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Guests: David Corn, Alex Wagner, Brian Sullivan, David Wilson, Eugene Robinson, Charlie Black, Foster Friess, Kate Coyne, John Feehery
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Obama draws the line.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in Washington. Leading off tonight,
I`m mad as hell and I`m not going to take it anymore. Well, President
Obama did not say those words today when he released his 2013 budget, but
he may well have said them. After three years of trying to meet
Republicans halfway and getting met only with the back of their hands, the
president today produced a document that reflects his priorities and is
designed for his reelection: Spend now to keep the economy -- the economic
recovery going, and worry later about the deficit.
Also, look for the church and birth control issue to show a new divide
now, Republican versus Democrat. Both parties think they`re playing a
winning hand here. And that goes double for Rick Santorum, who says
insurance simply shouldn`t cover birth control under any circumstance. So
what was last week an issue dividing some Democrats is now a wedge issue
separating out right-leading Republicans.
Plus, when Mitt Romney called himself "severely conservative," he said
it like ET trying to phone home. Or as Chris Orr (ph) wrote in "The New
Republic," Romney sounds like he`s impersonating a conservative Republican.
Quote, "That persona -- angry, simple-minded, xenophobic, jingoistic -- is
exactly what Romney imagines the average GOP voter to be."
Well, Romney`s fair (ph) to close the deal still leaves, obviously, a
huge opening for Santorum. Wait until you see the polls tonight. They`re
And tragically, we`ve now added Whitney Houston`s name to a list of
singers that includes Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Michael Jackson, and most
recently Amy Winehouse. So what`s it all about?
Finally, "Let Me Finish" with the politics and philosophies of two
parties now clearly at odds with each other.
We begin with President Obama drawing a bold line with Republicans.
He wants to create jobs, and they want to keep squabbling over debt
reduction. Eugene Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for "The
Washington Post" and an MSNBC political analyst and John Feehery is a
Republican strategist.
Gentlemen, it looks to me like the president laid it out today,
clearly a political document as well as a budget. He`s making clear he
wants to create jobs. And down the road, he will get to debt reduction,
but right now, he wants two things: create jobs, infrastructure, lower
taxes on payroll taxes things like that, down the road, deficit reduction.
EUGENE ROBINSON, "WASHINGTON POST," MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Right,
and also to put down a marker saying, This is what I believe, this is what
I think we should do, which, by the way, is what most economists say, you
stimulate the economy now and do your deficit reduction a couple of years
But clearly, he`s done with trying to engineer budget and spending
proposals in order to take into account Republican priorities because he`s
tried it before and he never gets anywhere. They...
MATTHEWS: It seems to me, John, that starting around August, when the
Republican candidates, your guys, rejected even in concept a 10-for-1 deal
-- $10 of spending cuts for $1 of revenue increase -- he realized he wasn`t
going to make a deal with your side. So he said, Why don`t I do what I do
best and Democrats sell (ph) best, let`s create jobs. And so he started
with the American jobs bill. Laugh at it if you will, it`s his bill and
you don`t have one. Two, cut the payroll tax, keep it down so that people
will be more likely to hire people. Let the Republicans talk about debt
reduction. That`s his philosophy.
JOHN FEEHERY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well...
MATTHEWS: And that`s his politics.
FEEHERY: His philosophy is do what he did in the Middle East, which
is lead from behind. He`s actually...
MATTHEWS: Well, it worked, didn`t it?
FEEHERY: The only -- well, not in the Middle East. Middle East is...
MATTHEWS: Well, where`s this guy Gadhafi? What`s he doing now?
FEEHERY: Well, let`s see what happens in Syria. Let`s see what
happens with Iran and Iraq, Iran and Israel. It`s a real mess in the
Middle East. But anyway...
MATTHEWS: Yes, your guy did a really good job over there...
MATTHEWS: W did a great job over there.
FEEHERY: He`s leading from behind on the budget. The Senate
Democrats once again are not going to do the budget. The only ones who are
going to lead on the budget are going to the House Republicans. And you
know, at the end of this budget cycle, 10 years, because of the Obama
budget -- if the Obama budget was put in place, which it won`t be put in
place, my son`s going to inherit a $26.3 trillion debt. That is...
MATTHEWS: (INAUDIBLE) a little harder.
FEEHERY: ... big deal. So yes, it`s a political document. I think
that it`s an irresponsible budget. And I think that he`s going to -- you
know, the problem with the president is people don`t think he`s actually
leading right now.
MATTHEWS: A lot of that debt we know comes about because of what he
inherited. But look at this. Today the president defended his budget,
saying we need to keep the economy growing right now. No time to be
cutting spending right now. Let`s watch him.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The main idea in the
budget is this. At a time when our economy is growing and creating jobs at
a faster clip, we`ve got to do everything in our power to keep this
recovery on track. By reducing our deficit in the long term, what that
allows us to do is to invest in the things that will help grow our economy
right now.
We can`t cut back on those things that are important for us to grow.
We can`t just cut our way into growth. We can cut back on the things that
we don`t need, but we also have to make sure that everyone is paying their
fair share for the things that we do need.
MATTHEWS: Well, there you have it. No budget cuts in the short run,
and basically, make the richer pay more taxes. Part of the budget spent to
further jump start the economy, as the president just said. He`s proposing
a half a trillion dollars now in transportation projects, $141 billion in
research and development projects for new technologies, and $8 billion for
job training for community college students, which I think`s really
There it is again, jobs and job training now, no spending cuts now,
try to get the rich to pay their share.
ROBINSON: Yes, and the question is not just how big the debt is that
our children will inherit. It`s how big the economy is our children will
inherit, as well, and the debt as a percentage of GDP. And in fact, if you
let the recovery stall, if you let us go into a vicious cycle of no growth
or low growth, then you end up, as a percentage -- in percent terms of
having a bigger debt problem than you would if you managed to stimulate
growth. And this is what the...
MATTHEWS: Do you think the Republicans, if they were in power right
now, would really be cutting spending right now? Would they be doing that
at a time we`re barely getting out of this recession?
FEEHERY: I know what they would do. They`d reform entitlements,
which are killing the long-term...
MATTHEWS: That`s not going to help us get out of this recession.
FEEHERY: Well, what you have to do -- think about the long term,
Chris. You know, S&P said that we are -- lost our AAA rating because of
the lack of leadership from people like President Obama. We need political
MATTHEWS: He offered your guys a deal. They wouldn`t take a 10-to-1
FEEHERY: Entitlement reforms, otherwise we`re not going to...
MATTHEWS: John you`re out of date here. The president offered -- you
know the president was in a -- Gene, would you take this fight up?
MATTHEWS: Wasn`t the president in a deal-making mode this past
summer? He was ready to cut the worst deal for the liberal side of -- the
progressive side of things, and your guy said, No deal.
ROBINSON: He thought...
MATTHEWS: Eric Cantor and that crowd, the Tea Party guys...
ROBINSON: ... deficit-reduction package negotiated with Boehner, and
Boehner couldn`t deliver.
FEEHERY: I think what the Republicans said it they didn`t want job-
killing tax increases. They didn`t want that. And the president wanted
job-killing tax increase! Jobs -- if you want jobs...
MATTHEWS: A 10-to-1 deal, and he turned them down.
FEEHERY: ... you don`t -- you don`t increase taxes on job creators!
MATTHEWS: You`ve got a weak argument here.
FEEHERY: And you also don`t cut...
MATTHEWS: He comes off with a really good offer to you guys. He went
to all the candidates. He went to the leadership and said, How about a
deal that you -- that favors you guys? You won the last election in 2010.
FEEHERY: That was...
MATTHEWS: Here`s your deal. And you guys coughed it back at him.
FEEHERY: Chris, you and I both know that the president walked out on
the deal. That was not a real deal. It was not a real deal offered.
There was not a real deal offered.
ROBINSON: Oh, come on.
FEEHERY: And the fact of the matter is all those spending cuts he`s
had up there were all ridiculous! They were illusionary...
ROBINSON: ... and you usually don`t do this. You`re rewriting
FEEHERY: No, that`s the truth! Ask...
ROBINSON: That`s not what happened. That`s not what happened at all.
He had a deal with Boehner...
FEEHERY: No.
ROBINSON: ... and Boehner couldn`t deliver!
MATTHEWS: ... because the president decided since September he`s
going to get reelected. And he`s going to do it by creating jobs. The
American jobs program lowered taxes on payroll taxes and people who hire
people. Your party`s opposed that. They`re still arguing about it this
spring -- as we go into this spring. They won`t give him a year-long
extension, will you? Why are you against that? That`s a job-creating
FEEHERY: Actually, House Republicans offered a full-year extension.
They just did it. They were actually going to pass...
MATTHEWS: With what?
FEEHERY: They were going to pass a full-year extension. They`re
going to actually -- they`re going to pass it in the House and see what the
Senate does with it. The Senate can kind of screw it up, which I`m sure...
MATTHEWS: What are you cutting?
FEEHERY: They`re not cutting anything. They`re just going to do a
full-year extension without any cuts.
FEEHERY: They just offered that today.
MATTHEWS: OK, good deal.
ROBINSON: A clean full-year extension, no cuts, nothing else on the
FEEHERY: That`s what they offered. They said they`re going to...
MATTHEWS: Well, then you`re breaking news here. Earlier today, the
president explained why the Bush tax cuts should be allowed to expire for
the wealthiest Americans. Let`s watch.
OBAMA: Right now, we`re scheduled to spend nearly $1 trillion more on
what was intended to be a temporary tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of
Americans. Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans,
or do we want to keep investing in everything else? Education, clean
energy, a strong military, care for our veterans -- we can`t do both. We
can`t afford it. Some people go around and they say, Well, the president`s
engaging in class warfare. That`s not class warfare, that`s common sense!
OBAMA: That`s common sense!
MATTHEWS: Common sense, John Feehery, to tax the rich a little more?
FEEHERY: I think (INAUDIBLE) common sense...
MATTHEWS: The fact that he...
FEEHERY: What is common sense is to have real tax reform, get rid of
all these loopholes...
MATTHEWS: Wait a minute. We had a pretty good progressive tax system
under Clinton. We had a booming economy. Can`t we get back to that?
FEEHERY: ... Reagan tax cuts. We should shrink the rates on...
FEEHERY: What we need to have is more people paying taxes. We need
to have a fair tax rate, get rid of all the loopholes. And that`s what
Republicans will deliver.
ROBINSON: If that would work -- you know, George Bush cut taxes.
FEEHERY: That`s what Republicans...
MATTHEWS: ... and I`ve watched all this whole debate. We`ve been
watching the primaries. We watched every primary night and every caucus
night. And I haven`t heard one of you guys saying -- not one Republican
say, Let`s go back to George W. Bush`s policies. Let`s go back to the Bush
FEEHERY: Except that...
MATTHEWS: Your idea of restoration is going back to the Clinton era.
FEEHERY: Except the president...
MATTHEWS: To the `90s...
MATTHEWS: The Republicans were quick to attack the president`s
proposal today. Let`s hear the attack of Feehery`s gang here.
The speaker of the House, John Boehner, said in a statement today, quote,
"The president`s budget is a gloomy reflection of his failed policies of
the past, not a bold plan for America`s future. Our nation needs
Washington to demonstrate some courage with a budget that honestly
addresses the near and long-term challenges we face. Instead, the
president offered a collection of rehashes, gimmicks and tax increases that
will make our economy worse."
FEEHERY: Boehner`s right.
MATTHEWS: He could have written this years ago, that line. Pretty
tired line.
FEEHERY: Well, this budget, as we all know, it`s already dead on
arrival. But it`s not going to make a mark beyond next week. It`s a
ridiculous budget.
MATTHEWS: But the president`s going to get his way, so you bring us
good news tonight. You`re ahead of me on the news. The fact is, the
president is going to get what he wanted, which is a reduction for the
whole year in the payroll tax.
FEEHERY: I think the Republicans said that they were going to support
that coming out yesterday.
MATTHEWS: So you`ve given up.
FEEHERY: I don`t think we`ve given up. They`re going to do --
they`re going to pay for the rest of this spending that the Democrats want,
but they`re going to have -- they`re going to have a...
MATTHEWS: Gene, it`s a victory.
ROBINSON: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Announced here by John Feehery.
FEEHERY: It sounds like some party wants to change the subject, but -
- you know...
FEEHERY: That`s what I`m hearing. That`s what I`m hearing, that
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about the economy. The president is
concerned that the growth rate will be down by the end of the year. I
think it`s everybody`s concern who`s concerned about his reelection. Gene,
if we have a 3 percent growth rate this year, the unemployment rate keeps
going down, and we have a 2 percent rate, it goes up again.
ROBINSON: Right. Right.
MATTHEWS: And if the Republicans get their way, they`ll get the
growth rate down. The economy will be squeezed down.
FEEHERY: Oh, that`s...
MATTHEWS: No, it will happen if you get your way.
ROBINSON: Well, I certainly hope that that`s not what Republicans are
wishing. Is it? Would it be...
FEEHERY: No. We want growth.
MATTHEWS: You squeeze down spending right now, you reduce this
economic growth...
FEEHERY: No, we...
FEEHERY: ... Greece!
ROBINSON: As a practical matter, there`s not going to be a squeeze on
spending this year. Now, what the growth rate ends up as, you`re
absolutely right, it`s going to have a lot to do with the president`s
reelection chances.
MATTHEWS: OK, we...
ROBINSON: But now looks pretty good.
MATTHEWS: Look, we got to clarify -- we`ve got some clarity on this
discussion. What`s going on right now is the president of the United
States is pushing for what is clearly, I agree, if you`re saying it, a
political document. It`s aimed at creating jobs, letting everybody know
he`s creating jobs. But the focus on job creation from now to next
November because the only issue`s going to matter to your party, no matter
what you say now, is the unemployment rate, not how much the deficit`s gone
down or how much the debt`s gone down. You`re going to score him on what
he wants to do. And that`s why he`s doing it.
Thank you, Eugene Robinson. Thank you, John Feehery. These guys talk
about the debt. All they`ll talk about next fall is the unemployment rate.
Coming up, that fight between the Obama administration and the
Catholic church over birth control. Well, we`ll see where that goes. It`s
certainly changed directions from where it was last week. Liberal
Catholics are aboard with the president. Both sides, Republicans and
Democrats, think it`s a winner, so it`s going to be a battle between the
left and the right. The center seems to be going with the president.
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Well, in the Republican race this year, not everyone`s
getting a home state bump in the polls. Check out the HARDBALL
"Scoreboard." In Michigan, Mitt Romney`s home state, if you will, Rick
Santorum has a 15-point lead in the new PPP poll -- 15-point lead over
Romney. Romney`s at 24. Santorum`s at 39.
In Georgia, which votes on super-Tuesday, on March 6th, Newt Gingrich
leads Mitt Romney by 14 points in a new Mason-Dixon poll. It`s Newt 43,
Romney in Newt`s home state, Santorum there a distant third at 12.
Now look at Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum`s home state, which doesn`t
vote until April. Santorum has a statistically insignificant 1-point lead
over Romney in the latest Susquehannah poll, 30 to 29. I think that is
important, though. And Gingrich is down at 13. If he can beat him there,
that`s a big win for Santorum.
We`ll be right back.
RICK SANTORUM (R-PA), FMR. SEN., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There`s no
compromise here. They`re forcing religious organizations either directly
or indirectly to pay for something that they find is a deeply morally --
morally, you know, wrong thing. And this is not what the government should
be doing!
MATTHEWS: Well, he`s wrong there. Welcome back to HARDBALL. Rick
Santorum`s making clear he opposes President Obama`s compromise on
contraceptive coverage. Doesn`t surprise me at all. He now has an issue
he thinks is tailor-made for him. Well, could Rick Santorum ride this to
the nomination, this issue? Is this the perfect political outcome for the
Obama administration?
Well, chief of staff Jack Lew said they didn`t expect to win over the
bishop on this issue, the Catholic bishops. But has Obama won over the
JACK LEW, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: We didn`t expect to get the
universal support of the bishops, or all Catholics. I think that what we
have here is a policy that reflects bringing together of two very important
principles in a way that`s true to the American tradition.
MATTHEWS: Well, David Corn is an MSNBC political analyst and
Washington bureau chief for "Mother Jones" magazine.
You know, David, I think the two principles there (INAUDIBLE) respect
for the 1st Amendment and religious liberty, but also a respect for women`s
rights and what`s now seen by today`s standards as full health coverage.
DAVID CORN, "MOTHER JONES," MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: The interesting
thing about this was that the Obama administration made this decision after
much deliberation and internal discussion. And they got caught up in this
firestorm that, obviously, they didn`t see coming. And afterwards, it`s
obvious that they should have seen it coming. And our friends like E.J.
Dionne and Melinda Henneberger, all last week on this show and elsewhere,
were saying, What went wrong here? But they ended up getting to a point...
MATTHEWS: I, by the way, appreciated what they say.
CORN: Yes. They ended up getting to, I think, a really good point
for them policy-wise and politically. You know, they got all this
response. And they said, Hey, we`re going to take another look at this.
We don`t like getting clobbered by the bishops or anyone else.
And they went back in and they came out with a compromise that has the
exact same outcome. Women will still be able to get contraception without
MATTHEWS: But the church won`t have to put its imprimatur on it.
CORN: ... the church won`t have to put -- and so the only people who
have an issue here now are those who make the claim that Obama wants to
have a war on religion. So that`s a far-right enterprise. And you saw
Rick Santorum...
MATTHEWS: Well, I thought the people who liked this fight were the
bad guys. And I think that -- I think that -- I think Santorum wants this
CORN: Of course, he does.
MATTHEWS: And you tell me why.
CORN: Well, on Friday at CPAC, which we talked about last week, after
the compromise had been announced, you had Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum
certainly beforehand and Newt Gingrich afterwards saying that Obama has a
war on religious liberty, he doesn`t like religion. And they`re trying to
appeal to the religious right voters.
So you have three guys put there doing this. Two of them are
Catholic. One is a long-time Catholic. That`s Rick Santorum. Newt was a
convert. And Mitt Romney was a Mormon, whom some evangelical Christians
still have problems with. So the three there -- Rick Santorum has the
longest pedigree as someone to talk on these issues. And he`s making the
most effective run on Romney at the moment.
MATTHEWS: Let`s take a look at some numbers here, a poll taken --
this was taken last week, before the compromise, by the way, by the
nonpartisan Public Religion Institute. Here it is. Shows broad support,
even among Catholics, for employers to provide health care plans that do
cover contraception at no extra cost, no co-pay. Among all Americans --
look at these numbers -- 55 percent support, 40 percent disagree. Among
all Catholics, even more agree -- 58 percent of Catholics agree. Among
white Catholics -- this is a weird political way they do this with polling
-- white Catholics, meaning non-Hispanics Catholics, 50 percent.
CORN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: And there you have the strength of the position even
I would say, just guessing, after the compromise on Friday, when the
president came out very forcefully and forthrightly, said, OK, we didn`t
get it right the first time. We`re going to make sure it`s the insurance
companies that handle this matter and pay it, and we are not going to make
the religious organizations, even Catholic Charities and people like that,
university and colleges that do it.
So he fixed it. You know what I liked about it? What you just said,
a willingness to listen and to tweak and to fix when you`re not exactly
right the first time.
CORN: Yes.
People don`t like politicians who say they are right all the time,
unless you`re talking about the extremes on either side of the ideological
spectrum. For someone to come out and say I made a good faith effort, we
kind of screwed the pooch a little bit here, and we didn`t take into
account what some people said, even though we looked at it early, and I`m
going to be flexible and change and come up with a compromise that that
poll show and other polls show is likely to be highly popular with people,
I think is telling. It`s a good quality to have in a leader.
MATTHEWS: And, by the way, I want to say this. And I don`t speak for
anybody on this show except myself, but there are a lot of people out there
who are Catholics who are Democrats, who are progressives by the new term,
liberals by the old term, who really do believe in women`s rights these
days, but also recognize that their church shouldn`t be abused.
It shouldn`t be asked to do something it doesn`t believe, even if we
CORN: Right. Right.
MATTHEWS: So I think they did handle it very well. I thought that
the president, and from what I have been able to get from the White House,
understood exactly this.
Here`s -- by the way, late Friday afternoon -- an interesting nuance
here -- late Friday afternoon, after he heard the president`s conciliatory
remarks and his compromise, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York said in a
statement that the U.S. Conference of Bishops -- quote -- "sees initial
opportunities in preserving the principles of religious freedom after
President Obama`s announcement today."
Well, a few hours later, the bishops across the country took a much
harder line, saying in a statement -- quote -- "The only complete solution
to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of
those objectionable services."
Alex Wagner now joins us.
Alex, from MSNBC, my colleague up there in New York, you have been
covering this thing as well as I have. Your sense as to the way the
president handled this, please.
ALEX WAGNER, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Last week, I thought it was a
massive fumble. But I think the reaction from the bishops and both from
the GOP over the weekend and today is going to actually help the White
House in the long run, because if we`re looking at this 2012 race, the idea
that now the right is willing to litigate the issue of birth control, not
abortion, but birth control, among all private employers works incredibly
well for the president.
Looking at the independent and swing vote, these are women that he has
to appeal to. They tend to be younger -- 60 percent of these swing voters
are under the age of 49. They`re about a quarter minority. This is an --
birth control is an issue that resonates with every woman in America.
MATTHEWS: Yes. And you went over it rather quickly and explained the
issue is no longer the exemption for religious organizations like Catholic
Charities or other religious groups.
The issue now is whether the national health care plan promulgated and
passed by the president and signed by the Congress should include health
care which includes reproductive -- not reproductive -- should include very
narrowly birth control. And the right is opposing that.
WAGNER: Exactly.
I think that the right has miscalculated. To a certain degree, they
think that they can wave the sort of religious liberties banner and they
are going to have a big tent underneath it. I think it`s a gross
miscalculation, again, especially when you look at the demographics. This
is an issue of birth control and contraception.
Every woman in America over a certain age has made a decision about
it. It`s an incredibly personal issue. And I think again the right is on
the wrong side here.
MATTHEWS: And even though the Catholic Church takes a position
against birth control still, the fact of the matter is, it does in fact
reduce the amounts of abortions dramatically. Let`s face it. It`s the
number-one way, obviously besides abstinence. But it`s the number-one way
to really prevent it.
CORN: And the numbers are staggering -- 98, 99 percent of Catholic
women who engage in sex use some form of birth control. So the church
doesn`t have a lot to stand on here.
MATTHEWS: By the way, the church knows that. I go to Catholic
Church. Let me tell you, David, I know something you don`t know. When you
look into the pews, there are very few families of eight anymore.
CORN: Right. Right.
WAGNER: Exactly.
CORN: Something is going on there.
MATTHEWS: No, it`s not all...
CORN: But Alex`s point is the right one.
MATTHEWS: It`s not rhythm either.
CORN: If the Republican Party is going to fuse itself to the Catholic
Church on these issues, it`s going to end up in a minority position.
MATTHEWS: Well, OK, I think the church has a -- I have always
accepted the right of the church to its moral authority and to what it
CORN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: In terms of law and in terms of public policy, Alex,
different question, right?
WAGNER: Yes. There`s a huge difference between the two.
The one thing that I think it does do, if we`re looking at this race,
this is a great moment for Rick Santorum, a terrible moment for Mitt
Romney, and a very bad moment for the Republican Party. I think we talk
about the magnetic polls being shifted in this race. They go ever more
rightward these issues being on top of the list, and Rick Santorum being a
surging candidate right now.
And it pushes Mitt Romney into a corner that he`s not comfortable
being in. His record doesn`t evidence someone that believes in this.
MATTHEWS: And, also, Alex, I have to cut you off. But he does not
