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DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland's leaders issued last-minute appeals Friday for voters to amend the constitution to include stronger rights for children, making it easier for state agencies to protect children from abuse and for neglected kids to be adopted.
But the campaign to secure a "yes" vote in Saturday's referendum took a surprise hit from the Irish Supreme Court.
The five-judge court ruled that the government's information booklet backing the amendment, mailed to every household in this country of 4.6 million, was not fully accurate and violated laws requiring the government not to fund only one side of a referendum argument.
The government apologized, resisted calls to postpone the vote, and urged voters to approve the measure regardless of the strong possibility that the amendment would face legal challenge if passed.
The court ordered the government to take down the bulk of material from its campaign website, which had a similar presentation of facts and arguments, but said it would be impossible to recall the booklets. The court had no power to order a postponement of the vote.
"If we've made a mistake, we accept that, but don't take it out on the children," said Leo Varadkar, a government minister leading the campaign for approval.
"This amendment is 20 years overdue. There are children in long-term foster care relying on us to vote yes. There are also thousands of people who are victims of abuse whose voices aren't being heard," he said.
Ireland's 1937 constitution can be amended only through national referendums. Such votes typically involve polarized debates, with opposition parties often attacking the government on divisive issues such as divorce, abortion and Ireland's neutrality.
Not this time. Every party and every child-welfare charity supports the proposed amendment, while only one of parliament's 166 members says he will vote no. All opinion polls indicate voter approval for the measure, in part because of Ireland's scandal-plagued record on child protection to date.
Opposition has been confined to fringe pressure groups and a few iconoclasts, notably Irish Times columnist John Waters, who argues that state agencies are so incompetent in intervening in family matters that they should be given no new powers.
Waters seized on the Supreme Court ruling, which faulted the government for spending €1.1 million ($1.45 million) to produce and distribute the booklet summarizing why the amendment is needed.
Waters said the government had been found guilty of "misappropriating public funds in order to sell propaganda."
Some on the "no" side have gone much further, asserting that the new Article 42 of the constitution would allow social workers to seize children from happy families. The vast majority on the other side decry such claims as paranoid nonsense.
Reform-minded judges and social workers for decades have called for changes to Ireland's legal framework for protecting the welfare of children. A series of incest and abuse cases have highlighted how care workers and agencies have identified children in wretched conditions and yet failed for years to extract them from horrific situations, partly because judges found that the law favored the rights of their parents.
The Irish Times called for a "yes" vote in Friday's lead editorial. It argued that rejection "would mark a step backwards towards a more rigid, forbidding society where children were frequently treated as legal 'chattels' within sometimes dysfunctional families."
Typically in Ireland's secretive divorce courts, with no spectators permitted and no transcripts kept, the views of children are recorded only sometimes and second-hand via court-appointed experts, and the rights of the mother are paramount.
The proposed amendment commits the courts to hear direct testimony from children and ensure their views are "given due weight having regard to the age and maturity of the child."
Adoption laws are stranger. Children in long-term foster care cannot be adopted at all if their abusive Irish parents are married. It's incredibly difficult to adopt an Irish child at all, spurring thousands of couples to adopt children from Asia, Africa or Central America instead, sometimes illegally.
The government plans to pass a trove of legislation if the amendment passes, chiefly to make it easier for many of the 6,250 children in care homes to be adopted. Some 2,000 of those kids have lived with the same foster family for the past five years.
One bill would explicitly make it a crime to hide information on a suspected child abuser. That measure appears particularly designed to combat the kind of systematic cover-up of child rape in Ireland's Catholic Church, the subject of several fact-finding inquiries over the past decade.
Those investigations have determined that Irish bishops often shielded pedophiles in the priesthood from prosecution, but such acts of concealment are not yet defined as a crime.
Children Referendum, http://www.referendum2012.ie/


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Peanut farmers, mark these dates on your calendar, July 18 through July 20, and plan on a working vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida.
And bring the family. The conference takes place at the Edgewater Beach Resort, a family-friendly location.
The sixth annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference offers farmers and others in the peanut industry an opportunity to bone up on the latest issues in production technology, marketing and legislation.
"We think we have one of our strongest programs in the six year history of the conference," says Randy Griggs, Executive Director of the Alabama Peanut Producers Association. "We're going to delve into some high-tech issues and will have computers available for hands-on learning opportunities.
"We always have a strong research component to the program and we'll also get some insight into what's going on in Washington."
The session opens Monday, July 19, with a look at current issues, including congressional activity, international markets and eBay for farmers. A second morning session features a town-hall type discussion with the "market makers."
Research takes center stage in the afternoon with hands-on eBay demonstrations, discussions on production indexes, an economic outlook, market options and emerging weed problems.
Peanut Profitability Award winners will be announced at a special breakfast on Tuesday. Farm Press Publication representatives will recognize efficient peanut growers from the Southwest, The Southeast and The Virginia/Carolina regions at this annual event. Winners also participate in a panel discussion and discuss proven production practices that improve yield and efficiency. In addition to Farm Press Publications, sponsors include Bayer CropScience (Folicur and Temik), Sipcam Agro, John Deere, U.S. Borax, and Golden Peanut Company.
"This is the fifth year Farm Press Publications has sponsored this prestigious award," says Paul Hollis, editor of Southeast Farm Press, "and it has grown in stature each year. We are always pleased at the reception our winners get and at how willing they are to share their expertise with growers from across the Peanut Belt.
"The Farm Press Peanut Profitability Award gives us an opportunity to recognize some of the finest farmers in our respective regions," Hollis says. "We are extremely pleased with the relationship we've developed with the Southern Peanut Growers Federation. The association emphasizes a joint goal: helping peanut farmers improve profitability."
This year's conference also provides special activities for spouses and children. The conference's first spouse program features a floral design demonstration and a sampling of peanut cuisine from the Edgewater Resort chef.
The children's program features a trip to Gulf World, a marine theme park. Other events include a no hands peanut butter ice cream eating contest, water balloon toss and other fun and games for children 5 to 12 years of age.
A golf tournament follows the final general session Tuesday morning.
For more information call (229) 386-3470.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
2011-08-31 / Community
Religious Services
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PHILIPSTOWN Academy & Cherry Streets, Cold Spring 265-3220 Rev. Leslie Mott, Pastor presbychurchcoldspring.org email: FPCP@verizon Sunday service, 10:30 am Office Hours: Mon. and Wed. 9-11:30am Tues. and Thurs. 9-2pm Contemplative Prayer Group: Wednesdays 7am Jazz Vespers Service: 3rd Saturday of each month 5:30pm
The full version of this story is available only to subscribers. Subscribe now to access to full versions of news stories in our archive of over 12,000 stories going back to 1999.


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This is a rich meal, but one that you will remember for years afterwords and also one that you will well consider making to wow your dinner guests. I admit I didn't prepare my own fresh tortellini, but it is summer after all, and warm weather in Ontario is too sacred not to enjoy while it lasts.
I am sending this off to Mansi of Fun and Food who is hosting this week's edition of Presto Pasta Nights, a popular food event started by Ruth.
Cheese-Filled Tortellini with a Spicy Mushroom SauceMore pasta recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen that you will be sure to enjoy:
2 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 1/4 pounds of wild mushrooms (I used cremini)
14 grams of dried mushrooms (I used lobster mushrooms)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 - 6 dried red chilies, crumbled
2 1/2 cups of sour cream
1/2 cup of mashed goat cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
2/3 teaspoons of garam masala
1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 pounds of fresh cheese filled tortellini
Heat the ghee, or butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium - high heat. when hot, add the mushrooms, garlic and chilies and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms shrink and brown and begin to lose their liquid, roughly 10 - 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium low, stir in the sour cream and goat cheese, along with the garam masala and salt. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for roughly 15 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, reduce the heat to medium - high, and cook until tender. Drain and transfer to a serving dish.
Stir the dill into the sauce and cover the pasta with the mushroom sauce.
Yields roughly 6 servings.
Mushroom Marinara Sauce with Quinoa Pasta
Rye Pasta with a Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese
Macaroni and Paneer Cheese with Spinach
Penne with Fennel, Tomato Sauce and Blue Cheese
On the top of the reading stack: Hitch-22: Some Confessions and Contradictions by Christopher Hitchens
Audio Accompaniment: street noise, chirping birds, rustling leaves and a dripping tap


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Rating: 2.9/5 (Total votes: 115)
What's New in This Release:
· Minor bug fixes
What's New in 18.104.22.168:
· Provide DB Update notification
· Support SNS recommendation
· Improved Smishing Detection
What's New in 126.96.36.199:
· Improved Smishing Detection
· Other minor bug fixes
What's New in 188.8.131.52:
· Added Smishing Detection. Smishing is a phishing method using SMS seeking your personal information and financial information such as your bank account or credit card.
· Modify the entire image as a high-resolution
· Other minor bug fixes
What's New in 188.8.131.52:
· Improved Scanning Speed.
· Exposed [Kill Apps] and [App Exclude] button to manage apps easier.
· Improved app management function.
· Bugs fixed for some specific devices.
What's New in 126.96.36.199:
· Scanning speed has enhanced to 70% by improving the scanning logic.
· Bug fixed in some specific devices.
What's New in 126.96.36.199:
· ALYac Android Engine strengthen
What's New in 18.104.22.168:
· Patch for the support massive DB and security reinforcement
What's New in 18.104.22.168:
· Support Android 4.0 (Galaxy S2, Nexus S)
What's New in 220.127.116.11:
· Support Massive DB Update
FreewareAndroid - Free Downloads Android Market Apps, Applications, Games, APK, WiFi, Sync, GPS for Google Android OS


