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15 Stars And Directors Who Absolutely Hated Each Other
Due to the awesome magic of movie-making, when an audience sees a finished film, we really only get to enjoy the completed project. We don't get to see who's pulling levers behind the curtain. Thankfully the green screens, stunt stand-ins, and CGI effects are all woven in so fluidly that we're simply left to be entertained.
Aside from the puppet strings, we also don't often get a glimpse of what actual filming is like for the directors and actors who work tirelessly making these pieces of media for us to enjoy. Sometimes the cast and crew seem to behave like a family, posting for photos together, laughing and sharing inside jokes, but the situation can take a much darker turn as well.
Some actors and directors have shared famously intense moments, but there are also cases of actual feuds, sexual harassment and near fist-fights between movie actors and their directors. In many cases the conflict can directly be traced to an imbalance of power, often between a female actress and a male director, which drastically affected at least one person's career, if not entire life. Some prime examples of these and other catastrophic, sometimes career-ending relationships are these 17 Biggest Actor/Director Beefs in History.
When Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis worked together to film Live Free or Die Hard, Smith was pretty stoked to work beside Willis.
Willis appreciated Smith's enthusiasm and suggested that they work together again. When he directed the film Cop Out starring Willis alongside Tracy Morgan, Smith quickly changed his tune, saying that Willis ruined the entire atmosphere on set and was just a lazy, grumpy old guy. "He turned out to be the unhappiest, most bitter, and meanest emo-b*tch I've ever met at any job I've held down. And mind you, I've worked at Domino's Pizza," Smith wrote in his memoir.
Bruce Willis hasn't really responded to the claims made, but Smith has not always been an easy guy to work with, either. Remember when he was, what, three years behind on a Spider-Man comic?
The film 9 1/2 Weeks is widely known as one of the sexiest films in history, but it doesn't sound so sexy when you consider that Kim Basinger was basically tortured by director Adrian Lyne while making the film.
The movie that paved the way for today's hot thrillers and steamy, erotic dramas was also filmed by a man who not only isolated Basinger, but who spread rumors and lies about her in order to make her produce a more convincing mental breakdown. Mickey Rourke was even taught to do this to Basinger. Lyne wouldn't even talk to her on set, opting to only communicate with Rourke.
The director then went on to tell an interviewer that the reason he just had to use this method was because Basinger was "like a child," a phrase she understandably did not like one bit.
One of the most famous modern celebrity beefs occurred between director Michael Bay and his Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles leading lady, Megan Fox. Their feud has been particularly gossip-worthy simply because it's been all over the Internet, making it easy to share. Fox went public on Bay, calling him both Napoleon and Hitler, calling him both a "nightmare to work for" and a hopelessly awkward person personally. Ouch!
Bay seemed pretty nonplussed about the comments personally, saying that it was just part of Fox's charm to make comments like that. Steven Spielberg, on the other hand, was not pleased, calling for Fox to be fired after her remarks. While Michael Bay insists that it was because Fox couldn't stay off her cellphone throughout filming and stay focused, her comments probably lost her a third chance to play Mikaela Banes.
Everyone wants to get along with their boss, but sometimes actors and directors just can't see eye to eye. George Clooney heavily clashed with David O. Russell during the filming of Three Kings, sending the director a letter afterward calling the set "the most havoc-ridden, anxiety-ridden, angry set that I have ever witnessed." Apparently Clooney was known to stick up for all of "the little guys" on set while O. Russell behaved more harshly toward them.
The film I Heart Huckabees seemed to be an ugly illustration actors and directors not getting along as well when viral videos of David O. Russell and Lily Tomlin screaming at one another surfaced. Tomlin maintains that they'd "get manic and crazy" and "flip out" on each other but it was ultimately nothing. She compared it to family more than anything else, but the videos still have people wondering about the heated moments between the director and actor.
Did you know that Jessica Alba just doesn't cry right? According to Tim Story, the director of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, she cries too realistically and needs to "cry prettier." Wow. Then he said to just keep her face flat and he'd have the tears added through CGI!
The entire exchange apparently made Alba question her own acting chops. She revealed that it made her feel as if she could not bring a sense of humanity to her characters. The fact that someone like Alba, who seems so confident, could be taken down that far in a single conversation is very sobering and reminds us that actors are human, too.
That is pretty sad, but then she went on to say a few irritating things about actors, like, "Good actors never use the script unless it's amazing writing. All the good actors I've worked with, they all say whatever they want to say." She kind of goes from zero confidence to over-confident there in a few seconds.
The 1982 comedy Tootsie is one of the most beloved films of all time, but many may not guess that a feuding actor and director stood behind the film. Sidney Pollack, who directed the movie, claimed that Dustin Hoffman believes that every director is out to kill him. The idea may work both ways, seeing as the two quarreled throughout the entire process of making Tootsie. Hoffman apparently visualized the production as more of a comedy than a love story, which was what Pollack seemed to really have in mind.
Critics are quick to point out that in this case, the beef resulted in a better movie thanks to the two strong personalities fighting their hardest to make a quality motion picture. Even so, is it worth the cost if two artists experience that much rage and turmoil to obtain the end result?
Aside from Megan Fox's beef with Michael Bay, there's no modern Hollywood drama between an actor and director more well-known than that between Judd Apatow and Katherine Heigl. Heigl starred with Seth Rogen in Apatow's film Knocked Up. Later, she said she regretted starring in the movie because it was sexist and difficult for her to make. The Internet went bonkers, painting her as an ungrateful harpy (even Rogen called her crazy). Since then she's apologized for the remarks, but really, is what she said so bad?
"It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys… why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you're portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie."
She could be describing so many movies and she even said that most of the time it was an "amazing experience," yet she was vilified for daring to call it sexist, with people saying she "bit the hand that fed her." Now there are all kinds of rumors about her being too difficult to work with circulating across the web.
When your relationship with a director results in lasting lifelong, chronic pain, something is wrong. Ellen Burstyn learned this when she made one of the most popular films of all time, The Exorcist. During the scene where Linda Blair shoves her mother (Burstyn) to the flood, Burstyn hurt her back badly. While she wore a wire, she still hurt too much and informed the director, Willaim Friedkin, that she was in pain. Friedkin simply said, "Well, it has to look real."
The two went back and forth over it a bit after which Friedkin finally relented and asked that she not be pulled so hard, but Burstyn says that she is pretty sure that Friedkin "canceled" the order behind her back because he just pulled harder, damaging her spine for life. Of Friedkin, she said, "He's a brilliant director and I don't want to knock him, however, I did injure my lower back and had to work with it ever since."
Yeah, it would be hard not to hold a grudge over that one.
When a director asks for you to repeat your scene 127 times, you are bound to resent him for it. When Shelley Duvall worked with Stanley Kubrick on The Shining, that's exactly what happened to the actress.
Kubrick was notably a difficult director to work with and Duvall was by no means the only person who clashed with him during the movie (Scatman Crothers was asked to repeat a scene 85 times) but she was the actor who professed to have so much stress during the film that her hair was falling out. As creepy as the Overlook Hotel and its atmosphere had to have been during filming, it should not have stressed the young actress out that badly.
It's reported that Jack Nicholson only fared better because he soon learned to just skip line memorization since Kubrick would only change it anyway.
Dancer in the Dark is considered one of the best films that Lars von Trier has ever made, but according to what Bjork has to say about the film and the director himself, it was a complete nightmare in the making.
von Trier says it was simply a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, but Bjork says that he "destroys" the women that he works with during filming and later hides the evidence of that destruction. At one point she even tore up a shirt she was supposed to wear and ate it in protest! She vowed to never make a film again because of the experience.
von Trier later went on to say that working with Bjork was like working with a terrorist because she often failed to show up for work. He attributed it to what he believes is a common issue with women in general: "But the problem with her was a little bit like the problem you have with women — sometimes they do something that you don't really understand. Something that you can't calculate and you have no idea why they say it and why they do it." Seems like von Trier may have something against women after all.
No matter his directing talents, Roman Polanski is a convicted rapist who cannot even work in the United States lest he be arrested. He also experienced plenty of conflict with the women he worked with.
Faye Dunaway, who said that he behaved like a dictator, can attest to this. While filming Chinatown, not only did he curse at her and tell her that her salary was her motivation during a scene, but he also refused to let her off the set to urinate when she expressed an urgent need to use the toilets.
Nevertheless, Dunaway exacted her revenge immediately, tossing a coffee cup of the urine that she couldn't hold in his face. When he yelled, "You c***, that's piss!" at her, she replied, "Yes, you little putz."
One of the worst cases of an actress faced with the brutality of a controlling and abusive director is that of Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren. Hedren was not the only woman known to have experienced abuse at the hands of Hitchcock but she is unfortunately the most well-known. Hitchcock terrorized her with real birds (after he'd told her they would be mechanical) for five days of filming The Birds.
In Hedren's memoir, she says that Hitchcock acted jealous around other men who spoke to Hedren before he sexually assaulted her multiple times while filming the movie Marnie. When she denied his advances, he threatened to ruin her career.
Hedren says that Hitchcock never spoke to her again, even though he refused to let her go until after her contract with him was up.
Sean Connery is a staple of Hollywood, so when you piss him off so badly that he quits acting, you know you've hit a pretty strong nerve. That is what reportedly happened while Connery made the live-action adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman with director Stephen Norrington at the helm.
According to Connery, Norrington was just too wet behind the ears to make the picture, which infuriated Connery to no end. The two fought constantly, almost coming to blows, and the experience left such a bad taste in Connery's mouth that he quit acting for good.
Connery wasn't the only disgruntled person on the set, though. Everyone working on the film reported how tense and grueling it was and how they just couldn't wait for it to be over. They didn't even bother to mince words with reports who inquired about the movie. Others said that the director "doesn't know what he wants" and called for lots of unnecessary filming.
It's one thing to really, really, really want to carry out your artistic vision, but it's another to put people through hell to get it done on film.
While Brigitte Bardot was known as a sex symbol of her day, that does not mean she gave her consent to do anything her director wanted. Her character in the film La Verite (The Truth) was supposed to overdose on sleeping pills. To create an authentic scene, director Henri-Georges Clouzot gave Bardot sleeping pills and lied, saying they were aspirin. He had hoped that the pills would make her fall asleep and drool for the scene. She had her stomach pumped after the incident.
He also slapped the actress while filming. To some directors, it would seem that their actors (particularly in the case of women) are not much more than things to use in manifesting their artistic vision, rather than real people!
It's one of the grossest examples of abuse of power in movie making history, and it was just recently admitted by the director himself.
Prior to filming the final scene in Last Tango in Paris, Bernando Bertolucci privately met with Marlon Brando and discussed using a stick of butter to anally rape young Maria Schneider, who was not briefed about the change of plans at all. Why? Because Bertolucci claimed he wanted it to be as realistic as possible and to capture the 19-year-old actress's real tears on camera – which he did.
Schneider called the scene itself rape and struggled with depression that stemmed from the experience the rest of her life. Her career took a downturn following the film while both the director and Brando (who was 48 years old at the time) were met with accolades and further success. Bertolucci, who later admitted that the scene was done without her consent, said that he did not regret doing it because he wanted her to act humiliated.
Bertolucci also said that he and Brando were having breakfast and when they both looked at the butter they knew what they wanted to do in the scene. Who does that?


