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Premium revenues down 35-40%, despite "early signs" of an upturn in premium travel demand
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated there are now "early signs" of an upturn in premium travel demand, although further improvements are likely to be "relatively weak".
While Jul-2009 numbers are still "well below" levels seen in the previous corresponding period, slipping 14.1%, they represent an improvement from the 21.3% decline in Jun-2009.
IATA also warned that while premium demand has mirrored a bottoming out in world trade volumes since May-2009, an improvement in yields has not followed. As a result, average premium fares remain weak, down 23% year-on-year, with revenues from premium travel down even further, slumping 35-40% year-on-year.
Of concern for IATA and airlines worldwide is that there are no signs yet of corporate passengers willing to pay more for premium seats, with the problem further exacerbated by excess capacity in the market, producing "intense" competition among the airlines.
IATA total premium traffic growth: May-07 to Jul-09
Falling economy demand bottoms out, but no sign of upturn in pricing
IATA, meanwhile, stated that the number of Economy travellers appears to have bottomed out, on rising consumer confidence and a trade down by business passengers, which has provided a benefit to the LCC sector. As a result, passenger numbers in the Economy segment were down just 1.2% in Jul-2009, a marked improvement from the 5.5% contraction in Jun-2009.
However, as is the case for premium demand, average economy fares have seen "no sign of an upturn", with a decline in average Economy fares of 18%, according to the most recent data. Economy fares have been in free fall Feb-2009, meaning that "revenues are improving at a much slower pace" than demand improvements.
Overall passenger numbers were down 2.4% in Jul-2009.
Asia Pacific "hardest hit" by recession, structural decline in premium travel in Europe
According to IATA, the Asia Pacific region has been the "hardest hit" by the recession, with passenger numbers still a long way down on 2008 figures, although the improvement between Jul-2009 and Jun-2009 was "marked".
There was also a sharp improvement across the Pacific, including a large percentage gain from premium travel (from -27.9% in Jun-2009 to -17.5% in Jul-2009), as swine flu concerns diminished.
While markets connected to Europe improved in Jul-2009, IATA expressed concern that improvement in premium travel has been less marked. IATA added that the recession looks like a "further racheting down the structural decline already seen in premium travel" within the Continent.
There was, meanwhile, a further improvement in economy passenger numbers travelling to/from the Middle East in Jul-2009, according to IATA. However, of concern for the region is that the Middle East share of premium revenue has not recovered from its slump over the past few months.
IATA Middle East premium revenue share vs premium traffic share: Apr-08 to Jul-09
Slow recovery ahead
According to IATA, further improvements are "likely", although there is a "long way to go before activity returns to levels seen in 2007 and early 2008".
This slow pace of recovery is likely to be further exacerbated by "considerable excess capacity" and an increased price sensitivity among business travellers, which will continue to place extreme pressure on yields.
This scenario has forced IATA to upwardly revenue is industry losses by USD2 billion to USD11 billion for 2009 earlier this week.


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subset: commoncrawl


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By John Maudlin
I have been in South America this week, speaking nine times in five days, interspersed with lots of meetings. The conversation kept coming back to the prospects for the dollar, but I was just as interested in talking with money managers and business people who had experienced the hyperinflation of Argentina and Brazil. How could such a thing happen? As it turned out, I was reading a rather remarkable book that addressed that question. There are those who believe that the United States is headed for hyperinflation because of our large and growing government fiscal deficit and massive future liabilities (as much as $56 trillion) for Medicare and Social Security.
This week, we will look at the Argentinian experience and ask ourselves whether "it" – hyperinflation – can happen here.
I will be quoting from Niall Ferguson's recent book, The Ascent of Money. I cannot recommend this book too highly. In fact, I rank it up with my all-time favorite book on economic history, Against the Gods, by the late (and sorely missed) Peter Bernstein. There are very few books I read twice. There are too many books and not enough time. This book I will have to read at least three times, and soon, and I have a lot of underlines and mark-ups in it already.
If there were one book I could require every member of the Congress to read, it would be this one. As I read it, I am struck again and again by how fragile and yet resilient our economic systems are. Fragile in the sense that governmental policy mistakes, no matter how well-intentioned, can destroy the wealth of a nation, and resilient in that it doesn't happen more often.
In his introduction Ferguson writes, "The first step towards understanding the complexities of the financial institutions and terminology is to find out where they came from. Only understand the origins of an institution or instrument and you will find its present day roles much easier to grasp."
As is often said, those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it. If you want to understand what is happening in the economy, what the consequences of our choices could be, then I strongly suggest you get The Ascent of Money. It is easy to read, engaging, full of moments where you are led to pull together different ideas into an "Aha!" Ferguson is a brilliant writer and historian, and we are lucky to have this book at a time when it is sorely needed. (order it at Amazon.com)
As I have been writing, the United States in particular, and the developed world in general, are faced with a series of very unpleasant, if not downright bad choices. The time for good choices was ten years ago. Now we face the prospect of painful decisions, no matter what we do. It is not a matter of pain or no pain, of somehow avoiding the consequences of our bad decisions, it is simply deciding how much pain we will take and when, or allowing the pain to build up to a climactic event. Today we look at what I think would be the worst choice of all.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Argentina was the seventh richest nation on earth. It's very name means "silver." "As rich as an Argentine" was a byword. Even after falling from the heights through a series of bad decisions, the country was still so wealthy that, in 1946 when new president Juan Peron first visited the central bank, he could remark that "There was so much gold you could barely walk through the corridors."
Argentina had actually defaulted on its debt in the late 19th century, not once but twice! But still they managed to avoid destroying the currency and devastating the country. But in 1989, after years of massive budget deficits that were financed with borrowing from abroad and Argentinian citizens, the country was left with so much debt and no one was willing to lend it any more money, that the leaders felt compelled to resort to the printing press.
My Uruguayan friend and Latin American partner, Enrique Fynn, tells me of his experience of going to Buenos Aires and buying a pack of cigarettes one evening. He went into the store the next morning for another pack, and the price had doubled. He came back that evening and the price had doubled again (thankfully for his health, he has quit!). There were no prices on any items in the grocery stores. There was a man with a microphone who would announce the prices of various items, often increasing the price every few hours by 30% or more.
Workers would get their pay in cash and rush to the store to buy anything, as by the end of the week their pay would be worthless. Of course, shelves were empty. The US dollar was king, and could purchase things at amazing prices. I heard stories that were truly compelling. (It made me wish I had gone shopping in Buenos Aires at the time!)
Interestingly, the dollar is still the real medium of exchange. I was told by several people that if you want to buy a house for half a million dollars, you bring the physical cash to the closing. One person counts the money and the other checks the paperwork and title. Argentina has the second largest hoard of physical dollars in the world, only exceeded by Russia. Is it any wonder they are concerned with the value of the dollar?
Let's look at some quotes from Ferguson (emphasis mine):
"The economic history of Argentina in the twentieth century is an object lesson that all the resources in the world can be set at nought by financial mismanagement… To understand Argentina's economic decline, it is once again necessary to see that inflation was a political as much as a monetary phenomenon…
"To put it simply, there was no significant group with an interest in price stability…
"Inflation is a monetary phenomenon, as Milton Friedman said. But hyperinflation is always and everywhere a political phenomenon, in the sense that it cannot occur without a fundamental malfunction of a country's political economy."
Look at the chart below. Using realistic assumptions, It suggests that the annual US government fiscal deficit will approach $2 trillion in 2019. How can we come up with what looks to be about $15 trillion over the next ten years? The Argentinian answer was to print the money
In the US, the short answer is that unless the US consumers become a massive saving machine, to the tune of 8% or more of GDP and rising each year, and willingly put their savings into US government debt, it's not going to happen. So sometime in the coming years, interest rates are likely to start to rise in order to compensate bond investors for what they perceive as risk. That will bring us to some very difficult and painful choices.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, this scenario could be averted IF the Obama administration produced a credible plan to lower the deficit over time and stuck to it. But today's thought process is about what happens if they don't.
Ferguson pointed out in the quotes above that hyperinflation is always and everywhere a political decision. Governments have to choose to print money. In theory and in practice, what would happen if the Fed decided to accommodate a politicized US government that wanted to spend money on favorite projects and support groups, maybe even deserving programs like health care or defense or pensions or Social Security? Money they could not borrow?
Then Peter Schiff and like-minded thinkers would be right. Once you start down that path, it is hard to stop short of the brink. Brazil got to 100% inflation per month and has really lowered that level over time, but it is not easy.
In such a scenario, you want to own hard assets. Gold. Foreign currencies. Stocks. Almost anything other than the currency that is being printed.
I was asked at almost every speech about that scenario. In Latin America, hyperinflation is not a theoretical issue; it has been reality. More than one person commented on that no one in US economics schools studies hyperinflation. It is required material in Latin America. For many Latin Americans, the dollar has been their safe haven. And now they are worried, with good reason.
For the record, I do not think the US will experience hyperinflation as long as the Fed maintains its independence. Read the speeches from various Fed governors and regional presidents. These are strong personalities, and they understand that going down that path ends in massive tears. Bernanke warned just a few weeks ago that the government needs to get serious about the fiscal deficit. Watch the rhetoric from the Fed heat up after his reconfirmation and the confirmation of two new governors in the first quarter.
The Fed has committed to buy a fixed amount of government debt in its quantitative easing program. That commitment will be finished by the end of the first quarter (if I remember correctly). Then comes the tricky part.
I have been writing for a long time that the main force in the economy right now is deflation. The Fed will fight deflation tooth and nail. But they don't have to buy government debt to fight deflation. They can buy mortgage securities, credit card securities, commercial paper, etc. That will have the effect of easing without encouraging the government to run massive deficits. And such debts are naturally self-liquidating, while government debt is not, at least not in the same way.
I believe the Fed will maintain its independence. Not to do so is to court economic disaster of the first order. These are bright and serious men and women. They get it.
The risk is that something changes to compromise their independence. And sadly, there is some risk. Let me quote my fishing buddy friend David Kotok:
"It's now official. The proposed legislation to reform America's financial service supervision includes granting the Secretary of the Treasury a veto over Section 13(3) emergency action by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. If this becomes law, it will be a sad day for the independence of America's central bank.
"The Secretary of the Treasury, a very senior cabinet position, is appointed by the President and meets with the President in the Oval Office weekly. The governors of the Federal Reserve Board are also appointed by the President. Both cabinet officers and Federal Reserve governors are confirmed by the US Senate. There are supposed to be seven governors; politics has purposefully limited this to five throughout the three-year financial crisis period.
"The Federal Reserve governors are supposed to serve staggered 14-year terms with all seven seats filled. Instead, we have been governed by the present five-member, politically configured board.
"The original seven-governor construction was designed to insulate them from political pressure, for very good reasons. Decades of monetary history throughout the world have disclosed what happens when political influence on a central bank intensifies. The Weimar Republic and Zimbabwe are evidence of the worst inflationary effects of politics. The Great Depression in the US and the nearly two-decade deflationary recession in Japan demonstrate that monetary policy is not only inflation-prone. When central banks are under political influence you can get fire or you can get ice.
"In Japan, the central bank contends with two members of the cabinet sitting in on its deliberations. There is no way to know how much of the last 15 years of deflation and recession is attributable to the inside political pressures placed on the governors of the Bank of Japan. But there is evidence to suggest political influence, especially when you observe how little the Bank of Japan has engaged in asset expansion during this crisis."
This is the nose of the camel under the tent. Starting down this road is very worrisome indeed. I find it appalling that Tim Geithner and Larry Summers went along with this. This is a very clear attempt by the political class to put political pressure on the Fed. I hope the Fed responds with vigor. I can tell you that the officials of whom I am aware will not take kindly to pressure. And that might be an understatement.
(Yes, I am aware of the problems of the Fed being able to decide whom to bail out and why. It is not a perfect world. But better the Fed than Congress.)
All that being said, if the Fed starts to increase its buying of government debt above its initial commitment, then my "optimistic" scenario of a very rough economic patch, which I have been outlining the past few months, is far too rose-colored. I do not think it will happen, but I can guarantee you, I and a lot of other people will be watching.


