text:
When Elections Canada officials put a cork on the publication of polls for the last 72 hours before Monday's federal election, they thought they had plugged all the leaks. They even clamped down on a 19-year-old Ontario tradition - the Licks poll, published daily at the 14 Licks hamburger franchises across the province.
But there was nothing they could do to stop the leak in cyberspace.
"They don't have a way of controlling the Internet," said Don Sanderson, executive vice president of Online Direct, a site that found a way around an Elections Canada warning to obey the law. "I have a friend in Florida who mirrored the site from his server in the States. Elections Canada can't touch him."
And Online Direct wasn't alone. Other sites, including Environics and Angus Reid Polls, also set up cross-border mirrors or continued publishing poll results in direct violation of the law.
"The different approaches highlight the sense of confusion that's coming from the government," said David Jones, president of Electronic Frontier Canada. "Are they going to fine Angus Reid, which just left the results up, and not touch the sites that mirrored?"
At the center of the controversy is a section of the Canada Elections Act that went into effect in 1993 and had never been tested in a federal election. The section says that "no person shall broadcast, publish, or disseminate the results of an opinion survey respecting how electors will vote in an election" within three days of the actual balloting. Violators are subject to a C$1,000 fine or a year in jail.
Only a handful of Web sites skirted the ban. Neither of Canada's two largest newspaper chains, Southam and Thompson, published poll results after midnight Friday. The two papers are challenging the law in the Supreme Court. (In France, newspapers decided to defy a similar ban on poll publishing during the run-up to national elections 25 May and 1 June. As of Monday, the government had taken no action against the violators.)
"Really, there was very little resistance to the prohibition," said Jeffrey Shallit, vice president of Electronic Frontier Canada. "In fact, there was an effort to obey the law even to the point of absurdity. Some sites even removed old polls."
Electronic Frontier said the Canadian prohibition goes beyond simple abridgment of the right to free speech and creates an undue burden for new media companies.
"Newspapers don't have to do anything except not publish old information," said Jones. "But Web sites have to go through the tedious process of removing every reference to old polls."
As for voters, who re-elected Prime Minister Jean Chretien and the Liberals by a slim margin, they seemed eager to take advantage of any information they could get. Some 500,000 people looked at Online Direct's mirror site in the three days before the vote.
"It's an informed-voter issue pure and simple," said Online Direct's Sanderson. "We looked at the law, we looked at our options, and we said, 'To hell with it.' People liked that."


text:
The Post Funding Experience
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by Alroy on 2008-04-20
Tags: Operations Board
There are a lot of postings here about getting the initial term sheet and getting the VC on board. However, just like marriages, many of these courting periods can be quite different from the month to month evolving operations and business that we face a year or two down the road. Remember that often these VCs will sit on your board, and direct your business in different ways and depending on your dilution can dictate how operational decisions should be made. Thus, it is important to get an early feel from your VC dialogue, especially how they would respond if the actual business is less than the wonderful picture we sometimes paint in our pitches.
Even with the best of intentions, it is possible and even probable that the world does not quite turn out the way that we have carefully planned. Having VCs with real operational experience could actually prove to be useful in this setting. However, having attorneys or other less experienced associates on the board can be disastrous as they can and will send the management team on useless exercises to appease their ignorance and waste valuable time and resources that could be focused on the real business issues.
It is also important to set realistic expectations on how a business will evolve as this can determine the tone of the ongoing dialogue. I was involved with a CEO who promised rosy but unlikely-to-happen scenarios and thus the board was often in an antagonistic and negative stance with the whole management team.
While we all need to be as careful and realistic as possible with the expectations that we set, we also need to be careful about the kind of people we let on our boards as this can become a regular drag and distraction that we do not need when we are building a business.PRIVATE: Members Only

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome Home
Central Community Church
Growing the family of God for the glory of God
We are a church family participating in the mission of God's kingdom in Seattle. Our desire is to be a part of growing the family of God for the glory of God, by enjoying Jesus, loving boldly, making disciples, and reaching the nations. We want to join God in what he is already doing and we would love to have you be a part.
Join Us This Weekend!
Mt. Baker Community Club
Join us weekly at the Mt. Baker Community Club for in person worship at 10am!
Sunday Morning Gathering
We are a work in progress, seeking to enter in to the brokenness of our world, the same way Jesus did, with a message of hope, not to pick a fight, but to heal, not to lord over, but to serve under.


text:
(Adds detail, background, advisers)
DUBLIN/LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Allied Irish Banks(AIB) plans to raise up to 3.3 billion euros ($3.7 billion) when it sells a 25 percent stake on the Dublin and London stock markets in the biggest test yet of investor appetite for Irish banks.
The initial public offering (IPO) is set to be one of Europe's largest bank listings since the 2008 financial crisis and the proceeds could extend to 3.8 billion euros if the over-allotment option is exercised fully.
With a price range between 3.90 euros and 4.90 euros, the deal is targeting a similar valuation to that of Bank of Ireland , the state's largest bank by assets.
A source close to the deal said the range was based on a price to book value multiple of between 0.82 and 1.03. Bank of Ireland trades at a multiple of 0.9.
The Finance Ministry said the long-awaited stake sale remains on track despite the Conservative party losing its majority in Thursday's UK election.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan had previously said the price could be driven up if the party, which still won the most seats, secured a convincing majority.
"Market conditions remain favourable and I am encouraged by the strong level of interest shown by investors in the offering to date," Noonan said in a statement.
Dublin rescued the bank in a 21 billion euro taxpayer bailout that began in early 2009 and has been considering cashing out some of its 99.9 percent stake since last year.
One of Ireland's two dominant banks alongside Bank of Ireland, AIB returned to profit three years ago and has since cut its huge stock of impaired loans by more than two thirds become the first domestically owned lender to restart dividends since the financial crisis.
AIB will list its shares on the Irish and London stock exchanges and seek admission to the main markets of each. The government said the sale is expected to be one of the largest IPOs on the UK's main market in 20 years.
AIB is less exposed to Britain's departure from the European Union than bigger rival Bank of Ireland, having made only 14 percent of last year's pre-provision operating profit in the UK.
However, the IPO prospectus said that Brexit could result in an increase in the level of non-performing loans held by banks across Ireland, including AIB, while demand for new loans could decline.
Ireland's substantial stock of non-performing loans, mostly extended for house purchases just before the bursting of Ireland's property bubble in 2008, amounts to 17.5 percent of total lending.
At the end of 2016 AIB's 14.2 billion euros of non-performing loans accounted for 22 percent of its gross loan book. That compares with 9.6 percent at Bank of Ireland.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Davy and Deutsche Bank are global coordinators for the AIB offering. ($1 = 0.8929 euros) (Additional reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Greg Mahlich and David Goodman)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