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The Nokia 105 has a very good design: with a color screen, thick body, bright color, but it looks simple. If you are accustomed to using a phone with a big screen, then you will find this phone looks like a toy. However, when you look more closely, this phone looks great.
Nokia 105 has different from a regular phone keypad. It does not have a gap in between which will ensure that no dust or water left behind, and keep your phone to work properly. The back of the phone is made of black plastic, so it looks sturdy, and makes you feel confident to save it wherever you want.
The Nokia 105 is also equipped with a flashlight that will be very useful when you are in the dark or when there is no electricity. This flashlight is powerful enough to help you find your way out of a dark place.
The Nokia 105 has a battery that is more than enough for a phone that is only used for voice calls and text messages. It gives you up to 12.5 hours of talk time, you can even leave up to 35 days standby. This makes the Nokia 105 is perfect for long trips, especially if you go to a place where there is a power shortage, or places that have no power supply at all.
Menus and written text looks bigger and comfortable to read. The speakers are located on the back side, making the ring volume dropped dramatically, and you might miss a phone call. Besides speaker issues, this phone does not have a problem when it is used.
I use this phone only for voice calls, send text messages, and nothing else. I do not use the camera, Bluetooth, or even the internet to transfer anything. In my experience, the Nokia 105 could be the best when used as a second phone and not the main phone. The main reason why I say this is because of: low quality audio in a voice call, and the small screen. But if you run out of battery your primary phone, you can take this as a second phone. You will know the importance of this phone in an emergency.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, January 9, 2014
Parodia punae (zecheri)
One of the less-common Parodias - Parodia punae. This is a slow plant, much more impressive at it's maturity.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Cumulopuntia sp
This is the only Cumulopuntia plant that has flowered in my collection so far. It is labeled as C. boliviana, probably incorrectly - as it differs from several other forms of C.boliviana I have. The nice thing about it is it flowers as much smaller plant/
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Eriosyce subgibbosa wagenknechtii
Eriosyce wagenknechtii has the smallest of all E. subgibbosa forms flowers. As many 'Neoporterias' this is winter-blooming species.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Mammillaria dioica
Mammillaria dioica is very common cactus across Baja California peninsula and in southern California deserts. Rings of flowers if cross-pollinated result in rings of fruits.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Haageocereus pseudomelanostele
Haageocereus is a genus of smaller cereoids, suitable for collections. Variable Haageocereus pseudomelanostele is one of the more common in cultivation species. Flowers are open one night, and close in the morning
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Berlin is ugly. The scars of war and socialism can be seen everywhere, and the feverish construction rally after German reunification didn't help either. Berlin is poor, the city is heavily indebted, well paid jobs are scarce.
Berliners don't care. I guess we don't even know. Everything happens in the present tense in this city without a past. No closing time, no dress code and no doormen, just an ever lasting now. There is a bit of Russia and some Asia, lots of creativity and adventure and warmth. You'll be ein Berliner before you can actually say the word.
And what is beauty anyway?


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The leadership at the top of the College Football Playoff will remain as its been since its inception.
In a press release Wednesday morning, the CFP board announced it has reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension with executive director Bill Hancock. The new deal leaves Hancock signed through June of 2020.
"Bill Hancock is not only one of the most widely respected people in college football, he's one of the kindest, most decent, and able people anyone will ever meet," said USC president and CFP board chair C. Max Nikias in a statement. "Under Bill's leadership, the playoff for three years in a row has been a huge success, making it an event that is loved by fans, students and alumni throughout the country. We're delighted to extend the contract of a man who is so dedicated to helping students be successful in college and in life."
Hancock has been the executive director of the playoff all three years of its existence. Prior to that, he served in the same capacity for the Bowl Championship Series.
One of the biggest issues facing Hancock, Nikias and the rest of the board will be declining television ratings and what if anything can be done about them. (Hint: moving the title game to Saturdays certainly couldn't hurt.)


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Edible Science Experiments are the Best 03/07/2010Posted by snoozerider in art, home education, kids craft, painting, thrift.
Tags: abstract, art, experiments, home education, painting, thrift, Van Gogh
1 comment so far
Gman has started on his latest project – Rocks and Minerals. This has given us a great opportunity to make some toffee and honeycomb…oops, I mean igneous rocks :-). Here's how to do it:
First, put a greased baking tray in the freezer for an hour or two.
Place about 500g sugar and a few splashes of water into a saucepan. Heat until melted and golden brown. You need to stir fairly constantly to make sure it doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan.
Use oven gloves to take the baking tray out of the freezer.
To make a glass like substance, simply tip the mixture straight onto your baking tray. It will set almost instantly, but certainly be ready to hack away and eat (er, study) after 10 minutes.
If you want to make a pumice like rock, then add a teaspoon or so of bicarbonate of soda to your mixture before you pour it onto the tray.
The honeycomb (oops, I mean pumice) is particularly good with ice cream ;-P.
As well as the rocks project, the boys have also been enjoying recreating more artistic masterpieces, including this Pollack-inspired masterpiece:
Waif got up one morning deciding that today he would "do" Van Gogh, and produced several small pictures, carefully copied from a little book of Van Gogh pictures that we picked up at the Fitzwilliam Museum. We put them all together and made a display poster:
Aren't they fab?
Those that saw this earlier post will know that we like to home educate as thriftily as possible, so we were quite excited to find that a local primary school which was closing and moving premises was holding a book sale. For £2 we got a stack of educational books, including a massive poetry book just in time for next week's poetry themed home ed group. Yay!
A Car Boot Sale Education 16/05/2010Posted by snoozerider in craft, home education, kids craft.
Tags: Aztec, drawing, home education, kids art, serpent, textiles, thrift
2 comments
Who says home education needs to be expensive?
At this morning's boot sale we picked up a vintage weaving loom, two primary science books, three books interviewing children's authors (Telling Tales series) a set of Oxford Learning Tree readers, a workbook on telling the time, a book of scary stories and Star Wars Monopoly. OK, not sure of the educational value of the Monopoly but all the same 🙂
So what have we been up to the last couple of weeks..?
More on the Aztecs as part of Gman's Mexico lapbook project. The boys are quite taken with the somewhat gory nature of this particular period of ancient history. I think it's the live human sacrifices that do it! Gman patiently stuck down loads of little gummed squares to make this two headed-serpent (Waif started out helping but got fed up with the bits sticking to him so wandered off to do something else):
As you can see, Gman was rather pleased with the finished result!
Waif has been continuing making some more "quilt" patterns and has even had a go at a liberated house (see my sewing blog for what this means!)
We have also been to see a small but very lovely textile art exhibition at the Babylon Gallery in Ely. While Gman was totally entranced by a piece entitled "The Power of Money" which comprised a kind of waterfall of £10 & £20 notes embroidered in between sheets of sheer material, Waif was more interested in having a go at the hands-on textile art activity, with a little help from Nana. They had a table laid out with fabric, ribbons, buttons, beads, and various yummy trims for participants to make fabric flower corsages to go on a "tree" inside the gallery. Waif hung his first flower up there, but was so taken with his second that he went home with it sewn to his jumper!
Continuing on an artistic theme, Gman has been designing a poster for his latest story, borrowing somewhat from all the sci-fi we have been watching and reading lately!