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"Now I run the game got the whole world talkin', King Kunta. Black man taking no losses. King Kunta."
Kendrick Lamar has had an incredible month. Setting the world on its ear with his pro-black masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick also sold a little under 400,000 in his first week with little promotion and only one video. But as the world is taking its time to digest his incredible LP, K. Dot has been busy taking over the streets of Compton with director Isaac Bauman to shoot the video for "King Kunta," the next single off his number one album. Watch some behind the scenes footage of the video shoot above at the Compton Fashion Center Liquor & Market.
– Def Soul (DefSoulNJ)


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For at least a month, all conversations about the NBA draft have been about the relative merits of Memphis point guard Derrick Rose and Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley, regarded as the only two can't-miss prospects available.
But NBA Commissioner David Stern also will announce 28 other names to a national television audience during the first round tomorrow. Some should be familiar. Others, not so much.
Here's one man's best guess at which players will be heading where:
1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis: To me, Beasley's the best player in the draft and certainly a better fit here because he addresses the Bulls' long-standing need for some low-post scoring. Or didn't you notice him averaging 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in his only college season? Of course, at a time when Chris Paul and Deron Williams are the centerpieces of two of the NBA's rising teams, building around a point guard is the cool thing to do. It doesn't hurt that Rose grew up in Chicago and led his college team to within seconds of a national championship.
2. Miami Heat - Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State: There's actually been some talk of the Heat going in a different direction here because President Pat Riley doesn't think Beasley is his type of player. I'm assuming Riley wouldn't have won five NBA titles and earned a place in the Hall of Fame had he really been that stupid, so I expect he'll take Beasley. He could also trade the pick and try to start restocking an aging roster.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves - O.J. Mayo, SG, USC: The consensus seems to be that Mayo is the best player available after Rose and Beasley, and for that reason, unless they trade the pick, the Timberwolves will take him even though he doesn't address a specific need. Mayo, who turns 21 in early November, is more ready to contribute than a lot of prospects. He's been dealing with the spotlight since he was an eighth-grader and he can flat-out score, even if he's a little short to be an ideal NBA two-guard.
4. Seattle SuperSonics - Brook Lopez, C, Stanford: Seattle (or will it be Oklahoma City?) is a possible trade partner for the Heat with the No. 2 pick. The Sonics, I'm sure, would love to reunite Beasley with his childhood friend Kevin Durant and form what would be the most prolific young scoring duo in the league. But if they stay put at No. 4, I say they'll take Lopez, a developing center, who'll be an offensive upgrade over the likes of Nick Collison and Mouhamed Sene.
5. Memphis Grizzlies - Kevin Love, PF, UCLA: Don't expect Grizzlies fans to be ecstatic about this pick. The draft is about upside and athleticism and highlight-reel plays. Those aren't Love's strong points. But he might be the most fundamentally sound forward to come out in 10 years. He won't turn into a superstar, but he'll be a solid pro who can bang down low, chip in on the boards and knock down an open jumper. He fills a bigger need in Memphis than any of the available combo guards.
6. New York Knicks - Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy: Gallinari is an unfamiliar name, but new Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni, who began his coaching career in Italy, surely knows him. I think he'll find the do-everything small forward a nice fit for his up-tempo system. The Knicks might have a stronger need for a point guard, but with Rose off the board, there aren't any proven floor leaders available who aren't a reach at this point in the draft.
7. Los Angeles Clippers - Jerryd Bayless, PG/SG, Arizona: The Clippers are another potential trade partner with Miami, and Elton Brand's name has been floated as the key piece to that deal. But if they keep Brand, the team's biggest need is in the backcourt, especially with Shaun Livingston still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in February 2007. Bayless is more of a scorer than a true point guard, but I think the Clippers will take him and hope he can develop.
8. Milwaukee Bucks - Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia: Alexander's stock has soared since the start of the college season. Few had even heard his name before it began. He's athletically gifted and has shown good toughness. He's only played organized basketball for about five years, so his skills are still developing, but he's a fast learner who fills a big need on the wing for the Bucks. He could wind up being the steal of the draft.
9. Charlotte Bobcats - Russell Westbrook, PG/SG, UCLA: There's been talk of Westbrook going as high as No. 4 overall, but this seems more realistic. He's a freakish athlete who is still developing his point guard skills after playing behind Darren Collison in Westwood. One thing Westbrook does about as well as anyone in the draft is play defense, and new Coach Larry Brown has been known to look for that in players.
10. New Jersey Nets - Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana: If I'm right - and really, what are the odds of that? - then Gordon is among the draft's biggest droppers. There was a time when he was being discussed in the top five, but I think suspect ball-handling and defense will give teams too many reasons to go in another direction. The Nets won't pass on him, though, because he's too good a shooter and scorer. He could be a nice asset if they're able to move Vince Carter. At worst, he'll provide some offense off the bench.
11. Indiana Pacers - D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas: The Pacers need a point guard, and Augustin is the most complete one available outside of Rose. He's a little small, but he makes up for it with above-average quickness, ball-handling and a spot-on jumper. Expect him to be able to step in and contribute right away.
12. Sacramento Kings - Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU: Randolph is my pick to be this draft's biggest bust, and I'm sticking him with the Kings because there's no point guard worth taking here. Every year, there's a guy who wows all the scouts with his long arms and leaping ability. Never mind that his production has been lacking. The 15.6 points and 8.5 rebounds he averaged during his freshman year were nice, but for a 6-10 guy with so much athletic ability, how did he only shoot 46.4 percent from the field?
13. Portland Trail Blazers - Alexis Ajinca, C, France: The Trail Blazers still could use a small forward and could try to make Brandon Rush one, but a team with so much young talent can afford to take a flier on a big man with upside. By all accounts, Ajinca is that. GM Kevin Pritchard has also been known to swing a draft-day deal or two.
14. Golden State Warriors - Donte Green, SF, Syracuse: Green strikes me as Don Nelson's kind of player. He's long, lean and athletic, with an impressive jumper for somebody who's 6-10. The Warriors might do better to go after a potentially dominant rebounder, but none has the potential star power Green brings.
15. Phoenix Suns (via Atlanta) - Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas: Once the Suns brought in aging Shaquille O'Neal to join aging Steve Nash - a move that was a mistake, by the way - they were officially in win-now mode. Rush can help. At 6-7, he can play either spot on the wing. He's athletic, with a good jump shot, and he has the added bonus of being able to defend, something you don't find a lot in Phoenix. I think he's a perfect fit.
16. Philadelphia 76ers - DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M: Somebody's going to take a chance on Jordan hoping he'll develop the way Andrew Bynum did with the Lakers last season before his injury. There just aren't a lot of 7-footers who move like he can. But the fact that his college contributions were so minimal - 7.9 points, 6.0 rebounds - has to make you wonder if that will ever happen.
17. Toronto Raptors - Robin Lopez, C, Stanford: Robin Lopez doesn't have his twin brother Brook's offensive skills, but he proved at Stanford that he's not afraid to mix it up under the basket at both ends of the floor. He blocked more than two shots per game. His ability to play center should be welcome for a team that had power forward Chris Bosh miscast in that spot too many times last season.
18. Washington Wizards - Darrell Arthur, SF, Kansas: Arthur might turn out to be one of those guys better suited for the NBA than the college game. He's ultra athletic with a good midrange game and has been productive at both ends of the floor on the most balanced team in the country. If he develops some range on his jump shot, he could turn into a clone of current Wizards forward Antawn Jamison.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers - Kosta Koufas, C, Ohio State: The Cavaliers could use an insurance policy for the aging Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and the Buckeyes big man is a perfect choice. He's offensively skilled but, at age 19, is still developing and should start to come into his own right about the time Ilgauskas is on the way out.
20. Denver Nuggets - JaVale McGee, PF, Nevada: McGee is all about upside. He has a 7-foot frame he's yet to fill out, moves well, has long arms and averaged nearly three blocked shots last season. He's not ready to step in just yet, but the Nuggets wouldn't be dumb to take a chance and see how he develops. He could look good either as a complement to or replacement for Marcus Camby in a couple years.
21. New Jersey Nets (via Dallas) - Marreese Speights, C, Florida: If the Nets go with Gordon with their first pick, they're going to need to address the frontcourt here. They have a few options, but few seem as solid as Speights, who had a good year for the disappointing Gators. He might be a little short to play center in the NBA, but he's strong, with good athleticism.
22. Orlando Magic - Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky: Who said seniors couldn't get drafted? Lee would be the first one to go. The Magic need a two-guard because it doesn't look like J.J. Redick's going to develop, and Lee, at 6-5, is an ideal fit. He averaged better than 20 points, albeit against mid-major competition.
23. Utah Jazz - Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown: Hibbert is the perfect example of why it's not always the right decision to return to school. He might have been a lottery pick had he left after his junior season. But he's probably in a better situation here. His low-post skills would be a nice asset to the Jazz's half-court offense. He'd be a great complement to Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur.
24. Seattle SuperSonics (via Phoenix) - Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas: There's been increasing speculation that the hero of the national title game will go much higher, but I'm hesitant to go along with that because he was thought to be a second-round pick only two months ago and has never handled point-guard duties full-time. I think with some work, he'll be able to make the adjustment and upgrade the Sonics' backcourt.
25. Houston Rockets - Jason Thompson, C, Rider: How many times can Yao Ming get hurt before the Rockets do something to protect themselves? Thompson doesn't have the ceiling that a lot of the big men in this draft possess, but he was productive for four college seasons and has ideal size to play the position. Plus, unlike Dikembe Mutumbo, he's not eligible for AARP membership.
26. San Antonio Spurs - Ryan Anderson, PF, California: Anderson is one of the most skilled big men in the draft. He showed he could score inside and out, averaging 21.1 points and 9.9 rebounds while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. As a defensive player, he might not be what the Spurs are looking for, but he could fill the role Robert Horry is ready to give up.
27. Portland Trail Blazers (via New Orleans) - Nicolas Batum, SF, France: I'm betting Portland traded into the this spot to address its needs at small forward, and Batum is a perfect choice. He was once considered a lottery pick until a sub-par season in the French League and recently raised concerns about a possible heart condition. But he's long and athletic with an improving jumper.
28. Memphis Grizzlies (via Lakers) - J.J. Hickson, PF, N.C. State: In this scenario, the Grizzlies are doubling up at power forward. But Hickson is more of a project with greater upside than their first pick, Love. He's a tough player who excelled on the interior in his only college season and has the talent to go 8 or 10 spots higher.
29. Detroit Pistons - Bill Walker, SF, Kansas State: What the Pistons really need is a center, but the top ones will probably all be gone by now. Drafting so late in the first round, don't be surprised to see President Joe Dumars take a risk on Walker, who suffered another knee injury during workouts earlier this month. The injury isn't considered too serious long-term, and if he can get healthy, Walker might turn out to be a lottery-level talent.
30. Boston Celtics - Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG, Memphis: The newly crowned champions don't seem to have a lot of holes. Ray Allen might be losing a step, though, and Douglas-Roberts could be groomed as his eventual replacement. The Celtics would have to feel fortunate if the All-American guard fell this far. He can get to the basket and improved his jump shot last season while leading Memphis to the national title game.
Reach Steve Walentik at (573) 815-1788 or email@example.com.


