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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Boris Johnson became the prime minister of Britain; gas for the population in August will become cheaper: The correspondent.net marks out the main events of yesterday. Boris Johnson became the prime m...
Date: 7 months ago 2019-01-02 07:00 Category: Science
Scientists found a new type of orchids
a new type of orchids. Nakhodka was found on Madagascar, writes the National Geographic magazine.
In the Royal botanical garden Kew after studying of the alcoholized copy said that the plant called Cynorkis christae is new to science.
according to scientists, distinctive feature of this orchid is its sweet aroma which is similar to a champagne smell.
As was reported, to Transcarpathia in December the saffron blossomed. In November in Kherson the lilac blossomed. News from the Correspondent.netv of Telegram. Subscribe for our https://t.me/korrespondentnet channel
URL: http://newswell.info/articles/scientists_found_a_new_type_of_orchids
Apologies, probably, nevertheless influenced "soft" punishment. The forward of Argentina national team Lionel Messi is disqualified for one match and punished by a penalty of 1500 dollars for the offenses on the Cop of America-2019, reports As.Takim in the way, Messi will miss an opening match of Argentina national team in selection to World Cup 20...
Video to Bohemian Rhapsody composition posted in August, 2008 gained more than one billion viewings. The clip Queen to composition of Bohemian Rhapsody gained more than one billion viewings on an offi...
The auction in the American stock exchange on Tuesday, July 23, ended with growth of the main indexes. Data of the exchange demonstrate to it. The Dow Jones index grew by 0.65% – up to 27349.19 points...
Results 23.07: Mai's replacement and new gas price
Date: just now
Boris Johnson became the prime minister of Britain; gas for the population in August will become cheaper: The correspondent.net marks out the main events of yesterday. Boris Johnson became the prime minister of Great Britain the Former head of the British Foreign Ministry Boris Johnson elected the new leader of Conservative party and, respectively,...View
Zelensky called the candidate for the Prosecutor G...
Date: 13 hrs ago
To a position of the head of the State Office of Public Prosecutor the deputy head of Office of the president Ruslan Ryaboshapka is considered. The deputy head of Office of the president Ruslan Ryaboshapka can become the new Prosecutor General. As reported on Tuesday, July 23, the president Vladimir Zelensky, his candidacy is considered for this po...View
Results 22.07: Efremov is free also results of ele...
Date: 21 hrs ago
The court released Efremov under house arrest; The CEC counted more than 90% of protocols of elections of Rada. The correspondent.net marks out the main events of yesterday. of the CEC processed 90% of protocols on elections to Rada Glava of Central Election Commission Tatyana Slipachuk declared early parliamentary elections taken place. According...View
Zelensky dismissed seven more heads of the distric...
Date: yesterday
In documents it is specified that dismissal of heads of RGA connected with the end of a term of office of the previous president. Prezidentvladimir Zelensky dismissed heads of seven regional public administrations. The corresponding orders are published on the website of Office of the head of state on Monday, July 22. The reason for leaving specif...View
Inflow of migrants to Russia reached record level
Date: 16 hrs ago
Most of all the number arrived in Russia from China, Serbia and Syria increased. Gain looks "abnormal", is approved in a research. For the four first month 2019 to Russia there arrived 218.6 thousand migrants, gain was 98 thousand people. This record quantity for the last decade, TASS on Tuesday, July 23 reports, with reference to release Monitorin...View
Media learned accident details on nuclear deep-wat...
Date: 18 hrs ago
Seamen-submariners died as a result of explosion of the rechargeable battery during fire extinguishing. After ignition all crew of nuclear deep-water power plant AS-31 could be evacuated on the boat carrier, but instead submariners to the last fought for survivability of the station. It is written by Kommersant with reference to the sources close t...View
The Russian Federation opened six cases on the Ukr...
Date: 19 hrs ago
The Russian department accuses the Ukrainian security officers "of ill treatment of the civilian population". The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation brought six new criminal cases against the Ukrainian military because of allegedly firings of civil objects by them on Donbass. In the press service of the IC RF on Tuesday, July 23 repo...View
The car on the run failed in a gully on the route
Date: 3 days ago
The roadbed washed away a rain. As a result of falling of a car in the formed hole two persons were traumatized. In the Skovorodino district of the Amur region of Russia the car in full operation failed in a gully on the route. The corresponding video was posted by Port Amur news Agency on the channel in Youtube. According to the Russian media, an...View
The stock market of the USA was closed by growth
Date: 4 hrs ago
The auction in the American stock exchange on Tuesday, July 23, ended with growth of the main indexes. Data of the exchange demonstrate to it. The Dow Jones index grew by 0.65% – up to 27349.19 points. S&P 500 increased by 0.68% – up to 3005.47 points. Added NASDAQ 0.58% – up to 8251.40 points. News from the Correspondent.netv of Telegram. Subscrib...View
The National Bank continues to strengthen hryvnia
Date: 10 hrs ago
The single European currency fell in price by 12 kopeks, and U.S. dollar - for one kopek. The National Bank of Ukraine for July 24, 2019 strengthened hryvnia exchange rate for one kopek – to 25.63 hryvnias for dollar. Data on the regulator website on Tuesday, July 23 demonstrate to it. The regulator also reduced euro exchange rate for 12 kopeks. Th...View
Moldova suspended import of pork from Ukraine
Date: 10 hrs ago
The authorities of the country forbade import of meat from Ukraine and Romania because of the outbreaks of the African plague of pigs. The national agency on safety of foodstuff of Moldova warned about the numerous outbreaks of a virus of the African plague of pigs in Romania and Ukraine in this connection into the country forbade to import product...View
Agroexport of Ukraine to the EU grows at record ra...
Date: 11 hrs ago
In a year export of the Ukrainian agricultural products to the European Union countries grew almost by 50%. Following the results of May Ukraine won first place among the countries of the world on volumes of export growth of agricultural products to the European Union countries. Data of the report of European Commission demonstrate to it. So, in th...View
Messi received disqualification for removal on the...
Date: just now
Apologies, probably, nevertheless influenced "soft" punishment. The forward of Argentina national team Lionel Messi is disqualified for one match and punished by a penalty of 1500 dollars for the offenses on the Cop of America-2019, reports As.Takim in the way, Messi will miss an opening match of Argentina national team in selection to World Cup 20...View
Grizmann: The debut for Barcelona turned out greas...
Date: 9 hrs ago
Antawn Grizmann is ready to work hard to bring the help to team. The forward of Barcelona Antawn Grizmann commented on the debut for Barcelona in a match against Chelsea which Catalans lost. "I normally fitted into a position of the center forward, I can play any position ahead, it is unimportant where. I will always prefer to be in the field, but...View
PSG stated Neymar on an early tour
Date: 10 hrs ago
Neymar will go with Parisians to a tour to China. PSG stated the forward Neymar on an early round of the command which will take place in China. The structure which will go to preparation is published on the official site of club. Let's remind that the future of the Brazilian in the Paris Club still remains undecided. Itself the player wants to ret...View
Klopp: We need normal breaks, then will be able to...
Date: 10 hrs ago
Juergen Klopp considers that players do not manage to have a rest between seasons. The head coach of Liverpool Juergen Klopp commented on an intensive football season, having told that it needs to be changed. Otherwise, fans will not be able to observe a game of a world class. "So there was a situation and in the long term it is unacceptable. Such...View
The supermodel acted in an effective beach photosh...
Date: 11 hrs ago
The model poses in a bathing suit with a frank decollete against the background of a picturesque sea landscape. The Swedish supermodel Elza Hosk acted in an effective beach photoshoot. In pictures she is depicted in the bathing suit with very deep decollete which effectively emphasized its tightened figure. The photos published on Instagram page of...View
The Ford electropickup towed off 450-ton freight
Date: 11 hrs ago
The car "pulled" ten cars with 42 copies of Ford F-150 inside. Gross weight of freight exceeded 450 tons. Ford tested the first completely electric F-150 pickup. The car got moving forward enormous freight. "Record" of the electropickup was published on an official channel of Ford Motor Company on YouTube. At first Ford F-150 towed off ten empty tw...View
In China leaders of Honor 9X and 9X Pro presented
Date: 13 hrs ago
Both gadgets are equipped with the top Huawei Kirin 810 processor and also a sliding selfie chamber. The subbrand of Huawei presented two new flagman smartphones - Honor 9X and 9X Pro. Both novelties are based on the top processor of the Huawei Kirin 810 company. Write NDTV about it. These smartphones are successors of model of last year - Honor 8X...View
On PokerMatch set a record of Ukraine in online po...
Date: 13 hrs ago
More than 3.000 players from the different cities of Ukraine battled in the special online tournament devoted to a birthday of Rhum. The champion received nearly 180.000 hryvnias prize-winning In Sunday in popular Ukrainian poker-rume of PokerMatch there was a historical event for domestic poker. In the PokerMatch 3 Years tournament devoted to the...View
The clip Queen broke the record on YouTube
Date: 4 hrs ago
Video to Bohemian Rhapsody composition posted in August, 2008 gained more than one billion viewings. The clip Queen to composition of Bohemian Rhapsody gained more than one billion viewings on an official channel of group on YouTube. It is a record for the rollers which are written down till 1990th years it is told in the blog of a video hosting. M...View
Vin Diesel's doubler broke on shooting of the figh...
Date: 10 hrs ago
Incident occurred after the safety cable burst. The man landed on the head. On shooting of the fighter Forsazh 9 with Vin Diesel the doubler broke. The safety cable during performance of a trick with a jump from a balcony burst. As a result the man landed on the head and was injured. Writes Daily Mail about it. The stuntman who is carrying out tric...View
Warner Bros will shoot the film about the superman...
Date: 11 hrs ago
The tape has to come out in 2020. It will be based on the graphic story by Mark Millar. The film studio of Warner Bros intends to picturize the comic book about the Soviet superman. The tape will receive the name Superman: Red son. Writes Superman Homepage about it. It is expected that the release of the film to the wide screen will take place in 2...View
Christina Aguilera fell from a ladder on the stage
Date: 12 hrs ago
The singer stumbled and "sat down" on the stage. To it participants of the ballet quickly helped to rise. Owing to an incident the star did not suffer. The American singer Christina Aguilera fell from a ladder during the performance. An incident occurred in the Ice arena in St. Petersburg. Eyewitnesses filmed the funny moment with the camera and pu...View
Astronomers revealed a secret of formation of the...
Date: 16 hrs ago
Scientists said that the galaxy as a result of collision included two various groups of stars. The group of astronomers of the Canary institute of astrophysics published the text of the new research devoted to the mystery of formation of the Milky Way. Scientists established that the galaxy consists of two various groups of stars which connected as...View
Experts called the products accelerating aging
Date: yesterday
Sugar, alcohol, delicacies from corn and also products from the processed meat belong to their number. Experts called food which cause premature withering. Sugar and the processed meat belong to their number. Writes Medikforum about it. Nutritionists noted that sugar slows down synthesis of collagen which is responsible for elasticity of skin. Nega...View
Debt to Earth. Renewable resources come to an end
Date: yesterday
The mankind needs nearly two planets for satisfaction of the growing rates of consumption today. The world economy in 2019 will spend a conditional stock of renewable natural resources which can be restored in a year, already on July 29 - for three days earlier, than a year ago. Today the mankind needs 1.75 planets Earth to satisfy all requirements...View
Indians started an expedition of Chandrayan-2 to t...
Date: 2 days ago
Onboard an automatic expedition there is a small moon rover. The local organization ISRO started a mission. The Indian organization of space researches (ISRO) started an automatic expedition of Chandrayan-2 onboard which there is a small moon rover to the Moon. About it it is noted on the website of the organization. Initially the mission was plann...View


