text: Share: January 6, 2008 Climate Change With the cold temperatures of the past few days, one might think it would take sheer gall for me to write a column about global warming. It is easy to believe that warmer winters might simply translate into a reduction in flu-related illness and fewer injuries from ice-covered roads and sidewalks. But climate change will affect more than the daily temperature, and we'd better prepare for its full range of impacts.By now most of us are aware that southern states, such as Georgia, are experiencing serious droughts. Water-rationing, a concern historically regulated to places like Arizona, is now commonplace even in North Carolina. Our New Year's guests, residents of Raleigh-Durham, relayed stories of 30-day water supplies. They are watering their garden with discarded cooking water. Dry reservoirs are linked to climate change, and the Northeast is not immune.Each spring, our region's reservoirs are recharged by melting snow. As winters warm, and less snow fall accumulates, winter water inputs will be lost as runoff. Reductions in spring snow melt will mean that we will have less water at our disposal in the summer, when domestic water use and evaporation are the greatest. This will be a tragedy for farmers; a lack of soil moisture is destined to lead to lower crop yields.For cities like Poughkeepsie, which depend on the Hudson River for drinking water, snow melt reductions could lower river flow, increasing the influence of saline water from the river's tidal estuary. This could be compounded by sea-level rise, which will cause salt water to extend upriver. Are we prepared for the possibility that Hudson River water could be too salty to drink when it arrives at the water treatment plant? Do we have an alternative?A warmer climate will also usher in a variety of human health issues. Longer summers will be a boon for insects, including those that transmit disease. Because insects mature faster and live longer in warm climates, they have a longer window for transmitting diseases to humans. In some parts of the US, we can expect to see a reemergence of diseases that are now associated with tropical climates. West Nile virus itself is not attributed to global warming, but a warmer climate will result in an increase in the mosquitoes that transmit it.During the summer months, ozone is a pollutant throughout much of Dutchess County. Its increase can trigger asthma and emphysema, compromising lung function in affected individuals. Ozone is formed in the atmosphere when nitric oxides—emitted largely from automobiles and coal-fired power plants—come into contact with volatile organic compounds from trees, ultraviolet sunlight, and heat. Warmer summer temperatures are likely to result in increased ozone pollution.Recently, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a report on climate change impacts in the northeastern United States. They suggest that we look carefully at the water-supply and human health issues currently facing cities such as Richmond, Raleigh, and Atlanta to see our own vulnerability to global warming.In the future our heating bills may be lower, but the societal impacts of global warming will create new costs and concerns for all of us. Most models that project future climate change indicate an increased frequency of extreme weather events—floods, droughts, snowstorms and the like. Each of these will carry associated costs to human health and infrastructure, which are likely to appear in high tax rates for community services. Share: Feature Warmer winters not only effect of climate change › January 6, 2008


