text:
UPDATED: RMA toll authority spends more of our tax dollars for a Push Poll. CTRMA tolls will cost as much as 10 times the national average!
the new higher toll rates after CTRMA
breaks toll rate promise.
A whopping 78% said it's a bad idea to convert existing highways to toll roads. 68% oppose charging higher tolls during rush hour to discourage unnecessary trips. Only 13% said they'll pay the 15 cents per mile or more, the latest amount the CTRMA says they will charge!
From spring of 2004 to early 2005, the CTRMA repeatedly promised 12 to 15 cents per mile for the public highway tolls. They told the public and CAMPO (elected leaders like Mayor Will Wynn and Judge Sam Biscoe who voted YES to the double tax toll plan twice since last year) that the public highway tolls would cost Texans the U.S. average of 12 to 15 cents per mile.
The fact is, the actual average cost of traditional tolls per-mile in the US is 9 cents. The CTRMA's poll showed that people would be willing to pay .093 per mile. However, the CTRMA's website today shows they have increased tolls from 15 to 18 cents a mile.
Since early 2005, local officials like City Councilman Brewster McCracken found the true costs of the double tax tolls will be MUCH higher than 15 cents a mile - in many cases 30 to 43 cents per mile. Brewster has stated that TxDOT's own studies show 71 to the airport will be 64 cents per mile (the highest toll rate in the nation that I have found) PLUS whatever extra will have to be charged to build a $100 million intersection that is less than half a mile long! We could expect a toll rate of $1-$1.25 per mile on 71. That is the equivalent of a gas tax increase of $20/gallon. AND, Comptroller report on the CTRMA shows one at $1.00 a mile!**
MANY DOLLARS WORTH OF CHANGE A DAY EQUALS $1,000's OF DOLLARS A YEAR - for roads that are already paid for. One of the most telling responses of the CTRMA's poll is question #20 (see below). It's nothing more than a desperate search for more money, it shows how this unelected band of crooks works. Remember, the Comptroller found these guys giving no bid contracts out to themselves and their crooked pals (including a convicted criminal and girlfriends of the CTRMA 'circle').
#20. In your opinion, what is a reasonable price per mile for use of a toll way?
Less than 5 cents..........37%
Between 5 and 10..........20%
Between 10 and 15.......10%
Between 15 and 20.........4%
Between 20 and 25.........5%
More than 25 cents.........4%
(Add 4 + 5 + 4 = Only 13% think 15 cents or more per mile is fair - what percentage of folks will pay the $1.00 per mile tolls?)
Refused to Respond........20%
RMA's in other parts of Texas, such as San Antonio are also asking the same "How much will you pay" survey questions. San Antonio has police on hand, apparently ready for double tax toll rage, as they hand out questionnaires at intersection of an already funded loop 1604.
In a different tax funded CTRMA poll, from some months ago, the public responses gave negative personifications of the toll plan, such as:
"She's heavy set and bossy, her breath smells like smoke and convenience store coffee. She's cold and calculating."Sal Costello, Founder of TexasTollParty.com said, "Gov. Perry, Mayor Will Wynn and other special interest politicians empowered this unelected, unaccountable CTRMA to charge us a toll for roads we've already paid for. This highway robbery, on top of growing gas prices, will surely cripple the pocketbook of the average family. At some point, these 'Tax Hungry' politicians must understand, that our already funded roads like 183, 45S, 71E, 71W & 290W must not be tolled!"
"A teenager with their hand out for money and always hungry and always wanting to borrow the car."
The CTRMA came under fire last March when Comptroller Carole Strayhorn released an 85 page report exposing the new toll authority's double taxation scheme, lack of accountability, and the contracts without bids to CTRMA board members and their friends.
The CTRMA's toll plan marks the first time in our country when tolls would be placed on public highways, many have already been funded with our tax dollars. Tolls have always been designed and built as toll roads and funded with investor dollars.
Sal Costello
Founder of TexasTollParty.com
SA Citizens "This Road Was Already Funded!" Flyer Distribution Kick-off!
The front and back of "GRIDLOCK" flyer that the SA Texas Toll Party volunteers will be handing out at US 281, beginning Wednesday morning, to inform drivers that the road was already funded with tax dollars. This citizen action takes place after TxDOT's "How much will you pay" survey questionnaire's they TxDOT had for drivers. San Antonio had police on hand, apparently ready for double tax toll rage, as they had questionnaires at the intersection of an already funded highway.
WHO: Grassroots citizens through the Texas Toll Party.com
WHAT: Flier distribution blitz during rush hour traffic on 281
WHEN: Wednesday, September 28 @ 8:00 AM!
WHERE: US 281 at Evans Rd.
WHY: To give motorists the facts about TxDOT's toll plan.
"What most folks don't know is that they don't need to pay tolls at all!" says Terri Hall, Director of the San Antonio Texas Toll Party.
"TxDOT has a FUNDED plan for the major improvements to US 281 north of Loop 1604, and it should already be under construction. But TxDOT threw that plan in the trashbin in order make us pay a toll to drive on a freeway we've already paid for and for improvements we've already paid for. We know and trust the taxpayers to get informed on this subject, and that once people are aware of the facts, they'll help us work to fight this outrageous misuse of taxpayer money," Hall remarks.
TxDOT has been failing to tell the public this key information and framing the debate as tolls or we get no improvements. When they're taking EVERY freeway main lane on US 281 and leaving only frontage road as the free lanes, they ARE forcing people to pay a toll as well as converting an existing highway that's already paid for into a tollway at a cost of nearly $2,000 a year for the average family (more if the toll rates are $.44-1.00 a mile like it was revealed in an independent review up in Austin).
The State's gas tax revenue has increased steadily for the last 20 years. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is big business. In fiscal year 2004, it took in $6.1 billion in taxes and fees. If it were a private corporation, it would rank 304th in the Fortune 500, ahead of companies like Southwest Airlines ($5.9B), Monsanto ($4.9B), and Starbucks ($4.1B). Unlike a private corporation which depends on attracting customers, TxDOT is a governmental monopoly without competition. "Last I checked, we pay gas tax and continue to pay gas tax every day. TxDOT takes in $6.1 billion a year.
If we can't get our needed improvements with that kind of money when our federal interstate and our major state highway infrastructure is already built, then it's our government who has a spending problem, rather than it being a problem of us being taxed too little," Hall believes. "These guys are masters at making it appear as though the well has run dry, but the facts speak otherwise." Many of these toll projects are already funded improvements; hence, there's no need to toll them. Also, San Antonio sends away $100 million more EVERY YEAR in gas taxes than we receive back. That's the exact dollar figure TxDOT says we're in the negative every year.
"It's not rocket science. Our legislators need to be getting the money we're already taxed back in San Antonio before they suffocate us with a lifetime of tolls," Hall declares, "especially when it costs more to build and maintain toll roads than to build them as free roads. This is whole thing smacks of fiscal mismanagement. Why on earth would we spend more to build toll roads only a few can use versus build them as free roads at less cost that EVERYONE can use?"
Tolls are a sloppy tax where most of the money goes into collecting the tolls, and in this case when using a public-private agreement (known as CDA agreement), goes to line the pockets of a private corporation for up to 50 years.
Contact: Terri Hall, Director of San Antonio Branch of the Texas Toll Party
EMAIL: email@example.com
WEB: http://www.TexasTollParty.com
Gov. Perry has more spin than Hurricane Rita.
Gov. Perry statement that the evacuation was a success is an offense to the millions who were stuck in traffic gridlock and the dozens who died evacuating. This badly organized and badly executed "Texodus" took the lives of more people than Hurricane Rita. Last weeks failure proves the Gov. and his appointed TxDOT leadership have been too focused on tolling roads we've already paid for to do proper evacuation planning. It should be a stark wake-up call for real disaster planning.
Experts say:
• Leaders should not communicate a sense of fear or a sense of panic - that helped cause "Texodus" gridlock.
• Citizens awareness multimedia campaign (like Washington DC's) will help people be more prepared for earlier, staggered evacuation, with more efficient current alternative modes such as buses and train.
• A contingency plans with bus transit for a Hurricane Bus plan with Pickup points to also help those without transportation.
• Have contingency plans with Amtrak to move people out.
• Be prepared to turn two-way streets and highways into one-way evacuation routes (Leaders waited far to long to do this for a limited number of highways - Transportation Department officials have said they did not strongly consider converting highways to one-way traffic before last week - that suggests that contraflow was NOT in the plan).
• Have refueling tankers prepped with proper nozzles. (National Guard trucks were sent out fitted with fuel nozzles for jets, not cars.)
CLICK HERE: Gov. Perry's comments to MSNBC about evacuation going well.
CLICK HERE: Being on the highway is a deathtrap
New York Times: "A high-occupancy vehicle lane went unused, he said, and they saw no police officers. At one point, Mr. Adcock said, he called the Texas Department of Transportation for an alternate route, but the woman who answered could not find a map."
CLICK HERE: Fleeing Rita, cars choke every lane.
Barbara and Don Rushe pass out water to motorists in jammed traffic near Houston. Many travelers spent hours on the loud and gritty roadside, waiting in vain for the traffic to abate in an effort to conserve gasoline.
CLICK HERE: For motorists, all roads lead to frustration
"This was not in the plan"
– County Judge Robert Eckels
"Why wasn't TxDOT on the same page?"
– Houston City Councilman M.J. Khan,
stuck for hours trying to get his elderly
mother-in-law to the airport.
"Either we plan or we doom ourselves to this exercise."
– Bill King, a lawyer and former
Kemah mayor who's long said
the region wasn't adequately prepared
for a large-scale evacuation.
Escape from Houston is a slow-motion 'hell'
her Channelview home, barely out of Houston.
CLICK HERE: Emergency Planning failures.
TxDOT & Our Money
From a friend in San Antonio.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is big business. In fiscal year 2004, it took in $6.1 billion in taxes and fees. If it were a private corporation, it would rank 304th in the Fortune 500, ahead of companies like Southwest Airlines ($5.9B), Monsanto ($4.9B), and Starbucks ($4.1B).
Unlike a private corporation which depends on attracting customers, TxDOT is a governmental monopoly without competition. It gets its revenues from both user taxes and fees as well as tax subsidies from non-users. Approximately one-third of TxDOT revenue comes from state excise taxes on gasoline, diesel and other motor fuels. The tax that most Texans are aware of is the state gasoline excise tax which is 20¢ per gallon. Twenty of the 50 states have a gasoline excise tax less than 20¢ per gallon.
Texas taxes diesel fuel at the same rate as gasoline even though large, heavy trucks – usually powered with diesel fuel – cause most of the wear and tear on our roads. According to the Federal Highway Administration, large tractor trailer trucks are responsible for road costs on a vehicle-mile basis that are more than 10 times that of automobiles. To achieve more equity, 15 states charge a higher excise tax on diesel fuel than on gasoline.
In 2003 (the most recent year for which comparison data is available), TxDOT was second only to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in terms of total disbursements. In that year, Caltrans spent $9.3B while TxDOT spent $6.8B. But, California has more population than Texas, so Caltrans only spent $259 per person compared to TxDOT's $306 per person.
In addition, Caltrans spent 23.7% of its budget on local streets and roads as well as grants to local governments while TxDOT only spent 6.5% of its budget on local roads. As a result, TxDOT spent $286 for every man, woman and child in Texas only on its state-owned roads. This is $88 per person more than Caltrans spent on its state road system.
Buckle Up for the Tracking and Tracing of Central Texans.
Rick Perry: "I'd like to find a way to toll tax Texans for driving Freeways they've already paid for. Those Texans wander around like cows on a farm. You just never know. Can't we just find a way to track and trace them, so we can 'milk' them more?"
TransCore: "Rick Perry, all your dreams are about to come true."
Rick Perry: "They hate traffic. Let's just tell them it'll cure traffic congestion. Hey TransCore, I'm waiting for you to pay the toll to my campaign. Multimillion dollar contracts don't grow on trees, ya know."
Even though the Central Texas Double Tax Toll Plan is about to be put under a microscope with the long awaited Independent Review, (to begin public hearings in October) - TxDOT just signed a multimillion dollar contract to Track & Trace Central Texans before the Independent Review even begins.
TXDOT selected TransCore's RFID technology for the Central Texas Turnpike Program. Yesterday's press release gives details about the multimillion-dollar contract, and how it allows for the initial release of 500,000 track & trace toll tags. The "eGo" tag will be sold under the brand name of TxTag. It gets placed behind/under your rear view mirror and it allows TxDOT to perform traffic surveillance and automatically charge toll fees. They expect to sell 2 million tags over two years! I think I'd like to start pronouncing eGo as "Yugo" like that disposable car from the 80's, or "You go and tell Perry where he can stick his TxTAG". The eGo tag and it's litigation is discussed below.
The Williamson County heavy CTRMA sits back and collects the toll tax after TxDOT does the contract work for toll tags. The local RMA's or 'Mini TxDOT's' are stellar examples of bloated bureaucracies at their worst. You really have to hand it to Rick Perry and his creative taxing schemes.
How much confidence does TxDOT really have in TransCore? We ARE talking about a multimillion-dollar contract. Here's an email that might shed some light. TxDOT's Jana Doyle tells a PSSJ contractor what she thinks about TransCore's John Mike. The guy with 2 first names is TransCore's Vice President of Business Development:
From: "Jana Doyle" (firstname.lastname@example.com)From other documents I've seen, the Customer Service Center for Central Texas is, or will be located at 12719 Burnet Road, 78727. North of Parmer Lane adjacent to Loop 1.
To: "Hurst, Richard C" (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Date: 2/23/2005 9:47 Subject: RE: FW: Story on Transcore Read Only Sticker Tag in Georgia
That was interesting. I didn't know there was litigation over the patent eGo tag. What about the SeGo tag we are supposed to use?
Have they even developed any of these? I swear John Mike reminds me of a used car salesman so I never know what to believe.
Apparently each and every toll lane must be licensed - toll taxing us folks for roads we've already paid for is big business. Records show that TxDOT is having major problems in this area. Over a dozen licenses were rejected and one was tabled in May 2005. Since Sept 2004 the FCC has also placed a freeze on the same 900 MHZ applications as the TransCore eGo/TxTAG. For you RFID nerds - the freeze from the FCC is because of a "concern for Nextel's ability to obtain necessary 'green space', otherwise known as 'vacant spectrum' ".
Don't you like the magic of how a pretty word like 'green space' can make the tracked and traced technology so darn appealing? Maybe they can change the name of the TxTAG to 'Freedom Mountain' or 'My Little Pony'.
READY TO TAKE A STAND against Mayor Will Wynn, Rick Perry and the other special interest politicians that sold us out? Click here to take the Toll Poll.
Coming Full Circle
The CTRMA is now claiming they will appeal!
On the heals of another, albeit small legal victory to limit the terms of the Regional Mobility Authorities, Sal Costello, founder of TexasTollParty.com comments on the Regional Mobility Authority appeal. Costello said, "You'd think that in the wake of Katrina, this bloated bureaucracy of weasels would have some shame in appealing a decision they'll lose again. They violated the constitution, and now they want to waste more dollars. But, this unelected Double Tax tolling RMA has no shame. What they do have is about $300 million dollars!
Who is to blame when the RMA is unaccountable and unelected? Mayor Wynn and the other elected CENTRAL TEXAS LOOTERS that empowered the CTRMA to charge us a toll for roads we've already paid for."
On 7/14/05 Travis County District Judge Darlene Byrne not only ruled that the statute that establishes the boards of directors for Regional Mobility Authorities violates the constitution, the Court also enjoined any member of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Board from serving more than a two year term. The lawsuit exposed how RMA's (FREEway tolling authorities) throughout Texas are unconstitutional. Under House Bill 3588 an RMA board has 6 year terms. But, a provision in the State of Texas Constitution says a regional entity must be 2 years or less. The state constitution trumps state law.
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn's RMA investigation called "A Need for a Higher Standard" reports that the RMA, being an unelected board allowed to privatize and toll our freeways, creates "double taxation without accountability", and that the RMA's loose management practices cost all Texans more. NOT surprisingly, Comptroller also found favoritism and self-enrichment as board members gave contracts (without bids) to their friends and their own companies.
Linda Curtis, chief organizer for the Texas Toll Party said, "What this is really about is Rick Perry trying to prop up Robert Tesch, his appointed CTRMA chair, who just filed bankruptcy -- and Perry's pathetic Prop 9 at the polls this November 8th, to win back his 6 year terms. Does that give you any confidence in their being accountable to the public?"
TexasTollParty.com and PET Inc. are cross partisan grassroots organizations fighting for Texas transportation accountability.
RMA board member resigns while Johanna Zmud refuses to resign over same conflicts.
North East Texas RMA board member Jay Stokes resigned on Wednesday, because of state statutes that prevent officials from cities that might benefit from RMA projects from serving on RMA boards.
So why has Johanna Zmud refused to resign from the CTRMA after 6 months since she's was caught with her hand in the cookie jar? The Comptroller asked that Zmud resign since her company (NuStats) has a contract with TxDOT, and Zmud benefits from that contract. The press release from March 9, 2005 clearly states,
"Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn today called for the resignation of Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board chairman Robert Tesch and board member Johanna Zmud."
It continues, "Zmud is part owner of a business that contracts with the Texas Department of Transportation, which makes her position on CTRMA's board an apparent violation of the Texas Transportation Code."
JUST WEEKS AGO, knowing that last March, Comptroller exposed this Zmud conflict, Travis County Commissioners Sam Biscoe, Karen Sonleitner and Gerald Daugherty REAPPOINTED Johanna Zmud!!!!! Biscoe, Sonlietner & Daugherty also voted to toll roads we've already paid for at a tune of well over hundreds of millions of dollars. This is an outrage!
CLICK HERE: TxDOT Doomsday scenario painted at last week's transportation forum drawns fire.
Risky Toll investments will cost Taxpayers EVEN more.
Traditional toll roads are inherently risky investments for taxpayers who ALWAYS bail out the investment firms to protect future bond ratings. Add the new variable, the experiment of privatizing and tolling our public highways here in Texas. Add the secrecy of negotiations of Gov. Perry and his appointees. Add in the local politicians who fear the light being shined on the facts - as they say we don't need independent reviews.
Even traditional toll roads represent a gamble - that the economics of driving will not change. But recently we've seen the cost of gas rising, a continued sluggish economy and now even a reduction of overall miles driven because of these factors.
Local planning boards continue to ignore trends that are developing now and focus on growth trends of the 1990s. The first public highway tolling authority (RMA) in the state, the CTRMA sold it's first bonds for 183A just months ago (before the cost of gas surged). But the 500 page 183A official statement stated the "Traffic and Revenue Report are based on the assumption that motor fuel will remain in adequate Supply and motor fuel prices will not exceed $3.00 per gallon" (over the next 40 years)
In 1997, the Texas Transportation Commission passed Minute Order 107059 approving a private toll road to be financed, constructed, and maintained by Camino Colombia, Inc. in Webb County near Laredo, Texas.The Texas Camino Colombia Toll Road failed and the bondholders foreclosed on their $75 million note. The toll road was sold auction style on the steps of the Webb County Courthouse Annex on January 6, 2004. John Hancock Financial Services Inc. bought back its investment for $12.1 million. And with our tax dollars TxDOT bought it at a premium price of 20 million, while Hancock made an 8 million profit.
The RMA's will tell you that the taxpayer is not responsible for the failed toll road bonds. That might be true theoretically, but the fact is, someone always pays for toll road failures. History shows the special interests gets protected - while the taxpayer takes the hit.
This World Bank Toll Road investment pdf explains:
"Even holding the effects of toll levels constant, traffic volumes are very sensitive to income and economic growth. The failure to recognize this may be one of the main reasons why so many toll road projects have failed or ended in bitter renegotiations.
Many toll road projects in the last decade have dramatically overestimated traffic levels. In some of the Mexican road concessions, traffic volumes were only one-fifth of the forecasted levels. In Hungary, the Ml Motorway attracted only fifty percent of its expected volume in its first year of operation. The Dulles Greenway, outside of Washington, only attracted one-third of its expected daily volume. Even after a toll reduction of forty percent, the Greenway still was only able to achieve two-thirds of its originally forecast volume."
HB 2702: More Loopholes than a bowl of Fruitloops
Below is very small section of the HB 2702 that was created by Palestine Senator Todd Staples. Staples is the Senate chair of Transportation and he replaced his crap with Krusee's crap in a pissing match last session. It was supposed to be a transportation clean-up bill for HB 3588. But, how can political weasels create a solution? As we see here - they can't.
After HB 2702 passed, Staples and Gov. Perry strutted around like a couple of peacocks and bragged about how HB 2702 gave the public the right to vote locally to decide on public highway to toll road conversions. For the most part, the news media (everyone but Ben Wear of the Statesman), gobbled up the lie and served it to the public without doing any homework. They didn't read the bill or chat with anyone who had. Just another lie by special interest politicians. You don't have to be an attorney see some of the devil in the details here. This legislation has "more loopholes than a bowl of fruitloops" as one volunteer PET attorney told me. A portion of the public highway to tollroad conversion section of HB 2702:
The SECTION 2.36. Chapter 228, Transportation Code, is amended by adding Subchapter E to read as follows: SUBCHAPTER E. LIMITATION ON TOLL FACILITY DETERMINATION; CONVERSION OF NONTOLLED STATE HIGHWAY Sec. 228.201. LIMITATION ON TOLL FACILITY DESIGNATION.
Except as provided by Section 228.2015, the department may not operate a nontolled state highway or a segment of a nontolled state highway as a toll project, and may not transfer a highway or segment to another entity for operation as a toll project, unless: (1) the commission by order designated the highway or segment as a toll project before the contract to construct the highway or segment was awarded; (2) the highway or segment was open to traffic as a turnpike project on or before September 1, 2005; (3) the project was designated as a toll project in a plan or program of a metropolitan planning organization on or before September 1, 2005; (4) the highway or segment is reconstructed so that the number of nontolled lanes on the highway or segment is greater than or equal to the number in existence before the reconstruction; (5) a facility is constructed adjacent to the highway or segment so that the number of nontolled lanes on the converted highway or segment and the adjacent facility together is greater than or equal to the number in existence on the converted highway or segment before the conversion; or (6) the commission converts the highway or segment to a toll facility by: (A) making the determination required by Section 228.202; (B) conducting the hearing required by Section 228.203; and (C) obtaining county and voter approval as required by Sections 228.207 and 228.208. Sec. 228.2015. LIMITATION TRANSITION. (a) Notwithstanding Section 228.201, the department may operate a nontolled state highway or a segment of a nontolled state highway as a toll project if: (1) a construction contract was awarded for the highway or segment before September 1, 2005; (2) the highway or segment had not at any time before September 1, 2005, been open to traffic; and (3) the commission designated the highway or segment as a toll project before the earlier of: (A) the date the highway or segment is opened to traffic; or (B) September 1, 2005. (b) This section expires September 1, 2006. SECTION 2.37. Section 362.0041, Transportation Code, is transferred to Subchapter E, Chapter 228, Transportation Code, redesignated as Sections 228.202-228.208, and amended to read as follows:
Sec. 228.202 [362.0041 ]. COMMISSION DETERMINATION [CONVERSION OF PROJECTS ]. The [(a) Except as provided in Subsections (d) and (g), the ] commission may by order convert a nontolled state highway or a segment of a nontolled state highway [the free state highway system ] to a toll project [facility ] if it determines that the conversion will improve overall mobility in the region or is the most feasible and economic means to accomplish necessary expansion, improvements, or extensions to that segment of the state highway system. Sec. 228.203. PUBLIC HEARING. [(b) ] Prior to converting a state highway or a segment of a[the ] state highway [ system ] under this subchapter [section ], the commission shall conduct a public hearing for the purpose of receiving comments from interested persons concerning the proposed conversion [transfer ]. Notice of the hearing shall be published in the Texas Register, one or more newspapers of general circulation, and a newspaper, if any, published in the county or counties in which the involved highway is located.
Sec. 228.204. RULES. [(c) ] The commission shall adopt rules implementing this subchapter [section ], including criteria and guidelines for the approval of a conversion of a highway. Sec. 228.205. QUEEN ISABELLA CAUSEWAY. [(d) ] The commission may not convert the Queen Isabella Causeway in Cameron County to a toll project [facility ]. Sec. 228.206. TOLL REVENUE. [(e) Subchapter G, Chapter 361, applies to a highway converted to a toll facility under this section. [(f) ] Toll revenue collected under this section:
(1) shall be deposited in the state highway fund;
(2) may be used by the department to finance the improvement, extension, expansion, or operation of the converted segment of highway and may not be collected except for those purposes; and
(3) is exempt from the application of Section 403.095, Government Code. Sec. 228.207. COUNTY AND VOTER APPROVAL. [(g) ] The commission may only convert a state highway or a segment of a[the ] state highway [ system ] under this subchapter [section ] if the conversion is approved by :(1) the commissioners court of each county within which the highway or segment is located ; and (2) the qualified voters who vote in an election under Section 228.208 and who reside in the limits of: (A) a county if any part of the highway or segment to be converted is located in an unincorporated area of the county; or (B) a municipality in which the highway or segment to be converted is wholly located .Sec. 228.208. ELECTION TO APPROVE CONVERSION. (a) If notified by the department of the proposed conversion of a highway or segment under this subchapter, and after approval of the conversion by the appropriate commissioners courts as required by
Section 228.207(1), the commissioners court of each county described by Section 228.207(2)(A) or the governing body of a municipality described by Section 228.207(2)(B), as applicable, shall call an election for the approval or disapproval of the conversion. (b) If a county or municipality orders an election, the county or municipality shall publish notice of the election in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county or municipality at least once each week for three consecutive weeks, with the first publication occurring at least 21 days before the date of the election. (c) An order or resolution ordering an election and the election notice required by Subsection (b) must show, in addition to the requirements of the Election Code, the location of each polling place and the hours that the polls will be open. (d) The proposition submitted in the election must distinctly state the highway or segment proposed to be converted and the limits of that highway or segment. (e) At an election ordered under this section, the ballots shall be printed to permit voting for or against the proposition: "The conversion of (highway) from (beginning location) to (ending location) to a toll project." (f) A proposed conversion is approved only if it is approved by a majority of the votes cast. (g) A notice of the election and a certified copy of the order canvassing the election results shall be sent to the commission.
More blogs about toll roads.
GUEST BLOGGER: I-35 or Trans Texas Corridor?
Lately, there has been much discussion and speculation about the Trans Texas Corridor that Governor Perry has introduced into Texas. No one seems to know where, exactly, the toll roads will be or even why we need them.
The TTC is 4000 miles of .25 mile wide toll roads, broken into 11 separate corridors and covering 584,000 acres of productive Texas farm and ranchland. Cintra, a company from Spain has been selected to build it and even though the document they signed remains secret, we do know that this foreign company will be allowed to keep all the revenue from the tolls and the businesses built in and around the toll road, for the next 50 years.
We also are aware that Texas will monetarily compensate Cintra using "shadow tolling" until the TTC is able generate revenue agreeable to Cintra's projected estimates. This compensation will exist for an estimated 26 to 28 years at the tax payer's expense.
Recently some public documents have surfaced shedding light on all the unanswered questions surrounding this massive set of toll roads. The following information can be found in "Crossroads of the Americas: Trans Texas Corridor Plan", "I-35 Trade Corridor Study" and "1991 NAFTA Agreement":
In 1999, while George W. Bush Jr. was still Governor of Texas, a study was completed that had been undertaken by TXDOT/Texas, the FWHA and five other states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. This study was in compliance with the 1991 NAFTA agreement signed into law by then President George Bush Sr. According to this law, three, (not four as proposed by the TTC) primary trade corridors were to be selected in Texas that originated at the Texas/Mexican border, traveling to the north Texas/Oklahoma border. This document studied the feasibility of widening and improving I-35 in its entirety, from Laredo, Texas to Duluth, Minnesota to facilitate the anticipated new NAFTA truck traffic.
The study stated that I-35 would be able to accommodate traffic needs until 2025 by adding two truck lanes, and if warranted, additional lanes could be added by using relief routes and/or double decking, all accomplished using existing Right of Way. It also included increased transit use in and around urban areas and acknowledged that "actual lanes might be less than expected".
Environmentally, the I-35 improvements were concluded to "have fewer environmental impacts" than other alternatives that were also studied. TTC has had no environmental study and if built as proposed, will devastate thousands of acres of endangered Blackland prairie and pave over untold numbers of historic sites, while simultaneously separating Texas wildlife into fenced sections from which they cannot escape.
And what would be the price for this I-35 Freeway, wide enough to accommodate all our traffic until 2025, from Laredo, TX to Duluth, Minnesota? $10.9 billion dollars.
Incredibly, the I-35 study would not require any additional right of way from Texas land owners. And the study stated "that by using this recommended plan it would produce an annual cost savings of almost $2.38 billion annually in travel efficiency benefits by 2025".
And: "the economic impact of this plan was projected to be 43,100 permanent jobs created by the I-35 improvements",
And: "$20.9 billion in discounted value added",
And: "$30.8 billion in personal income added",
And: "$18.4 billion in added wages".
AND "When the total cost to implement this strategy, ($10.9 billion) is compared to the benefit from it, the projection is that $1.86 in BENEFITS will be realized for EACH DOLLAR EXPENDED." (Emphasis mine.)
We need to ask our legislators why they voted in favor of this Trans Texas Corridor in the first place. And why, when a constitutional amendment called Proposition 15 came before the 77th Legislature in 2001, that gave the Department of Transportation additional authority to finance, construct and operate toll roads, why…did you not inform the people who voted you into office that Proposition 15 was deceitful, unethical legislation designed not to help TXDOT improve our existing roads, but to make possible the creation of the Trans Texas Corridor?
We need to know why, soon after Perry was sworn into office the TXDOT study for I-35 was ignored and then shoved under the rug when it would solve our traffic congestion until 2025, actually financially benefit Texans and Texas, allow Texans to keep their private land and profit Texas $1.86 for every $1.00 spent to build it. And are there other studies buried somewhere that would allow the same type of beneficial improvements to the other designated primary corridors?
It would seem our Governor and our Legislators have some straightforward questions to answer and a 4000 mile planned toll road to abandon.
– By Cynthia Ross of the TTC Research Committee of Bell County with permission. email http://email@example.com for sources of information.
Perry's Highway Robbery cost$ everyone More.
The State of Texas (Gov. Rick Perry) should learn from California's expensive freeway to tollway mistake:
"...California in the early 1990s. Legislators caught in a budget squeeze and steeped in no-tax ideology saw private toll lanes as a win-win solution to rising traffic congestion in the endless suburbs southeast of Los Angeles. Under a banner proclaiming, "New roads, no tax dollars," an Omaha-based contractor was hired to build and operate four new toll lanes in the median of Hwy. 91 in Orange and Riverside counties.
When opened in late 1995, the lanes stretched 30 miles from Buena Park to Corona. Their $135 million cost was privately financed with bonds to be repaid through tolls. But those bonds would not sell unless a noncompete clause was included. The clause prohibited the state from improving the public portion of the roadway, so as to induce more drivers onto the private toll lanes. The clause also prevented any competing roadway improvement within 1.5 miles.
As often happens with road expansion, Hwy. 91 was again clogged with traffic within three years. When the state tried to add lanes to the public portion, the company sued, citing its noncompete clause.
Finally, in 2002, after a barrage of litigation, Orange County stepped in to purchase a key stretch of the toll lanes in order to make crucial road and transit improvements. The county paid the private operator $207.5 million for 10 miles, and faces a similar high-cost dilemma with three other local privatized toll roads. These roads contain no public lanes but do have noncompete clauses that prevent capacity improvements. Four years ago the county tried to persuade the state to buy the roads, but the $3.5 billion price tag was too high. Two of the roads are popular and profitable, but the San Joaquin Hills road is failing and cannot meet bond obligations.
Concepts that sound good in the halls of a think tank sometimes turn bumpy in the real world."
Perry's RMA 183A "toll road to nowhere" fails before it's built as gas prices soar over $3.00 a gallon.
183A financial forecasts will fail before it's completed - as gas prices soar over $3.00 a gallon (well before the year 2045!). This is the first toll road for the first RMA in Texas. The RMA's are unelected, unaccountable bureaucracy's that will set the toll rates for public freeways in Texas. Official Statement for 183A Investor Bonds from March of 2005, Page 71:
"The revenue forecasts in the Traffic and Revenue Report are based on the assumption that motor fuel will remain in adequate Supply and motor fuel prices will not exceed $3.00 per gallon" (over the next 40 years)
VANDALISM: $1,000 Reward from Circle C Homeowners Association...
...for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons vandalizing Circle C Homeowners property. Please contact the CCHOA management office at 512-288-8663 with any information.
I stopped a female vandal from vandalizing my home in Circle C, Friday, August 19, 2005 at 11:32pm. The vandal was a white woman in her 30's, medium build - she drove off before I could get the make and model of the car. She left evidence in my yard that has been given to the police. Some of her handy work is found in these pics. email@example.com