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At 7:02 a.m., Charlotte tramples down the stairs with her scarf swinging wildly around her neck, belt not even through the last loop yet. Her mind, racing as fast as her heart, scrambles to remember where she put her car keys. She loses herself in the bottomless pit that's her black bag, searching and searching. She rummages through the kitchen drawers, checks the bowl by the entryway, swipes her hands along every countertop in sight, all to no avail.
Now, she's ten minutes late.
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Middlebury received a bushel basket full of good economic news this week in three announcements: Vermont Hard Cider, LLC was bought by a global Irish company that will strengthen the company in its effort to stay atop the national hard cider market and expand its operations and job growth here in Middlebury; the Vermont Transportation Department announced it will finance the Western Corridor rail project without waiting for federal assistance and have it completed by 2017; and the town of Middlebury was given control of managing the railroad tunnel project that will rebuild the overpasses
Yes, I have retired, but I am allowed to teach one course a year in retirement, so that's what I do.
I teach my class in the late morning, and then I don't go back to an office with a desk full of unmet responsibilities and an e-mail inbox of notes impossible to respond to adequately.
Instead, I go home and walk the dogs. Or I go to lunch with a friend.
If you use the Internet, you ought to check out this really cool site.
It's called Facebook. And quite a few people are using it lately.
In case you haven't heard of it, Facebook is a "social networking" tool that lets you connect with others without the having to leave your house or talk on the phone, which, let's face it, can be exhausting. Instead, you share pictures and stream-of-consciousness thoughts with a network of people known as your "friends."
VERGENNES — Early on Sunday morning Vergennes police cited a Middlebury man for a criminal count of driving with a suspended license, and they said he could possibly face other charges from state wildlife officials.
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury police cited Brandon T. Raymond, 26, of Middlebury for burglary, grand larceny (over $900) and violation of the conditions of his release on Oct. 21. Police allege that Raymond broke into a Seminary Street apartment and stole an iPad and electronic gaming equipment.
Police allege that Raymond entered the apartment during their investigation and admitted to the crime.
In other action last week, Middlebury police:
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Lily Rhiannon is here! She was born at 9:34 eastern time on October 14, 2009, and both Mom and baby are doing just swell.
Hopefully the timing works out so I can see the game on Sunday, but I'm not dumb enough to mention that to my wife at the moment. :-]
Here's a pic for y'all...
October 15, 2009
Welcome the newest Keebler Twelve!
5 comments:
- Matt Wiediger said...
Congrats Johnny!
- October 15, 2009 at 10:10 AM
- Bill McCready said...
Congratulations, and the same to the Mrs. Hope you get to enjoy the baby and the game on Sunday.
Does she have a bright green hat to wear on her tiny little head for this weekend?
- October 15, 2009 at 11:42 AM
- Misfit said...
Congrats and thanks for sharing the pic. She's beautiful! :)
- October 15, 2009 at 12:28 PM
- tr3pidation said...
Congrats man =D
- October 16, 2009 at 2:19 AM
- Hawkgirl said...
She's a beaut! Congrats to you and your family!
- October 16, 2009 at 8:19 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Future Chapters depend on response to this post.
Please feel free to post this story anywhere provided it is posted intact.
I was down at the local watering hole enjoying my favorite brew, when she came into the place. The few heads that were there all turned at the same time and locked on to her. She was amazing, short black mini dress, long legs in black, and 4" heels.
She looked around and headed to the bar. I felt lucky being the only guy at the bar this night! She ordered a drink and took out a cigarette and fumbled for a lighter. I reached across and flicked my Zippo open and asked, "My I?"
She smiled and leaned into the lighter. "Thanks." she said, in voice that would melt the polar ice caps!
We started a conversation and talked for a while. A song came on and she asked if I liked to dance, I certianly did this night!! I followed her to the dance floor watching her nylon encased legs, knowing all eyes were on me and knew I would be dead if looks could kill!
To make a long story short, we ended up at her place. We were makeing out on the couch when she got up to use the bathroom. When she returned her dress was still in the bathroom and I stared open mouthed at the form in front of me.
She walked over to me and got on her knees, she reached into my lap and undid my pants. My prick sprang out at her and she smiled a devilish little grin. She took my wrists and pinned them to my sides, this lady had one firm grip! She leaned her head into my lap and swallowed me whole. I tensed and thrust forward into her throat, she gagged, but never loosened the grip she had on me.
She started a slow up and down motion and stopped to run her tounge over my glans and balls. Slowly my balls were sucked into her mouth and released with gentle care. This lady knew how to please with her mouth!
She stood up and took my hands and led me into the bedroom. She stripped me and licked my nipples and on down again to suck on my cock.
She stopped and looked up at me, "Do you like to have fun?" she asked.
"What kind of fun?", was all I could reply.
"Well, I like to dress my men up, make them look like hookers. It really turns me on!", she put great emphasis on the last part.
I had never considered this before, but I was open to anything to get as far with her as I could. "How could I refuse you." was my reply.
"It will take some work, can I do what I want, or will you stop me?", again that devilish little grin.
"Do what you want, I am your Barbie doll.", I grinned at her.
She led me into the bathroom and had me take a hot shower. She handed me a creme and told me to cover my body in it, what I could'nt reach she did for me. I felt it sting a little and after a few minutes she had me shower again. My eyes popped as I saw all of my body hair in the bottom of the tub. The feeling of the water, soap and washcloth against my now smooth skin was amazing. To say I was turned on was evident by my hard-on!
I stepped out of the shower and she dried me off and handed me a silk dressing gown. She led me back into the bedroom and sat me down at her make-up table. "Now, what kind of hooker do I want you to be?" she said to herself. "I know!" She would not let me watch as she put on foundation, eye shadow and liner. Blush, lipstick, lipliner, mascara and powder finished whatever she was doing to me. Next she applied nail polish to my finger and toenails, all in a light pink color.
She went to her dresser and returned with a handful of things and had me stand up and take off the dressing gown. A pair of pale pink, satin panties were pulled up my legs, followed by a matching corset that had lace trim on it. I sat on the bed as she rolled the stockings up my legs, they felt wonderful and gave my legs a look I never thought they would have. She gave my crotch a squeeze and stood up and went into her closet.
When she came out she had a very short pink mini dress. She had me lift my arms in the air and she pulled it over me. It was a little tight, but that was how she wanted it when I mentioned it. The neckline finished where my corset started and ended just below my stockings! The back was a sheer material that may as well not have been there for what it covered! Next she brought out a pair of 4" matching pink heels and led me to the mirror.
I was wide mouthed as I stared at the vision before me. It took me a few minutes to actually realize it was me staring back from the mirror! My make-up was applied very garishly, enough to make any hooker proud. My legs glowed with the stockings and I could see the bulge returning to my skirt!
She wrapped her arms around my waist and lokked over my shoulder, "Do you like it?" she asked.
"I..I..I don't know what to say! WOW! Do you like it?", I asked back.
She started to rub her hand over my bulging skirt and squeezed my dick, "What do you think?", she replied.
I turned and kissed her, pulling her close as our tongues explored each others mouth. I felt something different and pulled back.
I looked down and saw her panties tenting out! I reached down and pulled her panties out from her body. She had a dick and balls where I expected a smooth surface down to her crotch! "Surprise!", was all she said!
"You're not going to freak out are you?", she said with a little look of worry in her eyes.
"No, just give me a minute.", I managed to squeak out. "So you dressed me so I would know where you were coming from?"
"Partially, also because seeing another guy dressed really does turn me on! What are we going to do now?"
"Where did we leave off?", was my answer!
She started to kneel down, running her hands over my body as she did. She lifted my skirt and nibbled on my hard cock through the panties. She ran her fingernails down the backs of my legs and a series of cold shivers leapt up my back.
She pulled my panties down with her teeth and swallowed me again! I thrust my cock into her throat again and she moaned. Her tongue played with me and my balls. She was probably the best cocksucker I have ever had. She reached her hand around me and started to run them over my panty covered ass. She got her hands inside and slid them up and down my crack. She stopped and started to run circles around my asshole and slowly slid a finger into me. She brought one to her mouth and moistened it for lubrication. She returned it to my ass and started to fingerfuck me!
I was amazed at how good it felt, her lips around my cock and her finger in my ass! She turned me around and leaned me into the wall. My panties were pulled down to my knees and she started to lick my ass! I was moaning and begging her to continue! She slipped another finger into me and it was soon joined by another! I was almost screaming with pleasure!
"You like that, don't you my little whore! You love haveing your ass filled, I bet you want my cock in you, filling your ass and leaving my cum inside."
"Yes, please give it to me!", I could not believe this was me!
She grabbed me by the hips and pulled my ass to her, I felt the head of her cock at my ass. In one push she was inside me. I screamed with both the pleasure and the pain. She started to fuck me slowly, building speed as my ass got accustomed to her. She was fucking me furiously and I was moaning and groaning every time I felt her hips hit my ass cheeks! I felt her tense and push into me as hard and as far as she could. I felt every spasm as her cock emptied into me. She yelled out and fell against my back.
I turned and took her to the bed, I could feel her cum dribbling from my ass and running down to my stockings. I kissed her and started to explore her crotch with my hand.
"Lick me clean bitch!", she said between pants.
I was nose to dick with her and tentativly licked the head of her cock. It tasted good and soon I was deep throating her. She had her hand on the back of my head pushing me into her crotch. She must have been enjoying it as she exploded again and filled my mouth with cum. I swallowed what I could and licked up the rest of it.
She got up and went into the bedroom, I fell onto the bed and started to drift off with my skirt around my waist. I was awakened by a flashing, I lifted my head to see her taking pictures of me. "This should ensure you do what I want. You are my slut now and will do as I ask."
She had me get on my hands and knees faceing the foot of the bed. She lay next to me and reached into her nightstand. She withdrew a large vibrator and pushed it into me. She turned it on and started to fuck me with it. Just then the tv came on and there I was, leaning against the wall getting fucked. "Just in case you were thinking of stealing the film from the camera, I do have a little insurance policy.", she smiled at me. "Now, how are you going to earn your keep?"