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When a bar opens downtown, there's really only one thing I want to know: Will it be someplace I actually want to hang out or better left to the tourists?
On Michigan Avenue, Hard Rock Hotel's sleek sushi-and-saketini spot China Grill has been replaced with Chuck's Manufacturing, a spunkier, laid-back bar with the potential to lure locals working at nearby Illinois Center.
Meanwhile, on the west end of River North where Hubbard Street dead ends into Kingsbury, the two-floor space vacated by Latin dance club Rumba also has a new life. Below Baume & Brix, an inventive new restaurant from a team of ex-Moto and Ing chefs on the main floor, there's a lower-level lounge called The Grid run by the same team. In their new incarnations, do either of these downtown bars have what it takes to transcend the touristy set and become your new regular hangout?
>>Jump to our review of The Grid
Mini-review: Chuck's Manufacturing
224 N. Michigan Ave. 312-334-6700
Rating: !! 1/2 (out of 4) Take it or leave it
The scene: On a recent weeknight, Miss DJ Meg spun upbeat tunes from a raised DJ booth perched between Chuck's front bar—a Michigan Avenue fishbowl thanks to towering floor-to-ceiling windows—and its spacious back bar and dining room, hidden from the view of passersby. Suspended high above the bar, gigantic gears fashioned out of pink, yellow and blue acrylic are a nod to the auto parts biz of namesake Charles "Chuck" Becker, who bought the Carbide & Carbon Building and turned it into the Hard Rock Hotel.
The drinks: Shot glasses and some cocktail glasses look like they're leaning—a trippy twist that makes you feel like you've had one too many even before you've sipped your first drink. (It was apparently too much for one hotel guest with a southern accent who demanded his cranberry-vodka be poured into a regular glass.) The Kingpin ($12) is the cocktail equivalent of "Cloud Atlas"—between ginger, elderflower, basil and sriracha, there's lots going on and neither the parts or the whole make much impact. I had better luck with the Sway Bar ($12), a slightly sweeter version of a classic cocktail called The Aviation that earned my allegiance once I discovered a candied black cherry in the bottom instead of the standard-issue neon-pink bar cherry. The bar shelves are full of flavored vodkas, but the bartenders don't appear to be plugging them, and beyond a cherry vodka-spiked Coke ($10), they're not featured on the cocktail menu—maybe because such novelties/abominations (depending on who you ask) as whipped cream vodka are best enjoyed in a red Solo cup with root beer at a house party.
The food: Bar snacks look run-of-the-mill at first look but are more clever when you look closely: A plate of mini-brats ($11) comes with a sidecar of Two Brothers beer, while fried veggies ($9) get a pickled punch from soaking in brine before hitting the fryer. There are plenty of full-blown entrees for $14-$27 (double-cut pork chop, grilled salmon, herb-marinated chicken, four different pastas), but I think the best way to judge a new bar is by its burger. The signature Chuck's burger ($15) with cheddar, fried onions and barbecue sauce sounded tasty in theory but crumbled into a heap thanks to the undercooked patty.
Gripes: Hotel bar beer prices are in full effect. Mass-market domestics for $6 and standard imports for $7 may not faze hotel guests dining on expense accounts, but it won't keep downtown office workers coming back for post-work drinks.
Likes: Bartenders who sense when your glass is empty earn brownie points in my book, and the cushy barstools that line the double-sided bar were some of the comfiest I've lounged in lately. Complementary pretzel service with a trio of mustards for dipping might distract you from those beer prices.
Bottom line: Chuck's is more fun for a post-work cocktail than China Grill was, but I'm not confident that it'll become a regular hangout for locals.
Reporters visit bars unannounced and drinks are paid for by RedEye. email@example.com | @redeyeeats
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.


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The LM2937 is a
positive voltage regulator capable of supplying up to 500 mA of load current. The use of a PNP
power transistor provides a low dropout voltage characteristic. With a load current of 500 mA the
minimum input to output voltage differential required for the output to remain in regulation is
typically 0.5 V (1-V ensured maximum over the full operating temperature range). Special circuitry
has been incorporated to minimize the quiescent current to typically only 10 mA with a full 500-mA
load current when the input to output voltage differential is greater than 3 V.
The LM2937 requires
an output bypass capacitor for stability. As with most low dropout regulators, the ESR of this
capacitor remains a critical design parameter, but the LM2937 includes special compensation circuitry that relaxes ESR
requirements. The device is stable for all ESR below 3 Ω. This allows the use of low ESR chip
Ideally suited for automotive applications, the LM2937 will protect itself and any load circuitry from reverse battery
connections, two-battery jumps, and up to 60-V/−50-V load dump transients. Familiar regulator
features such as short circuit and thermal shutdown protection are also built in.


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SEATTLE (AP) The agents who represent Seattle Mariners catcher Jesus Montero and Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera say no one at their agency has ever heard of or knows anyone at the Florida anti-aging clinic currently under investigation by Major League Baseball.
In a statement Wednesday, Sam and Seth Levinson say no one at their agency, ACES, had ever heard of Anthony Bosch until his name surfaced in news reports recently.
The New York Daily News reported Wednesday that Montero is named in records from Biogenesis of America LLC. The Miami New Times recently released clinic documents that purportedly linked Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez and other players to purchases of banned drugs from the now-closed anti-aging center.
"Anyone who knows us, knows that it is absolutely ridiculous to think that we would ever condone the use of performance enhancing drugs," the Levinsons said. "We are not involved and do not have any knowledge as to what took place or who was allegedly involved."
Cabrera was suspended for 50 games last year following a positive test for testosterone. A consultant to ACES, Juan Nunez, took responsibility for fabricating a website that Cabrera was intending to rely on in the union's grievance to overturn the suspension. An investigation by the players' association concluded the Levinsons didn't know about the scheme but failed to properly manage the employees of the firm who tried to carry it out.
The Levinsons said Nunez stopped working for ACES as soon as they learned of the scheme last summer. They also represent Gio Gonzalez and Nelson Cruz; Gonzalez has denied the allegations on Twitter and Cruz has denied them through a lawyer.


