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Javelin: the JDJ 'World Class Award' winning, leader in visual, model driven Java development since 1996!
try it FREE for 15 days and realize the benefits and efficiencies of managing a POJO based domain model via live class diagrams instead of a plethura of text files.
Read more>>
exPOJO: feedback, contributions, questions, suggestions:
|expose your POJOs!
Version 3.2.1 just released!
Exposed Model Pattern: Why the buzz?
So you are confident in your ability to develop well engineered, robust and reusable domain model objects (POJOs) and you thought that now that popular transparent persistence technologies like JDO and Hibernate (ORMs) have matured that it should be an easy job to persist your POJOs and use simple dependency injection.... well then you took it a step further and from your reading 'assumed' that you must jump on the learning curve of some well known, heavy weight, steep learning curve, high jar dependency frameworks et al. You were hoping that the 'nirvana' that is 'transparent persistence' was going to be a lot, God damn, more easier than what it seemed from your initial reading - and you were right in hoping that but your frustration at the apparent difficulty of something that should be 'so easy' could mean that you just haven't found the right tool yet!
Welcome to exPOJO, the light weight, dependency injection, persistence engine wrapping, model exposing framework, that is the fastest and easiest way to persist your POJO domain model in a web or desktop application environment using your favourite popular transparent persistence engine: whether that be JDO or Hibernate. exPOJO is all about exposing POJOs that make up your object model - it has no reference or dependencies on any particular user interface framework: it can work with any framework eg., Wicket, Echo, JSP, JSF, Struts, Tapestry etc.,
exPOJO is a free, open source, light weight framework, for use in open source and commercial projects, that makes it simple and easy to build sophisticated web and desktop applications using the exciting and highly productive "Exposed Domain Model pattern" popularized in Chris Richardson's excellent book: "POJOs IN ACTION" published by Manning (exPOJO is not associated with the author nor the publisher - we just think they've done an excellent job of telling the world about an excellent pattern/architecture for the highly productive development of object oriented web and desktop applications).
Version 2.x has a more simplified design and moves responsibility of ModelExposer creation from the ExpojoServletContextListener to the ModelExposerFactory meaning exPOJO can be used equally well for web and non web oriented purposes - this includes background, non HTTP servicing, threads of a web application.
Extra methods have been added to PersistenceManager to expose more of the native ORM's Session/PersistenceManager.
Version 1.4 gives much more control over what happens at the time a PersistenceProvider (JDO=Persistencemanager, Hibernate=Session) is attached/detached to/from the current thread.
It also provides a more efficient mechanism for retrieving model exposer components (Services and Repositories) and adds some extra convenience methods as well.
Version 1.3 now makes dependency injection possible without requiring any changes to your source code via a new Servlet filter. Simply add a few lines to your web.xml file and every class in your system has access to the ModelExposer object instance appropriate to the current session - avoiding the clutter and burden of any 'per class' XML entries.
Download exPOJO (<1MB)
Download example exPOJO project
Download complete JAR bundle required for above example
(includes exPOJO, JPOX and compact Hypersonic SQL database + auxiliary jars)
To view the class diagrams in the examples you might also want to download the freeware Javelin Modeler. If you want to make changes to the classes via the class diagrams and automatically update the underlying code and ORM meta data then download a trial of the Javelin Modeler + Coder
|First public release
|Added support for Hibernate persistence.
|Redistributed under changed licensing to allow free use in commercial applications.
|Codeless dependency injection via a new exPOJO servlet filter.
|Renamed ExpojoServletContext
to ExpojoServletContextListener.
Updated documentation.
Added Javadoc pages.
ExpojoServletFilter now accesses correct root exception via getRootCause().
|Added flushChanges to assist
when your ORM generates FK constraints when committing complex
object graphs with cyclic references.
Added an updated JDOQueryResultCollection from Guido to make clean up of query resources completely automatic when the caller has finished with them.
|Added option to force cache refresh. Do force a cache refresh (and so update a particular persistence provider's cached objects to reflect any changes made by other persistence providers) pass in refreshCache="1" in a HTTP request. Use sparingly as performing a refresh on every HTTP request will most likely degrade performance as refreshAll can be an expensive operation if the persistence provider cache (L1) has many objects.
|Support Object ID rather
than String identification of ModelExposerComponentS. The use of
Strings as keys in a HashTable is extremely innefficient because
of the complex algorithm executed within the String.hashCode()
method. Integers or even Class objects make a much more
efficient and convenient key type in HashTables.
Uses more efficient HashMap instead of HashTable. HashMap is unsychronized and as we only ever make changes to the collection during initialization being unsynchronized is fine.
Added ThreadBindListener to allow an application to listen on thread attachment/detachment and perform any extra processing.
Added convenience static method on PersistenceProvider to obtain the PP for the current thread.
Enhanced HTTP request processing to allow the ExpojoServletContextListener to control the creation/usage of a ModelExposer at each request. Previously a new ModelExposer was created for every new session - this gets expensive with so many search robots trolling the site with no session tracking capabilities because we end up creating a new PM for every request - nasty. The application can now override establishModelExposer and reuse the same PM for search engine requests based on agent ID if the application developer chooses to do so.
|New simplified design of ExpojoServletContextListener and
PersistenceProviderFactory replaced by ModelExposerFactory.
New methods added to PersistenceProvider.
The download contains compiled jars and all source code. The distribution is divided into 3 sub libraries which each build an appropriately named jar file: core, jdo and hibernate. Separating the core library from the libraries specific to the various persistence engines means that it's not necessary to download jars for persistence engines that you are not using in order to compile the libraries you are interested in. As the "Mock" persistence classes have no dependency on any real persistence engine jars they are included in the core library.
In order to build your project with exPOJO you only need expojo_core-x.y.jar and expojo_engine-x.y.jar where engine is either jdo or hibernate.
Note for users of the Echo2 exPOJO Mod
exPOJO now supports OpenSessionInView (Hibernate) and OpenPersistenceManagerInView (JDO) in view and dependency injection without any code changes to the framework. Thus the Echo2 mod is no longer required if that is the UI framework you use. Simply download the latest Echo2 jars from the Echo site.
For exPOJO feedback, contributions, questions, suggestions please visit: http://expojo.blogspot.com
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Intro for August 26, 2013
Dear Gossips,
When Miley Cyrus arrived on the red carpet at the VMAs last night, it was implied that she was about to take over from Madonna and Britney. Like, that's how Sway opened. He name-checked both of them and then…
I'll say this, before Duana takes over on Miley later on: back when Britney was what Miley is trying to be, in that sparkly nude bodysuit which, sh-t, seems conservative by today's standards, she could dance her ass off. With more than just a tongue and a crotch lift.
"Britney would have made it better" was my final tweet last night after live-tweeting the VMAs. Miley is supposed to be in her prime. So the equivalent Britney's Oops I Did It Again. What Miley gave us last night was pretty much that time Britney's nail went flying during Gimme More. I feel like … you don't get to do that until you've covered all the ground in between.
Oh but there's so much more. Taylor Swift alone could have written today's entire column. We will get to her.
But was the production just more slick back then? That might be an old person's question. Still, everything last night looked so… cheap. I thought at first it was my TV. And then Duana commented that it all seemed like it was happening in her garage and she's right.
I just want to take you back to 1999 though. Britney FIRST. Always. And THEN 'N SYNC.
Yours in gossip,

subset: commoncrawl


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Migraines can be completely debilitating. Learn about common triggers (and how to avoid them) and home remedies for easing pain.
98% of men say they do it; the other 2% are lying. But far from it being something to be embarrassed about, researchers have strong indications that this very common activity could
Congratulations to the winner of our Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit frugal beauty tips contest!
As you know, I asked readers to send in their frugal and/or homemade beauty ideas. [more]
This one takes the cake. I've heard of cheap, home solutions to possible expensive cosmetic procedures, but isn't this going a little too far? It's certainly not for the squeamish or people of a sensitive disposition.
Want a chance to win a Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit, completely free, from Wise Bread?
Clue us in to your favorite all-natural beauty secret! Have a family recipe for rice bran scrub that leaves your skin glowing? [more]
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text: August 7, 2018 from 7pm to 9pm – RLSCC The first Tuesday of every month is our Beginner's Night. We ensure that we have boats and coaches free to introduce new or inexperienced paddlers to the sport. We can provide you with boats and the… Organized by Tessa Lukehurst | Type: beginner's, night