text:
It's here! This Friday, our friends at DraftKings are throwing their huge $100,000 Punch Out with the top winner nabbing $20K. If you haven't been following our DraftKings posts and you're new, DraftKings is an industry leading daily fantasy sports site, and they hold our very own RAZZBALL EXCLUSIVE CAN YOU BEAT RUDY GAMBLE contests where the top winner gets a ticket for that shot at 20K. You can only get in by clicking that link – it's not open to the public! Unlike Grey's Mustache Rides (LLC).
This week is a special feature on THURSDAY instead of Friday to not conflict with the $100K Punch Out. But even better, this time the top TWO spots get tickets into the Punch Out. And it doesn't stop there. Spots 3-10 double up to $10.00 and 11-20 break even and get $5.00, almost DOUBLING the normal prize pool. This is the week to play Razzball Nation! The contest is capped at 50 entrants, and with the increase in payouts, I expect it to fill fast so sign up soon! If you read only bold all caps words, that should be enough to spark your interest, or so our marketing crack team tells me…
Last week, Tropical Storm Andrea, at least that's what it said on her flyer, rolled into the northeast, postponing numerous games on Friday night. Check the weather people! For my lineups, I won't solidify anyone with even a chance of a rain delay. Now of course, DraftKings is unique in that it lets you tinker with your lineup until right before the first pitch. But if your guy gets lost in a washout, you lose him.
Staring back into the sands of time at last week's picks:
SP – Chris Sale 7.1 IP 5 H 2 BB 4 ER 6 Ks (16.3 Pts)
CI – Albert Pujols Ppd. (0 Pts)
MI – Troy Tulowitzki 3-4 1 RBI 2 R (15 Pts)
OF – Domonic Brown 1-3 1 2B 1 R (7 Pts)
OF – Yasiel Puig 1-3 1 HR 1 RBI 1 R BB (16 Pts)
UTIL – Martin Prado 0-3 (0 Pts)
TOTAL: 54.3 (Previous weeks' finishes – 93.85, 76.9, 68.8, 47.7, 67.3, 92.4, 75, 83, 96)
A solid week, especially considering I write my picks days before the games are played and lost Pujols, but as said above, you can easily replace guys in weather-periled games at the last minute. I got 4th in yet again in last week's contest, and tweaked a few picks and a few nipples to get all the guys playing on the east cost out of there.
Remember, since we're on Thursday, there's only five night games to choose from. It's going to be slim pickins with a lot of similar selections, so think outside of the box when making your lineup. Here are some of the guys that will be on my roster (I'll be in there again – jbrazzball) as I shoot for back-to-back-to-back 4th place finishes:
SP – Ervin Santana ($8,400) – There's only two aces on the mound Thursday, and past that it gets pretty brutal. I'm going to spend middle-of-the-road pitcher money (good idea for an alt. rock band name?) on Santana, who has been a solid surprise this year. The WHIP is great, every baserunner against hurts ya, with solid Ks and pitching in the Trop.
CI – Adrian Beltre ($5,500) – I'm doing pretty well with my budget (see below), so my big ticket spend will be on Beltre, who has been solid every time I've rolled with him. As I mentioned on the podcast, I'm loving all Rangers hitters in what should be a solid pound-fest on Mark Buehrle in Arlington. Spend the extra few bucks.
MI – Ben Zobrist ($4,000) – Hedging my bets a tad with a hitter against Santana, I think Zobrist is one of the best MI options out there for the price Thursday. Yea he's only a career 2-12 against him, but he's swinging a ridiculously hot bat right now.
OF1 – Nate McLouth ($4,200) – Stealing bases with reckless abandon (remember they're 5 pts a pop), McLouth has been an unreal surprise and I like him to keep it up against Felix Doubront. Only 1-6 against him, but small sample and McLouth is hot right now, while also drawing solid walks, which will help your score.
OF2 – Lorenzo Cain ($3,800) – Another speedy guy I like this week for a solid buy is Cain, who gets to face off against struggling righty Jeremy Hellickson. Cain is only 1-6 against him but that 1 is a triple, worth 8 pts. I expect Hellickson to struggle yet again with Cain with some solid speed opportunities.
UTIL – Billy Butler ($3,700) – About Hellickson's struggles – Butler is a career 5-9 against hellboy with 2 doubles. Woo! In spacious Tropicana Field, there's a lot of room for the doubles machine, who yeah has struggled to get started, but I like him for a solid price Thursday night.
As always, if you have any questions about anyone else, or for any other DraftKings contests, shoot them below, thanks for checking our friends out!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Officials at Volvo Penta of the Americas have announced a new automatic start/stop option for industrial diesel engines, including a fuel savings of 5% or more by switching the idling engine off.
"Automatic start/stop is becoming increasingly common in private cars," said Volvo Penta Americas Region President Ron Huibers. "Volvo Penta is now offering the same functionality for industrial engines; consumption is the biggest cost for industrial equipment in material handling, construction and mining. When fuel can represent up to 90% of the machine's operating costs, a reduction of up to 5% in fuel consumption is extremely valuable."
When the machine's engine is idling, company representatives noted, it turns itself off after a pre-set time, usually 5-10 seconds. And when the driver activates any of the machine's controls, the engine restarts automatically; the capability, the company added, can be deactivated or reactivated as needed. While reducing operational costs, company officials noted that the mechanism will also lower emissions and reduce noise levels.
With more than 4,000 dealers in more than 130 countries, Volvo Penta is a top global manufacturer of engines for industrial applications; these include both diesel and gasoline engines. Volvo Penta is also part of the Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of heavy trucks, buses and construction equipment.