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Skip to comments.The Founding of the Israel Defense Forces
Posted on 03/18/2005 11:51:23 AM PST by IAF ThunderPilot
As part of my IDF & Israel ping list, I am publishing a series of fascinating stories and facts regarding the IDF or Israel, every friday- one topic once a week.
I will include Israeli-Arab wars threads, IDF famous missions threads, stories regarding the life of an IDF soldier, topics about Middle East's startegic balance, etc.
Feel free to ask questions about the IDF and Israel- from any kind, and to give suggestions for future topics as the information is for you.
Today is the 2nd publishment and today's thread will focus on the Founding of the Israel Defense Forces.
Thank you and enjoy reading,
IAF ThunderPilot
Don't worry, I can assure you that all the stories will not be like "sea story" types.
My sources are the IAF and the IDF themselves.
Did ya read that sentence? "Land forces, a NAVY, and an air force." We see (and read about) the IDF in the news, and to a lesser extent, the IAF. Don't forget to tell us about Israel's Navy while you share about the IAF & IDF. :-)
I'll do that, thank you for the suggestion :)
Thanks for the post, IAF! I've been pro-British, pro-Australian, and pro-Israel since I was a child. One of the saddest things for me to read about in history was the fighting between the British and the Jewish forces during the sad times of the infamous White Paper and the pre-independece of Israel. Like the fighting between the British and the Irish, to me, it is like watching two great friends fight each other. IMO, Britain made three big mistakes in her history: the way we Americans were treated during the colonial period, the way the Irish were treated, and the way the Jews in then-Palestine-now-Israel were treated in the 1930s and 1940s.
My apology for not including you on the previous ping.
Only now I saw your mails.
I got question here
I know there are FEMALE IDF soldiers okay but I wonder is there FEMALE IDF pilots in Corps nowdays
There are few women pilots and navigators in the IAF, but with every year the number is growing.
Woman were able to take the flight course only in resent years.
Women* Recent**
OH OKAY I know there are Female IDF soldiers but I didn't know there are female pilots
Okay that my answer of the question CARRY ON LOL!!!
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League, symbol seen behind, talks during a press conference with Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, not pictured, following the last session of Arab foreign ministers meetings Sunday, March 20, 2005, as a preparation for the 17th summit of the League of Arab States to be held at Algiers March 22-24 and expected to bring some 20 heads of state to the Algerian capital . (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Arabs Reject Jordan Proposal on Israel
By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer
ALGIERS, Algeria - The Arab summit formally rejected on Sunday a proposal by the Jordanian king that would have revised Arab conditions for normalizing relations with Israel, sinking a plan that had won Israeli praise only hours earlier.
The original plan by Jordan's King Abdullah II had dropped the traditional Arab call for recognizing Israel in exchange for the Jewish state's withdrawal from land it has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Nine of 22 Arab League countries assembled for the summit which begins on Monday had objected to the proposal on Saturday, and league Secretary-General Amr Moussa declared it dead a day later.
"If Israel implements all its commitments, all the Arab countries will be ready to normalize relations with Israel. We are not going to move even 1 millimeter away from this," Moussa told reporters after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in the Algerian capital.
Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem concurred with Moussa, telling reporters the summit, which begins Tuesday, "will not be the summit of normalization."
Perhaps in a kiss of death, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom praised the Jordanian proposal on Sunday as he welcomed the newly installed Egyptian ambassador, ending a diplomatic freeze that lasted through most of the last four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
"We are very satisfied by the Jordanian initiative. I think we can make progress with other Arab countries," Shalom said, adding the very fact that Jordan had put such an initiative to an Arab forum indicated a change in the diplomatic climate. It showed moderate Arab states were "testing the water," he said.
"I would like to believe that after the Arab League (summit) will take place, it will be easier for some of those countries to make a move toward a better understanding with Israel," Shalom told reporters.
Besides the return of the Egyptian envoy, Israeli government officials have said in recent days that Morocco was expected to renew low-level ties with soon.
On Sunday, Shalom said no date had been set with Morocco, or any other country, but that talks were at an advanced stage with a number of Arab and Muslim states.
Asked about reports that Morocco was going to recognize Israel, Moussa said: "This will be a reason for a lot of indignation, and if what Shalom is saying is correct, I think Israel doesn't deserve it."
Algeria's Belkhadem said the diplomats drafting the summit resolutions were working on a text to "revive and reaffirm the Arab peace initiative (a Saudi proposal issued in Beirut three years ago), according to the priorities which are spelled out in the initiative, so that people will know that there is no interpretation."
The Arab peace initiative, endorsed at the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002, said Arab states were prepared to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel in exchange for Israel's full withdrawal from occupied Arab territory, the creation of a Palestinian state, and a settlement of the Palestinian refugee issue.
The Jordanian proposal had drawn quick and strong criticism from other Arab countries, who saw it as giving too much to Israel for too little gain.
There is perhaps relevance for today's Israeli disunity in looking at the problems of the past between Haganah, Lehi and Etzel.
Important read...as always thanks.
It was too bad it had to come to friction between the British and Haganah, I had a friend whose brother was
killed during those times and to this day he will not
call it Israel but "occupied Palestine".
I have in my collection one of the German K-98k rifles
that were bought and smuggled into Israel, it was rebarreled
into 7.52x51 the Nato caliber at a later date.
I have seen pix of the early IDF using these and Haganah
also. This one only has a small six pointed star stamped on
the barrel, but there are some with a full Haganah crest,
which I hope to aquire some day.
Peace be upon you and upon all Israel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
Hall of Primates
The Hall of Primates explores the mammalian order that includes apes, monkeys, and humans. Primates range in size from the pygmy marmoset to the gorilla, and include species that feed on insects, fruit, leaves, and sap. The hall also exhibits some close relatives of primates, such as the rodent-like tree shrews.
The hall is divided into families, with displays of skeletons, mounted specimens, and artwork that trace both shared characteristics and those unique to each group. For example, while many primates such as spider monkeys have long tails they use for grasping, apes, which have hands that are specialized for swinging from trees, do not have tails.
The relationship of the human family to other primates is considered through comparisons of such characteristics as posture, the amount of body hair, and the shape of the hand, especially the thumb.
Part of the South American monkey radiation, capuchin monkeys live in forest areas from northeastern Mexico to northern Argentina. Capuchins and their relatives have long tails used for grasping.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
The jurisdictional area represents the state, county or city in which an alleged incident of employment discrimination took place.
The St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over the States of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, and the State of Illinois counties of Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jackson, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Clair, Union, and Washington.
The Kansas City Area Office has jurisdiction over the States of Kansas and Nebraska, and the State of Missouri counties of Andrew, Atchison, Berry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Case, Cedar, Chariton, Clay, Clinton, Cooper, Dade, Daviess, De Kalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Linn, Livingston, McDonald, Mercer, Newton, Nodaway, Pettis, Platte, Putnam, Ray, St. Clair, Saline, Sullivan, Vernon, and Worth.
The Oklahoma Area Office has jurisdiction over the State of Oklahoma.


text:
|Submit your comments on this article
|Missile Strike Kills 23 in Aleppo as Mortars Hit near Damascus Presidential Palace
|[An Nahar] Ten children were among at least 23 people killed in an apparent surface-to-surface missile strike on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, a monitoring group said on Tuesday.
"It is likely a surface-to-surface missile strike" hit Jabal Badro on the edge of Aleppo late on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
Ten children aged under 16 years and three women were among the dead, and the "toll is likely to rise as bodies are being rescued from under the rubble," the Britannia-based Observatory said, adding that people were critically injured.
There were no planes overhead when the missile hit, according to residents cited by the Observatory, and the extent of the destruction indicated a surface-to-surface missile was likely used, director Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence La Belle France Presse.
Abu Hisham, an Aleppo-based citizen journalist who spoke to AFP via the Internet, said "housing in the district was informally built. It took one surface-to-surface rocket to destroy an entire neighborhood."
Video footage and photographs shot by activists in Aleppo, scene of fierce fighting since the army launched an all-out assault to stop a rebel advance on Syria's second city on July 20, showed massive destruction in Jabal Badro.
Amateur video posted online by the anti-regime Aleppo Media Center showed crowds of people gathering around hills of rubble and a bulldozer shoveling the debris as residents searched for relatives.
"I swear to God! I rescued a baby aged just two months from the rubble!" cried an unidentified man interviewed by an amateur cameraman.
AFP could not authenticate the video.
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do...
two mortar shells fired by "terrorists" went
kaboom!near the Tishreen presidential palace in the west of the Syrian capital on Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported.
The mortars "landed near the southern wall of Tishreen palace, only causing damage", SANA quoted an unnamed official as saying, blaming "terrorists" for the attack.
Activists have reported the army's use of surface-to-surface missiles on various targets in northern Syria since late 2012.
A security source in Damascus
City of Jasminis the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti...
told AFP late last year that such missiles were a Syrian-made version of the Scud, and NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
has since reported ballistic missiles being used in Syria.
|Posted by:Fred
|#1 That they need is a road map.
|Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-02-20 03:45


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In all seriousness this looks like a very interesting article that links consumption on carbonated non-diet softdrinks, video game playing with aggression.
So, what do you think?Consumption of more than five cans of non-diet carbonated drinks a week was associated with behaviour that included carrying weapons and violent assaults.
The US researchers do not yet know if the link is causal, but have not ruled this out..
...Intake level was measured in cans. Up to four cans was considered "low", and five or more "high". Just under one in three pupils fell into the "high" category, some drinking more than two or three cans a day.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/diet ... z1blokStvS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


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Alex CabreraJapanese League
Outfielder | Ht: | Wt:
|MLB | Cabrera stays in Japanese League
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:16:37 -0800
The Associated Press reports free-agent OF Alex Cabrera (Japanese League) agreed to terms to a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Orix Buffaloes of the Pacific League.
|Comment (0)
|| Share:
|Japanese League | Cabrera currently a free agent
Sun, 23 Dec 2007 18:29:34 -0800
USAToday.com's Paul White reports free-agent OF Alex Cabrera (Japanese League) has become a free agent after he and his 2007 team, the Seibu Lions, could not agree on a 2008 contract. Cabrera, who is currently playing winter ball in Venezuela, had been negotiating with the Orix Buffaloes, but there have been reports that those talks have been suspended after Cabrera's name appeared in the Mitchell Report. Cabrera has denied ever using or having steroids.
|Comment (0)
|| Share:
|MLB | Cabrera denies steroid use
Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:58:39 -0800
The Associated Press reports former Major League Baseball OF Alex Cabrera denied that he had ever used performance-enhancing drugs, despite being named in the Mitchell Report. When playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks, a clubhouse attendant found a large package of steroids that had been delivered to him. "I couldn't have used the substances that are identified," Cabrera said. "I never had possession of the alleged box that supposedly contained the pharmaceutical drugs."
|Comment (0)
|| Share:
|Japanese League | Cabrera Powers Lions to Title
Mon, 25 Oct 2004 12:04:34 -0700
The Associated Press reports Seibu Lions OF Alex Cabrera hit a two-run homer to power the Lions to a 7-2 win over the Chunichi Dragons in Game 7 of the Japan Series, their first title since 1992 and ninth overall.
|Comment (0)
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Tile Flooring Ideas in Columbus, Columbia County
Tile Flooring Ideas and Cost in Columbus, Columbia County?
You've been staring at that floor forever, wondering how much it would cost to have that really cool tile flooring installed, but you're out of ideas on how to make it look really special. The great part of tile is that the possibilities are endless, both with colors, materials and how it is laid. Slate tiles, unique insets, fantastic patterns can make a unique statement in any Columbus, Columbia County home. Best yet, tiles can handle any challenges that our Wisconsin weather can throw at it.
Not all tile floors need to be laid neatly in a rectangle. Consider a diagonal pattern for your room, which can make a room look bigger and bring interest to a kitchen or entry way. You can also get different size tiles and alternate the large and small tiles for a unique pattern in any room. An inset of different tile can also bring drama to flooring, and even add a touch of elegance.
Grout colors
When choosing the color grout for your room, mix it up. Not all tile floors need to be grouted with white. Choose brown or a dark grey to hide dirt and make the room more unique. Going for less contrast? Go for a grout that is similar to the color of your tile.
The cost of tile flooring varies depending on the kind of tile and size of your room. Stop in at Y's Way Flooring to choose a tile that creates a unique statement in your home, and can handle the extremes of Columbus, Columbia County weather. Contact us for a free estimate. No matter where you are located in southern Wisconsin, Y's Way Flooring will come to your home and deliver a quality floor suitable for your lifestyle---and your budget.
Columbus, Columbia County Hardwood Flooring


