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On this webpage you will find information on the speed pedelec (NTA 8776) helmet and how to recognize one. You will also find more information concerning NTA 8776-certifed helmets and what certification bodies hold a licensing agreement with NEN for NTA 8776 certification.
What is an NTA 8776 (speed pedelec) helmet?
A speed pedelec is a two-wheeled vehicle with auxiliary propulsion power, assisting the rider with pedalling up to a maximum of 45 km/h. According to the new EU directive (No 168/2013) on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles, the S-EPAC is classified as a moped.
An NTA 8776 helmet is a helmet that complies with the requirements in the Dutch Technical Agreement (NTA) 8776. These requirements have been drafted by an international project group under the management of NEN. This helmet looks like a bicycle helmet, but protects against higher impact speeds and covers a larger part of the head.
Drafting NTA 8776
In drafting the NTA, the project group made use of existing knowledge on head protection (a whole range of existing helmet standards, literature) and the results of tests performed on high-end bicycle helmets. Then, using EN 1078 as the base, the project group redefined its requirements towards the limits of the current technical possibilities in head protection. Next to the increased safety level, other important considerations in defining the requirements were that the helmet should be suitable for use in physical effort and should not impede the hearing ability of the S-EPAC user.
NTA 8776 is freely available for perusal. To view NTA 8776 register freely at NEN Connect. NTA 8776 is also availiable for purchase in our NEN Webshop.
How do I recognize an NTA 8776 helmet?
To be permitted to place a S-EPAC helmet on the market and to be able to use it on public roads (in the Netherlands), the helmet has to contain a mark of approval which can be found in Annex B of NTA 8776. This mark of approval is tied to an accompanying certification process. The requirements for the certification process are written down in the NEN certification scheme NCS 8776. The mark of approval is to be found on (the right side of) this website, in Annex B of NTA 8776 and in NCS 8776. On the inside of the speed pedelec helmet only the text 'NTA 8776' is displayed. The full mark of approval is displayed on the packaging of the helmet and in the manual.
Which helmets are certified to NTA 8776?
Here you will find an up-to-date overview of NTA 8776 certified helmets.
Where can I certify an NTA 8776 helmet?
Certification bodies that have a license agreement with NEN are qualified to certify NTA 8776 helmets. These are the VIAS Institure in Brussels, Belgium, Telefication in Zevenaar, the Netherlands and CSI in Bollate, Italy. More information on certification or application.
Certifcationscheme NCS 8776
NCS 8776 is freely available for perusal. To view NCS 8776 register freely at NEN Connect. NCS 8776 is also availiable for purchase in our NEN webshop.
For questions about NTA 8776 and NCS 8776 you can contact Robby Veders, Consultant Industrie & Veiligheid, phonenumber +31(0)15 2 690 180 or you can send an e-mail.
For questions about the developments of speed-pedelec or standardization and bicycles you can contact Merel Wagner, Consultant AgroFood & Consument, phonenumber +31(0)15 2 690 185 or send an e-mail.


text: The Terry Pottery my husband and I started back in 1969 has been my passion and my professional career. Over the years my work has been represented in many galleries throughout the country. Commissions have included museums and residential installations. My ceramic work is wheel thrown or hand built with slabs, coils and wheel thrown additions. My signature has always been my surface treatments. How the clay responds to textures is my primary interest, whether from markings, rolling or adding relief design elements. I have taught ceramics at Prescott College and Yavapai College. Oil painting is another art form where I find pure enjoyment in the beauty and challenge of every brush stroke. I have a B.A. in painting from Massachusetts College of Art and I studied with master potter Harry Holl.

subset: commoncrawl


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Unit Study Numbers
Below is where our unit study workbox numbers are kept.
Subject Cards
There are four of each of the subject cards below, each with a different colour border. The reason for this is that I have three children who I have colour coded for purposes of organisation (the 4Th colour border is for my own files).
Contact me with any questions/requests
Thank you, your message has been sent
Workbox Numbers
Here is where you will find our workbox number cards!
Due to popular demand, and numerous requests here is the revised and updated car workboxes numbers.


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Maverick Quality Advisory Services (MQAS) a worldwide CMMI Institute Partner specializes in CMMI certification services including High Maturity levels for Development and Service models, providing tailor-made integrated process solutions aligned with the business context of the client in the area of System and Software Engineering covering products and services.
We provide multiple model/multi location integrated QMS for CMMI ML2, ML3, ML4 and ML5 coupled with Six Sigma and ITSM practices. We also provide appraisal services for CMMI Acquisition model.
The MQAS team has been able to carve a niche in this area and has worked with some of the well-known names in the industry. What differentiates MQAS from other organizations is the focus that MQAS has on building relationships with its clients by providing benefits linked to business needs and critical to quality parameters of the client.
We have extensively trained, experienced and qualified professionals with multi disciplinary implementation and model experience including CMMI, TL9000, Six Sigma, IEEE and Mil Standards. Each of our senior professionals has global experience of conducting appraisals, audits, and training across Asia, USA, Africa and Europe. Our professionals have worked with over 100 organizations across the world.
We also provide certification services for ISO9001:2015, ISO27001:2013 & ISO20000:2011
We impart training for PMI certification courses and specialized Training such as Six Sigma, Function Point Estimation, Project Scheduling, Metrics.
We have presence in the USA, Europe, Asia Pacific Region and South East Asia –Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Philippines and have our registered offices in New Delhi and Virginia USA.
We are registered member of NASSCOM, worldwide CMMI Institute Partner, provider of ISO Certification services, and REP PMI USA.
CAPM, PMP, PMI and PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. The PMI Registered Education Provider logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.


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'The Standard' by John Reinhard Dizon: an old-school action-filled thriller
William Shanahan has done his time in the field with the SAS and the SBS. He now dreams of nothing more than a desk job near the center of power on Downing Street, and a strategic marriage to a woman of means. One last job in the murky world of MI6 and then it's all his, except …
Except his assignment is to babysit a convicted psychopath from the other side of the Northern Irish divide. And the target this loose canon has been pointed at is unclear, to put it mildly.
The Tea Party Republicans in the United States have decided to return the world to the gold standard in order to stabilize the current global depression. And in their wisdom they have pre-announced their move, giving literally every cashed up member of the underworld something to buy with their money.
Sidelining one Enrique Chupacabra of the Medellin Cartel is only the beginning. Somebody bigger is pulling his strings, and has a bigger plan. The united underworld can't buy enough gold to make much of a difference … unless the gold reserves of a few key countries are destroyed. And this only needs a few North Korean/Iranian nuclear bombs in the hands of Al Qaida.
'The Standard' by John Reinhard Dizon is an old-school action-filled thriller. The good guys are one play-by-the-rules Catholic government agent paired with a break-all-the-rules Protestant Ulster Freedom Fighter. The bad guys are legion – every underworld kingpin has been brought together to cash in on America's latest folly. The stakes are as high as is possible – nuclear weapons and global domination.
The events are very current, so don't wait five years to read this book. If you don't like the fast women, fast cars, and fast pace, you'll at least enjoy the many gourmet meals and penthouse hotel suites. You might even learn something – such as the fact that tungsten and gold have almost identical densities.
Posted on 19 September 2013, in Writing and tagged book review. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.


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Finding the very best contract and freelance talent matches is only part of what's made us the largest global digital marketing, creative and development recruitment agency since our founding. Our people, technology, sourcing strategy and our commitment to unique service make us the go-to resource for digital talent and digital project solutions.
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Our proprietary talent management system supports the full talent cycle: workforce planning, streamlined hiring process, freelancer management, budgeting, and cost management.
Hire proactively with Talent Pool, our unique talent management system. Build and manage a pipeline of freelancers, curated just for you.
Fostering Happy, Productive Talent
In-depth Training
All our talent and clients have access to Gymnasium, an online, on-demand training platform where professionals can bridge the digital gap and upskill for free.


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- The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 5, Issue 3, 1 May 1956, p. 559 - 561
The Incubation Period of the Eggs of Oncomelania Nosophora
The incubation period of eggs of Oncomelania nosophora ranges from about 10 days to 35 days under seemingly uniform laboratory conditions. Maximum hatching occurred after 24–25 days at day time room temperatures of 20–25°C. in March–April, and at 18–19 days at 24–29°C. in May–June.
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene


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Bella Pescara Guesthouse
Via Ortona 9, Pescara, Italy
- HostelBookers
- Hostels
- italy hostels
- Abruzzo
- Hostel pescara
- Bella Pescara
- Bella Pescara Map
Atmosphere 93%
Cleanliness 100%
Facilities 93%
Location 93%
Safety 93%
Staff 100%
Value 100%
- Air conditioning
- Free Breakfast
- Free Wi-Fi
- Bicycle Hire
- Bicycle Parking
- Cots available
- Free City Maps
- Hair Dryers
- Housekeeping
- Luggage Storage
- Mini-bar
- Outdoor Terrace
- Safe Deposit Box
- Swimming Pool
- Tea/Coffee Making Facilities
- Towels Included
Check-in / Check-out
Earliest check-in: 12:00
- Child Friendly
- Credit Cards Accepted
- No Curfew
- Non Smoking
- Pet Friendly"
- Taxes Included
Group booking?
Group of 15 or more traveling to Pescara?
Map and Directions
From the Airport:By car: exit the airport and turn left, direction Pescara centre. After approx 3 km you will reach a main road Viale Marconi, turn left and keep going north in direction of Corso Vittorio Emanuele. When you reach the Theatre Circus, on your right hand side at n. 128 you will find the narrow Via Ortona. We will be waiting for you at n. 9 (10 minutes driving).By bus: take bus n.38 which leaves the airport every 5-10 minutes. In a short while you will be in Pescara centre. You will need to get off after the main Post Office in Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Once off the bus, keep walking for 15 m and on your right hand side you will find the narrow Via Ortona. We will be waiting for you at n.9 ( about 22 minutes).By Taxi: always available by calling the number +39 085 35155 in few minutes you will be in Pescara centre. Please indicate the address Via Ortona or B&B Bella Pescara and we will be waiting for you at n. 9 (approx cost of taxi ride 15 Euro, estimated time 10 minutes) From the rail or bus station:Walking: exit the station and walk across the main parking area of the train station until reaching the bus station and ticket office in C.so Vittorio Emanuele. Cross the road and turn right for about 380 m. until your reach n. 128. Enter the narrow Via Ortona and we will be waiting for you at n. 9. (6 minutes walking)By car: Coming from the north side, use the highway exit 'Cittasant'Angelo' Pescara Nord junction to continue into 'Pescara Centro (city centre)' direction. Just right after the central railway station in Corso Vittorio Emanuele main road at the civic number 128 make a left turn in 'via Ortona'. (25 minutes driving)Coming from south side, use the highway Pescara Ovest- Chieti junction to continue in 'Pescara Centro' (city centre) until you find the main road, 'Corso Vittorio Emanuele II'. The civic number 128 crossing with Ortona is where we are.(15 minutes driving)Arriving from Rome the exit will be 'Pescara-Chieti' continue towards 'Pescara Centro' (city centre) until you find the main road, 'Corso Vittorio Emanuele II'. The civic number 128 crossing with Ortona is where we are.(15 minutes driving)Exit From the Tourist Port: You have to turn right and continue for the city centre direction. After driving past the Pescara river you will find the Corso Vittorio Emanuele main road and will have to continue in the north direction at the number 128. You will find Via Ortona, where we are (estimated time by car 7 minutes, walking time 20 minutes).


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Wool or Cotton, Striped or Spotted, we have any kind of rug you could dream of! Designs that burst with personality in a range of sizes and colours that can only be made better by their durability.As every room in your Haven deserves to look fabulous.Dash & Albert rugs are specifically tailored to dealing with high-traffic areas. In addition with very low maintenance you can keep them in ship shape condition.
You are free to come in and check the samples of every Dash & Albert Rug, indoor and outdoor.
Our antique Kilims are between 50 and 90 years old, all handwoven and made from sheep's wool.


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By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) – The Pennsylvania Turnpike has hired a construction management firm to oversee the widening of a section of the highway west of Valley Forge, but actual construction won't begin for another year.
Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo says this is the next step in the widening of the Turnpike in the Philadelphia area which is moving in stages from east to west.
"The section from the Delaware River Bridge to the Valley Forge Interchange is already all six lanes," DeFebo explains. "And now we've been focusing on the design, for the past several years, of the Turnpike from Valley Forge west to the Downingtown Interchange."
DeFebo says the Turnpike Commission has held public events to get input on design and he emphasizes that work on the Valley Forge to Downingtown widening, which will also involve complete replacement of existing road, won't actually begin until next summer.
The cost of the project is almost half a billion dollars. The first phase of the project, a six mile stretch just west of Valley Forge, will be completed in late 2017.


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An Evening in with Love Chin Chin – Review
Now we are well and truly into Autumn, nothing beats a warm and cosy night in. We all love 'Netflix and chill' but if you're anything like me, it should really be called 'Netflix and chill and snacks'. Instead of the usual salty snacks and fruit I opt for, (I already know I'm weird) I tried out a selection of West African snacks from Love Chin Chin.
|Love Chin Chin*
Chin chin is a traditional West African snack that originated in Nigeria which Love Chin Chin have brought to the coasts of Britain. The slogan "Crunches like a biscuit, tastes like a cake." is definitely well founded. The lovechild from when cake met biscuit.
They are moreish, appetising and come in an appealing handy pack which I found best serves 2, though just as easily serves 1. There are four flavours currently available: Chilli, Lemon, Cinnamon and Vanilla. I was lucky enough to try all four.
Chilli – I can barely handle black pepper let alone anything with actual heat so instead of risking it, I gave the chilli flavour to my parents. They both enjoyed them saying that they were unusual as they were sweet and crisp with a slight kick. According to them, they go great with beer and wine.
Lemon – This was the first bag I opened as this seemed the most unusual flavour and I was keen to try them. I found the taste and texture very similar to shortbread except with more of a crunch. They were very biscuity with a sweet lemon flavour. I brought these over to my partners house to share and we ended up both reaching for the last remainders. I let him win 🙂
Cinnamon – Cinnamon is one of my favourite flavours and aromas so this was the one I was most excited about. Like the lemon this has an almost cakey, shortbread taste but with a bit of cinnamon. For me, the cinnamon flavour was not strong enough though it was still very enjoyable.** My partner had no complaints and these were his favourite.
**This is coming from a girl who has about a tablespoon of ground cinnamon on her porridge each morning so the taste is probably perfect for "normal" folk.
Vanilla – I left this favour last, assuming that the vanilla flavour would be quite plain. How wrong I was. The vanilla flavour was by far the best out of the three I tried. The vanilla was quite strong which made this bag not last long at all. In fact I don't think I even shared this bag with anyone. Oops.
Overall it was nice to try something different. I loved the fun designed packaging and colours and will definitely be grabbing some vanilla flavour if I see them in store. I realise now, long after they have been eaten, that I did not take any photos of the actual food. They are short and plain biscuit coloured and the perfect size for taking a small handful of and carefully dipping in tea. Here is a photo from the Love Chin Chin website:
|Little bits of biscuit, Love Chin Chin
Love Chin Chin are available in Asda and Tesco as well as on their website. If you grab a bag, let me know what you think.
Have you tried any form of chin chin before? Does your family have any family food traditions?
Helen x
Bloglovin' | Twitter |
*PR supplied product. All opinions are my own.


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Have you ever gotten stressed out or sick or tense and you got a monster headache so bad that it radiated to your neck and shoulders? And you couldn't even sit up? It is the worst. As in, bad enough to make you cry.
Honestly, if my headache is bad enough, I resort to over-the-counter medication. And I feel just fine about that, but I always wish that I had something more "natural" to use that would work just as well. The key being that it works just as well.
Well, I finally found it! And I think I am in shock. I have been geeking out about it ever since it worked so crazily well!
So what is it? It's…
…called Deep Relief, and I'm sold. Waaay sold. Like, bother-you-a-lot-about-it sold. Sold!
Essentially (heh), Deep Relief is an essential oil blend of wintergreen, peppermint, lemon, balsam fir, copaiba, vetiver, clove, palo santo. It comes in a roll-on from Young Living. Yes, it's specially made for muscle soreness and tension, but my skeptical mind saw it for the first time and thought: "I'll believe it when it works."
Well, I'm here to eat my words, because it does.
So, what happened anyways?
My most recent headache was a doozy, and was likely due to a virus that was making it's way through my family and community of friends. I was in so much pain that I couldn't get out of bed, laying flat, for hours. Until I remembered that I had my shiny new Deep Relief roll-on in my essential oils box!
As I winced when I sat up, stood up, and bent over to get the Deep Relief roll-on, I remember thinking that it had better work. I rolled all over the back of my neck, the tops of my shoulders, and a little bit on each temple. I even rubbed more into my scalp after applying it to my hands.
I laid back down and within one minute I was able to feel a tingling sensation and a heat spreading through my muscles…and everything released. Within about 10 minutes I was feeling so much more relaxed, I was finally able to function for the rest of the day. I had to apply the Deep Relief two more times that day, and each time my headache receded more and more until it was gone. Amazing!
Natural Remedies are best:
In the past, for tension and headaches, I generally go to these these tricks before I resort to medicine: stretching, sleeping, massage, etc. If I cannot get it under control within an hour or so, I use aspirin or acetaminophen. But I try not to resort to medicine when I can help it.
But, if I am being totally honest, I have never been able to find a natural remedy that works as well as medication…until now. I was a skeptic, and now I have undeniable proof that this natural remedy can blow pain meds out of the water!
Click here to get Deep Relief and the other essential oils in the Premium Starter Kit (which I highly recommend; I have been using all of the oils in the kit with gusto!)
Even if you are simply suffering from a tension headache, there is genuine relief to be found in something very very simple: an essential oil blend designed for muscle and tension relief. I'm so glad I won't need my aspirin bottle anymore!
When I get sick there are many natural remedies that I utilize, but one of the most reliable is essential oils. Essential oils have a measurable effect on the body, so I am confident in their ability to aid in symptomatic relief when I catch a cold, flu, or virus. Or just when my neck is really tight!


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Nine Muses' Euaerin Was Hurt in the Past Due to Her Racy Bikini Photo
Nine Muses' Euaerin revealed she was hurt in the past when a photo of herself wearing a bikini was leaked to the public.
Female singer group Nine Muses showed up as guests for the March 29th broadcast of Mnet "Beatles Code 2." When weather reporter Park Eun Ji talked about the harsh criticism she had once received for wearing a sheer fabric shirt on air, Nine Muses' Euaerin also revealed her painful experience.
Euaerin explained, "I once had a photo of myself wearing only a bikini leaked to the public. I took that photo during a shooting for Nine Muses' jacket photo. But because it was too racy we decided not to include it in our album." Unfortunately for the singer, however, the bikini photo had spread all over the internet.
Euaerin continued, "The photos were leaked. Back then, I was still young so I was flustered that a lot of people were paying so much attention to that photo." In addition, the singer revealed that she had received many negative comments.
She had received harsh criticisms such as, "It's too racy," "You're so cheap," and "So what if you're tall and skinny?" She said that hurtful comments such as these had left her deep scars.
Also on this day, Euaerin received attention for being MC Kim Tae Won's look-alike. She tied her hair back and made a posture similar to the MC's, showing their resemblance.