even speak this language. He doesn`t even know -- he is not fluent in this
language, among other right-wing languages. He doesn`t know the one about
birth control.
Thank you, Alex Wagner, for joining us on HARDBALL. Please come back
again as often as you can. And come a little earlier next time.
WAGNER: Thank you, Chris. It is a true pleasure. It is a true
pleasure, sir.
MATTHEWS: Thank you, colleague.
Up next: Did Mitt Romney`s campaign rig the CPAC straw poll? It was
electronic this time, but did he pack the room? That`s the charge from a
rival campaign next in the "Sideshow."
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL. Now for the "Sideshow."
First up: Game over? We all know that when it comes to Super Bowl
Sunday, the commercials can sometimes draw as much attention as the game
itself. This year was no exception, especially with Chrysler`s halftime in
America ad starring Clint Eastwood. Was halftime a reference to President
Obama`s time in the White House?
Well, "Saturday Night Live" was out this weekend with their own
follow-up to the much-talked-about ad. Let`s watch.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: During the Super Bowl, I said it was halftime for
America. I tried to make an inspiring ad that would rally our country.
Well, guess what? Halftime is over.
We`re in the third quarter now, America. And we`re way behind. So I
don`t care if Obama runs the ball or Romney throws a touchdown or Ron Paul
kicks a field goal. I`ll tell you right now, though, I ain`t putting
Santorum in the game.
What is this commercial for again? All right, Chrysler. Get a
Chrysler. And get off my damn lawn.
MATTHEWS: Well, the jury is still out on how that ad will influence
presidential politics, but it sure had a lot of us thinking about more than
just buying a Chrysler.
And, finally, rock the vote? More like rig the vote in this case.
Last week, we found out that the CPAC organizers were taking steps to avoid
the embarrassing outcome of Ron Paul winning their straw vote yet again
this year. Was it their strategy of switching from paper to electronic
ballots that did the trick?
Anyway, Rick Santorum was certainly the man of the hour this weekend
for many of the attendees, so why was it that Mitt Romney come out on top
in the actual vote?
Well, here is what Santorum had to say on that one.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For years, Ron Paul has
won those because he just chucks at a lot of people, pays for their ticket,
and they come in vote and then they leave.
I don`t try to rig straw polls. You have to talk to the Romney
campaign and how many tickets they bought. We have heard all sorts of
MATTHEWS: Wow. Well, a "New York Times" piece had noted earlier that
the Romney campaign was -- quote -- "busing students from colleges along
the Eastern Seaboard to show their support."
When asked later if the campaign had in fact paid for votes, a
spokesman for Romney sidestepped the question, choosing instead to take a
general swipe at Rick Santorum`s credibility. Dodged the question.
Up next: Mitt Romney says he was -- I love this phrase -- severely
conservative as governor of Massachusetts. And a lot of people can`t
figure out what he meant by that phrase, severely. Anyway, one thing is
for sure. This guy has big problems connecting with conservatives or
anyone actually. And that`s giving Rick Santorum his opening right now.
Look at the polls we`re going to show you.
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
BRIAN SULLIVAN, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Brian Sullivan with your CNBC
"Market Wrap."
The Dow gaining 73 points today. The S&P 500 also moving higher. And
you have got Nasdaq is up as well. Pretty good day for Apple Computer,
Apple actually up -- get this -- more than $500 a share, now worth half-a-
trillion dollars. The big mover in the markets, though, Greece. The
approval there of the austerity measures allowing it to secure a bailout
and hopefully, hopefully avoid, this default despite widespread protests.
And, as we said, Apple now worth half-a-trillion, as investors look
ahead to the iPad 3.
That`s it from CNBC, first in business worldwide -- now back to
MATTHEWS: What a weekend. Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Mitt Romney was able to survive this weekend, pulling out wins in both
the CPAC poll here in Washington and the low-attended Maine caucuses. But
it`s his line -- or this lien from his appearance at CPAC on Friday which
has really caused quite a stir.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I fought against long odds
in a deep blue state, but I was a severely conservative Republican
MATTHEWS: Well, what exactly does severely conservative mean?
Anyway, there`s more trouble for Romney. A new Pew poll out just this
afternoon has Rick Santorum now two points ahead of him in a national poll
30-28 over Romney with Newt Gingrich way behind.
One month ago, just to put this in perspective, Romney was leading
Rick Santorum 2-1 -- actually more than 2-1. Add to that this afternoon,
the editors of "The National Review" are calling on Gingrich to skedaddle
out of the race -- quote -- "When Gingrich led Santorum in the polls, he
urged the Pennsylvanian to leave the race. On his own argument, the proper
course for him now is to endorse Santorum and exit."
Well, joining me right now is an expert to talk about this. The
latest Republican race experts are Mitt Romney supporter Charlie Black, a
fellow Washingtonian here that I know quite well, and Rick Santorum
supporter Foster Friess.
Thank you.
Foster, do you think it`s time for Romney or Santorum to quit the
race? I`m sorry, Romney or -- who are you for? You`re for Santorum.
FOSTER FRIESS, FOUNDER, FRIESS ASSOCIATES: I`m a Santorum guy.
MATTHEWS: Well, who do you want to quit the race? "The National
Review" says to Gingrich to get out because he`s just going to prevent your
candidate from getting the shot he needs 50/50, one on one.
FRIESS: No, I think it would be great if Newt stayed in.
I love Newt. I love Mitt. They are wonderful people. They`re
national treasures. And I think the more we get to know them, it will also
hone Rick`s debating skills and you will get to know Rick Santorum better
as they challenge him and go after him, and so you can see the real Rick
Santorum. And I think that will be a blessing for everybody.
MATTHEWS: So you can beat -- I assume you`re saying that you have
enough surge, enough big mo` going right now that you can beat Romney even
with Gingrich in the race?
FRIESS: Well, you maybe saw the Michigan poll, Chris, where they show
39 percent for Santorum and 24 percent for Romney and 11 percent for...
MATTHEWS: We announced it earlier. But that`s before the Dresden
I want to go to Charlie Black.
When does the bombing commence? Because I know your candidate has two
strategies. Don`t debate if you don`t have to and bring in the bombing
patrol and bomb the heck out of a state and kill the other guy in negative
CHARLIE BLACK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: After 18 debates? We love the
MATTHEWS: Oh, yes? You`re asking for more, aren`t you? You have got
one left, I think.
BLACK: The two debates before the Florida primary contributed greatly
to Mitt Romney`s victory there.
MATTHEWS: So you want more debates? On behalf of the candidate,
you`re going to ask for more debates?
BLACK: No, I just said we have had 18 and, so far, they have worked
well for Mitt Romney. There`s another one actually next week, though.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
BLACK: But, listen, the great majority of negative ads in this
campaign have been run by the super PACs...
MATTHEWS: Yes, your guys.
BLACK: ... which the candidates can do nothing about.
Well, not exactly. If you look at the Gingrich super PAC, you will
find some negative ads out there.
MATTHEWS: We did a study on Florida. It`s something like 62 percent
of the ads were negative on Gingrich -- 1 percent was positive for your
candidate. So even your own candidate wasn`t running positives on himself.
He was trashing Gingrich with his own ads, plus the super PACs. So
it`s not true to say your guy is running a positive campaign.
BLACK: I didn`t say that.
MATTHEWS: OK. I thought you did.
BLACK: But I said the super PACs have run a lot more negative ads
than the campaigns.
MATTHEWS: I thought you were blaming everything on the super PACs. I
misheard you.
BLACK: Well, go back and check and see what percentage of the
negative ads were run by super PACs, number one.
Number two, there`s a lot of material on Newt Gingrich that voters
either didn`t remember or never knew about his record and about his baggage
and about the fact that he could not win a general election against
President Obama. So that is fair game in politics, as you recall. You
talk about your opponent...
MATTHEWS: Are you going to do the same -- I`m going to get back to
Foster. You going to do the same thing to Santorum in Michigan?
BLACK: I think...
MATTHEWS: Go ahead, Foster.
FRIESS: I`m just eager to see Santorum more and more known by the
voters, because I think he was going out of the Iowa speech with press
people saying he could be the first time a blue-collar candidate was
proposed by the Republicans.
He spoke to the need of getting these fellows hired back on these
small towns where the employment has gone away because it`s gone to China
because of our high tax rate. So Rick`s idea to take the tax rate down to
zero for manufacturing companies endears him to these blue-collar workers.
He`s won before.
We had a one million Democratic disadvantage. And at his speech, when
he talked about his grandfather digging coal until he was 72 and also dug
Rick Santorum`s freedom to run for president, I think it was a pretty
moving speech.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FRIESS: And I think people are being captivated by the charisma of
Rick Santorum.
MATTHEWS: Let`s take a look now at what Sarah Palin said over the weekend
with Chris Wallace. I thought it was fascinating how she went after
Romney, denying really that he makes the grade with her.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Do you trust that Mitt Romney is an
instinctive conservative?
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: I trust that his idea of
conservatism is evolving. And I base this on a pretty moderate past that
he has had, even in some cases, a liberal past. I am not convinced, and I
don`t think that the majority of GOP and independent voters are convinced.
And that is why you don`t see Romney get over that hump.
MATTHEWS: And let`s listen to Foster. Your real knee slapper that
you delivered at CPAC this weekend. I think it`s one of the funny jokes
I`ve heard in awhile. Here you are saying what you really think about your
opponent Mitt Romney at CPAC.
FRIESS: There`s a little bar a couple doors down. And recently, a
conservative, a liberal, and a moderate walked into the bar. The bartender
says, Hi, Mitt.
MATTHEWS: What do you think of that, Charlie? He`s accusing your
guy of being three faced.
BLACK: Let me tell you some facts: Mitt Romney`s record as governor
of Massachusetts was conservative.
MATTHEWS: Severely?
BLACK: Strictly, which means the same thing as severely. Strictly
conservative. He inherited a $3 billion deficit and turned it into a $2
billion surplus without increasing taxes, by cutting spending, by vetoing
and eliminating a lot of programs -- exactly what needs to be done in
MATTHEWS: Right.
BLACK: His record was pro-life and he stood up for traditional
marriage when the state supreme court came out against it.
Now, that`s a better record, frankly, than Rick Santorum had in the
Senate or that Newt Gingrich had as speaker.
MATTHEWS: Foster, how do you like that? He`s describing -- Charlie
is describing Mitt Romney as a conservative, as severely conservative --
strictly governor. That`s not the way you guys describe him, is it?
FRIESS: Well, I don`t want to go too much into Mitt Romney`s varying
policies, but I thought it was quite humorous when Huntsman says the guy
has no core convictions. And then in two days, endorses him. So, that`s
kind of the humor we get in politics.
But when Mr. Black says Santorum`s record is less than Mr. Romney`s,
we have to remind people that as a 42-year-old senator, he managed the
Welfare Reform Act on the floor of the Senate and was elected third most
responsible person in the Republican hierarchy in leadership. And so, the
people that are there and know him as a person should respect his
He championed the line-item veto, championed the balanced budget
amendment, and also had the leadership to take the national security issues
to the foreground where he championed the freedom, the Iranian Freedom and
Security Act, and also the Syrian Accountability Act.
FRIESS: So the nice thing about Rick Santorum --
BLACK: I respect Santorum and I expect Mr. Friess. But Rick
Santorum is a Washington insider. He did spend his adult life in the
Congress, voting for earmarks, more spending. He did not bring reforms to
the federal government like Mitt Romney brought to Massachusetts, the
turnaround of the Salt Lake City Olympics.
What Mitt Romney has done his whole adult life outside of Washington
is take over big organizations with big problems and fix them and reform
them. That`s what the voters want. Not another Washington.
MATTHEWS: Yes, I`m afraid, though, that the campaign coming up on
the 28th of this month is going to be another Dresden bombing. I think
what your candidate is going to do, Charlie, is not make that sort of
sophisticated case. He`s going to use advertising both through his super
PAC and through his own campaign to destroy Rick Santorum with a heavy
bombing raid.
BLACK: Wait a minute. Mr. Friess has a super PAC, too.
MATTHEWS: Well, nothing matches the Romney campaign.
BLACK: My gosh!
MATTHEWS: Anyway, thank you, Charlie Black, right here.
And Foster Friess -- very intellectual fellow, by the way, Foster.
Please come back.
Up next, we`re going to look back on the life and career of singer
Whitney Houston, who died this weekend.
This is HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Stay with us. We`re coming right back with the sad death
of singer Whitney Houston. That`s coming up next here on HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: We`re back.
The music industry and her many fans, of course, are still in shock
over Whitney Houston`s death on Saturday. It surprised me, I bet you.
Look, according to the "Associated Press," Houston battled drug
addiction for years, including cocaine, marijuana, and pills. They took a
poll on her once remarkable voice and she had been largely off the culture
radar, of course, in recent years.
Last night, the Grammy`s many artists paid tribute to the legendary
singer. Let`s listen.
LL COOL J, ENTERTAINER: There`s no way around this. We`ve had a
death in our family.
ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: When the truly great artists leave us, their
legacy lives on. We love Whitney Houston.
STEVIE WONDER, SINGER: I just want to say to Whitney up in heaven --
we all love you, Whitney Houston.
MATTHEWS: The great Stevie Wonder.
Well, Kate Coyne is assistant managing editor at "People." And, of
course, David Wilson is one of our colleagues here. He`s managing editor
and founder of TheGrio.com.
I guess -- I don`t know where to start here. Let me go to David
first, my colleague, about this.
You grew -- you have a personal history. So, tell us what your
reaction was and how you think all this tragedy fits in or doesn`t fit in
with her life.
DAVID WILSON, THE GRIO: Well, I grew up in Newark. Like so many
people in Newark, my family had some acquaintance with members of her
family. And so, she was the pride of Newark.
Now, I grew up in Newark during the `80s. And, you know, it was
infested with crack and drugs and all sorts of violence. And here we have
this beautiful young sister who had a voice that was made of crystal. And
she represented the city.
And for a young kid growing up in Newark, it was symbolic. It meant
that something beautiful can come from the city. And that you can make it
out of the city and you can be great.
And so, that`s what she represented to us. She was, you know, just a
bigger than life star for us.
MATTHEWS: How old was she when she became sort of a celebrity, a
star as a singer?
WILSON: She was pretty young. When she, you know, her big video
that everyone remembers, you know, the greatest love of all. She was
relatively young at that particular age.
But one thing significant about her is the fact that she came during
the beginning of the MTV era. And the -- why she was so big was because
her voice was only matched by her beauty, her physical beauty.
MATTHEWS: Yes, I agree with you. Boy, that is so much the truth
about the music industry which is once it went visual, you really got to
know the people.
You know, I grew up in the `60s. I didn`t know what anyone looked
like. You knew it from the album covers. But looks weren`t important but
they certainly became important.
Let me go back -- let me go over to Kate here.
Kate, you know, we all knew her problems with Bobby Brown. We didn`t
know it all, but dying, you know it just blew us away this weekend that
she`s dead.
KATE COYNE, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Absolutely. I mean, no matter what
people knew of the problems she`d had over the years, the struggles, both
with Bobby Brown and really struggles that she had that had nothing to do
with Bobby Brown and it existed long after that marriage ended. You just
did not expect this. You didn`t see this coming.
There was perpetual hope where Whitney was concerned.
MATTHEWS: I agree.
COYNE: She was always going to be able to turn it around. You just
always felt that at some point, the real comeback would occur. That the
prime Whitney who everybody loved from that decade, from `85 to `95,
roughly, would once again be back. And it hadn`t happened yet, but there
was always that hope that it was going to happen.
MATTHEWS: Well, I love the movies "The Bodyguard" with Costner and,
of course, with Denzel, "The Preacher`s Wife" -- fabulous movies. And this
thing about the way these guys go, and I was thinking of Janis Joplin and
Jimi Hendrix and all, Kate, you cover the business, the industry, the music
business. It`s only when they die we realize how badly they lived.
COYNE: How badly they lived, but also now, there`s more recent
phenomenon. It`s only when these people die that we`re coming to
understand how serious prescription drugs are, not saying that they
necessarily played a role in Whitney`s actual death, but, you know, the
sort of epic drug abuse stories we`re used to from, you know, years past.
These are now the stories --
MATTHEWS: Judy Garland. It goes all the way back.
COYNE: Exactly. These are now the stories with Heath Ledger,
Brittany Murphy, Amy Winehouse. You know, the toxicology reports on those
cases showed not heroin, not cocaine but valium, Xanax, Ambien, these are
the sorts of drugs now that are claiming lives.
MATTHEWS: VIP drugs. VIP drugs. Do you know anything about that,
We don`t know anything about -- I was watching the assistant chief
coroner today. And he`s a very -- I listened to him, he`s a very good, it
seems like. He`s not ready to say anything yet as of tonight. But it does
seem like this story of Joplin and Hendrix and Morrison, what a pattern.
WILSON: Yes, and it`s very important. I know it`s very tough to
talk about, especially right after someone just passes. But I think we
have to remember -- in as much as her voice was an inspiration to so many
people, her life and the way she led her life should be a cautionary tale
to so many folks who want to get into this business and who just want to
advance their life, that you know, drug addiction, if it doesn`t kill you,
it can kill your talent.
And so, I think that`s very important for us to reflect. I know it`s
uncomfortable to talk about.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
WILSON: But it`s also a very teachable moment for so many people who
looked up to her.
MATTHEWS: I think the rule is take the fantasy as it comes. Don`t
try to create it.
Hey, Kate Coyne, thank you so much. Thank you, David Wilson. It`s
great. I don`t like having you on for this reason, but thanks for coming
Now, here`s one of Whitney Houston`s most iconic moments, of course,
when she sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1991.
MATTHEWS: "Let Me Finish" tonight with this:
President Obama has two jobs on his hands right now -- lucky for him
and historically he tends to be lucky -- the two work in tandem.
Job one: get people back to work. He can do this in three ways.
He can use the government. He`s doing that with his American jobs
bill which he`s been pushing since last September.
He can do it by encouraging business to hire people. He`s been doing
that by pushing for a continuing cut in the payroll tax rate.
He can do it by increasing consumer confidence. He`s getting that
job done by cutting the jobless rate. Good economic news leads to good
economic news. The more people read about the jobless rate coming down as
they have, the more lucky they are to take chances on buying decisions.
The more they do that, the better it is for the economy.
So, today, he put out a budget that continues doing what he`s doing:
creating jobs. It spends a half trillion dollars on highways and rail --
real good investments in our country`s future, investments that get people
where they have to get, to do business and spend money. It creates lots of
good high-paying jobs getting those roads built and fixed and those rails
The Republican opposition has its own goals. Does the Republican
philosophy of lower deficits coincide with its ambition to keep Obama from
a second term? Well, as Sarah Palin might put it: "You betcha." If Mitch
McConnell and John Boehner can crunch government spending in the short run,
they can cut off the growth in jobs. If they can do that, they can help
bring about the defeat of their political opponent, Barack Obama.
So, it`s clear as far as we can see right now, the politics and
philosophies of the two parties are clearly at odds with each other.
President Obama wants jobs. Republicans want to cut spending right now.
Don`t kid yourself. This is the name of the game and both sides
intend to win it.
That`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"POLITICS NATION" with Al Sharpton starts right now.
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text:
While rummaging through a box of kitchen gadgets she had just bought at a storage auction in Dover several months ago, Karen Walton of Freeport made an unexpected find.She discovered several medals — including a Purple Heart — and discharge papers belonging to a World War II veteran named Theodore W. Maybaugh of Dover.
Several months ago, Karen Walton of Freeport was rummaging through a box of kitchen gadgets she had just bought at a storage auction in Dover when she made an unexpected find.
She discovered several medals — including a Purple Heart — and discharge papers belonging to a World War II veteran named Theodore W. Maybaugh of Dover.
Walton's immediate thought was that the medals and discharge papers should be returned to his family. "It's important that it go to a family member," she said.
Her brothers, Kenny and Elden Doane — both veterans — were with her when she bought the box. "They thought it was really important to get it back to the family," she said.
Walton made some phone calls seeking information on Maybaugh. "That didn't get me anywhere, so I put them up on a shelf," she said.
They remained there for months, until she heard Sarah Grezlik of the Bowerston area speak at Walton's church. Walton's daughter-in-law, Chasity Walton, is related to Grezlik. Chasity told her mother-in-law that Grezlik is interested in genealogy and might be able to help Walton find Maybaugh's relatives.
Grezlik agreed to help, and did some research on the veteran. She also put a post on Facebook seeking information, but no Maybaugh family members have been found so far.
According to Maybaugh's discharge papers, he was born on July 6, 1924, and lived at 810 N. Tuscarawas Ave., Dover, at the time he entered the service on Feb. 22, 1943. Before he joined the Army, he worked as a hydraulic press operator for Timken Roller Bearing in Canton.
He arrived in Europe on Dec. 15, 1943, and served in Normandy, northern France, the Rhineland and central Europe. He was wounded on Sept. 3 and 8, 1943, and was awarded the Purple Heart that October.
Maybaugh was discharged on Oct. 25, 1945.
Grezlik's research determined that he died in 1985.
Walton hopes that a member of Maybaugh's family will come forward and claim the medals and discharge papers by contacting The T-R.
She said she periodically buys items at storage auctions. "But this is the first time I've got something like this," Walton said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Nokia 3720 classic themes
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text:
Glitch leads to 1-cent gas at Illinois station
Police tried to clear traffic, but the line only grew as word
An Illinois gas station caused traffic jams over the weekend when it accidentally began charging just 1 cent per gallon of gas.
A computer glitch caused the error at the Shell station in Woodstock on Sunday, the Northwest Herald reported.
Police tried to clear traffic, but a line had already formed and only grew as word spread.
"The clerk didn't appear to be aware" of the mistake, Woodstock Police Sgt. Dennis Leard told the Herald. "We made him aware of the situation and instructed him to shut off his pumps and fix the problem."
The accidental sale lasted about two hours. It's unclear how many motorists were able to take advantage.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Anticipation for the launch of the Raspberry Pi $25 PC continues to grow as its launch window gets ever closer. Over the past few months it has been surprising to see what the tiny machine is capable of. Videos of it running Quake III, playing back 1080p video, and handling graphics-intensive particle and sprite demos have all impressed, but until now we haven't really been able to gauge how the device compares to other gadgets.
Eben Upton has an interview going live today with Eurogamer's Digital Foundry, and it offers up new insight into just how powerful the Raspberry Pi is. You may be surprised to find what it is actually better than in terms of performance.
The Raspberry Pi relies on a custom chipset from Broadcom called the BCM2835. Being custom, it has allowed the development team to tweak performance to the point where Eben believes it is the best mobile GPU available. That's easy to say when you've worked on the chip, so he's given some examples to show how well it performs. The GPU apparently doubles the performance currently found in the iPhone 4S. It is also expected to easily outperform Nvidia's Tegra 2.
If you consider what an iPhone 4S is capable of, and all those devices running graphically intensive apps on the Tegra 2 platform, you can see the potential impact the Raspberry Pi could have.
The reason the Raspberry Pi exists is to get cheap computers into the hands of kids and available in every classroom. Get the younger generations programming and experimenting and you have an army of budding software and hardware engineers ready to build the next Google or Apple in years to come. But the computing power on offer in such a cheap package means Raspberry Pi could impact more than just kids and schools. The hardware is more than capable of being a HTPC, it could replace more expensive home PCs, and I've already suggested the $100 PC is now viable.
To classify the Raspberry Pi as a cheap PC for kids is to sell it very short. Just like Arduino opened up electronics to everyone, the $25 PC could become the heart of many a new product as well as redefining what we class as an affordable home computer.
Read more at Eurogamer.net