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With the return of Jersey Shore tonight on MTV, Nicole "Snooki" Pilozzi and company have been making the rounds to discuss the latest on everyone's favorite "Guidos" and "Guidettes." Snooki, in fact, stopped by The Tonight Show on January 3 to chat with Jay Leno about one of the big questions swirling around: Is Vinny Guadagnino leaving the house this season?
Leno got to the bottom of things, when he questioned Snooki about the matter. Plus, he got the petite reality star to discuss her romance with boyfriend Jionni LaValle, share details about her last bar fight, and chat about the spinoff series she's embarking on with co-star Jenni "JWoww" Farley.
You can watch Snooki's full appearance on The Tonight Show, here.
Jersey Shore returns tonight at 10 p.m. on MTV.


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Wednesday, February 24, 2016
BOV: Manual or Automatic Transmission?
Anonymous said...
Nice vehicle. Hondas are pretty reliable vehicles. I would offer one thought though: how do you drive a standard transmission if one of your legs or arms is incapacitated ? Twenty years ago, I pulled a rotator cuff tendon on my right arm, forcing me to keep it slung for two weeks for it to heal. If I had to shift a manual transmission, it would have been very difficult. Likewise, a foot / leg injury would not allow me to disengage the clutch, not without some difficulty.
Just food for thought.
That's actually a valid point.
On one hand manuals are more durable, simple and allow greater control of the car and engine. Having used nothing but manuals my entire life (other than some rentals here and there) I can drive one using one hand or even one foot. Granted, not exactly something I recommend doing.
On the other hand an automatic is easier to use if an arm or leg has been injured. It's also better regarding fuel efficiency in most cases. The ease of use by drivers that don't know how to drive manuals and the ease of use when injured are probably the reasons why military vehicles such as Humvee have automatic transmission.
Fernando "FerFAL" Aguirre is the author of "The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse" and "Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option".
3 comments:
Original Anon here - I meant no criticism of your vehicle and hope you didn't take it as such. I was just pointing out to everyone that you might want to purposely handicap yourself by limiting yourself and finding out beforehand what its like to drive with an arm or leg unable to respond.
This advice goes with many other tasks. Try cutting wood with only one arm (axe or saw), or driving nails with same handicap. Practicing now will give you an advantage if you find yourself in that predicament.
Thanks for the post.
- February 25, 2016 at 4:32 AM
You can shift gears on a stick shift without using the clutch, just take your foot off the gas and shift, re-apply gas. I did it many years ago in both a toyota and a huge dump truck. I've also started cars with the clutch engaged and just turn on the engine while in 1st gear. I think modern cars may not let you do that anymore...
- February 25, 2016 at 6:32 PM
stick less likely to get stolen
stick can be coasted or bump started if the battery is low
stick doesn't have transmission cooler lines and radiators springing leaks
stick can be shifted with left hand, elbow or partner in the passenger seat
- March 4, 2016 at 11:25 PM


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Isle of Wight Festival Beach
In 2011 Beach Events joined forces with Solo and created the first ever beach at a major music festival.
'Lifes a Beach' at the Isle of Wight Festival was an instant hit with festival-goers and was bombed out at all times.
Luring the punters was an authentic beach bar serving cocktails, a sandstage, café, deckchairs, massage, sand sculptures and Zumba classes, all on a huge temporary beach.
2012 saw 'Lifes a Beach' return, this time twice the size!
I.O.W 2013 plans include a sheltered area for possible rainy days, although the I.O.W Festival is known for booking the sunshine.
Life's a Beach at the IOW Music Festival 2012
IOW Music Festival
Due to popular demand this year sees the return of Life's a Beach at the UK's favourite music festival.
We've imported 400 tonnes of sand to create an urban beach in the middle of Penny Lane to create that holiday vibe that only the beach can bring.
This year see's a few changes to 'Life's a Beach', firstly due to its popularity last year the beach is larger, it will also be home to the Kinetic Playground featuring a roundabout, seesaw, bikes and an 8ft human hamster wheel (seriously have to try). All the energy generated from this frantic activity will power the entire beach area, so come and do your bit for the environment whilst enjoying the party of the year.
The Life's a Beach stage will feature live reggae and ska and there will be fire- eaters and sword swallowers performing at night.
Bring me sunshine!!!
IOW Festival beach, the build begins.
The building of the beach at this years IOW festival is underway! You can hear the music and taste the mojitos already.
Sponsorship Activations
Engage with your audience in the most unique and beautiful venues.
Interact with your clients whilst at their most relaxed and receptive.
Offer them an experience to remember, truly something unique.
Beach Events work closely with clients to create the perfect environment in which to target your audience. We create, design and deliver experiential marketing strategies that work.
Clients include: –
Little Miracles
Greek Tourism
Disney XD
Musto Clothing
Nuts TV
Carlsberg Edge
We all dream of beaches …
Weather Check
The weather on the IOW has been shocking all day, but right now it seems to be picking up, lets hope the rain stays off so we can crack on with the beach build at the IOW festival.
Birmingham City Centre
Beach events and England beach soccer are proud of our long history of working with Birmingham City Council. We delivered our first major beach event there in 2006 when we stage a full FIFA beach soccer event that included Eric Cantona's France, Holland and the then worlds best team Portugal.
Since then we have worked with all kinds of brands including Disney XD, Carlsberg and Nuts TV delivering outstanding international and community events.


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Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference (WIE ILC) 2017 trailer
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Registration for the 22-23 May 2017 WIE event in San Jose, CA is now open! Limited seating and partnership opportunities. Early registration deadline April 3rd.
Learn, share and grow with incredible tracks: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Empowerment, Disruptive Technology, and Executive Leadership. Special by-invitation workshops new for this year!
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How much can you do yourself?
How much can one person do? Not everything, that is for sure. Your time is limited � so you had better make every bit of it count. I'll bet you are filling big chunks of your day with things you can easily have someone else take care of. I know it's fun – and even sometimes it's good for you – to do those simple things that need no inspiration and that stay done when you are through. But now and again is fine. I suggest that each evening for the next few days you review your own personal timesheet (real or mental) and see what you have done that day that you could, with the minimum of effort, have one of your staff take care of so you would be able to do the real work.
What are the most important things that you bring to the company? Creative and intellectual skills: certainly. Marketing know-how and experience: hopefully. Business chops: sure – you got this far, right? Are these the things that you are using each day? For too many people, those instant gratification tasks like balancing the checkbook and fixing the coffee pot seem just so much easier and more fun – and then the day is gone.
But the real and lasting fun is in designing and implementing the bigger picture. Use a logic model. Know what your goals are. Identify the steps that will get you to that goal. Identify the people and resources you have to help you. And make the best use of your time.


