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We're Hiring!
Thank you for your interest in working for UFE. Please note that the deadlines for these three positions have now passed.
We are excited to announce that we are hiring for three positions at United for a Fair Economy! See below for a short description of each position and follow the links to read more.
Communications Director (deadline passed)
We are looking for a Communications Director to provide strategic leadership, overall coordination and management, and implementation of an organization-wide communication strategy to produce and distribute educational resources and organizer tools, engage and grow our online supporter base, and elevate our message, analysis, and frame with a broader audience. see more here
Program Coordinator (deadline passed)
We are seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Program Coordinator to work on the Tax Fairness Organizing Collaborative, a national network of state-level tax fairness groups that use community organizing as the primary vehicle for driving progressive policy change. As an 'organizer of organizers,' this is a unique opportunity for an individual with strong interpersonal skills, a hands-on leadership style, and a deep appreciation for policy and community organizing. see more here
Education Coordinator (deadline passed)
The Education Coordinator designs, organizes, and leads UFE's Popular Economics Education workshops and presentations; designs and leads training of trainer events; and designs and disseminates materials for community-based educators, organizers, and leaders in support of our organizational partners: especially low-income worker networks and state-based tax fairness groups. Developing, strengthening and maintaining relationships with UFE partner organizations is a key part of the job, as well as working collaboratively with other UFE teams and projects. see more here
Why History Matters: Obama Talks about Inequality
Ezra Klein of the Washington Post calls it "perhaps the single best economic speech of his presidency." The folks on Fox News were whining about "redistribution." Picking up a cab in Baltimore the next morning, the first thing the driver asked me was whether I saw the President's speech… He loved it. However one ranks it, Pres. Obama's speech on Wednesday nailed it, calling economic inequality the "defining challenge of our time."
He clearly articulated the history, much as we do at United for a Fair Economy, of how we built the middle class in America. Spoiler: It was not a product of unfettered markets and heroic bootstrapping. It was built through deliberate public investments, a broad tax system based on ability-to-pay, and rules-changes that created ladders of opportunity and which helped ensure that workers shared in the prosperity their labor made possible.
"Now, the premise that we're all created equal is the opening line in the American story. And while we don't promise equal outcomes, we have strived to deliver equal opportunity -- the idea that success doesn't depend on being born into wealth or privilege, it depends on effort and merit. And with every chapter we've added to that story, we've worked hard to put those words into practice."
After citing a litany of public investments from Abraham Lincoln's administration to that of LBJ–land grant colleges, the eight hour day, busting up of monopolies, Social Security, the minimum wage, Medicare and Medicaid–he added:
"Together, we forged a New Deal, declared a War on Poverty in a great society. We built a ladder of opportunity to climb, and stretched out a safety net beneath so that if we fell, it wouldn't be too far, and we could bounce back. And as a result, America built the largest middle class the world has ever known. And for the three decades after World War II, it was the engine of our prosperity."
The President acknowledged that not all Americans benefitted. Racism and Jim Crow kept many down.
"The economy didn't always work for everyone. Racial discrimination locked millions out of poverty -- or out of opportunity. Women were too often confined to a handful of often poorly paid professions. And it was only through painstaking struggle that more women, and minorities, and Americans with disabilities began to win the right to more fairly and fully participate in the economy."
Then something changed.
The President did not talk about this in his speech, but as we have argued in our "State of the Dream" reports and The Color of Wealth, there is a connection between the civil rights victories, the War on Poverty, and the subsequent racialization of the very public investments that previously built the middle class. That is, once Blacks and others began to benefit from these public investments, conservatives were able to play upon White fears and demonize government. Public supports that once built the White middle class became "hand outs," and Reagan, during his 1976 presidential bid, introduced the world to the term "welfare queen."
Nonetheless, Pres. Obama acknowledged the tectonic shifts that took place in the US economy beginning in the 1970s, as government's active role in fostering a strong middle class started to shrink. In the president's words, "starting in the late '70s, this social compact began to unravel."
"As values of community broke down, and competitive pressure increased, businesses lobbied Washington to weaken unions and the value of the minimum wage. As a trickle-down ideology became more prominent, taxes were slashed for the wealthiest, while investments in things that make us all richer, like schools and infrastructure, were allowed to wither. And for a certain period of time, we could ignore this weakening economic foundation, in part because more families were relying on two earners as women entered the workforce. We took on more debt financed by a juiced-up housing market. But when the music stopped, and the crisis hit, millions of families were stripped of whatever cushion they had left.
...So the basic bargain at the heart of our economy has frayed. In fact, this trend towards growing inequality is not unique to America's market economy. Across the developed world, inequality has increased. Some of you may have seen just last week, the Pope himself spoke about this at eloquent length. "How can it be," he wrote, "that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"
Then the President shifted from inequality to the erosion of social mobility, bringing us to where we are today as increasing inequality collides with decreasing social mobility.
"The idea that so many children are born into poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth is heartbreaking enough. But the idea that a child may never be able to escape that poverty because she lacks a decent education or health care, or a community that views her future as their own, that should offend all of us and it should compel us to action. We are a better country than this.
So let me repeat: The combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the American Dream, our way of life, and what we stand for around the globe."
In UFE's 2012 book, The Self-Made Myth, we quote former Genzyme CFO Jim Sherblom who, after speaking of the many ways public investments and an active government helped he and his wife succeed financially, acknowledged the dramatic shifts occurring since that will now shape the lives of his own children, "We are going to be a very different society with very different expectations about what is possible for a young, ambitious person who wants to do well in life..."
The President, in his speech goes on to talk about not just the moral injustice of it all, but the damaging consequences this inequality has on our economy, trust in each other and in our institutions, and our democracy, adding that, "The decades-long shifts in the economy have hurt all groups: poor and middle class; inner city and rural folks; men and women; and Americans of all races."
Armed with this deeper understanding, the next question is: What do we do about it? That's where the rubber meets the road. The President made a case for an important governmental role in rebuilding our frayed "ladders of opportunity."
He threw his support behind the fast-food workers striking across the country for an increased minimum wage. He spoke about closing tax loopholes, education, Social Security, food stamps, and more. Speaking about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, he also spoke of the necessity of closing the health coverage gap, quoting Dr. King, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." This is a theme we'll be talking about in our upcoming State of the Dream report.
The full speech is worth a read, but one of the core take-aways is that history matters… as much or more than data points. One can quote unemployment statistics, but outside the context of history and that deeper understanding, people will just fill in the blanks with their own preconceived notions of why one group is more likely to be unemployed than another, or why wealth is piling up in the hands of the few.
Narrative and a deep understanding of how we got here is critical to understanding how we move forward. Or, as others would say, you can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been.
Now, onward to the next fight.
The Robin Hood Tax Makes Wall Street Pay
There is little question that Republicans took a political hit for the senseless government shutdown. If there is a lesson to be learned for the GOP (and everyone else), it's that government shutdowns and debt-ceiling standoffs are counterproductive and irresponsible bargaining chips in political debate (not to mention a cruel tactic for millions of Americans, not just federal employees and beneficiaries of public assistance programs, but everyone really). But whatever is learned, the larger fight over taxes and public investments is far from over.
As the new December budget and January debt ceiling deadlines approach, United for a Fair Economy and our allies will continue to push back with a clear anti-austerity message to Washington: "Damaging cuts are not necessary! America is not broke! Congress simply needs the political will to raise taxes on the wealthy."
In addition to UFE's fights to strengthen the federal estate tax and tax wealth like work, UFE is one of 150 organizations supporting the "Robin Hood Tax," an exciting proposition that could raise hundreds of billions of dollars to invest in our communities (and raised from the reckless Wall Street speculators who wrecked the economy in the first place).
The Inclusive Prosperity Act (H.R. 1579) by Rep. Keith Ellison would create such a "Robin Hood Tax," or financial transactions tax (FTT), on the sale of stocks, bonds, derivatives, and other financial instruments. The FTT rate on stocks would be 0.5%, with lower rates applied to bonds and derivatives.
United for a Fair Economy wholly endorses the "Robin Hood Tax." Why? Because this tax accomplishes two very important goals at the same time, not to mention it's totally feasible:
1) It Reins in Casino Capitalism
Because the financial transactions tax is levied each time a stock is sold, its otherwise nominal rate is magnified many times over for those speculators who buy and sell stocks repeatedly in a single week or day.
If someone buys $100 in stock shares and holds it for 5 years, the tax expense, 50 cents, will be spread over 5 years (so you will owe effectively 10 cents a year in taxes on this transaction). But if you trade that same stock each week to gain some small advantage, you'll pay $26 a year instead. And if you trade hourly using automated computer software, well then the multiplier effect really kicks in. That's the whole point!
By taxing at the point of transaction, the Robin Hood Tax effectively separates the type of long-term investments that are good for the economy, from the type of high-frequency trading – or "casino capitalism" – that contributes nothing but volatility and instability to the economy.
If people want to gamble, they should go to Vegas. We cannot afford to let the reckless behavior of Wall Street gamblers take down the global economy again.
2) It Raises $350 Billion for Important Programs
Levied at the rates of the Inclusive Prosperity Act, the financial transactions tax would raise upwards of $350 billion. That is a tremendous amount of money that will be moved out of disruptive speculation and into the public sector, where it is truly needed.
Just for a sense of scale, $350 billion is more than the combined total of President Obama's proposed 2014 discretionary budgets for the Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and Transportation!
Applying this level of funding to the real needs of the nation – health care and health research, rebuilding and greening our transportation infrastructure, education, job creation, and more – would have a profound and positive impact on our nation's long-term well-being.
It's Totally Doable!
Already 40 nations across the world have some form of financial transactions tax, including the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and many others. At this point, the majority of the major financial centers around the globe are operating in nations with a financial transactions tax.
Additionally, the 0.5% rate on stocks being proposed in the Inclusive Prosperity Act is the same rate the United Kingdom already levies, and that has in no way endangered London's status as powerhouse in global finance.
The US actually had a financial transactions tax from 1914 to 1966, levied initially at 0.2% and later raised to 0.4%. After the stock market crash in 1987, there was a serious effort, led in part by one of President George H.W. Bush's chief economists, to restore the financial transactions tax in order to bring stability to the markets.
With 11 nations across Europe now looking seriously at enacting a financial transactions tax, this has become a growing global movement to rein in the kind of casino capitalism that wreaked havoc on the global economy, while funding vital programs that foster true national wellbeing.
What can you do?
Visit the Robin Hood Tax web page to for news, research, talking points, and other helpful resources! Contact your member of Congress and ask them to support H.R.1579, the Inclusive Prosperity Act.
Shutdown: The Continuing Assault on Obamacare
The government shutdown is part of much broader assault on the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Despite some of the rhetoric, low-income and struggling Americans are not just "caught in the crossfire." On the contrary, they are the intentional targets of a senseless political attack.
This shutdown has nothing to do with government spending, and the budget. As Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) makes very clear, "Democrats have already agreed to the level of spending proposed by the Republicans, at least in the short-term."
The continuing resolution that the Senate passed in September, if continued through the rest of the year, would allocate $986 billion in discretionary spending, far below the $1,203 billion that President Obama called for in his first budget proposal. It's essentially on par with the draconian Ryan Plan that called for only $967 billion in discretionary spending.
The shutdown is not about the fiscal year 2014 budget, cutting spending, or reducing the national debt. It is about undermining the Affordable Care Act and denying health coverage to millions. It is part of a multi-prong attack on the President's signature health care plan, and it reflects a total disregard for the well being of families everywhere.
Even before the shutdown, Republicans succeeded in eroding the Affordable Care Act by waging war at the state level. A New York Times article this week reports that "two-thirds of the poor blacks and single mothers and more than half of low-wage workers" that would have otherwise been covered under Obamacare will now go uninsured:
"Because they live in states largely controlled by Republicans that have declined to participate in a vast expansion of Medicaid, the medical insurance program for the poor, they are among the eight million Americans who are impoverished, uninsured and ineligible for help."
A little background might be useful here. The Affordable Care Act uses two strategies to make health insurance (truly) available to people who were left out in the cold previously. As the New York Times article explains:
"The law was written to require all Americans to have health coverage. For lower and middle-income earners, there are subsidies on the new health exchanges to help them afford insurance. An expanded Medicaid program was intended to cover the poorest. In all, about 30 million uninsured Americans were to have become eligible for financial help."
By refusing to participate in the Medicaid expansion, the mostly Republican-controlled states are effectively punching a hole right in the middle of the Affordable Care Act – a hole through which eight million struggling Americans will now fall.
"The 26 states that have rejected the Medicaid expansion are home to about half of the country's population, but about 68 percent of poor, uninsured blacks and single mothers. About 60 percent of the country's uninsured working poor are in those states. Among those excluded are about 435,000 cashiers, 341,000 cooks and 253,000 nurses' aides."
Black Americans are much more likely to be uninsured than whites going forward because so many of the states that have refused to participate in the Medicaid expansion are Southern states in the heart of the Black Belt – states where a history of racism has prevented many blacks from achieving middle-class security.
But, denying health care coverage to eight million people living in these 26 states isn't enough. Now Tea Party Republicans are demanding a delay in implementation of the Affordable Care Act in all 50 states in exchange for ending the government shutdown. Again, those who go without health care as a result of this assault on the Affordable Care Act are not simply "caught in the crossfire" — they are it's intended targets.
Meanwhile, there are those who actually are "caught in the crossfire" of this shutdown, including: 800,000 federal workers (who are also disproportionately black) and many more government contractors; low-income families who rely on Women, Infants and Children's (WIC) nutrition programs or Head Start (as of Wednesday, an estimated 50 Head Start sites have closed, affecting 3,200 preschool-aged children from low-income families); vacationing families stranded outside of national parks that are now closed; and many others.
Enough already! It's time for action…
If your US Representative is one of the Republican hold-outs, tell them to send a "clean continuing resolution," with no delays in the Affordable Care Act, to the House floor for a vote.
If your US Representative is one of the Democrats, tell them to stay strong and refuse to cave into the Tea Party extremists who want to undermine the Affordable Care Act.
Email your U.S. Representative >>
Capitalism: On Display in Times Square
It's worth exploring the ways capitalism affects our lives so we can make more informed decisions for improving our economy. That's the goal of a traveling interactive art installation that UFE is supporting in New York City.
Join us on October 6-9 in Times Square! If you want to join the street team, email Maz Ali at email@example.com.
|UFE's Steve Schnapp (L) facilitates street dialogue on the economy while participants wait to vote at Steve Lambert's "Capitalism: Works for Me! (True/False)."
Steve Lambert — artist, culture jammer, educator, and co-founder of the Center for Artistic Activism — presents passers-by with the statement, "Capitalism: Works for Me!" and asks participants to vote true or false. But, rather than have people cast hair-trigger votes based on ingrained notions, Steve urges some critical thinking and dialogue to get at the ways capitalism helps or hinders our individual circumstances. That's where UFE and our allies come in.
Capitalism, like it or not, is the main system on which the U.S. economy operates...for now, anyway. It is a market-based system that, in ideal circumstances, provides a competitive arena for private businesses to sling goods and services.
The upsides are visible – they're in the hypnosis of your computers, tablets, and smartphones; in the comfort and convenience of your car; in the connections you make and cheap crap you buy online; and it's even in fond memories of family trips to capitalism-inspired sites like Times Square.
The downsides are also plain to see, but they're not often attributed to the system of capitalism itself – they're in the blocks of foreclosed homes, lost 401Ks, Mc"Food" deserts, unfathomable healthcare costs, climbing productivity but stagnant wages, out-of-reach higher education, and other unsavory realities.
"It takes money to make money," right? Our political economic system provides significant advantage to those who have capital to begin with. The Reagan era marked the start of a trend toward freer, less regulated markets – a movement for the heightened influence of capitalism in the global economy.
Since then, our country has fallen victim to historic levels of income and wealth inequality and is becoming a land of haves and have-nots. The question of which category you fall into is complex and riddled with contradictions. But, with the majority of Americans agreeing that inequality has gotten out of hand, we have to more openly examine those complexities and bring the debate more into the public eye.
If you're in or around New York City on October 6-9 between the hours of noon and 7:00 p.m., please join us as a participant or volunteer. Here are select interviews from the opening day of the installation.