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Across from DINARI Foundation's office, there is a large concrete lot with two long warehouses lining the perimeter. In the middle of the lot, blue tarps covered three mounds that were perhaps fifteen feet in diameter. In the morning, workers removed the tarps, revealing piles of what looked like sand as high as the men's waists. Two of the men wheeled out mechanized plows and bulldozed the piles, gradually spreading the material across the concrete in messy spirals. A third worker appeared with a bandanna covering his nose and mouth, looking like a bandit. He and the others used large curved rakes to spread the sand in a thin even layer across the ground.
The men then disappeared into one of the warehouses. They returned with rectangular mops and swept the sand back into piles. The entire process would repeat throughout the day, interrupted by breaks when the workers squatted in the shade, arms draped over their knees. Sometimes trucks came and unloaded more material. Once a customer entered the lot and left with a big white sack strapped to her bicycle and another balanced on her head. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the men placed the tarps back on the piles, and activity ceased until the following morning.
When Rai came, he explained that the mounds were rice, not sand. The lot was part of a rice mill, and the men were drying the rice in the sun, which helped remove the husks. Farmers like Rai brought their crops there. In exchange for ten percent of the farmers' supply, the mill processed the rice and the farmers could then sell it for twice the price of "rough rice." In a one-hectare plot (about two and a half acres), most farmers could harvest five to six tons of rice during a four-month season. Rai's record was 15.3 tons in 85 days.
He began farming ten years ago when he was twenty-seven years old, renting a small plot surrounded by buildings in Bali's capital of Denpasar. At the time, he owned an art gallery in Kuta, the touristic heart of Bali. He sold his own paintings and ceramics, and he also designed jewelry and landscapes.
His family came from Blimbingsari, a rural Christian village in western Bali, and his father worked in Bali's national park.
"Every day, I learn about nature," Rai told me. He had wavy black hair that flowed down to his khaki shorts and dark stubble that reached up to his prominent nose and cheekbones. My first impression was of a Native American shaman, but his tan New Balances and ankle-high socks befitted a country club staff member.
His grandfather was a rice farmer, and Rai would watch him farm in the traditional way, burning the old stalks and flooding the paddies.
"As a child, I see this, and I think this is wrong."
Rai studied economics and cinematography in college and never received formal agricultural training. But he read on his own about plant ecology, oxygenation and organic farming. He was concerned that traditional farming in Bali polluted the environment and strained its natural resources. He learned that burning the spent rice fields killed microorganisms necessary to aerate the soil. He began testing farming methods from Thailand and Madagascar, incorporating techniques that worked and disregarding those that didn't.
"I have no rule," he told me.
Most farmers filled their paddies with twenty centimeters of water. Rai speculated that with less water, the new stalks would receive more sunlight and oxygen. He irrigated his field with just one centimeter of water, and the stalks produced twice as many shoots. Less water also allowed the soil organisms to flourish and enrich the soil.
Ardi, one of the staff at DINARI, also grew up in Blimbingsari. He told me he would help his father plant rice. At the start of each season, he would follow behind his father, dropping five seeds in every hole. The method required 40 kilos of rice seed per hectare, at a cost of Rp. 2 million (approximately $200). Rai found that the rice grew better if he planted just one seed at each point, and he needed just 12 kilos of seed.
Rai began composting his discarded rice stalks instead of burning them. He cut up the stalks and mixed them with sawdust, cow dung, and rice husks. He added microorganisms he had collected from various trees, grasses, and bamboo bark. He then covered the mixture with a tarp for two weeks. The chemical processes released so much energy that the compost would measure 70° Celsius, so he had to open up the tarp after the first week to let everything cool down.
Rai understood that burning the rice fields wasn't sustainable and required additional fertilizer to make up the nutrient deficit. A kilo of fertilizer cost about Rp. 3,000. At first, farmers might only require a ton of fertilizer per hectare, but every year they would have to buy more as they depleted the natural soil.
Burning also released pesticides that had been sprayed on the crops. Mothers often carried their babies with them when they worked in the field, and many infants died as a result from a bleeding disorder. Rather than applying chemical pesticides, Rai protected his rice with lemongrass, watered-down pineapple juice and leaves from the neem plant. I had seen neem extract bottled in a swanky natural foods store, claiming to treat diarrhea and inflammation.
Rai's methods required time and careful planning, and the results were not immediate. But over the span of a few seasons, yields increased from 60% to 200%. Initially, the costs were similar to traditional farming, but by sparing traditional fertilizers and pesticides, Rai could eventually save millions of rupiahs for every hectare planted. His rice also grew faster, so he could plant four harvests each year instead of three. And because the rice was organic, he could sell it for twice the price of the conventional variety.
"Your story is bullsh*t," one farmer announced when Rai tried to explain his approach.
Most farmers believed that organic farming produced smaller yields, and few believed him. Some people got angry at his seemingly outrageous claims. Rai once ran away after a man brandished a knife at him. Rai decided to set up demonstrations, renting small farming plots in the villages and growing his own rice.
"My crops are like this," he said, raising his hand level with his chest. He then dropped his hand below his waist. "And theirs' are this. Then they listen." His laugh was somehow both guttural and giggly.
Maybe only one farmer out a hundred would adopt his method at first, but gradually he won more and more converts. Farmers began visiting Rai to seek advice, often staying until the early morning hours. His wife ran out of coffee. Exasperated, she brought out a kettle of hot water one night, announced she was going to bed, and told Rai to get his own coffee.
Sometimes he was so busy he forgot to eat. His wife packed lunchboxes and implored him to drink more water. He recently spent three days in the hospital after contracting typhus.
"Perhaps I work too hard," he admitted.
He wanted to "open minds", to fundamentally change how Balinese people viewed farming and farmers. Most Balinese people looked down on farmers as dirty, poor, and stupid. Because the traditional way of farming was simplistic and shortsighted, Rai believed it instilled a mindset in farmers that served to justify the stereotype.
Rai once received a call from one of his daughter's teachers, who suspected his child had played a prank. His children attended good schools with expensive tuition, and most of the students came from affluent families. The children had been asked to write down their parents' occupations, and the teacher did not believe Rai's daughter when she wrote that her father was a farmer. Rai happily confirmed that his daughter was telling the truth. Later, when his daughter brought her schoolwork home, he saw that the teacher had crossed out "farmer" and written "businessman."
Few young people chose farming as a career, instead seeking better wages in Bali's cities and tourist areas. Often they would earn only Rp. 750,000, or $75, in a month.
"It's crazy," he said, smiling in disbelief. "Go to the city be a crime."
He lamented that Bali had squandered its position as a rice producer and now had to import rice from the island of Java. He thought Bali's shift from agriculture to tourism had been disastrous, as evidenced by the economic collapse following the 2002 bombings.
Rai's own finances imploded after the terrorist acts. Vendors who previously bought his ceramics stopped ordering and began importing from Vietnam. Rai was forced to close his art gallery in which he had invested Rp. 500 million of his own money.
He couldn't earn enough to feed his family, and it was not yet time to harvest his crops. He ate only one meal a day but didn't tell his wife for fear she would get upset. He pleaded with his mother to send milk for his daughter. He tried giving her tea in the nighttime, but she told him she could taste the difference.
"It is sweet, but it is not milk." As Rai recounted the story, his eyes moistened.
Even though he didn't have any money, he arranged for a local television station to auction ten of his paintings for the families of the bombing victims. He raised Rp. 300 million.
Gradually, as he harvested his crops and the economy recovered, Rai rebuilt his life. He began dedicating most of his time to farming. He worked every day, three for his own livelihood and four to help the farming communities. After farmers implemented his approach, he would expand to new areas, renting farmland all over Bali in places like Klunkung, Karangasem, Tabanan, Singaraja, and Nagara. He spent half his money providing for his family and the other half for social work. He bought a car and a motorbike and sent his children to good schools, but he had no savings left over.
His friends told him he was crazy to spend so much money on his social work. He asked them how they kept good conscience while their neighbors lived in poverty.
"How come (can) you eat? How come (can) you loving?"
While growing up in Blimbingsari, Rai went to school with several children from the local orphanage. Sometimes a dozen would come to his home to study. When his mother came home, she demanded to know why all the food was gone. Rai recalled how, when he explained to his mother where his friends lived, "she not angry anymore."
The Balinese rice association, however, was still angry at him. The market price for conventional rice was Rp. 7,000 per kilo, and the price for organic rice was twice that. But Rai sold his rice for Rp. 3,000.
"When I can grow so much rice, it is enough."
I wanted to make sure I understood him correctly, that he voluntarily sold his rice for a fraction of what it was worth.
"That is why my friends say I'm crazy." He laughed, scrunching his cheeks so that his eyes squinted.
I asked whether he could have a greater impact if he sold his rice at the market price, since he would have more funds for his social work. Poor people subsisted on rice, he told me, and he thought his first priority should be to help them, rather than just help farmers increase their production and hope this would lower the price of rice. But he struggled with the decision.
"It keeps me up at night," he said.
A few months ago, Rai borrowed Rp. 9 million from DINARI Foundation when he ran out of funds. He wanted to rent a plot of farmland in the nearby town of Sempidi, hoping to convert more farmers to his sustainable agricultural practices.
He told me that banks also looked down on farmers and would not lend to them. Farmers were forced to borrow from "bloodsuckers" who charged 10% interest rates, often leaving the farmers with little or no profit at harvest time. Rai hoped that by lowering farmers' costs, he could cut out the bloodsuckers.
Rai invited me to join him the following afternoon to watch him instruct several Sempidi farmers how to make compost. I saw this as evidence that his DINARI-financed project had proven successful. I agreed and gave him my energy bar before he left, worrying whether he would have time to eat.
The next day, as I followed him on my motorbike, he pointed out a driveway full of sand-colored rice, drying in the afternoon sun. His hair was tied up in a samurai's bun that peaked out from beneath his helmet, and his unbuckled chinstrap flapped in the wind.
We pulled into the farmer's house and parked in a grass lawn beneath a tree. There was a small dirt yard in back, and we sat a bamboo bench and one of the farmers' wives brought us donuts and sweetened coffee. The farmer's rice paddy lay beyond.
There was a pile of dried rice stalks on the ground, and two farmers began chopping them up on small wooden cutting boards. At times, the knives synchronized into a percussive duet. There were two sacks and a red plastic bag next to the pile, and Rai opened them to show me the compost ingredients: wood chips from a carpenter's shop, coconut fibers, and rice husks. A pile of cow manure lay behind the rice stalks.
As the farmers continued the prep work, Rai and I walked along the edge of the rice paddy. He knelt by one of the shallow pools and pointed out resting tadpoles. Frogs lived in the water now that the farmers had stopped using conventional pesticides. He showed me a neem tree growing behind a farmer's house, its leaves fanning out in a modest circle. A number of farmers had learned of Rai's techniques and begun poaching branches.
He explained that the paddy would be re-terraced to improve the irrigation system, and the farmers would work together to improve each other's land.
"Hundred years ago, farmers work together. Now, they work together again."
We checked back on Rai's students, and Rai retrieved a plastic liter-size bottle filled with brown liquid. The bottle housed Rai's microorganisms and would be sufficient for two hectares. Rai poured the brew into a bucket and mixed in sugar and water. The farmers could buy soil bacteria, but it was very expensive, so Rai would show them how to make it themselves.
After the farmers had combined the dry composting ingredients, the microorganism concoction was funneled into a canister and sprayed on top. The farmers took hoes and spent the next fifteen minutes vigorously mixing everything together. An old farmer, wearing a hat but no shirt, earnestly raked the pile until the veins on his sinewy arms swelled. Rai swept in the scattered remains, and finally a blue tarp was placed over the pile and weighted down with rocks.
The farmers listened for a while as Rai smoked a cigarette and discussed his methods, and then gradually they left. Other men from the village began arriving with roosters, children, or both. They sat on the grass lawn, and I watched as the men decided which cocks would fight one another. The two owners then fluffed up roosters' feathery manes. The men took turns holding each bird's neck out for the other cock to peck, and the fight commenced when the roosters were worked into a sufficient frenzy. Sometimes the birds went at each others' heads, and other times they launched into flying kicks.
It was past six o'clock, and the sun had dropped below the distant trees. Between rounds, I looked over at Rai. He was sitting on the bamboo bench with his back to the action, smoking another cigarette and speaking with the last man and woman who remained with him. If not for me, he might have stayed long into the night.
Rai transporting microorganisms
While I always welcome your comments, I would also like to ask for your assistance this time. I have offered to help Rai find organizations involved in sustainable farming that might be interested in supporting his efforts. My knowledge of agricultural organizations is minimal, so I would be grateful for any suggestions you might have. You can leave a comment on this blog or on Rai's profile on Kiva:
Please expect a new post from me in about two weeks. I encourage you to watch for new loans from the DINARI Foundation here: http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&partner_id=82&status=fundRaising&sortBy=New+to+Old&_tpg=fb/>

subset: commoncrawl


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Food Truck Parking Spots Proposed
NYC Council Bill Would Limit Where Food Trucks Could Serve
New York City's food trucks would face tighter restrictions under a new bill proposed by City Councilman Dan Garodnick. The bill would create up to 450 "food truck zones." The parking spots would be the only places they could legally serve food.


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Johnson Is A Labrador Ready For His Forever Home
This week's pooch is Johnson, a sweet and mild-mannered Labrador retriever mix. He arrived at the animal shelter in January after he was found roaming a local neighborhood, and now he is ready for his forever home.
Small for his age, (we estimate that he's probably about two years old), he'd make a great addition to a family with small children. He's quick to play, but is very gentle when he does so. From the very first time I tossed a tennis ball across the play yard, he chased after it and quickly brought the ball back to me and dropped it at my feet. Johnson loves attention and praise, and seems very smart and eager to please.
His coat is thick and black, with a glimpse of white on his chest. With fur that seems to shimmer in the afternoon sun and a broad tongue that lolls out of his happy mouth, Johnson is a healthy, friendly canine anxious to find the perfect owner. Won't you provide this pet a pad? He'll definitely be a faithful friend for many years to come.
When you adopt one of our featured pets, you will receive a FREE wellness package from Pleasant Grove Animal Hospital (PGAH) valued at $80.
Adoption fees vary from $80 to $144, depending on the size, gender and animal. Micro-chipping your pet is only $20 through the shelter.
The Animal Care and Adoption Center located at 203 Harrison, Texarkana, Arkansas. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pleasant Grove Animal Hospital sponsors Provide a Pet a Pad. To contact PGAH call 903-838-6565 or visit them online. Your free wellness package will give you the opportunity to discuss the best ways to keep your new pet on the right track. Dr. Stacey Hendershott will answer your questions and address any concerns regarding your new pet that you may have too. PGAH has a friendly atmosphere and the entire staff has the same goal, to keep your pet healthy and happy.