text:
Sisters in Sound
Yet, among manufacturers, there are notable exceptions to this all-boys club, and I thought I might learn a thing or two if I spent some time chatting with some of the more prominent female veterans. John Atkinson and I agreed on a short list of interview candidates in less than a minute—we had to include Rondi D'Agostino of Krell Industries, Thiel Audio Products' Kathy Gornik, and Transparent Audio's head honcho, Karen Sumner, all of whom have played a major role in the growth of high-end audio in the past 20 years.
My interview topics ran the gamut—everything from multichannel audio to the difficulties associated with starting and running a business. I focused a large chunk of the discussions on how to expand the High End beyond a male-dominated audience. I also noted a spontaneous consensus that our industry, to its detriment, devotes too much energy chasing technology enthusiasts rather than lovers of music. The increasing sway of the home-theater market over the most steadfast audiophile manufacturers was brought up again and again.
Finally, I hope that you guys, the overwhelmingly male readership of Stereophile, will share these views with your wives, girlfriends, moms, sisters, and female friends. Maybe they'll then feel it's okay to join us in the pursuit of what could be a mutual passion.


text:
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Several new internet access options have appeared during the last 20 years. Additional services and features are developed from time to time. Some companies keep using the same connection for many years without recognizing that new alternatives have become available. It's often beneficial to research and reassess such services from time to time. A faster, more reliable or less expensive option may have appeared.
Most business internet providers in Upper Marlboro, MD use one of six technologies. They include DSL, T1, cable, satellite, fixed wireless and fiber optic. All of these systems have different pros and cons. For instance, availability varies considerably. Satellite and cable access remain available in more locations than fiber optic or DSL. A business must carefully determine what choices are available at its exact location.
Some companies can benefit from internet service providers that arrange on-site consultations. These firms send computer technicians to a company's offices and determine what it needs. They supply helpful advice on upgrades, efficiency and beneficial technologies. For example, a business ISP in Upper Marlboro, MD might suggest installing devices that allow staff members to manage equipment from remote locations. It can also estimate a firm's internet bandwidth needs. When making an estimate, an ISP considers how many employees and computers a company has.
The majority of commercial internet companies also supply various other communication services. When a business needs more than one service, a bundle can significantly reduce the cost and provide greater convenience. Some ISPs sell email, hosting, phone or TV subscriptions as well. Depending on their delivery system, they might supply these services or cooperate with a separate provider to offer them.
Many business internet companies in Upper Marlboro, MD have "full service" options. This means that they support and maintain the necessary on-site equipment. These providers may also set up this hardware. The ISPs normally employ experienced professionals who know how to efficiently maintain internet connectivity. This generally cuts the expense of operating a business. The firm doesn't need to employ its own technician or call a separate contractor every time a problem surfaces.
If you've ever waited hours for a file to download or upload, you likely know the level of frustration that comes along with it. Settling for lower internet speeds for your business can be counterproductive and actually harmful in some ways. When it comes to your business, you cannot settle for a basic speed that barely keeps your internet operations afloat. You want something that can handle both your downtime, as well as peak times when your website is being accessed by countless internet connections. This paves the way customer retention, higher efficiency, improved productivity, and potentially increased sales.
Before signing your name on the dotted line for any Upper Marlboro, MD business ISP plan, ask the consultant to confirm that it will handle your everyday operations. Check the fine print, and confirm that there aren't any limitations associated with the plan such as bandwidth throttling or download caps.
It's imperative that you also inquire about a business ISP's security measures. It's commonplace for any reputable business ISP in Upper Marlboro, MD to offer defenses against spyware, viruses, spam, and other online threats. In addition to this, they should offer solid backup support and protection for mobile platforms.
Though ISPs normally provide assistance, companies that depend on the Internet for their service necessitate additional support. A company has more to lose if an Internet slowdown occurs. A secure Internet connection will guarantee sales and keep staff productive.
A business should utilize a business ISP in Upper Marlboro, MD that provides a Service Level Agreement. This type of agreement ensures uninterrupted up-time or something similar. The company should pay attention to solutions offered if the Internet connection is interrupted. The prevailing countermeasure offered is a credit off the bill if the Internet breaks down for a certain length of time. In addition, an ISP should be asked about support phone lines for businesses and how efficient their tech department is when handling issues.
Another crucial point deals with comprehending what has previously worked for other ISP subscribers. Wirefly assists businesses with comparing business Internet plans in Upper Marlboro, MD. Occasionally, a new service provider may arise and give the impression that they will provide the best service. This is why it is important for a business to do their homework, as they may easily settle for less than they need or deserve. Suggestions founded on experience is priceless.
You may find that you are somewhat limited with internet provider choices in Upper Marlboro, MD because of your geographical location. Still, choose who you do use carefully in order to get the most for your money. Find out if your ISP is prepared to coincide with any changes in the tech world as the internet changes and evolves. A reputable company should change and expand their services to meet any changes in the future.
The IPv6 is a new development that is one example of changes to the internet. This change is ready to replace those who use IPv4. IPv6 will offer a company the use of an unlimited amount of different IP addresses, as more and more devices will have the capability of having internet connections in the future. Having a unique address will make it easier in the long run to configure new devices. Businesses won't have to pay as much to connect to the internet. It is always important to consider these different factors when looking for the best ISP for your company. Just a few inquiries could help lower business costs.
Wirefly offers great deals on a large selection of smartphones, cell phones, tablets, mobile hotspots, and other wireless devices for the nation's most popular carriers. Use Wirefly's innovative cell phone and plan comparison tools to ensure you are getting the best deal on the market. Shop with confidence knowing that Wirefly wants to help you find the best prices on cell phones, cell phone plans, TV, and Internet service.


