text:
So, how about this weather? There are so many complex factors in weather, and in climate, that you can't predict a scorching July will follow cherry blossoms in March. That goes double for Rhode Island, where it can snow in May.
Friday, I walked to Kennedy Plaza to catch the #42 bus. They say you have to watch out when you're downtown, and they're right. At Burnside Park I was confronted by a Unitarian who gave me a pledge card. With my sore back I'm not up for running, so I just told her that I hope to make good on last year's pledge by the end of this fiscal year. I'm streetwise like that.
I just watched HBO's 'Game Change'. In 2008 I saw Sarah Palin's acceptance speech in real time, it's fascinating to see it as drama. I feel a kinship with Sarah Palin. Really.
Like when the wonks are in a huddle and someone mentions that Sarah Palin speaks in tongues. That's fact, she does. I know why. I've been there and done that. At Apponaug Pentecostal Church in the 70's, everyone who was anyone spoke in tongues. Though actually I had learned tonguesspeak from the Catholic Charismatics– long story.
I know that Sarah Palin has a large and powerful base. In my prior job I worked with an office manager who looked at me innocently and said, "I really like Sarah Palin, don't you?" I would not hurt this woman's feelings for the world, she was the nicest person. I wondered what she was hearing that made her feel Sarah Palin would stick up for her. Sarah Palin is not stupid– in fact she is brilliant at connecting with the pain of some Americans who feel ignored and disparaged, and making them believe that she is on their side– without actually committing to take any material action on their behalf.
In the film, a woman holding a Down Syndrome child looks worshipfully at Palin, saying that finally someone speaks for her. This is a part of America that cannot be dismissed, and to make snap judgements or condescend is not only wrong, it's stupid.
Parents and families of special-needs children are fortunate if, like the Palin family, they are wealthy. Most are not. Where it really matters is not at the political rally, but in the allocation of resources. Tax cuts for the rich at the expense of families who depend on such services as RIDE and SNAP are dry, depressing, uninspiring realities. Jesus said that when you give, don't let the right hand know what the left hand is doing. The Republican Party seems to have applied this to taking– talking about the children while cutting aid to the families who care for them.
Special-needs children, gods willing, grow up. Their needs change, sometimes increase. Parents grow old, money runs out. We can take care of our own, if 'we' includes all of us. We can provide not only material care, but inclusion.
I once worked in a building that was considered rather tough. At one time the VNA would not go into it without an escort. More than one mother with a special-needs child lived there, including the aging mother of a woman I'll call 'Tonie'.
Tonie was sweet-natured, energetic, outgoing and childlike. She hugged everyone. Her mental handicap was not apparent unless you talked with her. Wariness did not seem to be part of her nature. She was slim, boyish and nice looking. Her mother protected her always, until she had a heart attack.
While her mother was in the hospital, Tonie had to spend a long weekend on her own. We all worried. Did she know how to cook without setting her apartment on fire? Would she know to stay away from some of the known predatory people, inside and outside her building?
Tonie had more strength, I think, than we gave her credit for. She did okay, and I see her from time to time. She was not the only vulnerable person in that building who seemed to be protected by an unspoken code of honor. There were some tiny elderly ladies and gentlemen who lived there as long as age allowed. There were people whose illness caused them to be unpleasant and provocative, who were understood as impaired and left alone.
This rambling post is just to mention something that is obvious but often overlooked. Margaret Thatcher supposedly said that there's no such thing as society– only individuals. We do not, however, live entirely in a world of strife and competition. We want someone to speak for special-needs children. Less often does anyone speak for their needs when they become adults.
We can take care of our own– all Americans. We are a great and wealthy nation. Special-needs children, like all children, are a lifetime commitment and beyond. They grow up, parents age, families reach the limit of their resources. That's where community, and government aided by good laws, share the responsibility.
We are now at a point where we will decide whether the life-saving resource of medical care will be a public good, or a private privilege.
The future of Mary Beck, Trig Palin, Bella Santorum and all the children of ordinary citizens will be profoundly affected by what we decide.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
full flower and valance pattern
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Half Flower Tutorial
full flower and valance pattern
75 comments:
That is beautiful Robin. I have not attempted crochet although I have been wanting to learn. Now I am really inspired to get moving. Thanks, PamReplyDelete
I love these as a window valance! Love your colors.ReplyDelete
This looks absolutely amazing! I really thought I might try to learn to crochet, but it looks complicated to me since I didn't understand a thing you said? *LOL* Maybe I'll just buy something Lovely instead that looks exactly like this and someone Talented at the Craft made?! Dawn... The BohemianReplyDelete
Maravilhoso! O tutorial está muito bom, perfeito! O seu crochê é lindo! Parabéns!!!!ReplyDelete
Dear Robin,ReplyDelete
your Window looks absolutly beautiful...love the colourful colours so much!
Thank you for the tutorial - that´s great!
I´m a new follower of your blog and send you many greetings,
How did you join the flowers to make the scarf?ReplyDeleteReplies
I used the join as you go method in the center of each petal. Heres a great blog that shows howDelete
Hi Robin,ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for posting your half flower tutorial. This is a lovely motif pattern and I love the way you made it into a valance curtain.
Your blog is terrific too!
Lee Ann H
Crochet...Gotta Love It! Blog
Crochet...Gotta Love It! Website (crochet names and rosary patterns)
Hi Robin,ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for posting your half flower tutorial. This is a lovely motif pattern and I love the way you made it into a valance curtain.
Your blog is terrific too!
Lee Ann H
Crochet...Gotta Love It! Blog
Crochet...Gotta Love It! Website (crochet names and rosary patterns)
Beautiful bright colors...ReplyDelete
Very clever and beautifully executed! Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Great idea for a darling curtain!! Thanks for sharing. (got it via Crochet Dude's FB post :))ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 24, 2012 at 1:05 PM
Thanks for the tutorial. I've featured it on the FB page Knit and Crochet for a Cause. I'll post on my blog if/when I've created something with your pattern.ReplyDelete
I love this! Will drive my husband nuts starting a new project, but a curtain like this would look wonderful in my daughter's room. Thank you for the inspiration!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 25, 2012 at 12:51 PM
How do you do the full Motif?ReplyDeleteReplies
Amei tudo, um trabalho muito lindo,to seguindo me segue tambem,beijossssss.ReplyDelete
Your curtain is wonderful. Thanks for sharing the pattern. I think I will make a flower to attach to my granddaughter's hat I'm making.ReplyDelete
OMG, Robin, I was showing ERnie's daughter you Pinterest and your blog and came across this older post. This is so damn cute. You are soooo amazing.ReplyDelete
Amazing job! Congratulations everything was so easy to understand .... thank you for sharing with us.ReplyDelete
Thank you so much!!! Thats great!ReplyDelete
Lindo trabalho, inspirador!!!
Cris, bjusss
sua cortina é muito linda,vou tentar fazer ,e ja postei em meu blog,achei o seu muito bem feito e maravilhoso,amei,bjos e muito sucesso pra vc amiga Robin,bjosReplyDelete
Im in love with this so much, I was wondering if you do custom orders, I would love to make it myself but i have rheumatoid arthritis, please contact me if you can, I will be one very happy lady xx♥♥ReplyDelete
here is the link for the full flower
This link no longer works. You can find the pattern on my blog here-
Simply beautiful application for window curtains!ReplyDelete
Fabulous!!! Your tutorial was clear and easy to follow. Well done, many thanks.
Thank you for this picture tutorial and the clear instructions! I'm making flowers to embellish a boatneck top that always shows my bra straps. Your half flower should cover them nicely!ReplyDelete
Robin, I loved it. I would like to know the number of line you used? Thanks.ReplyDelete
Robin, I loved it. I would like to know the number of line you used? Thanks.ReplyDeleteReplies
What do you mean by Line? If you mean yarn its worsted weight cotton and this post shows some of the the yarn I use.Delete
Here is the post for the full flower.
Thank you so much for providing your pattern! I am new to crochet, so mine is not as perfect as yours. It is lovely and happy and cheers my tiny kitchen up.ReplyDelete
Thank you so much,
- AnonymousSeptember 3, 2013 at 5:17 PM
Your valance and color choices are excellent, Thank you for sharing.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Thanks! Great tutorial.ReplyDelete
Hi, just want to know is it crochet thread or wool and if I may ask what thickness. Thank youReplyDelete
Its worsted weight cotton #4 medium weight.ReplyDelete
I did it yayyyy. Thank you so much Robin. :-)ReplyDelete
For UK worsted yarn is similar to our Aran yarn.
- AnonymousNovember 24, 2013 at 10:29 AM
wow! so beautiful flowers!ReplyDelete
Hi Robin! A great pattern and a gorgeuos curtain! I love it and have already startedReplyDelete
Best wishes from Russia and happy crocheting!
Thanks for the pattern! Beautiful color combo!! Can't wait to try this..ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for including the number of stitches or motifs at the end of the rounds. I am making this valence for my granddaughter's nursery. Thanks again!ReplyDelete
I love this thank you so much. Have a question. On row 4 of the half flower, should your asterisk be BEFORE the sk one st instead of before the 2 dc? That way you know to do it each time? Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks again for your lovely pattern. I look forward to making lots of beautiful flowers. Think I'll try a placemat first.ReplyDeleteReplies
Ps. In order to reply I had to go under my husbands account. Lol. Craig does not crochet. Hee hee. My name is Pam. Wink.ReplyDelete
What Do you mean by "draw up loop in 3rd ch of prev row"??ReplyDeleteReplies
check out StitchinStacys video hereDelete
Hi. Can you please make a video :)ReplyDeleteReplies
StitchinStacy made one here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lDOU8v6JPs&index=12&list=UUf-lNaYuj0qJxm1zsWgT3FwDelete
where can we send photos of our finished valance??ReplyDelete
Hace 2 años encontré la foto en Internet y la copié y pegué por que me encantó, soy fanática de los colores intensos y están muy bien combinados. No sé hacer crochet pero quiero aprender.ReplyDelete
Un millón de gracias por su "generosidad al compartir y enseñar como realizar la Cenefa". GRACIAS, Ade
Robin I absolutely LOVE this valence you have come up with and I can not wait to make this. I am also going to do the curtains portion of it as well. It is quick, easy, fun and very beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing your ideas!!!ReplyDelete
I think the flower is lovely, but I have BIG issues with my eyesight. Can you draw the design as a diagram? I am able to follow diagrams a lot better. I tried to do it with your explanation, but it came out kinda not right!ReplyDelete
Great Tutorial ! What yarn did you use?ReplyDelete
preciosa, tristemente la traduccioon al espanol es pesima y algunos terminos como DC Y CC no los entiendo, por favor que quieren decir esas letras,?? gracias, es bella su labor y la hare en mi nuevo espacio para estrenar. si quiere ayudarme con esas palabras puede escriirme a mi correo :ReplyDelete
this is soooo beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing.ReplyDelete
Can't wait to get started! I love the colors you used.ReplyDelete
Simply amazing Robin! Your instructions are very simple and easy to follow the pictures make it a lot more easier, for a begginer like me, this is so helpful. Thank you!!ReplyDelete
OMIGOSCHI!! you are so creative and I love the colors you used!! i will make it in very similar colors for my daughters kitchen (we painted her kitchen in pink and it has a beautiful chandelier... i am so excited... gotta run out and buy yarn! lol THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! ... have a great and creative day! ...<3ReplyDelete
It was super easy to follow your pattern... I'm not making a valance, but it was perfect for an embellishment flower for a purse I am making... Thank you so much!!!ReplyDelete
Thank you very much for this whole tutorial, If I could only download a picture of the one I've accomplished, made one for my laundry room and now another for the kitchen area. So many colors to choose from? Beautiful, just beautiful!!ReplyDelete
This has been on my bucket list for over two years..just started it in shades of lilac lavender and purples...thankyouReplyDelete
i am browsing this website dailly , and get nice facts from here all the time .ReplyDelete
Thank you for this free and easy pattern. Did I forget to say beautiful as well.ReplyDelete