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Private and exclusive, immersed in nature
Ningaloo Reef is a fringing coral reef located off the west coast of Australia, approximately 1200 km north of Perth. The reef is 260 km long and is Australia's largest fringing coral reef. In 1987 the reef and surrounding waters were designated as the Ningaloo Marine Park, and while the waters of the park are known for the seasonal feeding concentrations of the whale shark, the area is also visited by a range of whale and dolphin species. Humpback whales migrate through the Marine Park from May to October each year. Ningaloo is also visited by dwarf minke whales, orcas, pygmy blue whales, Bryde's whales, Australian humpback dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins and southern right whales.
Cape Range National Park
The national park surrounding Sal Salis is a place of rugged limestone ranges, breath-taking deep canyons and 50km of pristine beaches. It covers some 50,581 hectares and its northern boundary is just 40km from Exmouth. Wildlife is abundant with a variety of birds, emus, euros and Red Kangaroos commonly sighted. Cape Range offers a variety of attractions and activities for visitors interested in the natural environment.
Aeons ago the range was an isolated island and as a result, there are several species of plants and animals that are endemic to the area, including the red centred variety of the Sturt Desert Pea. Surveys have recorded over 630 species of flowering plants on the peninsula – a surprisingly high number for an arid limestone area.
Over 700 caves are catalogued in the Ranges and it is likely that many remain undiscovered. There are numerous gorges that provide a haven for wildlife and contain rare and unusual flora. A beautiful array of wildflowers can be seen in late winter including Sturt Desert Peas and the beautiful Bird Flower.
Exmouth Gulf lies between North West Cape and the main coastline of Western Australia, it is a rich marine environment and a nursery for humpback whales, dugong and turtles. The mangrove systems on the eastern margins are areas of high primary productivity feeding and restocking for both the Gulf and the famed nearby Ningaloo Reef. The Gulf sustains one of Western Australia's largest prawn fisheries, managed by the Kailis Fishing Group, which operates under license from the Western Australian Government.


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Topic : Puppy checklist pets at home.
Author : Alexis Boase.
Published : Tue, Jan 15 2019 :3 PM.
Format : jpg/jpeg.
Then, the list templates assure better productivity- after completing each task, you can tick it off on the list and this prevents the hassles of repetitive works. Finally, the checklists also motivate you to work enthusiastically for the event or project ahead through its list of tasks before you.
Troubleshooting checklist: When you need judgement-oriented checklists, you can use troubleshooting checklists. These lists are less technical in nature. Suppose, the engine of your car is not starting. There is a list of probable causes in the list, and you need to check out these factors to ensure that the car will get started. A troubleshooting checklist is commonly used when there is a problem regarding your work, and you want to fix the trouble by going through the list. It has to be based on your judgment.
The main importance of the checklist template is that it ensures that your project or event ahead proceeds in a proper order. As checklists present all the needed tasks to be done before you, you have a complete hang of all the responsibilities before you. This way, you can eliminate the issues of unwanted skips of certain steps in the process.
Checklists are important tools when we are given the responsibility of doing multiple things at once, which is why we are providing you sample checklist templates on our website. The checklists on our library range from event planning checklists to simple to-do checklists. Whether you are an event organizer or just someone who needs to accomplish several things within a specific deadline, the checklists that we have on our website will surely suit your needs.
So what are you waiting for? Let's get started! Have you ever used a checklist, or at least seen one? It consists of a list of items, usually in the order of importance, and they have been organized in such a way that you can tick off once you finish one item. Now creating a checklist can be an extremely tiresome process. You'll have to list the items on a piece of paper manually and tick them off one by one. Wouldn't it be great if you could get your hands on a templates which already has a ready made format? Well think no more, you can always take the help of checklist templates.


text: Rakesh Satyal is an award-winning novelist, book editor, and cabaret singer. His second novel, No One Can Pronounce My Name, just came out in May from Picador to incredible reception. It has been named one of Goodreads' Best Books of May, one of BuzzFeed's 31 Incredible Books You Need to Read This Spring, one of The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of 2017, and has received praise from writers such as Hanya Yanagihara, Maria Semple, Garth Greenwell, Celeste Ng, and Kate Christensen and rave reviews from critics at Fresh Air and Rolling Stone.


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On Exhibit: Tentacles
Animal Facts
Scientific Name
Octopus cyanea
Animal Type
small crabs, other crustaceans, molluscs and fishes
to 31.5 inches (80 cm)
squid, cuttlefish and nautilus; Phylum: Mollusca; Class: Cephalopoda
Indo-Pacific, Hawaii
At the Aquarium
How do our beautiful day octopuses get to the Aquarium? They take a plane, of course! A longtime colleague on Oahu carefully prepares the animals for a direct flight from Honolulu to San Francisco. Our aquarists drive up and meet the plane, ensuring a safe and speedy trip to Monterey.
The day octopus happens to be one of the most athletic and active species, says Curator of Husbandry Operations Paul Clarkson. "Pound for pound, it's about the strongest octopus we've ever exhibited. They like to huff and puff and blow water." Combine this strength with the animals' natural cleverness, and you have a real Houdini on your hands. "They're very willing to tear things up and escape," says Paul. "As a result, we've built a strong, five-foot cowling around the display."
The good news for visitors: because of this hyperactive personality, and the fact that this species is most active during the day, this is likely to be one of the most entertaining animals in the exhibit.
Natural History
The day octopus roams the reefs in tropical waters from Hawaii to East Africa. The large, almost three-foot-long predators are short-lived, surviving just one year and breeding only once.
While most octopuses hunt at night, this species spends its days stalking crabs, clams and fishes. Because it forages during daylight, it has exceptional camouflage skills, and can transform its skin into long, lumpy ridges, mimicking nearby corals, rocks or algae.
After foraging, an octopus usually retreats to its den to eat at leisure. It kills its prey (crabs are a favorite food) with venom secreted from its salivary glands, then cracks the shell with its sharp beak. It can also drill a hole in the snail's shell with its radula and inject a chemical that separates the snail's flesh from its shell. An octopus deposits empty shells outside its den in a pile–commonly called an "octopus's garden."
This species is fished commercially and recreationally throughout its range. As with other sea life, pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction pose serious threats to cephalopods.
Cool Facts
The octopus is a highly developed marine mollusc. It has three hearts—one pumps blood through the body and the other two pump blood through the gills. Researchers consider octopuses to be the most intelligent invertebrates—maybe as intelligent as a house cat.
Although it has excellent eyesight, an octopus uses touch and smell to find food—thousands of chemical receptors and millions of texture receptors line the rims of its suckers. It scours the sandy seafloor to flush out small prey, or crawls in and out of rocky areas to hunt crabs and shrimp.
The octopus begins life as larvae in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, spending a short time drifting as plankton in early stages of development.


text:
Wall Charger for All Cordless Swivel Sweepers Batteries
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Computer + Reading Glasses Combo Set (JB7675-3.0)
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Baseboard Cleaning - 10 Refill Sponges
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Samsung Galaxy Note, a 5.3-inch handset with a pen for note-taking, drawing and do screen-shots. It runs on Android 2.3 with a 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED display, dual 8-megapixel and 2-megapixel camera. Galaxy Note comes with a dual-core 1.4GHz processor and is able to run LTE and HSPA+.
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text: All joking aside, there are plenty of places in the world where getting speedy medical attention is difficult. And that's where the Jaambaaro concept from designer Benoît Angibaud comes in. It's a two-person pedal-powered ambulance, designed to get the sick and wounded to hospital in areas where motor vehicles are rare. It would have solar panels to help generate some energy, and be made of locally-salvaged materials. Great idea, though I have to admit the first thing that came to mind when seeing the stretcher's blister canopy was a short dude in glasses, shouting "Choppers!"... [Yanko Design]