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Great Clothes shop Denim Rocks Fashion & Retail Sales
Nowadays, in Pakistan a cultural occasion is being celebrated in Sindh province. Whether or not you work in an informal, conservative, or fashion-conscious surroundings, we've put together a group of the most acceptable, fashionable work attire that you may put on by the winter and beyond. Discover the fitting pair of denims to type with a leather-based jacket and some boots for a wonderful fall look.
Starting from petite clutches to attractive shoulder bags, our accessories are Australian designed in a group of fashionable colours and playful kinds. Find your perfect mixture of workplace-appropriate attire, footwear, skirts, bags and sweaters. Plus, we provide a 360-degree view of many of our put on to work clothes, so you'll be able to try the look of the each side of the costume.
David Hume wears a reddish collarless dress coat and matching waistcoat trimmed with bands of gold. You will really feel luxurious on this heavyweight silk upgrade of an informal shirtdress. We get that a killer wardrobe won't assure a promotion or a second date, but it surely simply may assist.
With trending colours to go with every season, these chic types will have you saying I do." Equipment? The robe …


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Over the holidays, I was lucky to spend time with my whole family. Each year I look forward to a Ukrainian feast at my Aunty Cheryl's house. We have an amazing spread of North American classics like turkey and mashed potatoes, as well as Ukrainian staples like cabbage rolls, nalysnyky and perishke – all prepared by my aunt. You can almost taste the love and time spent in the kitchen making these dishes in the soft textures and creaminess of these dishes. These big meals are special to me not just because of the food, but because they're occasions when the whole family spends the evening together. To me, it's very important for the whole family to eat and talk together at the dinner table.
I created this dish to pay homage to my family's Ukrainian dinners. I combined the flavours and components of the cabbage rolls and nalysnyky into one dish. If you've never had the pleasure of trying nalysnyky, it is a decadent, Ukranian crepe, rolled and stuffed with cheese and smothered in a dill cream sauce. In this dish, the flavours pair beautifully and make for the perfect comfort dish to share with the family.
Servings: 4
Ricotta cheese
8 cups milk
4 cups 36% heavy cream
1 tablespoon salt
6 tablespoons white vinegar
1 bay leaf
Braised cabbage
1 head Savoy cabbage, cut into small wedges
1 tablespoon Canola oil
¼ cup white wine
4 cups ricotta whey (as much as you get from the ricotta)
1 garlic clove, smashed
8 sprigs dill
8 chives
Whey sauce
4 cups cabbage braising liquid (or all of the liquid)
2 cups 36% heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
Combine the milk, cream and salt in a large pot and place on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture up to a boil, making sure the dairy doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. Stir the cream often with a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar to the mixture and take the pot off the heat. Let it sit for about five minutes. Test the mixture by stirring it with a spoon, you should see fluffy curds and whey.
Place a piece of cheesecloth over the top of a strainer. Place the strainer over a large pot. Pour the mixture over the cheesecloth, separating the curds from the whey. Let the ricotta sit for about 30 minutes to strain off the whey.
Reserve the whey for later. Place the ricotta into a food safe container and place it in the fridge for later.
Cabbage & sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Place a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the canola oil to the pan. Once the oil is slightly smoking, place the cabbage in the pan, cut side down. Season the cabbage pieces with salt. Sear the cabbage until dark brown. Turn the heat down to very low and add the wine to deglaze the pan – make sure the pan is off the heat before adding the wine to avoid flaring the pan. Once the wine is almost completely reduced, add the rest of the ingredients. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low until the cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.
In a small pot, add the cream for the whey sauce and place it over low heat. Reduce the cream by half.
Once the cabbage is cooked, remove it from the braising liquid and set aside on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Strain the braising liquid into a small pot. Discard the dill, chives and garlic. Start to reduce the braising liquid over medium-high heat, just as you did with the cream.
Once both the cream and the braising liquid have reduced by half, combine them into one pot. Continue to reduce the mixture on low until it slightly thickens. It's thick enough when the sauce can coat the back of a spoon. Take the sauce off the heat and slowly whisk the butter in.
Place the cabbage in the oven to warm it up for about five minutes.
Once warmed, plate the cabbage seared side up on a plate. Garnish the cabbage with small dill sprigs. Pour the sauce over the cabbage and serve.


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A pile of new hundred dollar bills makes quite an impression in a criminal trial.
The jury in the trial of Silk Road mastermind Ross Ulbricht sat rapt in attention, fixated on government evidence number 917A: a photo of $1,000 in crisp notes in an ad promising money-laundering services for the top drug dealers on the infamous anonymous black market. Ulbricht, charged with drug trafficking and continuing a criminal enterprise, could only sit and watch the spectacle unfold.
The problem is that this piece of evidence misled the jury—and the government knew it.
Prosecutors spoke only briefly about 917A, instead letting the jury soak in the visual while they read back only the ad's most salacious text.
"$10,000 delivered to your doorstep in the form of 100 $100 bills (or U.S. bills of your choosing)," prosecutor Timothy Howard read to the jury. "You will be mailed genuine U.S. currency that has not been altered or linked to criminal activity."
The Silk Road trial was full of little moments of deception.
The catch here is subtle enough that a juror almost certainly wouldn't have notice it.
The advertisement listed is dated Sept. 30, 2013. That's just two days before Ross Ulbricht was arrested and FBI shut down Silk Road. The seller, nicknamed "rickrossgold," has a small gray zero next to his name, meaning he'd never received any feedback for selling an item on Silk Road. No one from the black market's tight-knit community had ever heard of him, and the biggest money launderers operating on Silk Road at the time never shipped this kind of cash.
The government allowed the jury to believe they were looking at Silk Road's greatest money launderer. In fact, the exhibit is essentially a fake—just another brush stroke in the prosecutors' damning portrait of Ulbricht.
The Silk Road trial was full of little moments of deception like this, some far more significant than what Howard pulled off with the $100 bills.
The defense lost nearly every legal battle they faced. After a four-week trial, Ulbricht was found guilty on seven felony charges and now faces life in prison.
In unknown and hostile legal terrain, Ulbricht never had much of a chance to put up the defense he wanted to in trial. It's been called "the trial that wasn't" by Forbes legal analyst Sarah Jeong.
Deep Web is a political statement very much in the style of Dread Pirate Roberts himself.
Deep Web, a new documentary that premieres at SXSW and then on the Epix channel in the spring, is intended in part to be the defense that Ulbricht never got a chance to put forward in court.
Directed by Alex Winter, who's responsible for the excellent Downloaded documentary about the rise and fall of Napster, Deep Web thoroughly questions the government's story in a way that is extremely intriguing and entertaining.
But while Deep Web centers on Silk Road, it's really about radical Internet freedom. Amir Taaki, a famous British-Iranian hacker who laid the software foundations for a more robust successor to Silk Road, opens the film with a manifesto that sets the tone.
"The fascists, they have the resources," he says. "We have imagination. We are making the tools to take back our sovereignty. When we make a giant fuck you to the system; it's breaking the stranglehold on the tools used against us."
Cue the cyberpunk soundtrack.
While sitting in the courtroom during the Silk Road trial, I met half a dozen major studio Hollywood types aiming to bring the blockbuster story to television and movie screens over the next few years. Winter beat them all by securing the cooperation of the Ulbricht family and coming out with his film months before anyone else.
When it comes to legal questions, Deep Web doesn't have a lot of answers. Instead, it asks key questions that were legally muted during the criminal trial or often deemed irrelevant in the court of public opinion. In the absence of answers, these questions are what's left in the arsenal.
Winter argues that Silk Road potentially reduced drug-related violence, pointing to scientific studies to make his case, and makes a compelling case against the war on drugs. Near the center of it all lies the legal question that may make a difference in court one day: How did the police find the Silk Road?
Deep Web, a new documentary that premieres at SXSW and then on the Epix channel in the spring, is intended in part to be the defense that Ulbricht never got a chance to put forward in court.
As far as the jury knows, Ulbricht's site was found because a lucky federal agent happened upon his name after using Google and searching through archives to find a few bread crumbs—Ulbricht's name associated with accounts that first advertised Silk Road.
In fact, contrary to what was presented at trial, the police found Silk Road at least eight months earlier, when the server hosting the anonymous website was located in Iceland and copied for an investigation involving federal agencies across the U.S.
But how it all really happened—what crack exactly led to the location of the server and then the breaking of the investigational dam—is known only by the police. All the answers federal agents have offered have been shot down by the information security community. Security consultant Nik Cubrilovic told Wired that the government's story "just doesn't make sense technically," a sentiment repeated by many security professionals.
We're left with more questions than answers: Why was a file on Ulbricht's laptop modified after he was arrested? How did Dread Pirate Roberts, the alias used by the admin of Silk Road, find out about the federal investigations headed his way?
Deep Web's access has limits. It features a brief interview with lead defense attorney Joshua Dratel, but there's no doubt he's playing it close to the chest, as he has since Ulbricht's arrest. And as a legal strategy, it makes some sense. He's currently building a case for appeal, so trying his case in a documentary would be premature.
Deep Web is a political statement very much in the style of Dread Pirate Roberts himself. Using masterfully articulate hackers like Amir Taaki and Cody Wilson, the man most famously behind the 3D-printed gun, Winter puts together a treatise that would seem right at home on the Silk Road forums.
"I don't want to say he was a hero," Wilson says to close out the film, "but he was willing to do what most libertarians aren't."
Photo via Deep Web


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|This article is about 'the 2005 magazine story'. You may be looking for 'the other magazine story, the 2004 magazine story or the De Agostini magazine story'.
- "I can't have my engines behaving like this!"
- ―the Fat Controller
Tunnel Trouble is a magazine story.
Sodor School is getting some new classrooms. Some wooden huts have been ordered from the Mainland. Harold hovers over the school carrying the first hut, but the Fat Controller orders him to take it back as they are not ready for it yet.
Meanwhile, Thomas has just finished pulling some troublesome trucks and needs to get out of the blazing sunshine. Thomas puffs into a tunnel where it is lovely and cool and decides to stay there for the day. Thomas' driver and fireman are not happy with their engine, but Thomas does not care.
The day carries on with Thomas refusing to budge from his cool, new home. Then, Emily reverses into the tunnel, unaware that Thomas is inside. Emily backs straight into Thomas and sends him shooting out of the tunnel. Now, Emily is in the tunnel, annoying her driver.
Then, Henry comes down the line from the other direction. Henry shunts into Thomas who then hits into Emily. Both engines are pushed from the tunnel by Henry. The Fat Controller arrives and is very annoyed with his engines. The Fat Controller knows he needs to stop his engines fighting for shade and hurries to his office to make a call.
Soon, Harold hovers overhead with one of the school's wooden huts. The Fat Controller instructs Harold to put the huts over his railway lines. Harold is puzzled, but soon figures it out. The huts make shady tunnels for the engines to shelter under. The Fat Controller is pleased his engines are happy and there will be no more tunnel trouble on Sodor.