They're Back! And Rich As They Ever Were
They're Back! And Rich As They Ever Were
Originally posted on Common Dreams, Sept. 24, 2013
Two weeks ago, Forbes released its 2013 list of the richest 400 Americans. And the not-so-surprising news: The fortunes of those at the top continue to rise while Americans across the country continue to suffer. What is surprising though is that they have now regained "all" of the losses from the economic collapse.
"Five years after the financial crisis sent the fortunes of many in the U.S. and around the world tumbling, the wealthiest as a group have finally gained back all that they lost. The 400 wealthiest Americans are worth just over $2 trillion, roughly equivalent to the GDP of Russia. That is a gain of $300 billion from a year ago, and more than double a decade ago. The average net worth of list members is a staggering $5 billion, $800 million more than a year ago and also a record. The minimum net worth needed to make the 400 list was $1.3 billion. The last time it was that high was in 2007 and 2008, before property and stock market values began sliding. Because the bar is so high, 61 American billionaires didn't make the cut."
Half of those who dropped off the Forbes list didn't do so because their fortunes' declined. They "fell off the list" because others passed them up. As Forbes notes, "The rest simply couldn't keep up with the rising tide." It's an economic bonanza for the rich.
In glorifying and idolizing the superrich, what Forbes and much of our popular culture fails to acknowledge is the role that inherited wealth, race, gender, and public policy have played in shaping who is and who is not on the list. But last year, United for a Fair Economy (UFE) took a closer, more critical look at the list with the release of our "Born on Third Base" report, which analyzed the 2011 Forbes 400 list. Here's what we learned:
- At least 40% of those on the 2011 Forbes 400 list inherited a medium-sized business or substantial wealth from a spouse or family member.
- Over 20% – including many Walton family members – inherited enough to place them on the Forbes 400 list with their inheritance alone. It's like they were born on home plate.
- Only a small number can be said to truly come from modest means, and even they had help.
America's long history of race and gender bias also shape who is and is not on the list. Women and people of color make up only a tiny sliver of the overwhelmingly white, male Forbes 400. Even in 2013, the Forbes list includes only one African-America: Oprah Winfrey.
In UFE's 2006 book, The Color of Wealth, we examine the history of these disparities, including the way that women and people of color have been systematically excluded from the wealth-building public programs that helped create the white middle class. These wealth disparities have been passed on to each successive generation through the power of inheritance.
It's not just the birthright, there are public policies that give an unnecessary "leg up" to those at the top. One of the more egregious tax breaks we give to the wealthiest Americans is the reduced tax rate on investment income. We tax investment income from capital gains and appreciated stock at nearly half the top rate at which we tax income from wages earned through actual work.
Who does that special tax break benefit? No great mystery here. 60% of the income made by the Forbes 400 billionaires comes from capital gains, i.e. investment income. Together with the rest of their compatriots in the top 0.1%, they capture half of all capital gains income in the country. At the very least, we need to "tax wealth like work" and end this special tax break that disproportionately benefits those at the top.
By ignoring the role of inherited wealth, race, gender, and public policy advantages, Forbes describes many of the richest Americans as "self-made." This is an assertion that UFE challenged, both in our "Born on Third Base" report and in our 2012 book, The Self-Made Myth.
Attributing the success of those at the top entirely to their own efforts, by implication, also insinuates that those who are poor, are poor by their own efforts. Such an incomplete, black-and-white narrative distorts our views on the merits of a host of public policies—through this lens, progressive taxes become akin to "punishing success," and public policies aimed at correcting past injustices become "hand outs." The list goes on.
Instead of falling over ourselves in gleeful adulation of the superrich, let's honor the labors of all hard-working people across the country, and not overlook all the nuances. At the very least, it will be a more honest dialogue.
3 Principles for a Better Tax System
At the most basic level, taxes exist to fund the government. Decisions about how much revenue we should raise from federal taxes and from what sources we should raise it are incredibly important. The influence of federal tax policy ripples throughout the entire economy and affects funding at all levels of government.
United for a Fair Economy believes a sustainable and people-oriented tax system should be based on three key principles. And, we support several common-sense policies that are designed according to those principles.
Tax Reform - the current effort underway in Congress and any changes to federal tax law - should be guided by some basic principles of good tax policy. Taxes should:
Generate the appropriate amount of revenue to fund our national priorities. The current tax code does not raise enough revenue, which leads to cuts to programs and services.
Raise revenue from the sources that can most afford to pay for our collective enterprise of government. New revenue should come from the wealthy and from corporations whose taxes are lower now than they were a generation ago.
Make it easier to file and collect our taxes. Making it easier to file taxes will make the system fairer and make tax avoidance more difficult. It will also reduce the burden of compliance on families and small businesses.
These principles should guide all federal tax reform and policy change decisions. The main purpose of taxation is to generate revenue. We should generate enough revenue to pay for our national priorities and avoid unnecessary budget cuts. We should raise tax revenue from the sources that can most afford to pay. And we should make paying and collecting taxes simpler.
Estate Tax Quotes
UFE and Responsible Wealth have held many press events featuring remarkable guest speakers from varying walks of life and work. Many of those speakers are wealthy individuals who have been, or will be, affected by the estate tax. But, they all have at least one thing in common – passionate support for the estate tax, because of what it represents: the common good and opportunity for all Americans.
"Consider a wealthy family with two children. Under the [2009] law, each child could inherit $3.5 million, tax free. That means each child would receive more, tax free, than the average worker would earn in two lifetimes. And the worker would be paying taxes on their earnings. Each of these children would receive more, tax-free, than 240 minimum wage workers would receive in a year."
- Anna Burger, Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU
"[P]assing a stronger estate tax is a matter of ethics, of responsibility, of pride in citizenship, and it's the right fiscal choice for our country...I don't ever forget, as do some of my colleagues, that I benefited from a lot of business incentives and tax laws as I was building Vanguard Group to what it is today, and I owe some of that back."
- John C. Bogle, Founder and former CEO of The Vanguard Group
"My family achieved success not in spite of, but because of the American system of taxation. After all, without reliable and safe roads there'd have been no Disneyland; without high functioning legal systems and a well regulated business environment there would have been no copyright protection for Mickey Mouse."
- Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, philanthropist & heiress to the Disney fortune
"People who accumulate substantial wealth have not done so alone. They have benefited from the labor of employees and have built their businesses using public infrastructure such as clean water, ports, roads, utilities, and the internet. In view of these considerations, an estate tax is a responsibility which should be inescapable, and which people should be proud to pay."
- Dave Eiffert, Co-founder and Co-owner of Snoqualmie Falls Brewery
"Wind River wouldn't have existed without government-funded research that I did at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories. I wouldn't have gotten that job at the lab if I hadn't had a master's degree. I wouldn't have had a master's or a bachelor's degree if there weren't a public university that provided me with financial aid. And if I hadn't gone to a good high school, also public, I probably wouldn't have gotten into the university...Indeed, it will give me great pride to repay [society], hopefully many-fold, through the estate tax."
- Jerry Fiddler, Principal of Zygote Ventures & founder of Wind River Systems
"No one accumulates a fortune without the help of our society's investments. How much wealth would exist without America's unique property rights protections, public infrastructure, and academic institutions? We should celebrate the estate tax as an 'economic opportunity recycling' program, where previous generations made investments for us and now it's our turn to pass on the gift. Strengthening the estate tax is important to our democracy."
- Bill Gates, Sr., Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
"At Frostyaire, our decisions about hiring employees, purchasing equipment, and expanding the business are not based on tax policy...The best way to help small businesses like ours is to put more money in the hands of the middle class who will spend the money as customers of our businesses, rather than cutting the estate tax to ensure that very wealthy heirs can have a larger inheritance."
- Jean Gordon, Co-owner of Frostyaire of Arkansas
"It seems to me that the least deserving recipients of wealth are inheritors. Further, there are many indications that inheritors often have trouble adjusting to their unearned inheritance. An inheritance tax would de facto help remedy this."
- Julian Robertson, Founder of Tiger Fund
"The Rockefeller fortune could never have been created without the foundation of public laws, public education and infrastructure which undergirded American industry in my great-grandfather's time and continues to do so today. Therefore, far from resenting our tax system, which allows this infrastructure to remain strong, I believe that a strong estate tax makes perfect sense."
- Richard Rockefeller, MD, Family Physician & great-grandson of John D. Rockefeller
"Our country is on an unsustainable fiscal path. A progressive estate tax can...fund deficit reduction, additional public investment, or added assistance to those affected by the economic crisis...Our nation has always held itself out as a meritocracy and a land of opportunity, and an estate tax helps avoid accumulation of inherited economic and political power that is antithetical to this historical vision of our society."
- Robert Rubin, Former U.S. Secretary of Treasury
"I've been reasonably successful...I own and manage six office buildings and have some 50 people working for me, directly or indirectly. Would I say that I did it without public support? No. When I reflect on what helped my business succeed and grow, I owe quite a bit to public investments, including tax policies that help make the real estate industry lucrative."
- John Russell, Owner of Russell Development Company
"Our economy remains on the edge of a double-dip recession, and we urgently need to create millions of jobs and invest in our future, not give more tax breaks to the wealthy. Anyone who pretends to care about cutting deficits while opposing the restoration of the estate tax is clearly residing on a different planet."
- Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO
We thank all of our guest speakers for their commitment to tax fairness.
INFOGRAPHIC: The House Doesn't Always Win
Housing, a cornerstone of the "American Dream," is the largest form of privately wealth held by families across the United States. This infographic draws attention to the intersection of housing as both a globally-recognized human right and as a commodity in a global stock market controlled by the wealthy. We urge readers to acknowledge the history behind the long-standing racial wealth divide and to consider the interplay between federal housing policies and risky financial practices and their impacts on the divide.
We are releasing this infographic just days after Duke University released a new study, which found that Black and Latino homebuyers are paying more for housing than Whites. Earlier this year, shortly after the release of UFE's report on housing and racial inequality, a Brandeis University study highlighted homeownership as the number one driver of the growing racial wealth gap.
How many studies need to be published before policymakers begin treating housing like a human right and not a commodity to be gambled with on Wall Street? Perhaps more importantly, what must be done to unite and galvanize communities—of all races and classes—to push lawmakers and to take control of the situation where they're falling short? Inequality has become worse than most people think. Economic apartheid has gripped our country. But, money is no match for people power.
Learn more about what's happening on the ground with State of the Dream 2013: A Long Way From Home. Share this information and invite others to join the conversation and take part in efforts to address racial injustice in your community.
Download this infographic in English or Spanish.
Infographic design by Design Action Collective
Tragedy at the Boston Marathon: Who's Saying It Best
I didn't really know how to feel or what to do. I decided to pour myself into this [vigil]. Now it's here. I guess we'll see what happens next. —Rene Perez, Boston
It's hard to know how to react in moments of great tragedy. It's in those moments, though, that community is of parmount importance. The bombings at the Boston Marathon has created one of those moments. Boston has been home to UFE since our founding 18 years ago. What happened on Boylston Street on Monday, April 15, 2013 at approximately 2:50 p.m. hit home. Our Tuesday morning staff meeting became a reflective and supportive space for our grieving team, and it was an opportunity to reaffirm our commitments to making this sometimes painful world a better place for all people.
Only the work of law enforcement officials can reveal who is responsible for this attack. But, there is, perhaps, nothing the investigation would uncover that can fulfill our rational human need to know why this senseless act was carried out. There is no justifying it.
It would be difficult at this stage to contribute anything more or meaningful to the ongoing and often repetitive dialogue. Instead, we want to share with you some of the most helpful commentary we've come across. These insights may not bring closure to this horrific matter, but they've been helpful in guiding how we receive and mange both the information and our feelings in this moment.
Don't buy into everything you're reading or hearing wholesale. "There's still a lot we don't know," and "many of the initial reports on media outlets...have proven to be false" (Mother Jones). The consequences of widespread misinformation are damaging and can place innocent people in danger. Glenn Greenwald details the active role of mainstream media outlets in breeding and bolstering Islamophobia in moments of terror.
It's okay to be sad. It's perfectly appropriate to be angry. But, we can't allow fear and panic to take over. Bruce Schneier asks, "What has happened to 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself?'" He urges that we "empathize, but refuse to be terrorized," because public reactions to this rare, albeit horrible, event will shape the state's response.
Vigilance—not wreckless vigilantism—is crucial if we're to uphold our values and avoid further fear-driven compromise of our rights in this crisis. 99.999999% of Americans may want to consider John Cole's more critical approach to information gathering, because a purely reactive, shoot-from-the-hip approach is more likely to reinforce destructive patterns and unfounded biases.
This week, Americans share the pain of mass violence with Iraqis, Somalis, Afghans, and Syrians, among others. But, should our species be defined in such a large part by our violent realities? Should our collective actions be informed to the greatest extent by the worst of us? "We are better than this," says Erin Niemela. "Humanity is better than this."
Time—according to Rinku Sen—to live with, feel, and share this moment together will give peace a fighting chance in the wake of devastation.
Photo credit: Anne Phillips via "Peace Here & Everywhere—Boston Vigil on the Common"
Tax Day and the Road Ahead
Tax Day 2013 is here!
Our coalition partner, American's for Tax Fairness, is getting the word out about tax day events and keeping the heat on corporate tax dodgers. (And some of our friends put together a nifty little game, Tax Evaders, that you ought to check out and share.)
Looking ahead, the House of Representatives, Senate and President have all put forward budgets for 2014 that represent three differing visions of how the federal government should raise revenue in the years ahead. All sides are doing their best to appear willing to compromise, but before a unified budget is passed, House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the Administration will all have to agree on the specifics. In other words, it's unlikely that anything will happen soon.
Meanwhile, Senator Max Baucus (D, Montana) and Representative Dave Camp (R, Michigan) - the two top tax policy legislators in the Senate and House respectively - have also announced their earnest intention to address major tax reform. If they are successful, it will be the first comprehensive overhaul of the tax code since Ronald Reagan's effort with congressional Democrats in 1986.
The tax reform effort from Baucus and Camp (along with members of their committees - Senator Orin Hatch (R, Utah) in particular) is scheduled to be drafted over the next several months, before being released in August, just before Congress returns from its summer recess. Their tax overhaul is likely to come before the full Congress in September, just when budget negotiations might be truly heating up (fiscal year 2014 starts on October 1, so a budget or continuing resolution must be passed by the end of September to avoid a government shutdown). We're keeping our focus on the upcoming battle over tax reform, and on the estate tax.
The budget that the President put forward has appropriately received a lot of criticism both for not raising enough new tax revenue and for proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits. One positive aspect of the budget proposal from the Obama Administration is that it calls for an increase in the estate tax. Specifically, here's an excerpt from page 18 of the offical Administration budget (PDF):
Return Estate Tax to 2009 Parameters and Close Estate Tax Loopholes. The Budget returns the estate tax exemption and rates to 2009 levels beginning in 2018. Under 2009 law, only the wealthiest 3 in 1,000 people who die would owe any estate tax. As part of the end-of-year "fiscal cliff" agreement, congressional Republicans insisted on permanently cutting the estate tax below those levels, providing tax cuts averaging $1 million per estate to the very wealthiest Americans. [The Budget] would also eliminate a number of loopholes that currently allow wealthy individuals to use sophisticated tax planning to reduce their estate tax liability. These proposals would raise $79 billion over 10 years.
All other questions about the budget aside, it's good news that the President is proposing positive changes to the estate tax. There is more revenue to be had with a stronger proposal, and we'll be working with our partners and allies to get the strongest possible estate tax included in any federal budget or comprehensive tax reform package.
5.2 Million Hits and Counting! (A Web Video)
This amazing web video, posted by YouTube user, politizane, animates research by Michael Norton (Harvard University) and Dan Ariely (Duke University) about the dramatic differential between people's perceptions and the reality of the wealth divide in the United States. Their findings suggest that Americans overwhelmingly want to live in a more equal society—like Sweden's, specifically—but also that too many people just don't know how bad the economic situation has gotten.
Each year, we train hundreds of organizers, activists, educators, and others involved in social and economic justice work. Much of what we do is about engaging people—organizers, activists, educators, and others—in a conversation about the economy, and this video is rich with opportunities for dialogue. You can also play a role.
Share it with your online and real life networks. It's easy! Copy & paste this link everywhere: http://bit.ly/YYqIFm. Tell people why you think it's important. Ask for others' reflections. Urge them to consider the implications—social, economic, political, ecological, etc.—of an economy marked by massive wealth inequality. And, encourage them to become involved in efforts large and small to build a new economy on the principles of democracy, sustainability, and cooperation—one where everyone contributes their fair share and everyone has the same opportunity to succeed.