text:
Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy
by Jess Hutchison
Sorry, all available copies have been sold. I am not currently planning to get any more printed.
CORRECTION (for booklets ordered in October and November - the December printing has been corrected)
*On the robot chart, the text under each foot should read "CO 9 in CC2 using long tail method." Not CC1. Although doing it either way would make a fetching robot. The robot in the photos was done correctly.
© Jess Hutchison


text:
The day was only half gone. More adventures loomed on the horizon, like storm clouds . . .
"Fascinating courtly intrigue and bloody power games set on a generation ship full of secrets―Medusa Uploaded is an imaginative, intense mystery about family dramas and ancient technologies whose influence reverberates across the stars. Disturbing, exciting, and frankly kind of mind-blowing." ―Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous
How fun! I would love to go back to those places again. I love the photos that you picked. And what a fab idea to blog about it. Love it.
Stephanie R.
"[The Night Shifters is] a fascinating ride. The voice feels a lot like Neil Gaiman. This is a huge compliment in my mind, and one not to be taken lightly." - Melinda VanLone Reviews
"Emily Devenport's "If The Sun's at Five O'Clock, It Must Be Yellow Daisies" smote me. It's a brilliant examination of the human soul in relation to one's self-perception . . . I can't fathom how Devenport managed to layer worldbuilding, develop a full character and examine the human psyche [with] such thoroughness."
-Harry Markov, RISE REVIEWS


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Calendar of meetings and forums
Calendar of Council meetings listed by date.
4 Jul 2019
To view the agenda and minutes for this meeting click here.
Building, Resource Consents and District Plan In order to undertake your development, you may need to apply for both a building consent and a resource consent. Toitū Kāpiti Annual Plan 2019/20 The full 2019/20 annual plan starting 1 July 2019 is now available. Find out here what we're planning to work on and spend in our community - or look up the new rates for the year. Everything Kāpiti Read this week's e-newsletter and sign up to get the latest on council activities, upcoming events and opportunities to get involved. Elections 2019 It's time to start thinking about running for your local Council in this year's Local Government Elections. Candidate nominations open in July - keep an eye here for upcoming info. Kāpiti Coast Aquatics If you're looking for exercise, recreation or swimming lessons, look no further, come along to Kāpiti Coast Aquatics facilities! Our libraries Find out all you need to know about the Kāpiti Coast District Libraries.


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Market Road, Opp. Parekh Medical, Jambhali Naka, Thane West, Mumbai-400601
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In Thane
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Latest Posts
- God in Captivity: The Rise of Faith-Based Prison Ministries in the Age of Mass Incarceration by Tanya Erzen, Beacon Press, March 2017. ISBN-10: 0807089982
- The OIC announces solidarity with the Muslims in Sri Lanka, who will show solidarity with the Sinhala Buddhists?
- Hundreds of Homes of Indigenous Buddhists Burned Down by Bengali Settlers…………in BANGLADESH
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Tag Archives: baby Farm
Registered Children's Home, A Baby Farm?
In a twist to the allegations of illegal activity in a children's home run by a Catholic charity the government caved in under pressure brought by the Catholic Church resulting in the National Child Protection Authority withdrawing the case on … Continue reading
Posted in News, Sri Lanka Tagged Adoption, baby Farm, Catholic Charity, Catholic churdh, Sri Lanka, trafficking Leave a comment
Registered Children's Home, A Baby Farm?
By Shanika SRIYANANDA 1929… the hotline of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received two 'exclusive' complaints. The first was from a doctor, who treated a mother of a two-year-old baby, who found that the child was to be handed … Continue reading


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SEATTLE — Before playing against him, Robinson Cano's only opinion of Masahiro Tanaka came from what he saw on television.
After seeing him up close, Cano could make a full assessment. "He's filthy," Cano said.
Seattle had no answers for the New York Yankees newest star. Tanaka struck out 11 and became the second pitcher in the majors with 10 wins, throwing a complete game for the Yankees in a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Tanaka (10-1) won his fourth straight start. He allowed six hits, walked one and leads the AL with a 2.02 ERA. He tied for the wins lead with Toronto's Mark Buehrle, who is 10-2.
Tanaka was on the verge of possibly his most impressive performance of the season before giving up a two-run homer to Cano in the ninth inning that ruined the shutout.
That only made Tanaka more determined to finish off his second complete game of the season. He struck out Kyle Seager and Logan Morrison to close out the victory.
"He was pretty damn good. His secondary stuff was pretty good. His command was outstanding," Seattle Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Our guys battled their tails off all night, but he made exceptional pitches."
Seattle lost consecutive games for the first time since late May and the news didn't get any better postgame.
After placing first baseman Justin Smoak on the 15-day disabled list with a strained quad earlier in the day, he was joined after the game by outfielder Michael Saunders.
Bothered recently by a sore shoulder, Saunders landed on the DL with inflammation in his right shoulder. A corresponding roster move will be made by the Mariners on June 12. Neither likely would have helped much against Tanaka.
Tanaka has allowed only four earned runs in the past 29 2-3 innings and hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any start.
That number would be less if not for Cano hitting his third homer of the season — and first at Safeco Field — in the ninth. James Jones reached on an infield single with one out and Cano hit a drive out to left-center on the first pitch.
Cano had three homers by April 10 last season with the Yankees. His shot was his first since May 21 in Texas.
"That's what you want. You want to get the first one in," Cano said. "It was good. Hopefully it will continue and I'll get some more."
Seattle rarely had chances against Tanaka. It took the Japanese rookie 15 pitches to get through the first two innings and 26 pitches setting down the first nine Mariners in order.
Seattle got baserunners in the fourth when Jones and Seager singled, but the threat ended when Morrison struck out on a check swing.
It also started a strikeout binge from Tanaka. Beginning with Morrison, six of the next seven outs came via strikeout.
Tanaka also wiggled out of trouble in the eighth after Mike Zunino's double and Brad Miller's single. Just as movement started in the Yankees bullpen, Cole Gillespie lined out and Miller was doubled off first base to end the inning.
"Obviously I wasn't very happy about that home run, but at the end I'm pretty satisfied I was able to go all nine innings tonight," Tanaka said through an interpreter.
New York's Jacoby Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 15 games with an RBI single in the third.
Two innings later, with Seattle starter Chris Young (5-4) struggling, Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer that barely cleared the wall in right-center field. The game-breaking shot was Teixeira's 11th homer of the season.
Young lasted only five innings for the second straight start. "I needed to keep us close, give us a chance to win and I didn't do it," he said.
(TIM BOOTH, AP Sports Writer)