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Open Form With Text Box Already Filled, Access 2016
Sep 13 2019, 04:46 PM
Posts: 50
Joined: 13-June 16
Good evening everyone.
I have a form and a text field.
I would like that when opening this form this field already appeared filled with the word "test". So that saving this information was recorded in the table field.
Some way?
Sep 13 2019, 06:27 PM
UA Moderator
Posts: 77,542
Joined: 19-June 07
From: SunnySandyEggo
Hi. Have you tried setting the Default Value of the textbox?
Just my 2 cents... "And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know" - Kansas
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Sep 13 2019, 09:13 PM
Posts: 6,373
Joined: 11-November 10
From: SoCal, USA
are there one or more other bound controls on the form? after you open the form, will you be entering data into at least one other bound control on the form?
if the answer to both questions above is Yes, then setting the control's DefaultValue, as DBguy suggested, will work fine. if the answer to either question is No, then you will need to set the value of the control either manually or programmatically, and then Save the record, in order for the value to 1) be in the control and 2) be saved to the field in the underlying table.
"the wheel never stops turning"
Sep 14 2019, 09:41 AM
UA Admin
Posts: 36,796
Joined: 20-June 02
From: Newcastle, WA
Hang on. If the value "test" is ALWAYS going to be added to this field via this control, then it's probably not very useful is it?
Or can it be changed by the user to something other than "test" during data entry of a new record?
I would actually make this the Default value for this field in the table, not in the form.
DefaultValue.PNG ( 2.73K )Number of downloads: 8
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Sep 16 2019, 09:06 AM
Posts: 50
Joined: 13-June 16
Good Morning.
I decided by inserting the text in the property "default value" of the field.
This need is for an adaptation to a specific need to have a standard form with a difference in a small ID that would be "modified" using it.
thank you all.
Sep 16 2019, 10:51 AM
UA Moderator
Posts: 77,542
Joined: 19-June 07
From: SunnySandyEggo
Hi. Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Good luck with your project.
Just my 2 cents... "And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know" - Kansas
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LILLIAN AXE To Release Acoustic Live Album 'One Night In The Temple' In April
Performed acoustically in an intimate setting housed in a Masonic Temple in the Bayou with LILLIAN AXE's most diehard fans, "One Night In The Temple" features all the band's hits, including "True Believer", "Show A Little Love", "Crucified", "Misery Loves Company", "Ghost Of Winter", "The Great Divide", "Bow Your Head", "Waters Rising" and the crowd favorite "Nobody Knows".
LILLIAN AXE guitarist founder Steve Blaze reflects: "When I first had the idea of putting this show together, it was originally going to be a private 20-person show with acoustic guitars, vocals and no production, however, it took on a life of its own."
"One Night In The Temple" will be released as three-disc set (2CDs/1DVD and 2CDs/1Blu-ray), housed in an elaborate digipack. Filmed in high definition, the Blu-ray and DVD will contain the acoustic performance, fan question and answer session, videos for the songs "Caged In" and "Death Comes Tomorrow", live concert footage from the band's July 4, 2013 performance at the Paragon Casino and behind-the-scenes footage.
"One Night In The Temple" track listing:
Disc 1:
01. Waters Rising
02. Death Comes Tomorrow
03. Ghost Of Winter
04. See You Someday
05. The Great Divide
06 Nocturnal Symphony
07. Sad Day On Planet Earth
08. Bow Your Head
09. Show A Little Love
10. Misery Loves Company
Disc 2:
01. Crucified
02. The World Stopped Turning
03. Dyin' To Live (Shades Of Blue)
04. Until The End Of The World
05. The Day I Met You
06. The Promised Land
07. Nobody Knows
08. My Apologies
09. True Believer
10. Nobody Knows (Crowd Version)
LILLIAN AXE is Brian Jones (lead vocals), Steve Blaze (guitar and vocals), Sam Poitevent (guitar and vocals), Eric Morris (bass) and Ken Koudelka (drums).
LILLIAN AXE will be touring to support this release this summer.


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Liberty News
President Falwell urges students to seek counseling for troubles
The day after the tragic event involving a Liberty University freshman and a Liberty emergency services officer, President Jerry Falwell, Jr. addressed the student body during Wednesday's Convocation, urging them to seek help for their troubles before they become overwhelming.
"I know how stressful college life can be and I know at your age that every problem seems to be magnified, not having been through a lot of these types of stresses before," he told them. "But I urge you to get help. Don't wait until it boils over; don't wait until it becomes unbearable. We have professional counselors here, many people who can help you, from faculty to the Student Care Office, and a number of pastors and leaders. Please seek help."
- Students who would like to speak to a licensed professional counselor are asked to contact the Student Care Office at firstname.lastname@example.com or (434) 582-2320. Counselors are available 24/7.
Falwell asked students, faculty, and staff to continue to pray and support one another.
"In a situation like this, there are so many people impacted, there are so many people who need prayer, from the family of the victim … to the students who knew him, to the officer."
With his brother, the Rev. Jonathan Falwell, joining him on stage as the guest speaker, Falwell shared about how their own family was impacted by a similar event. He told them that their grandfather shot his own brother in self-defense in 1931, and that he carried the burden for 16 years and plunged into alcoholism, which eventually led to his death.
Falwell expressed his sympathy for other tragedies that also occurred on Tuesday, including Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds, who was stabbed, and Deeds' son who was found shot to death. He also announced that a Liberty student had learned on Tuesday that his twin brother had died in an accident, and that there was a suicide attempt (unrelated to Tuesday's shooting) on campus the same day as well.
"We ask that you pray for each other, support each other, help each other get through these events," he said.
The student body then had a time of prayer, closed by Dr. Ron Godwin, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs.
At the end of Convocation, Falwell announced that during the message he was able to speak briefly to the mother of Joshua Hathaway, the student who was killed. Falwell said she had asked him to convey her thanks to the students for their prayers, and for the support of her son's prayer group, and asked for continued prayers as the family begins to process this tragedy.
In an interview following Convocation, Falwell told the media about the phone call.
"I told her… that our whole community is heartsick about what happened. I just can't imagine what was going through his mind, what he was trying to deal with, the stresses that he just thought were insurmountable, and our heart goes out to the family. As a parent myself I just can't imagine what their family is going through."
|Watch the Rev. Jonathan Falwell's full Convocation message on Liberty's YouTube channel.
At the beginning of the main Convocation message, the Rev. Jonathan Falwell asked that students also remember his brother, President Falwell, in prayer as he leads the university during these difficult times. Rev. Falwell then delivered a fitting, motivational message to students as the semester comes to a close. (Classes are out for Thanksgiving break next week, and then students will have two more weeks before the semester ends and Christmas break begins.)
The message, based on Micah 6:8, focused on the "three greatest aspirations" in life: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." He told students that while culture may tell us that fame, power, and money are the top three, Christians must seek to live out this Scripture in their lives.


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Cloud computing overview: 12 reasons to love it or leave it
Cloud computing -- should you love it or leave it? For now, maybe both, Forrester Research says.
There are reasons aplenty to stick your head into cloud computing, says Forrester Research Inc. analyst James Staten. IT can't keep up with the demands of the business. The best Web services companies have maxed out their data centers for efficiency, and those babies can handle almost anything you throw them. You pay by the drink. You are free of long-term contracts. Most cloud vendors let you come and go as you please, Staten said. And all you need to do is log in.
But that doesn't mean cloud computing is enterprise-ready. For your beach-reading entertainment, a cloud computing overview: 12 reasons, courtesy of Staten and his team, why the technology is -- or isn't -- coming to an enterprise near you.
P.S.: Cloud computing, by Forrester's definition, refers to "a pool of highly scalable and managed compute infrastructure capable of hosting end-customer applications and billed by consumption."
Why cloud computing
- Capacity planning is hard to do: Of course, you want to provision IT at Internet speed, but figuring out whether the data center can hold another service, and where that service should go and what needs to be moved to make room for it, takes time. Also, there is a dearth of good tools to do this.
- Catch-22: You have vowed to keep up with the business, but "just give them another server" doesn't cut it anymore, because IT must control spending.
- The Biz wants a down-and-dirty prototype -- nothing big or fully baked: So, again, why can't IT squeeze in this modest proposal? Because it's hard to fit it in. (See No. 1) Security reasons also make it hard for you to set up an outside play area for them to kick around the idea.
- The data centers of the big Internet services providers, such as Amazon Web Services, Salesforce.com Inc. or Akamai Technologies Inc., are better than yours. "Vastly superior," team Staten says. Economies of scale can get you a real deal on the economics of running a data center, not to mention kid-glove treatment from sharp-clawed hardware, software and maintenance vendors.
- Their data centers are better than yours, part 2. Big Internet service providers have not only better processes but also management and administration tools that, almost like magic, can spread applications across thousands of servers and scale them quickly, reminds Staten. (For more on these points, Staten suggests you read Amazon CTO Werner Vogels' blog, All Things Distributed.
Why not, cloud computing
No bandwagon. For a service to be ready for the enterprise to consume, Forrester feels that a sufficient volume of enterprise customers has to use it. Makes sense. At this stage, that isn't happening. The main consumers of cloud computing are small fries and startups that don't have the legacy headaches you have, or the hardened attitudes about giving up control. However, "platforms are maturing," and two to three years hence, being on the bandwagon will be the smart way to go.
In the meantime, some seemingly staid companies like The New York Times Co. are getting a toehold. The Grey Lady, despite real jitters on the part of NYT IT developer Derek Gottfrid, leveraged Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and Amazon Simple Storage Service to help get its archives online, Staten reports.
- Stability: cloudy today. Most cloud vendors do not provide availability assurances, and service-level agreements are mostly nonexistent, according to Forrester. A big deterrent for enterprises (and CIOs, who want to stay employed, no?).
- Not a lot of name brands. Big companies have an affinity for marquee names when it comes to their vendors, and with the exception of Amazon Web Services, Salesforce.com and Akamai, name brands are none too plentiful in the clouds. Google Inc., Microsoft and Yahoo Inc. are coming, but until more big players have skin in the clouds, big companies will stay away, Forrester predicts.
- No name brands, redux: The companies that are using cloud computing are not eager to act as references, according to Staten, who made repeated requests for customer testimonials, to no effect.
- Security: Enterprise CIOs worry that cloud providers have not battened down the hatches against security breaches, but this might be a bum rap, Staten said. Hosting companies that are expanding into the cloud proudly tell Forrester security is one of their core competencies, rather than the "necessary evil" it is for most companies.
- Lack of commercial independent software vendor support: Most clouds are unique infrastructures and providers are secretive, so commercial operating systems and applications are not certified on these platforms. Also, given that the infrastructures by definition are virtualized, licensing is an issue.
- Can't pick the neighborhood. With the exception of Akamai and Layered Technologies Inc., cloud vendors interviewed by Forrester will not place your app in a specific geography. Most don't have geographic coverage. Amazon EC2 does but won't tell your where your stuff is located.
Let us know what you think about the story; email Linda Tucci, Senior News Writer.