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I rise this morning, tired and weary, to another day of battle. Before I face it, I sleepily enter into the folds of Your garment. You stand with arms open to me. I shuffle forward and feel Your warmth surround me. In this secret, sweet place there is no fear there is no want there […]
Ask our family just about any question pertaining to the Andy Griffith show, and I'll be embarrassed to admit how much we know. Our Andy Griffith Trivia Game is played with alacrity. We simply know way too much.
We own all eight seasons and love the nuances of each. Floyd, Thelma Lou, Gomer and cousin Goober are our buds. And how can we begin to talk of Barney Fife? (Our favorite scene is his skilled rendition of the Preamble to the Constitution. What a fun thing to watch on Independence Day of all days.)
But the dearest of all characters is Andy himself. Why? Because he is the glue that holds all the other characters together, and he is the actor that makes every other actor look good. While Don Knotts won five Emmys for his role as Barney, Andy never won one.
So my little take away from my Mayberry friend's life is this: I hope I can be more like him in this regard – drawing out what is delightful about the people in my life and watching and rejoicing when they win their awards.
John the Baptist was your cousin and your friend, and he said such a profound thing: "He must increase, I must decrease." Please make that my motto today and everyday. Help me to place You and others in the spotlight, and help me to continually slip backstage further and further.


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Create and Publish a WordPress Website
At the end of this Workshop you will walk away with a good understanding of your WordPress Dashboard (Admin Area)! This training is for anyone who already has access to his/ her self-hosted WordPress Admin Area and wants to learn how to customize and manage the website's Admin Area, add/ edit pages and posts, photo galleries, widgets, menus, download and configure essential plugins and more.
Please note that during this training we will be downloading important plugins to your WordPress website – this training is therefore for all those who already have a (non-free) WordPress website (self-hosted WordPress website) hosted by a hosting company such as BlueHost, AfriHost, Hetzner, or any other hosting company or individual. There are over 500 000 plugins in the WordPress repository – in this training we cover the important ones.
Should you not yet have a WordPress website and should your objective be to learn how to create a free website on WordPress I recommend you attend the Training Course 'Create Free Website' >
Update your Website to the Latest WordPress Version
Update Plugins
Configure Settings in the Admin Area
Download, Activate and Configure Jetpack
Bring the power of the WordPress.com cloud to your self-hosted WordPress. Configure the following plugins within Jetpack:
Carousel – With Carousel active, any standard WordPress galleries you have embedded in posts or pages will launch a gorgeous full-screen photo browsing experience with comments
Contact Form – A contact form is a great way to offer your readers the ability to get in touch, without giving out your personal email address.
Gravatar Hovercards – Hovercards enhance plain Gravatar images with information about a person: name, bio, pictures, their contact info, and other services.
Likes – Likes allow your readers to show their appreciation for your posts and other published content using their WordPress.com accounts. Your readers will then be able to review their liked posts from WordPress.com.
Mobile theme – There's a good chance that visitors to your site will be using a smartphone, and it's important to provide them with a great reading experience while on the small screen.
Omnisearch – Search once, get results from everything! Currently supports searching posts, pages, comments, media, and plugins.
Related posts – "Related Posts" shows additional relevant links from your site under your posts.
Sharing – Let visitors to your site share your pages and posts with their friends.
Subscriptions – Easily allow any visitor to subscribe to all of your posts via email through a widget in your blog's sidebar. Every time you publish a post, WordPress.com will send a notification to all your subscribers.
Tiled Galleries – Create elegant magazine-style mosaic layouts for your photos without having to use an external graphic editor. When adding a gallery to your post, you now have the option to select a layout style for your images. WordPress added support for Rectangular, Square, and Circular galleries.
WordPress.com Stats – There are many plugins and services that provide statistics, but data can be overwhelming. WordPress.com Stats makes the most popular metrics easy to understand through a clear and attractive interface.
Download, Activate and Configure very important Plugins
Resize Image – Simple plugin to automatically resize uploaded images to within specified maximum width and height
Photo Album – Easily create and manage photo albums
Login Redirect – Redirect users to different locations after logging in – this is important as you don't want to confuse users by getting them to the admin area after logging in. You want users to land on the homepage after they login.
Embed Document – this plugin lets you upload and embed your documents easily in your WordPress website without any additional browser plugins like Flash or Acrobat reader.
User Role – Change/add/delete WordPress user roles and capabilities
Akismet – Used by millions, Akismet is quite possibly the best way in the world to protect your blog from comment and trackback spam.
Colours – Customize the colours of the Twenty Fourteen Theme
Google Calendar
The best calendar for your WordPress site. Lots of incredible useful features. It works and does not conflict with other plugins:
- Create New Calendar
- Settings
- Create Events
- Embed Calendar in a Page or Blog
- Embed Calendar in a Widget on the sidebar
- All Users
- Add/ Invite New
- Your Profile/ Personal Settings
Appearance – Themes
Choose a theme – you can change the look of your blog with over 380 attractive WordPress themes ranging from professional to fun to crazy, and you can switch themes instantly with just a click of a button. Each theme allows you to customize your sidebar using widgets, and several themes let you upload your own photo or image for the header bar.
Add/ edit/ pages: Home, Gallery, Contact us
- Screen Options
- Save Draft/ Publish
- Title
- Content
- Page Attributes
- Featured Image
Posts/ Blogs
- The difference between 'pages' and 'posts'
- Screen Options
- Save Draft/ Publish
- Title
- Content
- Categories
- Tags
- Featured Image
- Author
Photos, Galleries and Photo Albums
Media Search
How to quickly search for a photo in the media library: it enables you to search by 'item', 'date', 'keyword'.
Image Attachment Details
- Title
- Caption
- Alt text – let images help your Search Engine rankings
- Description
Image Attachment Display Setting
- Media File
- Attachment Page
- Custom URL
Gallery Type
- Thumbnail Grid
- Tiled Mosaic
- Square Tiles
- Circles
- Tiled Columns
- Slideshow
Wrap Text
Wrap text around Image
Embed Videos
Embed a YouTube Video to a Page or Post; Embed a Video as a Widget
Google Maps
Easily add, customize and embed Google maps on pages and posts and… in widgets
Download a PDF file
Easily download any document s.a Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PDF, a Power Presentation and more.
Add a Nav Bar, Menus and drop-down Menus
- Gallery – display a photo gallery or slideshow as a widget
- Top Posts & Pages – shows your most viewed posts and pages.
- Top Rated – a list of your top rated posts, pages or comments.
- and more…
Time: 09h30 – 14H30
What you need to have in order to attend the Online Skype Meeting: Skype is incredibly user-friendly. Should you not have Skype, I will email you a Skype link so that you can attend the meeting even without downloading Skype. You need to have access to a desktop or lap-top and headphones with a mic.
Hands-on: This is hands-on training. During this workshop you are going to learn how to manage the Admin Area of your own website.
Upskill your understanding of WordPress.
Click an image to view in a carousel
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Meet new Friends and Learn how to Create and Publish a WordPress Website


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Top Instagram Models You Need To Follow
Instagram might be one of the most powerful social media networks nowadays. It is not only perfect for taking and searching through the feeds of your friends, but it can also help you to become famous. Yes, Instagram models are the thing nowadays, and we are all aware of that.
If you think you don't know some of them, let me refresh your mind. Instagram models are a new generation of supermodels – such as Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski, etc. Let's see which of these models you should follow and turn to for a piece of advice.
Kendall Jenner
Followers: 105 million
Kendal still holds first place on the list of top Instagram models. She is a famous runway model as well, which makes her even more popular than their reality show. As part of the Kardashian family, it was natural for Kendall to rule social media. However, she is a bit different in which kinds of things she is sharing with her followers. She is always natural and presenting herself as normal as possible.
Gigi Hadid
Followers: 46.4 million
Gigi is now a famous fashion model. She is a sister of Bella Hadid, while their mother is also famous – Yolanda Hadid is an American actress. Even though Gigi models since her early age, her debut was on New York fashion week in 2014. Since then, her followers' list was just becoming larger and larger. Follow her if you like to see a lot of runway posts and beauty pieces of advice.
Cara Delevingne
Followers: 41.3 million
For those who like eccentric and unique, Cara is the right Instagram model to follow. She comes from Britain, and people adore her look and her laugh. Her career began in 2002. However, when Christopher Bailey spotted her for his Burberry show, that is when she really has made a dramatic entrance into the fashion world. Her focus recently has been on books.
Bella Hadid
Followers: 23.1 million
Bella is one of the Hadid squad members and she is nothing less famous than her sister Gigi. They are so opposite though. While Gigi is blonde, Bella is black, with porcelain white tan. So, if you are a fan of Gigi, you will adore Bella as well. You need to see her as Victoria Secret's Angel.
Emily Ratajkowski
Followers: 22 million
Emily made her dramatic entrance by appearing in music videos – Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines and Maroon 5's Love Somebody. If you need a fitness inspiration, follow Emily, since she is not afraid to share her naked body and curves all the time. She made her debut modeling for Marc Jacobs in 2015.
Hailey Baldwin
Followers: 17.8 million
From recently, you can find Hailey on Instagram under a new surname – Bieber. Yes, she married Justin recently. Hailey's famous ankle and father are actors, but she took another path to success. Hailey is friend with Kendall, Gigi, and Bella, so they all are part of Instagram models squad. She appeared in a bunch of front pages of magazines and walked a few shows on fashion weeks.