text:
College esports have always been a weird thing for most people to grasp.
It's not quite the pro scene, but it isn't amateur either. Some collegiate pros see it as a stepping stone to enter professional play, while others are firm in continuing their non-esports related career path after graduation. In addition, the requirements for becoming a pro player clashes with traditional college success. Grinding away at a video game with the intent to be the very best is already an extremely difficult task -- doing so while maintaining 18 credit hours is often impossible.
But, inexplicably, the two worlds always seem to overcome their water and oil relationship and collegiate esports marches on, bigger and bolder every year. In 2018, their potential has been reached new heights thanks to the Fiesta Bowl Overwatch Collegiate National Championship.
- Esports gets personal
Although collegiate Overwatch can't quite match the incredible gameplay prowess and skill that makes professional spectacles like the Overwatch League so mesmerizing to watch, attending an event in person is, unequivocally, a more intense experience. Whereas the Overwatch league has only several months of rivalries and regional pride, a college Overwatch event immediately benefits from the generations and generations of passion that each school's and fans are eager to express.
The crowds at collegiate esports events are loud and rabid in their support of their teams. They make up cheers and chants on the fly, shouting till their voices are hoarse. These crowds don't peter out towards the end of the night -- they are young and fueled by the presence of their rival school.
On top of that, college esports are, in the most practical way, easier to watch and much flashier. Most games played at the highest level revolve around risk-free strategies being executed as perfectly as possible. Since it is already assumed that players at the top are mechanically equal, the matches are decided by mind games and advanced strategic decisions that aren't easily appreciated by audiences, especially the casual ones.
Michael Udall, Heroes of the Dorm 2016 champion and collegiate esports veteran explains this further:
"Collegiate esports is more entertaining because it is not as polished as professional. At the pro level, there is a mind game meta going on that the average viewer doesn't see or understand. The collegiate level is very linear -- it is literally saying 'let's run it down mid and see who has the best mechanical skill'.
Collegiate teams have strategic planning, but they generally focus on their individual skill which is easy to understand and follow"
Combine more aggressive playstyles with an already amped up crowd begging for a reason to cheer loudly, and you begin to see why collegiate esports, in any game, manages to put on such a great show. They may not be as lethal as the professionals, but there is an unmistakable charm at work during a collegiate esports event.
- The college difference
After the tournament ended and UC Berkeley took the win, I spoke with the players from the winning team and had a decidedly different experience than when I would interview esports professionals. For example, after asking main tank player, Kevin "Slurpreethief" Royston, about his plans after the win, his response revealed the biggest difference between college esports and the pro scene.
"As much as I love it, I think it's time for me to do other things in my life. I'm graduating, I have a software engineering job at Microsoft lined up, It's going to be too hard to play at this level while working full time. Maybe I'll come back into pro-gaming down the road."
To most 21-year-olds, Royston's situation sounds ideal. He has an excellent job waiting for him while still being able to experience the thrill of winning on stage and competing at the highest collegiate level. The majority of players I interviewed shared this sense of security in their future -- after all, they were all in college close to finishing their degrees, usually in technical fields that would especially value an employee with an esports championship under their belt.
John "Roll5" Ash-tun, of UC San Diego, shared a similar sentiment:
"My team and I view our selves as students first, not pro players. Being a student, it guarantees a safe career path in the future. If you decide to pursue the player path in esports, there is a very large path you won't make it -- this makes a great hobby and maybe I will compete with a tier 2 or tier 3 team in the future"
This type of thinking seems sacrilegious in the world of professional esports, where the drive to be the very best is all the matters. In that world, personal sacrifice and the risk of investing everything into one game are themes players struggle with every day. But, to them, the glory and prestige that comes with being a sponsored esports professional is worth it.
And yet, the more "reasonable" approach to esports allows collegiate esports to attract a mainstream audience that professional esports can sometimes alienate. It provides an easier justification that an outsider needs understand that video games should be taken seriously while also avoiding the "irresponsible" charge that the industry often finds itself charged with.
How many more parents do you think would support young competitive gamers if the collegiate path was the norm and not the exception?
In the case of Fiesta Bowl Overwatch, Blizzard's partnership with Arizona State University and the Fiesta Bowl mark huge strides in improving the greater public perception of competitive gaming. For example, Fiesta Bowl staff organized an evening where collegiate pros took children from the local Boys and Girls Club to an arcade. The reason? To teach the kids how to win at video games, of course.
A professional esports organization could have just as well planned this type of positive community event, but for longstanding community pillars like the Fiesta Bowl, it comes as second nature.
- A rising tide...
It's easy for esports die-hards to discredit collegiate esports. After all, the primary appeal with professional esports is the competitive value being shown on screen: these players are the best in the world!
That isn't the case with collegiate esports and most every collegiate pro player will be the first to admit that. They simply do not have the time or, in many cases, the inclination to make the sacrifices needed in order to be the best in the world. Instead, these players are competing for the pride of their school and the opportunity to live out an esports dream their rational sides never allowed.
That being said, there is still value in, one day, making the collegiate esports path to pro the most common one, similar to how traditional sports leagues look to college athletes for new talent. As of last year, there are at least 17 varsity esports programs offering scholarships, some of them specifically for Overwatch.
As collegiate esports grow in prestige and events like Fiesta Bowl Overwatch become more common, it is only natural that talented players whom normally wouldn't attend college might find themselves enrolling anyway, armed with full-ride scholarships. Only they won't be gaming on the side or struggling to maintain their scrim schedules with engineering homework.
They will be attending college to specifically compete in the collegiate scene and one day join the professional ranks. After all, Fiesta Bowl Overwatch was a sold out event and the stadium was packed -- I guarantee next year it will be bigger.