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Slate's "Moneybox" columnist Daniel Gross was online on Washingtonpost.com to chat with readers about Sam Zell and the fall of the Tribune Co. An unedited transcript of the chat follows.
Tokyo, Japan: It's Bill Ackman, not Dan Ackman.
Daniel Gross: correct you are. We will fix.
Brooklyn, N.Y.: Would this have been a less awful move had the credit crisis not hit? Or was it that dumb money was always gonna come back to show us just how dumb everyone was?
Daniel Gross: In theory, yes, it would have been less awful. A year ago, to think that he could get, say, $1 billion for the Chicago Cubs, which is a great franchise and would attract lots of bidders, was perhaps not entirely unrealistic. And he could have taken those proceeds a decent sized chunk of debt—not to make it in the long-term, but perhaps to get through this year.
I think, though, in the end, it was a question of "when" not "if" for Tribune, given the underlying businesses. It's one thing to have a company with relatively stable revenues and profits, like a manufacturer of soup, supporting big debt. It's quite another thing for a bunch of newspapers, whose revenues have been unstable and whose profits have been tough to come by, to support a massive amount of debt.
Not anyone from The Post, honest: Do you think the future of newspapers are their online versions? How do you judge (at the risk of an appearance of conflict of interest) washingtonpost.com and its online newspaper? Personally, I find The Post far ahead of most other newspapers in developing an online site.
Daniel Gross: So, while I work for the Washington Post Company (my salary comes from Newsweek & Slate), I don't work directly for the Washington Post. So no big conflict of interest. And it's how I read the Post (it's not on the newsstand where I live). I think it's very good. The New York Times has been doing an excellent job, and so has the WSJ, except you have to pay for that.
That said, in answer to your question, I think it's likely that, say, 30 years from now, newspapers in their current form may not be with us. However, for the near future, I think the newspapers' future will be in a combination of print and online. When things are going well in the economy at large, newspapers have proven they can be profitable businesses, and the revenues from online only aren't enough to support the newsgathering and all the other resources that make the online publications great.
New York, N.Y.: Who would you compare the situation with the Tribune to the situation with the New York Times? I know the Times has its troubles but—or am I wrong—there seems to be a family ownership that has kept the paper in check and is fighting to see that the Times survives.
Daniel Gross: The situation with the Times is very different than that with the Tribune. For one, the level of debt at the Times Co. is much more manageable—it's a challenge for the Times to manage, but nothing on the scale of what was piled on the Tribune.
Family ownership at publicly held companies (the washington post co. falls into this category) can be a double-edged sword at times. On the one hand, it encourages long-term thinking, preservation of capital, and guards against things like the Zell takeover. On the other hand, it sometimes means there are other interest at work. Take, for example, the New York Times and its dividend.
Right now, the Times' main operating businesses—the New York Times and the Boston Globe—don't seem to be making money. About.com seems to be generating some cash. And it has some valuable assets—its building, a chunk of the Boston Red Sox—but it can only monetize those by selling. In an environment where cash is king and access to credit is difficult, you would think a company in the Times' situation would be doing everything it can to preserve capital. Eliminating your dividend would seem to be a no-brainer.
And yet in recent years, the Times increased its dividend—only to cut it sharply (but not eliminate it). One of the reasons, of course, is that there are a few generations of Sulzbergers who depend on the Times Co.'s dividends to support themselves in comfort. So there are times when family control can influence corporate policies in ways that are not always optimal.
On the whole, however, in this climate, companies are frequently off under family control than under the control of highly indebted private equity types.
Texas: How likely is it that the Cubs would be sold by the Tribune Company and for how much? Based on past interest, do you have any ideas as which parties would be interested buyers of the franchise?
Daniel Gross: Interesting questions. So, a year ago, it was common to hear people say that the Cubs could go for $1 billion, which is a lot of money. And of course, there's more to the Cubs (in terms of what Tribune owns) than the team. I believe they might have owned the stadium, as well as all or part of WGN, the tv station that carries the cubs' games.
Lots of names have been floated. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, various Chicago-based financiers. But pretty much all the names floated have seen their net worths hacked significantly in the past year. I'd say it's likely to be a consortium rather than a single individual.
Dunn Loring, Va.: You and others commenting on the Tribune's failure have focused on Sam Zell's incompetent management, but since most newspapers are slumping, aren't there other factors (such as the lack of objective reporting) that greatly contribute to the overall decline?
Daniel Gross: Newspapers' decline stems from two factors. One is secular (i.e. it's a long-term trend)—and that is that advertising dollars, resources, and eyeballs are moving away from printed newspapers to tv, online, mobile, etc. Also, classified ads, which were a big moneymaker for newspapers, have basically gone to Craigslist.
The second factor is more cyclical—namely the recession, and the fact that advertising always shrinks during recessions across the board. Virtually every form of media is finding reduced advertising spending.
Philadelphia: There was a sense of some that a few years ago, a partisan political operator with little newspaper experience got a group of investors to buy the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News at an overvalued price. These company is declining in value, I am not sure how readership is (they proclaimed in an ad that it is up). So I wonder: Do you have any sense on what the future may hold for the Philadelphia dailies?
Daniel Gross: Hi Philly—I don't know much about the situation with the Inquirer and Daily News. But it's quite similar to that of the Tribune—a leveraged play by non newspaper people.
Baltimore: So Sam Zell has ruined a huge media company, but he managed to put up only $315 million out of his many billions to do it. Yes, it was rapacious and unconscionable, but if you have to do something rapacious and unconscionable, at least he picked a smart way to do it.
Now I hope that maybe my hometown paper, the Baltimore Sun, can fall under local ownership and not be the piece of trash it's become.
Daniel Gross: "only $315 million"? Even for Zell, that's real money.
re: future ownership. That's the big question. Will the papers be sold off individually or in groups? Will someone come in and try to run the whole company. We don't have any answers yet.
Reston, Va.: There is a Web site which lists Tribune's acquisitions from 1924 forward. You can look at the acquisitions year by year.
Eventually you get to 2007, and there it is: Zell buys Tribune. And whoosh, only one year passes and the whole enterprise files for bankruptcy.
It seems to me something is off-base. This company made acquisition decisions going back 80 plus years, then suddenly Zell appears, buys it, and they go bankrupt. Is it possible that this was orchestrated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, or perhaps an investment group (hedge fund in particular) with very influential members?
Daniel Gross: i don't think the u.s. chamber of commerce had anything to do with this.
This deal was thought up by someone whom the world had dubbed to be an investing genius, it was backed and advised by all the blue-chip investment banks, and name-brand banks lent tons of money to the company. The net worth—and reputation—of all involved has taken a significant hit.
It was just a miracle of poor timing.
Your blog: After reading your book, Pop!, I went to your Web site.
Do you not update that anymore?
Daniel Gross: First, thanks so much for reading. And, yes, when I joined the staff of Newsweek in the summer of '07 I stopped updating the blog. Basically, you can see all my work on Slate or on Newsweek.com
Baltimore: What happens to all the people who took the Tribune buyout during the last year? Do they still get paid, or are they now unsecured creditors?
Seems pretty slimy if they get rid of workers with the promise of severance, even while knowing they're about to declare bankruptcy and not make good on those obligations.
Daniel Gross: That's a good question. To a degree, it depends where the buyout money came from. Sometimes, if companies' pension funds are overfunded, they can use those assets to fund buyouts and severance. And in that case, a bankruptcy wouldn't mean the workers were out of luck. I know one of the big creditors of Tribune Co. is Mark Willes, who was a former CEO and is owed several million in retirement money. oh well.
Washington, D.C.: It's been my understanding that many (most?) newspapers are still profitable—there just isn't any growth, which isn't good enough for shareholders. Incorrect?
Daniel Gross: I think many newspapers are profitable, although this year—and this quarter in particularly—I would guess that not all that many are. Newspapers are really tied to the economic cycle—when a recession hits, people cut back on discretionary spending, like newspaper subscriptions, and advertisers pull back.
You could check out the quarterly results of Gannett Co.
Seems like they made a pretty decent profit on newspaper operations in the most recent quarter
Hartford, Conn.: From where I sit the Zell strategy seems to be to cheapen the product so its inherent value to the consumer (news) is even less so, in the hopes that it can shrink its way back to profitability, then regain its lost luster in some way. The next industry to successfully pull off that business model will be the first.
Daniel Gross: that might be a simplification. I don't think he really had a strategy to deal with the newspapers per se. This was a guy who probably hadn't thought for more than a few minutes about how to run a newspaper before taking control of the companies. Basically, he saw a financial opportunity—acquire control of Tribune with very little down and lots of debt and hope to flip pieces of it.
New York Times: I had to look with one eye closed when the New York Times company mortgaged their building to fund current operations.
If real estate has not hit a bottom, won't this endanger the company long term.
Didn't anyone read your book, Pop?
Daniel Gross: The Times basically took out a home equity line of credit on its new home in New York. It wants to borrow about $225 million, I believe, which is probably only about 1/3 of the value of the building. So it's a pretty conservative move. And they're not using the proceeds to fund current operations. They want to use it to pay down some debt and have cash on hand in case they have difficulty rolling over existing credit lines.
I know that some people did read my book, Pop.
Evanston, Ill.: Hey Dan, you wrote a provocative book about why bubbles are good for the economy. Of course there are beneficial side effects but I think the questions is what is the net effect of a given bubble. Is it safe to conclude that the housing bubbles benefits are outweighed by fallout we are now living through?
Daniel Gross: Hi Evanston—I don't want to give away the whole book here. It's still available for sale, after all. But basically, the argument is that bubbles are good when they leave behind a new commercial infrastructure that others can use—like the telegraph, the railroad, or the Internet. In other words, without Web bubble 1.0, we don't get Google. Without the telegraph bubble of the 1840s and 1850s, we wouldn't have got the Associated Press and Western Union. When the bubble is in something like paper (credit, stocks) or in something that doesn't really create a new commercial infrastructure (housing), we don't get the same benefits.
Toronto: How do the sellers of the Tribune Co. feel about their sale to Zell now?
Do they feel as though they erred in selling to a person who used other peoples money and saddled the company with large debts, as opposed to selling parts of the Co. piecemeal to people like David Geffen, or do you think they simply do not care, because they made a lot of money in the sale?
Daniel Gross: I think the people who sold the Tribune Co. actually feel pretty good. They got a good cash price for their stock at what turned out to be the top of the market. Had they said no, and held on, that stock would probably be cut in half, just like every other media stock.
Miami, Fla.: Any idea why they took on additional $3B in debt? Seems they paid for business with $300 million from Zell and $9B from banks to pay off family, Wall St and Fitzsimmons. After this transaction Zell was able to add $3B additional debt—seems like straight forward corporate looting, especially when the business reported $100M-plus profits each quarter in 2007 and 1st 1/2 of '08.
Daniel Gross: I think—not sure, though—that the $3 b may have been existing debt. In other words, when you buy a company you assume all its assets and liabilities. That's why it's sometimes confusing when we report about the size of deals. If you put $1 billion cash down, and borrow $9 billion to pay $10 billion for a company that has $5 billion in debt, the price of the deal is $10 billion, but the value of it may be $15 billion, since the new entity is assuming that existing debt.
Washington, D.C.: In the early '90s, when my cousin used to connive to me about terrorists hijacking jets with box knives, I used to tell him that Communism was coming to America through the federal bankruptcy courts, not through firebombs in the streets. Then his younger brother would chime in that the government was going to provide us all with the cure for anthrax after a bioweapon attack—in exchange for our guns.
How much power does the federal court's overseer have in deciding which Tribune creditors get paid and which do not? That would be the most powerful job in the company, wouldn't it?
Daniel Gross: Bankruptcy court isn't supposed to be a place where the judge decides who gets paid and who doesn't. It's supposed to be a place where the creditors and debtors get together and work out deals under the supervision. There's a lot of negotiations, threats, discussions, and sometimes litigation in bankruptcy court. But in a typical bankruptcy, the parties work out deals without massive intervention from the judge.
Daniel Gross: Looks like the hour is coming to a close.
Thanks for all the great questions.
See you next time