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A horrific plane crash and even more horrifying sequence of events.
Anytime a plane crashes we as human beings feel collective pain for those who died and those who they left behind. This is purely from the perspective of those caring sensitive people who are not directly related to anyone on the crashes planes.
We all go through various stages of grief. Initial stage is total shock. Then trying to understand what happened and could it have been avoided or prevented. Most of the time we can't ever answer that question at that moment because the investigation takes so much time. Maybe that is for the best because I am not quite sure what we would do if we had to deal with grief and the fact that the crash should not have actually happened. All those souls died senselessly. The third stage is becoming immune to the constant media coverage. The last stage is to just simply get on with our life with a little bit of ourself dying and attributing that to part of growing up.
Recently our capacity to deal with how we view crashes has totally changed.
The first Malaysian airlines MH370 crash is a big void. We do not know what to do with it because it just disappeared and that is just so unacceptable in this day and age of constant connectivity and instant results. Since we can't understand it we can not grieve for it and consequently never recover from it.
The second Malaysian airlines MH17 crash is multiple why's. First is why Malaysian airlines again when we have yet to grieve for the first crash. Second is the brutal conscious cause of the crash associated with blame game of multiple allegations, bickerings and pointing fingers from the world leaders. What are we going to do? We lost about 300 passengers and crew. We just can't grieve for them because nothing makes sense. Does anyone even care for those who died. Did their lives mean anything or Is it more important right now to determine how the crash happened. Remember the initial stage was to remember those who died and then came the cause of the crash. Doing it in reverse is painful and mind numbing. To make it worse the geopolitical environment of the crash region is making it difficult to recover bodies for purposes of closure.
The loved ones of the deceased of the second crash are going through the most difficult time of their life and in fact will continue to do so for generations to come. The relatives of the first crash have nothing and this is also something which will haunt them for generations.
9How do we make sense of it?Do we need to or do we care to? I believe we need to and should care to make sense of these for our own sanity if we believe in humanity.
Humanity is taking a dangerous turn and we have constant exposure to it everyday with media coverage of atrocities, rapes, and total disregard to human life around the globe. We do the same in our own personal life also by being callous and totally insensitive to each other. Is it a pattern we are developing. What kind of world do we want to leave for our next generation? A good one I hope.


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Password Guidelines
- Make your password at least 8 characters in length
- Mix the characters so that your password includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
- Don't use words found in the dictionary
- Don't use names of friends, family, pets, sports, etc.
- Never use your user ID as your password
- If you write down your password, NEVER place it near your computer.
Changing Passwords
- While using Windows, press CTRL + ALT + DEL at any time
- Select the Change Password option
- Enter your old password
- Enter your new password
- Enter your new password again, to confirm


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A Christmas to Remember Box Set
A Christmas to Remember Box Set
Enjoy a little holiday romance…
A Perfect Christmas
Skye Foster heads off to a remote Scottish village for Christmas, hoping to find some peace and quiet. However, she didn't count on crossing paths with Callum McIntyre, the man who broke her heart ten years ago. Even worse, now she's snowed in with him at his cottage…trapped. Will she be able to resist his charms…and does she really want to?
Callum never expected to run into the woman whose heart he once broke. She's still as gorgeous and stubborn as ever. He let her go once, and he won't make the same mistake again. But he knows it will be extremely difficult to convince her to give him another chance.
Mistletoe Magic
After surviving a serious illness Holly Berry is grateful to be alive, so she has a new bucket list. No more nice girl. This year her wish for Santa is sure to put her on the naughty list.
Noah Miller volunteers to plays Santa Claus at Snowdrop House where Holly's parents take in children who need temporary care. He's surprised to find a very grown-up Holly sitting on his knee. He's known her for years, but the sexy words she whispers in his ear has him raising his eyebrows. However, he's more than willing to accommodate her.
Noah would have never guessed that a Santa costume and twenty-four hours would make such a difference to his Christmas. Will this sexy little bundle of fun who rocks his world change his future too?
A Baby for Christmas
Belle Jones never did anything that wasn't planned…that was until she met Ethan Thompson one steamy afternoon. Now, six months later, he's come looking for her, but he's about to discover more than he bargained for. Their passionate encounter resulted in a pregnancy.
Following the death of her beloved grandmother, Belle is trying to come to terms with her first Christmas on her own. But when Ethan arrives at her doorstep, he throws all her plans out the window and leaves her with a decision to make—go it alone or accept the help that he offers?
Once Ethan discovers he's going to be a father, he's determined to marry Belle, but she's just as determined not to marry merely because she's pregnant.
Content Warning: these stories contains adult language and explicit sex
**Zip file contains the following formats: pdf (for Adobe Reader), lit (for Microsoft Reader), mobi (for Mobi and Kindle), epub (for Nook), and html.**


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Our Approach
Diamond Parking Service has more than 90 years of parking management experience, making Diamond the oldest and largest privately-owned parking company worldwide. It's experience that you can trust to provide outstanding customer service and parking solutions to meet any challenge.
Our goals are clear and measurable. We demonstrate personal accountability to our clients, customers and employees. We maintain stability in the properties we manage. We draw upon our decades of experience to assist property owners and building managers to maximize their parking potential.
To our parking public, we measure the quality of our service by listening to their needs. We empower all our employees to be "Diamond ambassadors" and demonstrate personal accountability to all our parking clients.
To our landlords and property managers, we know that our employees are often the first to greet your tenants and last to bid them goodbye. As a result, each employee is highly trained in the varied types of duties and responsibilities required in the day-to-day operation and management of parking operations.
Our time-tested management approach and our special parking programs continue to set the standard for excellence in the parking industry. And because excellence in our industry requires constant review and improvement of our processes, systems and goals, we draw on our decades of experience to maximize profits while minimizing costs. There is simply no substitute for experience. It's gratifying to know that, year after year, our clients choose us because we deliver results, performance and credibility.


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As the mercury starts to rise, certain unspoken rituals are observed: lunch moves outside, sun seekers overtake city parks and sidewalk cafes suddenly do a roaring business. Summer, happily, is here once again. The change in weather also means a change in what we drink. The season's vibrant colors, aromas and flavors inspire both home and professional mixologists. Here are a few key ingredients to get you started.
Add a Citrus Zest:
Any successful warm-weather cocktail needs to be refreshing, so it's no surprise that citrus drinks are a summer staple. Juicy lemons, limes and grapefruits give your drinks a delightful crispness, but for a bright acidity try the lesser-known Asian citrus fruit yuzu, which has a highly concentrated flavor.
Daytime Cocktails:
In the UK, the sight of a Pimm's Cup is the first sign of summer. But you don't need to be British to enjoy the quaffable mixture of gin-based liqueur, cucumber, mint and sparkling lemonade. There are also many modern variations of the drink, like the Jimm's Cup (see recipe below). These lower-alcohol aperitif cocktails are a wise choice for a prolonged session of daytime drinking.
Make It Floral:
Fresh elderflower, lavender and rose can do more than just decorate your glass. Steep flowers in simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) for several hours and the floral notes will "pretty up" your cocktail. Edible flowers are also a great garnish and are available at gourmet groceries across the country.
Spirit of Summer:
Rum has been patiently waiting its turn to bask in the attention of the cocktail elite. Light, aged, spiced or infused, rum is now in fashion and is ready to be mixed. Try the Rosa Verde from the new New York City rum bar Cienfuegos.
Jimm's Cup
Contributed by: Jim Ryan
- 1.5 oz Hendrick's Gin
- .75 oz Fresh orange juice
- .5 oz Fresh lemon Juice
- .25 oz Fresh lime juice
- 1 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
- 4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
- Small thumb fresh ginger
- 3 Medium strawberries
- 2 teaspoons Cucumber foam*
- Garnish: Mint sprig
- Glass: Double rocks glass
In a shaker muddle the strawberries, ginger and simple syrup. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cucumber foam, and ice. Shake well and strain into a double rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Top with an optional, but preferred, 2 teaspoons of cucumber foam and garnish with a mint sprig.
Cucumber Foam*
Take a seedless cucumber, with its skin on and tips cut off, and pass it through a juice extractor. Pour the juice into a quart container. Shake the closed container a bit to get the foam to rise to the top. Open the container and skim off the foam. When you need more foam, shake the closed container again.
Rosa Verde
Contributed by: Cienfuegos
- 1.5 oz White rum (Flor de Caña)
- 2 oz Fresh watermelon juice
- Heavy sprinkle of cracked pink peppercorn
- 2 Dashes celery bitters
- .5 oz Fresh lime juice
- .5 oz Arugula infused simple syrup*
- Garnish: Fresh arugula sprigs
- Glass: Cocktail
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh arugula sprigs.
Arugula Infused Simple Syrup*
Add several arugula leaves to simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) and let steep for up to 12 hours. Taste the syrup often until you like the flavor. Once it's ready, strain the liquid into a clean bottle.
Charlotte Voisey is the Mixologist for William Grant & Sons USA.


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We are hosting a BBQ Cook Off & Raffle Oct 13th, to benefit the Galveston Police Dept. We will have 1st, 2nd & 3rd place Ribbons and gift cards for all three.
Then we have the Raffle the same day. We have one Pelican & one RTIC Cooler on the ticket to Raffle off. Both will be filled with something good.
We also have a donation from another Marine, She gave us a 60"x 35" Texans flag. SIGNED BY THE TEXANS THEMSELVES!!!
We will have other gifts as well, from other retailers on the Island. This is going to be a big event, to help support our own Galveston Police Dept,
and we will be doing this Annually, as well as a Chili Cook Off & Raffle in the Spring for the Galveston Fire Fighters.....We can't leave them out of the fun.
October 13th, 8 to God knows when, the Tin Cup Driving Range will also be helping in this event.....they have more parking than we do and Beer!!!
Where? 8901 Stewart Rd, Galveston......Stewart & 89th Self-Storage........
Call 409-741-2224 and ask for Larry for more info or if you would like to sign on to join in on the BBQ Event and help the Department in the process.
Kroger has graciously donated $500.00 to go toward the purchase of the meats we will be handing out for the BBQ event. You will not have to
purchase your own, unless you want to.
NOTICE: This event is geared toward BBQ Pro's only, bring your trailer and we will set you up.
We are also looking for other items to raffle off....if you have something, or know someone who does, just contact me at the number above.
All public is welcome to attend, we will have live music, beer at the Tin Cup and plenty of BBQ....plus the Raffle!!!