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Johnson & Johnson reported quarterly results that came in above Wall Street estimates on sharply higher sales of its prescription drugs and improving sales of its medical devices.
The diversified healthcare company said on Tuesday it earned $3.52 billion, or $1.23 per share, in the fourth quarter. That compared with $2.57 billion, or 91 cents per share, in the year-earlier period, when J&J took a charge of $800 million related mostly to recalls of defective "metal-on-metal" hip replacement devices.
Excluding special items, J&J earned $1.24 per share. Analysts, on average, expected $1.20 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. J&J said it expects earnings this year of $5.75 to $5.85 per share, excluding special items. Wall Street has been expecting earnings of $5.85 per share.
Company shares were up in premarket trading, from their closing price on Friday of $95.06. (Click here to get the latest quotes.)
—By Reuters


text: All Categories Take on a challenge Activity Trips Embrace vibrant city life City Breaks Connect with people Culture Discover dramatic scenery Exploring Follow our famous trails Iconic Trips Get away from it all Relaxing Explore trip idea topics Featured Trip Game of Thrones® territory in 3 days Home to more Seven Kingdoms locations than anywhere else in the world, explore Northern Ireland while you experience Game of Thrones® Territory. DrivingDriving 528 Kilometres 3 days Game of Thrones Northern Ireland Castle Ward Nature & Wildlife 12-day trip around Ireland Visit sky-high cliffs and relax in the warm welcomes you'll receive in our buzzing towns and villages over 12 days. DrivingDriving 1,173 Kilometres 12 days Dublin City Ireland's Ancient East Wild Atlantic Way Northern Ireland Causeway Coastal Route Belfast City Explore Derry~Londonderry Take a look around the buzzing and friendly small city of Derry~Londonderry, then use it as your base to explore the Causeway Coastal Route and Wild Atlantic Way. DrivingDriving 189 Kilometres 3 Days Derry~Londonderry City County Londonderry Causeway Coastal Route Northern Ireland Flavours of Northern Ireland Set out on a food trail of local specialties and gourmet treats across Northern Ireland and prepare for a taste sensation. DrivingDriving 4 days Food and Drink Northern Ireland Causeway Coastal Route Belfast City Northern Ireland's champion courses McDowell, McIlroy, Clarke: some of the world's greatest golfers call Northern Ireland's stellar courses home. DrivingDriving 424 Kilometres 3 Days Northern Ireland Golf Giants Causeway County Antrim Belfast City Trip idea: Lough Neagh An untouched landscape with buckets of charm, Lough Neagh is a paradise for nature lovers. DrivingDriving 190 Kilometres 2 days Northern Ireland Castles Houses & Gardens Saint Patrick's Country Walk in the footsteps of one of the world's most beloved saints. DrivingDriving 568 Kilometres 3 days Northern Ireland Armagh City Croagh Patrick St Patrick History and Heritage Ireland's Islands Uncover mystery and legend scattered along the coast in Ireland's best-kept secrets: the islands. DrivingDriving 1,579 Kilometres History and Heritage Nature & Wildlife Causeway Coastal Route Ireland's Ancient East Wild Atlantic Way Northern Ireland Ireland's Great Lighthouses When you follow the trail of the Ireland's Great Lighthouses, the sea surrenders its secrets... DrivingDriving 1,486 Kilometres Wild Atlantic Way Northern Ireland Lighthouses Outdoor Activities Trip idea: Wild Ireland Whether it's on land, sea, or even in our skies, the island of Ireland is brimming with engaging and thrilling wildlife experiences. DrivingDriving 1,171 Kilometres Nature & Wildlife Wild Atlantic Way Northern Ireland Causeway Coastal Route Ireland's Ancient East Holiday ideas, news, offers… sign up for our ezine and we'll keep you in touch with Ireland. Hmm, don't know that email. Can you check it and try again? Note: Please fill in your email address manually instead of copy/pasting it.


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Contact Information:
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 406.556.1450
tomorrow, i'm driving to denver to deliver new work to visions west gallery for first friday art walk. i will have 11 pieces showing in the front gallery along w/ralph wigmann's work. stop by the gallery if you're in town: 6-9pm,1715 wazee street, downtown. below: "expanse III (back fade)".


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Fashion inspiration for people by people
Is the Embellished Boot Trend worth the Money?Apr 06, 2019
Winters and holidays are in full swing so let's talk about the changing trends in the winter wardrobe. Boots are a must thing when it comes to winter wardrobe selection. The most important...Read More
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Love your hair but fail to style them well? Having good hair indeed is a blessing in disguise but knowing how to style them is nothing less than a cherry on top. Bad hair days are something girls...Read More
Adopt a perfect No-Fuss Valentine's Day LookJan 29, 2018
Valentine's Day is one of the most beautiful occasion to celebrate in the year! Although love is a forever pretty thing and we think everything should be as beautiful as the Valentine's...Read More
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Fitness freak and love outdoor workouts? Don't let the dropping temperature affect your run in the winter mornings! It may get slightly tricky for you to choose outdoor workouts in winters...Read More
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Spice up your Valentine's Day by slipping into the sexiest outfit to turn the most romantic date of your life into the most memorable one. Your outfit says a lot about your intentions and that...Read More
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2017 had certainly been one of the most rocking years in the industry of fashion. Ranging from striped flare pants to artistically designed trousers, and from the 'one shoe trend' till...Read More
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When the Christmas is at the steep, you cannot skip out the jumper fashion trend which is the all-time staple for the winter season. Jumpers are of all categories depending on your choice of...Read More
Magic Pens and Oversised Lab CoatsFeb 04, 2017
Nobody knows who they are, where they are or how they look like. These misterious creatures called scientists like to hide from the sun, sometimes work at night and like to stay in small groups...Read More


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Florence sofa's classy design looks great with any decor, with its clever mix of smooth and quilted upholstery. The frame and cushions are made of top-grain Italian leather with a base constructed with stainless steel. Sturdy and stunning, the Florence Sofa has a style that works for any room. Available in Black, White leather upholstery. Pieces upholstered in leather have matching buttons.
81"W x 31.5"D x 33.5"H
Seat H - 16"
Copyright© 2007-2014 Modern Selections, Inc. Al Rights Reserved. Modern Selections products are not manufactured by or affiliated with B&B Italia, Cassina, Charles and Ray Earnes, Herman Miller,Isamu Noguchi, Knoll, Fritz Hansen, or Le Corbusier.


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What an incredible year…2013! When I set a goal to start a blog, I didn't know how quickly I would actually do it, or how many wonderful people would actually read it. Yet, here we are in 2014, almost one year and 55 posts since I clicked the publish button. As I reflect back over the year, I am truly grateful, encouraged and blown away by the response. So, thank you to all my readers. I have loved connecting with you through the blog, email, Twitter and Facebook.
Here are my top 5 posts of 2013:
1. The Love Of A Husband
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." ~ Theodore M. Hesburgh
Husbands, love your wives. Ephesians 5: 25
2. When It Gets Hard, That's When Change Happens
"Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely." ~ Karen Kaiser Clark
3. What To Do If Your Loved One Is Depressed
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." ~Leo Buscaglia
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5:10
4. The 7 Words That Changed My Life
"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy
5. Dec 3, 2009 I Almost Lost My Life
"Today I am not sad. Today I will be remember and be thankful. Life is good." ~ Me
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1 3-4
I even had the incredible opportunity and honour to guest post on the blog I Woke Up Yesterday.
I AM….Brave? Scared? Talented? Ugly? Loved?
"I AM – two of the most powerful words in the world. For whatever we put after them comes our reality." Susan Howson
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139: 13-14
May you continue to find encouragement in my words throughout 2014. And I will continue to be encouraged and inspired by all of you.
Much love.


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Philadelphia's own Marian Hill released their first full length album, Act One earlier this year, but they are back with a new song with Lauren Jauregui Of Fifth Harmony called "Back To Me."
The song itself from a production standpoint displays some of the trademark characteristics of a Marian Hill song, noting the sultry 808's and electronic sampling. Lead Singer Samantha Gongol and Jauregui both trade vocals in a organic collaboration that showcases Jauregui solo and continues Marian Hill's sultry take on R&B.
About the song, Jauregui comments, "Sam and Jeremy are such talented creatives and I was such a huge fan of theirs before we even met. Being able to form a genuine connection with them and then write together on this track was such an honor. I'm happy to be able to give people a snippet of my vibe for the first time in collaboration with them. I'm very proud of this track so I hope everyone enjoys it."
The band continues, "Ever since we first met Lauren at our show at the Roxy over a year ago, we've been talking about making something together. Somehow, in the midst of both of our schedules, we managed to make it happen. 'Back To Me' began with the two of us on a plane and Lauren in a hotel room, ending with the recording in Jeremy's bedroom. It has been our jam for the past several months. Now it belongs to you."
Listen to the full song below. Learn more about Marian Hill over on their main website.
Main Photo: Courtesy of Marian Hill


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Getting your kids to eat healthy food can be a challenge, to say the least. Here are some tips to help you win the battle this holiday and for the rest of the school year:
- Start early. Introduce as many flavors and textures as possible when you wean them onto baby food..
- Do a PR job. "Sell" fruit as a dessert before your children get hooked on the idea of cakes and sweets as dessert. For example, try saying, "Mmmmmm. Mummy has got such a lovely mango for you today when you have eaten all your lunch." This really works. My two see fruit as a real treat!
- Pretend your children have never rejected a vegetable in their lives. Keep putting things on their plate that you know they are unlikely to eat. Casually suggest they try it. If they won't try it, don't react. If they do, give them lots of praise. This can be terribly disheartening, but trust me, persevering means that one day, the child will give in and try it. A woman I know got her son to start eating cucumber after putting it on his plate approximately 20 times. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.
- Go stealth. Hide vegetables. If they'll eat Bolognese sauce, lasagna, curry – in fact anything sauce- or soup-based – grate carrots into it. Chop up mushrooms and peppers really, really small and throw them in. If they really like pasta, you're onto a winner. Whizz up all sorts of vegetable concoctions, stir just a teaspoon or two into pasta, pile on lots of cheese, and they won't even notice it.
- Make your own burgers with mince, onion and grated apple.
- Get creative; think laterally. Some kids won't eat beef casserole on its own, but if mixed with a spoonful of it into a jacket potato, they'll eat it with enthusiasm.
- Remember that no matter how much they won't eat, they will always surprise you. Never underestimate your children's tastes!
- Mash or slice banana into their breakfast cereal. Or, grate some apple in it.
- Be discerning about convenient "snacks". Cubes of plain cheese are much less processed than the brands marketed for lunch boxes. Choose yogurt-coated fruit or raisins as a "treat" instead of sweets, and rice cakes or a handful of seeds / nuts instead of chips.
- Use "tricks." The right reinforcement can work wonders. Some kids love a particular children's TV program in which the lead character is very active and needs ""sports candy"" to give them energy. "Sports candy" is actually apples, and many kids will happily chomp through at least two a day. Also, if they are told that one of their best friends' favorite food is broccoli, they are much more likely to try it. It's even better if you can get the aforementioned friend to join you for lunch and eat the broccoli together.
- Get them involved. It's pretty easy to grow things like tomatoes in the garden, and they'll enjoy watering and picking them.
- Bribe them. OK, we're onto desperate measures now. Bribing ("If you eat all your lunch, you can have x or y.") works short term, but use it carefully and sparingly.
If all else fails, try not to worry. Also try not to get into big battles; it'll convince your child that this eating thing is a horrible process. Keep in mind that with children, most things are phases and will pass. Just keep on offering healthy options. Let them see you eating and enjoying healthy stuff. Relax – life as a parent is full of worry as it is. And let's face it, when they're teenagers, they'll spend all their pocket money on sugar-laden sweets and fatty chips, and we probably won't even know about it!
~ Coach Catherine and the Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp Team
Adapted from Shereen Flaxman- http://www.kidica.com/raising-children/child-health/kids-food.aspx
Filed under: Kids | Tagged: feeding kids vegetables, Healthy Eating, healthy eating habits for kids, milwaukee adventure boot camp, Milwaukee boot camp, Teenagers | Comments Off on Get Your Kid To Eat Healthy