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now it is really time for Flamer's!!!!
no politics, that can only lead to nasty postings...and this only separates people, but we should be one: kiters, no matter what!!!
Because,jdub87 wrote:haha, how did George Bush get in this soup?
So, your point is...???soulboy wrote:I think this forum needs MODERATION!
There are 2 main problems:
1. Pimps
2. Trolls
There needs to be some easier way of sorting out the garbage from the good stuff.
A number of sites use a user moderation system where a number of users are chosen
each day or couple of days either randomly or based by the particpation in the site.
These moderators then allocate points to topics/posts as to how good or bad they are
for example:
The posts which are modded up get displayed promenantly. The posts which get modded down are not displayed unless the user decides to view every post which most people wont.
A good example is this tech site:
I know the subjects are chosen by the site but the basic idea is sound.
Ok start trolling trolls you know who you are....
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At Facebook's second annual f8 Conference for developers this week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and company representatives announced a number of enhancements to Facebook's application platform and previewed more of Facebook Connect, the company's yet-to-be-released data interoperability platform. The new features all sound great, but the nonrelease of products today shows signs of trouble.
The news from f8 boil down to major announcements: polishing Facebook's application platform to make it more useful and punish abusive developers, and previewing more of Facebook Connect but not delivering anything significant just yet.
On the application front, Facebook will tweak its application system in September to introduce new badge branding for applications that are verified to be safe. A "Great Apps" label will also appear for applications that embody all ten of Facebook's guiding principles that dictate how good apps should behave (apps that are meaningful, trustworthy, transparent, fast, etc.). Two applications are already on board: Causes and iLike, though this program is in alpha at the moment. Overall, these programs and Facebook's new, more discerning enforcement of policies are designed to foster more useful and socially acceptable applications than some of the obnoxiously viral ones the platform has become famous for.
The more significant of the two announcements, though, is certainly Facebook Connect, the company's initial effort to loosen its reins on user data to make it more portable and useful. Facebook Connect has been expected for some time, and was officially announced back in May. MySpace and Google quickly followed suit with similar announcements which all center around making partnerships with other prominent communities to exchange data and harness one's friends outside of Facebook's walled garden. For example, one launch partner who demoed on stage at the conference is Digg. At f8, Digg announced that it will soon allow users to sign in with their Facebook or OpenID credentials, with no need to sign up at the site and create an account. Six Apart, a blogging software company, also demonstrated Facebook Integration that will allow users to sign into Movable Type with their Facebook accounts, comment on a blog post, and also see where their Facebook friends are commenting—if those friends chose to display that information in their public feeds.
At face value, Facebook Connect will definitely simplify our online lives by making it easier to move our data from one site to another. But with this system, Facebook is still the gatekeeper, which means all the photos, videos, and other content that its users create are still locked away in Facebook's vaults. Facebook Connect will only work with new site partners that choose to build that bridge. While it's a safe bet that most sites will do so given Facebook's popularity, Facebook Connect is still a long way from returning users' rights to so much as download all their photos or notes back out of the service.
Top these issues off with non-announcements of other anticipated features like a payment system for app developers, as well as the fact that virtually none of Facebook's new features will be ready for at least a few months, and the conference becomes a bit disappointing. Facebook Connect is undeniably appealing, and the company's application platform definitely needed a sheriff to wrangle up the hooligans, but we're going to have to wait to be wowed by Facebook's announcements until any of them actually come to fruition.