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Brain Injury Blog by Katherine Kimes, Ed.D., CBIS
September 3, 2012
Behavioral Management Strategies Children and Adolescents after TBI
Managing the behavior of students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) should always be based on the central principle of learning. The ultimate goal of improving a student's behavior in school is to help the student learn and function in the classroom. Various behavior management strategies are often used interchangeably to achieve similar results. Techniques that center on a positive, learning principle have an A-B-C design (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence).
The management of behavior is largely determined by the recovery stage that the child or adolescent has reached. It is most beneficial, in the earlier stages after an injury, to remove any stimulus that triggers unwanted behaviors. As a child matures, however, it is nearly impossible to eliminate all environmental triggers. Therefore, it is important to manage behaviors using positive, behavior management techniques.
Philosophy behind behavior management techniques
Behavior problems are a frequent challenge for children and adolescents after a brain injury. The degree of "problem behaviors" can range in scope from child to child. Environmental stimuli, both observable and unobservable, can contribute to behavioral changes after brain injury.
There are various behavioral management strategies that can help a child to alleviate problem behaviors. Behavior change programs help children develop positive adaptive skills and decrease problem behaviors to allow the student to reach the highest level of functional independence.
What are some different types of A-B-C behavior management strategies?
- Applied behavior analysis
- Antecedent behavioral interventions (positive everyday routines)
- Differential reinforcement of problem behaviors
- Rational behavior therapy (RTB)
Discussion of the A-B-C behavior management strategies
1. Applied behavior analysis (ABA)
This behavior management strategy is based on the A-B-C learning principle and helps identify problem behaviors and environmental influences. Intervention strategies are developed to change problem behaviors.ABAmeasures behaviors before, during and after the intervention. TheABAstrategy has been successful when used post-brain injury because appropriate behaviors have to be re-learned. The steps involved in implementing this behavior strategy include:
- identification target behavior
- measurement of the frequency of behavior
- analysis of behavior using the A-B-C paradigm
- development a plan for intervention
- generalization of behavior to different environments
- evaluation of results
In this model the focus is on managing problem behaviors through the Antecedent, Behavior and Consequence paradigm by shaping behaviors using positive adaptive skills and decreasing problem behaviors.
2. Antecedent control interventions (Positive everyday routines)
This behavior management strategy places the choice and control in the hands of the individual. The strategy is to involve the child in the planning and decision making process. It helps to manage problem behavior before it occurs. The components of successful implementation include:
- intervention strategies are delivered in natural settings by everyday people
- children make choices and plan their own intervention
- intervention is delivered in appropriate context and designed to change everyday routines
- children are provided the support they need to succeed.
Positive everyday routines teach adaptive skills and engage the individual in the planning and decision making process. For antecedent control strategies to have positive long-term affects on problem behaviors, strategies used should be generalized into real-world context.
3. Differential reinforcement
This behavior management strategy is used when an undesirable behavior is decreased and a desirable behavior is increased. This strategy presents choices to the child in that positive behaviors are reinforced. The problem behavior is substituted with an appropriate behavior alternative. There are three steps in this limit-setting strategy:
- acknowledge what the child is feeling
- communicate the limit of acceptable behavior
- target appropriate alternatives
For example, a child becomes upset in class and begins hitting his head against the desk. The teacher reaffirms what the child is feeling by saying, "I know that you are frustrated right now, but you may not hit your head against the desk. You may either get up and walk around the room to calm down or you may draw how you are feeling on a piece of paper at your desk."
4. Rational behavior therapy (RBT)
This is a cognitive-behavioral model that is based on the belief that problem behaviors and emotions result from cognitive processes (or the absence of them). This strategy believes that it is possible for children to modify their cognitive processes to achieve different ways of feeling and behaving. A child's view of a situation affects the way s/he acts, behaves and feels. It is not the situation that causes the problem behavior, but rather what a child believes about the situation (refer to the A-B-C paradigm). There are four processes in RBT:
- Event or the sequence of information that is processed by the child causes the child to
- Think—the child thinks through the event, which creates his/her
- Feelings about the event, which triggers a specific action or
- Behavior.
RBT alleviates the child's sense of helplessness and acknowledges the loss of control and the presence of fear in a child's life. This strategy allows the child to understand that s/he has control over his/her thoughts, feelings and actions. RBT helps the child assume responsibility for his/her behavior and life after brain injury.
Behavior intervention strategies and the child's IEP
Problem behaviors not only disrupt the classroom environment, but they also inhibit the cognitive progress of the child who is experiencing these behaviors. Problem behaviors need to be examined so that appropriate management techniques can be developed to teach a child new behaviors.
Behavioral management strategies should be addressed in a child's IEP as a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP). Any of the previously discussed behavior intervention techniques can be tailored to meet a child's specific needs. It is through managing problem behaviors in the classroom environment that a child's quality of life and potential for success can be maximized.
About the Author
Dr. Kimes is the President of ABI Education Services, LLC a consulting business that addresses the educational needs of children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI).
Recommended Reading
Strategies for Managing Challenging Behaviors of Students with Brain Injuries
By Stephen Bruce, M.Ed., Lisa Selznick Gurdin, M.S., BCBA, CBIS-CE and Ron Savage, Ed.D.
Behaviors in students with brain injuries are often the most frustrating, confusing and problematic issue for educators and parents at home and in school. This manual explains how brain trauma can affect behavior in a student. It provides a systematic step by step approach to using applied behavior analysis to address challenging behaviors in students with brain injuries. The manual comes with a CD with all worksheets and forms.
Students with Brain Injury: Challenges for Identification, Learning and Behavior in the Classroom
By Katherine Kimes, Ed.D., Marilyn Lash, M.S.W. and Ron Savage, Ed.D.
A brain injury can have many physical, cognitive and behavioral consequences for students. This manual gives educators and parents a foundation for understanding the educational needs and behavioral challenges of children with traumatic brain injuries with in-depth discussions of how to help students think and learn and how to help students with behavioral challenges.


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Recent events in Barcelona (thoughts with all those affected) got me thinking again about how I consume news.
I first wrote seven years ago about social media versus traditional news outlets as a source of news – blog post here.
I no longer look at news websites on a daily basis. In fact only during the football season do I look on such sites – and this is only to look at Spanish and German results, a somewhat obscure use of such a sprawling resource of information.
Last weekend I choose not to listen to the radio while driving (schedule nowhere near as good as during the week) and instead listened to Led Zeppelin IV, which |I forgot how much I liked, so kept on listening repeatedly all week as I drove.
Only after I saw reactions on Facebook to the events in Barcelona did it occur to me I hadn't consumed any news this week I hadn't found on social media.
I almost never read national newspapers (If I have an empty Sunday I may be the Sunday Times, but that is maybe a couple of occasions a year). Only rarely do I read a physical copy of the local paper where I live. I follow them on Facebook and I can see anything relevant to me in my stream, so why spend the 95p?
And it took a terrible event the week I skipped radio for me to notice this media was my main source of news these days outside social media. And I only catch those bulletins because they interrupt the music I listen to while driving.
But doesn't your job involve monitoring the media for your organisation, you probably won't ask, Well, yes it does. But I let Google Alerts take care of the media monitoring for me. Every mention pops right into my inbox and so far the alerts I have set up have never failed me.
By not watching TV news, nor reading print or websites direct, the editorial choice about what potential news stories I am served comes from the algorithms of Facebook and Twitter. I have no complaints about what I see in my feeds. But, is that because these algorithms serve me exactly the news I want because they know me, or is it because I don't know what they don't tell me? The answer to this is unclear to me.
What is clear as social media becomes my gateway to the world is my choices about who to follow, what I like, comment on and share feed into these algorithms which shape how I see the world.


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The diary of a priest, being random thoughts and various things of possible interest from the founding pastor (now retired) of Our Lady of the Atonement Church in San Antonio, Texas.
23 March 2011
Preparing for the Canadian Ordinariate
I'll be in Toronto from the 24th to the 26th, speaking at the conference for Anglicans who plan to enter the Ordinariate when it's established in Canada. The Archbishop of Toronto, Thomas Collins, is hosting the meeting, and I'm looking foward to the whole event. It will be my privilege to offer the Anglican Use Mass on Friday evening for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. This will be the first time for the A.U. Mass to be celebrated in Canada.
Posted by Fr. Christopher George Phillips at 10:20 PM


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Approval testing and certification of high-speed trains
For the railway and transportation sector, Italcertifer offers a wide range of certification, inspection and, more generally, compliance verification in the railway sector. As an affiliated company of Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Italcertifer is a central institution in Italy and abroad when it comes to railway conformity testing and safety assessments. For certification of the high speed train Frecciarossa 1000 (also known as ETR 1000), Italcertifer chose imc test and measurement solutions.