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DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday for the first time that chemical weapons had killed people in ally Syria and called for the international community to prevent their use.
Rouhani stopped short of saying who he thought had used the arms, but Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said evidence pointed to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Tehran has previously accused Syrian rebels of being behind what it called suspected chemical attacks.
Rouhani did not mention the international furore around Syrian opposition reports that government forces had killed as many as 1,000 civilians with gas in Damascus on Wednesday.
"Many of the innocent people of Syria have been injured and martyred by chemical agents and this is unfortunate," recently elected Rouhani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
"We completely and strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons, because the Islamic Republic of Iran is itself a victim of chemical weapons," he said, according to the agency.
Iran suffered chemical weapons attacks by Iraqi forces during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
"The Islamic Republic gives notice to the international community to use all its might to prevent the use of these weapons anywhere in the world, especially in Syria," Mehr news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.
Syria's government denies using such weapons and Iran's foreign minister said on Thursday that groups fighting Assad's forces in a two-year-old rebellion must have been behind what he then said was just a suspected gas attack.
Russia, another major ally of the Syrian government, has suggested rebels could be behind the attack.
Abbas Araqchi, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, said Iran believed the rebels were behind the attack, and that Iran was in touch with Syria and other countries to find out what happened.
"There is evidence that this action was carried out by terrorist groups," ISNA quoted Araqchi as saying. "The concurrence of the use of these weapons with the presence of United Nations inspectors is itself an indication that there are hands at work to accuse the Syrian government of using these weapons and help the conflict and crisis to continue."
The uprising against four decades of Assad family rule has turned into a civil war that has killed more than 100,000.
Foreign powers have said chemical weapons could change the calculus in terms of intervention and are urging the Syrian government to allow a U.N. team of experts to examine the site of Wednesday's reported attacks.
The United States on Friday was repositioning naval forces in the Mediterranean to give President Barack Obama the option of an armed strike on Syria, although officials said that Obama had made no decision on military action.
In response, Iran warned the United States on Saturday not to get militarily involved in Syria.
"No international licence exists for military intervention in Syria," Araqchi was quoted as saying by ISNA. "We hope that White House officials are wise enough to not enter such a dangerous battle. Statements of provocation by American military officials or actions such as sending warships do not help solve the issue and will make the region's situation more dangerous."
(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
Updated Date: Aug 24, 2013 21:46:26 IST


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With some directors, you can immediately tell you're watching a movie they directed just by looking at a still frame without any context. There's a visual style they stamp on their films, a certain special effect they like, a narrative preference they utilise, basically, a trademark they have. WatchMojo came up with a list of the 10 most famous movie director trademarks in the video below.
In order:
- Quentin Tarantino's shared universe
- M. Night Shyamalan's twist endings
- Alfred Hitchcock's personal cameos and preference for blondes
- Frank Capra's use of Jimmy the Raven
- Wes Anderson's symmetrical framing and slow motion
- Sergio Leone's extreme close ups and drawn-out long shots
- The Wachowski's bullet time
- Guillermo del Toro's nightmarish creatures
- Stanely Kubrick's bathrooms
- JJ Abrams' lens flares
These tricks are just one tool among many but they're clearly identified with the director who used 'em enough to become a personal trademark.


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A's pitcher Dallas Braden caused a scene at a public meeting last week, brandishing a baseball bat and yelling about the high crime and lax police response in his hometown of Stockton, Calif. He said his grandmother had been robbed, he had been assaulted in his car, and enough was enough—he's moving out of Stockton.
We don't know if that was more theatrics, or if he'll be following through on his promise, but we do have a little more: the police report from his alleged assault. It took place on Sept. 20, less than a week before his shouting match with the police chief, when Braden confronted officers responding to an unrelated car accident.
I noticed Dallas appeared to be upset and yelling at [California Highway Patrol] Ofc. Wagner regarding Dallas making several attempts to contact police via 911 but was unable to get through. I also heard Dallas saying, "This was road rage...road rage...the guy just ran the red light." I could also see Dallas pointing at a dent on the driver side of his vehicle. Dallas continued to yell at Ofc. Wagner saying, "They kicked my car." [A black Cadillac CTS.]
The officer told Braden that he would help him after dealing with the traffic accident.
At that time, Dallas got very upset and asked me if I knew who he was. I told Dallas I didn't and again I would help him after I was finished with my current call. Dallas shouted out, "I'm Dallas Braden, I'm a multi-millionaire and I pitch for the Oakland A's. I pay your fucking salary. That's why I hate you mother fuckers." I asked SPD dispatch for an additional unit to assist me with Dallas and my current call. While I was waiting, Dallas continued to yell, stating, "I should have cut that mother fucker." It should be noted that I was not able to get a word in with Dallas because he was yelling so much.
Two more cops arrived in their car to assist Braden and take a police report on his assault, but Braden "continued to yell... he refused to listen and said, 'Fuck this...I'm outta here.'" He then drove away. The full police report is below, via eSanJoaquin.com.
Braden recently completed court-ordered anger management courses, stemming from his guilty plea in a road rage incident of his own last summer. He hasn't pitched in the majors since a shoulder injury suffered in April 2011, and hopes to return by next year's All-Star break.


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Volo Italian Modern Leather Bed
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This above mattress is the recommended mattress to fit our beds perfectly
This memory foam mattress is manufactured in the United Kingdom
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Enhanced Push and Banner Indicator APIs
BlackBerry maker RIM has announced the availability of the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK v 2.1, a development that comes shortly after the introduction of RIM's WebWorks SDK v 2.1 for Tablet OS.
RIM says that the new SDK will enable developers to leverage NTML (Microsoft NT LAN Manager) & BASIC authentication support, Camera API, Top Banner Indicator API, Enhanced Push APIs, and improved rendering speeds for some applications.
According to RIM, the APIs enable web developers to "deeply integrate" with the BlackBerry Smartphone OS and thereby build feature rich apps that offer more "immersive and interactive" end user experiences.
Without providing any deeper level of technological explanation, proof points, or justification, RIM say ***a***s that the other benefits developers can derive from the new application functionality and APIs include:
better app monetization
diversified development approaches
support for standardized security
better integration with the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) Social Platform.
The BlackBerry developer website pages provide a little more insight; specifying as they do that a new Banner Indicator API allows developers to place their icon and number in the banner area of the device home screen. This allows a programmer to provide notifications to users of changes in an application while it's running in the background.[Click image to view at full size]
"The enhanced Push API takes advantage of all the push capabilities the BlackBerry platform has to offer and is compatible with the latest version of the BlackBerry Push service. One new feature of the enhanced BlackBerry WebWorks push API is the ability to have your application register woken up when new push data arrives for your application," said RIM, on its developer web portal area.


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In an unusual transaction, a Super PAC has reported receiving an unsecured $250,150 loan from a financial institution to use for making independent expenditures in the 2014 primary elections.
The Mississippi Conservatives , a Republican-oriented Super PAC supporting Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in the June 3rd Republican primary, reported it had receipts of $717,993 during the first quarter of 2014, including a $250,150 loan from Trustmark Bank in Jackson, Mississippi. Trustmark (NASDAQ:TRMK) is a publicly traded corporation.


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*Please contact dealer to verify price, options, and other vehicle details.
MPG Disclaimer: *Based on 2014 EPA mileage and driving range ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your MPGe/MPG and driving range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, battery age/condition, and other factors.
Estimated Monthly Payment will depend on vehicle make and model and willbe determined upon actual vehicle inspection. All payments are estimates. Tax, title, registration and documentation fee ($250) are extra.


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British National 3 Frame 1/3 Bee Hive with Standard Brood box. These are made exactly a third the width of a standard box so they can be used in conjunction with full width equipment. All components are included. Instructions and fixings are available but not included. All woodwork is knot free untreated 19mm timber. Roof, crownboard and floor are supplied already assembled to make things easier for you. Includes from the top down:
These hives are our preferred design with frame runners chamfered into the woodwork so there is no need for separate runners or fittings. This makes cleaning the hive much easier.