text:
LG Commercial TVRequest Pricing
Please contact us for a current price, quoting code LG 65EU961H. Commercial televisions are often toughened and have enhanced feature sets to suit the requirements of installation in public areas. They have warranties that cover commercial installation.
LG 65" 65EU961H Commercial TV
65 65EU961H Commercial TV
OLED Hotel TV with Premier IP & RF Solution
The world's best-selling OLED brand LG OLED TV embraces cutting edge Hospitality management technology - LG Pro:Centric SMART. It delivers greater usability and convenience for seamless exploration of TV content and also provides great solutions for hotel management.
Perfect Black. Intense Color
LG OLED TV provides richness in all colors boasts aesthetic touch of nature and reveals life. Equipped with over 8 million of self-lightning pixels operating individually the product completes the Perfect Black.
4K Cinema HDR
LG 4K Cinema HDR offers the filmmaker's vision through usage of HDR formats. Now a unique cinematic experience is available at hotel room with Dolby Vision™ and HDR 10.
Cinematic Sound for Your Home
Dolby AtmosⓇ creates a dynamic and surround sound experiences although even when space is limited facilitating the discernment of every details of the movement in a scene. With Dolby Vision™ the product provides a truly unique cinematic experience.
Picture-on-Glass the Artistic Esthetics
Furnished with sleek design the product takes its artistic aspect to the next level. As the need for distinct elements like bezel or a thick stand has been eliminated the refined but aesthetically stifled design intensifies the viewing experience.
OLED Gallery Mode
Bring the wonders of the world to your Hotel space with OLED Gallery Mode. From photography of beautiful places to world-renowned artwork Gallery Mode provides a great selection of beautiful images and videos. Stunning contents creates a perfect atmosphere that suits your visitor's mood.
Pro:Centric Hotel Management Solution
Pro:Centric SMART is optimized for customizing hospitality services for hotel brands and guests through an IP & RF infrastructure. With its high picture quality sophisticated design and advanced connectivity functions it upscales in-room entertainment and increases convenience through implementation of high-end technology.
Pro:Centric Server Application
You can now differentiate your hotel with our customizable templates and pages which can be specialized for your property. Pro:Centric provides you a solution that is easily customizable for your business.
Pro:Centric Direct Solution
Pro:Centric Direct is a hotel content management system that supports simple editing tools and provides various solutions such as 1-click service and IP-network-based remote management. With the solution users enable to design UI easily and provide customized service while managing TV efficiently
|Screen Size
|65 Inch
|3840 x 2160
|Hotel TV
|Aspect ratio
|USB 2.0 ports quantity
|Power consumption
|500 cd/m2
|RS-232 interface
|Built-in speakers
|2 x 20W
|Compatible with VESA-wall mounting system
|300 x 200 mm
|Dimensions W/O Stand (W x H x D)
|1449 x 831 x 3.9 mm
|Dimensions With Stand (W x H x D)
|1449 x 881 x 230 mm
|Weight W/O Stand
|21.7 Kg
|26.1 Kg
|2 Years
This item is not currently in stock or on order, and this item may be end of line.
Click here to search for similar items, or contact us quoting code LG 65EU961H (EOL).