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This is the time when Philip Goldson went to the UN in 1967. Compton Fairweather followed him to the U.N.! See him sitting next to PG.
At that same time, Harry Lyon Morris was the Chairman of the 4th Committee at the U.N. in 1967, when he made an impassioned plea at the 4th Committee about Belize (then British Honduras).
Harry Lyon Morris was the grandson of Dr. Ernest Lyon, who was born in Belize. Dr. Lyon was the former US ambassador to Liberia and later Liberian Consul General in the US.
Therese Nweke


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Ryan W. McMaken
June 28, 2012
SCOTUS voted 5–4 to uphold Obamacare and have concluded that the Constitution actually empowers the government to force people to buy things. In this case, it's health insurance, but now that the precedent is set, the feds can now require you to buy anything it wants, apparently justified by the Constitution's granted power to tax.
This nicely illustrates the theory that SCOTUS judges will almost always come down on the side of more government power unless doing so will dangerously undermine their own power. They're politicians in robes. The number one concern of the court is its own independence, as illustrated by the craven switch in time that saved nine. It will only vote for more freedom when backed into a corner by the text of the Constitution itself, as in the case of Chicago v. McDonald. But now, calculating that there's enough political support behind Obamacare to get away with it, SCOTUS has handed the executive branch a new massive amount of power.
It's hilariously ironic that a Catholic Bush appointee (Roberts) switched sides to hand a great victory to Obama. How often are we told that we should vote Republican because the GOP president will appoint "good" judges? Often. The upside is that Catholics, who are only now finally starting to figure out that the government is not our friend, may finally have to grow a spine and quit relying on meek petitions to government lawyers (judges) for a defense of religious freedom.
Now that one of Bush's appointees saved Obamacare for Obama, every conservative who voted for Bush to get "strict constructionists" on the bench should have the word "sucker" tattooed on his or her face.
So, when it comes time to get out the vote, will we hear from the GOP about how we need a Republican in office to give us good, Christian, freedom-loving judges in office? Oh yeah, I'm sure Romney appointees will be so much more reliable than Bush's.
Update: I see that Laurence and I were thinking the same thing.
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There are time when finding a beginning point is a challenge. As a business ethics speaker and author, I follow many stories – some shinning the bright light on positive ethical behavior and others illuminating sad situations for the victims of greed and hubris. As this story unfolds…I am sensing more and more that the latter is certainly what is coming to light.
Most who have followed this story in this blog know the background. It does not need to be repeated. But if this is your first read then follow these links to prior reports and you'll get a sense of the broader picture. Blog 1. Blog 2. Blog 3. Blog 4. Blog 5. Blog 6. Blog 7. Blog 8. Blog 9. (O.K. it's a big story)…
Early this week I began receiving reports that BizRadio was off the air on 1110 AM in Houston. Why, I wondered? Then as quickly as it seemed the question was asked…answers seemed to flow in. "They failed to pay the electric bill," one source told me. "What," I thought. "That can't be." As I heard what I was told I elected not to take action in my blog for something that seemed, to me, so far fetched. After all, how can Daniel Frishberg "The Money Man", who just a month or so ago got $180,000 from Rehan Siddiqi, be unable to afford the electric bill? I was perplexed.
Then, voluntarily another source, called me to tell me that BizRadio was nearly bankrupt (their words not mine) and that, sure enough, the failure to pay the bill was the reason the show was off the air for a day. Quite amazed…I began to wonder how those folks who drank the koolaid regarding how great BizRadio (as an investment) would be. Then a trend began to emerge… so follow this story (told in brief).
Bernie Madoff (we've all heard of him) was a brilliant man. My guess is he was quite adept at investing and likely knew more about money, investing and how the monetary system worked that I would ever know. Any way, Bernie created many victims in his wake. How? He lured them into the PIT.
What prey tell is the PIT. Follow along now. First, Bernie promised something that the average person could not get with their investments… He PROMISED (that's the 'P' in PIT) an above average return like 12% say? Now, everyone knew that no one could invest their money and get 12%… It just was not a return that was available to the common man. Second, Bernie supported his investment brilliance with a well thought out ILLUSION (you got it, ILLUSION is the 'I' in PIT). Bernie's illusion was created in house by teams of people who made fake statements that supported his investment claims. Lastly, Bernie started his scam with those closest to him by creating a veil of TRUST. People who put their funds with Bernie felt that they were secure and fortunate to be with one of the best and brightest. The ILLUSION was filled with glamor and supported by TRUST. The outcome… Well if you're reading this you know that.
Then today I was sent by several sources a copy of the Receivers report for KCM (Kaleta Capital Management). With a background in accounting, I found the read enlightening and UNFORTUNATELY supportive of my concerns. The picture is not complete, but the more that comes to light the more I am beginning to sense that many investors have been sucked into the PIT.
On January 13, 2010, Receiver met with a majority of the 56 investors who have invested in KCM promissory notes. Some note holders also participated in the meeting in person or telephonically by conference call.
In broadest terms, KCM offered and sold securities in the form of promissory notes to members of the public through which it raised approximately $10 million from 56 public investors. The proceeds of the offering were then loaned to various business entities and individuals who used the funds — at least primarily — for operating capital. The two largest borrowers — BusinessRadio Network, L.P. d/b/a BizRadio ("Biz Radio"), and Daniel Frishberg Financial Services, Inc. d/b/a DFFS Capital Management, Inc. — were affiliated with KCM through common management and ownership. Certain of the other borrowers had business connections with KCM and its management if not actual common ownership and management.
While it is only an opinion, it would seem that (at least) some of the 56 public investors were not assuming their investments were going to a close knit group of people who had a business that was, in many ways, self serving. At least some of the investors have stated that to me in various forms.
Financially it is interesting that the KCM Promissory Notes Reconciliation does not reconcile with the KCM Notes Receivable spreadsheet. No reason to get technical here. It is amazing (I wanted to say comical, but nothing about this is funny) that folks who raised millions and/or managed millions can't even get a reconciled set of books.
But according to the Notes Receivable Worksheet almost $8.7 is outstanding:
Notes Receivable:
N/R-WB West Houston Realty Fund 360,176.35
N/R-Chris Connolly 5,000.00
N/R-Albert Kaleta 250,000.00
N/R-Brian D'Armas 160,937.50
N/R Daniel Frishberg Financial 1,609,990.26
N/R-Costa Bajjali 16,940.00
N/R-Wallace Bajjali 89,217.00
N/R-David Wallace 101,000.00
N/R-BusinessRadio Network, LP 5,230,497.10
N/R-Laffer Frishberg Wallace 875,236.35
Total Principal Outstanding $ 8,698,994.56
To date, only two of KCM's outstanding notes have been fully retired. The first retired note was a note in the principal amount of $106,979.90 executed in 2008 evidencing a personal loan by KCM to Daniel Frishberg apparently as purchase money for a residence.
The second retired note was in the amount of $15,000 from Wallace and Bajjali related to a real estate development project nearing completion. Other borrowers have indicated an intent to re-pay in the near term but concrete commitments have not been made.
Early on it was reported that Frishberg felt the need to repay KCM so that he could distance himself personally from Kaleta since Kaleta and KCM were in deep and high profile with the SEC. I was told that Frishberg wanted as much distance as he could get (considering however how tied he is to Kaleta – the distance isn't far). Further, it was reported that Frishberg was moving as much out of his name as possible so that if the SEC came calling they would find him to be clean (or without assets under his control). I have attempted to interview Mr. Frishberg even in writing, but as of this date I have received no response. NO SURPRISE.
The last part of the Receiver's report is of greatest concern (if you're an investor):
Of greatest concern are outstanding notes of the two largest borrowers, BizRadio ($4,990,741.60) and Frishberg & Kaleta ($1,238,000.00) or Daniel Frishberg Financial Services ($1,609,990.26) depending on which internal KCM records are reviewed. The Receiver has met with counsel to these two borrowers and transmitted to them the Receiver's expectations with respect to arrangements for repayment. Counsel for these entities have indicated that significant recapitalizations may be required to enable repayment. The Receiver has expressed a willingness to maintain a certain amount of flexibility with respect to repayment arrangements. But, it also has been made clear to the borrowers that very substantial cash reductions will be required along with detailed proposals for repayment in full. As the Receiver has stated to the investors, all rights are reserved with respect to individuals and affiliates of the borrowers should repayment not be forthcoming within a reasonable, foreseeable time.
Also, based upon representations to the Staff of the SEC prior to the commencement of the action, it was anticipated that KCM would have in the range of $500,000 in liquid assets on hand. As of the institution of the Receivership, however, there were virtually no cash assets on deposit.
The picture is bleak. BizRadio seems to be imploding. Frishberg owes the folks from whom he bought it and there are liens against it to protect Wallace Bajjali and another entity. So, if Frishberg loses 1110 AM it does not appear that the KCM investors will see any repayment of their investment from what would appear to be the biggest asset. Perhaps I am wrong, but it seems the writing is on the wall.
The larger question that is looming in my mind is what about Daniel Frishberg? Did Frishberg use Kaleta as a front man for ill gotten "investments" to support BizRadio? If so, did those investors know the truth? Perhaps they did (although I'm hearing from a few that they didn't). Was BizRadio just part of a grand ILLUSION to create the aura of DANIEL FRISHBERG – THE MONEY MAN? Did the investors just lose their money in a legitimate investment that went south (it happens) or did Frishberg (through Kaleta, Wallace and others) lure them into a big giant PIT?
This is not the end of the story…just the continuation of a story unfolding.
NEWS FLASH…10:31 P.M. – "Re: Biz Radio/Kaleta Capital Management – "Wowzer!
Just confirmed Daniel held a staff meeting today and announced that Salem will be repurchasing KTEK for $3.5-million (which, as I recall, was about what that Sidiki fellow was going to pay for it last month…)"
Now starting to wonder if Frishberg might need a primer in pre-prison preparation for the failed PROMISE of what appears to be a PONZI type program. This is the sound of investor money sinking into a deep PIT.