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Availability: In stock
Product code: CRET0409AS
Elephants are often seen as role models in many spiritual cultures. They are calm, obedient and unstoppable on their journeys – qualities we all wish to carry throughout our day-to-day lives. Wear your Elephant charm to enhance these traits in yourself and inspire a calm mind.
DETAILS• Rhodium flash plated 925 sterling silver • One size fits all• Each Chrysalis piece purchased is supplied with a branded Chrysalis paper gift pouch as shown
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Research Project
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
In the fiscal years 1996 and 1997, aiming at the analysis of the mechanism concerned in the protective immunity against the infection of intestinal nematode, we studied Strongyloides ratti (Sr) infection in the CD45 exon 6-deficient mice (CD45-1-). Following results were obtained :1) In CD45-/-, the protective immunity was markedly reduced and the period of infection lasted remarkably longer than the control.2) Sr infection in CD45-/-inoculated with splenocytes revealed that the marked reduction of protective immunity does not depend only on the T cell dysfunction .3) Induction of mucous mast cells (MMC) by the adiministration of IL-3 did not cause the expulsion in CD45-/- probably bacause of the dysfunction of MMC itself.4) CD8+T cells were considered not essential in the protection against Sr in CD45-/-. The unique character of CD45-/- was shown in this study.5) Influence of testosterone on the macrophage activity in the protection was investigated. The study revealed that testosterone promoted the protection inhibition when the macrophagaes were damaged by carbon.
Published: 1996-03-31
Modified: 2016-04-21
User Guide
Terms of Use
Attribution of KAKENHI


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President Muhammadu Buhari has told the new leader of South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa that he is looking forward to working with him to enhance the cooperation between Africa's two biggest economies.
Buhari said this today in a letter of congratulation to Ramaphosa, who was endorsed today by the South African parliament as the successor of former President Jacob Zuma.
Ramaphosa had been the deputy president to Zuma since 2009, but was elected the ANC President last December, a position that created a power problem between him and his boss.
On Tuesday, the ANC leadership asked Zuma to step down from office, by recalling him.
Zuma initially rebuffed his party, but when it dawned on him that he faced the humiliation of being removed by the parliament, he resigned on Wednesday night, paving way for Ramaphosa, a former trade unionist and business tycoon, to take over.
President Buhari was impressed by the peaceful transfer of power.
"President Buhari also felicitates with the African National Congress (ANC), and the Government and people of South Africa, on the peaceful transfer of power that resulted in the election of President Ramaphosa," said Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant media to the Nigerian leader.
"The Nigerian leader salutes the leadership and statesmanship of former President Jacob Zuma, and wishes him the best in his future endeavours", Garba said.
Nigeria and South Africa have maintained ties, dating from the anti-apartheid struggle years, when Nigeria provided a lot of assistance.
Many South African companies such as MTN, Multichoice and Shoprite are today flourishing in Nigeria.


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- Grade 10-12
- Length of Course: 1 year
- Prerequisites: Instructor approval
Teacher: Mrs. Starbuck
Contact Information:
- 541-493-2641 ext. 241
Students will develop knowledge and skills necessary to produce the school newspaper. They will learn to use In Design software to create page layouts and Photoshop for importing digital pictures. Photographers will learn procedures for operating digital cameras and organizing and filing pictures.


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Getting An Edge On Your Wildlife Habitat
posted in: Habitat, Pine Management, Thinning, Wildlife, Woodland Management | 0
Where woods meet open land are some of the most important areas to manage for wildlife. Edges support shade-intolerant fruit, berry, and seed producing plants that won't grow under a closed forest canopy. Additionally, their thick, brushy nature makes them … Continued