text:
A Common Sense Platform May 3, 2008Posted by voolavex in common sense, Uncategorized.
Tags: Bush, children, common sense, Dalai Lama, gay marriage, Israel, money, Pakistan, police, Scalia, sex
1 comment so far
I am adopting Common Sense as my party of choice. I am disgusted with the donkey and the elephant. The Dems are behaving very badly and the GOP has never appealed to me. The following is what I think – the short version.
If it seems wrong or not a good idea then don't do it. If you have a strong feeling about people being free and those who want others to be free too – then go for it. Embrace integrity. If you have none consider getting some. Don't blow people up. Don't brainwash children. Don't use them for sex. Don't use racial slurs. Give up lying. Women and children are not chattel. Pets are not chattel. Don't steal unless it is to feed your children. Nothing else is important enough to steal. Your children do not require beer, Jack Daniels or snack cakes either. Other people have opinions and if they don't impact your world negatively let them be. All slavery – mental or physical is wrong. The police make mistakes. So do the courts. We still need both. Not all countries have to be homelands for other people who want them. And you should not invent homelands. Pakistan was non-existent before 1947. It didn't turn out well either. Israel was Israel before Christianity and Islam even came along. Let it belong to all faiths who love it but let the Jews do the statecraft. . Jerusalem is a Holy city – no one should be kept out. Not everyone agrees with the Jihad approach. Leave Jesus out of it – he died for people's sins once – don't force him to relive the moment forever. God may have moved on to other projects. Don't think he will bail us out every time. If you don't believe in God – why should it bother anyone who does? Black people get treated poorly in this country. This is not a myth. China should not have been awarded the Olympics because they are a repressive regime. But we should not do business with them and then expect them to be like us. If we don't like them – and no one else seems to, then we shouldn't go there. When in doubt – ask what the Dalai Lama would do and do it. Try to age gracefully. If not, choose your plastic surgeon as though your future depended on he or she alone. Babies after 40 may not be the best idea in the world. Get a pet. When this planet has been used and discarded like a Styrofoam cup – you will not get a free trip to Mars. If you live on Earth then everyday is Earth Day. You do not need that huge car. If airline travel is going to resemble subway riding then it should be a lot cheaper. Read more books. Get a real life and reduce your need for tabloid news. Money can buy happiness and better health. Sad, but true. If you want political power you will need to toss some bones to the public. Health care, better distribution of assets, jobs and taxes that make sense. Donald Trump should not get any loopholes. Avoid Wal-Mart. George Bush was not the right man for the White House. Even the GOP knows it. Sex education works better than abstinence. If abstinence was a solution we would see a drop in sex-related matters. Everyone who wants to be married should be entitled to do so. Who they choose is their own business. The media makes things up for profit. English does sound better with a British accent. Rethink Justice Antonin Scalia – he blows hard but some of what he blows makes sense. Not every mishap is a cause of action.
Common sense. No purchase required. Rated for all ages. Pass it on.
"Without relying on religion, we look to common sense, common experience and the findings of science for understanding…"
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama


text:
By Verna Gates
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 11 (Reuters) - Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging a new Alabama law that tightens restrictions on abortion clinics in the state.
The law, signed by Gov. Robert Bentley in April and set to take effect next month, requires every doctor who performs an abortion at a clinic to have staff privileges at a local hospital.
Supporters of the law argue it is intended to make abortions safer and improve patient care. But critics say the law will unnecessarily restrict a woman's right under the U.S. Constitution to choose to have an abortion.
Filed in Montgomery, the lawsuit said the law will lead to the closure of three out of the state's five licensed health centers that provide abortions.
"We are in court to protect a woman's ability to make her own personal, private, health-care decisions," Staci Fox, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast, said in a statement.
Most Alabama clinics hire out-of-town physicians to perform abortions and partner with local doctors who have hospital admitting privileges to provide follow-up care.
Doctors at the clinics are often unable to obtain staff privileges because local hospitals oppose abortion rights or they live far from the area, the lawsuit said.
The law "would unconstitutionally restrict the ability of Alabama women, including victims of rape and incest to access safe and legal abortions," said Wayne Sabel, an attorney representing Planned Parenthood Southeast.
The health centers will have 180 days to meet the new standard after the law goes into effect on July 1. The law also mandates the clinics to meet the same facility standards as ambulatory care centers.
State Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin, a Republican who sponsored the legislation, said the law's aim was not to shut abortion clinics.
"The bill states they have to meet the same codes as any other ambulatory center," she said. "I am surprised they are filing lawsuits instead of bringing the clinics up to code."
Anti-abortion activists have in recent years increasingly sought new state restrictions on the procedure.
Alabama became the seventh state to require hospital admitting privileges for abortion providers, according to the Washington-based Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health.
A similar law in Mississippi threatens to close the state's sole abortion clinic, which has been unable to obtain hospital privileges for its physicians. (Editing by Kevin Gray and Leslie Gevirtz)


text:
There is just something so crazy funny about this Simpsons' painting.
Homer is mad as h*ll and has Bart by throat!
Bart is screaming for help.
It so funny how art imitates life.
Where people drive others $%#&^*)* crazy.
And the other person just wants to wring their freakin' neck.
Yeah, this never really happens. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


text:
Governor Rick Scott signs parasailing bill into law after several deadly accidents in the state
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Parasailing restrictions are now in place after Governor Rick Scott signed the White-Miskell Act Friday.
The law is a result of several deadly parasailing accidents that have occurred over the past few years.
The White-Miskell Act is named after Kathleen Miskell, a Connecticut woman who died in 2012 after she fell from a harness while parasailing in Pompano Beach.
And Amber White, who died in 2007 after a line snapped on a parasail, resulting in her hitting the roof of a hotel.
Last year, two Indiana teens were seriously injured while parasailing in Panama City Beach.
Operators are now required to log weather conditions before going on a trip, forbid operations during severe weather, operators must be licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and limit operations by airports.
Before Governor Scott signed the bill, there was no state or federal regulations for parasailing.
The law goes into effect October 1st.