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In paying $28 billion for H.J. Heinz, Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital are buying more than an iconic brand like Heinz Ketchup. That's because H.J. Heinz arguably has a stronger foothold than other brand-name U.S. food makers in emerging-market economies around the world.
This aspect of the deal should not be overlooked.
In recent years, big U.S. food makers have been seeking growth outside the U.S. in a bid to capture new customers who can now afford to spend more money on food. It's a chief reason Kraft split into two companies last fall.
Heinz got 21% of its total company sales from emerging markets last year and is projecting 25% for its 2013 fiscal year that ends this May. Heinz expects "double-digit" growth from sales of its ketchups, sauces and frozen foods in countries like Brazil, China and Russia.
Such growth comes from a buy-and-build acquisition strategy Heinz embarked on 15 years ago. By 2018 at the latest, Heinz is betting its emerging-markets business will produce annual sales of $5 billion, double what it is today.
Other U.S. food companies have been pushing overseas.
Last year, General Mills inked a definitive agreement to buy Yoki Alimentos, a Brazilian snacks and condiment maker.
Even J.M. Smucker , an iconic American brand that long has relied on U.S. consumers, made a foray into China last March, paying $40 million to take a 25% stake in an oatmeal company.
Meanwhile, Mondelez International , Kraft's former snack business, is off to a bumpy start since becoming its own publicly traded company last October.
The maker of Cadbury chocolates, Trident gum and Ritz crackers has its sights set on being a big player in the emerging markets. But after the closing bell Wednesday, Mondelez reported quarterly sales and profit below Wall Street's expectations, and its shares fell Thursday.
-- Matt Andrejczak
Follow me on Twitter @MarketwatchMatt
Follow The Tell blog on Twitter @thetellblog


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• The Schedule
Friday, November 25, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
SDSU Turkey Time Tournament
UC Santa Barbara at San Diego State (17-9)
at SDSU's Peterson Gym (3,668)
Series record vs. the Aztecs – 19-18
Streak – Won 2
Last time out vs. the Aztecs – W, 3-2 (9/18/10)
Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.
SDSU Turkey Time Tournament
UC Santa Barbara vs. TCU (23-7)
at SDSU's Peterson Gym (3,668)
Series record vs. the Horned Frogs – First-ever meeting
Streak – N/A
Last time out vs. the Horned Frogs – N/A
• Quality Quintet
Five UC Santa Barbara players were honored by the Big West on Tuesday when the league announced its all-conference picks. Libero Chelsey Lowe, middle blocker Lily Lopez and opposite Stacey Schmidt were all named to the All-Big West First Team – the third straight time for Schmidt to be named a First Teamer. Outside hitter Leah Sully was an Honorable Mention selection and setter Hanna Nielson was named to the All-Big West Freshman Team.
• Six Pack of Wins
UCSB is riding a six-match winning streak in which they've lost just four overall sets. The last time the Gauchos had a six-match winning streak came in 2009 when they had six from Sept. 16 to Sept. 26. The last time UCSB won more than six straight was in 2005 when they rattled off eight straight from Nov. 4 through Nov. 26.
• Eyes on the Prize
With 624 total digs on the season, Chelsey Lowe ranks second in single-season school history behind her predecessor, Leigh Stephenson, who picked up 650 digs in the 2007 season. Following this weekend's matches vs. San Diego State and TCU, Lowe could become the school's all-time leader as her average of 5.38 digs per set indicates. That mark leads the Big West and ranks her 26th in the nation.
• Top 10 Talent
As Chelsey Lowe continues her assault on the single-season digs record, she is also inching her way up the career charts at UCSB. With 1,378 career digs in her three seasons as a Gaucho – she transferred from USF before the 2009 season – Lowe ranks eighth all-time in school history after passing Brooke Niles (1999-2002). She needs 55 digs to surpass Erica Menzel (2000-03) and 138 more digs to overcome Emily Hendrickson (2003-06) in Gaucho history.
• They Can Dig It
As a team UCSB is averaging 17.83 digs per set, which ranks the Gauchos first in the Big West and 21st nationally in the stat. UCSB also leads the conference in digs per league matches with 18.83. Chelsey Lowe and Leah Sully each rank in the top-10 in the Big West in overall digs, one of just two sets of teammates to do so.
• RPI Report
Despite winning both matches last week, UCSB's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) actually dropped. The Gauchos are 56th in the weekly rankings, second in the conference behind Long Beach State (44).
• Double Digit Delight
The Gauchos have secured double-digit wins in Big West play for the third straight season.
• Double Dipper
In 21 of the Gauchos' 29 matches this season, Leah Sully has recorded a double-double, including in 16 of her last 20 matches. On the season the sophomore from Irvine, Calif. is averaging a team-leading 3.00 kills and is second with 3.77 digs per set. Sully is also fourth in the conference with her 0.32 ace per set average.
• Lily Lopez: Leading Lady
Senior middle blocker Lily Lopez paces the team with her .340 hitting percentage, ranking her second amongst her conference mates and 65th in the nation. In her past five matches the native of Yorba Linda, Calif. is hitting .429 (43-7-84). On the season Lopez is averaging 2.27 kills per set and 0.83 blocks per set.
• About Schmidt
All-American Stacey Schmidt ranks eighth in the Big West with her .290 hitting percentage and is fifth with her 0.31 aces per set average. The senior is second on the team with 2.97 kills and 0.91 blocks per set.
UCSB Hopes Turkey Time Turns into Tourney Time
• The Schedule


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Having read the announcement in the Beacon and knowing the facilitator of the group made me curious and eager to attend. Its name, Poetry Revisited, is a bit of an affirmation of poetry, as well as another look at the individual writing presented by the participants.
However, my intrigue leads me to offer another description. In my mind's eye, I see a gathering of folks who have embraced the concept of carpe diem. They are seizing the day as live poets willing to put their life experiences into poetic words.
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Boy there is nothing like spoiling our favorite pocket pet. Short tail Possums love a variety of treats. We here at Brisky Pet Products understand that it can be difficult to deny that urge to give our small exotic pets a treat, but we strongly urge the small pet owner to limit the treats to no more than 10% of their daily dietary intake. Proper nutrition is so important to STOs and all Pocket Pets so make sure when you choose a treart you are still providing your exotic with a proper, nutritious food item.