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The BoomBox Guide to the CMJ Music Marathon
The sprawling CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival hits New York City this week. One of the biggest music conferences in the world, CMJ takes place across dozens of venues, features around 1200 bands and represents just about every genre of music. Once known for its college radio-friendly ethos, the festival has expanded in recent years to include a healthy dose of hip-hop. From Wu-Tang brethren GZA and Ghostface to a Duck Down Records showdown and sets from hot artists like Freddie Gibbs, there's something for every rap fan. Here are The BoomBox's official picks for the festival. Click the showcase or artist name on each listing for more information.
Tuesday, October 19
Duck Down Vs. Blacksmith Showcase - Le Poisson Rouge
It's hard to go wrong with this showcase that pits Duck Down's formidable lyricists against Talib Kweli's Blacksmith label. Be ready for sets from Jean Grae, Pete Rock, Strong Arm Steady, Boot Camp Clik, Pharoach Monch, Skyzoo and many more.
Homebase X Put Me On It Showcase - Southpaw
This one is for the true underground fanatics. The lineup includes Homeboy Sandman, Blu, The Kickdrums, Kooley High, Tiron and many more.
BK Live Showcase - Public Assembly
Head to Brooklyn and see up-and-comer Kid Daytona with Sir Michael Rocks, Curtains and Skotch Davis.
Thursday, October 21
GZA - Le Poisson Rouge
The Wu's deadliest lyricist will perform alongside DJ Premier, Tabi Bonney, Trademark Da Skydiver and many more during a large showcase.
Audible Treats Showcase - Sullivan Hall
The digital marketing agency books a robust roster that includes Black Sheep, Nottz, Diamond District, Big Pooh + Hall of Justus, Chip Fu, Rah Digga, Von Pea, Moe Green, DaVinci and The Left.
Friday, October 22
Ghostface Killah - B.B. Kings
The great Ghostface has a new album, 'Apollo Kids,' on the way soon, but that doesn't mean he won't rock the stage on a Friday night in his hometown.
Freddie Gibbs - Glasslands
The Gary, Indiana wordsmith pays tribute to greats like Outkast and UGK at Glasslands during the showcase for the music blog Yours Truly.
Saturday, October 23
illRoots Showcase - Santos Party House
This jam-packed showcase, which is hosted by Angela Yee and Alexandra Estevez, features Dom Kennedy, Cam'ron producer AraabMuzik, Mickey Factz, Curtains and many more.


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Note: If you or your association would like to have a retirement workshop at your
school, your local president should call Harold Crowley at 800.392.6175, ext. 8240.
Please be aware that the M TA does not have a record of your service, so members
are advised to bring that information along to meetings.
AUBURN — Louise Gaskins: first and second
Saturdays of each month ( walk in), 9 a.m. to 1
p.m., M TA Central Office, 48 S word St., Auburn;
508.791.2121, or at home, 978.448.5351.
BOS TON — Harold Crowley: Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays (by appointment only),
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., M TA, 20 Ashburton Place, Boston;
617.878.8240 or 800.392.6175, ext. 8240.
BRAIN TREE — Mary Hanna: second Saturday
of each month ( walk in), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., M TA
Metropolitan Office, 100 Grandview Road,
Braintree; 781.380.1410, or at home, 781.545.2069.
CAPE COD — Lawrence Abbruzzi: second Saturday
of each month ( walk in), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Barnstable
Teachers Association (B TA), 100 West Main
St., Suite #7, Hyannis; 508.775.8625, or at home,
FI TCHBURG — Robert Zbikowski: second Thursday
of each month ( walk in), 4 to 8 p.m., Fitchburg
Teachers Association office, 21 Culley St.,
Fitchburg; 978.790.8864, or at home, 978.297.0123;
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com.
HOLYOKE — Ron Lech: third Saturday of each
month (walk in), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., M TA Western
Office, 55 Bobala Road, Suite 3, Holyoke;
413.535.2415, or at home, 413.893.9173.
LYNNFIELD — Mary Parry: third and fourth
Saturdays of each month ( walk in), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
M TA Northeast Office, 50 Salem St., Building B,
Lynnfield; 781.246.9779, or at home, 978.372.2031;
fax, 978.372.2035.
PI T TSFIELD — Ward F. Johnson: second
Saturday of each month (walk in), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
M TA Berkshire Office, 188 East St., Pittsfield;
413.499.0257, or at home, 413.443.1722; e-mail:
RAYNHAM — Edward Nelson: third Saturday
of each month (walk in), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., M TA
Southeast Office, 90 New State Highway (Rte. 44),
Raynham; 508.822.5371, or at home, 774.239.7823.
HIGHER EDUCATION AT-LARGE — Edward
McCourt, Wellesley; 781.325.2553; e-mail:
email@example.com. (Call or e-mail
for assistance.)
MetLife offers various products and services to MTA members through the MTA Benefits program. MTA Benefits receives a sponsorship fee from MetLife in connection with its endorsement of its products and
services. MetLife Resources is a division of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166.
MLR19000235093 L0214360880[exp0515][All States][DC] PEANUTS © 2014 Peanuts Worldwide LLC 1402-0365
Do you have questions
about how to achieve
your retirement goals?


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Louisiana waters officially extended from three to nine miles offshore for reef fish management
LDWF Secretary Robert Barham announced that the 2016 red snapper fishing season in state waters will begin at 6:00 a.m. on January 8, 2016 and remain open until further notice. The season will run seven days a week in state waters with a daily bag and possession limit of two fish per person at a 16-inch minimum total length.
"LDWF will do everything we can to provide our anglers the opportunity to harvest their share of this healthy and thriving resource," said Barham.
Assistant Secretary, Randy Pausina said, "Through LA Creel, our recreational landings data collection program, we're able to monitor how much red snapper our anglers harvest in real time. With this data, we can ensure our recreational fishery is fully accountable—we're able to set a fishing season that allows our anglers to harvest their entire share of the catch but also close the season in time to prevent over harvest."
Louisiana waters officially extended from three to nine miles offshore for reef fish management
Recently signed into law, the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act includes a provision to temporarily extend Louisiana state waters to nine nautical miles for fishery management purposes, an effort championed by LDWF Secretary Robert Barham during his tenure at the agency.
Senator Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, added the provision to the Act to push state waters for reef fish management in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama (currently three miles) to nine miles to match the current state water boundaries of Florida and Texas. "We are grateful for the additional provision by Senator Shelby and the recognition by Congress of the nine-mile boundary the State of Louisiana has claimed since 2012," said Secretary Barham. "Because the 2016 Omnibus Appropriation Act applies to the current federal fiscal year, the nine-mile extension is only temporary. However, Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA) has proposed a more permanent solution through H.R. 3094; he and his bill have our agency's full support."
Secretary Barham worked hand in hand with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and Louisiana state legislators for years to ensure Louisiana's fishing boundaries are equal with those of Texas and Florida. In 2011, Louisiana state legislators passed Act 336, recognizing that the Gulfward boundary of Louisiana's state waters historically consisted of three marine leagues (9 nautical miles) and designating that boundary to be enforced by state law for the protection and restoration of coastal lands, waters and natural resources, and regulation of activities affecting them.
Following the direction of our state legislators and at the request of Secretary Barham, the Commission officially extended state waters from three nautical miles offshore to nine nautical miles offshore for fisheries management purposes and for the benefit of Louisiana fishermen. Secretary Barham said, "I was simply correcting an injustice. If our Florida and Texas neighbors fish a nine-mile state boundary, so should Louisiana fishermen. Unfortunately, it has taken over three years for action on this issue and that action is only temporary. I look forward to the day that all fishermen are treated equally across the Gulf of Mexico." Although this congressional action is only temporary, it is a step forward for Louisiana fishermen and is a direct result of Secretary Barham's continued vigilance on this issue. "Louisiana fishermen will benefit from improved access and more flexible management of the reef fish fishery in the waters off Louisiana," said LDWF Assistant Secretary of Fisheries Randy Pausina. "And without Secretary Barham's initial leadership claiming a nine-mile state water boundary for our fishermen, this would not have gained the momentum it needed to be carried through Congress," said Billy Broussard, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commissioner.
Recreational Offshore Landing Permit
LDWF reminds anglers and charter captains that they must have a Recreational Offshore Landing Permit to possess certain species, including red snapper. They may obtain or renew the permit, free of charge at rolp.wlf.la.gov. Anglers and charter captains may renew their permits up to 30 days prior to expiration. They must have a valid Louisiana fishing license number to obtain a permit; they may use their confirmation number for a temporary (trip) permit.
Minors (under 16) are not required to obtain a Recreational Offshore Landing Permit. Customers on a paid-for-hire charter trip also do not need this permit.