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German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch will no longer sell to non-NATO nations because Berlin has made it too difficult to obtain contracts, especially in the Middle East, according to DPA News Agency. The arms company made the announcement Monday.
Lengthy restrictions imposed by the German government on arms sales abroad have led to serious profit falls for Heckler & Koch, one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers. The company saw a 90 percent decline in profits last year, exacerbated by Berlin's blocking of a major sale of G36 assault rifle parts to Saudi Arabia over human rights concerns in the Gulf kingdom. The deal had been previously approved in 2008, but Germany later toughened its already strict regulations on arms sales to foreign countries.
Heckler & Koch said it will now only sell to countries considered to be free and democratic, including all NATO nations except for Turkey. Other clients such as Brazil, India and Mexico would also be ruled out. The company was criticized last year after German media reports revealed that the arms manufacturer had illegally delivered around 9,472 G36 assault rifles to Mexico between 2003 and 2011. Heckler & Koch weapons are used globally and the G36 assault rifle, in particular, can be found in the hands of armies worldwide, including U.S. special forces.
German Economic Minister Sigmar Gabriel called for curbing the sale of German weapons abroad after taking office in 2013. Despite his efforts along with German cultural sensitivity toward arms sales following the nation's World War II past, Germany's arms exports doubled last year. The nation is the fifth-largest exporter of arms in the world, behind the U.S., Russia, China and France, according to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
In September, Heckler & Koch won a contract to supply the French military, replacing France's domestically produced FAMAS F1 assault rifle with the Heckler & Koch 416 F as the army's standard individual weapon. Exports are to begin next year and continue over a 10-year period.


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Ever have one of those days where you want to absolutely nothing? Discussion after the break while I convince myself that frozen dinner won't make itself.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Nightly Megathread #261
Posted by Hyperdudeman at 9:00 PM
Nightly Megathread #261
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Artsy-Wartsy Stuff #395 + Comics
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Hey. DrCob. Hey Cob.
Happy birthday.
Happy birthday.
Posted by Sleepy at 4:13 PM
Artsy-Wartsy Stuff #395 + Comics
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Music: Sim Gretina feat. Kathy-chan - Come at Me Bro
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Music: Sim Gretina feat. Kathy-chan - Come at Me Bro
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[SFM] Sonic Rainboom (by Ferexes)
Now with 100% more content.
Hyper pls.
Hyper pls.
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[SFM] Sonic Rainboom (by Ferexes)
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About Homes for Sale in Issaquah
Issaquah is a charming city located at the south end of Lake Sammamish. It is picturesquely surrounded by lakes and mountains and is conveniently located along I-90, a quick 20 minutes to downtown Seattle. This is a wonderful community to call home, full of natural beauty and a variety of amenities and attractions. What was originally a small mining town has blossomed into an wonderful place to live, work and play, making homes for sale in Issaquah an excellent investment!
A Closer Look at Homes for Sale in Issaquah
Issaquah real estate is found in a variety of lovely neighborhoods, both well-established and newer. Property choices include single-family homes, townhomes, and condos. Home prices range from about $200,000 to over $4 million
Homes for sale in Issaquah are surrounded by numerous options in outdoor recreation. The community is a haven for outdoors lovers, with many parks and trails throughout. Issaquah features sports fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, ample open space, and much more. In addition, Lake Sammamish offers great options in water activities. For an exhilarating good time, there is paragliding off Poo Poo Point. Even more outdoor fun is available at the popular Cougar Mountain Zoo.
For more to do when living in Issaquah real estate, the Historic Downtown is a wonderful destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. This enchanting downtown contains a multitude of delightful local shops, such as Thrive Natural Products, So There, and Illuminate Lighting. Issaquah's downtown also features a multitude of restaurant options offering local, fresh dishes created by top-notch regional chefs. There is also a fantastic selection of pubs and wine bars. In addition, Downtown Issaquah is home to an abundance of options in arts & culture. There are galleries, classes, and live shows at one of the theatres.
There is so much to delight in when living in Issaquah! If you would like to know more about available homes for sale in Issaquah, please contact area experts Sheri Butler & Matt Stapleton today!


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NeoK12 – Educational Kids Website that Teaches Your Children
I have covered a few children's websites Noggin + Babysmash = One Happy Baby! (Windows) Read More in the past as well as how to keep your toddler entertained online Preschool Online Games That Are Fun For Children Read More but as the little ones get older we want to do more than just entertain them.
We want to teach them as well! GASP! Yes I said it, let's try and use the Internet tubes to teach our children while they are having fun!
Double Gasp!
Let's journey on over to the educational kids website neok12 and see what they have to offer our kids. NeoK12 has a lot of videos for kids that are in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. The best part is that each of these videos has already been viewed and verified by teachers also in grades K through 12.
So no surprise pornography or advertising geared towards children.
As soon as you hit the site you will see this:
Yes that is a LOT of text! There are lots of categories broken down into The Sciences (including Physical, Life, Human Body, Earth, Space, etc.) and others like Social Studies, English, Math and then Fun Videos for a treat (but they are still educational!) Click on any of the topics to drill down your search or type in a search term on the right hand side of the site.
I clicked on the sub-topic under Math titled Numbers. That brought me to this screen:
Now this stuff is right up my 2 year old daughter's alley! I clicked on the first link – Counting Numbers 1-10 and sat back (I ignored the strange looks from my co-workers as this stuff blasted out of my speakers.)
And just like that the little ones can watch and learn. You can also help tag the videos for the educational audience you think it is appropriate for. Like I choose Primary Grades for this one. Next up I decided to click on Fun Videos. This brought me to a section with Nursery Rhymes. Something I LOVED as a child. Why not use this to introduce little Kayla to them?
I chose the old American classic Jack and Jill"¦ You know the one ruined by Andrew Dice Clay in the early nineties!:) Again I sat back and watched the video also provided via youTube.
When I was finished being entertained by that I went to check out some science. I clicked on Earth and saw these selections:
Very cool stuff to help children of all ages learn. Children are our experiments – let's help them thrive! Give them every opportunity to learn!
With this educational kids website, you can also create playlists, monitor what your children have done on the site and recommend other videos for them to index. All in all this is a great idea and we should all help it along with a little nudge! Tell your friends that have children that neoK12 is here to help them out!
Do you have other favorite educational kids websites? If so share the links in the comments below. I am sure there is someone out there that will thank you!
Related topics: Education Technology, Parental Control.
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Bristol Palin Cries About Being Alone with Son on Life's a Tripp
The single mom's struggles are documented on the upcoming Lifetime reality show
Being a single mom is hard work under normal circumstances, but when your family is the subject of constant media scrutiny, it's even more difficult.
Bristol Palin, the daughter of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is learning that lesson all too well, as her struggles raising her 3-year-old son, Tripp are documented on her new reality show, Life's a Tripp.
Palin, 21, moves from Wasilla, Alaska, to Los Angeles in the show's premiere, bringing her sister, Willow, with her to babysit Tripp during the day while Bristol works for a charity.
"You guys have to read to Tripp every night," mom Sarah tells her daughters as they prepare to leave. "That's part of the deal. … It's a lot of work taking care of him."
But by the second episode, Willow, 16, tells her sister she's heading back up north, prompting Bristol to break down in tears.
"You just don't realize how much harder this whole experience in California is going to be without you here," Bristol tells Willow. "I need my family, and I need your help."
Adds Bristol about her son: "He has no one here except for me. … I just don't want to be here alone."
Life's a Tripp premieres June 19 (10 p.m. ET) on Lifetime.