text:
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Common Applications


text:
Boston victims face huge bills; donations pour in
Cost of amputating a leg? At least $20,000. Cost of an artificial leg? More than $50,000 for the most high-tech models. Cost of an amputee's rehab? Often tens of thousands of dollars more.
These are just a fraction of the medical expenses victims of the Boston Marathon bombing will face.
The mammoth price tag is probably not what patients are focusing on as they begin the long healing process. But friends and strangers are already setting up fundraisers and online crowd-funding sites, and a huge Boston city fund has already collected more than $23 million in individual and corporate donations.
No one knows yet if those donations — plus health insurance, hospital charity funds and other sources — will be enough to cover the bills. Few will even hazard a guess as to what the total medical bill will be for a tragedy that killed three people and wounded more than 260. At least 15 people lost limbs, and other wounds include head injuries and tissue torn apart by shrapnel.
Health insurance, as practically anyone who has ever gotten hurt or sick knows, does not always cover all costs. In the case of artificial limbs, for example, some insurance companies pay for a basic model but not a computerized one with sophisticated, lifelike joints.
Rose Bissonnette, founder of the New England Amputee Association, said that the moment she heard about the bombings, she knew immediately that her organization's services would be needed. The advocacy group helps amputees navigate things such as insurance coverage for artificial limbs.
Bissonnette shared one group member's struggle to get coverage for artificial arms as an example of the red tape some bombing victims could face. The woman "got a call from the insurance company and the person on the other end said, 'How long are you going to need the prosthetic hands?"' Bissonnette recalled.
Bissonnette herself was in a horrific car crash 16 years ago that left her with injuries similar to those facing the Boston victims. Her mangled lower left leg had to be amputated and her right ankle was partially severed. Her five-month hospital stay cost more than $250,000. Health insurance covered all her treatment, rehab and her prosthesis.
Health economist Ted Miller noted that treating just one traumatic brain injury can cost millions of dollars, and at least one survivor has that kind of injury. He also pointed out that the medical costs will include treating anxiety and post-traumatic stress — "an issue for a whole lot more people than just people who suffered physical injuries," he said.
Adding to the tragedy's toll will be lost wages for those unable to work, including two Massachusetts brothers who each lost a leg, Miller said. They had been roofers but may have to find a new line of work.
Many survivors will also need help with expenses beyond immediate health care, including such things as modifying cars for those who lost limbs or remodeling homes to accommodate wheelchairs.
Many survivors live in Massachusetts, a state that requires residents to have health insurance, "which should cover most of their required treatment," said Amie Breton, spokeswoman for Massachusetts' consumer affairs office. "The total cost of that treatment is impossible to calculate at this early stage."
Costly prosthetics
Amputees may face the steepest costs, and artificial legs are the costliest. They range from about $7,200 for a basic below-the-knee model to as much as $90,000 for a high-tech microprocessor-controlled full leg, said Dr. Terrence Sheehan, chief medical officer for Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital in Rockville, Md., and medical director of the Amputee Coalition, a national advocacy group.
Legs need to be replaced every few years, or more often for very active users or those who gain or lose weight.
Limb sockets need to be replaced even more often and also cost thousands of dollars each, Sheehan said.
Massachusetts is among about 20 states that require health insurers to pay for prosthetic limbs, but many plans don't cover 100 percent of those costs, Sheehan said.
"Most are skimpy beyond basic prosthetics and they have not caught up with current available technology," he said.
"The insurer will use terminology such as 'not medically necessary"' to deny computerized feet or knees that can often make the patient better able to function and more comfortable and safe, Sheehan said.
Some insurers may be willing to make exceptions for the Boston blast survivors.
"We will work to ensure that financial issues/hardship will not pose a barrier to the care that affected members need," said Sharon Torgerson, spokeswoman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, one of the state's largest health insurers.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, another big insurer, is changing its policy and will pay for some of the more expensive bionic limbs when there is a demonstrated need, said Dr. Michael Sherman, chief medical officer. He said that 15 blast survivors admitted to hospitals are Harvard Pilgrim customers and that the insurance company is discussing "whether we might absorb some of the copays and deductibles."
"This is a terrorist act, and our only thought here is about providing support," he said.
Hospital care
The 26 hospitals that have treated bombing victims have charity funds that will cover some of the costs, said Tim Gens, executive vice president of the Massachusetts Hospital Association. Some injured residents may be eligible for Massachusetts' public health funds for the uninsured or underinsured. People with huge medical bills they can't afford are eligible, regardless of income.
Gens said hospitals are still focused on treating survivors, not on costs.
"It's an extraordinary shock to so many individuals. The hospitals are working very hard to make sure that each family gets the support they need. Billing is not an issue they're addressing right now," Gens said.
At Massachusetts General Hospital, where 31 victims have gotten treatment, chief financial officer Sally Mason Boemer said bills "create a lot of stress. Our assumption is there will be sources we can tap through fundraising." Boemer added: "Now is not the time to add additional stress to patients."
Bombings survivor Heather Abbott said Thursday she has already gotten offers of help to pay for an artificial leg. The 38-year-old Newport, R.I., woman was waiting in line to get into a crowded bar when the bombs went off.
"I felt like my foot was on fire. I knew I couldn't stand up," she recalled from her hospital bed. Surgeons amputated her left leg below the knee.
One Fund Boston
A big chunk of charity money for survivors will come from One Fund Boston — www.onefundboston.org — which was established by Boston's mayor and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
The fund had already received more than $20 million in donations by late last week. Determining who gets what is still being worked out, but victims' insurance status and place of residence won't be a factor, said Kenneth Feinberg, the fund administrator. He oversaw the 9/11 compensation fund during its first three years, distributing more than $7 billion to 5,300 families and victims.
Grass-roots fundraising efforts include online funds set up by friends and relatives of the victims.
Those victims include Roseann Sdoia, a Boston woman who was near the marathon finish line when the blasts occurred. Sdoia was hit by shrapnel, fire and a tree that became a projectile and injured her left leg, the funding site says. Her right leg had to be amputated above the knee. After several operations, Sdoia has started rehab.
"She is a fighter and her attitude is phenomenal," said her friend and former sorority sister, Christine Hart, who set up the site. More than $270,000 has been raised for Sdoia so far, money that may help pay for an artificial leg, transportation to and from rehab, and modifications to her car or home, Hart said.
The donations will help make sure "that finances are not part of the burden" she has to bear, Hart said.
Other funds have been set up in communities such as Stoneham, a Boston suburb that counts at least five current or former residents among the victims. A Stoneham Strong fundraising event was set for Friday evening, with participants asked to circle the high school track to show support for the marathon victims. Hundreds are expected, said organizer Shelly MacNeill.
"The outpouring has been unbelievable," she said.


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Snow-buried communities seek help from residents
BOSTON (AP) — With schools still closed, cars still buried and streets still blocked by the widespread weekend snowstorm, officials around southern New England are asking people to pick up a shovel and help out.
In Boston, a "snow angel" campaign is using social media to encourage neighbors and friends to be an angel and help dig out the stranded.
Hundreds of volunteers carried shovels to downtown Waterbury, Conn., after the mayor promised to pay minimum wage to anyone who helped clear the City Hall area and the schools Tuesday.
In Rhode Island, dozens of volunteers responded to a call by the volunteer advocacy group Serve Rhode Island to help clear snow.
Pedro Gonzalez of Cranston, R.I., had done three shoveling jobs for elderly residents by mid-afternoon Tuesday, fueled only by a few sports drinks and the satisfaction he said the work gives him.
"You feel full, you know?" he said, speaking after his most recent job in Providence. "You feel real good and you sleep better."
The snowfall Friday and Saturday buried the region in 1 to 3 feet of snow, and communities still are struggling to get back to normal.
The storm, blamed for at least 18 deaths across the U.S. and Canada, caused flooding that forced coastal evacuations in Massachusetts and carried high winds that downed trees and power lines.
By early Wednesday, more than 6,800 utility customers still were without power, including 5,539 in Massachusetts, which was hardest hit with outages. More than 650,000 homes and businesses in eight states were without electricity at one point.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's office has encouraged neighbors to help out neighbors after other storms, but this time it's using social media to create a "buzz" and spread the word more broadly, said Emily Shea, the city's Elderly Affairs commissioner.
Shea said most people who call the mayor's hotline for help clearing snow end up figuring things out themselves. But others don't, and the snow angel campaign aims to make sure they aren't forgotten.
"We're still just a couple days after the storm, and we still want to make sure folks are looking out for each other," she said.
The new workforce in Waterbury was formed after Mayor Neil O'Leary took a friend's suggestion to hire kids who are off from school — and possibly getting bored — to clear out City Hall and the schools, which are closed at least until Wednesday.
O'Leary put the word out, offering Connecticut's $8.25 hourly minimum wage. He said about 500 people, most between ages 14 and 18 with some adults mixed in, showed up at City Hall at noon Tuesday.
The offer is good again Wednesday, and O'Leary figures the workers will cost the city about $50,000. But he hopes the teens will get more than money in return, he said.
"We're giving them a little sense of community, a sense of pride," O'Leary said.
The Providence volunteers were rounded up by Serve Rhode Island in partnership with the United Way. The group recently deployed hundreds of people to help with Rhode Island's Superstorm Sandy cleanup, so it had a list of possible volunteers to alert. It also requested snow-clearing volunteers on its website.
Share Rhode Island Executive Director Bernie Beaudreau said the group has had some worries over whether people would pose as volunteers and victimize those they were supposed to help. But he said the much larger Sandy operation went well and he expected no problems this time.
"We're banking on the good will of others," he said,
Gonzalez, 40, said he's anticipating some aches for his efforts, but added he's glad to offer his time.
"Personally, I really love it," said Gonzalez, who helps manage his family's convenience store. "I believe that a blessing is useless if you don't share it."