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Studying medicine in
Medical education in the UK is tending towards Problem Based Learning, as adapted so successfully in some universities like Liverpool and Manchester, where students are set problems and have to work solutions out on their own. Other universities teach integrated courses, where pure scientific knowledge is taught alongside clinically relevant facts. But not in
I'm eagerly waiting for Monday. A glance at my timetable tells me that within the first two days I'll be getting down to the sort of hands-on clinical work that I've merely fantasised about for the past three years. I've enjoyed being a scientist, but next week I have to start learning how to be a clinician.
I know exactly how he feels. As a result of this underexposure,
In short, we're hungry for blood.
A typical
And so it was that yours truly volunteered to be on the first aid team at the Nottingham Games last weekend. The only non-Nottingham medic there, I was assigned to the futsal pitch along with about four other Notts medics.
Ah, futsal! With its rough sandy pitches and sweaty angry players, I was going to get all the cuts, bruises and gashes I could ask for. Armed with my trusty first aid belt and my BRC qualification card, I marched onto the futsal pitches with my head held high and my chest puffed out, just the way they taught us in that Communication With Non-Oxbridge Humans class (kidding! --Ed). I was ready, oh yes. Bring on the injuries. The Angry Medic was here, baby, and he was brimming with confidence and ability.
It was about then that the first football soared out of the sky and hit me in the face.
Fast forward to about two hours later. I'd treated just over a few thousand cuts and bruises, become breathless rushing up and down the pitches, and been laughed at by no fewer than three Nottingham medics for not knowing basic principles of clinical treatment. I was so busy talking to an injured player, trying to calm him down, that I had dabbed a bit of bloodied gauze into my container of antiseptic, thereby contaminating it, and only realised I'd committed a cardinal sin when I got yelled at by the first-aider in charge. "What about sterility, you idiot?" she spat, yanking the container away from me. "What DO they teach you up there in your smug ivory tower?" I stood there flabbergasted. But...but I'm a
It was about then that I realised that none of these
I realise it was absolutely naïve of me to expect any sort of reward for my work, but in all my wide-eyed med student innocence, I really was expecting at least a 'thank you'. Surprise surprise, the job was absolutely thankless, and the only reward we got was the satisfaction of sending yet another beaten-up player back onto the pitch. But by lunchtime we were running really low on supplies, and replenishment was slow to come. The management was too busy to bother with first aiders. Then the patients we saw in the morning started coming back with complaints. Some were legitimate, but others came either for attention or, I suspect, for the pure glee of irritating hapless first aiders. Some players didn't like the way we taped their Hansaplasts on. Some didn't like the size of the bandages we gave them. When we ran out of medium-sized plasters, some refused to take bigger plasters even though we assured them that having a bigger plaster would affect neither their sporting prowess nor the number of female spectators yelling their names from the sidelines.
It was a looooooooong day. But by the end of it, dishevelled as we were, I was happy. I'd seen blood and gore, and learnt stuff that I wouldn't otherwise have for a few years. I hesitate to say it, but (cliché alert! cliché alert!--Ed) I became a better medic for it. So is the medical course in