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Login below to access our online services for members, students and business partners.
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Fast track your studies with exemptions. Find out if you're eligible before you register with CIMA.
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Whether you're a self-studier or studying with a tuition provider, you can create a fully personalised study plan to fit in with your busy schedule.
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All the most up to date resources for CIMA tutors, including teaching guides, syllabus information, pre-seen exam materials and much more.
The online student and tutor community is available 24/7. View free study resources, blogs and CIMA news.
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Management level
F2 builds on the competencies gained from F1. It covers how to effectively source the long-term finance required to fund the operations of organisations, particularly their capital investments. It also deepens the coverage of financial reporting to more complex aspects of group accounting and analyses the rules governing the recognition and measurement of various elements of the financial statements. Finally it shows how to analyse financial statements to provide insights about the financial performance and position of the organisation over time and in comparison with others.
The 2015 CIMA Syllabus will still be examined until 3rd November 2019 for objective tests and for case studies the last examination window will also be November 2019.
2019 CIMA Syllabus
Each subject is divided into a number of broad syllabus topics.
A percentage weighting is shown against each syllabus topic and is intended as a guide to the proportion of study time each topic requires.
It is essential that all topics in the syllabus are studied, as all topics will be examined. The weightings do not specify the number of marks that will be allocated to topics in the examination.
Format: computer based Objective TestAvailability: on demand at any of the 5000 Pearson VUE centres around the worldLength: 90 minutesMarking: computer markedResults: provisional result available immediately followed by confirmation no more than 48 hours later
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History is often made on the backs of truly passionate, talented young people.
During the Kingdom of Silla, a group of elite youth known as Hwarang would wield great influence. These dashing, talented knights – Moo Myung (Park Seo Joon), Sam Maek Jong (Park Hyung Sik), Soo Ho (Choi Minho), Ban Ryu (Do Ji Han), Yeo Wool (Jo Yoon Woo), Han Sung (Kim Taehyung [BTS's V]), and maiden Ah Ro (Go Ara) – could outsmart and outfight anyone as they pushed for justice in Seorabeol, the capital city.
One of them would become King Jin Heung of Silla and change the course of history.
"Hwarang" is a 2016-2017 South Korean drama series directed by Yoon Sung Sik.
This show does not have any episodes


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Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan. It is a historical city with numerous historical monuments of the Rajput Kingdom. There are a number of palaces and forts distributed all over the city. These historical monuments are worth watching as it depicts the rich architecture of those glorious Rajput days.
Places to Stay
Hotel Pearl Palace, Hotel Umaid Bhawan. Park Prime Hotel and The Raj Palace are some of the popular hotels in Jaipur.
Places of Interest
Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Govind Dev Ji Temple and Birla Temple are some of the tourist places in Jaipur
How to Get There
Jaipur International Airport is located just 10 km from the city center. It has flights connecting to different cities in India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bangalore to name a few.
Jaipur is the headquarters of the north western railway division and it has trains running to different major places in India.
There are well constructed and maintained highways connecting Jaipur to Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and some other major places. If you want a cheap bus ticket for your holiday, log on to Ticketgoose.com.


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MammothRentalByOwner.com a division of Nomadness Corporation is your number one stop for renting vacation properties by owner. Our site provides you with every type of lodging available in Mammoth. Beautifully appointed condos, cabins and houses located in the most desirable vacation destination spots Mammoth Lakes has to offer. All of these spectacular Mammoth Lodging vacation properties are fully furnished, decorated and maintained by the individual owners. Offering that personal touch, providing a comfortable welcoming feeling where all that's missing is you.
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Each of our detailed listings provides you with multiple pictures and an in depth description of what you will be renting. Some listings offer live videos and "to scale" floor plans so you know exactly where you will be staying. Here you will find all the specifics including a full list of all of the wonderful amenities, rates and best of all, DEALS and SAVINGS these properties have to offer. Only Mammoth Rental By Owner offers immediate Online Reservations with a real time chat feature that allows you to speak LIVE with one of our helpful customer service representatives who will help answer all of your questions and concerns.
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To celebrate the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology we travel through time to discover the history that lies hidden all around us and in the earth beneath our feet. Using objects from our own collections, plus local finds borrowed from National Museums Scotland and other collections in Fife, the exhibition will provide lots of opportunities for visitors to get hands on with history.
an exhibition by Local Artist Arthur Nuttall and Friends
An exhibition of the much-admired work of the late artist More Horsburgh, fisherman of Pittenweem.
A personal insight into the Scottish Fisheries Museum's photography collection.
Exhibition by a group of local photographers who have united under the banner of "The St Andrews Photographers" to share their vision of the great beauty of our environment.
In Scotland's Season of Photography, the Scottish Fisheries Museum is delighted to be hosting a striking exhibition of black and white images shot aboard the seine net fishing boats, Mairead and Argosy, in the North Sea in the 1990's. These images, by Scottish documentary photographer Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, capture the reality of the life at sea for the fishermen of Scotland's North East fishing communities - the cramped conditions, the monotony, and the grueling work in harsh conditions.
Exhibition showcasing over 30 of textile expert Stella Ruhe's hand-knitted garments based on her extensive research of traditional designs
A beautiful selection of canvas-mounted and framed images.
An exhibition to mark the centenary of the fateful night of 31 January 1918 when two British submarines and over 100 lives were lost to the sea.
An exploration of fish, its role in our diet, and the evolving fishing industry.


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FREE SHIPPING on orders $75 or more.
12 MONTHS PROMOTIONAL FINANCING AVAILABLE* on orders of $999 or more with your Y Credit Card. See Details
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- Made In USA
Based in Michigan with roots dating back to 1905 Herman Miller, is known worldwide for inventive office furniture design for the modern home and workspace. Herman Miller has a strong commitment to quality by being a pioneer of ergonomic office furniture while being a steward of environmental leadership in the manufacturing process. Available in a wide range of styles and colors, Herman Miller offers timeless furniture, high in style and comfort, from desk chairs to tables.
- Design: George Nelson
- Warranty: 5 years
- Manufactured In: USA
- Powder-coated frame
- Steel frame, canvas sling, walnut wood dowels
- Our specialists can walk you through finding the right design for your home or project. With over fifteen years of average experience, our team can assist with everything from product selection to project advice to technical specifications. For members of the trade, our account managers become a part of your team to bring your design vision to clients and keep your projects on schedule.
- Our curated collection represents the best in modern design today. Here, modern isn't just about a look, but about innovation and possibility in the new frontiers of technology, material and artistry. We celebrate the many ways that design helps bring modern to life.
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Nelson Firewood Caddy Diagram
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Dr. Bret Wilson has over 30 years of experience helping people achieve better health through safe effective chiropractic care. He graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1980, has taken post graduate training in spinal rehabilitation and Activator technique.
Dr. Bret is also has affiliation with Arizona Association of Chiropractic, Ohio State Chiropractic Association, American Chiropractic Association, Palmer Alumni Association, Delta Sigma Chi Fraternity, Certified Advanced Proficiency – Activator Methods American Chiropractic Rehabilitation Board- Level Two Certification – 2004. He has held offices as Medicare Chairman, OSCA , Carrier Advisory Committee, Palmetto GBA, Medicare Ohio State Board Of Chiropractic Examiners, Site Inspection Team – 1998, OSCA Executive Committee, 1987- 1997, Past MVCS Board Member, Past President, Delta Sigma Chi Fraternity. www.drbretwilson.com
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1535 – French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona's two kidnapped sons.
1568 – Queen Elizabeth I of England orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was upset about it being the anniversary of her mommy death day.
1864 - Battle of Spotsylvania concludes. Spots lose.
1870 – Albert Fish, American serial killer, child rapist and cannibal. He was also known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, and The Boogeyman. He was so fucking evil.
1890 – H? Chí Minh, Vietnamese leader, is born.
1925 – Black Muslim leader Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebreska.
1925 – Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator. His time as the leader of Cambodia, in which he attempted to "cleanse" the country, resulted in the death of an estimated 1.7 to 2.5 million people.
1935 - T.E. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia," died in England from injuries sustained in a motorcycle smash. He became a legendary figure in his own lifetime, he wrote his monumental war memoir, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and he hoped to escape his fame and live dangerously. He basically kept enlisting, in the RAF under assumed names, John Hume Ross, and again as T.E. Shaw.
In February 1935, Lawrence (as Shaw) was discharged from the RAF and returned to his cottage in Dorset. On May 13, he was critically injured while driving his motorcycle through the Dorset countryside. He had swerved to avoid two boys on bicycles. All of Britain mourned his passing. Except that one guy.
1945 – Pete Townshend, English guitarist of The Who, totes born this day.
1946 – André the Giant, French professional wrestler, is born.
1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. Famous for the Marilyn Monroe's rendition of Happy Birthday. Jackie, also died this day, but not this year, well...just a little.
1992 - Mary Jo Buttafuoco was shot and seriously wounded in Massapequa, N.Y., by her husband Joey's teenage lover, Amy Fisher.