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Commentary: Why the PSA test, as given, is not worth the risk
Amid the many messages you will hear about screening for prostate cancer in the coming days, I hope these stand out most prominently: Science finds that there is at best a small potential benefit from prostate cancer screening and there are substantial known harms. We need a better test, and we need better treatment options. We can do better.
The panel that I chair, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, has just issued a recommendation against screening men of any age for prostate cancer using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. The draft of this recommendation was posted for public comment in October. Since then, we have arrived at this conclusion:
Many men are harmed as a result of prostate cancer screening and few, if any, benefit. The evidence shows that at most one man in 1,000 screened will avoid a prostate cancer death over the course of 10 years, and in the best and largest study done in the United States, no benefit was shown. Of the same 1,000 men screened, two to three will have a serious complication of treatment such as a blood clot, heart attack or stroke, or even death, and up to 40 will have erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence or both. About 30 to 40 men in 1,000 will also have less serious but bothersome harms from a prostate biopsy, such as infection.
We need a better test, and we need better treatment options.
Cancer is a frightening word, but not all cancers are deadly. Prostate cancer is rarely aggressive enough to cause death within the course of a man's natural lifespan. Three-quarters of men older than 80 and a third of men between ages 40 and 60 have cancer cells in their prostate, and yet men have only a 2.8 percent lifetime risk of dying from the disease. Currently, there is no way to know which men have a cancer that may benefit from treatment.
Until we have a better test and better treatment options, the USPSTF has recommended against screening.
To be sure, there are gaps in the existing evidence. One particular area of concern is that black men have a higher risk. The same is true for those with a family history of the disease. There is no evidence to suggest, however, that these men have an increased benefit from current screening or that the balance of benefit and harms is any different for them. We need more research to improve the health of men at high risk and to eliminate disparities.
Some critics have suggested that we based our decision on an urge to cut costs for insurance companies and government programs such as Medicare. Cost is not a consideration. Our mission is to improve the health of all Americans by sharing evidence-based recommendations with them and empowering them and the clinicians who serve them to make informed decisions.
The members of the USPSTF are human; we face the same concerns and fears about health challenges that you do. Our decision is based on science and rooted in the knowledge that while we all want to help prevent deaths from prostate cancer, we need to recognize that current methods of PSA screening and treatment of screen-detected cancer are not the answer.
We can do better.
Dr. Virginia A. Moyer is chairwoman of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts that reviews and makes recommendations for clinical preventive health services.


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Yo-ho-hoes and a bottle of rum
I finally got around to seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last night, and I have only one gripe: cross-dressed Keira Knightley and the swampy voodoo priestess aside, where are the women? (I know, the headline was way too easy.) Pirates 1 had a feisty female pirate, but no such luck here. I want to see someone like Cheng I Sao, who's featured in our current issue:
Cheng I Sao was eventually responsible for nearly all the piracy in the [South China Sea] and her fleet exceeded the size of many countries' navies. She also expanded the scope of the business, branching out from simple attack-and-pillage jobs to protection scheems, blackmail, and extortion. ... [Her] most famous laws applied to the taking of female prisoners. Ugly women were returned to shore, free of charge. Attractive captives were auctioned off to the crew.
In Pirates 3, Chow-Yun Fat plays a new villain, Sao Feng. He's supposedly based on a real Chinese pirate, Chang Pao -- who just happens to have been Cheng I Sao's partner in love and crime. Here's hoping Sao Feng will have an equally swashbuckling wife.


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Child Therapist
Rob Porter, Ph.D., LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
In 78664 - Nearby to Little River Academy.
Don't you love your kids...and sometimes want to shove their face in their mashed potatoes? Or maybe you truly love your child and can feel their hurt, but feel helpless to do anything for them. I work with children and their families to understand what is going on for kids and teenagers. I work with the whole family system to help children and families find relief from the problems they are experiencing.
Child Therapist
Kevin Fleming, Ph.D.
Coach/Change Agent/Consultant
At Home or Private Discreet Intensives
Many times, child therapists overdo the family system in their quest to seek effective solutions for emotional, learning or behavioral concerns with young children. And many times doctors overpathologize issues that shouldn't be medicated necessarily. This leaves parents wondering what is the best route for their child? Introducing brainwave optimization technology. A fast, effective, natural, and less expensive way to allow your child's brain to make the optimizing changes it desires to make---on its own! Without any external force, opinion, medication, diagnostic, etc. Contact email@example.com or 877-606-6161.
Try Online Therapy
Find an Online Therapist
Location: Little River Academy, Texas
Little River Academy, Texas
Still searching? We want you to know we have GREAT therapists for you to speak with who practice online therapy. There are many licensed therapists on Theravive who practice online. Working with an E-Counselor from Theravive is real therapy, not a quick gimmick or a chat app, but actual counseling governed by ethics and regulatory bodies. Search our online therapists who provide professional counseling services over Skype, Email and/or Phone. All therapists on Theravive are licensed and registered professionals.
You have found the top therapists in Little River Academy, TX who specialize in helping children.
Thank you for visiting our Texas page of licensed child psychologists and child therapists in Little River Academy, Texas who are trained and experienced in helping children and youth. Working with children requires a different skillset from other types of therapy and here you will find therapists who are skilled, patient and experienced. Please note that while all therapists here work with children, not all may be a registered psychologist. You can easily verify this on each profile. Reach out to a child therapist or child psychologist in Little River Academy today, our contact forms are "open" 24/7.
Little River Academy is located in Bell County, Texas. It has a land area of 2.71 square miles and a water area of 0.00 square miles.  The population of Little River Academy is 1,959 people with 647 households and a median annual income of $47,350. .
Therapy Affordability Meter for Little River Academy, TX
Some budgeting needed
While counseling can certainly be an expense for individuals and families in Little River Academy, with proper budgeting, it is entirely do-able and the risk/reward is worth it. For some families, it may be difficult to sustain a commitment to therapy without proper insurance coverage. If this is you, ask your therapist about low cost options as practitoners in and around Little River Academy may have flexibility or sliding scales. Low cost counseling and affordable therapy are also sometimes offered by listed city and university level clinics, check with your local Little River Academy public health department.


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Well… no.
I really wanted to have wireless headphones for running and gym visits, so I got myself a pair of Skull Candy SMOKIN' BUDS 2 WIRELESS. Those headphones sound good enough for exercise – on par with in-ear headphones I used so far (Sony from Xperia Z and Z3 and Skull Candy buds).
But I'm not happy with the purchase. Here's why:
- The wireless headphones need charging. I've already run out of power once in the gym. And even if you have power the headphones tell you they need charging soon by… beeping. Beep… beep… beep… every few seconds. Try to concentrate with that in your ears.
- The headphones are not wireless. There's no wire to connect to the phone, but there's quite a lot of wire connecting the in-ear buds. And this wire is more annoying that a standard cable, because it's not attached to a fixed point, so it bounces around neck. And it has a sizeable bit of plastic in the middle. Skull Candy tried to patch this by adding a quite heavy rubbery neck bundle. Which stills bounces a bit and is no less irritating.
- Android 6 cannot reliable handle BT audio. I'm using BT audio in my car, with Sony SRS-X55 speaker and with those headphones. Switching between Sony speaker, car and SB2 sometimes confuses Android. I had to go to BT settings to remove the connection and reconnect the phone again to all those devices several times. It doesn't always help – I had to restart my phone three times as well. Which is not what I want to be doing in gym's changing room!
- BT range is good in theory, but seems to have gaps. Maybe my phone (Xperia z3) has a directional antenna or maybe it's the headphones. I can leave the phone 3 to 5 meters from me and the sound is working well, but as soon as I slip the phone into my pocket the sounds starts to break. Not much, but I'm getting very short breaks every few steps – just like my body is blocking the signal.
Would I buy different headphones instead of SB2? No. The whole approach is broken and the whole ecosystem needs updating. I'll try again in 3 years.