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What is Apache Tiles 2?
Apache Tiles is a templating framework built to simplify the development of web application user interfaces.
Tiles allows authors to define page fragments which can be assembled into a complete page at runtime. These fragments, or tiles, can be used as simple includes in order to reduce the duplication of common page elements or embedded within other tiles to develop a series of reusable templates. These templates streamline the development of a consistent look and feel across an entire application.
Source: Apache Tiles 2
Our MVC application is about pet information. The main page describes pets in general. The other two pages are speficic for dogs and cats . We will develop our application using standard JSP. Then later, we'll create a Tiles version.
Let's start with the Pets page.
There are four major div elements here. Each one has been assigned an id so that we can style them using CSS.
Here's the actual screenshot of the Pets page:
Here's the Dogs page.
There are five major div elements here. Each one has been assigned an id so that we can style them using CSS.
Here's the actual screenshot of the Dogs page
Here's the Cats page.
Here's the actual screenshot of the Cats page
We also have the same five major div elements here.
In order for these JSP pages to be served in Spring MVC, we need to declare the corresponding controller.
This controller has three mappings:
/notiles/pets - for displaying the pets page /notiles/dogs - for displaying the dogs page /notiles/cats - for displaying the cats pageTo load the pets page, enter the following url:
http://localhost:8080/spring-tiles/krams/notiles/petsTo load the dogs page, enter the following url:
http://localhost:8080/spring-tiles/krams/notiles/dogsTo load the cats page, enter the following url:
http://localhost:8080/spring-tiles/krams/notiles/catsThat's it. We've developed a simple Spring MVC 3 application using standard JSPs.
However, we have a problem
We've declared three JSP pages. Imagine if we have 100 JSP pages to managed with. We need to modify the title and the footer. So we open all 100 JSP pages, edit them one by one. To make it faster, we copy and paste the same code. But we made a typo. So we edit again those 100 pages. And the cycle goes on. What if we have 500 pages? 1000? How do we make our lives less difficult?
Enter Apache Tiles 2
Let's refactor our JSPs. Remember in each of these pages there are major div elements. We'll use those as markers for our templates.
The Pets page uses the following structure:
Our first template is based on this structure.
Each div contains a tiles:insertAttribute element. These are placeholders for the actual content.
Our second template will be based on the cats.jsp and dogs.jsp. They share the same structure so that means they will share the same template.
So far we have created 5 JSPs:
cats.jsp - a standard JSP dogs.jsp - a standard JSP pets.jsp - a standard JSP detail.jsp - a Tiles JSP main.jsp - a Tiles JSPTo use these templates we need to activate Apache Tiles by declaring the required XML configurations. To do that we need to declare the required Spring configurations as well.
We'll start with the web.xml.
Take note of the URL pattern. When accessing any pages in our MVC application, the host name must be appended with
/kramsIn the web.xml we declared a servlet-name spring. By convention, we must declare a spring-servlet.xml as well.
This XML config declares a view resolver. All references to a JSP name in the controllers will map to a corresponding JSP in the /WEB-INF/jsp location.
By convention, we must declare an applicationContext.xml
This XML config declares three beans to activate the Spring 3 MVC programming model. W've also imported a resource tiles-context.xml. This contains the Tiles configuration.
This configuration declares required beans to activate Tiles. The TilesConfigurer relies on an external definitions file tiles-definitions.xml for the actual declaration of the templates.
We've declared two templates: template-main and template-detail.
These attributes must match the attributes you declared in template: main.jsp
We've declared three concrete pages: pet-tiles, dog-tiles, cat-tiles
Each concrete page extends a template name. For example, cat-tiles extends from template-detail. In Java this is comparable to inheritance.
Do you understand now how Tiles can help us reduce repetitive code and lessen errors? By reusing the same JSP and template, we improve our development time. Our JSPs became manageable. If you want to switch content, you just do it in the tiles-definitions.xml. For example, if you need to update the footer.jsp, you just open the file. Edit then save. You don't need to edit 1000 JSP pages anymore.
Of course, if you're just dealing with three pages. The initial configuration might be too much. But in real-life applications, it's a time saver because you're dealing with lots of JSPs.
Because we're still dealing with a MVC application, we need to declare another controller to handle these Tiles pages.
This controller has three mappings:
/tiles/pets - for displaying the pets page /tiles/dogs - for displaying the dogs page /tiles/cats - for displaying the cats pageTo load the pets page, enter the following url:
http://localhost:8080/spring-tiles/krams/tiles/petsTo load the dogs page, enter the following url:
http://localhost:8080/spring-tiles/krams/tiles/dogsTo load the cats page, enter the following url:
Let's compare side by side our JSP pages with using the standard JSPs and the ones with Tiles support.
Pets Page (before and after)
Dogs Page (before and after)
Cats Page (before and after)
That's it. We've managed to refactor our code and use the Tiles framework. We've also leveraged on Spring programming model to develop our MVC application.
The best way to learn further is to try the actual application.
Download the project
You can access the project site at Google's Project Hosting at http://code.google.com/p/spring-mvc-tiles/
You can download the project as a Maven build. Look for the spring-tiles.zip in the Download sections.
You can run the project directly using an embedded server via Maven.
For Tomcat: mvn tomcat:run
For Jetty: mvn jetty:run
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Wirefly helps you save on cell phones and plans by offering innovative comparison tools so consumers can make educated choices. Start saving today with Wirefly!
Wirefly helps you save on Internet service by offering innovative comparison tools to compare Internet providers in your area.
Test your current internet connection with our speed test and see what services your provider can handle. Find out your download speed, upload speed, latency, and more.
Test Your Internet SpeedInternet Speed Test
The purpose of health insurance is to cover or offset the cost of health expenses, whether medical or surgical, for insured individuals. There are a variety of health insurance plans available. Some types require the individual to pay up-front costs (also referred to as out-of-pocket costs) and be reimbursed later while other plans involve direct payments to the provider. To simplify the process of determining which health insurance plan is best for you, Wirefly offers free online quotes for comparing health insurance options in Washington, CA.
Typically, health insurance plans in Washington, CA are offered through private companies or employers. Senior citizens can also receive coverage through a program known as Medicare while low-income individuals can be covered by Medicaid. Medicaid and Medicare are both offered at lower rates than private insurance plans.
It is possible to select varying levels of coverage in health insurance plans. Lower cost plans may only offer coverage for catastrophic events, while more expensive plans would offer more complete coverage. In most cases, individuals attempt to anticipate their upcoming medical needs prior to choosing a specific coverage plan.
Forecasting your future health needs can be a difficult endeavor since life is so unpredictable. Therefore, you cannot accurately approximate the amount of coverage you will require for the following year. The best way to analyze your health needs is by using past health records to determine what you are likely to require in the near future.
For example, people who are generally healthy and do not go to hospital often are best suited for low cost health coverage. However, a person who is suffering from a chronic condition and needs to see the doctor regularly will need to get a package that has wider coverage.
Catastrophic-only insurance is among the cheapest health insurance policy types in Washington, CA. This type of coverage is meant for persons who rarely go to the hospital and who only want to insure themselves against an unprecedented emergency. This coverage may also suit people who are involved in high-risk activities since it caters for regular doctor appointments and ER visits.
Higher insurance coverage involves high monthly premiums. Therefore, the more one pays in terms of monthly costs, the more their insurance company will pay for their health care needs. Therefore, it is important to factor your health history and lifestyle when choosing a medical insurance plan. You should cover the basics before considering additional coverage.
There are many different types of health insurance plans that can be purchased in Washington, CA. While most offer different levels of coverage, some will offer similar levels of coverage that make the plans appear exactly the same. However, there are key differences that everyone must look out for, even if the coverage types are the same. For one, the premium may be lower on one plan than the other. The flexibility of each plan might also vary. Some of the main health insurance plans available include an HMO, PPO, POS, HSA, HRA, MSA, and FSA. Each of these types of plans are slightly different from one another.
For instance, an HMO is a health maintenance organization plan, which means that the individual covered by this plan will need to travel to their primary care physician for all healthcare-related needs. Under this plan, the individual is usually able to select a primary care physician in Washington, CA from a vast pool of options. If ever the individual needs to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist, they must first seek a referral from the primary care doctor. This applies to all specialists. These plans tend to come with lower premium amounts but with a limited network of doctors. Despite these small downsides, deductibles are eliminated and out-of-pocket costs are kept low.
A Preferred Provider Organization, or PPO, plan differs slightly from an HMO in that the individual who purchased the plan can choose from a much larger network of health care providers in Washington, CA. When selecting a primary care doctor, the individual has sole choice of which one they use, while no referrals are necessary to see additional specialists. While this insurance plan offers a substantial amount of coverage for in-network costs, it's still possible to receive a limited amount of coverage when visiting a doctor or hospital that's out-of-network. These plans tend to come with copay options and deductibles as well as slightly higher premiums than an HMO.
A Point of Service, or POS, plan is crafted to be a combination of the previous two plans. The network is rather sizable and provides the individual with a choice of which primary care physician to see. There are no deductibles and very small copayments when visiting a healthcare provider in-network. However, both of these are very high when the doctor or hospital is out-of-network.
While the three previous types of insurance plans are among the most popular, there are also plenty of others to choose from, including a health reimbursement account, a health savings accounts, a medical savings account, and a health flexible spending arrangement. With any of these accounts, the individual's employer will set money into the tax-exempt account to cover any medical expenses. This money can be used for a wide range of healthcare costs, though is not always available for over-the-counter medications. If some of the money is not used during the course of the year, certain plans allow this money to be placed into the account for next year.
The premium is the monthly fee for a health insurance policy in Washington, CA. The policyholder pays this amount for coverage even if he doesn't use it that month. The deductible is the amount that the policyholder pays for healthcare coverage first before the insurance provider pays its portion of the bill.
People sometimes confuse deductibles with out-of-pocket costs, but they're not the same. The deductible is the amount the policyholder must pay for the year before his insurance provider covers anything, while out-of-pocket costs are how much money the policyholder spends before the provider covers all of the bill.
With a typical health insurance plan in Washington, CA, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs reset to $0 at the start of a new calendar year. For example, if a policyholder's plan has a $3,000 deductible and he spends $2,000 in out-of-pocket costs that year, his out-of-pocket expenses go back to $0 on January 1. This isn't always the case, as there are a few plans that roll over the paid deductible amount from the end of one year to the next.
The co-payment, also known as co-insurance, is the amount the policyholder needs to pay for a service. The amount can vary depending on the service. If a plan has a primary physician visit co-payment of $10, then the policyholder must pay that $10 every time he visits his primary physician. The insurance provider pays for the remaining balance as long as the policyholder has coverage for those services. Co-payments don't count towards a plan's deductible.
A plan could have a maximum lifetime benefit, which is the most that the insurance provider will pay out for the policy holder's healthcare costs. After hitting that mark, the insurance provider won't pay any more healthcare costs for the policyholder.
A person's health care options rely quite a bit on his employment status. Employees of large companies can typically sign up for a group health insurance plan. While no one is legally required to sign up for a group plan, these plans tend to cost less than individual plans.
Those who are unemployed or self-employed will need to get private, individual health insurance plans. There are other options available for senior citizens who don't work and people with low incomes. Seniors can sign up for a Medicare plan for financial assistance from the government. People with low incomes can get government-provided financial assistance through a Medicaid plan.
If a person already has a doctor he likes, he should ask what health insurance plans in Washington, CA that doctor can accept. He must also notify the doctor regarding changes to his insurance plan.
People do not want to have huge medical bills, and health insurance will keep individuals from being burdened with a large amount of debt. Many things influence the plan and rates of health insurance. However, with Wirefly, individuals just enters their ZIP code, and they will be presented with health insurance quotes. It is so simple.
Remember that the lowest cost is not always the best coverage for a person. If an individual intends to get married and have children in the future, they need to make sure they have covered for maternity bills. People should not just try to save money without getting the coverage they need. Health insurance coverage is not cheap, but it is better than having huge medical expenses. We can help find people the best insurance plans in Washington, CA. We will get individuals quotes, so they can save money.
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text:
Heavy snow was falling Friday afternoon in the typical lake-effect areas, where northwest and west winds were delivering a steady flow of cold, unstable air.
That included North Carolina's mountains, where Beech Mountain picked up 3 to 5 inches since around daybreak. At midday, there were numerous reports of 1 to 3 inches on the ground in the high country, and that's certainly good news to the ski resort operators.
It's also enough to bring a smile to those who were looking for a White Christmas in the mountains.
It also was snowing hard in the places where northwest flow typically does its thing -- near Buffalo; east of Cleveland, on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan; in the Pennsylvania and West Virginia mountains; and, of course, in upstate New York south of Lake Ontario.
That comes on the heels of the heavy snow that fell late Wednesday and Thursday across Iowa, Wisconsin and parts of northwest Illinois.
I saw some amazing numbers, that tell a lot more about last winter than this season.
Last winter, of course, was among the mildest on record in much of the eastern United States. Charlotte's total snowfall was a trace, and it all fell in a one-hour period -- in the form of sleet -- on a Sunday evening in February.
It was the same story in the Great Lakes, the Midwest, and on the East Coast. And the early part of this year has continued the trend. It was colder than average in November, but little or no snow fell.
So when snow finally came down Thursday in Chicago, it marked the time in 290 days that the white stuff fell in the Windy City. Cleveland got snow Friday -- also the first time in 290 days.
Those are among the longest periods in history without snow.
Long-range trends point toward colder-than-average temperatures in January, so I think we can expect that snowfall will come with much more frequency now.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Snow ... it was a long time coming
Heavy snow was falling Friday afternoon in the typical lake-effect areas, where northwest and west winds were delivering a steady flow of cold, unstable air.
3 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Had some flurries up in Greensboro today. Looked out my office window and noticed a few flakes blowing around in the breeze :)
- December 21, 2012 at 2:59 PM
- Anonymous said...
Several of us went out for a holiday brunch today in Cornelius and saw flakes flying in the wind on the way back!
- December 21, 2012 at 3:23 PM
- Anonymous said...
We saw flurries in Northwest Charlotte a little while ago.
- December 21, 2012 at 3:45 PM