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Branford Marsalis with Gov't Mule, 2006 Christmas Jam – photo by Brad Hodge
The 21st installment of Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam is set to take place in Asheville, NC this weekend. In addition to Haynes and his group Gov't Mule, the line-up includes: moe., Ani DiFranco, Counting Crows, Jimmy Herring, George Porter Jr., Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, DJ Logic, Audley Freed, Eric Krasno, Col. Bruce Hampton, and Robert Kearns. Also on the bill this year is Stax legend William Bell and Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford, both of whom, Warren discusses in this look at Xmas Jams, past and present.
Before we get to the music, let's start out with Habitat for Humanity. Can you talk a bit about your association with them over the years?
In the beginning, going back twenty-one years, we started in a small club and we would raise a few thousand dollars and pick a charity usually after the fact. We donated money to a lot of wonderful causes: Vietnam vets, AIDs victims, homeless people. Eventually we stumbled onto Habitat and I really liked that you could see where the money was going. You could see the houses being built and know that the money you raised had built these houses.
The first few years we would see what was happening and we would know that we had built x amount of houses but I didn't go to see the houses or meet any of the families. Then after the third year I got an invitation to do that and when I finally met the people and saw the houses become homes, it was an eye-opening experience. It made me realize the work we're all doing is very valuable and it just accentuated the entire process. And now every year I go and see the houses that we've built and meet the people that are moving into them and it's pretty incredible. The fact that musicians are doing what they do every day of their lives to raise money for people who can't afford houses is pretty awesome.
As I look at the line-up, one name that sticks out is William Bell. I would imagine that some of the younger fans might not know who he is but I know that a number of the musicians are really excited about his appearance.
William and I have known each other since the early 90s. I am a big fan. As anybody that knows my history knows, I'm a big soul music fan and William wrote or co-wrote a lot of my favorite songs, including "Born Under A Bad Sign," "You Don't Miss Your Water" which Otis Redding recorded and later Taj Mahal and "Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday," which is one of my personal favorites.
William and I performed together 2 or 3 times through the years. Once or twice with my band before Gov't Mule was established and at least once with Gov't Mule as well. He's just a wonderful human being, a great talent and a huge part of history that I'm elated to have be a part of this Christmas Jam. I know what's going to happen is that all the musicians are going to want to play with William Bell (laughs). One by one I'm starting to get each musician telling me, "You know William Bell is my hero, is there any way I can play with him?" So it's really cool that some of the younger fans may not look at William as a household name but all the musicians are going, "Wow, this is awesome."
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Source: The Buffalo News
Toxic legacys time bomb
Nearly 800 hazardous waste sites are located in Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus counties, and the majority of them are a threat to the largest source of fresh water in the world the Great Lakes
Posted: April 22, 2013
Originally Published: April 21, 2013
First of a three-part series
Thirty-five years after underground toxics turned the Niagara Falls neighborhood of Love Canal into a ghost town, researchers are warning that Western New York is still home to nearly 800 hazardous waste sites that could someday lead to big trouble, not only for local residents, but for the entire Great Lakes region.
A recently completed study, believed to be the most comprehensive look ever at hazardous waste sites in Western New York, finds potential chemical hazards lurking across Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus counties.
• Half of the world's known radium is stored about a mile from the Lewiston-Porter schools, where approximately 2,300 students attend classes each day.
• The most deadly wastes from all over the Northeast are hauled along local roads to a dump site in Niagara County.
• Lead from a former smelting plant on East Ferry Street is believed to be linked to a deadly outbreak of lupus on Buffalo's East Side.
• And radioactive waste from the West Valley nuclear storage facility in Cattaraugus County could someday endanger the Great Lakes.
What makes this information important and worrisome – not only to Western New Yorkers, but to tens of millions of other Americans and Canadians – is that the vast majority of these waste sites are located in the Great Lakes watershed, the largest source of fresh water in the world.
Many of the sites are either directly adjacent or close to Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Niagara and Buffalo rivers, or other waterways that feed the Great Lakes.
An estimated 26 million to 40 million people drink the water from the Great Lakes, which contain more than one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water.
"It's important … It's overwhelming," said Joseph A. Gardella Jr., an environmentalist and University at Buffalo chemistry professor who co-authored the study that was completed by the Western New York Environmental Alliance, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the University at Buffalo's Urban Design Project.
"This information is a wake-up call," said Brian P. Smith, program director for the Western New York Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "Policymakers need to look at it, digest it and find out what wastes are in their districts. We need to work to comprehensively clean up the waste in a way that is protective of public health. Protecting the Great Lakes has to be one of our top priorities."
Some of the material is leftover from industry or war projects. And more dangerous material continues to be hauled here from elsewhere because this region has become a dumping ground for other communities' poisons and wastes.
Among the most significant findings:
• Niagara County has more than twice as many federal- and state-designated hazardous waste sites as comparably sized counties throughout the state.
• The three counties contain 174 federal or state "Superfund" hazardous waste sites, 43 designated as "significant threats" to public health.
• Erie County has almost eight times as many brownfield cleanup sites as the average county in the state, and Niagara County has more than twice as many as the average county.
"Are we overburdened with waste? Yes, with all kinds of waste," said Lynda H. Schneekloth, a professor at UB's Urban Design Project. "We never knew how much of it was out there until we conducted this study."
Niagara County, which is much smaller than the average county in the state in terms of population and area, is especially overburdened, she said.
The job of protecting people in Western New York from hazardous waste mainly falls on two watchdog agencies – the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The DEC has a much bigger presence than the EPA in Western New York and is more actively involved on a day-to-day basis.
Despite the presence of these hundreds of waste sites, the public safety situation is "light-years better" than it was in the late 1970s, said EPA spokesman Michael J. Basile. That's because the two agencies constantly monitor the sites, he said.
"We have better regulation of these sites, much more attention is paid to environmental issues, and we have a much better-educated public than we did in the '70s," Basile said. "Whether you live around the corner from a dry cleaners or an industrial waste landfill, there are environmental regulations. We work hard to enforce them. So does the state."
Reacting to the claim that Western New York is overburdened with hazardous waste sites, Basile said he does not believe so. He added that the DEC would be better equipped to answer that question.
"I will say that, in the Northeast, there is a historical preponderance of industrial activity, whether you are talking about Buffalo, Pittsburgh or Niagara Falls," Basile said. "[Western New York] is not the toxic capital of the world. It's easy for someone to make that claim, but it's not the case."
A DEC spokeswoman declined to comment for this story, but according to Gardella, much of the data in the "Mapping Waste" study came directly from DEC records.
Much waste produced here
So how did all this waste get here in the first place? Much of it was produced here. Decades ago, during the 1900s, chemical companies were attracted to Niagara County because of the proximity to the cheap and plentiful electrical power generated by Niagara Falls. Easy access to fresh water, another key component in the chemical industry, also was important.
"Sixty years ago, Niagara Falls was like the Silicon Valley of the chemical industry. Many chemical plants were built in the city," Schneekloth said. "It brought great wealth to the region, but also a great negative legacy. Today, the wealth is mostly gone, but the negative legacy is still with us. Love Canal is the most famous example, but there are many others."
Another reason why Niagara County has such a big share of radioactive waste is that much of the work on the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, was done here.
After the Manhattan Project was completed, radioactive waste generated by the bomb project was gathered, then deposited and stored in the Niagara Falls Storage Site off Pletcher Road in Lewiston.
And then there is all the waste that is still being hauled here – to the Chemical Waste Management landfill in the Town of Porter – from other areas of New York State and the Northeast.
Gardella, the UB chemistry professor, suggests an inordinate number of landfills were started in Western New York because land is cheaper here than downstate. In addition, he said, the region has always lacked political clout.
"Do you think that if the [Chemical Waste Management] waste facility was in the Catskills, or on Long Island, rather than the Town of Porter, the people in New York City would tolerate it for a minute?" Gardella said. "We became the dumping ground for other parts of the state."
Massive effort to compile
About 100 local environmental groups worked on the 223-page study. The information they examined has been available in complicated reports from a variety of government agencies for years, but never before assembled into one comprehensive report. Even the federal government has not done it before.
The study compiles information from the EPA, the DEC, the state Health Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Defense Department, the U.S. Department of Energy and other government agencies.
The study is based on a 2010 "snapshot" of the region's waste sites, but there has been little change since then.
"Yes, this information has been available for years, but only in ways that are very difficult for the average person to access and decipher," Gardella said. "We're professionals, and we were tearing our hair out trying to make sense out of some of these government reports."
All the government agencies – especially the state DEC – were helpful and cooperative with researchers, rather than trying to hide information, he added.
The report identifies Superfund sites as the most heavily polluted, and the study lists a total of 174 state or federal Superfund sites in the three counties.
Of those, the state DEC classifies 22 sites in Erie County, 15 sites in Niagara County and six in Cattaraugus County as "Class 2 Superfund" sites, meaning they pose a current threat to human health and are being remediated.
Many of these most serious waste sites are located near neighborhoods, schools and places of work.
In Erie County, the Class 2 Superfund sites include the American Axle plant on East Delavan Avenue, the Radio Tower site at 901 Fuhrmann Blvd. on Buffalo's outer harbor, the Tonawanda Coke plant on River Road in the Town of Tonawanda, and the former Bethlehem Steel property at 3555 Lake Shore Drive, Lackawanna.
Class 2 Superfund sites in Niagara County include the arsenic-tainted FMC Corp. site near the Royalton-Hartland High School in Middleport, and the former Forest Glen mobile home park in Niagara Falls.
Greg Evans, 48, a disabled truck driver, has lived all his life within a few blocks of two major hazardous waste sites in Niagara Falls – the Love Canal landfill and another former Hooker Chemical waste site along the Niagara River on Buffalo Avenue.
Like many people in Niagara Falls, he is concerned about the chemical waste in his community.
"In my opinion, there are chemicals all over this city. I've been fortunate. I've never gotten sick from them," Evans said. "I do think it's something to be concerned about. It should be constantly studied and tested."
Falls has most sites in state
Niagara Falls has more hazardous wastes than any other in New York State.
The EPA currently lists 211 hazardous waste cleanup sites in the state. These are sites contaminated by hazardous waste currently stored there or stored there in the past.
Twelve of those sites are in Niagara Falls. No other city, town or village in the state has more than six.
The Niagara Falls cleanup sites include the mammoth CECOS International waste dump, a huge garbage hill off the Niagara Thruway; the Durez Corp. chemical waste site off Packard Road; and the former Forest Glen mobile home park off Porter Road, where 150 people had to be relocated in the early 1990s after the discovery that toxic waste had been illegally dumped there.
Also included on the EPA's Niagara Falls list are the Frontier Chemical waste site on Royal Avenue, where oily contaminants called non-aqueous phase liquids have been found in the groundwater; the Hooker Chemical Hyde Park site, where groundwater contains dioxin and volatile organic compounds; and the Occidental Chemical plant on Buffalo Avenue, where chlorine, caustic soda and other chemical compounds are made.
Many of the sites in Niagara Falls are close to the Niagara River, which connects lakes Erie and Ontario.
A Cattaraugus County site that concerns environmentalists is the West Valley Demonstration Project, a nuclear waste facility in the Town of Ashford. A nuclear fuel reprocessing center was operated on the site from 1966 to 1972, and radioactive waste from atomic weapons and nuclear power plants was shipped there from other regions of the U.S.
If the nuclear waste is not removed from West Valley, environmentalists warn that it will eventually leak into the region's creeks and migrate to the Great Lakes. "This is a situation that is not going away," said Smith, of the citizens for the environment group.
Making legislators aware
So now that this report is completed and the breadth of the poisoned sites has been identified, what to do with it?
In recent weeks, Gardella and other environmentalists associated with the study have met and briefed several legislators about problems in their communities.
"We're going out and telling them what sites they have in their districts, what needs to be done about them and what government agencies are responsible for them," Gardella said.
The recent Tonawanda Coke trial in federal court is seen by some as evidence that people and community groups can force government watchdog agencies to investigate and punish polluters.
Tonawanda Coke had been polluting for years at its plant along the Niagara River, but the EPA and U.S. Attorney's Office didn't begin major investigations until a public outcry from neighborhood residents and the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, a grass-roots organization.
Last month, the company that runs Tonawanda Coke and a top plant official were convicted of criminally polluting the air and ground in the neighborhood. The company and the convicted official face potential fines of up to $200 million. People who live near a contamination site cannot rely on government to fix the problem, said Erin Heaney, executive director of the Clean Air Coalition.
Citizen groups such as the Clean Air Coalition and Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper "are fantastic," said the EPA's Basile. "They get involved. They keep our agencies on our toes, and sometimes act as our eyes and ears."
It's unfortunate, Basile said, that groups such as Riverkeeper have to spend time cleaning up thousands of tons of garbage that is illegally dumped in waterways and on beaches by average citizens each year.
"That is a problem you can't lay at the feet of government or industry," Basile said.
In terms of government cleanup efforts at waste sites, tough and expensive decisions lie ahead.
Environmentalists admit it would cost untold billions of dollars to clean up all the contamination in Western New York. Gardella said it would cost $1.5 billion to $2 billion to clean up waste at the Niagara Falls Storage Site at 1397 Pletcher Road, where radioactive waste from the atomic bomb project, including half the world's known radium, are stored.
"There are major decisions that have to be made all over Western New York," said Smith, from the Western New York Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "But if we don't clean these sites up now, they will cost us much more later."