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Stabilize Your Core Muscles
A strong core―the muscles of the pelvis, hips, low back, abdomen, and chest―provides a protective column of support for the entire body, whether you're walking, picking up the paper, or bending over to tie shoelaces. In fact, all movement originates from the core, so training this area develops a more stable center of gravity, which leads to improved exercise performance, reduced risk of injury, and better posture. Boost your core muscles by ¬incorporating standing crunches into your walk.
Standing abdominal crunches/rotations
Pause as you walk, contract abs, and raise right knee toward chest and slightly to the left while twisting torso to the right. Slower lower right leg, step forward, and raise left knee to chest while twisting upper body to the left. Arms should be about chest high, bent at elbows, with palms facing forward, and twisting in same direction as the upper body. Alternate knees as you walk. Continue for one minute. Repeat two times during or at the end of your walk.
Challenge yourself:
Perform crunch as above, but step up on a high curb, step, or low bench as you pull knee to chest. Then step back down, and perform on opposite leg. This makes your core muscles work harder to hold you stable and maintain balance. Do 15 to 18 reps on each leg.
Tips on Technique
• Look straight ahead.
• Lift knee no higher than chest level.
• Keep head and neck in line.
• Keep back straight.
• Pull abs in tight.
• Keep supporting leg straight, knee unlocked.


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my $object = Padre::Wx::Progress->new($title, $max_count,
modal => 1,
lazy => 1,
$object->update($done_count, $current_work_text);
DESCRIPTIONShows a progress bar dialog to tell the user that we're doing something.
my $object = Padre::Wx::Progress->new( $title, $max_count, message => $default_message # optional modal => 1, # optional lazy => 1, # optional );
The "new" constructor lets you create a new "Padre::Wx::Progress" object.
$title is the title of the new box.
$max_count contains the highest item-number being processed.
A default message could be set (in case "update" should be called without text) with the message key. This is overridden by the newest "update" text. Default is an empty message.
Set modal to true to lock other application windows while the progress box is displayed. Default is 0 (non-modal).
Set lazy to true to show the progress dialog only if the whole process takes long enough that the progress box makes sense. Default if 1 (lazy-mode).
All options are optional, Padre will use fixed defaults if they're missing.
Returns a new "Padre::Wx::Progress" or dies on error.
$progress->update( $value, $text );
Updates the progress bar with a new value and optional with a new text message.
The last message will stay if no new text is specified.
COPYRIGHT & LICENSECopyright 2008-2013 The Padre development team as listed in Padre.pm.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
The full text of the license can be found in the LICENSE file included with this module.


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Tag Archives: Heliotherapy
firstname.lastname@example.com Surya Yog or sun yoga is our journey towards the sun. After becoming 'One' with the sun, one's awareness is awakened and that is the beginning of evolution of our ordinary consciousness into sun consciousness. One absorbs solar energy … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Gayatri mantra, Gazing, Heliotherapy, Solar breathing, Solar energy, Solar healing, Solar plexus, Sun, Sun consciousness, Sun gazing, Sun meditation, Sunrise, Sunset, Surya, Surya chikitsa, Surya dhyana, Surya pranayama, Surya tratak, SuryaYog, Yog, Yoga of the sun Comments Off on


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Sprint raises offer, to buy Clearwire for $2.2B
Sprint, the country's third-largest cellphone company, said Monday that it will buy out the portion of wireless network operator Clearwire that it doesn't already own after raising its offer price to $2.2 billion.
The deal would give Sprint control of a flailing affiliate, one it depends upon to provide high-speed "Sprint 4G" data services on some of its phones. It would increase Sprint's access to the airwaves, meaning it could boost data speeds in coming years. However, cell towers using Clearwire spectrum have poor range, meaning Sprint may struggle to provide broad coverage.
Sprint Nextel Corp. said it will pay $2.97 per share for the nearly 50 percent stake in Clearwire stock it doesn't already own. A board committee that excluded Sprint appointees approved the offer. The board hadn't approved Sprint's earlier offer of $2.90 per share, or a total of $2.1 billion, which had been made Thursday.
The agreement is a disappointment for Clearwire shareholders, who were hoping that the company would hold out for an even better offer. Some of them could try to stop the deal. The stock fell 47 cents, or 14 percent, to $2.90 in morning trading Monday.
Clearwire Corp., which is based in Kirkland, Wash., was formed by cellular pioneer Craig McCaw to take advantage of an emerging wireless technology, WiMax, which promised higher speeds and lower costs than conventional cellular technology.
Sprint was working on the same technology. In 2008, it rolled those operations into Clearwire, gaining a stake of more than 50 percent. Sprint pays Clearwire for access to its network, which it resells as Sprint 4G, but the technology has been orphaned as other wireless carriers have opted for another fourth-generation technology called LTE. Sprint is now building out its own 4G LTE network. Clearwire has its own plans to build out LTE, but has lacked the funds to do so.
Sprint was also financially strapped, until it agreed in October to sell 70 percent of itself to Softbank Corp. of Japan for $20 billion. Clearwire shares nearly doubled in value when that deal was announced two months ago, as investors guessed that the Softbank deal meant Sprint would buy full control of Clearwire.
Sprint's $2.97-per-share offer for Clearwire is more than twice the stock's closing price of $1.30 on Oct. 10, just before the Sprint-Softbank deal was confirmed.
The Clearwire deal is contingent on the Softbank deal going through. A majority of Clearwire's minority shareholders also need to approve it. Of those, cable companies Comcast Corp. and Bright House Networks, as well as chipmaker Intel Corp. have agreed to vote in favor. They control 13 percent of the shares.
Because Clearwire is closely tied to Sprint, it would be a poor fit for another cellphone company, and there have been no reports of other suitors.
Analyst Christopher King at Stifel Nicolaus said it's likely other shareholders will oppose the deal, arguing that Clearwire is worth much more. That means that final approval "may come down to a vote-counting exercise," he said.
Sprint, which is based in Overland Park, Kan., said it expects both deals to close next summer.
Sprint's stock fell a penny to $5.54 in morning trading Monday.