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The Metropolitan Police has arrested another person in connection with allegations of phone hacking.
Scotland Yard confirmed this afternoon that a 61-year-old man was arrested by appointment at a London police station.
The unnamed individual is currently in the custody of officers from the Operation Weeting investigation.
"He was arrested on suspicion of unlawful interception of communications, contrary to Section 1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977 and on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section 1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977," said the Met in a statement.
It added, "It would be inappropriate to discuss any further details regarding these cases at this time."
Allegations of widespread illegal voicemail interception practices at News International's Sunday tabloid News of the World led to the paper being closed last month.
Erstwhile editors of the NoTW Rebekah Brooks, whose tenure at the paper was from 2000 to 2003, and Andy Coulson (2003-2007) have both previously been arrested by police officers probing phone hacking allegations made against people who worked for the publication. ®


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Huawei has launched Network Value+, a investment solution for carrier's digital business, at the 2017 Huawei global analyst summit. During the development of digital services, such as the video and enterprise private line (EPL), this solution provides carriers with network planning, construction, and evolution schemes targeting the full service trend, to ensure effective investment and maximise network value.
Networks are gradually moving towards convergence. Previous planning and construction methods oriented to the single-layer network and single business dimension cannot prevent synergy problems of multi-layer networks. Huawei Network Value+ comes with the promise to provide professional solutions for synergetic development of digital business, backed by capabilities, such as valued user identification and precision planning.
China Mobile, Wuxi Branch and Huawei entered into a collaboration earlier to realise cross-domain synergetic planning of optical networks, transport networks, access networks, RAN networks, and IP networks. That led to the creation of the "point-plane-line" E2E planning methodology, which led to the optimisation of network architecture and security, and increase in resource efficiency by 20%, improvement in service provision efficiency by 30%, and significant increase in the number of HBB users.


text: shamus 0 Posted January 1, 2015 · WTB an UM2 in Canada Hey everyone, I'm just getting into 3D printing and from what I can gather Ultimaker is the better option, so I am in the market for an Ultimaker 2, Color doesnt matter as long as it works well. I have cash, So in person would be best. I live in Burlington Ontario. I do have a vehicle so I dont mind meeting in between if you are a fair distance away. My Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Drop me a message, Happy New Year, Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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On this week's episode of Dynasty Life (@DynastyLifePod) we are joined by the man who joined us for our very first episode, Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23)! Nice, right? We spend some time talking with the dynasty league commissioner specialist on all things "commissioner" to help improve your leagues. And hey, we couldn't just ignore the significance of this episode number milestone. So yes, we do spend a little time being incredibly immature making note of all sorts of nice "69" stats from this past season. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the nicest Dynasty Life Podcast episode ever!
The Dynasty Life fantasy football podcast is a celebration of the bizarre, but fun life that fantasy owners live when they play various forms of dynasty fantasy football. Join Travis May, Justin McCasland & Andrew Frechette as we talk with guests from all corners of the fantasy football industry to discuss strategy, players, trends, and how our dynasty life fits into our daily life.
Whether you're new to dynasty or a seasoned vet, there will always be something to learn and enjoy on the Dynasty Life podcast. Questions? Comments? Dynasty Life stories to share? Just reach out and we'll do our best to get them on the new show.
Just remember, this show is for you, the dynasty fantasy football fan. We want to celebrate your weird, our weird, and the weird that is dynasty fantasy football. I hope you join us and tell a friend while you're at it.
Make sure to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher and look for new episodes every Friday! You can follow the podcast on Twitter @DynastyLifePod for up-to-date information. Also follow the hosts, Travis, Justin & Andrew on Twitter for upcoming guests, topics, and to submit questions for the show!
Travis – @FF_TravisM
Justin – @MaclandJ
Andrew – @andyfreshh
We look forward to getting to know you soon!


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Grab a cold one this is a LONG story!
I was born on Feb 3 1961 (one of the biggest snowstorms in PGH history I am told) and grew up here in "The Burgh". I was here up until about 1990 I think it was when I took a job as a Race Mechanic for Skip Barber Racing up in Connecticut and moved up there. I had a 3 yr relationship going at the time and let me tell ya my girlfriend was not very happy!
But… I am not the kind of person who hangs out or stay's around where I don't want to be and Racing was what I wanted to do so that was it my mind was made up! We tried the long distance thing for a while but you know how that goes and eventually we broke up. It worked out best anyway because she ended up meeting a guy who wanted a bunch of kids like her and they have been happily married (with children) since.
So I did the racing thing for about 12 years and quite a lot of traveling (which I love) and met quite a few really cool people who became friends. Some of them (time to be a name dropper) were Brad Whitford (guitar player for Aerosmith), Brian Johnson (lead singer AC/DC), Brenda Johnson (Brian's wife), plus just a ton of other racing people who became really good friends! Also we moved the racing shop from CT down to Sebring Florida.
Well all the travel finally burned me out, but I did get to see Brazil, Australia, Russia, Canada, and all of the USA, so while I was living down in FLA, I decided to start a custom Helmet Painting biz for all these race car drivers I had access to and that became quite the biz as I ended up painting the racing helmets for drivers from all over the world and some pretty big name ones to boot!
But all that really got to be a pain in the arse (as my buddy Billy Idol says) and I realized that it would be pretty hard to retire from that type of business because all these people only wanted ME to paint their helmets as I was the best there was (I had been told) and I just could not see myself doing that till I was like 70 yrs old! BTW… in or around the year 2000 I had moved myself and my helmet biz back up to PGH to be with my aging relatives so that is where the rest of this takes place.
So I started teaching myself Real Estate Investing! Flipping house's (without actually having to buy them) and doing Rent 2 Own type deals. Well let me tell ya this was a really easy biz once you learned all the ins and outs and before long I was killing it! Everything was going great! I had teamed up with a new partner/investor and we were going to take over Pittsburgh and get rich while at it! Things started out great and then it happened…
Well, needless to say that threw a monkey wrench into the whole Real Estate money making plan! Its hard to sell houses when people cant get the money to buy them!
My main income totally dried up and I was barely keeping my head above water by doing the property manager thing for the few houses we had rented out since we could not get them sold. I did that for about 2 yrs and hated every minute of it. If you have ever been a landlord you know why. Dealing with tenants is not the greatest thing to have to do everyday and I finally had to tell my partner that I wanted out. We parted ways and are still good friends to this day. He still has the biz and has about 90 units now!
Now while I was doing the house flipping Rent 2 Own thing I had been building a list of leads and had an Aweber account all set up to automatically capture the leads from Craigslist with a form on a website I sent them to. I think I had built it up to about 1000 leads and one day while lurking around online I ran across a guy named Frank Kern.
I started reading some of his stuff and he was talking about something called "Email Marketing". The more I learned the more I was intrigued! Here I had these 1000 leads (subscribers) that I had really never done anything with. Maybe I could make a few bucks from them?
Well… To make a long story even longer… I decided to give it a try and I went on Clickbank (Frank talked about it a lot) and found a credit repair product that looked good and signed up!
The next day I wrote up a little email and sent it off, not really expecting anything to happen. Well guess what? I woke up the next day and checked my Clickbank account and low and behold I had made $98 bucks!!! I was hooked!!! Could it really be this easy I asked? I had to find out!
So… in the year 2009 with about 7k I had just gotten from a last ditch effort house flipping deal I had put together, I decided to take the plunge and shut down everything else and give this Internet Marketing thing a try. I was pretty lucky because my new step dad owned a house he was trying to sell in this bad market (a 1.4 million dollar house) that was sitting empty as he and my mom had built a new one and he asked me if I would be interested in living in it for free in return for taking care of it until it sold? I said "Hell Ya" and moved in, turned on the Internet, put a bed in one room and a couch in the living room and fired up my new Internet Marketing biz with 7k in the bank!
Guess what? That 7k was gone in no time buying products to teach myself this I.M. thing, and the house sold and I was living day to day for about a year and a half. This is no lie I was literally selling stuff on Craigslist day by day to eat! But I never gave up! My relatives were all telling me that it would never work and that I needed to go get a REAL JOB but I just kept believing in myself, and I started studying Bob Proctor and the law of attraction and finally after about 2 years of really hard times I am finally living off of my Internet Marketing and money comes in steady from it pretty much everyday.
So I guess what you need to know about me is that I am a real guy, and I went from a negative bank account to doing pretty damn good in about 5 years! Ive had multiple JVZoo Product Awards for my YouTube related products, my name has been mentioned on stage at different I.M. events, I am pretty good friends with some of the biggest guys in the biz, Blah Blah Blah, and… it was worth every minute of pain and agony and selling stuff on Craigslist because now I know I will never have to be that way again!
Seriously… If I can do this you can do this and I am going to do my best to try and help you do this! But you need to know that I am human and I have a lot of bad habits and I am a procrastinator and I don't always do things in the most productive manner but I am trying my ass off and getting better and better and I still have a hell of LONG way to go!
If your interested in what I know I am willing to show you as best I can and in my own way! This ProlificMarketer.com site is going to be where I tell you some new stuff Ive learned, and some old stuff I already know works, and some just plain ranting! Plus there is going to be some mindset stuff because I KNOW that if I had not started studying that as well I would still be broke! And yes I am going to be selling stuff that I think is good and yes I will make money from it!
Thanks for reading this and I hope to see ya around here on ProlificMarketer.com !
Bill Cousins – CEO Prolific Marketer LLC


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By Ken Buben, President, FancyScrubs.com
Nursing Scrubs: The Truth
According to Wikipedia Scrubs are the shirts and trousers or gowns worn by nurses, surgeons, and other operating room personnel when "scrubbing in" for surgery. In the United Kingdom, they are sometimes known as Theatre Blues. They are designed to be simple with minimal places for dirt to hide, easy to launder, and cheap to replace if damaged or stained irreparably. The wearing of scrubs has been extended outside of surgery in many hospitals. Originally issued as replacement clothing if street clothing was contaminated, scrubs are now worn by any hospital personnel in any clean environment. The spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has increased the use of scrubs but can give wearers a false sense of security that they are 'clean' when in fact are as easily contaminated as any other clothing.
Ironically the new world dictionary also defines scrub as a way to "clean or wash by rubbing or brushing hard." The truth is that traditional scrubs are probably the most infectious articles of clothing in the world today.
As a healthcare provider that wears scrubs you are subjected to many potential viruses and diseases every day. These can be passed on to patients, co-workers and your family. Even if you launder your scrubs immediately when you get home these pathogens can remain in the clothing and also spread to other clothing in the wash. It has been well documented that the washing machine is the most germ infested appliance in the home and it is recommended that these washers be sanitized with bleach or other germ killing products frequently.
Even if your employer provides you with scrubs and uses an outside laundering service do you really think that laundering service is utilizing top of the line germ killing products in those huge washing machines? No, they are using the cheapest products that they can purchase in order to keep the bid.
Ladies and gentleman there are high technology scrubs and lab coats now available that repel all bodily fluids and are also treated with a quaternary chloride that kills germs in a very short period of time; as opposed to a regular scrub – where germs and viruses may be active for 24 hours or more.
Each year, the spread of pathogens inside hospitals costs the facilities $30 billion and causes an estimated 1.7 million infections and nearly 100,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Don't let your hospital, clinic, office or staff become a statistic today. Order your new fluid repelling scrubs today.