text:
Barack fires up his supporters.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Johnson County BBQ Hillary Speech
More on Hillary
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Pakistan's Unfortunate Elephant in the Room (re-post)
On December 2nd, 2004, a high level United Nations panel issued a warning of diminishing international barriers to the acquisition of nuclear weapons. The 16 member panel that included former United States security advisor Brent Scowcroft, had been commissioned by UN Secretary Kofi Anan.
Titled "High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change", the report warns that the world is "approaching a point at which the erosion of the non-proliferation regime could become irreversible resulting in a cascade of nuclear weapon proliferation." The report points out barrier breakdowns that increase the likelihood of terrorists obtaining nuclear weapons.
The UN report confirmed that the list of nuclear-armed nations was growing. It also become clear that one of America's allies in the war on terror, Pakistan, had been the main supplier of these products of mass destruction, which in the end, created a complicated, tense yet apparently necessary relationship between the two nations.
In the course of just a few years, as the United States responded to the events of 9/11, the world had become a much more lethal place.
. "The nuclear barriers may not be crumbling, but there are certainly worrisome cracks" said Mellissa Flemming, spokesperson at the International Atomic Energy Association in Vienna.
Flemming said that when the IAEA discovered "a sophisticated black market in nuclear technology, we realized that nuclear technology was basically up for grabs."
Less than one year earlier, Pakistani Scientist and metallurgical engineer, Dr. A.Q. Khan had been identified as a major player in the international nuclear black market. In February 2004, Khan admitted, and then IAEA officials confirmed, that over the course of a few years, Khan had sold technology and equipment to officials in at least five countries, including Iran. Khan, known as the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, confessed his actions but was then almost immediately pardoned by President Pervaz Musharaf.
Pakistani officials placed Khan, seen by many Pakistanis as heroic for equalizing the nuclear playing field with India, under house arrest. Pakistani officials have not granted any foreign interrogators access to Khan. "Khan's black market nuclear bazaar exposed what many say was a leaky export control system over Pakistan's nuclear arsenal that was demonstrated by the behind the scenes dealings with customers like Libya and Iran who were willing to pay millions of dollars for sensitive centrifuge parts and technological know how," according to IAEA's Mellisa Flemming.
The UN report apparently confirms fears expressed by a number of nuclear proliferation experts around the world. According to one of those experts in the United States, this could eventually lead to a very troubling outcome that includes increasing threats of nuclear terrorism.
"It is inevitable that we will see a terrorist with nuclear capability within the next decade" said Joseph Cirincione, Director of the Non Proliferation Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
Cirincione is concerned that the UN report's confirms that security barrier breakdowns like the now exposed clandestine Khan network, increase the likelihood of a terrorist organization obtaining nuclear capabilities.
"There are groups out there intent on mass destruction" warned Cirincione of terrorist groups who seek nuclear weaponry.
Despite the dire tone of some observers, Mellisa Flemming at the IAEA, cautions against jumping to such frightening conclusions. She says the technology involved in making a nuclear weapon may be beyond the capabilities of a terrorist network.
"Whether terrorists, without the backing of a country, could make use of the goods on offer is questionable" said Flemming.
She notes that the centrifuge parts and designs of the kind that Khan was selling, require a tremendous amount of money and expertise to master. Further, there is the question of the nuclear material itself.
"Nuclear material is the required ingredient, and it does leave trails" insisting "there is no evidence of non-state actors who were customers" said Flemming.
But, that doesn't dispel concerns expressed by some US political leaders, including a New York congresswoman who points out a number of potential avenues that nuclear technology or weapons could take and arrive in troubling situations.
"It would be naïve and dangerous to assume that terrorists are incapable of acquiring nuclear materials or weapons, whether from a rouge nation, or on the black market, or by theft" said New York Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.
She believes that U.S. officials should be in direct contact with Pakistani scientists, especially those associated with Khan, so that his complete trail of proliferation is uncovered.
"The more we know about this black market network, the more likely we are to prevent nuclear material from falling into the wrong hands" said Congresswoman Velazquez.
Pakistani officials stress that the Khan nuclear network has been completely destroyed and that the government has been offering full details of the exposed trail of proliferation.
"The government of Pakistan has completely broken the ring of A.Q. Khan's networkand Pakistan has provided all details to the IAEA" according to Haroon Shaukat, Consul General of the Pakistani Embassy in New York.
The IAEA said Pakistan has been cooperating and providing valuable information regarding the apparently extensive Khan Black market network.
"We are presently working out modalities with them to get more information" said Flemming. But, when considering whether or not the United States' allied relationship with Pakistan placed Washington in a position to exert greater pressure on the Pakistani government regarding direct access to Khan and his associates, Flemming was somewhat ambivalent.
"We are not in a position to judge US policy on this issue."
Perhaps one of the more puzzling events in the Khan tale was the scientist's rapid pardon by President Pervaz Musharaf. Since the network's exposure and disruption, Khan has been under house arrest, and not available for any sort of questioning from officials outside of Pakistan.
Pakistani government reaction to the exposure of the Khan network concerns proliferation experts who suspect Pakistani government or military complicity in the distribution network.
"The confession and quick pardon of Khan was staged" said Joe Cirincione at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Cirincione says US officials have not been able to question Khan directly because of the instable nature of internal politics in Pakistan.
He goes on to say that the "staged confession" and the house arrest is part of a greater cover-up meant to protect higher up military officials.
"It is inconceivable that this was a private citizen affair" and that the nuclear proliferation conducted by Khan "could not have been done without the knowledge of military and political officials" said Cirincione. "There was a deal for Khan to take the blame in public, and that's why we saw the fastest pardon since Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon."
Khan's network of proliferation was vast. It involved the shipping of materials through a large distribution network that reached far beyond clandestine labs. In spite of those concerns, the State Department, at least publicly, has not aggressively pursued any investigation of offical Pakistan's alleged complicity.
Further, Cirincione's sees US Government reaction to the Khan network as evidence that nuclear proliferation is a short sighted, and a secondary concern of the State Department in the greater war on terror.
Still, the State Department implies that much is being done behind the scenes to obtain more vital information about the nuts and bolts of the network.
"It is more fruitful for the United States to work through diplomatic channels with Pakistani officials in the matter of the Khan black market network" according to Sara Styker, Asia Expert at the State Department.
According to the State Department's Stryker, "the cooperation US officials have received from Pakistani officials has helped us in eliciting vital information" and that "we are now focused on results". Stryker points to success in Libya, as evidence that the information provided by Pakistan has been helpful in disarming dangerous nations and stopping nuclear proliferation. She says she understands concerns like those expressed by Cirincione, but notes that Khan is under house arrest, and out of the proliferation business.
Further,there are concerns about potential Pakistani public reaction to what might be seen as American intervention. As President Musharaf told the Washington Post, allowing outsiders access to Dr. Khan would ignite anger among Pakistanis who regard Khan as a sort of folk hero- for equalizing Pakistan's nuclear capabilities with Inida.
Joe Cirincione still raises troubling concerns.
"The Bush administration apparently believes the Pakistanis have done all they can do" and "I take that as a very troubling sign that we are not doing all that we should be doing."
Cirincione says that "while the Bush administration was focused on the Axis of Evil, we should have been paying attention to our ally, Pakistan."
"If it was not for Pakistan, Iran would not have nuclear technology now, the same holds true for Lybia, maybe others," said Cirincione. He argues that the US placed other security issues, including President Musharaf's stability, above our own real security issues. "We've placed nuclear proliferation second" and "that has come back to haunt us in the past, and I think it will again this time".
From "The Raw Story"-Lobbyist pressured to recant story about Abramoff meeting Rove on street corner
Part I of this series explored the long-term involvement of two men -- GOP consultant Bill Canary and Alabama Attorney General William Pryor -- in the events leading to the imprisonment last summer of former Alabama Democratic governor Don Siegelman.RAW STORY
Link to full Investigative Piece
Bhutto's Death Cause Debated
Pakistan's government has released new video of the attack that killed Benazir Bhutto. Officials claim that she died from a skull fracture, not from gunfire or shrapnel. Sheila MacVicar reports.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Back Home on the Christmas Eve Highway
By Cody Lyon
A Christmas Eve drive home after a holiday party down Highway 78 from Walker to Shelby County provides bubbles of warmth, security and impassioned viewpoints.
From the new car, the hills seem dark, except for trees back lit by the moon, they lean with erratic cold breezes as the white car glides down this dark four lane of asphalt ribbon. Along the way, an occasional run down building every mile or so, some with lights, others empty, almost ghostly. From the car, the outside seems silent, like the song, but the darkness stirs memories long tucked away some place, begging to be found.
This is, after all, the highway where a long time ago another country boy named Elvis drove a truck all the way from Memphis to Birmingham.
Years later, perhaps, Elvis came down this road in a luxury bus, this time on his way to the Municipal Auditorium, a place they now want to tear down.
This Christmas Eve expressway is the place where even before Elvis, a future movie star named Tallulah made her way the few miles south to steel mill lit skies in Birmingham, painted red from blasting iron furnaces, it was there in the magic city, inside a hotel named Tutwiler, the Alabama foghorn had a honeymoon.
The New Yorker was on highway 78 in a county called Walker, a place where moonshine once ruled, even now, dry as dirt, except for Jasper. The 49 Mercury V8's no longer run like scalded dogs down this dark road outrunning revenue men who sought their cargo, men who chased and if caught, could put the runners behind bars and seize, then destroy their product, lightning strength, often said strong enough to take away a man's breath, sometimes the brew was clear as water, except for tiny bubbles, that meant to those in the know, it was good.
Nowadays, the highway is lined with what is called, charity bingo parlors. Inside, patrons find video gaming machines. These establishments replaced the strip bars of yesteryear that line the road to Memphis or Birmingham, depending on the direction you were headed.
It's Christmas Eve, and the New Yorker loves casinos, he begs to stop, to have a look, to play a few games, a five dollar limit he promises, his sibling and brother in law reluctantly agree.
In truth, the New Yorker can't resist the sound of bells, whistles and the potential clanking of a win, it is a simple rush, much like a dance floor, or more accurately, a rollercoaster, he is a thrill seeker and was hoping for a fix of rush before the holiday continued, just a taste from a place he no longer knew like his own, it was, a hidden place, mysterious, appropriate on the lonely old haunted road back to the safety, familiarity of his native Shelby County.
Outside the cacophony of movement and conversation inside the car, smoke rises from a chimney in the distance, and further away, across the vast expanse and darkness of a thick forest sheltered by two rocky bluffs, a tower of cloud rises from a bubble of light and into the moonlit sky, its shape, much like a giant tornado, but this is no storm, instead, steam from a power plant on the distant river. Its generators send their juice back across the forest on towering power lines, into homes, the buildings, the cities down the way, even into the games in the parlors along the highway.
Smokestacks, at least 700 feet high, blink their warning to approaching planes in a crystal clear star filled sky, perhaps too, the lights reassure the children among the trees that this is the place where Santa finds there house, especially if they live on one of the hills that from the safety of the car seem so desolate, so quiet and alone, so far from what he now knew as his reality in Manhattan.
The gambling parlors they've passed so far have all been closed. Maybe that's good, considering the warnings of a friend, who said, the odds for winning in those houses were bad, since in Alabama, there is no regulation, no gaming commission or lotto that's run by a public agency.
According to another, the parlors exist legally since they donate part of their profits to local causes, firehouses, even schools.
Finally, off in the distance, lights are seen, cars fill a small gravel lot, the lights say Charity Bingo and loosely hung from the roof of the brown building are Christmas decorations. The doors seem dark, but red neon beckons to "come on in"
It is 1030 pm. Outside, a few SUV's, a mid size car with an LSU sticker, another old Lincoln town car, a smattering of non descript muddied tires that look to have traveled unpaved roads time forgot, roads hidden from our safe eyes, memories never known, tucked away in the wooded hills, hills long mined for coal, far beyond these loosely hung Christmas lights with their spoon feeding mission of joy coming from a building that once housed something else.
The door is opened, the three go inside. All eyes, turn towards the new visitors as if nervous about an inspection. The two Alabamians watch as the New Yorker attempts to play a 2cent video game, he plays, then a man approaches, he gives him a ticket, like any old ticket, perhaps from a school carnival, perhaps a traveling fair, a raffle, he says something, the New Yorker doesn't understand. The two Alabamians watch, impatiently both with arms crossed, the small room smells of smoke.
Later, he realized, the ticket was for a drawing, he finally understood what the old man had said. The New Yorker, at home in Alabama, had forgotten his own's way of speech, this made him think, it made him sad.
The twangs among the crowd were soft, but distinct, this was coal country, this land wasn't agrarian, this land was to rocky to grow big crops, this was not the black and rich land of his Coosa valley, this was hardscrabble Alabama, and inside this place, some were hoping to make life a little less hard as well.
Inside the small room lights are dim, there are no bells, no whistles, no whips of exciting sounds nothing that gave the adrenalin he'd found in a real casino, just the sound of quietness, as if something was wrong, something missing, in fact, something empty. No one seems to be smiling, in fact, no one has said much of anything, at least yet.
"There is a pile of something black on the floor" she says to her husband, as the New Yorker continues to press the white light on the video machine.
"Ya'll go play a game," says the New Yorker, feeling as if he'd inconvenienced his loved ones by forcing them to stop by the gaming house.
In truth, he had.
Each machine had a chair, each chair filled by someone, usually with a blank face, staring into dim blinking lights that ask for money, two rows of machines, like electronic wishing wells all promising cash, the answer to life's woes, still across the floor, a field of cigarette butts and the smell of wet tobacco spits, occasionally, a curse or exclamation, but no bells, no whistles, just murmuring on Christmas Eve.