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Difference between revisions of "Community Council Log 20090430"
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== IRC Log of Community Council Meeting 2009-04-30 ==
== IRC Log of Community Council Meeting 2009-04-30 ==
Latest revision as of 14:35, 30 May 2010
IRC Log of Community Council Meeting 2009-04-30
- Sophie Gautier (sophi)
- Martin Hollmichel (_Nesshof_1, too)
- Matthias Huetsch (mhu)
- Cor Nouws (CorNouws)
- André Schnabel (Thalion72)
- Pavel Janik (paveljanik)
- Louis Suárez-Potts (louis_to)
14:43:46 CorNouws André will join soon - shall we start? 14:44:15 louis_to yes. 14:44:21 mhu yes 14:44:24 jpmcc CorNouws: thanks for the phone call :-) 14:44:44 louis_to shall go down the list? 14:44:51 louis_to 1. approval of prior minutes 14:45:24 CorNouws nothing to aprove, as far as I see .. 14:45:42 louis_to ? 14:45:44 louis_to oops. 14:45:50 louis_to sorry, 14:45:56 CorNouws We can take the AI's 14:46:00 louis_to sees that the minutes and irc are in my queue 14:46:10 louis_to agreed 14:46:38 CorNouws expects Louis to have a longggg que 14:46:42 louis_to #1: budget call 14:46:48 louis_to I meant my outmail q. 14:47:08 CorNouws louis_to: :-) 14:47:16 louis_to I'll send out new doodle nag 14:47:24 *** Thalion72 (email@example.com) has joined the channel 14:47:28 CorNouws Thanks 14:47:30 louis_to I recieved only 2 responses to the first effort 14:47:37 louis_to and despite a nag, nothing 14:47:41 louis_to so, will send out new one 14:47:46 louis_to hello André 14:47:48 CorNouws Hi André, Louis just announcing a new request for special budget meeting 14:47:48 louis_to we just started 14:47:58 Thalion72 Hi .. sorry for being late and thanks to Cor for calling 14:48:14 louis_to #2: Matthias: money on account and estimates for incomes and taxes to pay 14:48:20 louis_to any update? 14:48:35 CorNouws Thalion72: jpmcc: don't tell them I call you, now the others never will ginve me their phone nrs! 14:48:39 mhu yep, working with Martin on taxes ... 14:49:02 louis_to okay... any idea of delivery date? 14:49:07 mhu ...will send amount of money to members privately, but not publicly 14:49:32 _Nesshof_1 waiting for the tax office to call :-/ 14:49:43 louis_to ugh. (/me notes that today is tax day in canada0 14:49:57 _Nesshof_1 louis_to: in Germany as well 14:50:00 CorNouws mhu: ok for me - look forward to the info 14:50:01 louis_to okay, we'll periodically nag on this 14:50:02 mhu ...found my budget spreadsheet cited and linked in some random blog / online article, and dont like that 14:50:03 louis_to :-) 14:50:16 louis_to #3: Send estimates for several important upcoming events to budget@ 14:50:21 louis_to okay, I've been stymied here 14:50:55 CorNouws louis_to: your risk as well, that money runs out .. 14:51:00 louis_to There are several I think we ought to attend, such as Oscon, but I have no real way of estimating costs associated with attending/participating there, except in the roughest way 14:51:16 mhu ...will discuss with you in our budget call, if you so like. 14:51:16 louis_to I am less concerned about that. 14:51:21 louis_to please, let's 14:51:46 louis_to for now, I'll ask that we please propose meaningful events coming up and use the wiki once upon a time created for thiis 14:51:52 louis_to and if it is not there now, to create a new one.... 14:52:07 mhu was still talking about AI #2 ... and dont wants to irritate anyone 14:52:10 louis_to AI: louis to send to project leads notice 14:52:11 louis_to ah 14:52:36 louis_to notes he's sent such a notice before... but this time with $ there ought to be a difference 14:52:59 louis_to 2: SPI: there is no meaningful update, but am curious what kind of update is wanted here? 14:53:18 CorNouws how much money will come to us and how ?? 14:53:31 louis_to we have already dealt with that 14:53:37 CorNouws see log of previous meeting, I guess 14:53:37 sophi CorNouws: depends on donators :) 14:53:38 louis_to it's just that we have little view 14:53:47 louis_to yes. 14:53:51 louis_to here is the situation 14:54:08 mhu have not attempted an exact summary, but its somewhere around 2K - 3K total so far 14:54:09 louis_to the SPI treasurer is a nice guy and he alone has full view of $ 14:54:24 louis_to we can ask him for status reports 14:54:29 louis_to but cannot do it ourselves 14:54:41 louis_to so, we can periodically query the treasurer 14:54:51 louis_to meanwhile, I relay new donation notices to Matthias 14:55:02 louis_to to get money, we ask the treasurer for it 14:55:04 mhu we have to manually count notification emails per donation 14:55:08 louis_to yes. 14:55:15 CorNouws louis_to: mhu: very clear, thanks 14:55:33 louis_to well, it's clear but it's also to me unsatisfactory 14:55:50 CorNouws louis_to: but not much we can do at it? 14:55:53 louis_to however, the treasurer takes the work out of taxes, tabulation, accounting, so that we just ask for money 14:56:10 louis_to until we get on the board and try to change rules (or maybe before then), not really 14:56:26 louis_to the situation has plusses and minusses 14:56:50 louis_to we could develop the marketing ngo, as long discussed (this would not hold IP) 14:56:59 louis_to and that would give us more control--and more work 14:57:06 CorNouws OK for me for now ... few months agoo we knew close to nothing, IIRC 14:57:29 louis_to correct. We now at least we know close to nothing ;-) 14:57:41 louis_to #3: trademark: updates? 14:57:54 Thalion72 well .. we know what to do, if we want to know more 14:58:05 louis_to Thalion72: yes. we ping the treasurer 14:58:17 louis_to treasurer at spi 14:58:33 sophi louis_to: entering a process and/or a group is not so easy, it means time also 14:58:59 sophi louis_to: I mean for people already in the group to know you :) 14:59:22 louis_to you refer to working wiht SPI? Yes, indeed. and it is a group of foss opinionated people 14:59:34 *** paveljanik (n=Pavel@unaffiliated/paveljanik) has joined the channel 14:59:37 paveljanik Hi 14:59:39 louis_to I think I know nearly all of them, and you, sophi, have been in the game longer than I, so ... 14:59:41 louis_to hi paveljanik 14:59:43 paveljanik Sorry for being late. 14:59:44 louis_to we are here: 14:59:49 louis_to http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Community_Council/Agenda#Next_regular_meeting:_April_30_2009 14:59:53 sophi louis_to: yes, so not so easy to change all in one time 14:59:59 louis_to Cor is shepherding us along :-) 15:00:14 louis_to so, to # 3, Trademark: updates? 15:00:23 CorNouws _Nesshof_1: started a new discussion on the trademark, with Bernard,isn't it? 15:00:40 louis_to _Nesshof_: would you want to summarize? 15:00:48 Thalion72 CorNouws: not really a new discussion with Bernhard 15:01:04 CorNouws Thalion72: Sorry new = 'new' 15:01:17 CorNouws Thalion72: But what is your take on it? 15:01:28 Thalion72 just the question, what the purpose of the TM-policy is .. what was more or less unanswered 15:01:37 sophi for the moment trademarks are stalled because we don't know how to qualify our product 15:01:53 _Nesshof_1 sophi: :-( 15:01:56 CorNouws So only themost basical thing in this subject ;-) 15:02:45 CorNouws tooling was suggested, investigated and failed to pass - too complicated 15:03:03 CorNouws what wat the other option, could we continue at that point again? 15:03:12 _Nesshof_1 for trademark, I really would like to know which is the problem we would like to adress 15:03:45 sophi _Nesshof_1: my last answer on the list answers your question 15:04:19 *** _Nesshof_ has quit IRC ("Leaving.") 15:05:08 CorNouws sophi: 21-4-09 10:21 ? 15:05:40 louis_to is confused and returns to _Nesshof_1's point 15:05:55 sophi CorNouws: yes 15:05:57 louis_to what are the problems? 15:05:58 _Nesshof_1 sophi: not really, at least I don't understand the answer 15:06:40 CorNouws _Nesshof_1: sophi: May I propose that we make this point, only this one, very clear before next cc meeting? 15:06:42 sophi _Nesshof_1: you said "My take on that would be that the builds that get approved by the OOo QA > can be called then OpenOffice.org. " 15:06:49 CorNouws looks as a majog gain to me. 15:07:01 CorNouws llooks as a major gain to me. 15:07:20 Thalion72 sophi: this is a suggestion "how to define what is OOo" - to the answer to the question "why do we need a tm-policy" 15:07:44 sophi Thalion72: my question : But how a companies will get this approval? For example my company is distributing modified versions of OOo for their customers and different versions for each customer. Some are binaries+configurations others are patched versions needing to build them from sources. >>>> 15:08:12 Thalion72 sophi: still no answer to "why do we need a tm-policy" 15:08:37 CorNouws May I suggest that we make this point, only this one, very clear before next cc meeting? 15:08:53 CorNouws Just because I think we need to think about it, more than time now allows us to do 15:09:15 sophi I'm requested from several companies/project if they are allowed use the name+logo if they modify it, I have no answer but ask on the marketing list, I know they don't do it 15:09:32 Thalion72 CorNouws: I'd like to add - if we cannot work out this point, we should stop all work on tm policy 15:09:51 CorNouws Thalion72: Obviously... 15:10:00 *** _Nesshof_ (firstname.lastname@example.com) has joined the channel 15:10:05 CorNouws So the conclusion should be: we have to fine out ?? 15:10:11 Thalion72 sophi: allow them to use the name and logo. 15:10:52 CorNouws sophi: Yes, as long as there is no 'policy' that is our policy ;-) 15:10:59 sophi Thalion72: ah, yes, why not, if we can't define our product, that mean that we do not have a product finally 15:11:30 CorNouws :-D Enough on this point, AFAIAC - move on? 15:11:37 Thalion72 CorNouws: +1 15:11:54 _Nesshof_1 still is unsatisfied 15:12:07 CorNouws joins Martin 15:12:33 CorNouws OK elections then. 15:12:46 CorNouws I like John's statement in the mail about that 15:13:42 Thalion72 Ok .. for the elections - I'll do a call for help tomorrow (to find observers) 15:14:03 louis_to thanks 15:14:10 louis_to but, Thalion72: it's may day tomorrow 15:14:18 Thalion72 I'd like to have Stefan as one of the observers (he needs to setup the server anyway, so we need his help) 15:14:20 louis_to there is a very good chance that many peoiple will be absent 15:14:42 Thalion72 louis_to: Mail is a medium that does not vanish the other day 15:15:23 sophi Thalion72: depends of the number of mail per day ;-) 15:15:27 mhu Thalion72: if I can help in any way, please say so, and I try what I can 15:15:38 louis_to Thalion72: I am aware of that. just wanted to alert you that many will have huge inboxes on Monday or so 15:16:08 Thalion72 louis_to: those people would be wrong candidates for observers anyway ;) 15:16:31 sophi Thalion72: +1 :) 15:16:41 Thalion72 people who tned to ignore mails are no good candidates to observe a process that is organized via mail 15:17:02 louis_to agreed. I have no argument against proceeding on mayday; my point was informative. 15:17:15 Thalion72 louis_to: ok :) 15:17:43 Thalion72 mhu: maybe poke some project leads to check the list of project leads 15:17:56 mhu okay, will do 15:18:20 Thalion72 if all goes well, we might announce elections end of next week ... or do you see conflicts with 3.1 release? 15:18:30 louis_to Thalion72: I do not 15:18:31 Thalion72 (imho this is not related) 15:18:48 louis_to there is enough news around OOo that any more won't really affect things, I would (cynically) guess 15:19:25 louis_to and I think that having elections would be good.... 15:19:35 Thalion72 :) +1 15:19:42 jpmcc +1 15:19:45 louis_to +1 15:19:46 Thalion72 ok .. other questions to the elections? 15:19:58 louis_to Thalion72: you have my thanks. 15:20:15 louis_to and if I see you again soon, as much beer :-) 15:20:23 CorNouws Thalion72: no thanks, all clear now (after reading the charter again) and thanks from me as well 15:20:41 sophi Thalion72: yes, thanks :) 15:21:10 louis_to shall we move on to next item? 15:21:16 Thalion72 +1 15:21:20 sophi louis_to: yes please 15:21:27 louis_to that may require STX!12 15:21:44 louis_to : l10n infrastructure 15:21:55 louis_to can _Nesshof_ or MHU or someone else, (sophi?) speak to it? 15:22:05 CorNouws Yes, he wrote an update in hismail 15:22:07 CorNouws A discussion of the handling of l10n builds has been started at dev@l10n but has not yet come to a general conclusion. But the urgent need for the 2 languages sh, sr have been resolved. 15:22:07 mhu but stx12 did send some status ? 15:22:28 louis_to yes, CorNouws: relayed it just now 15:22:31 CorNouws CorNouws: I qouted Stefans mail, just to explain 15:22:46 CorNouws louis_to: indeed ;-) 15:23:10 CorNouws OK, then next item? 15:23:17 louis_to http://council.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=discuss&msgNo=2050 15:23:23 Thalion72 mhu: there are some ideas at the l10n list .. but nothing really agreed yet 15:23:32 louis_to next item: Cor: project improvement page: further clarification 15:24:11 CorNouws Yes, I used the discussion fromprevious meeting to better understand the questions .. 15:24:16 CorNouws and changed a bit on the wiki 15:24:45 louis_to CorNouws: how so? 15:24:55 louis_to looks for url of wiki.... 15:24:58 CorNouws And I saw some great (sort of new) issues on the dev-list , that are good to mention on the page 15:25:12 CorNouws i.e. modularisation and such 15:25:19 CorNouws http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Community_Council/Project_Improvements 15:25:28 louis_to then you may wish to look at our to-dos.... 15:25:43 louis_to modularisation has long been a desiderata, along with new architecture in general 15:25:45 CorNouws it is linke from the cc wiki main page - the way I find it as well 15:25:48 louis_to thanks 15:26:10 sophi CorNouws: I won't have time before june to add links on explanation pages for the items I've added, but will do 15:26:16 CorNouws louis_to: I know, but now the process is visible and people can join, work on it together 15:26:28 CorNouws sophi: Thanks. 15:26:43 CorNouws I'll put some links on it next weeks .. 15:27:01 CorNouws can then someone else ask on projectleads@ for additional info? 15:27:08 louis_to yes 15:27:19 CorNouws louis_to: thanks. 15:27:24 mhu as Kay wrote, this Modularization is related to ESC discussions / dashboard 15:27:33 sophi CorNouws: thanks to you 15:27:34 louis_to but what precisely do you want in the new info? 15:27:48 louis_to general: improvement? or specific topics, categories? 15:27:55 *** _Nesshof_ has quit IRC (Read error: 113 (No route to host)) 15:28:15 _Nesshof_1 feels alone 15:28:21 louis_to :-) 15:28:30 CorNouws louis_to: anything we think is worth mentioning, that people might want or need to know, to have a good impression of the project .. 15:28:30 mhu :-) 15:28:44 louis_to okay. 15:29:00 CorNouws If no one has a remark / question now ... 15:29:21 louis_to will send out project leads note ... 15:29:45 louis_to OOo Internship: 15:29:54 CorNouws louis_to: can you wait till I ping you, cause I think it is clearer if somelinks are in place first 15:30:01 louis_to CorNouws: yes 15:30:07 CorNouws louis_to: thanks 15:30:24 louis_to I think the internship item needs to be tabled for now 15:30:38 CorNouws 3.1 - 3.3 are informative 15:30:38 louis_to and would suggest we move on to "Proposal for role of .. coordinator" 15:30:49 CorNouws louis_to: ok for me 15:31:05 louis_to CorNouws: yes. We are still working on this issue, however, and it depends to a degree on Stefan... 15:31:11 louis_to So, #4: coordinator 15:31:14 sophi louis_to: ok for me too 15:31:19 louis_to I think we all voted on this, no? I voted late 15:31:21 Thalion72 ok to move on (no questions to the internship atm) 15:31:33 louis_to and all voted +1 15:31:41 _Nesshof_1 +1 15:31:52 paveljanik now :-) 15:32:04 louis_to I would thus propose that we go with the coordinator idea. 15:32:16 louis_to are there any objections to it? 15:32:30 sophi louis_to: not from me 15:32:43 CorNouws nor from me :-) 15:32:58 Thalion72 no objection but one question: who to assign the role? 15:33:02 sophi louis_to: I didn't vote on Terry but I do now :) 15:33:24 jpmcc Are we happy to bring in someone not on the cc to do the job? I'm ok with it... 15:33:30 louis_to :-) 15:33:36 CorNouws sophi: hmm, bit confused 15:33:36 Thalion72 I'm ok with this as well 15:33:40 _Nesshof_1 jpmcc: +1 15:33:49 louis_to jpmcc: would that require a re-write of the charter? 15:33:58 sophi CorNouws: why? 15:33:59 louis_to as these meetings are closed, I thought 15:34:11 _Nesshof_1 louis_to: I don't think so 15:34:18 CorNouws I thought the discussion with Terri was that she has to be on the council first? 15:34:20 _Nesshof_1 as there is no power to vote 15:34:33 louis_to however, we had discussions bfore about "observers" 15:34:49 louis_to and non-voting persons, and that was not approved before.... 15:34:52 jpmcc I think the meetings are closed ... but the minutes an AIs are public, so the co-ordinator should be able to work from those? 15:35:15 CorNouws jpmcc: does not sound so logic ... and what about 4 to 5 months? 15:35:19 mhu agrees with John 15:36:00 CorNouws but I do not object, if we want Terri to help in this way, of course. 15:36:01 louis_to proposal: that we grant the Coordinator the right and obligation to attend CC meetings to take notes, derive minutes, etc. but that the Coordinator shall not be construed to have voting powers 15:36:14 louis_to notes that Terri may have been joking 15:36:28 louis_to please indicate vote on proposal and discuss, of course, if needed 15:36:34 CorNouws doesn't think so 15:37:09 mhu thinks Terri is a longtime observer 15:37:18 jpmcc +1 15:37:18 louis_to please, let's focus on the proposal... 15:37:21 louis_to thx 15:37:46 mhu +1 (meaning: okay, why not) 15:37:50 CorNouws louis_to: what you propose is ok for the time that Terri,, as non cc member is coordiantor 15:37:59 CorNouws not forthe period therafter, I guess 15:38:14 louis_to "terri" or any other person who occupies the Coordinator role 15:38:28 Thalion72 CorNouws: I don't see, why this should be bound to "terri" 15:38:36 louis_to indeed 15:38:38 CorNouws If that person is not a cc member... 15:38:49 CorNouws but one of the ideas behind the proposal was ... 15:38:58 CorNouws that being couordiantord and cc member 15:39:13 CorNouws enhances the invilved of all the individual members ... :-( 15:39:33 mhu would prefer someone like Cor being the Coordinator, he did a good job already 15:39:43 louis_to then you specify that the Coordinator must be a CC member? 15:39:56 louis_to that's fine with me... I just want to identify the precise point 15:40:01 mhu but if the only alternative is Terri, I'd go for Terri 15:40:04 CorNouws mhu: thanks, but still the idea, on which we agreed, says: 4 to 5 months :-) 15:40:18 louis_to let's us first resolve: 15:40:24 CorNouws louis_to: pls read what you voted for ! 15:40:24 louis_to Must the Coordinator be a CC member 15:40:30 louis_to (let us not bring in Terri, please) 15:40:54 louis_to Cor; I am trying to be flexible here 15:41:07 CorNouws louis_to: why? 15:41:17 CorNouws we just voted for something 15:41:21 mhu has a hard limit of 4 minutes remaining ... dinner is waiting ... getting cold 15:41:23 CorNouws and before the first step 15:41:28 CorNouws leave the idea ??? 15:41:39 jpmcc If the CC members had been good at organising the,selves, we would not be having this conversation. So +1 to bring someone in who can help us :) 15:42:00 CorNouws mhu may buy a microwave fromthe cc budget ;-) 15:42:00 sophi the one who wants to do the job should have it being a CC member or not 15:42:20 CorNouws sophi: what does the proposal, you agreed with, say? 15:42:30 louis_to I would then ask that we return to the mail list and table the vote until next meeting, as we are not --NOT-- in agreement as to whether the Coordinator shall be a CC member 15:43:00 louis_to we must resolve that point. We voted all of us that it be a CC member but now are deviating 15:43:03 sophi CorNouws: having a coordinator for the meeting, I didn't vote on the last one I guess :) 15:43:07 CorNouws Yes, and then not only a coordinator who pokes us, but also helpes reading?? 15:43:09 louis_to therefore, we need to return to that issue 15:43:35 Thalion72 louis_to: well ... CorNouws is right. we all voted on his proposal and this includes that "he/she is chosen from the council members" 15:43:38 louis_to I am therefore tabling that item and asking we discuss ithat issue on the list 15:43:41 CorNouws louis_to: OK to get back to the list, to clear this up, of course 15:43:44 louis_to yes. 15:44:01 louis_to Thalion72: I am acknowledging CorNouws's point 15:44:25 louis_to Do we wish to move on to the next items? 15:44:36 louis_to I would ask that we skip #5 15:44:57 Thalion72 ok .. but I get the impression that council votes to not count a pence 15:45:09 louis_to Thalion72? 15:45:11 CorNouws louis_to: Yes, I think that is not in the rigth place - done already with the AI's 15:45:47 CorNouws Thalion72: (Maybe you look at an older version of the agenda?) 15:45:50 louis_to then I would ask that we have a quick roundtable (and Thalion72: can explain what he meant...louis is puzzled) 15:46:17 CorNouws Only item left is 6: Guidelines for bundling extensions 15:46:23 louis_to yes. 15:46:26 louis_to if we skip #5 15:46:53 louis_to So: do we wish to go on to #6? 15:46:58 jpmcc +1 15:47:01 louis_to 1. Guidelines for bundling extensions 15:47:01 louis_to issue 100836 requests the removal of the writer2latex extension from OOo 3.1 (raised as showstopper) 15:47:01 louis_to reason was given in issue 100744 as "According to our guidelines for bundling extensions we cannot bundle extensions which are not covered by the guidelines to contribute (meaning SCA)." 15:47:01 louis_to Question to the council: where are those guidelines, who approved these guidelines at what time? 15:47:14 louis_to http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=100836 15:47:21 louis_to http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=100744 15:47:23 Thalion72 as I put this to the agenda for the last meeting ... 15:47:55 _Nesshof_1 Thalion72: I think we resolved this issue last meeting 15:48:04 _Nesshof_1 this was a mistake of min 15:48:07 Thalion72 this is resolved for me, as martin answered at the releases list 15:48:10 sophi Thalion72: but from what I remember, Martin explained what he meant 15:48:16 Thalion72 yes 15:48:34 _Nesshof_1 we don't have yet guidelines for bundling extensions 15:48:39 _Nesshof_1 but working on that 15:49:15 louis_to _Nesshof_1: do we have a due date, or guess? 15:49:24 louis_to as this issue has been around since at least Beijing 15:49:27 CorNouws http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/ESC/Criteria_for_bundling_extensions 15:49:32 louis_to thanks 15:49:54 Thalion72 Im fine with this - my point was just the false reference to "the agreed guidelines" 15:50:02 sophi louis_to: at least since SCA ;-) 15:50:15 louis_to :-) 15:50:23 _Nesshof_1 I think we will resolve this issue before the next release 15:50:27 _Nesshof_1 July or so 15:50:33 sophi _Nesshof_1: great, thanks 15:50:37 louis_to yes. 15:50:47 louis_to do we have time for a quick roundtable? 15:51:00 louis_to it can also be done on the mail list 15:51:09 _Nesshof_1 yes, fyi: I will announce in next release status meeting ... 15:51:10 louis_to but I thought it useful to introduce that idea to us 15:51:34 _Nesshof_1 ... that I will step back from my active role in this meeting .. 15:51:48 _Nesshof_1 ... to a more passive role in that meeting ... 15:52:14 louis_to okay... 15:52:21 _Nesshof_1 martin damboldt agreed to take over the active, driving part of that meeting ... 15:52:52 louis_to well, if no one is interested in volunteering roundtable now, please, if you can, send an update of what you are doing (and also commiunity you may speak for) to the council list before next meeting. 15:52:57 _Nesshof_1 but of course I still take responsible of the result of that meeting towards CC 15:53:19 louis_to is there any new business for this meeting? 15:53:30 CorNouws _Nesshof_1: thanks for what you did, and for taking care to handle it over to Martin_3 15:53:47 CorNouws louis_to: not that I am aware of.. 15:53:53 _Nesshof_1 I still will be the stand in for martin d. 15:54:00 louis_to please send in an update, then. 15:54:10 louis_to and if no objections, I would like to call the meeting adjourned