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|Version 97 (modified by benl, 9 years ago) (diff)
The Disciplined Disciple Compiler (DDC)
Disciple is a dialect of Haskell that uses strict evaluation as the default and supports destructive update of arbitrary data structures. Sequencing of effectful computations is achieved via effect typing, instead of with Monads such as ST and IO. Laziness is supported via programmer annotations, and the effect system guarantees that computations with visible side effects are not suspended. Many Haskell programs are also Disciple programs, or will run with minor changes. Our target applications are the ones that you always find yourself writing C programs for, because existing functional languages are too slow, use too much memory, or don't let you update the data that you need to.
DDC is still in the "research prototype" stage, meaning that it will compile programs if you are nice to it, but expect compiler panics and missing features. You'll get panics due to ungraceful handling of errors in the source code, but valid programs should compile ok. Here are some working examples, along with their Disciple source code:
|Ray Tracer
State of Play
This section records what the DDC developers are actively working on. If you're hacking on something DDC related then by all means add yourself here. Records are dropped off if they're older than about a month.
Ben Lippmeier (benl23) -- updated 23rd October 2010
- I've started a blog on DDC development at http://disciple-devel.blogspot.com/
- I'm currently fixing support for type signatures. Previously we were just using the value portion of the sig, but we need to check effect and closure information as well.
Erik de Castro Lopo (m3ga) -- updated 18th Aug 2010
- Started work on an LLVM backend. The idea is to have a -via-llvm command line option which would then generate object files using LLVM. The LLVM generated object files will be compatible with the object files generated using the C backend for easier debugging. Another goal for the backend is to make it easier to bootstrap the compiler (compile DDC with DDC) and to port the compiler to new platforms and architectures.
- I'm pretty much stalled on all the current bugs and waiting for Ben to finish the refactoring at which time I'll have another crack at them.
- Improvements to DDC's library.
- Language Overview?
- Syntactic differences to Haskell?
- The Language Definition is still evolving and incomplete.
|Fully supported
|OSX/x86, Linux/x86, Linux/x86_64, Linux/PPC, FreeBSD/x86
|Partially supported
- Disciple Development Blog (benl23 + just ask)
- Erik's DDC Blog (m3ga)
- Compiler Commentary?
- Development Builds
- Build Bots and Servers
- Building the Code documentation
- Syntax Highlighting?
- Coding Conventions
- Using Darcs?
- Debugging Help
- Memory and CPU Usage Profiling?
- Making Patches
How you can help
- Download the compiler, write programs, and file bug reports!
- Write more tests. Cute graphical demos are especially fun.
- Fix bugs! The ones on the newbie list should be easy to get started on, otherwise we're pushing for the 0.1.3 release
- 'port across GHC base libraries like Data.Either and Data.Map.
How to get help
- Send mail to disciple-cafe at Google Groups.
- Ask in the #disciplined channel on the freenode IRC network.
Further Reading
- Ben's academic webpage
- Witnessing Mutability, Purity and Aliasing for Program Optimisation, submitted to JFP 2010
- Type Inference and Optimisation for an Impure World, ANU 2010 (PhD thesis)
- Witnessing Purity, Constancy and Mutability, slides, APLAS 2009