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Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Bill Nelson to Discuss Major Breakthrough on NASA Reauthorization Bill
"[Thursday], U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Science and Space, will be joined by a number of their colleagues at a press conference on Thursday, July 15 at 11:45 a.m. EST in the Senate Radio and TV Gallery to discuss a major breakthrough on the NASA reauthorization bill. Tomorrow morning before the press conference, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will meet in an executive session to mark up the NASA reauthorization bill."
Senate committee votes today on compromise manned-space bill, Orlando Sentinel via Boston Herald
"And indeed, a senior administration official said the White House likely would not oppose the measure because it gives commercial rocket companies funding -- though less than what Obama had sought -- even as it speeds up design of a heavy-lift rocket that under Obama's timetable would not have flown until 2025. "While we are still in the process of reviewing the details of the draft, the bill appears to contain the critical elements necessary for achieving the president's vision for NASA and represents an important first step towards helping us achieve the key goals the president has laid out," said the aide, who was not authorized to speak on the record."
Bill Nelson's proposal unsettles Space Coast EDC, opinion, Florida Today
"A NASA Authorization Act that is likely to clear a U.S. Senate committee today could squander a rare opportunity for the Space Coast to transform its economy, local economic development officials said Wednesday. "The risk that this future may be bargained away for one more attuned to the needs of Alabama, Texas and Utah, in the name of political expediency, demands a response," leaders of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast wrote in a letter to Sen. Bill Nelson."
Better course on space, opinion, Orlando Sentinel
"By most accounts, Mr. Obama's proposal has failed to take off in Congress. Advocates of prolonging the shuttle program don't like it. Neither do lawmakers who represent districts counting on money and jobs from Constellation. Its prospects for passage are dim. But if Congress doesn't agree on an alternative, current space policy would survive by default. That would mean another year of work on Constellation -- billions over budget and years behind schedule -- and no real effort to reorient NASA's course."
Keith's note: According to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation staffer Jeff Bingham posting as "51DMascot" at NASASpaceflight.com this morning, when asked to compare Nelson's and Hutchison's separately proposed legislation:
"Very good question...take a look at them side-by-side with respect to the human spaceflight portions...remember, the Hutchison bill (S. 3068) was focused on just the Human Spaceflight portions of NASA Authorization; this is a full authorization bill, so includes all of NASA, from a policy perspective. At the time she introduced her bill, it was noted that it could reflect a potential consensus direction that could form the core of a full NASA authorization bill."
The markup happens today at 10:00 am EDT in room 253, Russell Senate Office Building. Nelson and Hutchison will be announcing their "major breakthrough" after that mark up.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bury 2
Boston United 1
HOW Bury will miss the goal scoring class of Glynn Hurst if he stays at Shrewsbury.
His six goals in five games during his month-long loan spell from Shrewsbury Town has sparked a sensational turnaround at the Gigg Lane club.
Bury fans were fearing relegation before Hurst's arrival and they are now dreaming of promotion after picking up 11 points from their last five League Two games.
Hurst has proven himself to be the razor sharp 'fox in the box' that the Shakers have been sorely missing for years.
But all good things must come to an end and Hurst's heroics may have convinced Shrewsbury that he has a future at their club after all.
Hurst says that he is keen to return to Bury but whether or not he will get his wish remains to be seen.
He was given a standing ovation by the Bury faithful when substituted late on against Boston.
His 70th minute goal inspired the Shakers to their first ever league win against lowly Boston.
He banged in Paul Scott's cross from point-blank range to confirm his status as the ultimate loan signing success story.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has achieved the same feat at Gigg Lane.
He was back at Bury on Saturday after missing the last two games to cover for the injured Nicky Weaver at parent club Manchester City.
Schmeichel replaced Lewis Edge between the sticks and was his usual assured self, pulling off impressive saves from David Gailbraith and Anthony Elding.
But, with skipper Dave Challinor and John Fitzgerald rock solid at the heart of Bury's defence, Boston's Andy Marriott was by far the busier goalkeeper.
Andy Bishop, who formed a promising strike partnership with Hurst, could have scored a hat-trick.
He missed two one-on-ones and had two goals disallowed for off-side.
Bishop must have walked under a ladder on his way to the ground.
But he deserves credit for his selfless far post pass to Marc Pugh on 73 minutes.
Pugh slid the ball home to give the Shakers a two-goal cushion.
Boston substitute Paul Tait netted with his first touch five minutes later to set up a tense finale.
But Bury held on to their advantage to send Hurst off on a high note.
Bury boss Chris Casper said: "We've opened up a gap between ourselves and the bottom teams now.
"It's important now that we start to look up the table, to the top 10 and then the top seven."
There is no doubt that Bury fans would look up the table with far more optimism with Hurst in their ranks.
But the man of the match award was deservedly won by Dave Buchanan at the weekend.
The youngster produced an all action display on the right flank despite picking up a leg injury prior to kick-off.
TEAM: Schmeichel, Scott, Fitzgerald, Challinor, Kennedy, Pugh, Mattis, Baker, Buchanan (Adams, 86mins), Bishop, Hurst (Speight, 89). Subs not used: Youngs, Barry-Murphy, Parrish.
Attendance: 2,246.