In the Birmingham area, many places have seen incredible growth, prosperity and economic infusions that have changed the face of entire communities. Suburban sprawl now ruled in much of Shelby County, a place that only 30 years ago, was primarily farmland and open space.
His two relations left the room, but later the sibling came back and ordered the New Yorker to come and get in the car, it was time to reenter the cacophony of movement and sound, get back on the highway and take the road on down to Birmingham.
Once past the decorated but quiet streets of downtown Birmingham and on through the city by an expressway that cuts through Red Mountain, a car headed south will eventually travel down a ramp, and onto the highway 280, that leads to Shelby County. At the foot of the ramp from the expressway, the street lights at the were mysteriously not working on Christmas Eve at around 1130. This highway, a place of explosive prosperity, prime suburbia, always crowded was dark at this one spot on this night.
"Those lights aren't working" said the sibling.
"Maybe it's for the zoo light safari" said the New Yorker.
"I don't know but it sure is erie" said the sibling.
They then pass through Mountain Brook, onto Cahaba Heights, through Inverness, they go through Hoover, whiz on past Chelsea and back into the moonlit country roads of Shelby that take them to where they began. They've passed Starbucks, Saks, Whole Foods, malls, strip malls, bar b que and countless manicured office parks.
There were no charity bingo parlors.
It was Christmas Eve and time for one last glass of wine before the sun came up.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
New Orleans
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Postpartum Impression (New York Times)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Top Contender for Lebanese Government Post Killed
Dec 12 - A leading contender to take over as head of the Lebanese army is among several killed in car bomb attack.
Security sources say five people were killed in the blast in a suburb of Beirut. Brigadier General Francois al-Hajj was among the victims.
Paul Chapman reports. (REUTERS)
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Message We Send the World
Link to video commentary at CBS
Re: Long-Eared Jerboa
Fascinating footage of the endangered Mongolian Long Eared Jerboa.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Mitt Romney Panders Right
By CODY LYON
Former Massachusetts Governor and current Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney made an appeal to social conservative voters during a 20 minute speech in
The speech was a clear attempt to convince members of the political Right wing that his views about social issues saw eye to eye with those of groups like the Christian Coalition or Family Research Council. He sent a clear signal that he would appease Christian Conservative concerns by setting a place for Religion at the table of policy in a Romney White House and further fanning the flames of us vs. them political rhetoric.
"They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgement of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in
For those who do argue that the constitution calls for a clear separation of church and state, the Romney speech was just another sad example of pandering by a Presidential candidate to a vocal and still powerful often irrational interest group, that has, in the past, flexed political muscle in exchange for support of policy, all guised under the curtain of self righteous certitude, faith and unspoken arrogance.
Plenty of Americans have begun to look behind that curtain and have found the real muscle behind the flexing, is a fundamentalist agenda that is dangerous to Democracy, no matter who does its bidding.
Still, the issue of Romney's Mormonism has been one of the more interesting political sticklers to watch as Republicans continue pandering to the Right Wing movement. It appears that much of the leeriness expressed by Right wingers over Romney is due in part to what some see as a cloud of mystery that hangs over the Mormon Church.
Unlike the often shrill and colorful antics of the "praise the Lord" evangelical movement, Mormons keep many of their religious practices quiet, exclusive, some say even secret. For example, only Mormons are allowed inside their
In all fairness and with due respect to other faiths, that's certainly no more odd than some of the rituals and wardrobe requirements required by other mainstream denominations, faiths and beliefs within their places of worship or for that matter, some of the less discussed practices at home.
Still, voters on both sides of the political fence point to what appear to be somewhat odd Mormon rules like no hot caffeinated drinks and the belief that marriage is eternal, family sealing, concerns over past polygamy practices as well as questions over how the Mormon Church treasure chest, estimated by some to be around $30 billion, got to be so big in the first place.
In addition, there are charges leveled over the centrality of the
In truth, Evangelical Christians and Mormons are very much alike.
For one, Mormons are the embodiment of Family Values living.
But, more specifically, if Evangelicals could get over their concerns about the secrecy, the rituals, the gold tablets and the specifics of who is, or who is not a Christian, for all intents and purposes, Mitt Romney should be their man. In fact, if Mitt Romney subscribes to one of the Mormon Church's most important statements of faith, he could be a bigger prize than what the "right" ordered for its political entrée.
Much of the Central concept in Mormon Religion is laid out in the "Articles of Faith" a 13 point list of the Latter Day Saint's most fundamental beliefs.
Article 10 has similarities with what Christian Conservatives believe regarding the future of mankind and the "second coming". The Mormons, like Conservative Christians believe that Jesus will return to Earth some day to establish
However, Mormons, unlike the Conservative Christians, believe specifically, that Jesus will establish his new kingdom on the American continent.
It's certainly no secret that the Religious Right has long advocated that the
Once again, Americans are reminded that there is a battle for Democracy being waged within our own borders. It is a battle for morality, fairness, logic and for all intents and purposes, the very soul of our nation. Our constitution is clear about the separation of Church and State. It is frightening that Mitt Romney, the respected former and well liked Governor of one of
Thursday, December 06, 2007
CBSNEWS Investigative Report
U.S. Taxpayers May Have Paid for Some Iraq Insurgent Weaponry (CBS NEWS)
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Young, Homeless and LGBT (EDGE)
"If you come out in an accepting environment, certainly that's more healthy than hiding your sexual orientation," Siciliano said. "If you come out [of an] area [where] you are like spawn, and you are thrown out of the house that night with your belongings in garbage bags and have no way to support yourself except through prostitution, that is a catastrophe."
...The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services estimates there are between 575,000 and 1.6 million homeless and runaway youth between 12 and 24 in the United States. The National Lesbian & Gay Task Force further concluded in a 2006 report titled "LGBT Youth; Epidemic of Homelessness" that between 20 and 40 percent of these youth self-define as LGBT....
"What if you had to eat from dumpsters, had to sleep on the train [or] had to turn to sex work to survive," she asked. "That's not something people want for themselves - or for their children - even if they can't stand what that child does."
My story (link) at EDGE onLGBT homeless Youth in NYC
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Credit Card Users: Watch Out
Link to video
Monday, December 03, 2007
Gen. Wes Clark Says Siegelman was Unjustly Confined (From Locust Fork Journal)
General Wesley Clark received standing ovations from Democrats Friday night when he called former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman "a great American" and an "honest man" who was "unjustly confined" by a rogue Justice Department "politicized" by a corrupt Republican administration, and for his criticism of Bush's war in Iraq.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
In Birmingham- The Divide
Birmingham students face distinct disadvantages: widespread poverty, schools with limited programs, outdated equipment. Suburban students thrive in high-tech schools with broad menus of challenge classes. Our schools are separate but unequal.--LINK TO FULL TEXT
As The World Turns- Russia and Venezuala
And from Venezuela:
And from REUTERS, on Venezuela:
Religion Gone Wrong- The Purge of Iraq's Christians-(CBS- 60 Minutes)
A Baghdad clergyman estimates that 90 percent of Iraq's Christians, once thought to number over a million, have either fled or been murdered by Islamic extremists. Sott Pelley's report: LINK TO VIDEO Excerpt
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Christmas Lights (re post)
Originally Posted Friday, December 22, 2006
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS (also published in 2006 at "Oh My News International")
By CODY LYON
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, New York City evenings begin to arrive at their annual ritual of taking on an extra-added electric glow. The added lights, displays and decorations among other signalers of the season announce to residents and visitors alike, the holidays have arrived. New York's extravagant Christmas lights and decorations provide visual coaxing for what is meant to be a festive time of year in the American city that never sleeps, and loves to shop. Many tourists, children and residents, look at the lights in awe, as Department store districts like those in Midtown transform into a Christmas wonderland, where shoppers scurry about like busy elves getting ready for a certain really big night.
From Rockefeller Center and the famous, tall, sculpted and not a spot missed tree, to the giant crystal snowflake at 57th and Fifth Avenue, the city is polished and ready for Santa, North Pole bound, almost to a point of perfection with its elaborate decoration. Even down in the gritty fashion district new, modern single color snowflakes and brightly lit stars line the streets, one right after the other in an accurate order present an urban district that upon first glance, appears to have been enrolled in a special holiday exterior decorating class. Parts of Manhattan becomes a polished Christmas village, a scene out of a modern more orderly version of "Miracle on 34th Street" where all is planned, a place where if one's not careful, the sheer brightness and excitement can overtake the city's buffet of visual stimuli. But, in taking some time to explore and study detail of less traveled streets, one might stumble upon a Christmas light display that doesn't shine as bright as those in Midtown. Sometimes, on those off the beaten paths, are the lights that twinkle, and for some unexplainable reason they might bring back memories which stimulate childhood nostalgia, recollections that have the ability to provide a key that can unlock personal spirits of Christmas and the hope, anticipation as well as joy the season brings.
According to Mary Bellis at "About.com", Inventor Edward Johnson was responsible for the first string of Christmas lights back in the late 1890's. By 1900, Department stores had started using the lights for displays. Later, Albert Sadacca came up with "safe" Christmas lights and eventually started mass producing the brightly colored bulbs through a company called NOMA. Soon enough, cities found themselves taking on the added glow of Christmas displays of all shapes, sizes and colors from coast to coast. Hanging from light poles on main streets, big city downtowns and other places where people lived, Christmas Lights soon become the tradition they are today.
This year in New York, Christmas displays began appearing as early as Halloween. There was barely time to enjoy Thanksgiving when what would appear but strands of giant green garland across Eighth Street and the white stars in the Financial and fashion districts. Then, at some point, several strands of random, vintage Christmas displays were quietly being strung across the streets of the East Village. And, it was in that neighborhood, on 7th Street, near Avenue A, one of the displays brought back memories of growing up in a small Alabama town, when the annual appearance of Christmas decorations in Wilsonville made a small boy thrilled that the holiday season had arrived.
It was in the tiny one stop light village of less than a thousand, usually the day after Thanksgiving, a boy would ride his bike down to the main road, Hi-way 25. Here he would sit, watch and worry, eagerly awaiting men with cherry picker trucks to arrive and install the town's Christmas lights. The festive lights in Wilsonville, some shaped like canes with bells, others with Santa Clauses faces framed in green tinsel, even a few red candles held up with green garland all grand to the small town child eyes waiting for their show. Hues of red, blue and green suddenly lit power line poles and the road beneath them, areas of space and time that seemed dark and lonely over most of the year, except for the occasional passing car on its way to someplace else. Now the holiday hues projected joy on all who passed by, as well as those who appreciated them nightly.
The displays of then and there weren't so polished and the lights not so bright like today's extravagant bulbs, instead these sweet old creations twinkled, more like the far away stars in mysterious reaches of the sky, all magic to a child's eye, especially eyes from a small town who knew nothing else. He saw the lights as visual pills of warmth, comfort and the wonderment that Christmas, back then and there, meant to him.
And suddenly, here in New York City, amid the hectic hustle and bustle here on his neighborhood streets, there it was again. It took a few minutes to realize the twinkling lights were even there, complete with their sweet hues of joy and peace. It was here in the nation's largest and busiest, that he had discovered a memory formed years ago during a period of untouched innocence and love.
In truth, it was an accidental discovery, since, he'd probably passed the draping lights several times before he'd actually taken any time to notice them. But for whatever reason, there they were, green garland donned by bells lit pink and red, hanging in poetic curves that came to point over the center of the street, all framed by a red ribbon filled with tiny gold lights.
What imperfection, this relic of history, who could say how many Christmas seasons these old weathered lights had seen? How much had New York City changed since those twinkling bulbs first decked the street and charmed the children and adults of the city's past? How much the world had changed since the boy made his way from Alabama to New York? Where do they store those whispering lights throughout the year and how did they had survive so long in the rough and tumble that is New York.
The cycling New Yorker paused with his logical pondering and began to stare deeper, to wonder at the Christmas Light's beauty, and the sense of comfort, anticipation, joy and hope they provided. He'd realized, unlike so many of the city's impressive decorations, tree's, Broadway shows and Department store window displays that all blatantly attempting to coax people into the season, he'd been ushered into the spirit through the re acquaintance with a memory. It was a memory that held a key to what this season truly meant, or at least, what it represented for him. It was the sort of moment that proved beauty, hope and joy is everywhere, but sometimes one has to make the effort to find it, in this case, beauty, joy and the peace it commanded was locked away inside the memories that an old Christmas light hanging across the street could, and did, set free.
CBS News' Bob Schieffer Say's Political Candidates Underestimate America's Intelligence
'Face The Nation's' Bob Schieffer Comments
(New York Times) As Giuliani Cites Facts, He Stretches Them Sometimes
AND FROM CBS NEWS- Katie Couric Asks Mayor Giuliani Tough Questions on EXPENSE-GATE
link to video clip at CBSNEWS
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Governor Siegelman's Daughter See's Higher Up's Fingerprints (From RAW STORY)
An interview with Dana Siegelman, daughter of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman from "Raw Story". Link to full text
Alabama Updates-Don Siegelman-From Scott Horton's No Comment
Alabamians Believe Siegelman a Victim of Political Prosecution
The view taken by Raw Story, that Don Siegelman is a political prisoner, may have emerged as the view of the people of Alabama. In any event, a new Rasmussen poll shows 56% of Alabamians surveyed believed that politics played a role in the prosecution of Don Siegelman. Earlier polls had shown only about 30% believing that the prosecution and trial were politically motivated.
