000 members. Many more seem to have sprung up a decade ago, such as the often vocal Park Slope Parents in Brooklyn, and DC Urban Moms and Dads, and in Boston, GardenMoms and SomervilleMoms.
SomervilleMoms, named by online parenting site Babble as one of its "Top 30" parenting listservs in 2011, started 10 years ago when a new moms' group offered by Jewish Child and Family Services in Somerville formed an e-mail list to keep the group connected. "The list was unwieldy and fraught with spelling errors and missing names," recalls Erin McKenna, a Somerville mom. "I volunteered to set up a Yahoo group that we could let people join if they were interested. The group grew each week, and soon moms were asking more questions, offering advice, setting up play dates, and telling one another about events in the community. There were regular threaded discussions happening, and people seemed pleased to have this venue."
Boston Mamas currently lists around 50 moms' groups, from the Allston-Brighton Family Network to the Wellesley Mothers' Forum, most of which offer some form of online messaging for members. Often hosted at sites like Yahoo, Google, or more recently, BigTent, subscribers typically must sign up and pass muster with a moderator, who ensures some base line of decorum and sets rules about whether vendors, out-of-town residents, and nonparents are allowed. Once initiated, members are free to discuss everything from safe sunscreens to stroller picks. But it doesn't stop there. Discussions veer off topic ("OT") into where to find a good contractor, plumber, or organic farm share.
"Every topic can be addressed," says Alison Mitchell, one of the recent moderators of SomervilleMoms, whose 2,500 members post around 50 messages a day. "So it not only covers 'What solid food do I feed my baby?' but 'Where can I get my car fixed?' 'Who knows a good dentist?' "
Another appeal is the flexibility. "You can put an e-mail out and get answers immediately, or read them when you have time." Even negative feedback is allowed, provided it is balanced and presented reasonably. "As long as people are not making baseless personal attacks," she says, "it's OK."
Similarly, the GardenMoms listserv was founded in 2002 by a group of South End moms invited for a meet-and-greet brunch by the owners of the now-defunct Garden of Eden restaurant. The list, which today includes moms as far away as Worcester, has doubled in size to 5,500 members since it switched from Yahoo to BigTent 18 months ago, says co-moderator Jen Levine-Fried.
She concedes the way the listserv is being used has shifted: Longer, more thoughtful conversation threads have declined. "The proliferation of smartphones has led to a change in the way people respond," she says. "It's subtle, but there seem to be more brief responses. There has been an increase in the proportion that are short — one or two sentences (or even one or two words!)."
A few listservs have dramatically faded in usage, or even shut down completely. (Anyone remember HarborMoms?) Way back in 2010, for example, one user of Boston Parents Network lamented the decline of the once-vibrant group, claiming it was too full of advertising and lacking in meaningful conversation. Listservs are "so gone," DeBroff, a fan of newer technologies, opines. "People tend to feel like [they're] inundated with messages they don't want to read."
Companies do have to walk a fine line in tooting their own horn on the sites that allow them access. Moms are fiercely private (JPMoms declined to comment for this piece, citing privacy) and quick to label anything potentially PR-ish as spam. A mom's own recommendation is OK — a company repeatedly trumpeting its own deals is not.
It's no surprise that mothers particularly have flocked to these modern forms of gab. "Women need to communicate more; they have more supportive styles of communication," says Blanchard. "It makes it more likely that women are drawn to this."
A 2012 report on Moms and Media by Edison Research found that mothers are heavier users of social media and technology than the general population. Compared with all survey respondents over age 12, they are more likely to own a smartphone, spend more time online, and check Facebook repeatedly — twice as often as dads.
Blanchard also believes online parenting groups draw more participants than, say, foodies on Chowhound or brides on The Knot because of the higher stakes. "This isn't just a hobby," she says. "This is something people worry they are going to do wrong, which is why people take it pretty seriously and seek out people to validate the way they're doing it."
While members of other online communities may also swap tips and flame shoddy vendors, there is an instant connection among mothers, says Scituate-based John Cass, whose blog, PR Communications, covers social media. "It's easier to break down the barriers, easier to ask for help if it's a kid involved."