text: Kanye West at a laptop during his Yeezy Season 3 fashion show and album debut at Madison Square Garden in New York Feb. 11. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images The Record Is Tidal Changing How Fans Talk About Music? February 29, 2016 Technological innovations like streaming are shifting how music gets released today — but artist exclusives are also changing the way fans process today's most popular tracks. Is Tidal Changing How Fans Talk About Music? Listen · 4:00 4:00 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/468558863/468607132" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript


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Global Stroke Disorder & Treatment market Information,by types (ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic strokes) by medicine (an-ticoagulants, anti-hypertensive) by treatment (tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), endovascular procedures)- Forecast to 2022
Globally the market for stroke disorder & treatmentis increasing rapidly.The major factor that derives the growth of stroke disorder & treatment is the increasing high blood pressure patients. Furthermore increasing alcoholism and patients with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases are increasing the growth of Stroke Disorder & Treatmentmarket.
Key Players for Stroke Disorder & Treatment Market:
Some of the key players in this market are:AstraZeneca (U.K), Pfizer (U.S), Bayer Pharma AG (Germany), Daiichi Sankyo (Japan), Novartis AG (Switzerland) and many others.
Get a copy of sample report at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1651 .
Study Objectives of Stroke Disorder & Treatment Market:
- To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the stroke disorder & treatment market
- To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth
- To analyze the stroke disorder & treatment market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.
- To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.
- To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective
- To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, by medicines, by treatment and its sub-segments.
- To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market
- To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global market.
Ask Question to Expert @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1651 .
The report for Global Stroke Disorder & Treatment Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.
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Company Name: Market Research Future
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Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com