Link to Full Text
Monday, November 26, 2007
New York Times Weighs in on The High Cost of Health Care
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Darfur- PBS Frontline's "On Our Watch"
View the entire program at PBS.ORG
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Simplistic and Divisive List of Dangerous Cities
For the 14th year in a row, CQ press published its "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America" , based on the September 24 FBI crime statistics report. Once again, some of the usual suspects,
The message in the rankings seems to say, that these places are dangerous, so if you go there, be afraid, watch your back, best to stay away if you know what's good for you.
. But, as a number of critics charge, the "most dangerous" rankings, tend to be simplistic and incomplete. Beyond the irresponsibility of broadcasting shrill messages that fail to detail crucial criminal science and sociological factors in each of these unique places, especially the story behind the poverty that leads some cities to high crime rates, is the fact that the lists actually divide us as a nation, and in a number of ways, that is more dangerous than Downtown Detroit at midnight.
For one, they imply that places like Detroit are hopeless, and that residents live in chaos and fear, that non residents should avoid visiting, and those residents with means should try to leave when economically feasible for greener and more safe pastures, perhaps a nice suburban gated community.
The rankings also play upon the epidemic of fear in
We Americans are suckers when it comes to fear. For example, since 9/11, some government officials and politicians have used fear as a method of gathering support around causes and platforms that in the end resulted in serious erosions of some of our most cherished rights and freedoms. Fear has proven that it has the ability to bring certain groups of people together, united in their fright, but, the cost has been ideological and political division unlike any seen since the Vietnam War. Fear in public policy is cheap. It is the bad cream rising to the top, and it takes attention away from solving what are usually very complex problems like the current health of many American cities. It's certainly easier to paint broad brush strokes of danger, isolation and fear. In truth, dangerous places lists contribute to American fragmentation, further confirming the words of a certain American President who once said, we have nothing to fear, but fear itself.
Besides that, what purpose does a dangerous place list serve? For a person living in
And, underlying the confirmation of stereotypes is the role that race plays in images of crime and cities. It's no secret that people of color face the most danger from crime in Urban America. And, as we see in newscasts and other media, the way those stories get told is through sensational details, since it still holds true, if it bleeds it leads. But, once again, that's simplistic and potentially numbing to viewers and readers, who have yet to see the press confront
While it might be easy to point at places like
Saturday, November 17, 2007
US governors feuding over water shortage
Summation of the ongoing water wars over man made Lake Lanier's dwindling water pool. The report mentions Alabama and Florida's concern over wildlife, but does not point out that Alabama's Coosa River, which depends on Lanier for healthy flow, enables public utility generating power and is also a source of drinking water for parts of the state.CL
Inside Story- Does Pakistan need emergency rule?-06Nov07-Pt1
Interesting take from AlJazeera English Channel
U.S. Acts to Bolster Supply of Water for Atlanta (From New York Times)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
FBI Charges Guards (From NEW YORK TIMES)
International / Middle East
F.B.I. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause
By DAVID JOHNSTON and JOHN M. BRODER
Published: November 14, 2007
F.B.I. agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians found that all but three of the shootings were unjustified.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Why did a Mother Sue A Motel After her Kids were exposed to Pornography?
Link to EDGE PUBLICATIONS
Atlanta is Running Out of Water
Within a matter of months,
Without some sort of intervention,
Almost 30 percent of the south is now covered by what is called an "exceptional drought", the National Weather Service's absolute worst category. One result has been the rekindling of a long running dispute over water between
After a brutal drought over the summer,
Still, Alabama Governor Bob Riley told the "Washington Post" this past month that "
But, what exactly defines
Unlike most major metropolitan areas,
Titled, What is Fueling Atlanta's Housing Growth the FRB report noted that Atlanta's growth area is "unlimited" thanks to "the lack of nearby natural barriers like large bodies of water, mountains or major federal land holdings. The same report went on to say that the area "can continue growing and expanding into fringe areas with cheaper land for some time."
Expansion continued with sub-divisions filled mostly single family homes sprang up across hundreds of square miles of former farmland and forests creating what some have called
According to the United States Census Department the Atlanta Metropolitan area now consists of around 6,000 square miles that include 28 counties with a population of around 4 million which compares to 1970 when the metro area had 1.9 million residents living on 1,730 square miles of land. The actual city of Atlanta's population has hovered at only around 400,000. Metropolitan
In addition to the 28 county governments there are around 65 somewhat autonomous municipal government bodies.
The reality of disconnection and separation illustrated by a greater
A report from the "New Georgia Encyclopedia" stated that 67 percent of
It's clear, that now, as frightening potentialities flood newspapers, websites and newscasts, investments need to be made in the bones of the body of the
According to a study and report by American Rivers, The Natural Resources Council and Smart Growth America there are efficient, cost effective approaches that policy makers in cohesion with developers and communities could take to help remedy the threats now faced by
They say that what is needed is the political will to see them through to fruition.
Steve Davis, a spokesperson at Smart Growth America, said most of the regional planning that might result in uniform implementation of smart planning that impact water had finally started to happen, but, unfortunately, mostly without teeth.
"Most of the efforts to consider water supplies as part of the long range comprehensive planning consisted only of "suggestions" as to approval or denial, but local plans still have no mandatory requirement for projecting the effects on water in the area," he said.
It's clear now, that
New York Activists Push for Gender Expression/ID Protections Bill
Sunday, November 04, 2007
"One of the Deadliest Con Jobs of Our Time" (60 Minutes Reveals Curveball)
Friday, November 02, 2007
A Journalist Saves A Man From Prison: And Show's Why Some Court Cases, Aren't What They Appear to Be
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
On Alabama Governor Bob Riley's Protests- to much?
But the real show-stopper in the Riley-Blackledge story is the suggestion that Artur Davis claimed "the governor of Alabama went to Washington, met with the Justice Department, convinced them to put the resources into a conspiracy…" Davis, of course, neither said nor insinuated any such thing at any point during the hearing. So what leads Riley to say this? I have a theory. It's because Riley knows that he did travel to Washington and pursue using the Justice Department as a cat's paw to secure his own hold on the Montgomery statehouse. In fact, the entire play surrounding the Siegelman prosecution is unmistakably tied to Alabama electoral politics, and to Riley's concerns about his grip on power. LINK TO FULL STORY
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Democracy In Grave Peril (FROM LOCUST FORK JOURNAL)
excerpt: Today I want to talk a little bit about another author, a famous columnist named Walter Lippmann, especially to debunk a label that has been pinned on me of late by a local used car salesman. As you will see from this essay, I am no "elitist."
I hope the bad students down at the Big Mule Press are listening, but I do not have much hope since they are passing off another piece of manufactured GOP propaganda as news even today, with no documentary evidence and a key source who, of course, could not be reached for comment. You know who I am talking about. I refuse to link to their bullshit.
But to prove that I am a truly independent scholar ruled by no political party or ideology, I am also going to publicly quibble with a couple of liberal writers who I otherwise respect. That is still allowed under the First Amendment, I presume. LINK TO FULL TEXT
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
More Questions on Judge Fuller and the Siegelman Case
LINK TO "No Comment" at Harpers
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Forgotten War On Terror- The Tragedy of Somalia
CHANNEL 4 NEWS (LONDON) Nima Elbagir's graphic report from Somalia.
From Channel 4-So why isn't the international community doing more? Maybe it's because footage like this rarely makes it's way onto our screens. The journalists of Somalia have themselves become a target.On August 11, Mahed Ahmed Elmi was shot outside his office at Horn Afrik television station. As his funeral procession pulled away, a bomb exploded under a car killing his friend, the station's co-founder Ali Shamarke.The lawlessness is easily explained. The government forces, because of their Ethiopian troop support, face a coalition of both Islamist and nationalist insurgents. The Ethiopians rarely patrol the city and when they do they lose not only their lives but their boots and anything else the insurgents can use.That leaves the African Union forces as the most visible presence on the streets.
LINK TO VIDEO REPORT and BACKGROUND AT CHANNEL 4 (On Monday, 10/15-PBS NEWSHOUR ALSO RAN THIS REPORT VIA ITN)
Black clergy, activists, join forces to stop AIDS (FROM EDGE)
EDGE New York City Contributor
Still, critics charge the Church was slow to respond:
Gil L. Robertson, author of "Not in My Family: AIDS in the African American Community," praised Butts and others who have shown support for their LGBT congregants with AIDS. But he delivered a scathing indictment of the black church's overall response to the epidemic.
"African American leaders were absolutely negligent in not stepping into the frontlines in trying to solve this problem," Robertson said.
Friday, October 12, 2007
On Blackwater
link to video
Editorial from Anniston (AL) Star Re: Sielgelman Case
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Further Links To Karl Rove in Bama Case-from TIME MAGAZINE
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
SELECTIVE JUSTICE IN ALABAMA -from TIME MAGAZINE
In the guise of reporting on the Simpson interview with the House Judiciary Committee, the B'ham News reporters in fact launch a major sustained assault on the credibility of Jill Simpson.
(RE-above) LAWYER ADDS TO HER AFFIDAVIT ON SIEGELMAN-FROM "BIRMINGHAM NEWS"-BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE-MARY ORNDORFF and KIM CHANDLER
A Rainsville lawyer who first suggested White House influence in the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman told congressional lawyers last month that Siegelman dropped his 2002 election contest after Alabama Republicans promised to end the federal investigation of him.
AND....THE SIMPSON TRANSCRIPT...(article by Glynn Wilson-LOCUST FORK JOURNAL)
EDITOR'S NOTE FROM WILSON-Any press reports that ignore this and focus on other parts of the testimony are at least misleading and at worst part of an orchestrated coverup to try and protect the political fortunes of Bob Riley and George Bush, and to potentially prevent the indictment of former White House Aide Karl Rove, who resigned in August as these charges first came to light. LINK TO FULL ARTICLE & TRANSCRIPT AT LFJ
Friday, October 05, 2007
U.S. Issues New Rules for Iraq Security Firms
The order by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came a day after Congress voted to bring all U.S. contractors in the Iraq war zone under the jurisdiction of American criminal law.
Link to NEW YORK TIMES STORY
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
More Elite Than Our Military?
Why are
Thanks to well publicized, reportedly reckless and deadly blunders, including the deaths of sixteen of its own staff, coupled with recent questioning on Capital Hill, at least some of the answers may arrive, eventually. But, as that process lumbers along, and as facts begin their slow ascent into the public forum, the people of the
That unfortunate and greater truth appears to indicate that a number of well connected private military contractors have gotten rich from our current national nightmare that is
Not that Blackwater co-founder Erik Prince ever had anything to worry about when it came time to eat at night. The private school educated, Naval Academy graduate, former navy Seal is, after all, the son of the late Edgar Prince, who founded Prince Automotive, a company that was sold in 1995 for $1.4 billion. Erik Prince's Mother now manages the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation which has dolled out tremendous amounts of money to socially conservative causes. In 2004, she was the top individual contributor to the Citizens for the Protection of Marriage, an anti-gay marriage group that campaigned to ban same sex marriage in
Prince's sister is the former Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Betsy DeVos. Betsy DeVos is married to Dick DeVos who is the son of the billionaire founder of Amway Corporation Richard DeVos. In 2006, Forbes Magazine estimated Richard DeVos to be the 73rd wealthiest person in the
While there may be a number of soldiers in
More curious is the question of how Erik Prince's company came upon its latest financial windfalls that saw the company, founded in 1997, go from $1 million before 2001, to over $1 billion in awarded government contracts today, several million dollars of which arrived through what are called, single source or no bid arrangements.
In addition, the company's vice chairman, Coffer Black was the former director of the CIA's counterterrorism unit. In fact, Black was in charge back in 2001 when Al Queda struck on 9/11. He later worked at the State Department joining Blackwater in 2005.
Another Blackwater official, Joseph Schmitz joined Blackwater's parent company, Prince Group, as its Chief Operating Officer and general counsel in 2005. Schmitz is a former inspector general at the Defense Department, who at the time of the "Pilot" report, faced a congressional hearing inquiry into whether or not he had quashed two investigations of senior Bush Administration officials. As a Defense Department inspector, he was in charge of looking at fraud and waste in the Pentagon.
To be sure, individuals, companies and political action groups can raise and give money to whomever they like. And, individuals can, and often do, work in the private sector after leaving government. After all, that's part of the modern American way. But as it looks with this case, the greater question has become, who benefits, and who loses in the end. With Blackwater, it would appear there are a few losers including the members of our military who aren't getting $1,222 a day, the taxpayers, who are paying the difference for a private firm to protect state department officials and the people of Iraq who are subject to the whims of an armed security firm that appears to be engaging in questionable, possibly poorly trained and dangerous behaviors.
Not only should congress break out the shovels and start digging for answers, it had better start defining and explaining the rules, better yet, the ethics of how money gets dolled out. Along the way, questions should be raised on who and how anyone does, and if anyone ever should, benefit from a war that is wrecking the lives of our "volunteer" military members. These are the men and women who earn a penance in financial compensation in comparison to the high paid sharpshooters at Blackwater. For America's military, if this all adds up to the answer it appears to be heading for, is an insult to their service since it has the appearance of labeling the private mercenary services of Blackwater, as an elite alternative to the available skills offered by our nation's official guardians of security.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
House Democrats Slam Blackwater (FromCBS NEWS)
Sunday, September 30, 2007
9/11 Is Over (Commentary by "New York Times" Columnist Thomas Friedman)
I honor and weep for those murdered on 9/11. But our reaction to 9/11 has knocked America completely out of balance, and it's time to get things right again...9/11 has made us stupid.
Link to full text at NYT