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Posted May 22, 2007
Vyacheslav Izmailov, Novaya Gazeta's military correspondent, leads a visitor down a long, dark hallway to Anna Politkovskaya's locked office. Things are mostly as she left them, he says, pointing to a desk covered in newspapers and folders. A delicate vase is filled with fresh flowers.
At Novaya Gazeta, Moscow's twice-weekly independent newspaper, the staff's pain is fresh even now, months after an assassin gunned down Politkovskaya--Anya, as colleagues called her--in her Moscow apartment building in October 2006.
In a country where 80 percent of the public gets its news from state-controlled television, Novaya's dogged coverage of social and political issues has won it devoted readers and passionate enemies. Two of its top journalists have been assassinated and a third has died under mysterious circumstances in the past six years; all reported on risky topics before their deaths. In the face of such peril, it would have been natural for the paper to tone down its tough coverage. But resilience has long been a trademark of Novaya, known by many these days as "Anya's paper."
Audio Slide Show
CPJ's Nina Ognianova tells the backstory of "Anya's Paper"
The news staff of 60 can boast of coverage that has spurred more than 30 criminal investigations over the years. Politkovskaya's work alone resulted in 15 such cases and more than 20 convictions. Now, staffers are turning their attention to the deaths of their own colleagues. "The truth is, we cannot back down," says Izmailov, whose office is brimming with files on the journalists' murders. "It is they who must fear us, not vice versa. Only then do we stand a chance at uncovering the truth."
While the paper has made progress in probing all three cases, he says the biggest challenge is getting authorities to prosecute. "We have to make sure our cases are solid so prosecutors would have no choice but to consider them," Izmailov says.
In July 2000, Novaya reporter and special projects editor Igor Domnikov, 42, died in a hospital bed, two months after sustaining severe head injuries in an attack. Five suspects are now on trial for his murder in Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, but the suspected masterminds walk free. Domnikov published articles critical of a regional governor before his death. Izmailov, who is investigating the case for the paper, says Novaya is gathering evidence to convince prosecutors to open a separate criminal probe into the suspected masterminds. If Novaya succeeds, Domnikov's case would be the first in Russia in more than a decade in which both killers and masterminds were brought to justice for killing a journalist.
Persuading prosecutors to investigate the mysterious death of Deputy Editor Yuri Shchekochikhin has been more challenging. "We recently received yet another denial from the prosecutor general's office to our appeal," Izmailov says.
Shchekochikhin, 53, had long covered sensitive subjects such as military corruption and alleged atrocities by Russian troops in Chechnya. In July 2003, he fell gravely ill with what authorities said was "a rare allergy" and died in a hospital only a few days later. Hospital authorities sealed his records, saying only that they were "a medical secret," and refused to grant access--even to his immediate family. Both Novaya and Shchekochikhin's relatives suspect he was poisoned to prevent him from further covering an intricate scheme involving money laundering, weapons trafficking, and illegal oil smuggling--allegations that reached into the prosecutor general's office and the Federal Security Services (FSB). A month before the mysterious sickness claimed his life, Shchekochikhin questioned the independence of the judicial system handling the case. "Do not tell me fairy tales about the independence of judges," he wrote. "Until we have a fair trial, documents will be purged, witnesses intimidated or killed, and investigators themselves prosecuted." The prosecutor general's office says there is no evidence of foul play in Shchekochikhin's death.
At the same time, Novaya is investigating the latest murder of a staffer. In an editorial published immediately after Politkovskaya's assassination, the staff pledged, "While there is a Novaya Gazeta, her killers won't sleep soundly." Four days later, they published Politkovskaya's unfinished article about torture committed against Chechen civilians by security units loyal to Ramzan Kadyrov, then prime minister and now acting president of the southern republic, along with photos of the torture victims. And in early January, Novaya investigative reporter Igor Korolkov published a lengthy article that blamed security agents for killing government critics as a matter of "state interest."
"When Anya was killed, I called an emergency editorial meeting and wanted to close down the paper," Editor Dmitry Muratov says. "I told my staff no story is worth dying for. But they wouldn't let me do it ...We had to go on."
Novaya Deputy Editor Sergei Sokolov, a tall, thin man with an energetic manner, works long hours investigating Politkovskaya's murder, as well as other Russian journalist murders. In Novaya, he has pressed authorities to report publicly where they are holding the convicted killer of Sovetskaya Kalmykiya Segodnya Editor Larisa Yudina, slain in June 1998 in the southern Russian republic of Kalmykiya. "Neither the prosecutor's office nor the justice ministry would answer a simple question for us: Where is the culprit being held? They tell us they have him. So where is he?" he asks.
At least two Novaya journalists have received death threats in connection with their investigation of Politkovskaya's murder. One received an anonymous text message that noted his home address and warned him to stop digging into the case. Editor Muratov says a personal guard has been assigned to one staffer, whom he declined to name.
The paper has come a long way. In 1993, five years after leaving the popular daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, Muratov and Sokolov joined with 50 colleagues to start Novaya Gazeta (fittingly, in English, the New Newspaper). The Novaya Web site, which devotes a section to the newspaper's history, says its founders wanted to create an "honest, independent, and rich" publication that would reach one million readers and influence national policy.
It was a lofty goal considering they began with two computers, one printer, two rooms, and no money for salaries. Sokolov and several colleagues handed out copies of Novaya's first issue to passersby near the Pushkinskaya subway station in central Moscow. It was April 1, 1993--April Fools' Day, the skeptics pointed out. "We had to work without salaries and publish each issue as if it were our last," Sokolov says.
An initial boost came from former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who donated part of his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize award to pay for computers and salaries. In 1994, former first lady Raisa Gorbachev bought Muratov his first mobile phone, according to press reports. By 1996, Novaya's circulation had risen to 70,000 from its initial run of 10,000 copies.
There were bumps along the way, though. The paper was never popular with advertisers, who preferred higher-circulation, more commercial publications. It struggled financially and briefly shut down in 1995. In 2002, a series of libel lawsuits carrying hefty fines almost caused another suspension. Muratov says the paper was targeted by disgruntled officials who were accommodated in politicized Russian courts.
Unlike most other liberal media, Novaya did not compromise its independent stance in the early 1990s, even when the paper's position was unpopular. When then-President Boris Yeltsin ordered a violent crackdown on communist hardliners who rose against him in October 1993, Novaya condemned his actions, which left scores of people dead, including six journalists, according to CPJ research. And in 1996, when liberal media backed Yeltsin's re-election, the paper kept its balanced coverage.
That kind of editorial integrity preserved Novaya's credibility, sustained its readership, and attracted some of Russia's top journalists. The paper's independence has been boosted by the fact that, until recently, Novaya journalists owned 100 percent of its stock. In June 2006, to secure an infusion of capital, Muratov persuaded his staff to sell 49 percent of their stock to longtime benefactor Gorbachev and a partner, Aleksandr Lebedev.
Lebedev, a billionaire Moscow banker and member of the ruling, pro-Kremlin party United Russia, bought 39 percent of the shares while Gorbachev received 10 percent. Though Lebedev has assured the staff he shares their values and won't seek to influence editorial matters, there are skeptics in and out of the newsroom. A number of government-connected businesspeople have bought into media properties in recent years. Less than two months after Lebedev's partial purchase of Novaya, the Kremlin-friendly businessman Alisher Usmanov, general director of Gazprom subsidiary Gazprominvestholding, bought the business daily Kommersant, one of the last independent newspapers with national reach. Two years before, the popular independent daily Izvestiya was purchased by Gazprom; it no longer criticizes the Kremlin.
Muratov says he is not worried. Support from Gorbachev and Lebedev, he says, would only strengthen the paper. "I am sure that with his authority, Mr. Gorbachev wants to protect us from all possible forms of pressure," he told Russian papers. "We want this newspaper to serve not the state, but society."
According to news reports, Lebedev will invest US$3.6 million to raise staff salaries, upgrade the paper's offices and equipment, and turn Novaya into a daily with a national reach. (It now has a circulation of 171,000, about 40 percent of which is based in Moscow.) When Politkovskaya was murdered, Lebedev immediately announced a reward of US$1 million for information about the killers.
The financial backing will no doubt keep Novaya reporters working. But being a muckraking reporter in Russia, the world's third-most dangerous country for journalists, is a risky proposition. The public overwhelmingly approves of President Vladimir Putin's policies, and it appears unmoved by attacks on the press, Muratov acknowledges, so every assignment begs the question, "Is the story worth the risk?"
Politkovskaya, who seemed energized by public apathy, addressed this in the prologue to her 2002 book, A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya: "People call the newspaper and send letters with one and the same question: 'Why are you writing about this? Why are you scaring us? Why do we need to know this?' I'm sure this has to be done, for one simple reason: As contemporaries of this war, we will be held responsible for it. The classic Soviet excuse of not being there and not taking part in anything personally won't work. So I want you to know the truth. Then you'll be free of cynicism."
Muratov says Novaya's staff has pulled together, again, after a colleague's murder. "We are putting together a team of four journalists to take her place," he says, then pauses. "It takes four people to replace one Anya."
Nina Ognianova, CPJ's program coordinator for Europe and Central Asia, led a delegation to Moscow in January 2007.