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Night treatment to improve your skin's natural defences
A patented night cream offering superior antioxidant performance, SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E enhances both radiance and firmness.
Featuring the perfect balance of baicalin, pure vitamin E and 1% pure Resveratrol, the cream neutralizes free radicals, and fortifies your skin's natural defences. Suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin, it reduces the visible signs of aging to give you a more youthful complexion. Resveratrol has been dubbed the "longevity molecule" and so this potent antioxidant is an important element of your anti-aging skincare regime.
Easy to incorporate into your daily routine, this night cream holds back the ageing process and reveals the natural beauty of your skin.
- Anti-ageing night cream
- Promotes radiant complexion
- Improves skin's defences
- Features baicalin and pure vitamin E
How to Use
Apply one to two pumps to our dry face every evening after cleansing.


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California rapper Kendrick Lamar paid tribute to a man who adopted his home state as his own—Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
Kobe Bryant, 37, will play his final game in a Lakers uniform—after 20 years in the league—on April 13 when the Lakers take on the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center.
Tributes poured in for the five-time NBA champion once he announced, in a letter to fans, that he will retire after the 2015-2016 season. The April 12 release of Kendrick Lamar's "Fade to Black" is just one of many tributes to honor an athlete who played every game as if it were his last.
The Scoop Jackson-written clip opens with Lamar expressing disbelief over Bryant's impending retirement, quizzically stating, "It's really over, huh? Kobe really retiring? Its crazy."
Throughout the clip, Lamar strolls through The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.—once home of Bryant and the Lakers. Fans aren taken on a walk down memory lane with some of the highlights that made Bryant a star—buzzer beaters, posterizing dunks, bravado, competition, and of course winning seasons.
"How do empires last when there's no longer an emperor?" Kendrick asks in the ESPN tribute. "I mean, we got you, but at the same time, we got you. Your blood, your sweat, your tears, and even your DNA is placed in these L.A. concretes, man. Nothing will ever replace that or erase that. Forever great in our hearts. With that being said, know that it's never goodbye. It's simply respect due … forever."
In an interview with Steve Springer for USA Today, Bryant said he is thankful for the game. "I'm not sad at all. I left no stone unturned, I gave everything to the game for 20 years in the NBA and more before that. So I feel very thankful to be able to play this game this long."
Ticket prices to witness Bryant's last game have increased, with tickets starting at $340.
Kobe Bryant will still appear on television screens across the country, as he's in a new Apple commercial, titled "Father Time," alongside actor Michael B. Jordan.
Tune in on April 13 on ESPN2 to witness Bryant's final game.


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Rappers Fabolous and Drake are on good terms again after Drake took a shot at Fab's rap skills earlier this year in an interview with Rolling Stone. Check out the details below.
Rapper Fabolous tells MTV News that Drake apologized for comments he made in a February interview with "Rolling Stone." The two were supposedly beefing after Drake made some interesting comments about Kanye's Yeezus and suggesting even Fabolous wouldnt commit such crimes against bars in an interview earlier this year.
Drake mentioned Fab in a conversation about Kanye West's Yeezus Album. The rapper stated,
"Drake says that he was ambivalent about Kanye's last album, Yeezus. "There were some real questionable bars on there," he says. "Like that 'Swaghili' line? Come on, man. Even Fabolous wouldn't say some shit like that."
WOW that's kind of harsh but Drake quickly went on a tirade about Rolling Stones taking his words out of context. Fabolous says that that any hard feelings between the two are now "under the bridge." After the controversy, the two emcees crossed paths at a Jordan Brand event, where Drake explained that he was "disgusted" with how his words were twisted by the media. Fab also expressed his admiration for Drake, saying that he respects the rapper's music.
Last week, Fabolous released his sixth album, "The Young OG Project."
Related Posts
Tagged with: Drake • Fabolous • MTV News • Rolling stone • The Young OG Project
Filed under: Celebrity Interviews


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Her name is Robotica.
I do not know if my profession is to design, paint or modeling. But Robotica has a little bit of everything.
Robotica is an articulated doll. The pieces are joined by elastic cords is all it takes to build once you have printed the pieces. (She wears the same system to steady my little robot https://cults3d.com/fr/jeu/jointed-robot )
You can see here as the doll is assembled: http://youtu.be/jnswThHyEy0
More of my artistic works here: http://www.soniaverdu.es/
Is time for giving and sharing, so ...
I have shared this doll without rights to market, but if you are interested in selling it, you can write me, I will give you the authorization to do so you only have to donate 10% of sales price to a charity. I help this foundation http://www.hopesanddreams.org/ or http://quissos.org but you can choose whether you prefer to help with that 10% to other foundations of your country or another in which you have confidence. That is my condition.
If you do not want to sell her I hope you enjoy it !!!
You can choose a head with eyes to print, or eyeless head (this can paint easily and move your eyes, you can hold them with some kind of clay)
I recommend printing oh highest quality for good fitment. No need material support should be needed.
The elastic cord that best fits the figurine is 3mm in diameter.
Layer height(mm): 0.1
botton/top, Shell thickness(mm): 1.2 It is important for delicate parts of the hands and legs
Fill density%: 15
Print speed(mm/s): 40
Support : none , but if you have trouble, you can choose "platform adhesion "
I've printed pla 210º (c)
I was born in Madrid, Spain. I started drawing and modeling in my early childhood. I studied Fine Arts at the University of Madrid (Complutense). I specialized in sculpture and went on to study modelling and ceramics in in Madrid Ceramics School. I worked as a graphic designer for eight years and then as an illustrator for several years. I am also a sculptor and like create articulated dolls. I invite you to see my website http://www.soniaverdu.es
Can you help me a little bit? I have downloaded the models, and I have trouble finding the upper torso and the cover for the head. Seems that they aren't in the archive. Thanks
Belle création
Hello !
Can you tell - who is the author of this model ? Can he upload full version with foot joints ?
jolie réalisations ...
Hello. Nice work (build the robot already). Can you please upload the back of the head for this doll ?
You like Cults and you want to help us continue the adventure independently? Please note that we are a small team of 3 people, therefore it is very simple to support us to maintain the activity and create future developments. Here are 4 solutions accessible to all:
ADVERTISING: Disable your AdBlock banner blocker and click on our banner ads.
AFFILIATION: Make your purchases online by clicking on our affiliate links here Amazon, Gearbest or Aliexpress.
DONATE: If you want, you can make a donation via PayPal here.
WORD OF MOUTH: Invite your friends to come, discover the platform and the magnificent 3D files shared by the community!


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Butcher's appoints head of marketing to oversee brands
Butcher's has promoted brand manager Yetunde Ige to the newly created position of head of marketing, to oversee all the petfood company's brands.
Ige previously handled the marketing of Butcher's dog food brands and oversaw the appointment of Clemmow Hornby Inge to the account last year (MW January 3, 2002). Ige, who has been at the petfood company for 18 months, joined from Coca-Cola where she was brand manager.
Last year the company also moved its &£4m media buying business to Walker Media (MW February 7, 2002) and its Classic Cat brand to Farm (MW August 1, 2002).
A spokeswoman says the role of head of marketing was created to bring the two brands and their budgets closer together. However, she says there are no plans to consolidate the advertising into one agency.
Ige says: "Butcher's is a well-established, national brand, while Classic is a relative new-comer, so they both face different challenges."
She adds that in the coming months the company will be rolling out new products designed to "reflect the changing needs of pet owners".