text:
We consider the production/inventory problem of a manufacturer (or a retailer) under non-stationary and stochastic supply availability. Although supply availability is uncertain, the supplier would be able to predict her near future shortages – and hence supply disruption to (some of) her customers – based on factors such as her pipeline stock information, production schedule, seasonality, contractual obligations, and non-contractual preferences regarding other manufacturers. We consider the case where the information on the availability of supply for the near future, which we refer to as advance supply information (ASI), is provided by the supplier. The customer demand is deterministic but non-stationary over time, and the system costs consist of fixed ordering, holding and backorder costs. We consider an all-or-nothing type of supply availability structure and we show the optimality of a state-dependent (s,S) policy. For the case with no fixed ordering cost we prove various properties of the optimal order-up-to levels and provide a simple characterization of optimal order-up-to levels. For the model with fixed ordering cost, we propose a heuristic algorithm for finding a good ordering strategy. Finally, we numerically elaborate on the value of ASI and provide managerial insights.
|Original language
|Pages (from-to)
|Number of pages
|Decision Support Systems
|Issue number
|Publication status
|Published - 2012


text:
Four Students Solve Facebook's Fake News Problem In 36 Hours
Four Students Solve Facebook's Fake News Problem In 36 Hours
As Facebook executives issue statements and tweak their policies to suppress frustration over the growth of fake news on its platform, one group of students has taken the problem into their own hands — and came up with a fix for fake news problem in 36 hours flat.
The social media site has encountered criticism since the presidential election for its role in publishing fake and misleading stories that are indistinguishable from real news. Because Facebook's algorithm is intended to determine what its individual users want to see, people often see only that which confirms their present beliefs regardless of whether the information is true.
So when De, an international second-year master's student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, joined a hackathon at Princeton University this week where the goal was to develop a technology project in 36 hours, she advised to her three partners that they build an algorithm to validate what is real and what is fake on Facebook.
The four students - Anant Goel, Nabinta De, Qinglin Chen, and Mark Craft - made a Chrome browser extension that tags links in Facebook feeds as verified or not verified by taking into account issues such as the source's credibility and cross-referencing the content with other news stories. Where a post seems to be false, the plug-in will offer a summary of more reliable information on the topic online. A small blue box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen says either "verified" or "not verified." They've called it FiB.
Ideally, Goel said, Facebook would team up with a third-party developer such as FiB so that the company could control all news feed data but let the developers verify it so Facebook couldn't be accused of "hidden agendas or biases."