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Adding videos to your Word documents
Lights.. Camera.. Action! Adding videos to your Word documents
by Word Team
Today's post comes from Seth Fox, the program manager on the Word team responsible for adding web videos to Word documents.
Videos are a great way to engage a reader, tell a story, invoke emotion, and communicate effectively. They are found all over the web (news articles, blogs, websites, etc.) and are a great way to enhance documents you send digitally. In the new Word, we added the ability to insert web video directly into your documents, allowing you to create rich, interactive output that pairs your words with video whenever appropriate.
When designing this feature we had a few key goals:
- Allow you to easily find and insert online video from a variety of sources
- Ensure that videos are easy to move, resize, and position
Allow videos to be played right from within Word, so you don't have to switch context.
Easy to find and insert videos directly from Word
We wanted to make it easy for users to find and insert online videos from a variety of sources right within Word. You can use Bing to search for videos (similar to inserting online pictures), and you can add specific video providers like YouTube to search for and insert videos.
This allows you to quickly find the video you want, insert it, and go right back to writing your document (we've all been there when a simple search for content online has led to a 2 hour visit to Facebook or a marathon session of clicking through cat videos). When you search for a video, each result is shown by a thumbnail preview. Selecting or hovering over the thumbnail will show the title of the video, the provider (ex. YouTube, Dailymotion, etc.), and its length. Click the icon on the bottom right of the thumbnail to preview the video so you can make sure it's the one you want before inserting. If you've already found a video online you can copy the video's embed code (typically found by a share link) and paste it into the embed code slab to directly insert the video.
Videos insert with a thumbnail automatically, making it easy to recognize the video at glance and invites your readers to press play. When you insert a web video into a document, Word actually saves a link to the online source hosting the video. This allows you to watch the video anytime you're online without bloating the file size of the document.
Videos are easy to work with in your document
Once the video is inserted it behaves like a picture. You can resize it and position it exactly where you want in your document. You'll even get alignment guides to help you position it in exactly the right spot. If the thumbnail of the video isn't what you want, simply right click and select change picture to replace it with any picture on your PC. Videos also support most image features like cropping and effects so you can touch up the thumbnail to make it look just right. Videos in your document feature a large play button to make it easy to play with a single click. However, we know that sometime you'll need to print out these documents or export them to PDFs. Whenever videos end up in a static format we removed the play button to make sure it's out of the way of the thumbnail.
Playing videos inside Word is a great experience
We wanted to ensure that consuming videos in Word was a simple and compelling experience. We support the latest web standards like Flash, Silverlight, and HTML5. This makes it easy to play most videos you find online. With a click or tap of the play button the reader is instantly immersed in the video.
We chose this approach over playing the videos inline because videos are typically 640 x 360 pixels or larger which takes up about 85% of the width of a typical document. Allowing the thumbnail of the video to be independent from the playback size provides the flexibility to place the video where you want while still being able to play the video at its original size.
Note that if you share a document containing a video with others and they open it in a previous version of Word, or in the Word Web App, they'll still be able to watch the video because the thumbnail is linked to the original video source (which will play in in their browser).
Word Blog - Lights.. Camera.. Action! Adding videos to your Word documents