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Covering the Bases: Game 16
FIRST: The ending wasn't pretty: a solo homer from Alex Gordon in the 10th inning to send the Jays to a 4-3 loss.
But there were plenty of things before that pitch from Scott Downs that paved the way forthis loss. And really, that one pitch aside, Downs got three groundouts and picked a guy off to end the top of the ninth.
Things tend to get magnfied when the deciding blow is that type of homer, though. The reality is that — besides Gordon's homer and a three-run shot from Jose Guillen in the first — Toronto's pitching staff was good all afternoon.
Eight innings, four singles good.
Shaun Marcum allowed that three-run jolt in the first, but recovered by retiring 14 of the next 15 hitters he faced. Overall, Marcum's performance was solid. Just that one glitch came back to bit the Jays in the end.
But, a loss is a loss. And there's not much room for error when the pitcher on the other side if 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, who looked a whole lot like 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke.
Greinke's line: 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K.
SECOND: This was the seventh game in a row that the Blue Jays were playing short-handed. Edwin Encarnacion has been out with an ailing right shoulder and Toronto finally placed him on the 15-day DL following the loss. This time, the fact that the Jays were playing 24 deep showed.
The bench was thin and it forced Toronto to leave John McDonald in to hit with two outs and the game on the line in the bottom of the 10th inning. Mike McCoy had been appropriately used as a pinch runner in the eighth for catcher Jose Molina. That left the Jays without a second baseman on the bench in the 10th.
Should the Jays have used pinch hitter Randy Ruiz in the 10th, going for a shot at tying the game with a solo homer rather than use McDonald? Sure, there's an argument to be made. But then who plays second in the 11th? Ruiz? Overbay?
Good thing Aaron Hill is set to be activated from the DL on Friday.
THIRD: This is not necessarily related to the game in question, but the fact that Encarnacion has been placed on the DL, and Hill is expected to be activated — the scenario I raised yesterday — means that the Blue Jays do not need to send either Ruiz or McCoy down to clear room on the roster.
The Jays also reorganized their rotation some for the upcoming series against the Rays. Coming up is lefty Brett Cecil, who will start on Friday. That start was originally tabbed for Brian Tallet, but he's been shelved with a left forearm issue. Tallet's DL stint is retro to 4/18, Encarnacion's to 4/15.
HOME: Think the Jays miss Hill's bat at all? I'll leave you with this note… Over the 10-game homestand, during which Toronto went 4-6, the Blue Jays' offense hit .221 with 12 home runs and 85 strikeouts. It's been all or nothing. With runners in scoring position, the Jays hit at a .227 clip over the same span.
NOTE: I am not traveling to St. Pete for the weekend set against the Rays. So the blog and twitter feed will be dormant until the Jays return to the dome on Monday. Until then…
5 Comments
Can anyone tell me why Wallace is playing third base and Dopriak is playing first? Is this a misprint, platoon,?
Note: I hope that this is, in fact, true, and that the Jays plan to play Wallace at third. It will be much easier to find someone to play first — Ruiz, Dopriak, or someone else.
Just a guess but maybe they want them both playing every day in the field rather than having one sub at DH?
Wallace and Dopirak have split 1st base and DH in all the games so far for the 51s , Colonel is playing 3rd.
Thanks. They have Wallace listed as 3B, so it threw me.
Henderson Alvarez in Dunedin didn't have his best stuff tonight by comparison to his first 2 starts in which he went a total of 14 innings (7 each), gave up 7 hits in total, 2 walks in total, 6k's in total and 1 earned run in total.
Tonight he only went 5 innings, gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, 3 k's and 0 earned runs. However, his fly ball to ground out ratio was significantly different than the first 2 games with 5 go's and 6 fly outs whereas in his first two starts his ratio was about 3-1 suggesting his sinker probably wasn't moving as normal and he had to battle through.
That being said, he did lower his Florida State League leading era to .47 and his win loss record is now 2-0…..Not too shabby of a piece of work for an off day.
Although only 20 years old, this kid has been in the Blue Jays organization since 2007, coming up from the Dominican summer league team. He's also reasonably stretched out going 124 innings last year so he should be good to go to the 160 range this year and 200+ next.
It would be surprising if he's not promoted to AA sooner than later to be in the hunt for a starters role here in 2011 if he maintains this level of performance. The FSL is known as a pitchers league and this kid leads the league in era and is 5th in whip at .79.