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This is a follow-up to one of our most popular posts: getting email responses from busy people. This post had been in the drafts for a few weeks, then this morning I saw this quote in our Twitter feed:
Your email inbox is a to-do list created by other people (via)
This is 100% true of my work email and I have to say, because of the way those emails are organized - as conversations rather than a prioritized, organized to-do list - I end up missing really important things or getting to them too late. This is happening to me with increasing enough frequency I feel like I'm starting to cause serious problems for people.
So I am begging someone with way better skills than me to produce software that replaces gmail in the following ways. It is a to-do list that I can allow people to add tasks too. The software shows me the following types of messages.
- We have an appointment at x time on y date to discuss z. Next to this message is a checkbox. If I click "ok" it gets added to my calendar, if I click "no" then a message gets sent to the person who scheduled the meeting saying I'm unavailable.
- A multiple choice question where they input the categories of answer I can give and I just pick one, it sends them the response.
- A request to be added as a person who can assign me tasks with a yes/no answer.
- A longer request email - this has three entry fields: (1) what do you want, (2) when do you want it by? and (3) a yes/no checkbox asking if I'm willing to perform the task. If I say yes, it gets added to my calendar with automated reminders.
- It should interface with all the systems that send me reminder emails to organize the reminders.
- You can assign quotas to people, where they can only submit a certain number of tasks per month.
- It allows you to re-assign tasks to other people so when I am not the right person to ask, I can quickly move the task on to the right person.
- It would collect data and generate automated reports for me about what kind of tasks I'm usually forgetting/being late on and what times of day I'm bad about responding so that I could improve my response times.
The software would automatically reorganize events/to-dos to reflect changing deadlines/priorities, etc. This piece of software would revolutionize my life. Any takers?comments powered by Disqus


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Pete Townshend's "deeply felt but often ungainly" memoir, Who I Am, is reviewed by Michiko Kakutani in the Times:
What Mr. Townshend does manage to do here with insight, verve and sometimes grandiosity is describe how the Who and its music evolved: how the group "set out to articulate the joy and rage" of the generation that came of age in the "teenage wasteland" that was post-World War II Britain, under the shadow of the atomic bomb and deeply alienated from the established class system. This is why the Who's early sound — with all the screaming feedback and distortion, the wrecked guitars and Moon's frenetic drumming — was so aggressive and explosive.
"I wasn't trying to play beautiful music," Mr. Townshend explains. "I was confronting my audience with the awful, visceral sound of what we all knew was the single absolute of our frail existence — one day an aeroplane would carry the bomb that would destroy us all in a flash. It could happen at any time. The Cuban Crisis less than two years before had proved that."
This is Mr. Townshend in his rock theorist mode — familiar to fans, who have read his music essays and reviews, or listened to his ruminative interviews. He speaks candidly in these pages about the influence that artists like the Kinks and Bob Dylan had on him, recalling that when he first sat down to try to write songs for the Who, he isolated himself in the kitchen of his Ealing flat, and listened to a few records over and over again: "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan"; Charles Mingus's "Better Git It in Your Soul," from "Mingus Ah Um"; John Lee Hooker's "Devil's Jump"; and "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MGs.
He proves equally engaging as a sort of rock historian, describing the musical landscape in Britain in the early 1960s, when rock exploded on the scene. He describes how it upended the old order represented by the swing music that his father, a clarinetist and saxophonist, played in a band called the Squadronaires. And he charts how the Who came to push the boundaries of rock, creating one of the most acclaimed early concept albums ("The Who Sell Out," 1967) and pioneering the form of the rock opera with "Tommy" in 1969.
As Mr. Townshend sees it, the Who's ascendance would eventually be undermined by the rise of punk rock in the late '70s. Though Who songs like "My Generation" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" became "anthems for a particular time," Mr. Townshend writes, by 1981 "a gulf had opened up between the Who and the new younger generation.
"I had to accept that we had reached our peak of popularity at Woodstock, and however famous and successful we still were as a band, our ability to reinvent ourselves was declining as we continued a long slow descent from that moment when Roger sang 'See me, feel me, touch me, heal me,' the sun rose up behind us, and my guitar screamed to 500,000 sleep-tousled people."


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Matt Damon reteams with Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant for anti-fracking drama Promised Land. Written by Damon and John Krasinski, Promised Land is less preachy than I feared it might be, but the film still straddles the thorny line between entertainment and social commentary. Damon plays an agent of Global Crosspower Solutions tasked with securing drilling rights from families so his company can unearth natural gas beneath their rural farms. Krasinski shows up as a one-man environmental resistance and stages a moral standoff with Damon and his partner, played by Frances McDormand. Promised Land is well acted and decently entertaining, but one can't help feeling that the film is as manipulative as its characters.
For professional natural gas salesmen, Steve Butler (Damon) and Sue Thomason (McDormand) are kind of underwhelming. Perhaps that's because they prey on out-of-luck communities, making any hard sale a breeze. The pair moves to a town fingered as a hotbed for natural gas, stocks up on local garb, and attempts to blend in among the natives. Butler has little trouble convincing most rural Pennsylvanians that selling drilling rights to Global is their only way out of the economic depression. Butler is just days from leaving his latest small town in the dust and claiming a cushy corporate position when environmentalist Dustin Noble (Krasinski) shows up and stirs the pot with shocking facts and pictures about hydraulic fracturing. The once eager townspeople begin spurning Global's involvement in their community, and Butler's position at the energy company is put in jeopardy for the first time.
Fracking has received a lot of press, most of it negative, in the last couple of years. The process, which the film explains in sparse detail, involves using pressurized liquid to blast apart rock layers for drilling to the natural gas trapped underneath. Critics cite increasing evidence that fracking contaminates groundwater, soil, and air quality and can kill surrounding plant and animal life. You know a film about fracking is going to have an agenda, and Promised Land is certainly not pro-fracking propaganda. Even so, the film provides a fairly evenhanded, if surface level, critique of the process. There are no Bible-thumping conservative or Prius-and-granola liberal caricatures, and Van Sant was smart to pick Damon as the not-so-bad guy. It's hard not to like Damon, and Butler has to do a lot for the audience to forget their affinity for the actor. Having Jim from NBC's "The Office" play the environmentalist was a good choice too, and Krasinski plays him as a quick-witted pragmatist instead of a tree-hugging dreamer.
The film errs in its assumption that the audience doesn't want to dig deeper into the core conflict. Two hours of geology would be boring, but Promised Land sails over most of the details. Hal Holbrook is the film's scapegoat, and his character is forced to stand at a town meeting and challenge Butler's assertion that fracking is safe. That doesn't seem to matter in the long run; some of the residents don't really care about his message or Noble's signs showing rotting farms full of dead cows. More interesting is the dick-measuring contest between Butler and Noble, and their feud turns personal when the affections of a local teacher (Rosemarie Dewitt) are thrown into the pot. The finale offers Butler a chance at redemption, and some late-game revelations are genuinely surprising. It's this finale, however, that makes Promised Land's previous equity a bit of a ruse. When the rug was finally pulled out from under my feet, I knew Promised Land had its endgame in sight from the beginning.
The 1.85:1/1080p/AVC-encoded image is expectedly good, with solid detail and sharpness. Van Sant desaturates the colors, giving the film a somewhat dour appearance, but the image remains film-like at all times. Detail is good in close-ups and wide shots, and compression artifacts are not an issue. Black levels are good and is crush minimal, and instances of softness are certainly intentional.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack handles the material well. Dialogue is clear and free from hiss or distortion, and is layered appropriately with effects and score. The mix is largely front-loaded, but ambient effects due make their way to the surround speakers. The score is rich and fluid, and the LFE responds appropriately. A Spanish 5.1 DTS track is also included, as are English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
Universal releases Promised Land in its usual Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy "combo pack" format, and kindly includes both iTunes-compatible and UltraViolet digital copies. The discs are packed in a standard Blu-ray case, which is wrapped in a slipcover. Only two brief extras appear: The Making of Promised Land (10:38/HD) is a brief, largely promotional making-of featurette with interviews from the cast and crew, and one Extended Scene (1:52/HD) sees Damon giving some advice on tough love to his boss.
Round three for Matt Damon and Director Gus Van Sant (after Good Will Hunting and Gerry) uses current topic of debate fracking as the backbone for the drama in Promised Land. Damon plays an effective natural gas salesman tasked with securing drilling rights in rural communities, and his world is thrown into chaos when John Krasinski's environmentalist starts stirring up the town with commentary on the dangers of fracking. Promised Land largely avoids patronizing its audience, but it still feels like the players were more concerned with pushing their anti-fracking agenda than entertaining the masses. Rent It.
William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.