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2011 was a very exciting year for anyone interested in cloud computing. From many perspectives, it can be considered the year the cloud went mainstream. While interest in this topic has been strong for at least a couple of years now, mostly from technologists and entrepreneurs, 2011 was the year when the cloud jumped into the mind of the general public. Even though people still have doubts and concerns – and even though there are still some uncertainties surrounding the term – it can no longer be said that people don't know what the cloud is.
A very simple measure of how widespread cloud computing has become is the recent article on Harvard Business Review talking about what every CEO needs to know about the cloud. This means that the cloud is no longer a niche or a curiosity, it is now in the conscious of the public. Talking about the cloud won't get you dumb looks anymore; a lot of people know what cloud computing is, even if they don't understand it properly. It's like the internet: even if people don't know how it works, everyone knows what it is.
In this past year, the cloud has matured from a platform for web-based companies and startups, to a critical concern for large enterprises everywhere. Evolution and success bring more success, creating an exponential growth curve that we are seeing just the beginnings of. At the same time, growing up brings challenges and difficulties that must be addressed with care. During this past year, we had opportunity to see both the good and the bad side of the cloud in several high profile situations.
April Fool's
April 2011 was a hard month for cloud enthusiasts. We had Epsilon's security breach, where e-mail addresses from customers of several large and high-profile companies were compromised. We had the concerns around the security policies and practices of cloud storage company Dropbox. Then along came Amazon's EC2 outage, which brought down popular services such as Foursquare and Reddit. As if that wasn't enough, we had Sony's Playstation Network Outage. All considered, an excellent month for cloud skeptics and critics everywhere.
All these incidents resulted in some healthy debate about the current state and future of cloud computing. While at first glance they seemed to reinforce the points of cloud critics, problems are inevitable during any kind of technological shift, and the move to cloud computing is no different. The number of incidents and the attention they garnered are representative of the importance that the cloud has assumed in the public. While there were some blunders in the responses, most companies focused on transparency and building trust with their customers in spite of the problems.
The events of April highlighted two aspects of growth for all cloud vendors. First, as more and more people rely on the cloud, the complexity involved in maintaining and supporting these systems increases exponentially. This increase in complexity can quickly lead to problems as unexpected situations and interactions between services appear. Second, as the services that people and companies use every day are moved to the cloud, any kind of incident, be it a service outage or a security breach, can affect thousands of people and have massive negative impact for all involved. As the cloud becomes more important, it becomes more newsworthy, and any problems will be quickly reported everywhere.
Another trend that is perhaps a mark of cloud computing going mainstream is cloudwashing. Cloudwashing is when companies add the "cloud" moniker to their offerings regardless of actually having anything "cloud" to offer their customers. It's basically trying to use the publicity surrounding cloud computing to sell unrelated products. While it shows that the cloud has grown enough in popularity to be used as an advertising strategy, it can also be a bad thing, misleading customers and users.
Looking on the bright side
Not all was bad news, however. There was a lot of movement in the cloud space, both in terms of new services and offerings and in terms of acquisitions. As the market matured, the needs of users have become more apparent, and the major providers have either complemented their services or bought companies with complementary offerings. Rackspace purchased cloud monitoring company Cloudkick (this happened in late 2010, but the integration of offerings and the ramifications of the deal happened this past year), and Amazon launched and improved its monitoring offerings.
Other large players are also moving in this market. Microsoft has improved its cloud offering throughout the year, releasing new features and pricing models. Salesforce.com has ridden the cloud wave with great success, always touting the fact that it's the largest publicly listed "pure cloud" company out there. And other large companies are jumping in the fray. HP, IBM, Oracle, and even SAP are entering the cloud space with some sort of offering.
Another interesting development has been the repeated cost reductions applied to some cloud services. As platforms matured and competition increased, we saw several providers offering cost reductions of some sort, under the guise of free services, increased limits on free tiers, or eliminating costs associated with internal bandwidth usage.
Finally, the diffusion of knowledge about cloud computing has, in part, offset the growth in cloudwashing. As people gain a better understanding of the cloud, of its possible benefits and of the associated risks, it becomes harder for vendors to both disguise their offerings as cloud-based, and also to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about the cloud. Spreading knowledge is always a good thing.
Looking back – and forward
At the beginning of the year, there were a lot of predictions on how 2011 would be the year of the cloud, and that it would be a tipping point for cloud adoption everywhere. These predictions have been largely confirmed. While the spending with cloud solutions as a percentage of the total IT expenditure is still relatively small, the numbers are showing healthy growth, and projections are optimistic. Almost all major IT vendors are moving in this space, and the future is bright.
The most important measure of the shift towards the cloud, however, is that everyone one now knows what the cloud is. A couple of years ago, whenever I told a client I worked with cloud solutions, I'd see a blank look on their face. Today, everywhere I go people not only know what the cloud is, but also what benefits they can expect from a cloud solution in comparison with in-house software. To paraphrase a despised pun, there are only clear skies in the future of cloud computing.


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SEC has examined Bank of America mortgage repurchases
(Reuters) – Securities regulators have made inquiries into the mortgage repurchase practices at Bank of America Corp's Countrywide unit, according to a transcript filed in a lawsuit against the bank by insurer MBIA Inc.
The details of the inquiries, which had not been previously disclosed, were included in documents filed this week.
It is unclear if the SEC continues to investigate the matter, but the documents reveal the agency's interest dating back to at least 2010 in an issue that has already saddled the second-largest U.S. bank with billions of dollars of losses in the wake of the financial crisis.
According to the documents, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requested a meeting with the bank to discuss its representations and warranties process, according to the documents.
When selling the mortgages, banks made promises or "representations and warranties" about the loans. Investors can ask banks to buy back soured mortgages if these promises were evidently broken, for reasons such as poor underwriting, insufficient verification of income or other documentation errors.
The SEC also asked about reserves for mortgage repurchase requests, a bank employee testified.
Since buying Countrywide in 2008, Bank of America has been forced to take billions of dollars of losses on soured mortgages that were sold to investors such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the housing boom. At the end of the third quarter, it had set aside reserves of $ 16.3 billion in reserves for future claims.
While the SEC has taken action against Bank of America over its merger with Merrill Lynch, it has not sued the bank over conduct at Countrywide. In 2010, the SEC imposed a record $ 22.5 million penalty on Countrywide chief executive Angelo Mozilo over disclosures made as the subprime mortgage crisis emerged.
The SEC's interest in repurchases was disclosed as part of heated litigation between MBIA and Bank of America over mortgage-related claims. Bank of America on Thursday filed a lawsuit against MBIA related to the bank's efforts to buy the insurer's bonds.
An SEC spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. A Bank of America spokesman declined to comment.
In its annual report filing in February, the bank said it had received "a number of subpoenas and other requests for information" from regulators about mortgage-backed securities and other mortgage-related matters.
In its most recent quarterly filing, it also included a recurring disclosure that "in the ordinary course of business" the bank is "subject to regulatory examinations, information gathering requests, inquiries, investigations, threatened legal actions and proceedings."
The transcripts filed this week include depositions MBIA lawyers conducted with Bank of America employees in August. The interviews, with Cynthia Simantel and Michael Schloessmann, shed new light on what the SEC may be examining.
Simantel, who is an executive in Bank of America's investor audit department, which handles repurchase claims, said she gave testimony to the SEC "a few years ago", and discussed with the SEC a grid used to rate loans that came in to the group, according to the transcripts.
Schloessmann, who managed the representations and warranties process, which governs how repurchases are made, said Countrywide provided the SEC with claims-related data the agency had requested in early 2010.
Countrywide also put together a document about the top five reasons that they have approved repurchases related to so-called monoline insurers, which was provided to the SEC, according to emails discussed by Schloessmann.
The details suggest the SEC could be examining whether the bank was properly reserving for repurchases, or whether it properly disclosed its repurchase requests.
(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha in Washington and Rick Rothacker in Charlotte; editing by Andrew Hay)


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In honor of International Women's Day, I'd like to honor the women in my family by announcing my mtDNA haplogroup. This is my genetic link with the women in my family that goes back thousands of years, you might say the tie that binds us. We are truly an international group of women so it is especially fitting to honor the whole lot of us on this special day.
Back in early February I won a DNA test kit from DNA Heritage in a contest on The Genetic Genealogist blog. I chose an mtDNA test (maternal line) and have written a couple of posts about the testing process and my thoughts about it. My results came in earlier than I expected and ever since then I've been trying to find information about my haplogroup. Now that National Women's History month is here it's time for the big reveal. It is after all, the deep history of the women in my family.
Drum roll please... ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Thank you! The results of my mtDNA test are: I'm in haplogroup H.
Now don't go falling all over yourselves with excitement here... try to contain your enthusiasm. I know what you're thinking. Yes, H is a lovely letter. H is for happy, healthy, heart, heat, honey, history, hope, healing, hippies, home, humor, hummingbirds, harmonica, heaven, Helena, and human. They are all lovely words aren't they? And happy I am to be in haplogroup H!
But H is not just for happy words. It has it's share of not-so-happy words too... like huh? which is what I thought when I got my results, and hassle which is what I've gone through trying to find information about my haplogroup, hectic is the pace I've kept while trying to get the research done on my maternal line in time to write it up for the next edition of the COG, hissy-fit is what I want to throw every time I find another link leading to the Family Tree DNA web site because they won't let me play with them, hard is what it's like to read the scientific journal articles about my haplogroup, and headache is what I get when I'm through reading them.
So what have I learned about my haplogroup? Not a lot really, especially given that haplogroup H is the largest of the 7 haplogroups in Europe. It's estimated that around 40-60% of native Europeans belong to haplogroup H. You'd think with a group that size there would be a good amount of information available about it but I'm not finding that to be the case. Or maybe I should say I'm having a hard time locating understandable-to-a-layman information about the group.
I am working on compiling information on haplogroup H and have even started a blog on the topic. I know, I know, my New Year's resolution was NO NEW PROJECTS (in conjunction with "get something published")... and I didn't even make it through February before I got another one started. But I couldn't foresee this one coming!!! How was I supposed to know I was going to win this contest??? What's a girl supposed to do?
But seriously, my new blog, HaplogroupH.blogspot.com, is intended to be nothing more than a compilation of information I come across that may be of interest to other non-scientific haplogroup H information hunters. I'm thinking that my education on the topic of haplogroup H will be ongoing and sporadic (as time allows) and that's how I predict my posting to that blog will go as well. The Creative Gene blog is already diverse enough without adding all my haplogroup H findings to it so that's why I felt the need to start a new blog.
Now, before I finish this final post in my series on winning the DNA testing kit I'd like to say a great big THANK YOU to Blaine Bettinger, author of The Genetic Genealogist blog and Alastair Greenshields at DNA Heritage. These two gentlemen have launched my genetic genealogy journey and I am very grateful to be on my way. Just for the record, I am very glad I chose the mtDNA test in spite of the fact that I'm a little challenged right now in interpreting my results. I was very pleased with the ease of use of the DNA Heritage test kit and with the quick results. This has been a very happy experience for me!
P.S. Blaine is writing an ebook on the topic of interpreting the results of your DNA test and he has graciously shared his work in progress with me. This will no doubt be a hugely popular book because it is so badly needed and so very well written. There are more and better resources in his book than I found in all my many hours of searching online.
Oh, and one more thing. Marie Antoinette was a haplogroup H member. So I have finally found my family connection to royalty ;-)
Who else out there is in the H group? If you'd like to learn more about haplogroup H, please join me on the Haplogroup H blog!
Here are my previous posts on this topic:
Here's Where I'm at With Analyzing My mtDNA Results
The Results Are In!
Here Today Gone Tomorrow
Kit On Order
My Own mtDNA vs Y-DNA Test Analysis