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Oman India Fertiliser Company
"This is to certify that M/s. TesTex NDT India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai has carried out In-situ Eddy Current Testing (ECT) of Carbamate Condenser (21-E-105) and Remote Field Electromagnetic Technique (RFET) of R.G. Boiler (E-208,1st and 2nd Compartment), as per Work Order Number 3076/lnsp/FP at M/s. Oman India Fertiliser Company, Sur, Sultanate of Oman from January 28,2011 to February 02,2011.
The quality of inspection and equipment (TesTex make) used for above testing were satisfactory. The team of inspection personnel, who deputed for the job was knowledgeable, dedicated and has successfully completed the entire job to our satisfaction. Given results was cross checked & verified with the Boroscope from our end.
The Overall performance of M/s. TesTex NDT India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai as a specialized inspection service provider is good and reliable."
Inspection Manager


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The Wagner-Smith Equipment Co. Model PT-24 is a pole trailer designed to transport utility poles up to 17,600 lbs. This trailer can be extended simply by setting the brakes, pulling a pin, unlooping electrical cable, and driving forward with the front tongue of the trailer until the desired length is acquired. This trailer is equipped with air brakes with the air supply coming from the pulling vehicle.
Telescoping frame designed to accommodate multiple pole lengths and maintain proper weight distribution. Movable rear bolsters adjust to keep load centered on the trailer. 42" wide pole light bar with flags per DOT Regulation which increases visibility by extending lights to rear of pole during transport.


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- New York strippers are organising a strike to protest discrimination in the industry.
- One issue: a new wave of bartenders — also known as "startenders" or bottle girls — have started taking away tips, sometimes even snatching money off the stage.
- Startenders have risen to prominence in the last few years with the rise of Instagram, where they command huge followings.
New York City strippers are speaking out against what they say is unfair treatment at the hands of club promoters and managers.
With the rise of "bottle girl" bartenders in the city, dancers say they're dealing with unfair treatment, including insufficient pay and racial discrimination, the Washington Post reported. According to strippers, bottle girls — who often are just as scantily clad as strippers — are given preferential treatment and hurt strippers' profits, sometimes literally taking dancers' cash off of tables.
About a week ago, strippers organised under the hashtag #NYCStripperStrike to shine a light on these issues.
Here's how bottle girls rose to prominence in recent years — and how they play a role in the recent strike.
While strippers have been club mainstays for decades, about five years ago, club owners began hiring attractive women with sizable social media followings to serve as bartenders.
Many of these bottle girls have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. And, some of these followers will show up to clubs just to see the bartenders in person.
Often, clubs will have the startenders dress in matching, skimpy outfits and promote their appearances on social media.
In theory, the main difference between the two is that strippers dance while bartenders serve drinks.
However, strippers say that increasingly scantily-clad bottle girls are also dancing, basically fulfilling the same role as strippers -- to the other workers' disadvantage.
Strippers pay a 'house fee,' typically at least $US50, to perform at the club. Bartenders don't pay fees, but they also rely on tips.
A New York City stripper who goes by the name Panama professionally says that strippers' pay has plummeted since the rise of bottle girls, dropping from thousands of dollars a night to roughly $US400.
'Bartenders tell customers not to tip us,' dancer Gizelle Marie told the Washington Post. 'They block us from the customers while we dance or they are sweeping our money off the stage.'
She and others argue that the rise of bartenders has furthered fed into issues of racism in clubs. The strike organisers argue that strippers are more likely to be black or dark-skinned, while bartenders are more likely to be white.
As the strippers' strike has gotten more press, some celebrities have started to speak out on the topic.
'The bartenders are the new things right now ... They don't even hire black bartenders in New York City strip clubs, which is sad,' rapper and former stripper Cardi B said in a recent interview.
'Personally I feel they should drop both titles 'Strippers and Bartenders' because it's all the same s--- now,' DJ Kay Slay said in an Instagram post, emphasising that racism remains a major issue in the industry.
Strike organisers have been quick to emphasise that they aren't trying to demonise startenders -- they're trying to improve the lives of women working as strippers and take on club promoters and managers.
'We want (bartenders) to do their job and we do our job and the promoters do their job and the club owners do their job. Let's set some rules and regulations down for everyone,' Panama told Broadly.
'Forget about it being a strip club,' Panama said. 'We're still being discriminated against as black women in the workplace in 2017.'
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You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image.
The Flower St building houses its television head office and studios.
It is understood staff were told just six minutes before the announcement was made public.
Staff fear that if a buyer cannot be found quickly the network could be closed by Christmas this year, a source said.
TV presenters had been called to one-on-meetings - though some of the network's biggest names are currently away. Newshub Live at 6 anchor Mike McRoberts is in Japan for the Rugby World Cup and Samantha Hayes is on maternity leave.
A newsroom meeting was planned for this morning, with staff not at work today asked to attend, the source said.
The sell-off follows a concerted effort by the broadcaster to complain about its disadvantage taking on government-owned TVNZ. Just this week MediaWorks axed or reduced several comedy shows and Married at First Sight NZ.
One casualty was comedian Guy Williams' show NZ Today.
Seven Days - one of MediaWorks' most successful shows - was cut from 32 episodes to 12 this week.
MediaWorks concedes defeat in 'challenging' TV environment
MediaWorks, which is owned by US hedge fund Oaktree Capital, will continue to operate its radio and billboard advertising businesses.
The company posted a $5.5 million loss for the 2018 year.
MediaWorks chairman Jack Matthews said the company was committed to growing its business in New Zealand "while recognising that free-to-air television operates in a challenging environment".
"We are in a commercial environment and have to face commercial realities," he said.
"The market that free-to-air television operates in is tough and has been exacerbated this year. This is reflected in the performance of all free-to-air television operators in New Zealand, not just us."
MediaWorks planned to sell its Flower St building, with a possible leaseback option "for a buyer to continue to operate television from that location".
The company has now hired an adviser to "identify a list of potential purchasers and commence initial discussions".
The sell-off comes just days after The Project host Jesse Mulligan warned Three was facing serious challenges.
"What's the problem? Well, Three has a big competitor," Mulligan said on live TV.
"You will have heard of it — TVNZ. They do everything they can to take viewers off Three, and that's what they should do. But at the moment it's not a level playing field."
Mulligan also warned that MediaWorks was "out of costs to cut".
"It's not unrealistic or an exaggeration to say the next move could be for MediaWorks to close down our entire station."
Chief news officer Hal Crawford publicly complained in August that television in New Zealand was "broken".
MediaWorks chief executive Michael Anderson said today: "We are very pleased with the progress that Three has made over the past five years. This year we have had record ratings and revenue share highs and we are very proud of our stellar local content.
"The role Three plays in New Zealand society is significant, from Newshub through to investment in local comedy and drama. We believe MediaWorks TV is now in a place where it can be separated from the radio and outdoor business to be operated under a new owner in a more sustainable fashion - and, ultimately, for profit."
If you do a good job you will survive. If you are government funded you will survive. TV3 had the benefit of neither.
You are wrong in regard to point one. This is commerce requiring workforce.
"Good" is of no consequence to a hedgefund manager.
If the AM team had not spent every opportunity insulting the government.
If Peter Williams had not spent every opportunity insulting the government.
If Sean Plunket had not spent every opportunity insulting the government.
They insulted a huge number of people who voted for the coalition parties, so probably did what I did -and turned them off! It was so blatant.


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The Blowing Rock Community Foundation is proud to announce the scholarship recipients for 2018. The five students pictured below will join the current fourteen scholarship recipients for a total of nineteen scholarships awarded for the 2018-2019 academic year. This includes the fourth recipient of the Jane and Dan Wolfe Scholarship – Savannah Troyer, as well as Wesley Harwood, Kate Kearse, Alexis Lippard and Megan Searcy. Four scholarship recipients will graduate this May – Jake Chasteen from Appalachian State University, Tammie Hill from Caldwell Community College, Cam Linnville from Catholic University, and Logan Shaut from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ben Tang will also graduate from North Carolina State University in December.
The Foundation initially awarded one full scholarship (including tuition, room and board, and books). In 1999, Amber Teague Bratt was the first Foundation scholarship recipient to complete her undergraduate degree. Since then, ninety plus students have received scholarships totaling over $700,000. Of that number, over ninety percent have graduated with undergraduate or associates degrees and many have, or are in the process of, obtaining advanced degrees.
The Foundation is very proud of these scholarship recipients both past and present! Many thanks to all of the members of the community who have contributed time, talent, and resources to support the Foundation and the amazing young people in our community!!!