text:
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text:
Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief was organised by the supermodel to aid Japan's relief efforts. Top models Yasmin Le Bon and Karoline Kurkova and actresses Rosario Dawson and Jane Fonda taking to the catwalk.
Campbell talked about the reason she organised the charity event: "The destruction caused by the earthquake is completely heartbreaking, it's so hard to even begin to comprehend the tragic loss the people of Japan are coping with. I felt very passionate to try and help in whatever way possible, to do our part and to support Japan at this time. I hope that the money raised from Fashion For Relief in Cannes will support those who need it most."
73 year-old Fonda, who stunned in a gold, lace overlay Marchesa couture dress as she closed the show, got the biggest cheers of the night from the audience.


text:
An autistic woman demonstrates, then explains, her personal language and way of communicating. It blew my mind.
Here's a New York Times article on her. I don't have too much to add other than that nature didn't make any bad brains. Just way different ones.
Friday Fabulous Flower - a "rare" orchid?
6 days ago in The Phytophactor


text:
I mentioned my 2019 goals in this post and it's now time to check if I achieved them.
Reading Goals in 2019:
- Read 50 Books – ACHIEVED (BARELY.)
- Finish The Inheritance Cycle – FAIL
- This is difficult because I forgot what happened already, so I may have to start over. Or maybe not? 🤔
- Read the 5 indie books in my December TBR, namely:
- Eve: The Awakening by Jenna Moreci – FAIL
- It's Killing Jerry by Sharn Hutton – FAIL
- The Confectioner's Guild by Claire Luana – FAIL
- Echo: Approaching Shatter by Kent Wayne – ACHIEVED
- The Lone and Level Sands by Emerson Grey – FAIL
Why did I not read those 4 other books? It probably was because the other indie books from the Indiecember prize pack arrived and… I got distracted by them 😅
- Read at least 12 Fantasy Books (where a series would count as one) – ACHIEVED
- Reflections – link to my review
- Theonite: Planet Adyn – link to my review
- Throne of Glass – link to my review
- Element Unknown – link to my review
- Only Words – link to my review
- Mistborn 1 & 2: The Final Empire & The Well of Ascension – I've yet to review these books (so. much. to. say!)
- The Helm of Darkness – link to my review
- The Grisha 1 & 2: Shadow and Bone & Seige and Storm – Haven't reviewed.
- Deity Rising 1 & 2: Legacy & Allegiance – link to my Legacy review, Allegiance review to be posted in this blog soon.
- Caraval 1-3: Caraval, Legendary, & Finale – Haven't reviewed.
- The Ballad of Persephone – Haven't reviewed.
- Calico Thunder Rides Again – Review to be posted soon.
Writing Goals
- Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo – ACHIEVED
- Participate in NaNoWriMo – ACHIEVED
- 12 Poems – PARTIALLY ACHIEVED 😓 I only did 10 new poems in 2019:
Blogging Goals for 2019:
- Although, I said in the post that I don't have any blogging goals, but I did say in this other post that I will be blogging on Sundays starting in September. However, I did not do that consistently so this one will have to be a FAIL. Sigh.
I'm hoping to finalize my 2020 goals this weekend and will be posting them soon.
Did you also have reading, writing, and blogging goals in 2019? Did you achieve any of them?