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Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop!
We will be featuring February's SOTM, which is Sunny Thoughts, a set of 13 stamps. If you have come here from Catherine's blog, you are on the right path! The blog hop is a great big circle, so you can start here and work your way all around. If you get lost along the way, you'll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda's Blog.
This month we have approximately 25 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!
I am really loving the Making Waves collection, and so I used 3 patterns from this collection, some purple gems and the Making Waves shimmer trim to complete this fun birthday card. The card design comes from the New Edition of Make It From Your Heart, Volume 4. It is card design # 12. I used Peacock Ink to stamp the sentiment, the images are stamped in Willow and Pansy. I fussy cut the flower and pieced it ontop. The Banner is popped using 3D foam tape.
Now "Hop" on over to Wendy's blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the February SOTM is only available until February 28th! Contact your CTMH Consultant (or click here) to see how you can get this stamp set at a discount!
To see more artwork of mine featuring this stamp set you can head here.


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El Nido, Philippines is one of the most stunning places I have ever been to. If you read my previous post about Island hopping on Tour C, you know that there are four popular tours around El Nido, ordered by the letters A, B, C and D. All the tours are worth taking, but due to a time limitation, we decided to take Tour A & Tour C.
We got onto Tour A despite a weather forecast that was not encouraging at all. But a 50/50 chance of rain did not discourage us. Here's my take on this wonderful tour. I hope it adds to the reasons for you to visit El Nido – Palawan, Philippines. Enjoy!
Seven Commando Beach
The first island we docked at, was Seven Commando Beach. What a captivating place! The rock formations were out of this world, I couldn't stop taking pictures of these unusual rock shapes. I was torn between the desire to go snorkeling or capturing these limestone formations. So I figured I could go snorkeling later on.
Well, I started taking pictures…until I saw Jonah, far away from the boat. He was waving away frantically, all excited and trying to get my attention. I have to point out here that he is not a very expressive man, so I figured that whatever he was trying to tell me has got to be very serious.
So I left my big camera, jumped into the water and swam like crazy to where he was…And guess what? He had found Nemo! There they were, about 20 clownfish, putting on a show. I hadn't seen so many of them together on any of our scuba diving trips around El Nido. This made my day! I could have stayed at Seven Commando Beach all day, but we had to stick to the agenda and move on….
Secret Lagoon
Delightful and tempting as it sounded, Secret Lagoon wasn't as secret as we expected it to be. By the time we got there it was inundated with tourists. I decided to check out the surroundings while Jonah made a quick stop into the lagoon. Next time I visit El Nido (because I'm coming back!), I'll make sure I get there as early as possible to beat the crowd. I'll keep you posted..
Shimizu Island
Honestly, Shimizu Island is the highlight of Tour A for some great snorkeling and free diving. If you're wondering about the Japanese sounding name of this island, it happens that it takes its name from a Japanese diver who died here. This is by far the best place to see a vast variety of marine life and the most unusually shaped corals I've ever seen. The rain that was threatening to come down as we started the tour, did descend on us here. But somehow added to the excitement of our snorkeling! I wish I could have hung out here much longer.
Big Lagoon
The rain followed us to Big Lagoon. I have to say the lagoon is beautiful, scenic and an awesomely stunning place to be. A slow boat ride through this lagoon (not really a place to swim), takes you alongside large rock formations rising out of the emerald green water creating the perfect backdrop for photography. And yes, you guessed it, tourists were going crazy taking selfies!
Small Lagoon
Finally…and sadly, our last stop on Tour A was Small Lagoon. Despite the continuing rain we were able to swim and check out the limestone formations. We did have the option of kayaking, but truth to tell, it was warmer being in the water than getting wet in the kayak! It was beautiful to see big heavy drops of rain hitting the surface of the water – thrilling, in fact.
Would I recommend Island Hopping in El Nido, Tour A?
Absolutely! It was a great way to see a lot in a day. Oh, and the weather, I guess I could have opted out of a rainy tour. But I am so glad I didn't, it was an amazing experience to swim in the rain. I would do it again and again regardless of the weather.
The Company – Caera Travel Tour
We took two tours with Caera Travel Tours. I was extremely happy with the way the owners handled everything. Please keep in mind that they offer group and private tours. I would highly recommend that you join their private tours, as they give you more flexibility. To read their reviews or book a tour with them visit their official website.
Disclaimer: Island Hopping Tour A was sponsored by Caera Travel Tours. However all opinions are my own.
Related Posts
- El Nido, Palawan in 10 Photos – Tour C
- Scuba Diving in El Nido, Philippines – The Best of Both Worlds
- 5 Things You Must Experience Around Phi Phi Island, Thailand
- The Houben Hotel – One of the Nicest Views in Koh Lanta, Thailand
- Discover the Beauty of Thailand at the Railay and Phra Nang Beach
- The Shells Resort & Spa Review – All-Inclusive Spa Resort in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam


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The British government announced on Thursday that it would push ahead with a contentious deal to build a nuclear power station financed in part with French and Chinese investment, but only after making changes intended to address security concerns.
Britain, which angered its international partners by postponing a final decision on the $24 billion Hinkley Point C project in July, said in a statement that the government would take a "special share" in any nuclear projects built in the future.
Although the statement made no reference to China, it almost certainly had the Beijing leadership in mind when it noted that the changes would ensure that "significant stakes cannot be sold without the government's knowledge or consent."
The government will also add a review of any deal for national security implications, and the revised terms mean that Britain will have a much greater say if EDF, the largely state-owned French company that is the main investor in the plant, wishes to sell its stake in the plant to a foreign buyer.
The delay, which was ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May shortly after she took office, was seen as a calculated shift away from the ties with Beijing that her predecessor, David Cameron, had cultivated. He often courted China despite geopolitical, security and human rights concerns.
Mrs. May decided to review the construction of the nuclear power plant in Somerset, even though the costs of canceling the project at such a late stage would have been considerable: EDF would have claimed compensation after spending large amounts on development and construction, trade with China would have almost certainly suffered, and Hinkley is crucial for Britain to avoid an energy shortage in the future.
Read more at Hinkley Point Nuclear Plant Will Go Ahead, Britain Says


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Pahang and ATM will both have their work cut out if they are to progress from the first round of the Malaysia FA Cup after being handed tough tests in Friday's draw.
As reigning Malaysia Cup champions, Pahang will be expected to mount a challenge for next season's FA Cup but will have to get past Perak if they are to continue on to the Round of 16.
Tok Gajah were on the losing end in both their meetings against Seladang last term, falling to a 1-0 defeat in February courtesy of a Jalaluddin Jaafar own-goal, before being beaten 2-1 at the Darulmakmur Stadium in June.
Like Pahang, ATM have also been tipped to be a major challenger for silverware in 2014 but their first test will be newly-promoted Sime Darby.
Sime Darby sealed their return to the top flight after finishing second in the Premier League, four points behind champions Sarawak.
They followed that up with an impressive run in the Malaysia Cup, where they qualified for the knockout round after finishing second in Group A ahead of Johor and Selangor, before being eliminated by Sarawak in the quarter-finals.
ATM, who were also in Sime Darby's group, failed to beat them in both meetings; losing 4-3 in a real thriller at the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang Stadium on the opening match-day, before being held to a 1-1 draw.
Elsewhere, reigning Super League champions LIONSXII have a good chance of avoiding a repeat of this year's first-round exit after being drawn against DRB-Hicom, while Harimau Muda C have been handed a tough debut in the competition against Selangor.
Other notable ties see PKNS FC take on Johor, Sarawak face Penang, while Negeri Sembilan and FELDA United lock horns in the battle of the relegated sides.
Defending champions Kelantan and runners up Darul Takzim have both been given byes and will enter the competition at the last-16 stage.
2014 Malaysia FA Cup First Round Fixtures
PBAPP vs Cebagoo
Malacca vs Perlis
Negeri Sembilan vs FELDA United
Kuala Lumpur vs Kedah
PDRM vs SPA FC
T-Team vs UiTM
PKNS FC v Johor
Terengganu vs Shahzan Muda
Sabah vs Kuantan
ATM vs Sime Darby
Sarawak vs Penang
Pahang vs Perak
LIONSXII vs DRB-Hicom
Selangor vs Harimau Muda C


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Accounts and Audit Manager/Senior Manager
- Recruiter
- AJ Chambers
- Location
- Beaconsfield
- Posted
- 01 Mar 2019
- Closes
- 31 Mar 2019
- Ref
- JR25113am
- Job Role
- Audit
- Sector
- Accounting Practice
- Qualification Level
- Fully qualified
- Professional Membership
- Seniority Level
- Senior
- Contract Type
- Full time
Accounts and Audit Manager/Senior Manager | Beaconsfield | ??50-75k
I am seeking experienced Managers or Senior Managers with audit and accounts for a client based in Buckinghamshire.
My client is a very reputable name within the area, who work with very diverse clients. They are a top 100 practice and have an excellent award-winning track record.
They have opportunities at various levels within audit and accounts, and would be able to provide progression opportunities ??? including towards partnership for those already at Senior Manager level.
Specifically there is space in the leadership team in the accounts and audit department, and they are looking for managers to join, responsible for managing a portfolio, as well as line managing in the team.
Their client portfolio varies and most of their audit clients are within the ??30-40 million turnover range, however do reach into the ??150 Million + area.
Key responsibilities:
- Planning and completing audit and accounting assignments
- Undertaking training and supervision of more junior team members
- Professional and friendly communication with clients
- Several years practical experience within Audit
- Experience dealing directly with clients
- ACCA or ACA qualified
Depending on experience, my client can pay a salary of between ??50-75k, depending on the level of the role and experience
For further details, please contact Jason Reynolds at AJ Chambers


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Welcome to the intersection of P. L. Thomas writing about his writing and other writers' writing to explore discourse as quilting.
with one comment
The Night Gwen Stacy Died. (c) Marvel Comics
Written by plthomasedd
December 10, 2014 at 6:10 pm
Posted in remnant 68, Spider-Man, The National
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Rounding is a critical function in a healthcare environment and it occurs across multiple departments and impacts multiple disciplines. To increase the number of satisfied patients and improve the patient experience, Purposeful Rounding has proven effective.
Purposeful Rounding is defined as a "pro-active, systematic, nurse-driven, evidence-based intervention that helps anticipate and address patient needs." Purposeful rounding addresses:
- Pain Level - Ask about a patient's pain level and review the medication schedule
- Position - Adjust the patient's position to avoid sores and additional pressures or pain
- Potty - Address the toileting needs of the patient
- Possessions - Ensure the patient has all of the necessary items available such as call lights, bed pans, water, tissues, etc.,
With each hourly round, nurses should address the 4P's outlined above. While this may seem like an overwhelming task, most especially if completed using a manual process it can be a simple and an easy part of an everyday process if the right solution and right questions are included.
Using the solution isn't enough. To truly impact patient satisfaction and the overall patient experience using purposeful rounding, clinicians and managers should review the data and make improvements where necessary.
This includes addressing:
- Patient desires and expectations
- Promoting quality of care
- Improving transparent communication
- Recognizing caregivers
Adoption of the purposeful rounding process and the improvements that develop from the process will allow your healthcare organization to increase both employee and patient satisfaction as well as overall organization HCAHPS scores.