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I have confessed before that I am not the best at time management or at self-organisation. I have always struggled with prioritising and getting everything done in an orderly fashion.
I know what I should be doing but I never quite get there in the most efficient manner.
So I fall further and further behind. And then I find myself calling for panic stations in a desperate bid to turn things around.
Ever since I left my office job to work from home, I've known that scheduling my time would be an important tool in boosting my productivity. I knew it was going to be the key to being successful in my new business.
But it has taken me a lot longer than expected to get to the point of actually setting up a schedule.
Sure, I faced several personal challenges last year that did not help my bid to be organised. But I have a sneaking suspicion that a part of me just didn't want to stick to a schedule at all. So I kept putting it off.
However, after looking back at the last year and seeing how little progress I had actually made, I finally realised I could put it off no longer.
I needed to embrace life scheduling.
So I did. As part of setting my SMART goals for 2016, I established a series of Google Calendars that work with each other to schedule and manage my life and my many commitments.
Each day is scheduled from the moment I wake up at 6am.
Before school there are multiple 15 minute time periods so all my time is accounted for. These tasks include all the things I need to do to get the kids ready for school, get myself ready for the day and the house in some sort of order before I leave.
Exercise is scheduled. Physio and other appointments are scheduled. Housework, errands, shopping and budgeting are scheduled every Wednesday (except this Wednesday – I have a course to attend!). And daily household tasks have their dedicated time too.
I must admit it was painful in the extreme to take the time to account for all my time and find the optimal ways to schedule my life.
- it was hard to accept that I had previously been wasting so much time
- it was tedious to go through my day in so much detail in order to come up with a schedule
- it was daunting to look at everything I had to fit in and work out a way to make it all happen
- it was hard to start living to a schedule after years of doing just as I pleased, whenever I pleased.
Initially, I found it REALLY hard to stick to my schedule. I must confess there have been days where I have not stuck to the plan. And there have been other days where unexpected things have come up that I could not possibly account for.
However, it's obvious that I haven't been anywhere near as productive on those days where I haven't stuck to my schedule.
So, for me, life scheduling clearly works.
Life scheduling is not an easy thing to do. But now that I finally have a schedule in place, I can't imagine ever going back to my previous disorganised existence.
Have you discovered life scheduling? Have you found it has helped you too?
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Feb 15, 2013
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Jetsetter Cynthia Drescher is always on the move, whether it's taking in the art scene in Miami, covering new developments in the airline industry in Santiago, Chile, or learning how to make sushi in the Napa Valley. And, in the midst of all this, she finds time to hold down the role of managing editor at the irreverent pop-culture travel blog Jaunted.com without ever losing her sense of humor.
Cynthia took the time to fill out our questionnaire below, and you can get to know her better through her AFAR profile and beautiful, original Easter Island Wanderlist here on AFAR.com.
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Right now I'm in a 757 above Kansas City, on United flight 312.
Though I would much prefer to be camping in Norway's Geiranger Fjord.
Occupation: Managing Editor at Jaunted.com and Contributing Editor at HotelChatter.com.
My next trip is to LA and then on down to Santiago, Chile for the inaugural flight of LAN's Boeing 787 Dreamliner between LAX and SCL.
My last trip took me to Miami Beach for Art Basel!
First international trip—when and where? It's hard to believe now, but my first major international trip didn't go down until I was halfway through high school. I flew Continental DTW-EWR-FRA and spent two weeks hopping around Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
A Kairouan carpet is my most treasured travel souvenir.
Favorite hotel: There's never just one, so I'll give you two on both sides of the world: 25hours HafenCity, Hamburg, Germany. The Upper House, Hong Kong.
Favorite restaurant: Woods, on Mackinac Island, Michigan.
Favorite shopping destination: Seoul. If there was a city capable of elevating shopping to be nearly an art form, Seoul would be it. It's also my number one destination for buying anything duty-free.
iPhone or DSLR? iPhone. Traveling light means I try to leave my DSLR behind whenever I won't be shooting anything major.
Backpack, wheelie, or trunk? A 20″ wheelie and a tote or small duffle, and that goes for whether my trip is for 5 days or 5 weeks.
Plugged-in or unplugged? Plugged-in, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do what I do, which is go wherever I want when I want and still work and get them paychecks.
Public transportation, cab, or bike? Anything but cabs, if I can help it.
If you're in Singapore during the Chinese New Year, don't miss walking the streets to check out the art deco architecture, followed by eating some Yusheng salad.
Preparation: guidebook, online research, or seat of your pants? Online research, especially with the help of Foursquare tips and lists.
Staying in Airbnb apartments is the best way/place to connect with locals.
Five things you can't travel without: Passport (duh), iPhone, a spork/multitool, sunglasses, a Field Notes notebook.
Jet lag: Nap, power through, pills, or herbal remedies? Nap! I'm an ace at falling asleep nearly anywhere.
Favorite airport and why? Hong Kong International, hands down. It feels like home! I've comfortably slept there overnight many times, the WiFi is free and fast, the elite lounges are mini heavens, the architecture is stunning, the windows are large and prime for 747 plane spotting, the food vendors are spectacular and there's one named "Lost City of Snacks." How to top that?
Three travel apps you can't live without: Google Maps, TripIt Pro and Foursquare.
What's the one hometown place you miss most while traveling? The family farm. It's so comforting to remember that somewhere out there, I've got roots both literal and figurative.
First thing you do when you get home: Sweep my kitten, Jetson, into my arms and then let him go about smelling my luggage.
Where do you always take out-of-town friends? My favorite bar, which isn't in Manhattan and doesn't have TVs. I've never had a barman before, but I have one here and he's seriously serious about cocktails. I'm keeping the bar name to myself, so you'll just have to become my friend to find out.
Fly solo or travel with family/friends/tour group? Is it horrible to say solo? Sometimes, if my itineraries exhaust me, then I can't even imagine how it would be worrying about another person.
Most out-of-character travel experience? Something that you would never have done at home: Just recently in the Napa Valley, I made sushi and sashimi with Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Living in NYC, sushi is very much a go-out-to-dinner thing. I'd never made it myself and likely won't again anytime soon, but wow was that great.
Biggest travel mistake? Anytime I book a flight leaving from Newark Airport. I think, "oh, Newark will be no problem." WRONG. It is always a problem.
If I had a whole month to travel, I would drive around New Zealand or do the Trans-Siberian Railway.
If I had a whole year to travel, I would visit as many remote islands and territories as possible, by mail ship or cargo plane.
Favorite foreign word or phrase: Durst ist schlimmer als Heimweh, which is traditionally painted on the walls inside Bavarian beer halls. It translates to "Thirst is worse than homesickness."
Favorite foreign tradition: The Ferragosto in Italy. Everyone should have a solid month off work to laze about on beaches.
Travel has taught me to always pack Handiwipes.
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As the Oregon Legislature tries to stabilize the budget-busting growth of its Business Energy Tax Credit program, it has become clear that the state is already locked into a large and unpredictable stream of future liabilities from the program.
Even if the BETC were eliminated now -- the House is slated to vote Wednesday on
to modify, but not eliminate, the program -- the potential tax credits could continue reducing state revenue for education, public safety and human services for more than a decade.
Since 2000, the
has precertified renewable energy and conservation projects that could be eligible for as much as $1.3 billion in tax credits over time. Almost three-quarters of that total has come since 2007, when the Legislature changed the law to make the credits for renewable energy projects more generous. Precertification provides developers some certainty that they are eligible for the tax credits and that they can proceed with their projects.
The potential liability ballooned last year, just as the Legislature was voting to reduce credits for large wind farms. With a massive upwelling of applications, the Department of Energy precertified projects representing a potential half-billion dollars in tax credits.
If the law remains unchanged, the
that the pipeline of credits could swell by an additional $1.1 billion by 2011. Even with the changes being voted on today, the credits would jump by an estimated $638 million.
State economists and energy officials warned legislators last week that they have only begun to understand the magnitude of the tax credit backlog and when it will flow through tax returns to hit state coffers.
"Certainty is kind of a big word, to put it mildly," Chris Allanach, an economist with the legislative revenue office, told legislators last week. "But we're much closer to getting a handle on the data."
What is certain is that the impact on the general fund is out of whack with original projections. The most current estimate of credits claimed during the 2007-09 biennium -- $162 million -- is seven times what lawmakers contemplated in 2007, when they voted to increase them.
The state now estimates that under current law, the general fund will take a $235 million hit from the credit in the current biennium and $374 million in 2011-13.
The reality, however, is that no one knows for sure.
The uncertainty is a function of the credit's application process, the state of the economy and how the credits are ultimately used.
Here's how it works: When the Department of Energy precertifies a project, it provides developers with approval to go ahead with a project at a precertified cost, with the proviso that the project will be audited before a tax credit is issued. Under current law, there is no deadline on project completion or a final tax credit -- a process that can take years, if the project goes ahead at all.
Another wrinkle: Once the tax credit is approved, there is little predictability when it will be used. Large credits are spread over five years. But project developers -- as well as taxpayers who buy discounted credits from project developers who can't use them -- can carry forward unused portions of credits for up to eight additional years.
A wide array of projects are eligible for the
, and every category of project has shown robust growth. The biggest share of the liability, however, is for large renewable projects. Credits for wind farms -- about a quarter of project costs precertified in 2009 -- have been at the center of the BETC cost debate. But solar projects rivaled wind in 2009 and are expected to continue growing. Program managers also believe credits for renewable energy manufacturing companies such as SolarWorld and Sanyo could jump.
The House plan for reducing the credits has three parts. It includes an overall cap on renewable project precertifications of $300 million per biennium, extending the credit exercise period from five to six years and a declining limit on credits for large wind farms starting at $3.5 million in 2010.
The changes are expected to reduce credits precertified by 40 percent in 2010 and 2011 and cut the credit's revenue impact by about $150 million in the current and next biennium.
Legislators have heard from interest groups looking to preserve their piece of the BETC pie. The general rationale is that the program has created thousands of jobs, spurred billions in investment, and made Oregon a green energy leader.
Tax activists, meanwhile, decry the credits' growing impact on the state budget and say the Legislature's reform efforts fall short.
The Legislature already made one attempt to limit the credits.
Last summer, Gov. Ted Kulongoski vetoed a bill,
, that would have reduced credits for wind farms to the $3.5 million level now being contemplated again. One consequence of the veto: Five large wind farms approved in the latter half of the year will be eligible for tens of millions in additional tax credits.
A number of those projects are new phases of existing wind farms. Additionally, three precertifications were approved in May for the massive Shepherd's Flat wind farm near Arlington. The applicants divided that project into three applications for credits, a practice prohibited unless the applicant can demonstrate that the facilities are "clearly and substantively distinguishable."
Some critics question whether the DOE is applying its own rules.
Lynn Frank, a former director of the department, says that the program's old rules, which he helped write, have not been enforced and that emergency program rules adopted in November are so poorly written that he considers them unenforceable.
"The words are meaningless because they have no consequence," he said. The new rules are open to wide interpretation, he said, with "answers that depend on the political standing of the applicant."
Mark Long, the DOE director, insists that's not the case. He says the denial rate for BETC applications has jumped from about 3 percent to 15 percent since he took the helm of the department in May. The department has reduced costs on 70 percent of new applications since it instituted new rules in November and is actively looking to reduce costs by re-examining precertifications or reducing costs at final certification.
Long told legislators last week that "behind the scenes" changes made since May have saved the state tens of millions of dollars. But he also urged lawmakers not to cut too deeply into a program that he says has been a job and green energy boon.
"We've been wildly successful," he said. "It's something to celebrate."