text:
GoodeReader spoke with several of Adobe's professionals on exactly what the Digital Publishing Suite does for both magazine publishers and consumers of digital tablet editions of popular titles. The new Kindle Fire 7 inch was just released and soon the 8 inch version will be available later next month. Lynly Schambers-Lenox, Group Product Marketing Manager, Digital Publishing for Adobe, had some interesting insights into why the seven to eight inch tablet is perfect for the market at this time.
"It is still early and hardware manufacturers are rolling out tablets with different size and resolution dimensions. Because of this the industry, as well as consumers, haven't necessarily settled on the 7" size as a standard. Publishers are interested in making sure their content is available on as many devices as possible. To this end, publishers are publishing content designed to accommodate how readers are consuming content based on the device they are using. I expect we will variations in form factors and screen sizes in the next couple of years as technology changes and consumer behavior evolves."
"One of the most exciting features for the new Kindle Fire is the high definition screen, and that's going to have a very big impact on readers. The imagery is just going to pop out from the page. The end reader is going to have that experience. They've just upleveled the multi-media capabilities of the device. They have support for Dolby Digital sound, faster processing speeds, a lot more RAM, and that just means that when people are consuming these very rich magazines from Conde Nast or Meredith, the device is going to allow that level of engagement to shine through. Publishers will be looking for ways to add these interactive elements or extras to really expand the reading experience."
According to Schambers-Lenox, consumers have taken to the interactive features available to e-reading, especially in magazines. While they may still be getting used to the idea of touching the screen while reading an article and having access to pop up infographics, supported videos, or hearing sound, there needs to be a continued amount of education to make readers comfortable with the functionalities of tablet reading. She believes that publishers get a lot of value out of that and consumers will feel comfortable paying for content when there's simply more of it. This stands to have a huge potential impact on publishers because it will allow them to add actual value to their content through these additional features.
A full complement of interactive titles come preinstalled on the new Kindle Fire family of devices, including: Better Homes & Gardens, Reader's Digest, National Geographic, Vogue, The New Yorker, Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, Glamour, Lucky, Bon Apetit, Architectural Digest, Self, Condé Nast Traveler, Golf Digest, Allure, Domino
"We're committed to helping our publishers get on these new devices so they can take advantage of the new readers."
Adobe sees the potential for the seven inch tablet to draw new tablet makers, so DPS is prepared with the alternate layout workflow system ready for publishers to adapt their content to that screen size without having to create different folios for vastly different sizes or screen definitions.
"This streamlining is coming out in our upcoming release, making it much more efficient for publishers to get their content out in different screen sizes."
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.