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Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva is a destination spot all on its own – a lively after work entertainment complex, a luxurious staycation option, a peaceful respite in an urban setting…or a private, lavish haven that far exceeds our guests' expectations.
A true "oasis in the heart of the city", Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva is also home to three exclusive gourmet restaurants, a cozy Lounge area and a Bar, all of them with breathtaking views; abundant event and meeting space, upscale shops and boutiques; an elite spa and fitness center ; and the largest private, indoor swimming pool in Geneva.
The Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva Complex includes a luxury-shopping arcade featuring Damien & Co (official hairdresser of Miss Switzerland), Georges Hakim, Splendid/Hublot, Prestige Audemar-Piguet, Richard Mille, Shiro Luxury, Franck Muller, Moussaieff, Valmont Al Raina Oud, Gérard, and other services as Pharmacy "Mont Blanc", Perfect Smile, W.T.A and Sixt.
Need a break? Come and visit beautiful Geneva, whilst enjoying full Hotel services during your stay. Our ESCAPE IN STYLE promotion offers you up to 30% discount on our best available rate!
Book now for a minimum of two nights and enjoy following advantages:
- Luxury accommodation in our Rooms and Suites
- CHF 35.- discount per person in our Spa on any Valmont treatment of 1 hour minimum
- Swiss Chocolate in your room upon arrival
- Free WIFI internet
- Complimentary access to swimming pool and fitness centre
- Free access to Geneva public transportation
This special offer is bookable now for stays between 1 May and 30 September 2019 (subject to availability). VAT and service charges are inclusive ...
Geneva is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway! Book directly here and profit from a 20% reduction of our 'Bed and Breakfast' rate for stays between Friday and Sunday, included.
Your weekend break package includes:
- Luxury Accommodation
- Daily buffet breakfast in our restaurant
- Free WiFi in room and public areas
- Free access to public transportation in Geneva
- Free unlimited access to the fitness center, indoor swimming pool, steam bath and sauna
- VAT and Service charge included
Daily City tax of 4.75 CHF per person is additional. A minimum stay of 2 nights is required to benefit from this special discount.
Enjoy Geneva with the whole family at a very special rate!
- Luxury accommodation in two connecting or adjoining rooms in the same category
- Free internet Wi-Fi
- Unlimited access to swimming pool and fitness centre
- Children amenities upon arrival
*Rates are per room and per night
Comfort and elegance best describe the Superior room at Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva. What's more, with just a few minutes' stroll, you can reach Geneva's city centre. In shimmering, warm tones, the decoration reflects the comfort and modernity of our hotel. Our Superior rooms (30 sq m) are the perfect base for your city escape. Interconnecting rooms available.
These refined rooms of 30 sq m with full-length windows offer a view to the city of Geneva or the Jura mountains, and some of them are equipped with a balcony.
Most of the rooms are interconnecting and perfectly adapted to your stay in Geneva.
The Premium rooms (30 sq m) with a partial view of Lake Geneva offer a luxurious stay with their contemporary and elegant design.
The atmosphere combines refinement and new technologies for the wellbeing of our guests. Whether to work or relax in, our Premium rooms provide extra space for comfort. Some rooms are interconnecting.
Spacious, comfortable and peaceful, the Deluxe room of 40 sq m includes a dedicated sitting area, overlooking the patio of the Hotel.
It can be connected to a Superior room.
Simply desirable… Floor-to-ceiling windows that give away the best view over the Geneva fountain and the Mont-Blanc panorama in 30 sq m; truly breath-taking.
Some of these rooms may be connected to our Executive Suites.
The Junior Suite overlooking the Hotel patio includes a sitting area and a spacious marble bathroom with a separate bathtub and shower. Relax and re-energise yourself in these beautiful Suites of 45 sq m.
These Suites can be connected to a Superior room.
The elegant Junior Suite with a view over the city of 45 sq m includes a sitting area and a beautiful side view to the lake. A comfortable sitting area invites you to relax, and most of the Suites offer convertible sofas.
These Suites are not connected to any room.
Charming and refined, Deluxe Suites patio view have one bedroom, a separate living room and a beautiful and spacious marble bathroom with both bathtub and shower.
These Suites of 65 sq m offer elegance and modernity with a quiet space overlooking Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva's patio.
The Deluxe Suite can be connected to a Superior room, patio view.
Spoil yourself in our spacious Executive Suites (70 sq m). They offer a panoramic view over Lake Geneva and the Alps and are decorated in contemporary soft, warm tones bathed in natural daylight from large full-length windows. The Suites provide a luxurious marble bathroom with a large oval bathtub and a separated shower.
Executive Suites are equipped with the utmost elegance, convenience and style. Enjoy also high-speed Internet access, free wireless Internet, fax machine and two plasma TVs, and direct phone number option.
These Suites may be connected to our Deluxe rooms, lake view.
Relax and admire the panorama in our newly refurbished Presidential Suites (110 sq m). They offer a stunning view over Lake Geneva, the Alps and the Mont-Blanc and are decorated in contemporary soft, warm tones infused with natural daylight from large full-length windows. Some Suites feature a balcony.
Each Suite has a master bedroom and a luxurious marble bathroom, a separate sitting and dining room (catering from four to eight guests) and an adjacent guest bathroom, equipped with its own private shower. The Suites are furnished with the utmost in elegance, convenience, style and efficiency. High-speed Internet access, wireless Internet, fax machine, direct phone number option and two LED ...
At the top of the Hotel, the Suite provides a glorious view from its large terrace overlooking Lake Geneva, the Alps and the Mont-Blanc.
The Bel Horizon Suite (one-bedroom suite) has a large entrance hall that is reached by a private lift, a living room and a dining room – all decorated in a modern and elegant design with red highlights and foot-to-ceiling windows.
For your convenience, the 120 sq m suite provides a bedroom, two bathrooms and a dressing room. The technical features include high-speed Internet access, wireless Internet, a fax machine, two LED TVs and a direct phone number option.
A Premium room with partial lake view can be connected to the Suite in order to enlarge it ...
The Cologny Suite (one-bedroom suite, 150 sq m) is situated on Floor 6, offering a breathtaking panoramic view over Lake Geneva and the Swiss and French Alps. A private lift gives direct access to the Hotel reception area and/or the underground parking.
This Suite is composed of a master bedroom with bathroom and an adjoined living room (independent entry for visitors) with an extra bathroom, and a dining room seating up to ten persons. High-speed Internet access, wireless Internet, fax machine and two LED TVs, direct phone number option.
The Suite also offers a variety of connection possibilities: a Premium room with partial lake view can be connected directly to the Suite.
For more ...
The 350 sq m apartment Suite is situated on Floor 7 of the Hotel and provides stunning views of Lake Geneva, the Jet d'Eau (the world's highest fountain!), the Alps and the Mont-Blanc.
The special features of the Suite include a living room with three comfortable sofas, an LED TV with home cinema system, a dining room for up to 20 people, a kitchen and a bar. The bathtub and large Italian shower in the master bathroom provide the ultimate relaxation with a view of Lake Geneva.
The private lift gives direct access to the reception area and the underground parking. With the possibility of adding a second bedroom with separated bathroom and entrance, the Suite provides perfect comfort and ...
Superlative in every sense!
The latest pearl of Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva, the Geneva Suite is the largest free-standing suite in Europe. With a surface of 1,080 sq m, this Suite is a duplex, laid out on two floors, the lower floor being dedicated to the reception areas, whereas the private quarters are on the upper floor.
As its name suggests, the Suite, situated on the top two floors of the Hotel, enjoys an encompassing view over the city, the Jet d'Eau and the Mont-Blanc. A private butler and Chef ensure a seamless, enjoyable stay. The Geneva Suite offers three bedrooms, each with a private bathroom (including one master bathroom with steam bath).
For more information or to make a ...
Enjoy one of our luxury residences (ranging from 60 to 110 sq m) in the heart of the city of Geneva!
Modern, welcoming and warmly decorated, our apartments provide you with all the comfort you may need. The apartments are composed of one bedroom*, a living room or dining room, a kitchenette and a private bathroom, as well as a guest bathroom.
*Two of our residences offer two bedrooms.
In addition, you will be able to take advantage of five-star services such as concierge and housekeeping (cleaning services are included twice a week), laundry and/or dry-cleaning services. Some of our residences offer a sundeck, where you will have the opportunity to relax whilst enjoying a view over the ...


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Guest blog post by Dee Alexander, Commerce's Senior Adviser on Native American Affairs
Last month, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank signed the "Tribal Consultation and Coordination Policy," (PDF) which establishes the manner in which the Department works with federally-recognized Indian tribes when developing Department policies that have tribal implications.
The Consultation Policy follows from President Obama's Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation from November 2009 which strengthens former President Bill Clinton's Executive Order on "Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments" (PDF). Upon signing, President Obama stated the importance of the Presidential Memorandum: "History has shown that failure to include the voices of tribal officials in formulating policy affecting their communities has all too often led to undesirable and, at times, devastating and tragic results. By contrast, meaningful dialogue between Federal officials and tribal officials has greatly improved Federal policy toward Indian tribes."
As Senior Adviser to the Commerce Secretary for Native American Affairs, I have been working with a team of representatives from each of Commerce's 12 bureaus that interact with federally-recognized tribes in order to craft the Policy. The development of the final Policy would also not have been possible without the input from tribal leaders and representatives, who provided input through several national webinars and a public comment period following a Federal Register notice last year.
Acting Secretary
Blank recently
notified the leaders (PDF) of the 566 federally recognized tribes of the
signing of the Policy and thanked them for their participation and input in
this process. I look forward to continuing the government-to-government
relationships that have been developed throughout this process, which are
crucial to the mission of the Department of Commerce in promoting job creation,
economic growth, and supporting tribes in their development of their own strong
and stable communities that will be able to participate in the national and
global marketplace.
For more information about the Department of Commerce's efforts to work with tribes, visit http://www.commerce.gov/office-secretary/native-american-affairs, or call 202-482-0789.
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In browsing through my weekly Houzz Tour I came across this incredible tree house designed by architect Scott Anderson of The Anderson Studio of Architecture and Design. Fellow green furniture fans, check it out!
I send my thanks to blogger Becky Harris for featuring the South Carolina, Kiawah Island retreat on Houzz, the world's latest and greatest interior design website.
I love the tree house's clean, green, Zen-like decor. "The great room feels like some sort of natural habitat; besides the great views, a live-edge side table, root-ball bases on the coffee table, plants, natural finishes and plenty of open space connect the space to its surroundings" notes Becky.
As live edge furniture makers and natural finish afficionados we stood up and cheered when we saw this green respite in the trees of Kiawah Island. Congratulations to Anderson Studio for achieving the ultimate in tree house decor!
And speaking of tree houses, I couldn't close without mentioning James Roth, cofounder of The Treehouse Guys in Warren, Vermont. Roth and his company have built 34 wheelchair accessible treehouses in private camps and public parks across the country. Have a look at some of Roths amazing works of art that let everyone, "no matter their physical ability, experience the joy of what it's like to 'climb' and be at the top of a treehouse."


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Norton Mobile Security Adds iOS Support, Simplifies User Experience
Symantec reports that more than one in three users of mobile devices worldwide has had a device lost or stolen. Android users with Norton Mobile Security 2.0 installed had a better chance of recovering a missing device, naturally. Today Symantec has released Norton Mobile Security 3.0, with improvements to the user interface and brand-new support for iOS devices.
Don't Get Madware
Con Mallon, senior director for Norton mobile product management, pointed to a new boom in aggressive advertising apps. These apps may bombard you with annoying alerts or obtrusive text advertisements. Some even change your ringtone to blare out their advertising message; maddening! Norton Mobile Security goes after malware, of course, but it also targets these annoying apps, which Symantec calls "madware."
Mallon reported a shift in direction for Symantec. "We'll continue to secure the PCs, the mobile devices, and the personal information on them, but rather than think of protecting a single device we'll protect the user." The company's Norton One multi-platform security bundle epitomizes this new direction, as does Norton 360 Everywhere (now called Norton 360 Multi-Device). Users of these two products will automatically get access to the updated Norton Mobile Security.
Enhanced Android Protection
The updated Android product has a brand-new user interface, designed to improve the user experience. Previously you could lock or wipe a stolen phone by sending it a coded text message. Another special text message would cause it to respond with its current location. Those functions are all handled through a convenient Web portal in the new edition. Also new is a "scream" function, helpful if you've misplaced the phone somewhere around the house.
Norton Mobile Security for Android continues to offer antivirus protection, including both on-demand scanning and real-time protection. As noted, it now takes a stand against aggressive advertising and other "grayware" apps. In addition, its phishing protection helps keep mobile users away from fraudulent websites.
New, Limited iOS Protection
The new Norton Mobile Security for iOS doesn't include all the features found in the Android edition. You can check the device's location from the Web portal, and view its last ten recorded locations. You can also back up your contacts and restore them to the same device or a different device—even an Android device. That's the extent of iOS protection in this initial release.
Norton Mobile Security 3.0 is currently available for $29.99 from the Norton online store, Google Play, or the iTunes store.
For more from Neil, follow him on Twitter @neiljrubenking.