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JERUSALEM — Israeli warplanes unleashed a series of airstrikes on Syrian military posts early Wednesday, killing one soldier and wounding seven in one of the most serious clashes between the countries in the past four decades.
The airstrikes came in retaliation for a roadside bombing a day earlier in the Golan Heights that wounded four Israeli soldiers on patrol along the tense frontier with Syria. The overnight raids marked a sharp escalation of activity for Israel, which largely has stayed on the sidelines during Syrian President Bashar Assad"s battle against rebels trying to topple him.
It is unclear which of the many groups fighting in Syria may have planted Tuesday"s bomb. But Israel has said it holds Assad responsible for any attacks emanating from his country, and accused his forces of allowing the attack to take place.
"Our policy is clear. We hurt those who hurt us," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Assad would "regret his actions" if attacks continue.
Israel captured the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel, from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. It later annexed the area.
Gunfire and mortar shells from the fighting in Syria have occasionally landed in the Golan in recent years. Israel has said much of the fire was errant, but has responded with artillery fire in several cases. None of those reprisals, however, were as intense as Wednesday"s airstrikes.
The Israeli military said its warplanes hit a Syrian army training facility, an army headquarters and artillery batteries. Israel also had carried out artillery strikes against Syrian military targets shortly after Tuesday"s bombing.
The Syrian military said the raids early Wednesday targeted three army posts near the town of Quneitra, on the edge of the Israeli-occupied part of the Golan. It confirmed the death of one soldier and said seven were wounded.
The Syrian army denounced the airstrikes as Israel"s "desperate attempt to escalate and worsen the situation" and to divert attention from Damascus" advances on the battlefront, especially the military"s capture last weekend of a key rebel stronghold near the Lebanese border.
"Repeating such hostile acts (airstrikes) would endanger the security and stability of the region and make it open to all possibilities," a Syrian military statement said.
Analysts said they did not expect the situation to deteriorate, since neither Israel nor Syria is interested in a full-fledged war. Assad is focused on his battle against the rebels and Israel has little desire to upset a period of relative quiet. Syria"s ally, Hezbollah, possesses tens of thousands of rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.
Even so, the area has seen an increase in tensions in recent weeks.
Last week, a roadside bomb exploded near an Israeli military patrol along the Lebanese border, causing no injuries. Israel responded with tank and artillery fire at suspected Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Earlier this month, the Israeli army said it killed two militants affiliated with Hezbollah — whose forces are fighting in Syria alongside Assad"s troops — as they were trying to plant a bomb along the frontier.
Also, an Israeli airstrike last month reportedly targeted a suspected Hezbollah weapons convoy in northeastern Lebanon, though officials in Israel never confirmed it. Hezbollah said it would retaliate for the airstrike, which killed a Hezbollah official overseeing the operation.
Israel stopped short of blaming Hezbollah outright for Tuesday"s bombing, but defense officials said the group remained the main suspect.
Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies. They fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate, and both sides have been gearing up for another confrontation.
Israel has said it will not allow sophisticated weapons to flow from Syria to the Iranian-supported Hezbollah. Since the Syrian war broke out, Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes in Syria that destroyed weapons shipments believed to be headed to Hezbollah.
While the Israel and Syria have largely refrained from direct confrontation since the 1973 Mideast war, Israel has shown a readiness to act.
In 2007, Israeli warplanes bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria, and on two previous occasions, Israeli warplanes buzzed over Assad"s palace in a show of strength. In 2003, Israel also bombed a training camp belonging to a Syrian-backed militant group that had carried out a suicide bombing in Israel.
Israel also remains concerned that an ouster of Assad could see power in Syria fall to Islamic militants there, particularly al-Qaida-linked groups, and further destabilize the region.
Israeli analyst Ephraim Kam said neither Syria nor Israel want war, and that Hezbollah and Israel are interested in only limited confrontations.
"What can Israel achieve by going to war?" asked Kam, a researcher at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies. "Syria is not in a position to go to war now, with civil war taking place."


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PORTLAND, Maine — Independent Senate candidate Angus King completed the transfer of his stake in a wind energy company he co-founded to his business partner and said Monday he would go one step further to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest by placing his investments in a blind trust.
King declined Monday to put a value on his stake in Independence Wind, which was formally transferred Sunday night to his business partner, Rob Gardiner, former president of Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
Founded in 2007, Independence Wind partnered on a 22-turbine, 50-megawatt wind power project in Roxbury, which received a federal loan guarantee. King said it's important to avoid any potential appearance of impropriety.
King, a self-made millionaire, also told The Associated Press that he would put his investments in a blind trust if he's elected to the Senate, just like he did after he was elected governor in 1994. The trust would shield King from information about the identity of investments, which would be managed by trustees.
Chris O'Neil of Friends of Maine's Mountains, which contends wind turbines are ruining the state's scenery while failing to deliver on promises of affordable green energy, says King was a convincing pitchman for wind power.
"Given the likelihood that a Senator Angus King will be asked to vote on huge appropriations measures that would give cash grants to wind developers, he avoids a level of firsthand conflict by getting out now," O'Neil said, noting that another Independence Wind project is pending in western Maine.
King, who served for two terms as governor, is one of at least 12 candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat that's being vacated by Republican Olympia Snowe, who opted against seeking a fourth term.
Six Republicans and four Democrats have filed petitions to face off in Maine's June primaries. At least one other independent, tea party candidate Andrew Ian Dodge, intends to run.
King, a former Democrat, reiterated Monday that contrary to claims by Republicans in Washington, there have been no backroom deals for him to caucus with one party or the other if elected. He has said he could caucus with one party or the other, depending on the issue, or none at all.
He said he wants to work in the middle to bridge the division between Republicans and Democrats to get things done.
"My whole point is to come in from the outside and shake things up. If I say I'm going to shake things up but if that doesn't work then I'll join the Red Sox or the Yankees, then it defeats the whole point of what I'm trying to do," he said.
Widely considered to be the front-runner, King said he has been busy setting up a fundraising committee, organizing petition gatherers, raising money, creating a website and finding office space in Brunswick. Independents must submit 4,000 signatures by June 1 to appear on the November ballot.
King spent about $1 million of his money on a campaign that he narrowly won when he first ran for governor as an independent. He said he hopes to avoid having to spend his own money this time because he's now widely known and should be able to tap into a larger base of political donors.
King became a millionaire in 1994 when he sold his energy consulting business, Northeastern Energy Management Inc. King made $8 million after paying back bank loans, capital gains taxes and other costs.
He declined to discuss on Monday how much of that money he still has, but he joked that he hadn't yet managed to spend all of the proceeds.
Sandy Maisel, director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College, said it's difficult for wealthy individuals to avoid conflicts of interest because their investment portfolios often include large companies that benefit from government contracts, grants or other subsidies.
By taking early steps to avoid potential conflicts of interest, King is showing he's serious about his Senate candidacy, Maisel said.