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Campaign finance reports to go online, starting in January
Campaign finance reports for all candidates and elected officials in Bexar County will be posted online in 2013, making accessing the reports as easy as sitting down at a computer and downloading.
Bexar County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to begin posting the on the reports web, starting with the filings due Jan. 15.
"I'm very pleased that we finally did it the right way," County Judge Nelson Wolff said, adding that a previous effort in 2008 had been stymied by confusion over that proposal and private opposition from some elected leaders.
Once the system is set up, the Elections Department will begin retroactively posting past campaign finance reports they have scanned, Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said.
"We're excited to be doing this," Callanen said, calling it an issue of fairness.
Currently, Bexar County only posts the campaign finance reports for members of Commissioners Court online.
To view the campaign finance reports for most other elected county officials — such as district attorney and sheriff — and nonincumbent candidates, members of the public must go to the Election Department's offices. While reviewing the paper filing at the office is free, copies cost 15 cents per page. Only cash or checks are accepted.
Callanen said her department's eventual goal would be to transform their current library of digitally scanned copies of paper reports into a searchable database, though she wouldn't put a timeline on accomplishing that.
County Commissioner Sergio "Chico" Rodriguez, who represents Precinct 1, said that he was sponsoring the measure to improve government transparency and to level the playing field between commissioners, whose reports are posted online, and the other elected officials and all of their challengers, whose reports are not made available on the Internet.
Rodriguez said this latest effort came partly in response to an October report and separate editorial in the San Antonio Express-News, which questioned why the campaign finance reports were not posted online.
That report found Bexar County is one of just two major counties in Texas to not post the campaign finance reports for all elected office holders and candidates.
More Information
Bexar County Commissioners Court to consider posting campaign finance reports online
Express-News Editorial Board: Put the campaign finance reports online
In 2012, most campaign finance reports for Bexar County officials and candidates still aren't posted online
See the reports: We've posted the campaign finance reports for District Attorney Susan Reed, Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz and Sheriff-elect Susan Pamerleau
Harris County, Dallas County and Travis County make all of their reports freely available on the Internet.
Twitter: @ndhapple


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If you follow us on Facebook you know that I had my eye on some Bamboo Matchstick shades from Home Depot to change out the mismatched shades we had in our bedroom. What was on the windows before? Well it was a mismatched combination of plastic roller shades from the previous owner and white faux wood blinds I had from an old bedroom. I love white blinds in general but once we painted the bedroom out a nice bright color I was feeling that the blinds were getting lost in the sea of neutrals, more contrast was in order.
For a long time I've been dying to add wood toned roman shades. I liked the idea of bridging the gap between the curtain panels with some darker tones to balance out all of the neutrals shades we introduced into the room since painting out the original green paint.
I saw these Providence Bamboo Roman shades in Home Depot a few months back and I loved them. Besides the fact that they looked great in person they were the perfect dark wood tone to go with our dark bookcases that flank the window on one wall. and they were not too expensive. Honestly I'm not up for spending hundreds of dollars on shades, even if it was in the budget it's just not my thing.
The old plastic roller shades split the window in between the bookshelves in two. I had to order the larger size to fit the window from Home Depot's website because they didn't carry the wide 51 inches shade we needed to span both windows in the store. I'm so happy I did this one larger shade helps to make the window larger and the wood tones just like I had imagined tie nicely together with the tones of the bookshelves. I love it when a plan comes together!
Another bonus has been the room darkening quality of these shades. It's noticeably darker in the morning time now which is nice since the window over the bed faces almost directly east. Can you say hello daylight at 5:00 am. I'm really impressed with them. Oh and as for privacy, Bryan was worried you might be able to see through the slightly open weave of the shade. Bryan went outside the other night to check them out and everything is acceptable on that front too. Although the do sell fabric privacy inserts here that attach to the side of the shade that faces the street adding privacy and energy efficiency to the total package which might be a nice feature to buy down the road.
Oh and did you notice? While we were on a roll I got around to hanging those 4 frames I recently changed up with some Rub n' Buff. I'm sort of loving them on that once formerly blank wall. They tie in reference nicely the colors and designs from the pillows without being all to matchy about it.
I painted those looong before I picked out the Braemore Wonderland Pearl Fabric for the pillows. I've always been drawn to bright colors and I tend to paint in those colors ALL THE TIME!
As for those closet doors, I'm not loving the same repeating of panels with the 4 hanging frames but that will all change as them as we have big plans for them. We're most likely going to change out the bi-fold doors out for French closet doors and do some sort of mirrors and molding treatment as well. I can't wait to get started on that project!
This room has come a long way baby from the beginning.
And now we're moving into the home stretch.
Side note: There is that lamp on the dresser that is causing my internal lamp debate. Notice the price tag still attached? I can't decide if it's too tall!!
Well I'm off for the weekend, I got the fabric to recover the torn orange chairs under the window from EBay. It arrived and I'm so excited to get tearing that fabric off. Although I have grown somewhat fond of the pop of color over there. Wish me luck and I'll be back with a progress on Monday!
Psst if you want all of the posts leading up to our bedroom transformation click here


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Greece announced Sunday that it had reached an agreement on a long-delayed rescue package that will require years of painful fiscal belt-tightening, but the deal probably will not defuse the potential threats to other European countries also suffering from mounting debts and troubled economies.
"I have done and will do everything not to let the country go bankrupt," Prime Minister George Papandreou said in a televised address that urged Greeks to accept "great sacrifices" to avoid "catastrophe."
The bailout, which was worked out over weeks of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and Greece's European partners, calls for as much as €110 billion, or $145 billion, in loans intended to stave off an immediate debt default and stop the spread of economic contagion to other parts of the region.
But analysts warned that Greece itself has not yet solved its fundamental problems and that other sovereign debt crises could arise as lenders and market speculators turn their attention to a handful of similarly vulnerable nations.
"The immediate impact may be soothing, but the inflammation will soon show up again," predicted Edward Hugh, an economist in Barcelona who writes for the influential Fistful of Euros blog. "My feeling is the rot has now gone too far."
In Greece, Mr. Papandreou, the scion of a Socialist dynasty whose father, Andreas Papandreou, helped erect the sprawling Greek welfare state when he was prime minister in the 1980s, sought to embolden Greeks to accept what is expected to be the greatest overhaul of the state in a generation.
"I want to tell Greeks very honestly," he said, "that we have a big trial ahead of us."
While the bailout provides a lifeline to the Greek government, similar challenges lie in wait for Portugal, Spain and perhaps Italy, the other countries on Europe's deficit-wracked southern tier. Moreover, outside the nations that rely on the euro as their common currency, Latvia, Hungary and Romania are all faltering in their own efforts to meet economic and fiscal goals set in conjunction with the I.M.F.
And even Britain, which has its own currency and so far has had little trouble borrowing at reasonable interest rates, will not be able to put off its day of reckoning much longer, analysts say. Whoever takes power after the parliamentary election on May 6 will soon be under intense pressure from the markets to set out a credible plan for closing Britain's huge fiscal gap.
For Europe, the unprecedented bailout of a member of the 16-nation euro zone has tested the credibility of the single currency and created some of the deepest fissures in the European project since its inception more than half a century ago.
For Greece, the rescue package, which is expected to be approved by the Socialist-controlled legislature later this week, will require years of sacrifice.
Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou, who flew to Brussels on Sunday for an emergency meeting of euro-zone finance ministers, said Greece had agreed to raise its value-added tax to 23 percent from 21 percent, to freeze civil servants' wages and to eliminate public sector annual bonuses amounting to two months' pay. Members of Parliament would no longer receive bonuses, either.
He said special rules allowing for early retirement of civil servants would be tightened and that the government intended to increase taxes on fuel, tobacco and alcohol by about 10 percent.
But Mr. Papandreou said that in tough negotiations with the I.M.F., the European Union and the European Central Bank, the government had succeeded in avoiding private-sector salary cuts.
Mr. Papaconstantinou did not address the critical issue of whether the government would relax rules on laying off public-sector workers, whose generous salaries and benefits have been a key cause of Greek's debt problem. Until now, the government has not been able to lay off civil servants, whose employment rights are in effect constitutionally guaranteed.
Indicating that the measures would inevitably undermine economic growth, Mr. Papaconstantinou forecast a deeper-than-expected recession ahead, with the economy contracting 4 percent in 2010, and shrinking another 2.6 percent in 2011, before returning to growth with 1.1 percent expansion in 2012.
And he conceded that the program, even if as successful as planned, will take longer than originally hoped to restore Greece's fiscal balance. The government now predicts that Greece will not reduce its deficit - about 13.6 percent of the nation's gross domestic product in 2009 - to under 3 percent until 2014, two years later than the earlier target.
"We will be in recession for the next few years, which means that we have to run faster to reduce the deficit," Mr. Papaconstantinou said.
After months in which Germany balked at the prospect of bailing out the euro zone's most profligate members, European leaders have in recent days been racing to complete the package for Greece with newfound urgency, after Standard & Poor's downgraded Greece's debt to junk status.
The bailout amounts to €45 billion this year, followed by more aid in the following two years. In return, Greece has to make budget cuts of €30 billion over the next three years. Mr. Papaconstantinou said the funding from the rescue plan covered a large part of Greek borrowing needs for the next three years.
European Union and I.M.F officials said the bailout plan also included a support fund for domestic banks, which may face an increase in bad loans as the recession deepens.
"The objective of the fund will be to ensure that the Greek banks are well capitalized at all times," Servaas Deroose, deputy director general of the European Commission's economic and financial affairs department, told reporters in Athens.
Poul Thomsen, I.M.F. mission chief for Greece, said the Greek austerity measures should help reassure markets, which had been charging a huge premium to lend to Greece compared to the going rate for German bonds.
"This is a defining moment for Greece; I think it will restore confidence," he said. "I think you will see a sustained, significant decline of spreads."
Mr. Thomsen dismissed any suggestions that Greece needed to restructure its debt and require its lenders to take a big hit as well. "It has never been discussed, no plans, nothing," he said, adding that the package for Greece was in no way a blueprint for other members of the European Union.
But some economists argued that debt restructuring should not be ruled out as an option for the future. It would reduce the overall debt burden on Greece's economy, but would also create the heavy risk of pushing nervous investors to deny Greece access to the credit markets.
For all the effort that has been put into creating the rescue package, doubts remained whether Greece will be able to follow through on what amounts to a cultural revolution in the social contract between state and citizen.
The shake-up of longstanding aspects of Greek life, from endemic tax evasion to overstaffed offices of idle employees, has prompted fears that widespread social unrest could unhinge a Greek recovery. And while most economists agree that the austerity measures are long overdue, some fear that they could push Greece into an even deeper and prolonged recession, and undermine the political will to follow through on the changes.
Mr. Papandreou in recent days has likened Greece's plight to that of Odysseus, Homer's heroic survivor who took 10 years to return home from war. He has thus far largely escaped blame for a crisis that has been pinned on the profligacy of his predecessors from the center right.
But Yannos Papantoniou, a former finance minister from the ruling Socialist party, said that while Greeks understand the need for sacrifice after years of excessive borrowing by consumers, business and government alike, they will expect to see positive results soon from the cost-cutting measures, particularly if most of the pain is concentrated on the poor and lower middle classes.
"My impression, having managed this type of situation in the 1990s, is that Greeks are not patient people," he said in an interview.
Yiannis Stournaras, a leading economist and former economic adviser to the Socialist party, argued that the close monitoring by the I.M.F. and intense scrutiny by the European Union would prevent the Greek government from deviating from the austerity path.
"The I.M.F. will be here every few months and will be keeping a close eye on Greece's every move," he said. He jokingly conceded that such skepticism is warranted, not just because the previous government lied about the magnitude of Greece's deficits but because the nation has a tradition of deception dating back to ancient times.
"People haven't trusted the Greeks since the time of the Trojan War," he said. "So this is nothing new."
Landon Thomas Jr. reported from London. Stelios Bouras contributed reporting from Athens; James Kanter contributed from Brussels.