SomervilleMoms sprang to action recently when a dog lunged at Beth Balter's 6-year-old daughter at a local park and bit her in the stomach. The owner handed over her phone number — which later turned out to be a wrong number. Unable to verify the dog's vaccination history, Balter ended up rushing her daughter to the ER at Children's Hospital for painful rabies injections. Balter also turned to the listserv members, who forwarded accounts of the incident to local dog walkers, owners, and vets' offices. Ultimately, one suggestion that Balter contact the town's dog officer was key: Turned out, the rogue dog had bitten another child just the week before — but did have a clean rabies history.
"The response from this community was nothing short of amazing," says Balter. "I went from feeling so angry about how callous and selfish people can be to feeling totally supported and embraced by a community willing to take on my cause in a heartbeat."
"There's this sense of you have each other's back, even when you haven't even met each other," agrees Koh, who tapped her Boston Mamas network to raise nearly $2,000 for Haiti. "I have people who I've become friends with online who I feel would do things for me that not even people I've known would do."
ALL THIS PROMPTS THE QUESTION — why don't moms tap into this power more broadly? Why not go beyond comparing preschools and touting diaper creams and really try to effect change? While there are some local examples of moms using their networks to rally behind a higher cause — saving a local library branch, raising funds for a new slide at Robbins Farm Park in Arlington — these campaigns are no Occupy Wall Street.
One possible exception occurred last May, when the MBTA posted an online survey floating the idea of banning open strollers on buses. Moms lit up the local listservs, mommy blogs like Carfree With Kids and Boston Baby Mama, and Isis Parenting's 5,000-member Facebook page. They circulated petitions and, uncharacteristically, barged into a public meeting, strollers in tow, to make their voices heard. It was the largest vote on a survey in MBTA history, with two-thirds of respondents chiming in against the ban. Ultimately, the MBTA backed down, even though the issue ranks as their number one customer complaint.
Yet even this battle was, in the end, over nothing more than strollers. "I think the mom forums look down upon political organizing and advocacy," says Morra Aarons-Mele, a Lexington mother of two and founder of Women Online, which conducts online marketing campaigns for social causes and nonprofits. "The moms' sphere does not see itself as a political entity, and it's hard to talk about politics, anything controversial; it's really frowned upon."
"I don't allow it," confirms Amy Weitzman, moderator of the 2,500-member Arlington Parents list, who believes political posts should be reserved for the town's general e-list. "It tends to get cantankerous; it's important to me the tone of the parent list is neighborly and civil."
Another reason may be that there is little consensus among moms. The national network Moms Rising works to find common ground with causes such as paid sick days and maternity leave and fair wages, but just because one woman is a mom doesn't mean she shares political sensibilities with another. "You may be a mom," Aarons-Mele says, "but you're also a security voter or a libertarian." Members of DCUrbanMoms and Dads seem to delight in thrashing out these policy differences; Boston area moms seem more . . . reserved.
"In terms of rules of play, I know it wouldn't be considered appropriate to post [about paid maternity leave] on a listserv. It would create chaos and fighting," says Aarons-Mele. "The reason those lists work so well as communities is they are focused around a topic. The women who want to organize find other women who want to organize, and do it in a separate venue than the mom sphere."
Brandt agrees that political influence can occur, but only in rare cases. "It has to be really in my face, a really dire situation for any of us. I really can't go [march on] Washington today, because I have to get the kids to camp." One exception: "When they see something related to schools, they'll activate," she says, pointing to a current debate over school-bus waivers for kids in aftercare in Hopkinton. "Heaven help the politician who pisses off a motivated moms' group."
Case in point: In early June, Gomez sent out an e-mail on behalf of a new cause — fighting the proposed elimination of Medford's middle school foreign language department due to budget cuts. "Once again," she wrote, "I am going to look for support from my online community." Her passionate post was passed along to moms on other local listservs. Within two weeks, she had 600 supporters signing her online petition and a strong showing at the budget meeting. Funding was restored for the program.
"The mom network," Gomez says in triumph, "came through."
Moms and Media 2012, a report from Edison Research, revealed these facts about how and how often moms connect:
>93% have Internet access from any location
>61% have a smartphone
>Moms spend an average of 2 hours 43 minutes per day on the Internet — that's up from 53 minutes per day in 2002.
>Moms check their Facebook page an average of 4.7 times per day (compared with 2.1 times per day for dads)
>46% use social networking websites several times per day
>35% have 5 or more devices in their home connected to the Internet
>74% have a Wi-Fi network in their householdGlobe email@example.com