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Nothing surprising about this, but in case there was doubt, here's Greg Sargent to dispel it:
The Obama Justice Department is not saying whether it will address this question. But sources tell me the legal team representing the plaintiffs in the Proposition 8 case — Ted Olson, David Boise, and Ted Boutrous — plan to lobby the administration to publicly declare that the right to gay marriage is protected by the constitution, and to file a legal brief supporting their argument to that effect.
This would be a big, big move on the administration's part. And Obama must do it, for two reasons. First, because it could help influence the Supreme Court to reach a broad conclusion on the constitutionality of gay marriage. Second, weighing in could help prepare public opinion to accept this right, too.
One of the overlooked footnotes to O's cynical "evolution" on gay marriage back in May was that he supported legalization at the state level but not as a matter of one-size-fits-all national policy. He was explicit about it too, purely as a way to reassure religious Democrats opposed to SSM that he wouldn't try to impose his policy preferences in this area. The One hates federalism, but if he has to nod at it in order to cover his ass with his base before an election, he'll do that. Remember?
At a certain point, I've just concluded that– for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that– I think same-sex couples should be able to get married. Now– I have to tell you that part of my hesitation on this has also been I didn't want to nationalize the issue. There's a tendency when I weigh in to think suddenly it becomes political and it becomes polarized.
And what you're seeing is, I think, states working through this issue– in fits and starts, all across the country. Different communities are arriving at different conclusions, at different times. And I think that's a healthy process and a healthy debate. And I continue to believe that this is an issue that is gonna be worked out at the local level, because historically, this has not been a federal issue, what's recognized as a marriage.
I told you on the day he said that that it was another politically calculated charade and that if/when SCOTUS came down from the mountain with the tablets proclaiming gay marriage a matter of equal protection, the White House would celebrate it euphorically even though constitutionalizing this issue directly contradicts Obama's argument in the excerpt above. And that's precisely what'll happen. Sargent, in fact, barely nods at O's stated federalist position, and why should he? It's a joke, designed at the time simply to temper the backlash among potential Obama voters to his endorsement of SSM. Now that he's safely reelected, though, the charade can drop and O can order the DOJ to argue that, yes indeed, gay marriage should be legal from coast to coast as a matter of inviolable constitutional principle. I think that'd be incredibly stupid, as it'll only compound the outrage among social conservatives and federalists once the Court short-circuits the democratic process and imposes SSM by Obama-endorsed judicial fiat. The pro-gay-marriage side is winning the culture war on this and will eventually win the war at the polls as older voters die off, but evidently the left cares less about building abiding respect for the legitimacy of SSM than in seizing its chance in court no matter what that means for embittering the opposition. The Court's legitimacy will be damaged too, which is probably the main counterweight in Kennedy's mind to the temptation of writing yet another watershed opinion on gay rights. If O really does care about broad acceptance of SSM, he'll back off on the Prop 8 case and give SCOTUS a wide berth to rule narrowly. But Obama being Obama, it'll be awfully hard to resist a chance to impose a new rule nationally with one fell swoop.
Just one question: Hasn't he already argued, essentially, that gay marriage should be legal under the Equal Protection Clause? When the DOJ decided last year that it would no longer defend DOMA, it gave this reasoning:
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the appropriate level of scrutiny for classifications based on sexual orientation. It has, however, rendered a number of decisions that set forth the criteria that should inform this and any other judgment as to whether heightened scrutiny applies: (1) whether the group in question has suffered a history of discrimination; (2) whether individuals "exhibit obvious, immutable, or distinguishing characteristics that define them as a discrete group"; (3) whether the group is a minority or is politically powerless; and (4) whether the characteristics distinguishing the group have little relation to legitimate policy objectives or to an individual's "ability to perform or contribute to society." See Bowen v. Gilliard, 483 U.S. 587, 602-03 (1987); City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Ctr., 473 U.S. 432, 441-42 (1985).
Each of these factors counsels in favor of being suspicious of classifications based on sexual orientation.
Read this post for a fuller explanation of why this language is significant, but the nutshell version is that Obama's DOJ is arguing here that laws that discriminate against gays should be given special scrutiny by courts under the Equal Protection Clause because gays are a historically persecuted group. Traditionally, once the Supreme Court finds that special, or "heightened," scrutiny is warranted, the law being challenged is almost always struck down as unconstitutional. Granted, the DOJ's argument above is aimed at DOMA, which doesn't deal squarely with gay marriage the way Prop 8 does, but its constitutional reasoning applies just as well to the latter law — and since SCOTUS has decided to review DOMA together with Prop 8 this term, it's bound to apply the Justice Department's anti-DOMA argument to Prop 8 as well. In other words, Obama's legal team doesn't necessarily have to weigh in on Prop 8. By weighing in against DOMA, it essentially already has.


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