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Terms and Conditions
Ticket conditions! Important information for the ticket purchase!
1. Information on the Host of this Internet Web Site/organizer
Holi Concept GmbH
Boxhagener Str. 71A
10245 Berlin
Management board: Max Riedel
AG Berlin, HRB 145366
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
URL: www.holifestival.com/ae/en
With the purchase of a ticket the purchaser and the Holi Concept GmbH is becoming contractual partner.
The following terms of conditions apply to the festival visitors (in the following: "visitors") and the Holi Concept GmbH (in the following: "organizer").
Start of the event: 4 pm
End of the event: 2 am
Countdown of the colour throw: first countdown at 8pm – after that every full hour up to the last countdown at 1:50am.
Program content of the concert is the hourly collective colour throwing and a stage program.
The colour powder is limited and can be purchased on the festival. We explicitly ask to only use the powder at the collective countdowns!
With the purchase of a ticket the purchaser and the Holi Concept GmbH become contractual partners.
The admission to the Holi Festival of Colours is limited and only available in the online pre-sale through our ticket partner on our web domain. Unsold tickets are available at the box office on the day of the event if applicable. The organiser advices ticket purchase during the pre-sale due to high demand. Expectedly the following methods of payment are accepted: credit cards and PayPal (including if applicable debit advice). Credit card payments are executed by Masterpayment.
The admission to the Holi Festival of Colours is granted only to visitors of 21 years or older. An approval acknowledgement of a parent or guardian does not authorize admission to the Holi Festival of Colours if a visitor is under age. Admission to the festival is possible only with a valid ticket. The ticket is to be presented at the entrance. It is generally forbidden to sell purchased tickets in a commercial way.
At the entrance a security check will take place by a security company. The security company is advised to do a body and bag check. The organiser reserves the right to deny the admission to the festival site in the case of important matters. An important matter is an obviously high alcoholised condition of a visitor, obviously inhuman, racist, homophobe outfits, as well as the entrainment of drinks and meals (not handed in voluntarily) and dangerous objects (weapons, pyrotechnic, intoxicants and others). An important matter also is the entrainment of recorders for sound and picture (for details see 9.) without permission. In case of a violation of the age limit for admission (in the case of doubt an age check can take place) the admission may be denied.
In case of a denied admission despite a valid ticket, the visitor has the right for a ticket refund, except the existence of a former defined important matter of denied admission. In this case the return/refund of the ticket is not possible. A damage claim beyond this is excluded. The ticket loses its validity by leaving the festival site and re-entrance is not authorised.
Should you have any problems with your tickets, please contact email@example.com.
In case of the cancellation of the festival – before the festival begins – the visitors only have the right of the refund of the ticket price (except the pre-sale fee). An indemnity claim beyond this is excluded. Is the festival aborted due to an act of nature beyond control (especially weather conditions), official order or court order, the festival visitor has no right of a ticket refund or indemnity claim. Exception is if the organiser can be accused of wilful intent or culpable negligence.
The organiser reserves the right of changing the site, time and program of the festival. If the organiser does not use his right of postponement, the visitor can claim back the price of the ticket from the organiser. In this case the unsued ticket/s is/are to be sent in clear writing to "Holi Concept GmbH – Kopernikusstraße 35 – 10243 Berlin" within 10 days. The account details have to be stated. The handling can take several weeks.
Program delays are to be accepted by the visitor, as long as the delay does not exceed 1 hour. Changes are announced by the organizer as soon as possible.
The organizer has no knowledge of adverse effects on health or environment of the colour powder. However, the following safety and security arrangements are instituted by the organizer:
The visitors are not allowed to bring their own colour powder. Only the colour powder of the Holi Festival of Colours is allowed on the festival grounds. The composition of this powder is known to all safety relevant event participants.
Visitors with respiratory problems (asthmatic) are advised not to visit the event.
Visitors with contact lenses are advised to not wear these during the event.
To protect the eyes the wearing of swimming goggles during the colour throws is advised.
The colour powder can cause allergies in rare cases, as well as skin, eye and mucosal irritations. Eyes are to be rinsed with clear water. Paramedics will be on site. They are to found in areas marked as paramedic tents, which are evenly spread across the site.
The organizer is indicates that due to high volume possible health risks, especially permanent hearing damage, exist. It is advised to use earplugs.
On the entire festival site the householders rights are in force and used by the organizer resp. by those Commissioned by the organiser. The instructions of the security personnel are to be followed. Any commercial action is forbidden to festival visitors, except in the case of a written agreement with the organiser, which has been set up in advance. Poging, stage diving, crowd surfing and the climbing on stages, trusses, tents, tribunes or other objects is forbidden. Taking animals onto the festival grounds is forbidden. Any violations of these rules will be prosecuted. Should a visitor violate any of the afore mentioned rules and regulations (as well as No. 2, No. 7, No. 8), they may be expelled from the festival grounds. A refund of the ticket price, as well as a claim for damage compensation is not given.
Drinks and meals on the festival area are handed out in re-usuable containers. Therefore a deposit is to be paid. Please respect the environment and dispose outer packaging, as well as any other garbage in the designated containers. Plastic bottles, canisters, glass container of any kind, PET bottles, cans and/or any other drinking containers, as well as the bringing of dining or groceries, hard packaging and cooling bags is forbidden. Contractual relationships to the caterer only exist with this contractual partner on site.
Taking pictures is allowed merely by mobile phones with camera function and for private use only. It is pointed out that live recordings are not to be uploaded online.
Cameras with zoom lenses, lenses to change and/or video function, as well as recording devices (MP3/MP4-Rekorder, dictation machines and so on) of any kind are forbidden. Also forbidden are live recordings, which are done without the explicit permission of the organizer or artists. The organiser is permitted to delete illegally made recordings or to let them be deleted. The publishing of such recordings will be prosecuted.
The organisers liability is restricted to damage compensation – insignificant of legal base – to intent and gross negligence. No liability of the ogranisers is given for stolen or lost objects. The limitation of liability is not valid for damage through the injury of life, body or health, which is caused through the wilful or careless violation of duty by the organiser. The limitation of liability is also not valid for other damages, which are caused through the wilful or careless violation of duty or through a non-accidentally infringing behaviour of elementary contract duties by the organiser. The organiser is liable for his legal agents and assistants.
Electronic and other devices, like cameras and so forth, can be damaged or destroyed by the colour powder. The organizer advices therefore not to bring those to the site or to protect it adequately. The organiser is not liable for the damage or destruction of these objects. The liability remains untouched in the case of wilfulness and carelessness.
The organiser is not liable if the colour powder is not fully removable from clothes, bags and so on by washing or cleaning.
The festival visitor agrees irrevocably by entering the festival site that pictures and image / sound recordings during the festival are made, which can be used free of charge for reports, as well as prospective advertising of the festival in the media. He also agrees that this material is used for sponsor acquisitions.
Subsidiary agreements, changes and supplements require written form. This holds true for the requirements of the written form itself. The law of the Federal republic of Germany is valid. If the jurisdiction clause is valid, the place of jurisdiction is Berlin, Germany. Place of execution is also Berlin, Germany. If individual regulations of these general terms of conditions become void, the validity of the rest of the regulations is not affected. The same applies for any contract gaps.