text:
For Brandon, this is the last one of a four-part series, and I hope you like what I did with it 🙂
The mug never empties; the thirst never ends.
The inscription under the name of the inn – The Magic Mug – was a bit creepy, but as another peal of thunder shook in his ribs, Gehlen realized no matter how bad it was inside, outside would soon be worse, so he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Besides, where else was he going to go?
After the mermaid had delivered her message, the sea had cooperated, speeding My Sweet Susanne to her destination. The land of the Half-men was called Urlin by men, and its inhabitants called dwarves. Harsh and rugged, only the hardiest adventurers and seekers of fortune braved the stone giants of Urlin. I'll have to write a book about my travels one day, so the world knows the truth of what happened, Gehlen thought. Under the shadow of the Order, who knows what will change?
Gehlen shrugged his jacket farther up to shield his face, though what good that would do, he didn't know. He was at least twice as tall as every other person and stood out like a sore thumb. Trying not to draw even more attention than he already was, he made his way to the bar.
"I'm looking for a man named Despin," he said to the barman.
The short, bearded man gave him a surly glare from under heavy brows. "Do I look like an address book?"
Gehlen fumbled with his money sack and pulled out a gold piece. This far south, the Order was only a whisper of a shadow, and Gehlen could spend freely without fear that he would be traced. The downside to that was the dwarves' avarice was not curbed, and Gehlen suspected his purse would be empty before too long.
The barman took the coin, and it softened the sullen fix of his face. "Despin hasn't been by for a few weeks. Don't know what happened to him."
"Did he leave a message? Some way to get in contact with him?" Gehlen asked.
The barman barked a laugh. "You don't know old Despin that well, do you? He wouldn't want anyone to 'get in contact with him,' so no, he didn't leave a message."
"Oh. Thank you," Gehlen nodded.
His mind was already making plans to overcome this dead end, figured the next logical step, and he wasn't really paying attention as he made his way to the door. He ran into a figure in a dark cloak, and the two tangled and fell into a table. Gehlen crashed into a chair, bruising his leg and shoulder, and his elbow smashed into the hard ground, sending hot and cold spikes shooting up and down his arm.
The other person leaped up, apparently no worse for wear, and offered a pale, long-fingered hand to help Gehlen up. The wizard grasped the hand and felt himself lifted from the ground as if he weighed no more than a feather. He blinked when he saw the person stood head and shoulders above him.
Gehlen stared into dark eyes twinkling at him from under the large cowl. "Penny for your thoughts," the stranger said in a gravely voice. "Hope they were worth the tumble."
Then he moved on to the bar. The barman looked up and blinked in surprise. They spoke in voices too soft for Gehlen to hear, but the conversation was short, and as soon as it was finished, the tall stranger made his way back to where Gehlen was still standing.
"Mordu tells me you were looking for me," the stranger said.
"You're Despin?" Gehlen said.
The man gave a dramatic bow at the waist, his cloak billowing out. "I am he. What can I do for you?"
"I have something for you," Gehlen said and brought out the small, pearlescent shell the mermaid had given him.
It swung on a fine gold chain, the motion mesmerizing. Despin snatched it out of Gehlen's hand and stuffed it under his cloak.
"What are you doing, waving that about in here?" the tall man muttered with a glare.
"I'm sorry," Gehlen said. "I didn't know–"
"You didn't know what?" Despin interuppted, his scowl deepening. "That this is a very old, very delicate, very powerful little trinket? That if it comes into contact with just a drop of water, or the merest puff of steam, it will go off and nothing will be left standing for league in every direction? That around these parts, something like this is worth more than your life?"
"No, I didn't," Gehlen said in a small voice, realizing that just as he thought he knew what he was doing and the scope of it, he would inevitably learn, as he had a dozen times before, that he was in a much bigger part of the world than he had ever been before, and what he thought he knew, perhaps he didn't.
"You don't know much, do you?" Despin said, his exasperation tempered by easy smile. "Well, come with me then, and we can discuss what you're doing with this, and why you're looking for me."
The man took Gehlen to another tavern of sorts, but instead to taking a table in the common, he led Gehlen up seven sets of stairs to the top floor. Gehlen was sure the building looked shorter from the outside. The room was round and cluttered, giving it a homey feel with a flavor of eccentricity.
Despin indicated a chair with a wave of his hand and busied himself at the bench. When he turned around, he held a tray of mugs, steaming coffee in a kettle, and a plate piled so high with cakes it was in danger of toppling. After the hot drink was poured, Despin peered at Gehlen over the rim of his cup.
"Tell me everything."
Gehlen did, starting with the discovery of the mirror in the abandoned underground keep of Stormgrim, the plan to take it to the Hinterlands, taking it through Merivia to the sea, stowing away on the boat, and his trek though Urlin. "And then I ended up in The Magic Mug."
Despin nodded, as if Gehlen had made a particularly astute commentary about the weather, and finished his coffee in one sip. "Where is this Mirror?"
Gehlen pulled out the shrunken mirror, cradling it in the palm of his hand, and Despin gazed at it from the corner of his eye – now twin ruby lights peering from his face – as he spent several moments choosing between the chocolate creme, the strawberry custard, or the coconut puff. Without being told to, Gehlen called the Sight forth, and warmth bloomed in his fingers, allowing the mirror to grow to its proper size. When he glimpsed his reflection, his eyes stood out, also blood red and glowing.
"I see you have gained a measure of skill," Despin told Gehlen with a nod of respect and finally settled on the chocolate creme.
"Yes, but it's not enough," Gehlen said, frustration creeping into his words. "I cannot truly control the mirror, or stop the Order, nor find this light the merqueen spoke of."
"What you need is a Master of Mirrors."
Gehlen's skin tingled just hearing the words. "What is that?"
"What does it sound like?" Despin gave him one of his condescending yet strangely understanding looks. "A person who has mastered the true power of a magic mirror."
"Which is?"
Despin's eyes glazed over when he gazed inwards, making them look more pink than true red. "Mirrors are funny things. They have no power on their own; they only reflect what they find. This makes them fickle, and the use of them is a fine art, something that must be learned but cannot be taught, that must be real, but cannot be touched."
Gehlen leaned in closer, hanging on the silence, but the other man had nothing more to say. He finished his pastry and licked the crumbs from his fingers, brooding for a moment more before banishing the dark thoughts that haunted him. He prompted Gehlen with a smile. "Any other questions?"
"How can I find a Master of Mirrors?" Gehlen asked.
Despin's smile widened, a sly twist making him older and a little more sinister, and his answer sent shivers running over Gehlen's skin.
"You already have."