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It seems that you're looking for something that either doesn't exist, has been moved, or perhaps has been mistyped.
To find what you're looking for, try using the menu above or search our site.
Let us know if you need a hand—contact Customer Service.
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The Spencer East Brookfield Regional School Committee will ask the Legislature to allow it to borrow as much as $2 million, but it is not sure whether it wants the state to oversee school finances.
The committee initially voted Tuesday night to ask state Rep. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, to file legislation that would include oversight of the school's spending.
But it later revisited the question after Vincent P. Cloutier, who is running for the committee, called on the members who voted for the measure to resign and urged them to reconsider the vote.
Mr. Cloutier and former Selectman Kevin A. Hayes said the committee seems to lack transparency and often appears to have made decisions outside the constraints of its posted meetings.
Committee members said they could not wait any longer to make the decision about whether to ask for an oversight committee or to allow the commissioner of education to take a more administrative role in reviewing the district's finances.
As a compromise, they agreed to file the legislation asking for the right to borrow and said they will discuss with legislators whether the state thinks more oversight is needed.
School Superintendent Reza Namin has been away from the district since Dec. 11, when he requested a personal leave. About a month later, it was changed to paid administrative leave.
Committee members have heard projected budget shortfall numbers that could be as much as $2 million, though there has been little explanation of what happened to create the deficit.
Mark James from the teachers union told the committee Tuesday night the time for trying to place blame should be over.
"Batting the problem back and forth between the school and community is not going to solve the problem," he said.
But Spencer selectmen this week expressed frustration over documents they didn't receive after making a request, and one selectman said he believes the school committee is hiding things.
School Committee Chairman Mary Gershman said the documents were delivered after a miscommunication, and committee members only learned of the problem when they read about it in the paper Tuesday.
While some have called on the committee to make cuts, members have thus far only discontinued the late bus at David Prouty High School. A request to bring back sports fees was nixed for the rest of this year.
Annually sports fees would bring in about $45,000, but for the remainder of this year would raise somewhere around $10,000, which many believed was a paltry amount compared to the deficit.
Mrs. Gershman said a subcommittee will meet with teachers today to discuss cuts, though no specifics were mentioned.
Ms. Gobi is expected to file the legislation this week and the committee will work to move it quickly through the Legislature so the district will have funding to finish out the year.


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SEMI Announces Industry Webcast:
Semiconductor Equipment and Materials: Funding the Future
October 18, 2005; 12:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time; 3:30 Eastern Standard Time
SEMI, a global industry association, is conducting a webcast to present and discuss findings from an industry survey and white paper developed by Infrastructure Advisors. The commissioned study identifies the potential gap in research and development (R&D) funding with implications for continued innovation in semiconductor manufacturing technology. If current technology and economic trends continue, the funding gap could exceed $9 billion by 2010, according to the report.
The study author will present a summary of the commissioned white paper survey and a panel of industry experts will discuss the implications of the findings.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
12:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time; 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Host: Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO, SEMI
Presenter: Ron Leckie, president, Infrastructure Advisors
Industry Executive Panel:
Patrick Lamey, senior director, Strategic Programs, Applied Materials
Doug Neugold, president and CEO, ATMI
George Scalise, president, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)
To register and view the webcast, visit:
To access the teleconference:
(800) 967-7141 or (719) 457-2630
Please dial-in 5 to 10 minutes ahead of the webcast.
If you require additional assistance, please contact Jennifer Blatt at: +1.408.943.7988.


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Spotlight Article:
The Unexpected Energy Benefits of Mechanically Vented Crawl Spaces
The debate on how best to treat crawl spaces has gone on for decades, and the building codes regulating crawl space design have constantly evolved. For a long time the entrenched thinking was to rely ...
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Oversized Kitchen Fans--An Exhausting Problem
archive CONTENT
The Bigger is Better mentality strikes deep into the heart of the American home. Sure, American consumers will live with low flush toilets; they'll put up with low-wattage lights; but when it comes to the kitchen, they want the culinary equivalent of the sports utility vehicle. [continue reading]
Moisture Control In Bathrooms
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Home, Home on the Range Hood
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Exhausting heat and moisture in the summer can keep a house cooler and reduce air conditioning costs. And running a fan whenever someone is cooking will eliminate most water vapor, grease, and combustion products from the kitchen. [continue reading]
Ventilation Facts and Fallacies in Manufactured Homes
archive CONTENT
Window inlet vents are an alternate way to provide fresh air using an exhaust fan. When the fan is on, it slightly depressurizes the house, causing makeup air to enter through the window vents with minimal heat loss. [continue reading]
Experts Ponder Multifamily Ventilation Solutions
archive CONTENT
How do you use diagnostic equipment (such as blower doors, and pressure sensors) to measure air flows in high-rise apartment buildings? [continue reading]
Redefining Home Performance in the 21stCentury
Today, the Home Performance Coalition (HPC) calls on policymakers, industry leaders, energy program managers and contractors to redefine home energy ...
Laurie Guevara-Stone
Zero-Energy Homes Are Ready for Mainstream Markets
Zero-energy (ZE) homes—efficient homes that produce or procure as much renewable energy as they consume over the course ...


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If there was an award for "Most Loquacious Quake," Joe Cannon would be the all-time trophy winner.
So when San Jose's starting goalkeeper declined media entreaties immediately following the team's acquisition of Jon Busch, the 2008 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, plenty of folks assumed Cannon had gone silent out of anger with the move.
Not so, Cannon told MLSsoccer.com. He was merely angry over the way the Quakes opened the season, with a 3-0 defeat to visiting Real Salt Lake.
"I was disappointed in the loss," Cannon said. "I think it was just a week to shut up and work. I still think that, but I'm not trying to avoid anyone anymore."
If Cannon was also trying to steer clear of controversy, it might have been a decision made from personal experience. When he returned in the middle of the 2003 MLS season from a stint in France's top league, Cannon was cast on the opposite side of a new-vs.-old keeper battle in Colorado.
Scott Garlick, then the Rapids' incumbent in goal, responded to the team's interest in Cannon by famously telling The Denver Post, "I don't care whether they bring in Joe Cannon or Jeff Bazooka or Jim Tommygun ... I don't need anyone to push me. I know what I can do in this league."
Upon his arrival, Cannon responded in kind, via the Post: "I don't care if it's Scott Garlick, Scott Salt or Scott Pepper. I'm very confident in my abilities. I can compete for the job anywhere, and may the best man win. It's going to be fun."
In this instance, both Cannon and Busch have been careful to avoid saying anything untoward about the other, instead playing up the party line of harmony.
Cannon has remained the Earthquakes' No. 1 keeper, and both general manager John Doyle and coach Frank Yallop said they only made the move because Busch was available at such a minimal salary-cap cost.
"With Jon coming in, I think sometimes, these things can work two ways, and just the way he is makes it a positive situation," Cannon said. "He's a hard worker, he's an experienced veteran and he's a guy that's reliable. He's a good pro. So I think in that sense, it's good to have him around."
The nearest Cannon came to criticizing the signing was to describe it as "an interesting move."
As for the idea that Busch's presence will make him work harder, Cannon thinks it may do more in the way of focusing his efforts only on things he can control.
"One of my biggest flaws in my game is the mental part, in the sense that I worry a lot of times about things other than goalkeeping, because I care so much about the team," Cannon said. "Sometimes it can almost work to the detriment, because I'll focus on things that really aren't under my realm. For me, it's important to just keep working hard. . . .
"I think we have a playoff team here. I think we have a group of guys that collectively don't understand how good they are yet. And it's difficult to watch, because we are a good team. For me, as an older guy, you almost want to shake them all and say, 'Listen, you guys are great players.' But I think it comes from experience and time, and I'm just looking to go into battle with these guys."
The Quakes return to action on the road Saturday against the Fire at Toyota Park.
Geoff Lepper covers the Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @sjquakes.