text:
Director Rich Moore and writer Phil Johnston were joined by John C. Reilly on Facebook Live this morning to announce Wreck-It Ralph 2, which will hit theaters March 9, 2018, nearly 6 years after the release of the original.
Hold on. Did we even know that they were working on this?
Yes and no. Thanks to Reilly's loose lips, it's been an open secret for quite some time that Wreck-It Ralph 2 was in the works, but today is the first confirmation of its existence. In a separate interview with Collider, Moore (who directed and co-wrote the original and co-directed Zootopia) admitted that not only is there a script but they've actually already conducted a table read. At this point, everyone from the first film is expected back other than Alan Tudyk's villainous King Candy. Moore will co-direct with Johnston, who co-wrote the first film as well as Zootopia.
However, in this, the year of sequels (Ride Along 2, The Huntsman, London Has Fallen, Independence Day 2, etc.) no one asked for, it's fair to question whether we really need a Wreck-It Ralph 2. Are there more stories which need to be told with these characters? Didn't Wreck-It Ralph pretty effectively wrap everything up in a nice little bow? Felix and Calhoun ended up together. Vanellope retook her rightful place as Princess and main character of her own game. Ralph came to term with his insecurities and station in life and escaped oblivion by preventing the arcade from unplugging his game.
Where's the Dory? Where's the character with a tragic backstory which can be filled in and explored in a potentially superior sequel? Where's the Jessie from Toy Story 2, or the daycare of Toy Story 3? What's the new angle you can take to turn this into an artistic versus commercial exercise (even though we know it's always a bit of both)? Where's the thing makes this more than just another Cars 2 fiasco?
Moreover, now that we live in a world in which an actual mobile video game has become a surprise hit animated movie (The Angry Birds Movie) and another one is getting its own trilogy (Tetris, for some reason) does that make Wreck-It Ralph seem a bit passe? Or is the world now perfectly primed for a Wreck-It Ralph comeback? It will at least be better than our last movie full of old video game characters, but then again most things are better than Pixels.
Yeah. That's right. I just threw in a dig at a bad Adam Sandler movie. I know. It's the low-hanging fruit. I should try harder.
Anyway, Moore will only say of Wreck-It Ralph 2's story that it involves Ralph wrecking the internet as the characters all transition into a more modern take on gaming. That's the obvious new direction to go since the first film dealt with a medium and setting (i.e., the arcade game) long past its relevancy. Will an expansion into online and presumably mobile gaming be new dramatic territory for these characters or simply a new setting and world for them (and the animators) to play in? And what will that mean for the video game universes they all inhabit if they are no longer tied to specific arcade machines?
Hey, give these guys some credit. They're the same people who just made Zootopia. If they say they have a script for a Wreck-It Ralph 2, it's probably pretty good, or at least it will be by the time it's finished considering how many drafts it took them to get Zootopia right (e.g., early on, Nick was the main character, not Judy).
But what we are witnessing is the price of success. Pixar is currently a sequel-producing machine because it has a back catalog of original hits with franchise potential. This has sadly diluted the brand. While I personally think Finding Dory is a worthy sequel to Finding Nemo, there are many,many more who think it's a passably entertaining, but ultimately needless sequel, just like Monsters University. That is an argument which will likely repeat itself when Cars 3, Toy Story 4 and The Incredibles 2 arrive between now and 2019, by which point Pixar will have only released one non-sequel (2017's Coco) since The Good Dinosaur.
Disney Animation Studios is the far younger studio. It's only been around, at least as currently constructed, since 2007, and it didn't really have its first big hit until Wreck-It Ralph in 2012. Subsequent films with obvious sequel potential have been converted into TV shows instead (Big Hero 6, Tangled, both set to debut next year), not dissimilar to the way Disney Animation used to funnel sequels straight to home video instead of interrupting its flow of new movies meant for theaters. So, oddly, as Pixar has seemingly descended into more traditional, risk-averse programming (post-Inside Out, of course) Disney Animation Studios has emerged as the new Pixar, with Zootopia being its crowning artistic achievement to this point.
Before this morning, Disney Animation's future was Moana this November, a new take on Jack and the Beanstalk called Gigantic in 2018 and Frozen 2, at some point. One sequel you can understand, especially when it's to the biggest animated film of our time. Two sequels, though, well that's the true indication that Disney Animation might not be as opposed to sequels as we thought.
To hear Moore tell it, why the hell not go back in for more stories after your work so hard for so long to build up that universe, especially if the fans want more?
This came from two things: the fans, like you said, really enjoying the first film and then just from myself and the crew that worked on the first one, we had a really, really good time making the film. And we really fell in love with the characters, we fell in love with the world. And as soon as the film was finished, I said to my producer, Clark Spencer, like "man, if it were up to me, I would be jumping into another Wreck-It Ralph movie immediately." Just because I love everything about the first film. Selfishly, it would be so much fun to work with all of those people again. And I had mentioned the same thing to Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, our leaders here at the studio and they said, "well, why not? Let's do another one." It's the type of world that feels like there's plenty to be explored beyond what we saw in the first movie. And the audience seems to really like it, I think it just seemed kind of like an easy decision to make.
They've been working on it for two and half years now, sandwiched around Zootopia. I am conflicted because this upsets the little narrative I'd built up in my head about Pixar being the new Disney and Disney Animation Studios being the new Pixar, but I really liked Wreck-It Ralph. There is so much more you can do with that universe if you open it up beyond the confines of an arcade, and I am excited to see what they come up with. Sequels aren't inherently bad, not if the creatives involved find a good second story to tell and prevent the whole thing from turning into a glorified toy delivery-machine. Coming off of Zootopia, I trust these guys with another Wreck-It Ralph. What about you?
Source: Collider


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Natural Evil Eye Bracelet for Protection from Negative Energy [100% Original & Natural]
Product Specification
|Stone Type
|Evil Eye Crystal
|Plus Value
|Beads Size
|Crystal Healing Bracelet
|Country of Origin
- The most popular evil eye protection jewelry are the evil eye bracelet, evil eye pendants, and evil-eye hangings. These bracelets are worn by people all over the world.
- They have a strong base in India too. Evil eye pendants and bracelets are suggested to keep you safe from the evil eye. This evil eye can be referred to as any person's nasty vision that is jealous of another person.
- Some individuals are so full of negative energy that their energy expels out through their vision, choice of words, and action.
- That negative energy depending on its intensity can affect another innocent person.
- So to keep the mind and body safe from such energies, people wear bracelets, pendants, and talismans to safeguard themselves.
Highly recommended by Feng Shui & Vastu consultants
Order now your own original evil eye bracelets and feel the changes in your life.


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The PR agency in Malaysia is in charge of representing the interests of clients who have business in Malaysia. As there are a variety of industries in the country, the PR agency in Malaysia has a diverse range of responsibilities. Their work environment revolves around three main issues: corporate social responsibility, communications policy and development and transactional public relations. In addition to these core areas, the PR agency in Malaysia also handles other matters such as media affairs, government and non-profit communications, philanthropy, and volunteer management. It's the responsibility of the PR agency in Malaysia to cater to the needs of clients and maintain high standards of professionalism while dealing with global challenges.
PR agencies in Malaysia offer a wide range of services to their clients. They can handle projects ranging from corporate to media, non-profit to industrial, academic to entertainment. To work as a PR agency in Malaysia, you don't need a bachelor's degree in communication, marketing, or management. Experience in media communications and other related fields will help. PR agencies in Malaysia may choose to concentrate on a niche area or expand their services to cover all areas. It all depends on how committed the agency is to serving its clients.
Corporate houses prefer to deal with a select group of media specialists. While this helps to ensure quality and consistency at all times, it can also be very expensive. Hiring another firm that specializes in different media and tasks can prove cost-effective. It also allows you to cross-train employees and minimizes the costs associated with training. Another advantage is that your employees will be familiar with the latest trends and practices in the field.
Communication Policy Every agency in Malaysia must focus on developing an effective communication policy. Its effectiveness is determined by the way the information is presented to clients and how well the communication is maintained after the initial communication is completed. This policy must promote transparency and accountability between all parties. Media publicity activities should also contribute positively towards the image of the PR agency. A PR agency can choose to work on its own, in partnership with other companies or in an independent manner.
The roles and responsibilities of an agency should be clearly defined. It should have a clear plan of action and develop strategies accordingly. All services provided by the agency must be above board and proportionate to the needs of the clients. The agency should work closely with the client to ensure a positive working relationship. The agency should keep records of contacts made, issues raised and the outcome of such contacts.
Business Development Strategy The way the agency develops its strategy depends on the type of clients it works with and the nature of work they require. A client may require a PR agency to promote and work on a specific campaign, whereas another may need the agency to do market research and help create a corporate identity for a company. In addition, PR agencies may need to develop and implement marketing campaigns for new clients.
Communications Strategy The way in which an agency conducts its communications work reflects its corporate identity. A client may want to have an agency to write and produce content, while another may need its PR agency to provide communications support. PR agencies can work in tandem with the communications departments of clients to ensure that their goals are met. The agency should also monitor any content that is being published and evaluate the effectiveness of such content. An agency should consider developing its own PR content in response to the requests of clients.
Client Management Many agencies handle both the case and contract work. This allows them to deal with multiple clients at one time. This also ensures that each client has someone to contact in case any issues arise. It can be complicated to work for the agency, especially for a small firm.