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LEGO® Life: is an app full of your stuff!
It's THE place for all your LEGO® builds. THE place to be inspired, informed & challenged. THE place to see LEGO stuff. LEGO Life is more than an app for your smart device, it's THE place for a safe & friendly community of LEGO fans.
Check out the awesome builds shared online by other LEGO fans!
Comment, like and share your stuff across a friendly community of LEGO fans!


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CONTACT: Jonathan Sherwood (716) 273-4726
May 3, 2000
Glancing at a stereo and turning it on with a thought may have once been science fiction, but inside a virtual world at the University of Rochester, people are listening to music by simply wishing it so. Outfitted with a virtual reality helmet and a computer program adept at recognizing key brain signals, volunteers use their thoughts to take actions like those of any apartment dweller-turning on the television or the stereo, for instance. The line of research, which links a brain and computer in a near real-world environment, may someday allow patients with extreme paralysis to regain some control of their surroundings, say the project's developers, and could eventually eliminate keyboards and computer mice as the go-betweens connecting our thoughts and the actions we wish to see in our environment.
While several teams around the world are working on brain-computer interfaces (BCI), computer science graduate student Jessica Bayliss is the first to show that detection of the brain's weak electrical signals is possible in a busy environment filled with activity. She has shown that volunteers who don a virtual reality helmet in her lab can control elements in a virtual world, including turning lights on and off and bringing a mock-up of a car to a stop by thought alone. Though all this is currently taking place only in virtual reality, the team is confident that the technology will make the jump to the "real world" and should soon enable people to look around a real apartment and take control in a way they couldn't before.
"This is a remarkable feat of engineering," says Dana Ballard, professor of computer science and Bayliss' adviser. "She's managed to separate out the tiny brain signals from all the electric noise of the virtual reality gear. We usually try to read brain signals in a pristine, quiet environment, but a real environment isn't so quiet. Jessica has found a way to effectively cut through the interference."
The National Institutes of Health is supporting Bayliss' research because it may someday give back some control to those who have lost the ability to move. A person so paralyzed that he or she is unable even to speak may be able to communicate once again if this technology can be perfected, explains Bayliss. By merely looking at the telephone, television or thermostat and wishing it to be used, a person with disabilities could call a friend or turn up the heat on a chilly day. Bayliss hopes that someday such people may even be able to operate a wheelchair by themselves simply by thinking their commands.
"Virtual reality is a safe testing ground," says Bayliss. "We can see what works and what doesn't without the danger of driving a wheelchair into a wall. We can learn how brain interfaces will work in the real world, instead of how they work when someone is just looking at test patterns and letters. The brain normally interacts with a 3-D world, so I want to see if it gives off different signals when dealing with a 3-D world than with a chart."
The brain signal Bayliss listens for is called the "P300 evoked potential." It's not a specific signal that could be translated as "Aunt Nora" or "stop at the red light," but rather a sign of recognition-more like "That's it!"
"It's as if each neuron is a single person who's talking," explains Bayliss. "If there's just one person, then it's easy to hear what he's saying, but the brain has billions of neurons, so imagine a room full of a billion people all talking at once. You can't pick out one person's voice, but if everyone suddenly cheers or oohs or aahs, you can hear it. That's what we listen for, when several neurons suddenly say 'that's it!' "
Bayliss looks for this signal to occur in sync with a light flashing on the television or stereo. If the rhythm matches the blinks of the stereo light, for instance, the computer knows the person is concentrating on the stereo and turns it on. A person doesn't even have to look directly at the stereo; as long as the object is in the field of view, it can be controlled by the person's brain signals. Since it's not necessary to move even the eyes, this system could work for paralysis patients who are completely "locked in," a state where even eye blinks or movement are impossible.
The virtual apartment in which volunteers have been turning appliances on and off is modeled after Bayliss' own. Such a simple, virtual world is the first step toward developing a way to accurately control the real world. Once Bayliss has perfected the computer's ability to determine what a person is looking at in the virtual room, the next hurdle will be to devise a system that can tell what object a person is looking at in the real world. BCI groups are also close to surmounting another obstacle-that of attaching the sensors to the head. Right now dozens of electrodes must be attached to the scalp one at a time with a gooey gel, but Bayliss says dry sensors are just around the corner, and simple slip-on head caps should not be far behind.
"One place such an interface may be very useful is in wearable computers," Ballard says. "With the roving eye as a mouse and the P300 wave as a mouse-click, small computers that you wear as glasses may be more promising than ever."
BCIs are divided into two categories: biofeedback and stimulus-response. Bayliss uses the latter approach, which simply measures the response the brain has to an event. Biofeedback is a method where a person learns to control some aspect of his or her body, such as relaxing, and the resulting change in the brain can be detected. Though many BCI groups use this approach, Bayliss decided against it because people must be trained, sometimes for a year or more, and not everyone can learn to accurately control their thought patterns.
Bayliss and Ballard work in the University's National Resource Laboratory for the Study of Brain and Behavior, which brings together computer scientists, cognitive scientists, visual scientists, and neurologists to study neural functions in complex settings. The laboratory's research combines tools that mimic real-world sensations, such as virtual reality driving simulators and gloves that simulate the feel of virtual objects, with sensory trackers that measure eye, head, and finger movements. Recently the lab added virtual people, robot-like actors with which volunteers can interact in a limited way.
So in the future will we all be wearing little caps that will let us open doors, channel surf and drive the car on a whim? "Not likely," Bayliss says. "Anything you can do with your brain can be done a lot faster, cheaper and easier with a finger and a remote control."


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7th July 2017
Theresa May's minority Government made passing the Queens Speech, widely trailed to be her first stumbling block, look relatively simple. Although the Labour Party brought about concessions on the issue of abortion rights for Northern Irish nationals, the Government won the key votes in the Commons on Brexit and the future legislative programme with majorities of 26 votes and 14 votes respectively. The Government Whips - and the Conservative Party's infamous knack for holding on to power – can largely be credited with this unity in the voting lobbies. However, away from the voting lobbies, unity is in short supply.
The UK Government works under the convention of collective responsibility, meaning that all Cabinet Members, Ministers and Parliamentary Private Secretaries publicly support government decisions made in Cabinet. Or at least this is the theory.
In the previous weeks, there has been an almost unprecedented level of inconsistency between various Cabinet Ministers' statements on Brexit. The Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, has made jibes at the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, for describing the UK negotiating position as being "pro-cake and pro-eating it" and called for a long transition period following the UK's exit from the EU in April 2019. Meanwhile, Brexit Secretary, David Davis, has reportedly inferred that the Chancellor's views on the duration of any transition period have been inconsistent and International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, has announced he will be going to Washington later in July to begin talks on a future trade deal – something that on its face would not be possible until any transition period has ended. No 10 has made some attempts to argue that everyone is talking from the same script, but they have not been spinning this line very hard.
It is perfectly possible that these prima facie inconsistencies in collective responsibility have arisen because no decisions have been made by Cabinet. However, the willingness of Cabinet Ministers to so blatantly advocate their own personal views on Brexit appears to be indicative of a Cabinet jostling for leadership credentials and freed from the iron rule of Theresa May's ex-Chiefs of Staff. In this regard, it is notable that Cabinet splits have not been limited to Brexit, but have also extended to the issue of removing the cap on public sector pay.
Businesses and commentators are reasonably raising concerns that negotiations have begun and yet the UK's negotiating position does not appear to be settled. The Government remains clear that the UK is leaving the single market, but even on the issue of the customs union, the UK's political leaders are creating uncertainty. This impression has gained credence with a report in the FT this week, which alleges that Treasury officials have written a paper which includes a challenge to the Department for International Trade to prove it can deliver free-trade agreements that would outweigh any losses associated with leaving the customs union.
There is no doubt that decisions on the minutiae of the negotiations - which are not referenced in the Government's Brexit White Paper – have been made. But reports that a detailed discussion has not yet taken place between Government Departments about the impact of leaving the single market on specific sectors of the UK economy create concern for outsiders. There is a reported lack of communication within the civil service, particularly at the Department for Exiting the European Union, so it is perhaps unsurprising that decisions are not being communicated to the public.
To further confuse the messages coming from political decision makers, an unofficial delegation from the City of London went to Brussels this week, seeking support on a financial services free-trade agreement following the completion of the negotiations. The CityUK and the City of London Corporation have given this group backing, as have senior officials in Whitehall – albeit unofficially. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has also called for the regions of the UK to be given their own permanent seat at the negotiating table.
Having secrets during a negotiation makes sense. Keeping your cards close to your chest makes sense. But the secrecy with which the Department for Exiting the European Union is operating is fermenting an environment in which political leaders have free rein to spread confusion. This week's public row is about the possibility of transition arrangements, but further Cabinet rows are to be expected. Whilst the UK argues about time, the time afforded to these negotiations is quickly passing.
Thomas Anelay
15th November 2016
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Russell Patten, Chair of Grayling's European Public Affairs practice, looks at one of the major political trends as part of our #7for17 series. It's been a turbulent year in politics, with the...Read More