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Marlins show pop, but pitchers falter vs. Nats
WASHINGTON -- The Marlins had plenty of run support on Wednesday night, but they didn't have an answer for the Nationals' firepower.
Jayson Werth delivered a grand slam off Carlos Marmol in the eighth inning that rallied the Nationals to a 10-7 win over the Marlins at Nationals Park.View Full Game Coverage
WASHINGTON -- The Marlins had plenty of run support on Wednesday night, but they didn't have an answer for the Nationals' firepower.
Jayson Werth delivered a grand slam off Carlos Marmol in the eighth inning that rallied the Nationals to a 10-7 win over the Marlins at Nationals Park.View Full Game Coverage
Miami jumped out to an early lead against Jordan Zimmermann, only to watch a five-run advantage slip away. They even regained the edge at 7-6 in the eighth inning on Garrett Jones' RBI double.
In all, the Marlins slapped out 14 hits, and had home runs from Derek Dietrich and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. But no matter what they did offensively, they were hurt by spotty pitching and three errors.
Along with Werth's grand slam, Bryce Harper added a three-run homer for Washington.
"To come out swinging the bats like we did against a great pitcher. But, hey, these guys have the ability to put big numbers up quickly," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "You saw that tonight. They scored seven runs on two swings. It takes us 14 hits to get seven runs."
The Marlins have now lost three straight and slipped to 5-4. They have a chance to salvage one game with the finale set for Thursday afternoon.
"Forget about this game and move onto tomorrow," Saltalamacchia said. "That's what it's all about. For me personally, I'm getting a feel for them and how they play the game. I'm learning. It's about who can forget this game and move onto tomorrow."
Despite losing leads and making mistakes in the field, the Marlins still led heading into the bottom of the eighth. Steve Cishek was primed for the ninth, but he never got a save opportunity.
With one out, Marmol got into trouble when he hit pinch-hitter Nate McLouth with a slider.
"My slider was moving a little too much to that side the plate," Marmol said. "He just stayed there and the ball hit him. It's his job to get on base, especially late in the game."
The inning unraveled quickly from there.
Denard Span reached on a bunt single, and on the play third baseman Dietrich's throwing error put runners on second and third with one out. Miami gambled and walked Anthony Rendon intentionally to load the bases.
"From the fourth inning on, it was a struggle to try to hold these guys down," Redmond said. "We used a lot of pitchers. We just couldn't find a way to get those big outs and get it to Cishek in the ninth."
Werth made them pay, belting a one-strike pitch for his first grand slam with Washington.
"I wasn't shocked [that they walked Rendon]," Werth said. "There is a few ways to play that. It was one of them for sure. It worked out. I was more [angry] about the strike one call than anything else."
In a tough spot with runners on second and third and one out, Redmond rolled the dice by walking Rendon.
"I was trying to win the ballgame there, trying to get a ground ball if we could," Redmond said. "Rendon has been swinging the bat really good, as well."
Dating back to last year, the Marlins are 1-11 at Nationals Park. They scored a combined 15 runs at Washington over their last 11 games.
The bats got going, but the pitching and defense faltered.
Miami regained the lead in the eighth on Jones' RBI double, which scored Christian Yelich, who reached base five times.
Yelich opened the eighth with a walk off Tyler Clippard. Giancarlo Stanton also walked, and Jones' double bounced off first base and rolled into the corner in right field. Yelich scored easily. Stanton also attempted to score, but he was thrown out at the plate. Werth threw to second baseman Rendon, who threw to catcher Jose Lobaton. Stanton tried to slide his hand in, but was tagged out.
The umpires took on replay and confirmed the out call.
Both starters had a rough time. Miami knocked Zimmermann out of the game after 1 2/3 innings, scoring five times.
But Brad Hand wasn't able to protect a five-run lead, and he exited after 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on the Harper homer. Kevin Slowey in 1 2/3 innings was charged with three runs, two earned.
"I was trying to throw a fastball down-and-away, and it kind of went in, right into his happy zone," Hand said. "That's where he likes the ball. Missed location."
Harper's blast in the fourth inning inspired a five-run comeback, and the Nationals pushed two runs across in the sixth inning to take a 6-5 lead. Miami committed two errors in the inning. Ryan Zimmerman doubled to right and advanced to third on Stanton's error for bobbling the ball. Ian Desmond tapped an infield RBI single to even the score.
"It seems like every time we got ourselves in good position, we made a mistake that cost us," Redmond said.
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro.


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Arctic Ocean Biodiversity
Last updated about 7 years ago
Arctic Ocean Biodiversity is a Census of Marine Life project aimed at coordinating research efforts examining the diversity in each of the major three realms: sea ice, water column and sea floor, including fish, mammals & birds. This program will consolidate what is known and fill remaining gaps in our knowledge: it is lead for the Arctic Ocean diversity cluster within the International Polar Year. Last indexed September 28, 2010


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ORWELL — Almost every day for the past month, an Orwell resident has awoken to find an outhouse on his or her front lawn that wasn't there when they retired to bed the previous night.
Whether they welcomed the new facility in their yard or despised it, all knew that it was there for a good cause. A committee had organized the depositing of the old fashion port-a-potty around town as a way to raise money for this weekend's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Orwell town charter and to get people excited about the big party.
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Get a Website Built
Ngân sách $30-250 USD
Build an event Registration Form with a PayPal payment. It should be a part of a WP website.
Được trao cho:
Placed my bid as discussed Relevant Skills and Experience Wordpress theme modification Proposed Milestones $150 USD - Final Milestone Stay tuned, I'm still working on this proposal.
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The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will meet in open session to consider a resolution authorizing the issuance of subpoenas to compel the testimony of:
Click here for the Committee Memorandum.
Click here to see a resolution to authorize the issuance of subpoenas to compel the testimony of certain employees of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. The resolution was AGREED TO, as amended, by a recorded vote of 20 ayes and 0 nays, OI-2.
An amendment offered en bloc by Mr. Green, no. 1, no. 2, no. 3, and no. 4, was AGREED TO by a recorded vote of 20 ayes to 0 nays, OI-1.
Archived Webcast


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Proctor information
What is a proctor? A proctor is an approved person that administers an exam for a Columbia College student. The proctor will verify the student's identity by checking a photo ID and will ensure academic honesty during the exam. Proctored exams add validity to online course work and are required for some online courses.
What do I have to do? As a student needing to complete a proctored exam, it is your responsibility to select a proctor and submit this information to your instructor as outlined in the course syllabus. You must also schedule a date and time to complete your exams. If you request to use a private proctor, it is your responsibility to verify with your instructor that they have been approved.
You have three options for selecting a proctor:
- A Columbia College campus
- ProctorU or
- a private proctor.
There is no charge for students who have an exam proctored by Columbia College or ProctorU.
Columbia College locations are the best option for proctors and are automatically approved. ProctorU is also automatically approved. Private proctors are approved by each instructor. Previous approval of a private proctor does not guarantee subsequent approval.
Acceptable private proctors normally include, but are not limited to, faculty, other university or college testing centers, ministers, military education officers, non-direct superiors and corporate executive officers, and public librarians. Columbia College has also approved ProctorU as a private proctor resource. (Not available for MFT or ETS proctoring.) You may wish to check the listing provided by the NCTA Consortium of College Testing Centers for available proctors and testing centers. Some testing centers may assess a fee for testing. Any fees incurred are your responsibility.
If you are using a Columbia College campus, please select the campus below, reserve your seat and notify your instructor as outlined in your course.
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Columbia College students: For midterms/finals, you may reserve your proctored exam online by using the Midterm/Final Proctor Reservation Form.
Proctor listing for San Diego, CA
Diana SchrieferEmail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 1-866-594-2330
Fax: 1-573-876-4457
Proctoring Times: Friday:
Group Proctoring: Group proctoring for computer and paper based tests. Space is limited, please complete the Midterm/Final Proctor Reservation Form by clicking on the above link. Please submit a Midterm/Final Proctor Reservation Form no later than the Thursday prior to exams.
Please schedule your proctored exam at least two weeks before midterms and finals, there are limited computers available for testing. Thank you!


text: Student Profiles Yi Zhuang '08 Yi Zhuang '08 Hometown: Chengdu, China Major: Double Major in Computer Science and Mathematics Why did you choose to come to Bowdoin? I have three cousins who go to school in the United States and all of them agree that college education in the United States is much better than that in China. It was really hard for me to pick a college in the United States from thousands of miles away, but since I grew up in a big city and attended a high school of five thousand students, I knew I wanted to go to a small college in a cozy town with small classes. Why did you choose your major? I became interested in computer science right after I took Computer Science 210: Data Structures with Professor Eric Chown. It was a fun and challenging class. I started working for the robotics team during the summer of my first year and then declared computer science and economics as my majors. I became "interested" in economics simply because it seemed that almost everyone else was interested in it. After three semesters of econ classes, I found that I had no passion in the subject and realized that doing something just because other people are is simply stupid. I found that a lot of econ concepts were better explained by mathematics. I dropped my econ major at the beginning of my junior year and added mathematics. What has been a course you especially enjoyed at Bowdoin? I especially enjoyed Computer Science 210: Data Structures. We programmed fun things ranging from simple games like nibble to complex ones like course registration and Tetris. I have also been a quantitative skills tutor for this class. What professor or professors have especially inspired you during your time at Bowdoin? Professor Eric Chown, head of the robotics team, really changed my attitude toward life. The biggest thing I have learned from him is that there is always room for improvements. For example, I was in charge of the vision system of our robots and the initial system I created was slow. I found it hard to improve because I was hoping to avoid completely changing the existing system, but we ended up doing poorly in the U.S. open in Atlanta. After that, Professor Chown rewrote the way our robots scan images, resulting in a huge improvement in our performance. I have seen the robotics team grow from a small, three-person team to the world champion team that it is today. I have seen the secret — just keep improving. Have you engaged in any independent research while at Bowdoin? I have done quite a lot of independent studies at Bowdoin: Robotics (sophomore year), I/O-efficient view shed computation (junior year), I/O-efficient Map Overlay (Honors Project). All of them have turned out to be very rewarding experiences. What extracurricular or work experiences have you had at Bowdoin? Besides working for the robotics team, I also worked for Network Operations Center (NOC). I learned a lot about computer networking working there. When I first came to Bowdoin, only the main Quad, the libraries and Moulton Union had wireless. During the summer after my first year, we installed the wireless access points in all the buildings, which was a valuable experience for me. I became very familiar with Cisco devices working for NOC. We also received CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) books and training and NOC even paid the test fee for me to become certified as a CCNA. What have you done during your summers? In the summers I work for the robotics team and Network Operations Center but, most importantly, I fly twenty hours home to see my family and old friends. What is your best Bowdoin memory? There are many of them. If I could only pick one, I would pick the Robocup that the robotics team and I attended in Germany (I also spent my 21st birthday with the robotics team in Germany). What are your plans for after graduation? I plan to go to graduate school. I hope to get into the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. What advice would you give to a prospective student or first-year about the Bowdoin experience? As an international student, I was really impressed by the host family program. Brunswick is full of nice people and it never hurts to get a host family. Story posted on January 31, 2008 « Back | More Student Profiles | Go to News Home