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5 things to know from the office of the superintendent from Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Good evening RSD,
1. The Board of Education will meet Tuesday, May 19, at the Gardner Complex beginning at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is closed to the public to support the guidelines of social distancing, but you can watch the meeting live on RSD's Facebook page. Committee meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m.
2. Information is now available for RSD's Elementary Interview Fair scheduled for May 18, and May 20th. For detailed information on location and schedule, contact the Office of Elementary Teaching and Learning at 968-5216., or Director Karie Turney, at email@example.com.
3. Our meal distribution deliveries will end this Friday, May 22, 2020. Hot meals will continue to be served at our school's drive-thru services twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, until Friday, June 26, 2020.
4. Stay up to date with your student's school website and social media accounts for information on medicine pick- up, technology drop-off, AMI information, dates, locker cleanout times, and other activities pertaining to your individual school.
5. Student's end of year meal balances are available, and payment options can be found online at family.titank12.com. Contact Kay Haulmark, Director of Child Nutrition, at 479-498-8836, or email@example.com, for more information on payment options.


text: Derek grew up down a sandy dirt road in Lowcountry South Carolina, around the corner from an area his family had called home for nine generations. At the age of 7, he professed Christ as his Savior and was baptized in a church that was planted in 1774. As a teenager on a mission trip, Derek helped a little boy from an entirely different culture pray to become a Christian. Considering the cost for him to follow Jesus made Derek recognize the value of the treasure he possessed as a Christian and marked the beginning of his journey in ministry. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and youth ministry from Charleston Southern University, where he met his bride. He then earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy degree, all with a specialization in psychology and counseling. Derek joined our team in 2012 as Little Rock Area Director and later as Clinical Director. In December 2018, Derek became the Executive Director of the ministry. He works with staff members, churches, donors and community partners to impact the children and families of Arkansas. He is directly responsible to the Board of Trustees for agency operations. Derek is married to Ariel Brown, LPC, who is also on our staff as a clinical counselor in the Little Rock Family Ministry Office. They are blessed with three children: Leila, Gavin and Jonas. Though Jonas is technically the only native Arkansan in the family, they all make the most of the Natural State, spending free time outdoors camping, swimming, fishing and playing sports. Contact Derek at email@example.com.


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Maison Close screencaps
Paris, 1871. This is a story about women forced to work in an elite brothel "Paradise". Young and innocent rose comes to Paris in search of her own mother, a former prostitute. But this journey becomes fatal for the girl-she gets trapped and becomes a hostage of a brothel, one of the" moths " of Paris. She gets acquainted with Faith, thirty-five prostitute, whose career is about to come to a logical conclusion. But before saying goodbye to the oldest profession, Vera hopes to repay her debt. Her only chance is Baron du Plessis, a regular who has enough money to help Vera with her problem. Hydrangea is the owner of the brothel, her responsibility is the safety of the"girls". In addition, the hostess has to resist the brutal thug from the suburbs, encroaching on her profits.
Televison show Maison Close seasons available for download - 1,2,32 seasons
Maison Close Season 18 EpisodesDownload
Maison Close Season 28 EpisodesDownload


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Tuesday Photo Challenge – Field © 2018 CLStauber
Category: Scotland
Thatched Roof of Culloden
Month of Squares – June 7, 2018 On the battlefield of Culloden, Scotland stands a lone cottage with a thatched roof. I imagine this is
All-Time Favorite Waterscapes
Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: All-Time Favorite Waterscapes My favorites from most recent to the beginning of travel and photography adventures. © CLStauber
The Daily Word – Rivulet
The Daily Word – Rivulet Colorful Scottish Highland Rivulet ©2018 CLStauber
The Royal Mile – Edinburgh
CB&W: Store Front and Building Signs ©2018 CLStauber Cee's Black & White Photo Challenge
Mundane Monday Challenge | Bottles
Mundane Monday Challenge #141: Learn Photography © 2018 CLStauber A small collection of my sand collection, however, in this collection I have a little bit
Daily Gratitude
The Gift of Gratitude: Sheep © 2017 CLStauber Isle of Skye, Scotland If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may
Doors to the Freshest Fish n' Chips
Thursday Doors – December 7, 2017 At the foot of the bridge on the Isle of Skye, Scotland sits a little restaurant where you can get
Flower of the Day – December 6, 2017
Flower of the Day – December 6, 2017 Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland © 2017 CLStauber
Lost in Translation – Remains
Here lie the remains in Edinburgh, Scotland… © 2017 CLStauber
Melrose Abbey Halloween Style
Halloween Challenge Graveyard Oct 23 Melrose Abbey Scotland © 2017 CLStauber
Spooky Scotish Forest
Halloween Challenge Forest – Oct 22 Dumfries, Scotland Looking from a haunted castle stay. I admit the forest probably was more haunted than the castle.
Halloween Challenge Fog – Oct 19
The Fog over the town of my ancestors and Stirling Castle Halloween Challenge Fog – Oct 19 © 2017 CLStauber
The Highlands of Scotland – Mountainous © 2017 CLStauber
Thursday Doors – October 12, 2017
Thursday Doors – October 12, 2017 Stirling Castle doors to the throne room © 2017 CLStauber
Following in the footsteps of Claire and Jaime
THURSDAY'S SPECIAL: TRACES OF THE PAST Y3-09 Outlander Fans know who I'm talking about. The Inspiration for Castle Leoch in Outlander – (I actually found it!
Edinburgh Dungeon Doors
Edinburgh Dungeon Doors Thursday Doors – September 21, 2017 Actually an amusement ride in Edinburgh, Scotland © 2017 Candace L Stauber
Tuesdays of Texture
Tuesdays of Texture | Week 38 OF 2017 The Texture of the Stone of Clava Cairns As I visited Scotland I followed the path of what was supposedly
Travel theme: Sugar
Travel theme: Sugar © 2017 Candace L Stauber
Scotland's Cemeteries in Ruin
Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: Tombstones or Cemeteries While I was in Scotland I found so many interesting cemeteries. Among these are the cemeteries of
Daily Prompts-Shimmer
Daily Prompts-Shimmer Shimmering water on a shallow creek bed in the Highlands of Scotland © 2017 CLStauber
PHOTO CHALLENGE-Unusual
PHOTO CHALLENGE-Unusual My hand checking out an exhibit at the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh, Scotland
Gears and Engines
Cee's Fun Foto Challenge CFFC: Gears and Engines One of my favorite acquisitions from an outdoor market in Edinburgh, Scotland – my little handmade locket
A Photo a Week Challenge: Mountain
A Photo a Week Challenge: Mountain I think the reason I like Scotland so much, is that it reminds me of home. © 2017 CLStauber
Sunday Trees – 293
Sunday Trees – 293 I thought this was a pretty cool tree in Scotland on the Castle Dalhousie grounds, right outside of Edinburgh. © 2017 CLStauber
Sunday Trees – 291
Sunday Trees – 291 Behind the Queen's Gallery and on the way to Arthur's Seat (that's the mound behind the tree) is a beautiful garden. I
Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Order
Originally posted on Netdancer's Musings:
Isle of Skye harbor on a sunny day, the fishing boats have just come in with the daily catch.…
A Photo a Week: Moving Waters
A Photo a Week: Moving Waters In the Highlands of Scotland, a surprising waterfall. © 2017 Netdancer Photography
Black & White Sunday-Windows
Black & White Sunday-Windows Melrose Abbey © 2017 Netdancer Photography
A Photo a Week Challenge: Golden Hour
A Photo a Week Challenge: Golden Hour
Daily Prompts-Catapult
Daily Prompts-Catapult Or if you are at Urguhart Castle, Trebuchet. Near Loch Ness, Scotland
Taking it to the streets
Tuesday Photo Challenge Some of the many streets I've traversed in my travels. © 2017 Netdancer Photography
Flower of the Day – May 20, 2017
Flower of the Day – May 20, 2017-Royal Botanic Gardens-Edinburgh © 2017 Netdancer Photography
Once Upon a Time…
Once again, the Isle of Skye and Kyleakin is featured on my blog. Daily Prompts – Notorious Once upon a time, in the Scottish village


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Blue Topaz Hexagonal Studs
Our Blue Topaz Hexagonal studs are perfect for every day wear.
Sometimes less is more, and that is definitely the case with this gorgeous pair of blue topaz studs. Featuring hexagonal shaped faceted blue topaz stones in simple silver settings, these little studs will sparkle and shine as you get on with your day.
Perfect as a gift for a loved one or a little treat for yourself.
All Silver Scene jewellery comes lovingly packaged in a gift box.
This piece has been ethically designed and made by hand by Silver Scene Ltd in our workshops in Bali, Indonesia.
Made from
Blue Topaz set in Sterling Silver, keep clean with an anti-tarnish cloth.
About the stone
Blue Topaz is the Birthstone for November.
Blue Topaz has been used in jewellery for over 2000 years. It was once believed that Topaz would protect the wearer from dark magic. In the 12th century Saint Hildegard, a German nun, believed that Blue Topaz could cure blindness by soaking the stone in wine for 3 days and then rubbing it gently on the eyes.
Blue Topaz is a calming stone. It is thought to help with communication, creativity and the ability to express yourself. Great for writers block and to aid with public speaking. It is also thought to help with decision making, promotes concentration and helps recognize truth and wisdom.
At widest points 0.54cm diameter. Blue Topaz 0.35cm diameter.
Please be aware that as our stone jewellery is handmade and the stones are natural, dimensions and stone colours may vary slightly.


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Directors & Officers Insurance
Directors & Officers Insurance is a type of liability coverage that provides protection for the board members, officers and directors of your company or organization from lawsuits that can arise from them performing their duties.
This type of coverage protects their personal assets and is becoming more the rule than the exception with larger businesses and organizations. Risk Management Partners can help evaluate whether this type of coverage is appropriate for your situation. Some of the risks to consider are:
– Legal defense costs
– Legal Representative Expense
– Costs arising from extradition proceedings
– Civil Fines / Civil Penalties
– Damages
– Judgements
– Bail Bond Costs
Without Directors & Officers Insurance, officers and directors can be held personally responsible for the defense costs, fines, and judgements. This is an important coverage that affects many businesses and organizations. Contact us today to see what your available options are.