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10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free.
(Un)-Occupy Albuquerque will be protesting in Santa Fe next week.
What happens to stuff dropped off at Santa Fe recycling stations?
It is Robert Anton Wilson week!
Women of the French Resistance.
Here is a different way of evaluating NFL teams and games.
"If you need a brassiere, wear one" and other dating tips for women circa 1938.
Too fat to fit in the CT-scanner? Try the one at the zoo.
Court finds state violated Bigfoot's right to free speech.


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But Macs Are Slower, Right?
Sep 30, 2004 6:00 AM PT
About a month ago, I compared the cost for Apple's desktop, server and laptop products to their nearest Dell equivalents (see Macs Are More Expensive, Right?) and discovered that Macs generally cost less than comparable PC products.
That was a bit of surprise, but the truly astonishing thing that came out of the comparison was that Dell's product line extends marginally below Apple's at the low end, but has nothing to stack up against Apple's 17-inch Powerbook, X-Serve/X-RAID combination, or Cinema displays at the high end.
Bottom line: when you upgrade the PCs enough to allow an approximately apples to apples comparison, Apple turns out to offer both lower prices and a broader range than Dell.
The PC community response is, first, that the multimedia features distinguishing the Mac aren't necessary and, secondly, that the PC is so far ahead of the Mac on speed that the comparisons are pointless anyway.
Personally I think they're begging the question on stuff like firewire: that they don't see the value of Apple's multimedia capabilities only because they've never had them, but that's an argument for another day. In this column I want to focus on the performance part of their response.
So are PCs faster than Macs? The real answer is that relative performance depends entirely on the software and is both hard to define and hard to measure.
Macintosh Hardware Fastest
The short answer, however, can be based entirely on raw hardware capabilities, and that answer is pretty simple: the Mac wins hands down.
There is a complication here: Mac users upgrade much less often than PC users. Look just at the hardware in a newly introduced Apple product like the latest iMacs and it will be capable of doing more processing per second than the roughly comparable Dell product. Survey people you know, however, and the PC users, on average, will have faster hardware than the Mac users, simply because most of the Mac people won't have upgraded their hardware in years.
To determine which hardware is really more capable, we have to first strip out the impact of operating system and applications design and coding decisions.
It's attractive to think that this could be done easily by running Linux on both an Apple and a Dell workstation, but in fact the impact of x86 architecture assumptions permeates the Linux kernel design. Thus, a better way to do this is to look at the per system contribution in the cluster-computer business, where everyone uses their own Unix and the application developers don't have hardware agendas.
Cluster Comparison
For example, the NCSA "Tungsten" cluster computer built last year was recently upgraded to include 2,500 dual Xeon Dell Poweredge 1750 servers at 3.2 GHz. According to NCSA public affairs, this thing has a theoretical peak capacity of about 32 Tereflops and yields about 15.36 teraflops in operation -- meaning that each CPU contributes about 3.1 Gigaflops to actual throughput.
In contrast, the cluster built last year at Virginia Tech using 1,100 Mac desktops has a theoretical peak of about 18.2 Teraflops and initially benchmarked at 8.1 Teraflops to deliver a contribution of 3.7 Gigaflops per CPU.
Although that was 19 percent better than the most recent Dell Xeon's, later machines built with Apple's X-Serves do much better because they have fewer I/O bottlenecks. Thus the Mach5 cluster built by Colsa Corp. and the U.S. Army, uses 1,566 dual CPU X-serves to deliver an expected 15 Teraflops in sustained throughput. That's 4.8 Gigaflops per CPU -- more than 50 percent faster than the Xeon -- and that's with last year's 2.0 GHz G5.
It can be argued, of course, that this comparison isn't fair because the Xeon is an older 32 bit processor and not generationally comparable to the G5. It might be better, therefore, to compare the X-serve cluster to machines built using a more modern 64 bit processor like AMD's Opteron's. "Lightning," at Los Alamos National Laboratory, uses 2,816 Opterons to produce a peak of 11,264 or 4.0 Gigaflops per CPU -- 30 percent better than the Xeons, but still 20 percent less than the G5s.
Thus, the basic short answer is pretty clear: level the software playing field, and the X-Serve blows everything else away, while even last year's desktop G5s, at 3.7 Gigaflops per CPU, handily beat this year's Dell servers at only 3.1.
'Dimensions' to Argument
The short answer, however, is terribly incomplete because it applies only to the hardware. That's a component of what you use, of course, but what really counts is the combination of hardware, operating system and applications. Thus, the real question isn't so much whether Apple's hardware is faster, it's whether an Apple machine gets real work done faster than a Wintel PC.
To see just how hard that question is, think about this: a 25 MHz i80386 with 1 MB of RAM will generally seem to outperform a 3.2 GHz P4 with 512 MB of RAM for typing up a simple document if the 386 user is running MS-DOS with WordPerfect 4.0 and the P4 user has to use Microsoft Word for Windows XP under Windows/XP.
In general, however, there seem to be three main aspects (or "dimensions") to the Mac versus PC productivity argument:
- The Mac runs Unix on RISC. That makes it inherently more secure and more reliable, as well as more attractive, to people whose jobs or interests require them to go beyond the limits of the GUIs.
To many people in the sciences and engineering, therefore, the Wintel side of the MacOS versus Windows productivity issue is a nonstarter because Microsoft doesn't have the software to compete. Instead the PC. versus Mac speed issue boils down to hardware running Unix -- an arena in which BSD on the G5 has a 50 percent advantage over Linux on the Xeon.
- The Mac GUI is conceptualized as a kind of extended control panel to the computer as toaster -- a means for users to tell the computer what they want done. The latest PC GUI, in contrast, is still fundamentally a piece of middleware linking users to applications, each of which establishes its own means of communicating with the user.
You would think there would be an objective way of measuring the user outcomes of these two directions in interface design, but so far there doesn't seem to be one. Instead, the issue often seems to come down to an emotional argument about the relative "coolness" of the two interfaces, with the decision heavily weighted by the presumption that what we already know must be better than what we don't.
That's unresolveable in any general sense, but if you're a Windows user prepared to defend XP as better than Mac OS X, I have a challenge for you. Think about Win-D (or is it M?), and all the rest of it while reading this Apple puff piece about the "Exposé" feature in Mac OS X.
If you're at all fair about this, I think you'll agree that the ability to deliver gimmicks like this supports the view that Microsoft's Windows GUI remains at least a full generation behind Apple's.
- In some areas, such as gaming, the PC so dominates the market that Mac ports look like utterly contemptuous attempts to scoop up free money by applying little more than a custom makefile to a standard code base -- a code base that usually contains hundreds of Windows and x86 specific optimizations, most of which become bottlenecks when dropped on the Mac without change.
Remember "Slowaris?" When Sun recompiled Solaris 2.5.1 for x86 uniprocessors, a product that ran like greased lightening on 85 MHz SuperSparcs turned out to cheerfully morph 400 MHz PII machines into 286s. That's what happened to Apple, too, when it first ported BSD to RISC, and what still happens to games manufacturers who just recompile x86 code for the PowerPC.
Unresolveable Arguments
Unfortunately, all three of these aspects of the performance debate lead to largely unresolveable arguments about productivity, conspiracy theories about compiler de-optimization, and the delusory discovery that the Mac OS X advantage can reasonably be considered infinite on Unix or multimedia applications where the PC simply doesn't play.
All of this, ultimately, just gets us back to another version of the firewire argument on cost in which the PC people say none of the Mac advantages matter and the Mac people ask them how they know.
On the other hand I think the intuitive bottom line on the Macintosh versus PC productivity debate is actually pretty simple: I've never met a PC user whose focus on the job he or she was supposed to be doing wasn't significantly diluted by the need to accommodate the PC and its software, but I've never met a business Mac user who considered the machine anything other than a tool, like a telephone or typewriter, for getting the job done.
Paul Murphy, a LinuxInsider columnist, wrote and published The Unix Guide to Defenestration. Murphy is a 20-year veteran of the IT consulting industry, specializing in Unix and Unix-related management issues.