text:
Slip Resistant 626v2 Core Training – Black
Product Details
You work hard — so should your shoe. The Slip-Resistant 626 work shoe is designed with supreme cushioning, support and traction for those on their feet all day.
- Compression molded midsole
- Leather upper
- Medicare / HCPCS code = A5500, may be eligible for Medicare reimbursement
- Non-marking outsole
- Oil-resistant outsole
- Slip-Resistant outsole is ASTM 2412-11 / 2413-11 certified.
- Style WID626W2 is approved Medicare/HCPCS code = A5500, may be eligible for Medicare reimbursement
Women's Work Shoes
Type: Cushioning
Weight: 275 grams (9.7 oz.)
Stay comfortable all day in the 626 work shoe, taking advantage of ABZORB® cushioning foam, phantom lining construction and a supportive leather upper. Designed for workers who are on their feet all day, the 626 offers fit and durability along with the addition of the new slip-resistant outsole design, featuring a new lug pattern for superior traction on hazardous surfaces. The 626 also features an internal shank for stability, and is available in 6E and 4E widths.


text:
by Peter Walsh
By now you've seen the highlights and read the press clippings from January's epic contest between the Louisville Cardinals and Syracuse Orange. (If not, go ahead and perform a quick Google search.) With the No. 1 Cardinals in control of the game and heading toward victory, Syracuse sophomore PG Michael Carter-Williams brushed off his first half woes and took the game over.
The 6-6, 185-pound guard scored 11 of Syracuse's final 13 points and made the deciding play of the game when he picked off an errant pass from Peyton Siva, the Cards' diminutive but talented point guard, and drove the length of the floor, slamming it over the 6-11 Gorgui Dieng to put the Orange up for good. That winner put an emphatic stamp on his 16-point, (8-turnover), 7-assist, 4-rebound, 4-steal performance and solidified his spot on the national scene. MCW walked off the court with a huge smile while the red-clad capacity crowd left in a state of shock.
"Michael was the reason we won, getting that dunk," senior Brandon Triche told the Associated Press after the game. "I might have kept us in the game [Triche finished with 23.—Ed.], but he's the reason we won."
Exactly a week later, while playing against Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center, a mean-spirited chant that alludes to an embarrassing off-court incident rains down on Carter-Williams. It's probably not the cause of it, but MCW isn't playing well—he'll finish 4-17 from the floor with 5 TOs—and the Orange are allowing an inferior opponent to hang tough.
As the clock winds down, the Orange cling to a 2-point lead when MCW steps to the line with a chance to put the game away. After hitting the front end of a one-and-one, he bricks the second and gives the unranked Wildcats a shot to tie it, which they do on a last second three by freshman Ryan Arcidiacono. When the buzzer sounds, after an extra period of play, the scoreboard reads 75-71, and Nova Nation storms the court. In the midst of a sea of blue and white, a dejected MCW—the smile he sported following the Louisville game replaced by a furrowed brow—slices his way to the locker room.
Much like those two games, Carter-Williams' basketball career has been defined by highs and lows. He's gone from the end of Cuse's bench as a freshman to leading the nation in assists for most of the season and looking like a likely Lottery pick as a soph. The rise feels like it happened overnight, but in reality, MCW has been working for this since day one.
Raised in Hamilton, MA, about 30 miles north of Boston, Carter-Williams was brought into this world with basketball in his blood. His mother, Amanda Carter-Zegarowski, is the girl's basketball coach at Massachusetts' Ipswich High and his father, Earl Williams, played college ball at Salem State. Though his parents split, Carter-Williams' basketball education actually intensified after his mother remarried to Zach Zegarowski, a former assistant at Charlestown High. "They are everything to my career," says the 21-year-old. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't even play. They taught me how to play the game and how to learn the game. All four of my parents [his father also remarried—Ed.] are great, and they just teach me the way in basketball and in life."
As a 5-9 freshman at local Hamilton-Wenham High, Carter-Williams averaged 20 points a game while leading his team to the league championship game. That summer, the baby-faced teenager literally outgrew the competition and transferred to Barrington (RI) St. Andrew's Prep. While there, MCW continued to light teams up and finished up his senior year averaging 23.9 points, 8.3 boards, 5 dimes and 2 steals. Those numbers were impressive enough to earn him Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year honors, as well as spots at both the 2011 McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.
Even with those accomplishments, most college scouts and coaches were turned off by his rail-thin frame and projected him as a scoring guard. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim believed in Carter-Williams as a pure point guard and saw him as a player who could man the top of his vaunted 2-3 zone. The HoF coach offered him a scholarship, and MCW signed on with the Orange right before his junior season. While he is happy with his current situation, his competitive streak flares when he speaks on his recruiting process. "Syracuse is one of the schools that was on me early and that's a big reason why I committed early," recalls Carter-Williams. "Just the teams that took people ahead of me…I always play with a chip on my shoulder to show them I can play."
Once on campus, MCW caught a harsh dose of reality. Playing behind Triche and current pros Scoop Jardine, Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters, Carter-Williams rarely saw the floor as a freshman. Though he performed well when given a chance, the lack of consistent burn resulted in anxiety and tearful calls home to his parents. It also led MCW to put in extra hours with position coach and Cuse legend Gerry McNamara.
"Working with him last year, we knew he was very talented," says McNamara. "It was a frustrating year because he is so talented and was playing well, but we were so deep at that position that we wanted more experience there when it came to game time. It was frustrating for him, but he kept working hard and I think it's paying off this year."
Adds Carter-Williams, "I just kept working and getting better so I would be prepared for this year. It was a great learning experience for me and made me appreciate the game."
The core of last season's Elite 8 team moved on and left a huge void. The staff entrusted MCW to fill that void, and he's come up huge for the sixteenth-ranked, No. 4 seed in the East Region, Orange. He's averaging a team-high 35.2 minutes, 12 points, 7.7 assists (third in the nation), 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals.
With no disrespect to Creighton's Doug McDermott or Michigan's Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams is the most important player to his team's success. Whether he's pulling out all the stops, as he did against Louisville, or stumbling down the stretch, as he did against Nova, MCW's play directly correlates to the outcome of Syracuse's games. It's simple: MCW is to the Orange what GZA is to the Wu-Tang Clan. When he's at the helm and performing well, the rest of the team forms like Voltron to dominate the Big East. Word to Tical.
Of course, Carter-Williams has his flaws and a ton of room for improvement. He turns the ball over too much, doesn't shoot consistently from the field or the stripe, and he needs to work on finishing strong at the rim before he can compete at the next level. While flawed, he has that one intangible you cannot coach: When the game is on the line and it's crunch time, his game elevates. "He's vocal, and more than anything, he leads at the end of games," says McNamara. "His level of play goes up, and he has a will to win not a lot of players have. His level of play at the end of games really skyrockets, and I think that's infectious."
It's those late-game flashes of brilliance, insane assist numbers and mammoth potential that have NBA scouts drooling. Come June, if he decides to go pro, Michael Carter-Williams will be shaking David Stern's hand early on during Draft night. But before all that, he has a few more crunch-time plays to make on the NCAA's biggest stage.


text:
|Essential Information
|Program Theme & Policy Relevance
|Learning Objectives
|Workshop Benefits
|Application Procedure
Essential Information
Where: O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India
When: October 1-12, 2016
Application Deadline: Monday, May 9, 2016
Download the Workshop Flyer
The selected participants will receive lowest-cost economy class return air travel between their location and the workshop site, accommodations and some meals for the duration of the workshop.
Program Theme & Policy Relevance
In the famous expression of Louis Henkin, "almost all nations observe almost all principles of international law and almost all of their obligations almost all of the time" (Louis Henkin, How Nations Behave 1979).
Governments comply with international law not simply – or even primarily – because of the threat of sanctions, but for many other reasons: because they consider compliance to be in their national interests; they think this is the moral thing to do; they want to maintain friendly relations with other states; and because they don't like to be the subject of international criticism for failing to do so. When states do not comply with international law, this might not be because of malign intentions and bad faith, but also because of lack of information or lack of capacity to comply. How can or should other states and the international community deal with governments of states that are willing, but unable to comply? What facilitation mechanisms and processes, what forms of support and incentive, can be envisaged to assist and encourage states in the implementation of international law?
At the ACUNS 2016 Workshop on International Organization Studies, ACUNS and Jindal Global University look forward to engaging with young scholars and practitioners on identifying and defining the limitations of imposing sanctions, and whether facilitating the implementation of international law through specific measures and mechanisms may offer an alternative model. In terms of more specific themes, the workshop would aim to invite applications from individuals with expertise in areas including but not limited to the following:
Climate Change. Comparing the facilitation implementation mechanisms (FIM) of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol with those in the 2015 Paris Agreement, demonstrating how bottom-up commitments might be achieved through facilitating their implementation and regular assessments and reviews.
Counter-Terrorism. The Security Council's resolutions 1269, 1373 etc. established a mandatory regime to suppress financing and other activities supporting terrorism. A mechanism – the Counter-Terrorist Committee (CTC) – was established to facilitate states in their compliance with the terms of the resolutions.
International Criminal Justice. Article 17 of the Rome Statute contains the formula 'states willing, but unable to investigate and prosecute'. What assistance can be offered to such states? Related to this is the 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P) Pillar Two, known as the "Assistance Pillar" whereby states and international organizations offer assistance to states that are 'willing, but unable' to protect their populations from mass atrocities. There is considerable controversy around whether such assistance can include the use of force – for example whether the air strikes by several states against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, or by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, can be seen as R2P Pillar Two engagement to protect civilians.
Disarmament. How can compliance with disarmament treaties be facilitated through international mechanisms? Related to this is demobilization and disarmament in post-conflict situations – how can these processes benefit from facilitation and international assistance?
Human rights. Most of the human rights regimes focus on punishing non-complying states, either through direct sanctions or through name-and-shame activism. What are the facilitating mechanisms that – either separately from, or in parallel with sanctions – can help to ensure states' compliance with human rights regimes?
Learning Objectives
Participants in the workshop will gain scholarly and practice-based knowledge and applied skills in the analysis of a number of issue areas related to the workshop theme. In some measure, the specific issue areas will be determined by the research proposals of the selected participants, but more broadly the themes and skill-sets to be addressed may be anticipated to include (but not be limited to):
- Achieving strategic coherence between the political, security, development and human rights dimensions of peace operations;
- Managing and balancing the roles and interests of actors at the local, national, regional and global levels, including intergovernmental, non-governmental, and civil society parties, and across military and civilian policy sectors;
- The current state of knowledge regarding ideas and norms, policies, doctrine and practices, strengths and deficiencies, needs and resources, and 'lessons learned' related to UN peacekeeping and Special Political Missions;
- Identifying and reflecting upon the 'lessons learned' from the sharing of innovative proposals, ideas, and practices, between and among the next generation of scholars and practitioners, and how these best might be used to promote positive policy outcomes.
Workshop Benefits
Through presentations by young scholars and practitioners (that is you!), case studies, guided research, special lectures and innovative pedagogies geared towards post-graduate level professionals, this workshop will encourage participants to improve their own skills and capacities for engaging constructively at different stages and in varying environments in the complex but critical areas of scholarship and practice in contemporary global peace operations.
Application Procedure
Scholars in international relations and international law, and from other fields relevant to the workshop e.g. development, international public policy; and practitioners from NGOs and government institutions in all countries are encouraged to apply. Applications are due Monday, May 9, 2016, and must include all of the following:
- A brief (~1,000 words) statement of research interests apropos of the workshop themes
- Your curriculum vitae
- One letter of reference
- Application Form
Applicants will be notified of the Selection Committee's final decision by July 4, 2016. Due to the high number of applications, the Committee is not able to provide individual explanations of its selection decisions.
Note for UN Secretariat Staff
If you are UN Secretariat Staff you should apply using the internal application. The instructions and form for applying as an internal applicant are available on this version of the flyer:


text:
- in Photography by Amee
- |
- 1 comments
Wordless Wednesday
This is my second project exploring light and shadow. I think it is also my self portrait.
You can see more of my work below. I am currently enrolled in a photography class. I have a Canon Rebel XSI that my husband bought me using airline points.
I am learning to use Photoshop Lightroom 4 to import my images. Then I will begin to use Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended – Student & Teacher Edition.
I got a great deal on both programs since I am a student. You can also buy yours with amazing discounts.


text:
Hasami Porcelain Mug - Natural
Formed from porcelain made from natural Amakusa pottery stones and mixed with potter's clay, the appeal of the Hasami Mug lies in its tactile feel on your lips and in your hands. Compared to earthenware, this mug has a pulled-together, leanness to it; and it has a pleasant, gently organic texture than ordinary porcelain. Completely unadorned, its pure, clean lines echo the foundation of Japan's traditional shapes and forms. Its relevant contours are derived from the inevitability of function and its production process. Following a standardized module, the mugs, bowls, and trays of this collection were designed to have uniform diameters for easy stacking, streamlined storage and transport. In addition, the pieces are versatile – the tray can turn into the bowl's lid or a plate; they can be used indoors or outdoors, on their own or as a set, in a variety of situations.
Photo courtesy of Jinen Store


text:
Rents are going up in Rio's informal housing communities. What, if anything, should the city do about it?
Rio de Janeiro's shanty towns, its favelas, long stricken by poverty and violence, have a new boogeyman: Gentrification.
First, only academics were worried about whether gentrification might really be happening in the favelas. Those fears have since migrated from anxious blog entries to coverage in major newspapers. The international press has now latched on, reporting on the hip restaurants edging into territory more commonly thought of as a drug gang battleground.
Underneath many of these over-hyped stories lays a real question: What would it mean if lower income cariocas are priced out of even the favelas?
Theresa Williamson, of the favela empowerment NGO Catalytic Communities, is emphatic that the loss of the favelas would have a dramatic impact on the city's basic functions. "Rio's favelas are our affordable housing stock," she says. "We have some low-income condos and private housing. We have some public housing. But there is [nowhere near enough to meet] the demand, and public housing is lower in quality than most of the favelas."
Researchers since the 1960s have argued that the favelas, the informal communities which house 22 percent of the Rio's population, might just be a housing solution rather than a scourge to be eradicated, says Neiva Vieira da Cunha, a professor of anthropology at Rio de Janeiro State University and a researcher at the Laboratory of Metropolitan Ethnography. The favela, she says, "seems to have been the solution for millions of Brazilians to have access to urban land and therefore to have the right to the city."
The implications of what shanty town residents are calling "expulsão branca" (white expulsion) could be massive for Rio's 1.4 million favela dwellers. In the past few years, increased prices across the city have spilled over to the informal markets' rents and home values. In prime locations, prices have gone up by nearly 50 percent.
Favelas where pacification programs have brought down drug and gang violence have seen rent increases of up to 200 percent, according to da Cunha's research. Since 2008, those policies have also led to a gradual turnover in favela inhabitants, as well as a shift in the kinds of retail business available to meet newcomers' and tourism needs.
Favelas in the desirable South Zone of the city are already seeing a trickle of international and speculative interest, as expats move in and entrepreneurs start setting up luxury outposts on hillsides with a view. There are suddenly fears that favela chic might be displacing the actual favela.
"With the increase in cost of life in the favela, there is a tendency towards removal of the original population and substitution of new inhabitants with higher income, capable of standing up to those new realities," says da Cunha.
Her research suggests long-time favela residents are being pushed to more peripheral regions of the city, where new housing projects are being built.
High rates of home ownership in favelas can mitigate displacement, but some renters are being forced to relocate as they are priced out. And though some migrants have sold their appreciated favela property to retire back in the country, some have found themselves unable to afford to move back after discovering they were less happy with life outside of their favela community.
Yet experts on the ground are urging far flung observers to take a deeper look. "We can see the gentrification phenomenon in its beginning stages," says Williamson. "The media have portrayed it as if it's far along. And it's not, and that's not helpful to the communities, because it paints it as an inevitability."
What will happen will have a lot to do with political decisions regarding property rights in the informal market. Brazil's constitution recognizes an impressive array of rights, including the right to housing and a recognition of the social function of urban property. This means that needy people settling on informal land are generally not evicted, and can eventually gain some sort of legal claim to their homes. But it's unclear whether those titles will hold once they're sold to wealthy outsiders. Speculators are betting they'll be grandfathered in by politicians anxious to whitewash these areas.
That's how these stories have tended to go before. But what if, instead, Rio (selected as the world's top "Smart City" just last month) takes what's happening in its favelas as an opportunity to create a model of community-accessible housing that might eventually help millions of urban poor across the world.
Williamson sees many traits of classic New Urbanism in favelas, even despite the poverty and lack of public services. They have affordable, centralized housing; a pedestrian and bicycle-based transportation culture; proximity to jobs; mixed-use architecture that can be adapted to residents' needs; and strong community bonds.
Can these vital functions be protected, even as gentrification proceeds? And what about the education, health and sanitation services that residents desperately need?
On a social level, there's concern over the potential loss of a unique culture that has evolved over a century of informal occupation. Each favela has its distinct traditions and sensibilities, in many cases reflecting a melting pot of where migrants have come from and its historical trajectory.
Williamson points to possibilities her organization is already working on, ranging from financial education for favela residents so they can avoid being taken advantage of by real estate speculators, to debating community ownership of land. Other possibilities involve cultural preservation and developing economic activities, such as homestays, that could help preserve vital segments of the community rather than displacing residents.
Ultimately, how Rio responds to these economic conditions will be crucial in determining these neighborhoods' future.


text:
Angina Pectoris and Its Cure in Homoeopathy - Sayeed Ahmad
Angina Pectoris is a symptom of coronary artery disease or in other words it is a sign of future heart attack. This life threatening disease is increasing rapidly throughout the world due to nutritional disorder and lack of regular exercise. Homoeopathy has a cure. Try it.
- Author: Ahmad Sayeed
- 70 pages
- Printed in India
- Paperback


text:
Congratulations yet again, Constance!
From the press release:
Since Backhouse began her career in the study of law more than 30 years ago, her chosen topics have been issues of major importance in Canada's legal history: the legal status of women, the role of women in the legal profession, and racism in the legal system. Her research and analysis of these topics have highlighted an important part of our legal and societal history, which, in turn, has helped enrich our understanding of our current legal framework.
Throughout her career, Backhouse has received high acclaim for her research from both academic and non-academic communities. Among her many awards and honours are the Killam Prize (2008), a Trudeau Fellowship (2006-09), the Order of Canada (2008), and the Order of Ontario (2010). In 2007, she became the first non-American historian to be elected president of the American Society for Legal History.
Backhouse has authored numerous critically acclaimed books, including Legal history of Racism in Canada, which was awarded the 2002 Joseph Brant award by the Ontario Historical Society as the "best book in multicultural history published within the past three years." Carnal Crimes: Sexual Assault Law in Canada, 1900-1975, published in 2009, was lauded as one of the most important texts ever published on sexual assault law. In honour of her distinguished contribution to law and letters in Canada, Backhouse was awarded the David W. Mundell Medal by the attorney general of Ontario this past spring.Not least of her many achievements is putting Canadian Legal History on the map (and keeping it there) and her encourgement and support for legal historians, for which there is no reward but our continued thanks and appreciation.