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River City Cuckoo Clocks come in a large variety of types, sizes, and shapes.
Choosing the right cuckoo clock can be a difficult decision so if you need any help at all please contact us by phone or e-mail.
Cuckoo clock parts are available from Clockworks.com or by phone 1-800-381-7458.
22 Items


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Seven Pounds
Now Available
About Seven Pounds
Academy Award® nominee Will Smith (2006, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, The Pursuit of Happyness) stars as Ben Thomas, a man at a crossroads searching for a way to redeem his heavy conscience. He discovers he has the power to change the circumstances of seven strangers who deserve a second chance. But when one of them captures his heart, he must decide if he should reveal his secret -- even if it means giving up on his plan. From the creators of The Pursuit of Happyness, SEVEN POUNDS is an "emotionally charged, captivating mystery with a soulful, tender love story and a tearful but joyfully inspiring ending" (MOVIEGUIDE®).
Grant Nieporte
Associate Producer
Chrissy Blumenthal
Executive Producer
David Crockett, Domenico Procacci, Ken Stovitz, David Bloomfield
Will Smith, Todd Black, Steve Tisch, James Lassiter
Gabriele Muccino
Woody Harrelson, Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper


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Since Arduino insists on having a serial line to upload the firmware (although none is needed for usbasp), you may have to edit Arduino's preferences.txt file manually and set the variable serial.port to an existing device. Preferences.txt is in ~/Library/Arduino on the Mac.
With Arduino 11 the serial pb will disappear (not tested yet but something like metaboard.upload.disable_flushing=true will solve the pb)
Is it possible to communicate with the computer from within an Arduino sketch? Would the board still appear as a virtual serial port? Would there be a way to create a version of the Arduino Serial functions that would work? How many limitations would that impose on the other processing done by the sketch?


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SKILLMAN, N.J. -- Barry University women's tennis team finished the season with the No. 1 ranking in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll.
The Buccaneers went 28-1 to win the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Sophomore Emma Onila finished the year with the No. 5 singles ranking in the country. She went 11-4, which included an 8-4 record against ranked opponents. Onila earned All-American honors. The top 20 ranked singles players in the nation receive All-American acclaim.
Sophomore Karina Goia finished the season ranked 16th in singles. She went 16-1 to earn All-American honors.
Junior Linda Fritschken was ranked No. 19, following an 18-3 season that culminated with a win over an opponent who finished with the No. 11 national ranking in the NCAA Championship match. Fritschken also received All-American honors.
Sophomore Kimmy Twelker and freshman Ana Pain finished the year with the No. 6 doubles ranking to earn All-American acclaim. Twelker and Pain went 19-6 in pairs play, which included an 11-5 mark at the No. 1 flight. The top 10 ranked doubles teams receive All-American honors.
Onila and Fritschken capped the year with a No. 8 ranking to earn All-American distinction. Onila and Fritschken went 20-2 with a 12-0 record at the No. 2 spot.


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Performance You Can Count On
With the responsiveness and efficiency of 7th generation Intel® Core™ processors, you can switch effortlessly between your favorite apps. What's more, with a solid-state drive (SSD)—unlike with a regular mechanical hard drive—there are no moving parts and it performs faster. Boot up time is nearly three times quicker, while opening files is up to 30% faster. Even transferring files takes significantly less time. So in addition to delivering powerful performance, the X270 is quieter and more reliable.
Built for Business—Tested for Your Lifestyle
Tested against 12 military-grade requirements and passing more than 200 quality checks, the X270 is engineered to survive the bumps and bruises of life.
It Does the Heavy Lifting So You Don't Have To
The X270 features convenient setup and deployment, as well as being highly manageable for when you need to service, upgrade, or secure. These laptops are engineered to make life—and work—easier for everyone, from the business professional to the IT technician.
Sacrifice Nothing for Portability
With two batteries and Power Bridge technology, the X270 affords great flexibility. And it's lightweight, starting at 1.3 kg. Feel free to leave the adapter behind and forget about searching for power outlets. Imagine instead what you could do with up to 21 hours* of battery life (with 3 + batteries).
* Based on testing with MobileMark 2014. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage, and other factors.
Up & Running Even If You're Not
Even when WiFi is out of range, the X270 has LTE-A option available—so you'll always have connectivity and access to all your data and apps in the cloud.
Look Sharp. Sound Sharper
No matter where you are when you need to make a conference call, the HD webcam and noise-cancelling microphones on the X270 always ensure a great call experience. Plus, choose the 12.5" FHD display that delivers sharp, vibrant visuals—perfect for working on the go or kicking back to enjoy a movie.
No Mouse Required
Based on customer feedback, we've refined both the TrackPoint and the TrackPad on our award-winning ThinkPad keyboard. With an improved design that lessens jumps and gaps when scrolling, our navigation technology delivers a smoother, cleaner, and more accurate experience. Interact the way you want to. And don't be surprised if you find your productivity on the rise.