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The Good, the Bad, and the BlackBerry
BlackBerry may not be the most attractive stock for investors, but it's definitely the most talked about. On Sep. 27 it announced its second-quarter results, with a net loss of $965 million. Soon after its dismal results, speculations swirled that many companies might want to purchase BlackBerry and outbid Fairfax Financial's $4.7 billion bid.
The company's true value
Currently, there are several potential bidders for BlackBerry, and the sudden interest isn't because of its struggling handset business, but rather its vast patent portfolio. BlackBerry is now in talks with Google, SAP, and Cisco about selling all or parts of its business. BlackBerry's patent portfolio is one of the most diverse in the technology industry, and covers a wide variety of areas such as security, messaging, and LTE.
Source: Envision
BlackBerry's patent portfolio was ranked 82nd in the U.S. top 100 patent portfolios by Intellectual Asset Management Magazine. It was also identified as one of 14 companies with "stand-out" portfolios. Its patents have a lifespan of roughly 12.1 years, much higher than Nortel's 9.4 years and Motorola's 8.1 years. While there is no fixed market price for BlackBerry's patents, several investment banks have valued it between $2.25 billion-$5 billion. BlackBerry's 7,500 patents and 4,200 granted ones would give the buyer a huge competitive advantage in the current smartphone market.
Google is known for its ability to identify businesses that have potential to deliver future returns. In the case of Motorola, Google was willing to pay a significant premium to compete against Apple. Right now, Google is flooded with lawsuits in the patent space and, therefore, needs to build a strong mobile patent portfolio. This makes BlackBerry's patents, including the Nortel patent, a good investment option for Google. In 2011 , Google lost the Nortel patent auction to a consortium of Apple, Microsoft, and Research in Motion. Thus, through BlackBerry, Google would also gain access to part of Nortel's 6,000 patents, along with BlackBerry's patents, at a much cheaper price.
Falling sales of BB10 phones
After launching the BlackBerry operating system, or OS 7, it took the company a year and a half to develop OS BB10 to get back in the smartphone race with competitors Google and Apple. Its investments and efforts aren't paying off. The company incurred an inventory writedown of $934 million in the second quarter of 2013. The inventory writedown was mostly due to Z10, which it launched to compete against iPhone and Android devices. The company sold 5.9 million units in the second quarter, of which only 1.7 million were BB10 devices.
To improve sales of its BB10 phones, the company planned to implement further sales incentives with its carrier and distributor partners. Thus, the prices of BlackBerry Z10 phones have been reduced, resulting in different pricing for unsold inventory. This has caused the company to defer revenue of BB10 devices and record low sales in the second quarter, because to realize revenue from unsold phones, the price would have to have been determined beforehand.
Lookout for investors
Not only has BlackBerry struggled to satisfy shareholders, it also wasn't able to convince an additional investor to co-invest with Fairfax Financial. Fairfax is looking for a $1 billion equity investment from institutional investors to acquire BlackBerry.
Fairfax acquisition funding
Bank Loan
$3 billion
Equity investment
$1 billion
Fairfax 10% stake
471 million
Bridge loan
$238.26 million
Total value
$4.71 billion
As Fairfax isn't expected to invest more than its existing stake in BlackBerry (from the table above), it will be hard to find an institutional investor willing to invest around $1 billion. So far, potential investors haven't been officially disclosed, but there are ongoing talks with several U.S. and Canadian pension and private equity funds. The growing skepticism in Fairfax's ability to bring investors is expected to attract other bidders interested in buying BlackBerry.
Bottom line
There are many issues in determining BlackBerry's future. Currently, with falling sales, a large pileup of inventory, and financial woes, the future looks very uncertain. BlackBerry's stock price has lost around 40% of its value in the last six months and is trading around 10% below Fairfax's $9 per share bid.
Comparing BlackBerry to Nokia, whose handset business was bought by Microsoft last month, Nokia emerges as a much better investment option than BlackBerry. However, neither Nokia nor BlackBerry have a trailing P/E since each reported losses. But, Nokia's forward P/E is expected to be 42.02 , which indicates future earnings and a turnaround for Nokia. As for BlackBerry, a lot is dependent on the Fairfax deal. If BlackBerry is unable to attract investors for the Fairfax bid, analysts expect the stock valuation to be around $5 . I believe that investors should wait for further developments before considering any position in this stock.
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The article The Good, the Bad, and the BlackBerry originally appeared on Fool.com.
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Who is #Anonymous? What is #OpIndia all about? A small talk with Anonymous.
In our last article we gave a glimpse of Anonymous, who started functioning in India to fight against censorship. This all started when High Court ordered to block all the file-sharing sites which included Torrent, Vimeo, Pastebin, isohunt etc. When ISPs(Internet service providers) started censoring the sites, 'Anonymous' got involved and cracked down 35 websites and started protesting against Freedom of Speech and Internet Censorship.
Who is #Anonymous?
As I understand, any person who is supporting to remove censorship from India anonymously is a part of AnonymousIndia. They do not want to know who the fellow members are? But standing for the same cause of removing censorship from the world make them more bold. You need not be a good hacker, but a protester by heart will make you Anonymous. I got to understand this after good conversation with Anonymous.
What is #OpIndia?
When Anonymous started operating in India. Their twitter account was suspended in few days due to posting updates on TANGODOWN, which can be checked here. The Indian operations were named as #OpIndia. When the twitter account was suspended, Anonymous came up another operational ID as @opindia_back. Once Anonymous smelled censorship in India it increased its activity. According to Anonymous they want to remove the censorship from India as per IT act 2008. Anonymous also monitored the censorship activity happening in India. As a part of the OpIndia Anonymous hacked Reliance servers like mentioned here. They even hacked the Reliance's sister concern BIG cinemas and Reliance Communication. Anonymous come to public in its Press Conference via web as mentioned here.
This made us talk to Anonymous.We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us. We are Anonymous. We are a collective, bent at serving free will and justice.
They wanted to know that was I from media? But when I told them I am a blogger, they were pleased to have a quick chat with me.
Q. Its been a week now, how much do you think #AnonymousIndia is operating now?
Anonymous: First of all main operation is in #OpIndia, #AnonymousINDIA is for new blood. It is going well, we have taken down many govt websites. 35 websites got defaced over a night when our twitter was blocked. We are doing really well.
Q. The way you have chosen by the way of hacking the sites, do you think it will bring revolution to India?Anonymous: Depends on how you see it. It is a start. Anonymous_2: We will keep fighting and after all this is what matters standing up for what is right!
Q. How would you react if I say a new hacker is born every time when he/she is associated with Anonymous?Anonymous: Not everyone in anonymous is a hacker. Some are just here to support us.
Q. Example last time when I visited #opIndia, there were kids who wanted to get CBSE servers down because of results being published the next day! They have more expectations in bringing the such websites down. Any comments?Anonymous: No we do not support them, that's why channel ops are there to keep an eye on the people who talk random stuff and not stick to target. Anonymous2: Even that is possible because before we were this anonymous we were pranksters on the web. Even then the vote mattered, if enough people supported that kid we would have done it. See this is pure democracy so the bad options fail and the good options win.
Q. You set the target on the basis of votes?Anonymous: Yes vote of the possible target, isn't that so [to Anonymous 2]. Anonymous2: Yes, we ask other anons..and then shoot!
Q. How much support are you getting from the Anon_central?Anonymous: Anon_central is not a leader. They are just like us. Anonymous2: Anon central is one of us, it's not a nodal agency or anything.
Q. Are Anon_central guiding you guys ?Anonymous: As I said, they cannot guide us. They are not leaders. Anonymous has no leaders. We are free thinkers. We ask people for suggestions on twitter and other anons on IRC and then execute the plan if everyone supports it.
Q. What importance do you feel by international support though they are Anonymous like you?Anonymous: You never know if I am Indian or not. I may be anywhere in this world and talking to you on behalf of OpIndia. So OpIndia already is getting enough support from outside. We have support from #OpGreece #OpUK #OpMacedonia. We are all over the world. Fighting for one cause that is Internet freedom. Anonymous2: We are everywhere, we are the largest civil intelligence wing in the world.
Q. Did Anon_central share any software patch or applications?Anonymous: Anonymous has many weapons. You can't say who made what? So well if I use some script that I have built then well I will share it with other anons. It's like that for us. We share what we make. Anonymous2: All softwares that we use are usually open source and available free online.
Q. As #OpKashmir is also getting a role, will you guys work as protectors when things get worse?Anonymous: Anyone can be behind #opkashmir. We do not know who is it. But if they are using the name of Anonymous. Then I am sure they know the responsibility they hold. We respect other anons. We cannot tell them to stop. But yes if things go wrong then we will do whatever is possible.
Q. Since the act of hacking is illegal how would you relate it with protesting or can it be also called as a group of people supporting hackers?Anonymous: We are hacktivists not just hackers. We hack for a cause. To spread the message among people. We tell about the wrongdoings of the govt. We are not terrorists.
Q. Why is anonymous targeting Reliance then, there are many other ISPs too who got the legal orders to block the file sharing sites?Anonymous: We have enough proofs to target Reliance. We are working on other ISPs . As soon as we get enough proofs about others we will leak out to the public and then attack them.
Q. As there will be many skilled users(but didn't worked with the hackers group) also who would be willing to join you guys, any message for them?Anonymous: They can come to our IRC and join channel #OpIndia. Its simple as that. Anonymous2: 1.webchat.anonops.com/?channels=#opindia link to join operation india irc.
Q. What all can we expect other than a peace protest march on streets on 9th June?Anonymous: Well may be. We cannot assure you. If government hurt the protesters in any way then our response to it will not be good for govt. We are actually going really easy on govt at the moment.
Q. If other communities like to join Anonymous for other causes like corruption, to bring out more scams etc. Will you support them?Anonymous: People who are willing to join Anonymous against corruption and censorship are always welcome. Anonymous2: Yes, they are always welcome.
Anonymous is gathering members and arranging a nationwide protest against censorship. For that they have started mentioning various places where they will be organizing a peace protest against the Internet censorship. Click here to take part in the peace protest.
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