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A Little About Us
Tabernacle Baptist Church is a place where people of all ages and from all walks of life come together to experience life. Whether you're a lifetime Bartow county resident, or you're new to the area, we'd love for you to come and see what is going on at our church. We're a family, and we invite you to experience life with us!
Our Vision
We experience life together by sharing Christ's love and His message of hope with the world.
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10
Experiencing LIFE at Tabernacle Baptist Church is more that just attending. Come and see how we experience life together:
Celebrating God's Presence through worship, praise, and prayer
Proclaiming God's Word through studying and applying the Word of God.
Discipling God's People through nurturing others for spiritual growth.
Demonstrating God's Love through service in ministry and missions.
Encouraging God's Family through fellowship and devotion to our faith family.
Our History
Formed in 1911, Tabernacle Baptist Church started as East Side Baptist Church in a building on Tennessee Street. In 1925 the church was meeting in a temporary building nicknamed "The Tabernacle." During this time, the church was renamed "Tabernacle Baptist Church." In 1944, what is now the youth worship space was constructed as the church sanctuary on Church Street. As the church has grown, the facilities have expanded to meet the needs of the Church. In addition to having many active ministries, Tabernacle also operates the Tabernacle Weekday Preschool.
Tabernacle Baptist Church is affiliated with the Bartow Baptist Association, Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and the Southern Baptist Convention.


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x 30"d
made in Toronto Canada
From middle-of-the-night feedings to afternoon readings, this Luca Glider by Monte Design will quickly become your favourite piece of furniture. With its ergonomic arm height for feedings, high back for proper head rest and removable lumbar pillow for optional support, this hand crafted Glider includes soft durable stain and water resistant upholstery and a deep brown solid wood base but that's not even the best part! Don't forget to customize your glider to match almost any decor imaginable! With a huge selection of fabric and piping choices, you'll be able to build your own chair until it's just right! Luca Ottoman also available.
This product ships in 4 to 6 weeks.
Note: one side of the lumbar pillow will match the glider. Piping on lumbar pillow will match piping on the glider.


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Easily discover critical journal coverage of the life sciences with Biological Abstracts, produced by the Web of Science Group, with topics ranging from botany to microbiology to pharmacology. Including BIOSIS indexing and MeSH terms, specialized indexing in Biological Abstracts helps you to discover more accurate, context-sensitive results.
Nearly every discovery is influenced by earlier research, both in its subject area and in related fields, and a publication can have significant influence and impact on other research after is has been published.
Biological Abstracts provides users with easy access to the latest information from virtually every life science discipline. Additionally, Biological Abstracts is updated twice monthly, adding more than 370,000 citations each year, and is produced by the esteemed Thomson Scientific, Inc.


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Tampa Real Estate
Tampa real estate offers some of the best choices in the American real estate market, regardless of whether you are looking for an apartment, condominium, single-family home, or land to realize your dreams for the future. Through USALifestyleRealEstate.com, you are guaranteed to find a qualified broker or real estate agent who can help you find a property that is a great real estate investment and matches your lifestyle.
BeachCaladesi Island
- 35 miles of white sand beaches with blue-green water
- Many car-accessible island communities along the coast
- Caladesi Island State Park, accessible by boat or ferry, was named No. 1 beach in the country in 2008.
- Daily "Sunset Celebration" at Pier 60 on the beach at St. Petersburg
Professional SportsTop sports city
- Teams: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (football), the Tampa Bay Lightning (hockey), the Tampa Bay Storm (arena football), the Tampa Bay Rays (baseball)
- Several championships: 2003 Super Bowl; 2004 Stanley Cup; five ArenaBowl championships
- One of the best sports cities in North America according to Sporting News Magazine, October 2010
- Tampa has hosted four Super Bowls, including two at Raymond James Stadium, which FOX Sports has called the best stadium in the league for attending a game.
HistoryYbor City streetcar
- The region's recorded history is some of the oldest in the nation, including more than 450 years.
- Ybor City, a National Historic Landmark District, was once called the "Cigar Capital of the World." Italian, Cuban, Spanish, and German immigrants hand-rolled 700 million cigars per year at its peak.
- Other National Historic Landmarks in the area include the 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel and the Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Tampa Theatre, an elaborate "movie palace" built in 1926, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Historic centers and museums include the Florida Holocaust Museum and Tampa Bay History Center.
Fishing/HuntingFishing in Tampa Bay
- Shoreline fishing, pier fishing, deep-sea fishing, inshore fishing, fly-fishing, and more, year-round
- More than 200 species of fish in the area
- Halfway between Tampa Bay and Naples is Boca Grande Pass, a world-famous spot for catching tarpon, one of Florida's most desired sport fish.
- Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, with fresh water from four main rivers flowing into the saltwater bay.
- Arts and entertainment, boating/sailing, golf destination, tennis, university city, water sports
- The Tampa Bay region includes Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and many car-accessible island communities just off the coast.
- Tampa has more high-rise buildings than any other Florida city except Miami.
- Site of the University of South Florida and more than a dozen other universities and colleges
- Several attractions and theme parks, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Adventure Island, Lowry Park Zoo, and the Florida Aquarium
- One of the busiest commercial ports in the nation
- 15 million visitors annually
- Nearby cities and towns: St. Petersburg; Clearwater; Palm Harbor; Pinellas Park; Lakeland; Bradenton
|332,888 (2.7 million in metropolitan area)
|112 square miles (291 km2)
|Tampa has an average of 361 days of sunshine a year. Forbes ranked Tampa No. 5 on its list of America's Best Cities for the Outdoors, largely due to its weather.
|Nearby Airports with Hub Connections
|Tampa International Airport (TPA): Direct connections include Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington, DC (IAD)
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE): Direct connections include Los Angeles (LAX)


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The Japanese car infatuation is known worldwide. That in Japan the cult of tuning has been well established, it is also known. But that a really active scene around American hot rods and custom cars or Cafe racers has formed in Japan, is known only by a few insiders. It is assumed that this scene has its origins in a shop called Paradise Road in Nagayo, in the heart of Japan. Junichi Shimodara had founded Paradise Road in February 1987 and imported mainly American vehicles and spare parts. It has become the most important starting point in Japan, when it comes to Low Rider, hot rods or custom cars. He has become so well known, that even the US American Kustom Culture icon Ed "Big Daddy" Roth visited his shop shortly before his death in 2001. From Nagayo the scene spreaded in the large capital cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Today, the scene is so big, that even an own exhibition show for the scene takes place for 25 years, the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show.
Two of the largest companies in Japan, that support this scene, are the Southern California company Mooneyes and the clothing company Vans. Since the late 80s, Mooneyes hosts also the annual Street Car Nationals, an automobile festival at which the Japanese tuning and custom scene meets up annualy.
Around 16,000 visitors flocked in to the Pacifico Convention Center for the 26th edition of the Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show, including some 900 overseas visitors to see around 250 cars and 600 motorcycles on display. On Sunday several concerts took place all over the halls.
A highlight every year is the drive through of selected guests with their vehicles through one of the exhibition halls. The audience at the sides of the demonstration cheered to welcome the owners and designers of the specially modified vehicles. There were some real rarities of the Hot Rod and Kustom scene. The 90-year-old American Hot Rod Builder Gene Winfield was present this year. He showed his 1965 Buick LeSabre "Invisible Sabre". Among the celebrities was also editor-in-chief Coby Gewertz of the Church Magazine with a 1963 Ford Ecoline "Van Go". First entrant on the Driveway, however, was the winner of last year's event, the owner of the Heiwa 1968 Triumph TR-6. As last, custom designer Allan Clark drove past the crowd with his frog green 1959 Chevrolet El Camino "Kermit". Steve van Doren represented the main sponsor VANS and drove into the hall in a MOON buggy.
As every year, the Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show features some highlight themes. This year, for example, there were the special shows "32'er Ford Deuce" and "Chevrolet Al Camino" modifications of all kinds from 1959 to 1987. In both special exhibitions, the most varied and spectacular modifications of the models were presented. Meanwhile, even the US customizers come to Japan, to take a closer look at the amazing Hot Rods and Custom Cars, because the Japanese builders now create vehicles with a completely unique style.
Between the predominantly American models, the visitor also finds German models. Particularly popular are Volkswagen Beetles and Bully buses.
Not to forget the approximately 600 motorcycles, which were also outstandingly modified. These are mainly Harley motorcycles, but all have different structures. In Japan they love the simple vintage look for the styling of the machines, but their design is extremely high quality and some of them have exceptional finishings.
At the motorcycle section there was a special show this year too,with the theme "Swinging Traditional Choppers". On display were choppers in the style of the early 60s.
Art is also part of the Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show. Several Japanese artists were invited to an artistic competition and were allowed to design air filter lids under the motto "Color the Temptation". Winner of the competition was the artist Izumi Sougou Geijyutsu Kai.
This year the jury chose a motorcycle for the "Best of Show" award. The winner was the owner of the Heiwa Triumph TR-6. The four-wheeled models did not receive a best of show, but individual class winners. In the special show "Al Camino" the 1959 Al Camino of El-Classico Vintage & Antiques won the class award. Best of "Taste of Deuce" at the 32 'Fords became the Ford Model B by Andy's Rod Works. The Gene Winfield award has been received by the 1950s Chevrolet Sedan from Vannys Automotive.
All other winners can be found at
PHOTOS copyright: Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show