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Most family videos involve an off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday" while candle wax drips onto cake icing. This is not the case for the Daniels family who've recently won best music video in the 2011 Tabloid Witch Awards for their song/video "Happy Happy Halloween." There should even be a "horror" disclaimer for folks who are expecting lighthearted video. The Katy daughters of Matthew Daniels run around like a fraternal version of the twins from "The Shining," petting skulls and looking demonic.
The video was the first attempt by Daniels to make a music video and features his daughters Jazzy, 9, and Nikki, 13, dressed in black and with circles under their eyes dark enough to suspect they haven't been allowed out to play much. "I sent a DVD of it off to the Tabloid Witch Awards with no expectations and wasn't even sure if it was the kind of thing they would consider, but apparently the guy running the awards not only liked it enough to give it an award, but also to use it as the example of what it takes to win," said Daniels.
The music and video were both originally titled "Creepers," but during the editing process Daniels decided to rename it "Happy Happy Halloween" after the ever present hook that is in the song and runs through the video. "I was a little worried about it at first," Daniel said, and he certainly should be - not for the horror and quality of the fun but for the pure scariness when you consider this is his daughters he's filming. He said he first posted it on his own Youtube under the name Creepers. "... After, I reedited and put it up on Nikki's and haven't had any bad reactions," Daniels said.
"Probably the hardest part of making our video was getting the girls to keep a straight face," he said. "We just put them in costume, jumped in the van and went looking for locations to shoot."
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They got all of their outdoor filming done in one day at two locations, one on a hill behind the Katy Mills Mall and the other by a lone tree at George Bush Park. When they were done with the outdoor scenes, they made their way back home to do all of the indoor shooting. "It took about two hours from the time we jumped in the van," he said. "I had no plan. We were just looking for spots to shoot, and when we got home it took about 15 minutes to do the inside vocals," Daniels said.
"The audio from the girls' vocals was taken directly from the video and mixed onto the instrumental track, which was a song I had made a few years before, but kind of considered a throw-away song," Daniels said. He's in a band named Midnight Habit. "After a decade of making music in the middle of the night when the wife and kids were in bed, Midnight Habit seemed appropriate for a band name. I've really stopped focusing on my own music, though. I'm too focused on the girls making music."
As for Matthew's girls, he said, "Jazzy is the silly one...She wants to be a drummer (not a singer) and is just starting drum lessons." "Nikki is my singer.... She started vocal lessons about a year ago, but we realized she had some serious natural talent a couple of years before that."
In the earlier version of the video there were no credits originally given to the girls. However, the youngest now gets the top billing. "She thought it was cool that she was 'Creepy girl 1' before her sister. Winning the award meant a lot to Jazzy because her sister gets so much attention for her voice," Daniels said.


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Indie rock disc inspired by Kerouac novel
NEW YORK (AP) -- Several indie rockers have collaborated on a disc that pays tribute to a Jack Kerouac novel -- and it's not "On the Road."
The album, which features artists like The Low Anthem, William Fitzsimmons, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth and Tony Dekker of The Great Lake Swimmers, is based on Kerouac's novel "Tristessa," about a drug-addicted Mexican prostitute.
The project was pulled together by Jim Sampas, a producer who has specialized in musical tributes. He has made albums with artists interpreting songs on Bob Dylan's "Bringing It All Back Home," Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" and the Beatles' "Rubber Soul." He's also a nephew of Kerouac, who died in 1969.
Sampas also produced the documentary "One Fast Move Or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur" and accompanying album featuring Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. The response to those projects encouraged him to further explore the musical possibilities around his uncle's work.
"There's a musicality in both his prose and poetry that worked well," he said.
A few of the participating artists followed Sampas' suggestion and recorded songs using the novelist's own words for lyrics. Others were inspired by the story, he said.
Peter Bradley Adams, one of the artists who recorded a song for the tribute, wrote his own lyrics for "She Has to Come Down."
He's a Kerouac fan but said he didn't know "Tristessa" until Sampas contacted him. "I read it and really responded to it," Adams said. "It's a really fun, cool project to do."
The disc, released this week by the Boston-area firm Reimagine Music, features 19 singer-songwriters and is named "Esperanza: Songs From Jack Kerouac's Tristessa." Esperanza is said to be the real name of the woman who was Kerouac's inspiration for the story.
"Despite what everyone says, there are a lot of people who still read books out there," Adams said. "I hope there's a resurgence of awareness about Kerouac."


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Institutional questions around polity and governance are secondary to questions around identity and mission, two middle governing body executives who are polity experts told the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Middle Governing Body Commission at its second meeting here Feb. 3-5.
"We have a tendency in the church to ask the question 'How do we organize ourselves?' first," said the Rev. Paul Hooker, executive presbyter for St. Augustine Presbytery and a member of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution (ACC). "And it should be last. The first question is 'What are we called to do? he continued, "which masks an even prior question: "Who are we called to be?"
Quoting former General Assembly Stated Clerk the late James Andrews, the Rev. Daniel Saperstein, executive for Plains and Peaks Presbytery and also an ACC member, said: "Polity is the practical expression of our theology."
The commission, appointed by last summer's 219th General Assembly, is charged with consulting with the whole PC(USA) on the mission and function of middle governing bodies in the denomination; to develop models that reflect the roles of middle governing bodies in Presbyterian polity and the changing context of the church's witness in the world; to report its findings and recommend changes it believes are necessary; and to supervise the oversight of the middle governing bodies in the Synod of Puerto Rico.
The commission is still in data-gathering mode and spent a great deal of this meeting planning its "consultation" with the whole church.
Working with the denomination's Research Services office, commission members have developed three survey instruments — one for sessions, one for synods and presbyteries and one that will be available to every Presbyterian via the commission's Web site.
"We want to talk and listen to everyone," said commission moderator the Rev. Tod Bolsinger, pastor of San Clemente (CA) Presbyterian Church in Los Ranchos Presbytery.
Before and after their next meeting in Seattle in late-May, commission members will hold listening sessions in every synod and in a number of presbyteries. The commission will also conduct focus groups with a wide range of Presbyterians at various gatherings and will encourage discussion and feedback on Facebook and Twitter.
"The guiding questions," Bolsinger said, are 'How are governing bodies best organized to be responsive both the Spirit of Jesus Christ and the changing opportunities for discipleship?' and 'Are the structures of history the best platforms for carrying out our mission into the future?'"
Saperstein and Hooker led the commission into a thorough exploration of that history.
Going back to Presbyterians' roots, Saperstein outlined Calvin's theological underpinnings for church governance:
- The sovereignty of God;
- The centrality of the Word of God;
- Human beings created in the image of God as free beings with dignity and worthy of respect;
- Universal depravity: that human beings are sinful and self-interested and in need of accountability and discipline;
- The unity of the church: that there is one church, not many.
Nevertheless, Saperstein said, Presbyterians came to America in two streams: the Scots-Irish — establishment types who were conservative, believed in scripture interpreted by tradition, and were resistant to cultural change — and the English Puritans — who were marginalized, reform-minded, believed in scripture interpreted by religious experience and were more open to cultural change.
Those two streams have persisted unabated in American Presbyterian history, Saperstein said. "What we have in the church is a polarity, which is never resolved, only managed. Historically, the poles have periodically united and divided," he said, "but eventually they come back together. That's the role of this commission in the current impasse."
The organic unity of the church is fundamental, Hooker said. "The church reflects the god who calls the church into being," he said. "It's God's engagement in the world that calls the church into being as "koinonia" — the church as God's community."
That community reflects the nature of God, emphasizes the call to relationship and accords with biblical imagery of the church as the body of Christ, he said, adding that the marks of that church are outlined for Presbyterians in the proposed new PC(USA) Form of Government (F-1.0301):
- The church as community of faith — entrusting itself to God;
- The church as community of hope — rejoicing in the prospect that God is making a new creation;
- The church as community of love — exhibiting forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration;
- The church as community of witness – pointing beyond itself to the transforming work of God.
"We are called to try again and again by God's redemptive spirit to be in our common life what we are in Christ," Hooker concluded. "God has redeemed and transformed our lives — the problem is we don't know what to do with it."
What this means for the polity and governance life of the PC(USA) is the challenge facing this commission … and ultimately the church.
One implication of our theological history, Saperstein said is that the "organic unity of the church as the body of Christ means an essential organic unity to the governing body structure.
"What are the requirements of unity and the limits of diversity in a post-Christendom church? Does unity revolve around common confession or common polity or common mission or combination of all three?"
Another implication of Presbyterians' theological and political history, Hooker added, is that the church must recapture the notion of denominational councils as "gatherings of the church's elected leaders for the purpose of theological discernment — not service on a board of directors.
"Far too many Presbyterians don't get that, particularly in the 'clericalization' of the church," Hooker said, referring to the loss of the Presbyterian principle of the "parity of ministry" of ministers and laypersons. "That's fatal for us, like eating small amounts of arsenic,"
Hooker, who served on the special committee that developed the new proposed Form of Government, cited the proposal's statement on the function of all governing bodies "to nurture, guide and govern those who witness as part of the PC(USA), to the end that such witness strengthens the whole church and gives glory to God."