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Three cartoon cosmonauts (one of them a woman) celebrate their lunar landing in this Soviet-era postcard. The fact that the Russkis have yet to walk on the moon makes it all the more adorable. Click through for a closer look.
You can view more Soviet graphics pertaining to lunar conquest here, including a swell bunch of xmas cards.


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KHS (KHS) Class of 2001 Alumni List
Help us Update the KHS 2001 Class List by adding any names missing from the list below:
Registered Alumni
2001 Class List
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The top movie in theaters during 2001 was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, grossing over $317,575,550 in its lifetime. The most popular television series for 2001 was Survivor:Australian Outback
Reunions and Kiel High School News
More 2001 alumni from Kiel HS have posted profiles on Classmates.com®. Click here to register for free at Classmates.com® and view other 2001 alumni.
The Kiel High class of '01 alumni are listed below. These are former students from Kiel High in Kiel, WI who graduated in 2001. Alumni listings below have either been searched for or they registered as members of this directory.
Kiel High School alumni can relive their experiences from high school by sharing memories and pictures, reconnecting with those alumni listed, and more.


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You might not notice Robert Caruthers hunched over his small window-side table at the Origin's Coffee House on Main Street were it not for his leather vest, wide-brimmed cowboy hat and the sound of furious scribbling.
You might not notice Robert Caruthers hunched over his small window-side table at the Origin's Coffee House on Main Street were it not for his leather vest, wide-brimmed cowboy hat and the sound of furious scribbling.
"I can sit in here and I am at ease and comfortable," said Caruthers. "I have a very difficult time being around a lot of people. This is the place."
But he isn't there for the homemade snickerdoodles or the half-café almond milk frappuccinos, it's a place where the former law enforcement officer and life-long Christian can create his art, straight from the word of the Lord.
To turn a phrase, it has been a long and winding road for Caruthers, a former Great Bend police officer, father of four and grandfather to seven.
Born in Harper, he spent his professional life serving communities in rural Kansas, northern Colorado and the metro-Denver area as a police officer. "It's what I always wanted to be," he said.
In 1994 he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental illness that causes moods of extreme highs and deep lows. He also suffers from short-term memory loss and post-traumatic stress disorder, which can cause anxiety and a laundry list of emotion complications as a result of a traumatic event.
"It was from professional and personal trauma," said Caruthers, who was separated from his wife and four daughters soon after his diagnosis. "That was a great loss to me."
Bouncing between treatment centers and hospitals, he asked for help a year ago while in a mental health facility in Wichita.
"Two weeks before I came to Haviland I spoke with one of my daughters," he recalled. "I prayed about finding a place and two weeks later I was here. I came here for me and for my children. They were very scared that something would happen to me. I believe it eventually would have."
Caruthers, who is a patient at a nearby residential mental health facility, says he believes he has found a place he feels comfortable, after many years of being in-and-out of institutions.
"Haviland is a wonderful town and it's a godly town," he said. "It has helped me immensely to be here. I've got to know a lot of people, they know who I am and what I do."
He considers himself "unemployable," but he says has kept busy doing work for the man upstairs.
Each day he finds a passage in the Bible, likely a passage mentioned in church on Sunday, and slowly, meticulously transcribes them onto sheets of paper.
The scripture and meandering passages make for a fascinating read and have a unique artistic aesthetic.
"I have difficulty writing my own things down," said Caruthers. "When I do this though, my penmanship is very good and it just flows. I asked myself, what could I do to spread the word of God? He is my life. I've given up everything to do what he wants me to do, and right now I think he wants me to do this."
He traces his interest in transcriptions back to a former job when he had a lot of free time.
"I was a security guard and I would watch cameras and walk around on patrol. In my down time I would transcribe scripture in a notebook to pass the time. I'd never done anything like this."
Caruthers has a small group of people that have become fond of his writing, including Origin's owner Hannah Kendall, who organized a showing of his work last week.
"Each piece is so unique and he's really creative," said Kendall. "He just goes from one verse to the other and I don't think he knows what comes next. That makes them kind of improvised. I would put it with other calligraphy and penmanship type artworks.
We wanted to put them in frames and make them look nice."
Kendall said Caruthers is at the coffee shop so often, he is literally the "artist in residence."
On nice days he abandons his usual table for a spot on Main Street where he spends up to three hours on each piece.
He gives them away, but accepts donations to help pay for his paper and supplies and ask people to "give joyously what you can."
"People really appreciate them," he said. "They comment on my penmanship and think they are beautiful. They are a unique thing. Who else is doing something like this? Probably nobody. It is art and the Lord has given me the ability to do this. Here I am doing it. When I'm finished it is like I've accomplished something, that I've completed something important."
If you ask politely, he might show you how to make the paper look "antiquish."
"At first I was writing them and them crumpling them into a ball like this," he said while demonstrating. "Then I would very carefully unwrinkle them and steam them flat again. I stopped doing it because it was a fire hazard. I tell people how to do it now."
Travelers and nearby Barclay College students often chat with him about his artwork when they stop for a quick trip to the restroom or a jolt of black gold between classes.
He says he's found some peace from a world that he says sometimes "feels like its closing in" on him.
He takes short trips to Greensburg or Pratt sometimes, but says he's relieved whenever he gets back. "This is a special place."
While he's come around to the idea that what he makes is "art," his primary purpose is to share his faith with others, a faith that has been the road map of his long and winding life.
"I'd like them to make people eager to read the bible. I want them to read the word of God. See, some of them just stop and it's like 'well, what else happens?' If they want to know they can go to the bible and see where I've stopped. They can go ahead and read everything else."