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Dorothy Hunt was invited several years ago by Adyashanti to share the Dharma and does so with great gratitude and love for the continuous unfolding of the Mystery. Before meeting Adyashanti, she was a student of non-dual traditions for many years, having a deep and abiding connection to Ramana Maharshi and the path of Self-Inquiry. Dorothy is currently the President and Spiritual Director of Moon Mountain Sangha, Inc., a California non-profit religious organization founded for the purpose of offering teachings, meditation, satsang, intensives, and retreats in support of spiritual awakening and the embodiment of that realization.
In addition to her spiritual teaching and availability for dokusan (private meetings with a spiritual teacher) through Moon Mountain Sangha, Dorothy has practiced psychotherapy since 1967 and is the founder of the San Francisco Center for Meditation and Psychotherapy. She can be reached by phone at (415) 567-8404; or e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com. You may also visit her website at www.dorothyhunt.org to learn more about her work, teaching, books, and upcoming events.
Copyright © 2010 Open Gate Sangha


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Bank Holidays eh? There's nothing quite like a 3-day weekend.
We wouldn't know though because the Pocket-lint chief overlord doesn't allow us to celebrate them - instead chaining us to our desks, locking all the doors of PL Towers and instructing rabid dogs to guard the fire exits.
But we do skive off a bit, doing less work and playing games on our mobile devices. And the one that we've been playing today is a cracker....
Siege Hero
- Format
- iPhone
- Price
- Free (for a limited time)
- Where
- iTunes
Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way first. Siege Hero is a bit of an Angry Birds rip-off. Or it appears to be, at least until you know its back story.
You see, Armor Games, the maker of Siege Hero, has been knocking out games where the idea is to, well, knock over things long before the Rovio gang came to the iOS party - remember Crush the Castle? Probably not, but it was a physics based puzzler along the Angry Birds line that hit the App Store about 6 months before the 'Birds did.
So whilst Siege Hero borrows heavily from the most successful mobile game ever, ever, ever - it is only borrowing from a title that borrowed heavily in the first place.
Origins aside, it's addictive as hell - just like those birds. The idea is to knock over structures and kill the bad guys, made up of various historical tribes such as Huns or Vikings. But you don't catapult your birds, sorry weapons, in from the side. No, it's all front ways on and you'll even get a crosshair for precision aiming.
There are different weapons (stones, triple stones, bombs and so on) that cause different damage to different materials - and there are also peaceful folk to save along the way for bonus points.
It's not three stars you're after with Siege Hero - but a full golden crown. We'll let you take a guess how you earn it.
Copycatting ignored, or even embraced, Siege Hero is a fantastic little iPhone game that offers a wealth of new challenges for people who've completed "other" titles. There are 150+ castles to take down, split over two ages, and there's hidden extras to uncover through the treasure chests.
And, the big news is that, the game is free for a limited time. So take a look, it might not make you Angry after all...


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Movie Picture for Alpha Males Experiment
Photo Credit: Naedomi Media
Alpha Males Experiment takes a realistic, but comic look at how the behaviors of men and women have evolved very little since the caveman times. When Ethan, the needy nice guy, is dumped by his fiance, he asks his misogynist older brother Kyle to help him win her back. Kyle tries to teach Ethan how to act like "a real man" and to never put a woman on a pedestal.


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Susan Williams 10/28/2012 10:37:15 AMFantastic capture, Lois. I love the comp, colors and clarity. Nice work! #1494977
Barbara Waldoch 10/29/2012 11:38:38 PMSo beautiful, Lois! #10393763
24-105mm lens @93mm, ISO640, F4, 1/40th sec.
Exif: F Number: 4, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/40 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 640, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 93.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 50D
Uploaded on 10/28/2012 7:48:45 AM
Camera: Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Lois Adomite. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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"This study clearly shows that the long-term perspective, value-based decision making and independence from the capital market give family-owned businesses a genuine competitive edge in the marketplace." –Karena Strella, co-leader for Egon Zehnder International's U.S. operations
You'd be forgiven for thinking the heyday for family-owned trucking businesses is long since passed in this country.
I mean, just looking at the vicious toll the Great Recession took on trucking. According to Donald Broughton, managing director for Avondale Partners, in the first two quarters of 2008 alone, some 88,000 trucks left the market due to business failures – some 4.5% of the industry's capacity.
And the pace of bloodletting didn't let up for years, with 730 trucking companies filing for bankruptcy in the first quarter of 2010m taking 33,360 tractor-trailers off the highways. Not until the first quarter of this year did the death spiral slow down, with "only" 295 trucking companies filing for bankruptcy taking 5,420 commercial vehicles trucks out of the market, Broughton's data indicated.
Make no mistake here: a lot of those unfortunate failures were small, family-owned entities, which form the backbone of this industry. Just look at these statistics for 2010 compiled by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI): in 2010, 96% of all the trucking companies in business operated 20 trucks or fewer, with 88% operating six trucks or fewer.
Those figures indicate to me at least that the "family-owned" trucking company still remains a viable model, despite the higher price for equipment, flat-lining freight volumes, and fuel prices that remain high by historical standards.
It's also helpful to note that, according to Chicago-based venture capital fund Gaebler Ventures, despite the rising influence of big corporations, family owned operations continue to be a powerful economic force in the U.S. In fact, many of big U.S. corporations themselves are family-owned companies.
Indeed, family businesses account for a staggering 50% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), according to Gaebler's numbers. And while it's tempting to believe that the majority of family business GDP is attributable to thousands of small operations, it's important to recognize that 35% of Fortune 500 companies are in actuality family-owned companies.
That means family-based operations are represented across the full spectrum of American companies, from small businesses to large corporations, the firm noted.
On top of all of this, being "family-owned" is a characteristic with deep roots in the trucking space, with some of the biggest and most well-known companies all staring out this way, from J.B. Hunt Transportation Services (founded by the late Johnnie Bryan Hunt) and Knight Transportation (where Kevin Knight serves as chairman and CEO) to Werner Enterprises (where Clarence Werner became Chairman Emeritus this year of the company he founded in 1956). And though those behemoths are now publicly-owned titans, the family connection remains strong in all of them.
There's also some new research indicating that being a "family-owned" firm offers some distinct advantages, too, and not just in trucking. Indeed, according to a study just released by executive search firm Egon Zehnder International, more than half of all family-owned business owners and executives worldwide overwhelmingly attribute the nature of their businesses to helping them cope and prosper through the economic downturns.
The firm surveyed 720 family business owners and executives from a variety of companies spread out across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Here are some of the findings:
• 56.3% of respondents stated that the most striking advantage of family-owned businesses is their long-term perspective. In the U.S., 47.2% of respondents agreed with this. This was the highest in Sweden (83.3%) and the lowest in India (25.7%).
• Two out of three family business owners state that the nature of family businesses helps them cope with economic downturns. (76.5% in Great Britain; 52% in India; 48.1% in the U.S.).
• For the majority of survey respondents (53% of executives, 64% of family business owners) their longer-term outlook means that family businesses can afford to be more innovative than other companies.
Yet it's not just about "innovation" here – it's also about the passion and pride family-owned firms maintain for the fields they work in, and nowhere is that more true in trucking.
Take Shawn Cielke, for example, president of Sweet Rides Logistics. An owner-operator based out of Haugan, MT, Ceilke and his family spent three years of hard earned money and personal time transforming his 2006 Kenworth W-900B (seen at right) into a one-of-a-kind rig.
Yet it's not just about crafting a sharp piece of iron to take to show truck competitions. Rather, Cielke believes it's a one-of-a-kind calling card that tells customers something about his business philosophy, especially in terms of the type of service they'll be getting.
"I'd say my truck affects about 80% of the freight I haul," he told me from the road. "The customer knows a truck like this won't break down often at all, because by the way it looks, they know I take great care of. They also know a truck like mine delivering their products impresses their customers. Dock workers and yard guards take pictures of this truck; so do DOT [Department of Transportation] inspections. Thus my customers get noticed in ways they've never been noticed before."
Cielke hauls a smattering of everything, which recently included load of watermelons. But it's what happens when a customer sees his truck that makes the difference, he explained, pointing to that "watermelon load" as a prime example.
"We got that load through a broker," Cielke noted. "But when I made my delivery, the customer came running up to my truck while we were unloading – camera in hand to take photos – and wanted us to start hauling his produce direct for him. All of a sudden, I now have a chance to sign up another regular customer."
Proof positive that family-owned trucking firms can still snag significant success in this rough-and-tumble industry.