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Beauty Trend A/W17: Heavy Liner
"I call it the glam-rock look because it's very glamorous, but in no way gothic," comments our Head of Artistry Albane Laloy. At the A/W17 shows, makeup artists revamped the autumnal trend for smoky eyes and instead gave it more of a rock-chic feel, with models sporting dramatic smudged black eyeliner and clumpy mascara.
It can be worn any time, but according to Albane, it depends on whether you want to pair it with a full red lip or just a gloss. During the day, she recommends a gloss or a very sheer nude lipstick such as one of the new nude shades from the ROUGE-EXPERT line. Alternatively, the BY TERRY HYALURONIC SHEER ROUGE is perfect because it's in-between a gloss and a lipstick. If you're looking for more of a sheen, the GLOSS TERRYBLY SHINE is a great option because there are a variety of colours from which to choose, depending on whether you prefer pink, nude, or brown tones.
According to our Head of Artistry, your best friend when achieving this look – particularly if you want a more glamorous, sophisticated effect – is concealer, which will make the crucial difference as it will prevent you from looking as though you have dark circles under your eyes. For this, we love the new STYLO-EXPERT CLICK STICK, which allows for precise application thanks to its easy-to-use applicator, as well as offering full coverage and a velvety smooth finish.
After applying concealer, the next step to achieving this look is to outline the water line below the upper lashes and above the lower lashes. For this, Albane recommends BY TERRY's CRAYON KOHL TERRYBLY, which smudges easily with the help of our PENCIL BRUSH. Next, apply OMBRE BLACKSTAR in No.1 Black Pearl onto eyelids or if you want to look really rock 'n' roll, apply a small amount of brown or black eyeshadow and using the Pencil Brush again, smudge this gently to give a smoky finish.


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Tyler Long and Jace Streater of the Shawnee FFA Chapter in Oklahoma share their plant systems agriscience fair project with pathway sponsor Susanne Wasson, the vice president of commercial effectiveness—agriculture division for DowDuPont.
INDIANAPOLIS – From studying algae growth and analyzing leadership activities to researching how to improve soil nutrition: FFA members with a passion for agriscience have spent months preparing for the National FFA Agriscience Fair. Their hard work will come to a culmination this week at the National FFA Convention & Expo.
FFA agriscience projects focus on six career pathways – animal systems; environmental services/natural resources systems; food products and processing systems; plant systems; power, structural and technical systems; or social science – in six divisions. Those divisions are for individuals in grades 7-8; teams in grades 7-8; individuals in grades 9-10; teams in grades 9-10; individuals in grades 11-12; and teams in grades 11-12.
To qualify for the national agriscience fair, students had to win in their respective states, submit an application to National FFA, and be selected as one of the top 12 in their respective category and division. Each student also had to conduct a scientific research project pertaining to the agriculture and food science industries and present their findings to a panel of judges with a display and a report.
This event showcased more than 200 projects and was made possible by several pathway sponsors, including DowDuPont. "The National AgriScience Fair provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to FFA members," noted Susanne Wasson, the vice president of commercial effectiveness—agriculture division for DowDuPont. "It exposes students to the broad scale of the agriculture industry and opens them up to so many possibilities within the vast field of agriculture."
Tyler Long and Jace Streater of the Shawnee FFA Chapter in Oklahoma competed in division six of the plant systems category. Their project studied the effects of different watering methods on plants. "It took a lot of hard work to get here," said Streater. "It is such an honor to be able to represent our chapter and state at the national level."
The National FFA Agriscience winners will be announced in the fifth general session, which begins at noon on Friday, Oct. 27.
Katie Burns is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She works full time for the Illinois Association FFA as the communications specialist. Burns is serving as a reporter for the 90th National FFA Convention & Expo Newsroom Crew.