text:
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy. By Jeanne Birdsall. Yearling. $6.50.
Your Own Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. By Stephanie Hemphill. Knopf. $15.99.
If you want something light, nostalgic and nonthreatening to read this summer, for yourself, to your children or with your children, the new paperback edition of The Penderwicks is a good choice. Jeanne Birdsall's first book is a charmer on many levels – it's easy to ignore the fact that parts of it are pure cliché, while the characters are defined more by their descriptions than by any substantive personality traits or development. Reminiscent of some of the books by Eleanor Estes, The Penderwicks features a widowed father and his four daughters going for a summer vacation to a rented cottage on an estate called Arundel. They might as well be traveling in a time warp back to the 1950s (computers are mentioned, but they play no part in the story, and there are no videogames or other newfangled forms of entertainment). The four girls are responsible Rosalind, moody Skye, would-be writer Jane, and little Batty (who has the most personality). They encounter all sorts of delights at Arundel: tame rabbits, formal gardens (which they mess up in an endearingly mischievous way), and boys named Jeffrey (11-year-old son of the estate's owner) and Cagney (a teenage groundskeeper). Jeffrey, artistic and musically talented, is a wonderful – and entirely innocent – playmate for the girls. But there is trouble in the form of Jeffrey's mother, a snob who dislikes the Penderwick family, and her boyfriend (one should almost say "her intended," so old-fashioned does the book seem), Dexter Dupree (and how old-fashioned is that name?). These adults' conflicts with the Penderwick girls, and their decision to marry and send Jeffrey away to military school, provide what drama there is in an essentially good-hearted tale. There's nothing really upsetting in the book: the worst things the girls do are lose their tempers and occasionally be less than truthful; even Jeffrey's troubling situation is satisfactorily resolved at last. The Penderwicks does only that which is expected – or would have been expected 50 or so years ago – in a book that is mostly for and about preteens. Parents of a certain age will surely relish its air of innocence; children of today may find it a refreshing change of pace from other books aimed at them. And for those who love the book, there is a sequel due out next year.
There have been no sequels from poet Sylvia Plath since 1963, when she committed suicide. Your Own Sylvia is about as strong a contrast to The Penderwicks for summer reading (or reading anytime) as can be. It is a far more serious, dour and distressing book, although it is both well and cleverly written. This is a book that engages the mind as well as the emotions. What Stephanie Hemphill has done is to tell the story of Plath's short life (31 years) through poems that Hemphill has written herself and attributed to people in Plath's world – as if Plath's poetic sensibility imbued all those around her with her own muse. At the bottoms of pages, Hemphill provides biographical information about Plath in small type. Hemphill occasionally quotes brief excerpts of Plath's poems, or discusses them – so readers can find them on their own. But the bulk of Your Own Sylvia is the poetry that Hemphill herself has created. She imagines Olive Higgins Prouty, the benefactor who made it possible for Plath to attend


text:
On Christmas, the Theodor Aman art museum in Bucharest opens a new exhibition room, completing the heritage of the house-museum. The new space brings to light paintings by artist Theodor Aman newly restored by specialists of the Bucharest Museum.
Theodor Aman (1831 –1891) was a Romanian painter of Armenian descent, famous during his lifetime. His style is often considered to be a predecessor of Impressionism.
The Theodor Aman Museum opened in 1908. The eclectic building, associated with French neoclassical style, is the house where the artist lived and worked for 22 years. He conceived every detail of what is now considered a "temple of art", from the architectural project implemented by German entrepreneur Fr. Scheller during 1867 – 1869, up to the exterior and interior decorations (the stained glass, mural painting, medallions carved on doors, painting applied on doors, sculpted furniture or the stove from the workshop).
The exhibition will open on Tuesday, December 23, at 13:00, at the Theodor Aman museum (8 C.A. Rosetti St.). The building is located across the street from Artmark Galleries and near the National Museum of Art (Victoriei Avenue).
More updates on the exhibition here.


text:
Baked Fish Sticks or Chicken Bits
Quick Facts
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 12 min.
Total: 22 min.
This recipe is much more healthful than most commercially-made versions. I used fresh cod and free-range organic chicken, and my food critics loved 'em. The breading mix recipe makes enough for 2 cups (230g) vegetables or 1 pound (455g) chicken or fish fi
* Allergy notes: People following a corn-free diet should avoid iodized salt since it contains dextrose, which should be avoided by those allergic to corn.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 358
Calories from Fat 139 (39%)
(24%)Total Fat 15g
(17%)Saturated Fat 3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
(46%)Cholesterol 137mg
(23%)Sodium 545mg
(14%)Potassium 499mg
Total Carbohydrate 21g
(5%)Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 3g
Sugar Alcohols 0g
(63%)Protein 31g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Nutrition facts are calculated by a food expert using nutritional values provided by the USDA for common products used as recipe ingredients. Actual nutritional values may differ depending on the amounts or products used and can be affected by cooking methods.
Copyright © 2020 TraceGains, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read our healthy recipe definitions.
Learn more about TraceGains, the company.
The information presented here is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2020.
Monthly Health Focus
Quick Links
Diabetes Health Center
Copyright © 2020 TraceGains, Inc. All rights reserved. TraceGains Terms of Use


text:
M. Firebrand: Hi, thanks for having me.
M. Salopard: According to your resume the pleasure is all mine, Monsieur….
M. Firebrand: Firebrand.
M. Salopard: M. Firebrand. Of course. Let's begin the interview, shall we? Tell me, M. Firebrand- why have you applied for the position?
M. Firebrand: Ever since I was a baby gargoyle, I have been in love with the Notre Dame Cathedral. I have always thought her to be as beautiful as she is sacred. I can think of no higher honor to be bestowed upon a gargoyle than to be the one to protect her from harm.
M. Salopard: I'm glad to hear you feel that way… Sometimes, we get fellows in here for the wrong reasons. There is a certain amount of… prestige, I guess, that goes along with the position, and sometimes that can cloud people's true motivation for wanting to apply.
M. Firebrand: I assume you're referring to the incident with the hunchback that's been in the papers of late?
M. Salopard: Sadly, yes.
M. Firebrand: I think it's disgraceful to use Notre Dame as a cheap ploy to impress women, if you don't mind my saying so.
M. Salopard: Believe me when I say that I feel the same way. As you can imagine, the city is more than a little embarassed by the whole incident, and we'd like to put it behind us as soon as possible. Tell me- why should we hire you to be the new night watchman for our hallowed cathedral? What is it that makes you the best candidate for the job?
M. Firebrand: Well, as it says on my resume, I am a gargoyle.
M. Salopard: Yes, I see that here.
M. Firebrand: Unlike the others who have interviewed for this position, or those who have held it in the past, I am able to fly. I would be able to hide on the upmost reaches of the cathedral, waiting to swoop down upon street urchins and drunkards without warning. From my lofty perch, I would be able to see further than any conventional guard ever could, and thus could strike preemptively against those who would sully our fair cathedral. Also, I am made of stone, and am therefore impervious to the sorts of wounds inflicted by knives, broken glass, or angry fists. My sharp teeth will make quick work of ne'er-do-wells, and my sullen disposition will add an air of mystery and tragic beauty to the cathedral itself.
M. Salopard: Impressive.
M. Firebrand: Thank you.
M. Salopard: It sounds like you might be just what this cathedral needs… are you comfortable with a yearly salary of sixty thousand francs with full medical benefits?
M. Firebrand: Does that include dental?
M. Salopard: Sorry, no, but if you intend to use your teeth in defense of the cathedral as you say you will, then I'm sure we could free up some money from our discretionary spending budget for you.
M. Firebrand: D'accord.
M. Salopard: When would you be available to start?
M. Firebrand: Immediately.
M. Salopard: Well then, M. Firebrand, let me be the first one to congratulate you on your new position as night watchman.
M. Firebrand: Ah! Thank you, M. Salopard- you won't regret this!
M. Salopard: No, I don't think that I will. Now then, let's get you fitted for a uniform…
M. Firebrand: No need, sir- I work in the nude.
M. Salopard: I suspected as much. Welcome to Notre Dame!
Once again we have Alex Berg to thank for this post! Merci, Alex!
Mirth in a Box sells funny and unusual gift boxes. If you get all the literary references in this post you may enjoy some of the products under Cerebral Craziness.
Thanks to timwillosme on Flickr and Wiki Commons for the photos!


text:
Items where Author is "Ashok, D"
Group by: Item Type | No Grouping
Jump to: Article
Number of items: 3.
Kavitha, T C and Ashok, D (2015) CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR ICT INTEGRATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Review, 1 (4). pp. 78-83. ISSN 2395-1877
Kavitha, T C and Ashok, D (2014) Business and Non-Business Student's Attitudes towards the Field of Consumerism. International Research Journal of Business & Management - IRJBM, 5. pp. 82-91. ISSN 2322 - 083X
Kavitha, T C and Ashok, D (2014) ICT: An Enabler and a Catalyst to Nurture Service Quality in Higher Education- A Review. International Journal of Emerging Research in Management &Technology, 4 (2). pp. 38-43. ISSN 2278-9359


text:
Much of Southwestern Ontario would be put under a single regional public health office, new boundaries proposed by the Progressive Conservative government show.
Public health mega-merger to swallow five health units in region
Much of Southwestern Ontario would be put under a single regional public health office, new boundaries proposed by the Progressive Conservative government show.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit received notice of the proposed boundaries Monday for a regional health office that would combine five public health agencies stretching from Windsor to Woodstock.
The new administration would take in the territory covered by the Windsor-Essex County health unit, the Chatham-Kent public health unit, the Lambton health unit and the already-merged Southwestern public health, which serves Elgin and Oxford counties.
The Huron County and Perth District health units are excluded from the proposed regional boundaries.
Health units are the lead agencies for a wide range of public health services in the province, handling everything from infectious diseases and disease-prevention to programs that ensure new mothers have the resources they need to raise healthy babies.
Middlesex-London chief medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie said the boundary proposals in Southwestern Ontario were not a shock.
"In our region, there are a lot of good reasons to bring public health together across the southwest. It's not surprising and there's lots of good potential here," he said.
In its inaugural budget, the Tory government unveiled its plan to combine the province's 35 public health authorities into 10 larger regional entities by 2020-2021. There are nine public health units in Southwestern Ontario alone.
Middlesex-London Health Unit communications manager Dan Flaherty said health units are awaiting many more details about how the public health governance shakeup will unfold and that Monday's announcement is not of a merger, but of the regional boundaries the future entity will serve.
There will be consultations with health units as the amalgamations move ahead, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott said.
"While the government will bring forward proposals, the specific boundaries of the new regional health units will be finalized in consultation with municipalities through technical working groups, which we expect to launch shortly," Hayley Chazan said in a statement.
"We are in direct contact with all public health units to provide information about our modernization plan and to answer questions."
In its budget, the government said the mergers will eliminate back-office inefficiencies within health units and align the agencies with the broader health system.
Mackie is anticipating the public health merger consultations will be completed over the summer, with legislation tabled by the fall.
He wants to see municipal stakeholders play a key role in the talks.
"That connection with municipalities is something that's really crucial to maintain through this process," Mackie said.
We want to hear from you
Send us opinions, comments and other feedback.
E-mail your letter to: firstname.lastname@example.com (no attachments please)
Or go to lfpress.com/letters. Letters should be kept to 150 words.