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Hudson allows six runs in loss to Blue Jays
Right-hander gives up a pair of homers among eight hits
TORONTO -- In a battle of veteran hurlers on Monday night, Tim Hudson came out on the wrong side.
Hudson gave up six earned runs over six innings, and the Braves offense sputtered as Atlanta fell, 9-3, to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
"It was just not a very good night," Hudson said. "A night where I was battling a little bit with my delivery. My pitches weren't very crisp."
His rough night continued a string of poor starts, as the Braves' right-hander has allowed 19 earned runs over his last 19 2/3 innings.
On Monday, it was the long ball that gave the veteran trouble. Hudson gave up a pair of a two-run homers in what was his longest start in his last four outings.
In the second, Blue Jays outfielder Colby Rasmus was the first to get to the 37-year-old, hitting a two-run home run on a 2-1 hanging breaking ball into the second deck in right field.
"The quality of the stuff I'm throwing up there isn't what I want it to be," Hudson said.
After allowing two more runs in the third, Hudson was stung by the home run again in the sixth. With a man on, Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia hit an 0-1 cutter into the seats in left-center field to give the Blue Jays a 6-1 lead.
Hudson's six earned runs allowed matched a season high, as the veteran gave up eight hits with one strikeout and a pair of walks.
"It seems like a lot of times I get in trouble is when I'm ahead of the count, and I'm not able to make some good pitches whenever I need to," Hudson said. "Obviously, I've gotten into some bad habits, and I just got to go clean it up a little bit.
"I know there's some adjustments that I need to make, obviously. The results stink for me right now, but I feel confident that things are going to get a lot better."
While Hudson struggled, Toronto starter Mark Buehrle had one of his best nights as a Blue Jay. Buehrle pitched six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and pair of walks with six strikeouts.
"He got us today," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He did a nice job today commanding both sides of the plate, making pitches, and he never gives in."
"I felt like I had a good groove going on," Buehrle said. "I got some luck on my side. I'm making good pitches when I have to, defense is playing behind me, me and J.P. are working well together right now."
The only run against Buehrle came in the fifth, when Andrelton Simmons hit a single to center in front of Rasmus, scoring Chris Johnson from third.
Buehrle, however, walked a fine line in the sixth. With Atlanta down 4-1, the Braves managed to put two runners on and the potential tying run came to the plate with one away, but Dan Uggla struck out on a cutter on the outside corner to end the threat.
"It was a pitcher's pitch there in that situation," Gonzalez said. "That's the [type of] guys that get us, that keep us off balance. He did a nice job."
In a way, that sixth inning was the tale of the night for the Braves, as Atlanta was 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
With Cory Rasmus on the mound in the seventh, an interesting circumstance occurred, as his brother, Colby, came to the plate for his fourth at-bat. It was the first time that brothers faced each other since Jeff and Jered Weaver squared off in 2010.
On this night, older brother Colby bested Cory with a double to left.
"I was hoping our brother got the better end of that one," Gonzalez said.
For Cory, who was making only his second Major League appearance, it was not the best outing. He allowed three earned runs in his two innings on the mound.
"It was still awesome," Cory said about pitching to his brother. "Obviously the outcome was the most important part, but it was a lot of fun. It just [stinks] that he got a hit.
"I got behind in the count, had to make some quality pitches, and he happened to get a fastball away, and hit it that way for a change."
All the runs against Cory came on one swing from Edwin Encarnacion, who hit a three-run shot into the first deck in left field to extend the Braves' deficit to 9-1.
That hit cemented the loss for Hudson, who has now lost three straight decisions, and is 4-4 on the season.
"He's just going through a couple of rough patches," Gonzalez said of his starter. "Huddy is a veteran guy, he's been around, we'll get him back on track."


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30 Days of Christmas Beer: The Results
Well, I made it all the way through. There were a few days of struggle, a few pushes. In the end, I had the gumption to get it done. 30 days and many beers – but each night a Christmas ale – are complete.
There were highs thanks to De Dolle and Hair of the Dog – and there were lows due in part to Ninkasi and Bridgeport. But all in all, I loved each evening. The beer did as I had hoped: restored Christmas to its rightful jolly state.
Throughout the process, I posted a blurb about each beer on our Facebook page. After 30 days, I made my choices. Here are the results:
Top 5 Beers – Overall Quality:
1. De Dolle Stille Nacht 2009
2. Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws 2009
3. Troegs Mad Elf
4. Nogne O/Jolly Pumpkin/Stone Special Holiday Ale 2009
5. Great Lakes Christmas Ale
Honorable Mentions: Brasserie Thiriez, Goose Island 2009 Xmas Ale, Fremont B-Bomb, and Silver City Old Scrooge
Top 5 Beers – Christmas Style:
1a. Nogne O/Jolly Pumpkin/Stone Special Holiday Ale 2009
1b. Great Lakes Christmas Ale
3. Anchor Christmas Ale 2010
4. Maritime Jolly Roger
5. Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas
Honorable Mentions: Eggenberg Samichlaus, Silver City Old Scrooge, De Dole Stille Nacht, and Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Top Beer Description:
Most of the time when I wrote these reviews, I was half intoxicated at a bar typing on my phone. The quality of the review depended on my motivation level and surrounding conversations. Some beers were cheated, others were given too much (See De Dolle Stille Nacht for "too little" and Fremont Abominable for "too much")
My favorite description came from drinking an Anchor Christmas Ale at Collins Pub in Seattle:
The Xmas ale is their staple, a seasonal release of many years. This year it tastes like some took a glass of milk, nuked it, dropped in 5 gingerbread houses and a black tea bag and put it in a laundry machine for 6 hours. After that, I drank it. It's delicious, a fine example of Christmas flavors.
Top Memory of 30 Days of Christmas Ale
One night, Timperial came and surprised me with a party pig (finally, my own tap) and a bottle of Brasserie Thiriez Noel. We got sentimental:
I have a pretty good story about this brewer. Timperial and I drove out to West Flanders one morning to visit Saint Sixtus Abbey and drink the Westvleteren 12. After we got biblical, we decided to peruse the towns. We visited St Bernardus, shot the shit with local Woesteners, and proceeded to make the journey across enemy lines (kind of a joke) to France.
Escalbecq is literally 10 kilos across le border. The border is an unrecognizable line where my Tom Tom starts speaking french. We pulled up to a shanty of a farmhouse and went searching for Daniel (owner of Brasserie Thiriez). We bumped into a brute of a man (seinfeld Kramer reference) who had on denim suspenders and a weird rat tail haircut. I engaged him in conversation. He stared blankly and retorted: "oui?…." imagine the most confused vocal tone on earth, in French. That was this guy.
After nearly 10 minutes of charades, awkward hand signals and phony sign language – he finally understood "Daniel" and illistrated that he was sleeping. This guy? Le brassuer.
He also finally grasped my guzzling booze depiction. He led us to the farmhouse and we – extremely awkward – downed a few samples an bought a few bottles. On the way back to Belgium (10 kilos), we road soda'd a blonde and laughed hysterically at the hijinks. Tonight, we formed a consensus that a return was a necessity.
Thiriez makes amazing beer. They have one of the best yeast strains I have ever tasted. Grassy, earthly, active – but clean – it's always a different experience under each cap. The Noel is phenomenal. It has a clean, yet significant scent. It packs a mouthful of cherries, strawberries, vanilla, and hay. There is no denying the French farmhouse styling – and we love it. A lively beer with a fresh scent yum.
All in all, it's the best Thiriez brew we've had. Kudos to Bottleworks for pulling this guy in. If it's on the shelf – it's a must buy.
It was a good ride. Look for a repeat, with all new beer, next year.


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Montana hunters, trappers kill at least 223 wolves
March 04, 2013 at 11:18 AM
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — With at least 223 gray wolves killed by hunters and trappers as Montana's wolf season closed Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and wildlife officials said they now have the right management rules in place to reduce the predator's numbers but maintain a viable population.
The Associated Press
Montana's wolf harvest numbers are up roughly 25 percent from last winter. That's on top of 104 wolves that were killed by government wildlife agents and ranchers last year due to livestock attacks or other conflicts.
Yet because the animals breed prolifically, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Jeff Hagener said he expects at most a modest drop in the population from last year's estimate of about 650 wolves.
About 400-500 animals statewide would maintain a sustainable population, he said, but that's just a rough guideline and not a definitive goal.
Next season could see a sharper population drop, after Bullock on Feb. 13 signed a law that loosened hunting and trapping rules. That came in the wake of pressure from livestock owners and hunters who have pushed for the state to be more aggressive against the animals since wolves lost their endangered species protections two years ago.
Bullock said in an interview this week that the new law gives the state the leeway it needs to effectively manage the animals. It lets hunters take up to three wolves, eliminates no-kill zones around Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, reduces non-resident hunting fees and allows for electronic calls to lure the animals.
"I think that the bill I signed strikes a reasonable balance, and is an opportunity for us to be able to manage them, but manage them in a way that we don't get the right to manage taken away from us," Bullock said.
Wildlife advocates have warned that allowing too many wolves to be killed could again put the gray wolf's future in peril in Montana, following a two-decade restoration effort that brought the species back from widespread extermination across the Northern Rockies.
In Idaho, where the 2012-2013 wolf season runs through June, hunters and trappers so far have killed at least 245 of the animals.
Hunters in Wyoming killed 43 wolves out of a 52-animal quota during a season that ended Dec. 31. The state took over wolf management just last year after overcoming concerns from federal officials that the state's management policies would not protect the animals.
Federal officials are monitoring wolves in the three states for five years to determine if endangered species protections should to be reinstated. That could also happen if wildlife advocates successfully petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to intervene.
Bullock and Hagener said that even with the more liberal hunting and trapping rules now in place, Montana wildlife commissioners can step in and rein in wolf killing if needed.
That could include re-imposing quotas in some areas, which were lifted across most of the state last year. Hagener said such limits would make the most sense in areas with relatively few livestock conflicts, such as along the Rocky Mountain Front.
By contrast, more aggressive policies are suited to areas where wolves continue to cause problems even after entire packs have been removed by wildlife control agents, such as around Avon, Phillipsburg and the southern Bitterroot Valley, Hagener said.
"We have some areas where we probably have an overabundance, and other areas where there's more of a stable number," he said.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


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