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Memorial Hermann Receives $25 Million for Patient Care Tower
Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston has announced a $25 million gift from Susan and Fayez Sarofim for a seventeen-story patient care tower under construction at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
Scheduled for completion in 2020, the Susan and Fayez Sarofim Pavilion will house the Red Duke Trauma Institute, one of only two Level I trauma centers in Houston; the John S. Dunn Burn Center, the lone comprehensive burn center in the city; and other critical care services. Memorial Hermann Life Flight also will be relocated to the tower, which, when finished, will offer a hundred and sixty new beds and seventy-one replacement beds, twenty-four new or renovated operating rooms, sixteen additional emergency center bays, more than six hundred new parking spaces, and a café. In addition, seven shelled or unfinished floors, including six operating rooms, will be constructed to accommodate future growth as needed.
Born in Egypt, Fayez Sarofim is chair and co-chief investment officer of Fayez Sarofim & Co, a money management firm. He was an early investor in the Kinder Morgan energy pipeline and is a limited partner in the Houston Texans ownership group. The Sarofims' previous contributions to Texas Medical include a $25 million gift in 2006 to UTHealth, which helped fund the Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building.
"The Sarofims' generous gift helps ensure Houstonians are receiving the patient-centered, high-quality care that our great city requires as the population continues to expand," said Memorial Hermann president and CEO Chuck Stokes. "We are honored that our new patient tower will bear the Sarofim name, preserving the family's legacy of supporting innovative and evidence-based medicine that touches the lives of people throughout the region."


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The 2009 Lexus LX 570 is, at its very heart, a contradictory vehicle. After all, Lexus' flagship SUV attempts to bridge together two contrary styles — ultimate luxury and ultimate utility. It seats eight, yet has a fixed rear axle and can tow up to 8,500 lbs(3,856 kg). It's packed with every conceivable automotive luxury and convenience, yet it's capable of climbing up the side of mountains.
Add this clash of opposites to a starting price of $83,450 CAD/$75,855 USD, and it would be easy to classify the LX 570 as excessive, a vehicle that tries to do too much. But is it really?
When the LX 570 debuted in 2007, it was the first Lexus SUV to be redesigned using the L-Finesse design language. Unfortunately, it seemed the process had stripped out most of the SUV's character. The boxy exterior of previous generations had always reflected the vehicle's utility, and instead the LX 570 was something smoothed out and low on definition.
But as other luxury manufacturers move to more and more complex designs, the LX 570's subtlety has become more and more appealing. The solid, strong lines, especially noticeable in the front fenders and lower door arches, give the SUV a sophisticated look that has aged well. It can look a little top-heavy from the side, even sitting on 20" wheels, but every other angle is quite flattering:
The actual size of the LX 570 is intimidating — from the headlights to the door handles, from the spokes in the wheels to the overall size, everything about the LX is absolutely massive. At speed, the SUV casts an imposing presence, dwarfing all but the largest vehicles on the road, and it's the resulting confidence that defines the vehicle's personality.
Really, the only thing excessive with the exterior is the over-eager chrome accents on the tail lights, and that's stretching it:
With its wide assortment of buttons and toggle switches, the LX 570 interior can be overwhelming at first. But after consulting the owner's manual, setting a number of preferences, and going through the functionality, the button layout makes more sense. Most of the controls surrounding the steering wheel are of the "set-once-and-forget" nature, with all of the more frequently accessed buttons clustered around the center dash and console. This does cut down on the visual clutter, but this is still one area where the utilitarian side of the LX wins over the luxury side. The more arcane controls, like the button to disable the adaptive front headlights and the one to turn off the rear airbags, might have been better served with a hidden panel similar to the one found in the GS.
One small detail that I really liked was this wide strip of chrome under the radio, which created a reflection that continually caught my eye:
The utility-truck control layout is balanced by the rest of the interior, which is all sorts of luxurious. The expanse of leather throughout the cabin is astounding, generously applied in every conceivable area, including the center console bolsters:
The rest of the materials are first-rate, including the feel of the buttons and the cut of the wood accents:
The driver's seat alone is adjustable in 11 different ways, and any seat in the first two rows is just as comfortable. The third row bench seating is cramped but not incredibly so, and is perfectly fine for adults on a short trip or children on a longer one. However, because the second row is also bench seating, there was some difficulty getting in and out of the very back. More critically, because of the fixed rear axle, the third row doesn't fold into the floor, which limits the cargo capacity.
With a monstrous 5.7L V8 providing 383 horsepower and an outrageous 403 lb-ft of torque, the LX 570 certainly doesn't want for power. Apply a heavy foot and the SUV can be launched like a space shuttle (and likely burns just as much gas), rocketing to a manufacturer estimated 0-60 mph of 7.4 seconds. Even better, pushing up the RPMs feels like driving a guided missile and makes the sound of speeding tank.
The LX manages the speed well. Handling is just the right mix of resistance and ease — tough enough to remind the driver to be careful but light enough that it's never a struggle. Cornering suffers from typical truck understeer and body roll, and needs to be respected, but any real difficulties can be dealt with by engaging the massive, show-stopping brakes, which react instantly and decisively.
It's impossible to talk about the LX 570 without addressing its "go anywhere" capability, but testing this feature without damaging the vehicle is a challenge best left to others. I did try out the Crawl Control feature, which is essentially a cruise control for offroading — but the extent of my experiments consisted of going through a ditch at a local park and climbing a 6-ft. hill in my backyard, which was no harder than navigating a mall parking lot:
Still, all of this performance talk ignores that the LX is best driven in a predictable, deliberate manner, cruising from destination to destination. The SUV has a natural speed of about 65 mph, and settling into that groove with a full group of passengers is one of the best driving experiences I've ever had.
All of the LX 570's size and performance does come at a steep price. I averaged 16.4 mpg (14.3L/100km), meaning even with a 24.6 gal (93 L) tank, plenty of time was spent at the gas station.
The LX 570 has a number of interesting standard features, most of which are related to its extraordinary size. The Driver Assist cameras placed in the front grille and under the passenger's rear view mirror are immensely useful in parking, though the front-view camera's 180° view feels unnatural and difficult to visualize (no doubt this would cease being an issue after some usage).
Perhaps my favorite feature, and one that I used more than any other, was the adjustible ride height suspension, which allows for raising and lowering the vehicle's height. It's even possible (by using one of the many buttons) to lower the vehicle once it's turned off, making it easier to exit and enter. In essence, it's like creating a pure luxury feature out of the extremely functional ride height control.
I couldn't resist, I had to film the vehicle's height range (warning: slowest video ever):
Really, the absolute best feature of the LX 570 is the feeling of safety. The ten airbags, the four-wheel active traction control, the massive brakes, the spacious interior — they all come together to create a very real sense that you and everyone inside the vehicle are protected.
So, is the LX 570 excessive? It depends — can a vehicle be excessively capable? Excessively luxurious, safe or comfortable? To me, these are qualities that can not be overdone. Even its price tag, high as it is, doesn't feel outrageous.
Make no mistake, the LX could be considered a perfect specimen, flawed only in the way all vehicles of this class are. It all comes down to expense and necessity. If you need to transport large groups of people frequently and are used to the finer things in life, there is simply nothing like it. Sure, the off-roading features may seem unnecessary, but they add to the feeling of well-being that comes with driving the LX 570. After all, what's better than being prepared for anything?
Special thanks to Lexus Canada for providing this review vehicle. You can view the full Lexus LX 570 specifications at the Lexus Canada website.


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BEIJING--More than 5000 people from around the world are trekking to northern China for a unique astronomical spectacle this Sunday morning, 9 March: comet Hale-Bopp viewed against a total solar eclipse.
Hale-Bopp, discovered in July 1995, is thought to swing by Earth once every 3000 years. The comet is now lighting up night skies and will make its closest approach to Earth on 23 March, when it's some 200 million kilometers away. In China, as elsewhere, Hale-Bopp has been thrilling amateurs and professionals alike. "We observed the comet expanding from a vague spot to a bright star through our ordinary telescopes," says Zhang Jingbo, president of the Astronomy Lovers Society in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, which abuts the China-Russia border.
Zhang is one of 110 Chinese and foreign astronomers expected to be on hand to witness the rare event at Mohe, in Heilongjiang Province, when the moon completely blocks the sun for more than 2 minutes. The path of the moon's shadow will begin in Kazakhstan just past midnight, universal time, and will cut across Mongolia, eastern Siberia, and China. Although watching Hale-Bopp during the event is unlikely to generate novel scientific data--the comet is just as easily observed at night--the excellent view is nonetheless generating plenty of excitement. This will be the first time since 1963 that a comet has been viewed during an eclipse, and only the fifth time in the last century. China Central Television, the country's largest TV network, will broadcast the solar eclipse live.