text:
Oh get on with it
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were together but not together at the Worldwide Orphans Foundation Gala, hosted by Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, in New York last night. Emma and Andrew have been everywhere together but not together in the city the last week or so. Here they are, posing with WWO Founder Dr Jane Aronson - read this and try not to cry - but never actually posing side by side, and you know, the photographer would have asked.
Oh get on with it, will you?
Or is the studio making you save it for when the movie comes out.
It bites my ass that you have to listen to the studio. Then again, when the studio is Sony and it's a three picture deal...
I guess.
Can't you just hold hands and smile at each other, just for me?
PS. I know you're bummed out about Community. But Amy and Will are on tv on the same night on the same network. Happy happy?
Michael Loccisano/Getty


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In order to be useful in helping institutions gauge the English proficiency of potential students, TOEFL iBT® test scores need to be reliable and have the same meaning regardless of the institution that plans to use them.
For this reason, part of the TOEFL® program's ongoing research considers the criteria, tools and methods used to score the test. (See also our section on Constructed-Response Scoring and Technology.)
Featured Publications
These are some publications related to the reliability and generalizability of TOEFL iBT scores:
Reliability and Comparability of TOEFL iBT® Scores
TOEFL iBT Research Insight Series, Vol. 3 (2011)
Repeater Analyses for the TOEFL iBT® Test
Y. Zhang (2008)
ETS Research Memorandum No. RM-08-05
Dependability of Scores for a New ESL Speaking Test: Evaluating Prototype Tasks
Y.-W. Lee (2005)
TOEFL Monograph No. MS-28
Dependability of New ESL Writing Test Scores: Evaluating Prototype Tasks and Alternative Rating Schemes
Y.-W. Lee & R. Kantor (2005)
TOEFL Monograph No. MS-31


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Moip(Wirecard) Mautic
For every approved payment on Wirecard(Moip), update lead on MauticUse this automation
Because you will be able to feed Mautic with the information that your lead became a paying customer and, therefore, always maintain proper nutrition with different content for each phase of the buying journey.
- 1. Pluga keeps an eye on every new approved payment on your preferred payment system, in this case, Wirecard (Moip);
- 2. When a payment is approved, Pluga will create an identification tag called payment_approved (or any other name you choose) on your lead.
- 3. Now it can be traced through this new information!


text:
Find an Adventure
Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent
Starting from…$6,895
Antarctic Express: Crossing the Circle
Fully immersed in the Antarctic environment, experience a roller coaster of emotions, from excitement to exquisite solitude to incredible gratitude for the wonder of it all. Go in search of whales and find yourself bearing witness to a glacier calving. Antarctica will leave you in awe, but it won't leave you unchanged.
Starting from…$17,995
Antarctic Express: Fly the Drake
You're ready to explore King George Island and the Antarctic Peninsula—and no Drake Passage crossings are required! With a spectacular aerial view, included charter flights between Punta Arenas and Antarctica have you experiencing the majesty of the 7th continent before transferring you to your ship in no time.
Starting from…$10,495
Crossing the Circle: Southern Expedition
Starting from…$8,995
Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica: Explorers and Kings
This extended expedition encompasses the wildlife paradise of South Georgia, the remote Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), as well as the extraordinary beauty of the Antarctic Peninsula. You'll enjoy unforgettable encounters with untamed wildlife in a vast, dramatic and spectacular setting.
Starting from…$13,495


text: Creating custom Pay Now or Buy Now HTML buttons is one of the easiest ways of integrating with PayFast. In a couple of minutes you can create a clickable button, which you can embed in your blog or website to allow people to pay you online for your goods or services. (more…)


text:
These beautiful gold tanzanite and diamond bridal set rings really are a jewellery set of great beauty and will look fabulous on any woman's finger. The wedding ring and engagement ring are the two most important rings you will buy in your life and so they deserve to be extra special. These fabulous bridal set rings feature round brilliant cut diamonds and a stunning tanzanite in the centre to finish the look perfect. The effect is one that sparkles and catches the light perfectly and a bridal band set that will be treasured forever.
Why us?
By buying your set from us you can trust that both rings are perfect match to each other giving you the latest of the style and comfort for regular wear. We stock variety of bridal set rings to your taste. Not only that but we can also match the men`s band to your bridal set ring giving it a masculine look.
All items are shipped for FREE by Royal Mail Signed For Special Delivery all over UK, All items bought from AG & Sons comes in FREE gift wrap. 30 days return policy. For more information about shipping and returns please visit Shipping and Returns page
You can pay by various methods.
v Family Run Jewellery Business
v British Hallmarked Jewellery
v Certified Jewellery
v Conflict FREE Diamonds
v Excellent Customer Service
v Bespoke Jewellery Services
v 30 Days Returns Policy
v 1 Year Warranty
We Offer Diamonds Graded by GIA. AG & Sons can powerfully source GIA OR IGI graded diamonds. Please be in touch with us if you wish to find out more about buying GIA or IGI CERTIFIED DIAMONDS for your engagement ring, perfect pendant or exactly matching pair of earnings. We will send you the certificate picture before you buy the diamond from us which can be verified by GIA/IGI DIAMOND REPORT CHECK TOOL when the diamond is with you. You can not only make sure that is GIA OR IGI Graded diamond but also check its Carat Weight, Cut, Clarity and Colour. So you get your 4cs right. Certificate also indicates Symmetry, Polish and Flurocence.
Please contact us on firstname.lastname@example.com or call us on 0208 1111 247 for your bespoke GIA/IGI Diamond requirement.


text:
Rattles sewn inside the socks and wristbands can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.
Consumers should immediately stop using the sock and rattle sets, take them away from children and return them to the store where it was purchased or contact London Bridge to receive a full refund.
About 7,500
Infant fatalities have been reported while using other inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances.
Consumers should immediately stop using the inclined sleepers and contact Dorel for a refund in the form of a $60 voucher.
About 24,000
Magnets can detach from the trivets, posing an ingestion hazard to children.When two or more magnets are swallowed, they can link together inside the intestines and clamp onto body tissues, causing intestinal obstructions, perforations, sepsis and death. Internal injury from magnets can pose serious lifelong health effects.
Consumers should immediately stop using the trivets and place them out of the reach of children. Contact Tristar Products for instructions to receive free replacement trivets. Tristar Products is contacting purchasers directly.
About 350,000
Metallic accessories attached to phones placed on the chargers can overheat while phones charge, posing a burn hazard to users
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled phone chargers and return them to Spansive for a full refund. Spansive is contacting purchasers directly about the recall.
About 950
The modified thru-bolt on the front wheel can fracture, allowing the wheel to detach from the stroller, posing fall and injury hazards to children in the stroller and adults operating the stroller.
Consumers should immediately stop using the modified thru-bolt axle installed on the front wheel of their BOB jogging stroller. Britax is contacting consumers directly who received the modified thru-bolt axles and providing them with a free replacement thru-bolt axle. Those consumers may also contact Britax for a free replacement thru-bolt axle. Consumers who have participated in the BOB Information Campaign, and have already been contacted by Britax, will automatically receive a replacement thru-bolt.
About 200
The children's pajama sets fail to meet the flammability standard for children's sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled pajama tops and contact H&M for a full refund, plus a $20 gift card.
About 9,000
The fork can break, posing a fall hazard with the risk of death and serious injury.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bicycle and take it to the nearest authorized Cannondale dealer for a free repair. Cannondale dealers will replace, free of cost, the bicycle's fork with a full carbon fiber replacement fork.
About 9,700 (in addition, about 1,900 were sold in Canada)
The Stokke Steps Bouncer can detach from the Stokke Steps Chair, posing a fall hazard to the child in the Bouncer.
Consumers should immediately stop using the Stokke Steps Bouncer in combination with the Stokke Steps Chair and contact Stokke for a free repair kit. Visit https://reclamations.stokke.com/stepsbouncer to check if the bouncer is included in the recall. Once confirmed, consumers should register on the site to receive repair instructions. Consumers can continue to use the Stokke Steps Bouncers and the Stokke Steps Chairs separately.
About 5,400


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For the first winter in about 5 years I have put the turbo trainer away once and for all, I'll be making up my training hours with ski mountaineering, Nordic skating and the odd epic off-piste day…
AboutSteven Saunders is a cyclist based in the Swiss Alps, formally an amateur racer in the UK. He continues to dabble in all things endurance and lycra including road, mountain and track cycling; the odd fell run; cross-country skiing and now ski-mountaineering.
Recently on twitter
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Recently on flickr
Worth reading


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Quick Search: Choose Model and Year, then enter search topic.
Page: 161
The events below inform the driver of PSM control operations and warn him to adapt his driving style to the road conditions:
– PSM warning light on the instrument panel flashes.
– Hydraulic noises can be heard.
– The vehicle decelerates and steering-wheel forces are altered as PSM controls the brakes.
– Reduced engine power.
– The brake pedal pulsates and its position is changed during braking.
In order to achieve full vehicle deceleration, foot pressure must be increased after the brake pedal has begun vibrating.
Examples of PSM control operations
– If the "front wheels of the vehicle drift" on a bend, the engine power is reduced and the rear wheel on the inside of
the bend is braked if necessary.
– If the rear of the vehicle swings out on a bend, the front wheel on the outside of the bend is braked.
– Brake system prefilling:
The brake system is prepared for possible subsequent emergency braking if the accelerator pedal is released suddenly
and quickly. The brake system is prefilled and the brake pads are already applied gently to the brake disks.
– Brake booster (Hydraulic Brake Assist):
In the event of an emergency braking operation where the pedal force is insufficient, a brake booster provides the
braking pressure necessary for maximum deceleration at all 4 wheels.
Combined operation of PSM and PTV Plus
In order to ensure optimum stabilization of the vehicle, the center differential lock is influenced when PSM interventions occur on vehicles with PTV Plus.
Automatic brake differential (ABD)
The ABD system controls the front and rear axles separately. If one wheel of an axle starts to spin, it is braked so that the other wheel on the same axle can be driven.
ABD recognizes different driving states, and it features control strategies adapted to these states. In situations in which little propulsive power is required, such as when the vehicle moves off on a level gravel surface, traction control already becomes active at low engine speeds. If a large amount of propulsive power is required, e.g. when driving off on an uphill slope or for rapid acceleration, the ABD system is adapted accordingly.
Anti-slip control (ASR)
The anti-slip control system prevents the wheels from spinning by adjusting the engine power, thereby ensuring good lane-holding ability and stable handling.
Engine drag torque control (MSR)
In conditions of excessive slip, the engine drag torque control system prevents all driven wheels from locking up when the vehicle is overrunning. This is also the case for downshifts on a slippery road.
Steering torque pulse
The steering torque pulse provides the driver with steering assistance when braking on road surfaces with differing friction values.
Additional steering forces also assist the driver during countersteering.


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Embarrassed Bulls Fan Takes Hat Off With The Quickness When He Notices Camera Is On Him!
"Video caught by Sean dinero of PcG fatmartin productions and camp coolout."
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Decadent treat has foodies drooling
Oh the pull of that elusive reservation at the hot new restaurant. And double-oh the sweet and fatty decadence of a well-made dessert. Combine the two foodie emotions and you've got the Cronut.
There's a frenzy goin' on — Manhattan style — for the croissant-doughnut hybrid that went on sale in limited quantities about three weeks ago at the tiny downtown New York City shop of French chef Dominique Ansel.
Cronut lusters began lining up almost from the start after word spread on blogs. They're now 100 strong most mornings for the chance to nab the quirky, fried treats, including some who show up at 6 a.m., two hours before the door opens at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo.
Some often leave empty handed, or at least Cronut-less if they turn up their noses at the 30 or so other items on Ansel's menu. He makes only 200 to 250 Cronuts every morning (it takes three days to complete the process) and has been selling out within an hour.
He limited his customers to two per person at the cash register Monday. That's down from three.
"A little bite of heaven. Definitely worth the calories," said Kyra Parkhurst, in town from Park City, Utah, after arriving about 7:30 a.m. and cajoling Ansel to sign her gold, cardboard carry box once she made it inside.For those who don't make it inside, more than a dozen people who have scored already-trademarked Cronuts have been scalping them on Craigslist for up to $40. That's eight times Ansel's asking price of $5 a piece and can include delivery to as far away as Queens and Brooklyn.
Ansel is taking pre-orders two weeks out, allowing for six per customer that way. He's also taking reservations for orders of 100 or more months in advance.
"We try to make enough for everybody," said the soft-spoken chef who worked for seven years under the exacting heavy hitter Daniel Boulud before opening his own bakery a year and a half ago.
So what's the big deal, and exactly what is the calorie count? Ansel, 35, isn't giving up his recipe. Copycats have already started to mimic his creation. The answer to the latter question isn't great news for most of us, though the chef was tightlipped about that as well.
"I'm not sure how many calories, but it's very tasty," Ansel smiled. "I wanted to do something new and original. I wanted to do something fun to eat."
He acknowledges loads and loads of butter, along with cream injected through multiple layers with a syringe-like pastry tip and a glaze on top that encircles the hole in the middle.
He fries each Cronut in grapeseed oil for 30 seconds, using just one pot that can hold up to nine at a time. The oil leaves outer layers crunchy but inner bites doughy.
Oh, and he rolls the sides in sugar and added dried, candied rose petals to May's flavor of rose-vanilla. For June, Ansel switched to lemon-maple with glaze and cream to match.
Niko Triantafillou, a blogger who specializes in desserts, called the Cronut Manhattan's answer to deep fried ice cream, but in a good, chef-y sort of way.
"It's a continuation of the doughnut craze, but also sort of a continuation of everything fried. It's kind of New York's version of state fair food, only taken to a whole new level with the credibility of Dominique Ansel," said Triantafillou, who founded Dessertbuzz.com and writes the Sugar Rush column at NewYork.SeriousEats.com.


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