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Saturday, August 28, 2010
Catherine & Eric's Grosse Pointe Wedding Photos
It was so fun to start my month of cousins and siblings of previous wedding couples. If you'll look back to last June, you'll find Catherine's cousin's wedding, which was also in Grosse Pointe and the reception was at Grosse Pointe's Lochmoor Club as well. We had a rain shower to beat the band... it was a downpour and we all holed up under a gazebo for twenty minutes until the sun came back out. For more wedding photos from this Grosse Pointe wedding and Lochmoor Country Club wedding reception, please visit my blog at www.marcicurtis.blogspot.com.
Posted by Marci Curtis at 8:31 AM No comments:
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Erica - Northville Senior Photos
Posted by Marci Curtis at 8:02 AM No comments:
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Scott's senior photos
Posted by Marci Curtis at 9:36 AM No comments:
Labels: Oakland county senior photos
Friday, August 13, 2010
Royal Park Wedding Photography - Phil & Katy
I've got lots of wedding photos from Phil & Katy's wedding at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan from the kid's perspective on my other blog at www.marcicurtis.blogspot.com, if you're looking for some funny wedding photos! Here's most of my real take on the morning wedding in Rochester, Michigan. Enjoy!
Posted by Marci Curtis at 5:05 PM No comments:
Friday, August 6, 2010
Waldenwoods Wedding ~ Angela & Matt
Both the ceremony and the reception were held at the Waldenwoods Camp Ground. Now don't jump to conclusions... it's not JUST a camp ground. It has a nice lodge for the wedding reception and estate type buildings for wedding party and guest to stay in and get ready in (no air conditioning though) and the ceremony is usually by the lake. No RVs, no pup tents, just a great, intimate environment. If you'd like to see more photos, please check out my other blog at www.marcicurtis.blogspot.com.
Posted by Marci Curtis at 11:43 AM No comments:
Labels: Waldenwoods wedding
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Commentary & Analysis
L. A. Marzulli
I am writing this as a pastor who is very concerned with the recent inflammatory emails that Linda Church and PITN have been blasting out on the Net. The Biblical Narrative states this:
Matthew 18:15-17 English Standard Version (ESV)
If Your Brother Sins Against You
15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
To the best of my knowledge, Linda Church has never talked with Bob or Gary about the "fault." Because of this, she is in error and in need of correction. She is simply not acting within the confines of the Biblical mandate set forth in our Bibles.
She has never contacted Gary Stearman or Bob Ulrich and discussed any of the statements she assures us are true.
Because of this, her statements should be seen as nothing more than what they really are, the fruit of a bitter heart acting out in the flesh.
There needs to be mediation between Linda Church and Gary and Bob to stop the backbiting and outright lies that are being spewed out. Who is the accuser of the brethren?
I know Gary and Bob intimately and they are two of the most upright men I have ever encountered in my life. They walk the talk.
Linda Church has now gone after the short-lived host at PITN, Lynn Leahz, once again spreading inflammatory remarks far and wide.
If I knew where Linda Church attended church I would contact her pastor directly. This sort of vitriol and vituperative remarks are no better than what we see in the world and shouldn't be coming from any so-called Christian and certainly not from someone who has been in ministry for decades.
L. A. Marzulli
L. A. Marzulli's Speaking Schedule!
You can still sign up for Live STREAMING!
Sign up for Live STREAMING!
October 27-28: Southern Appalachian Prophecy Conference – Freedom-Lights Church – With Russ Dizdar!
January 5-7 -2018 – Church of His Presence, Alabama. We had a wonderful time with Pastor John and the great people of CHP!! http://www.churchofhispresence.org
March 17 -18 Grace Fellowship Church Dayton Ohio area. Pastor Michael Berner: Great people there! http://www.gracefellowshipohio.org/events/
March 22-25 – Dallas Texas! Hear the Watchman Conference! Mike & Jeannie hit it out of the park. Great to see all the folks and the presentations were informative. See you in Long Island
April 20-22 in Akron, Ohio. Coach Dave, Russ Dizdar, Pastor Paul Begley, The Haggman's and more! Great to meet all the folks! Thanks for the great conference COACH! https://coachdavelive.com/occupy2018
May 18: The Anchor – Oceanside, California. Pastor Levi gave us a tour of Camp Pendleton. Peggy and I also went to a shooting range and spent some time with an AR15. Thanks to all the folks who showed up. We'll be back next year!
May – 26 June…: ISRAEL TOUR!!! L. A. Marzulli – Mondo Gonzales (Archaeologist MS) 11 day tour. What an amazing tour! We're going to do it again next year! We will be posting the new itinerary soon. We made some great new friends while in Israel. Thanks to all who signed up for the tour.
July 14-15 – Michigan – The Coming Great Deception Conference w/ Pastor Pete Valdez! Hope to see you there! www.jilm.org
Alwyas good to see pastor Pete and his lovely wifey Shirley. Met some wonderful people there and recorded some great interviews for future films!
August 10-11, 2018. Hear The Watchmen – Long Island. www.hearthewatchmen.com
Good conference on Long Island. There were some great messages presented by the speakers and you can still get the live streaming.
September 28 – 30: Switzerland with Russ Dizdar and Timothy Alberino! here is the link:
October 12-14 – Prophecy Watchers Conference www.prophecywatchers.com
October 27-28: Southern Appalachian Prophecy Conference – Freedom-Lights Church – With Russ Dizdar!
November 9-11- Operation Classified! event.caravantomidnight.com
To book L. A. to speak at your church or conference.
Please email him: la@ lamarzulli.net
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There is a Way to Become the Father you Were Created to Be!
The fathers of St. Joseph is a confraternity of men who follow the timeless wisdom and example of the man who was father to the Son and son of the Father. With St. Joseph as our leader, each father strives to become as he became - an icon of God the Father. As God the Father entrusted His Son to St. Joseph's care, we also strive to entrust ourselves as children, who are fathers, to this father who will teach us to father, and lead us to the Father.
This way of fatherhood is called
Joseph's Way - The Call to Fatherly Greatness
Join us on this journey to discover the power of authentic fatherhood.
All fathers, grandfathers and men hoping to someday be fathers are welcome.
This group meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month from 6:30 - 8:00 pm in the Church Hall (Dinner Provided)
Please check the bulletin for changes.
To visit our website Click Here.


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There are only five steps!
Master them one at a time, and you'll be able to ask your dog to limp on command in no time. Here is a video I made on how to do exactly that. The key is to not get frustrated and take it slow, especially in the beginning.
Share with your friends!


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BRAINERD, Minn.—Sharon Day, a devoted pastor's wife and nurse, died July 30. She was 71.
Sharon graduated from West Suburban School of Nursing in Oak Park, Illinois, on Aug. 25, 1966, and married Max Day two days later. The Days lived in Owatonna, Minnesota, for one year while Max finished school and then moved to Minneapolis, where she worked as a registered nurse at North Memorial Hospital while Max attended seminary.
Following seminary, Max and Sharon moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, where she worked as a registered nurse for five years. She also worked in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, for eight years before living in Champlin, where Max pastored and she was director of nursing at Maranatha Nursing Home in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. In 2006 they moved to Brainerd, where Max is associate pastor.
Sharon is survived by her husband, Max; five children, Lori Dredge, Tim, Holly Williams, Amy Struck, and Jeremy; and 13 grandchildren.
Memorials may be directed to Bibles International or Bass Lake Camp.
A service will be held on Friday, Aug. 5, at 11:00 a.m. at Faith Baptist Church, Brainerd, Minnesota. Visitation will be held on Thursday, Aug. 4, at Faith Baptist Church, 5:00–8:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the service on Friday.


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Sam Jermy, Senior Business Development Manager, TIME Investments, the long income property and estate planning specialist, explains:
"The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has provided a series of recommendations for updating and simplifying Inheritance Tax (IHT) legislation, much of which hasn't been touched for decades. We feel that the suggested reforms will encourage earlier transfer of wealth between generations, providing much needed support for younger generations who are battling to get on the housing ladder and cope with the present day cost of living."
The report primarily focuses on three areas of Inheritance Tax:
– lifetime gifts;
– interaction with Capital Gains Tax; and
– businesses and farms.
A commonly held view is that the transfer of wealth between generations should take effect on death, rather than before. However, some tax efficient gifting can be done in advance using the existing gift allowances. There's a lot of confusion and misconceptions though, about how and when gifts can be made before attracting tax. These misconceptions have inevitably restricted and delayed the transfer of wealth between generations.
The current gifting allowances have remained static since 1981, so an increase in allowances to make them more meaningful and relevant would be welcome. However, the OTS has not recommended a specific figure, as this would be a policy decision. The small gift allowance was originally introduced to help avoid every small gift having to be disclosed, so it is sensible to increase this amount to a more meaningful level or build this into an overall annual personal gifts allowance. This simplification would encourage more gifting of wealth before death.
It is interesting that the OTS found that little IHT is paid on gifts made more than five years before death. One reason for this could be the difficulty in locating financial records beyond five years. The proposed reduction of the gifting time limit from seven to five years makes sense considering their findings and could encourage greater transfer of wealth between generations at an earlier stage.
The OTS has also recommended the removal of taper relief and this, coupled with a reduction to five years could create a cliff edge scenario where gifts are 100% within IHT calculations one day and then fall out the following day.
A further recommendation of the report was to remove the need to consider gifts outside of the seven year period (known as the 14-year rule). This comes into play where a chargeable transfer has been made in the seven years prior to a Potentially Exempt Transfer (PET) and then death occurs within seven years of the PET. Generally, this is a poorly understood area of the IHT rules and the removal of this would no doubt be viewed positively by many. The result would be that any gift made more than five years before death would effectively be ignored when calculating IHT on death – this would be a big step forward in simplifying a complicated area of tax planning.
The OTS has concluded that the interaction between IHT and CGT is complex and can distort decision making. The report has suggested that where a relief or exemption from IHT applies, the Government should consider removing the CGT uplift and instead treat the beneficiary as having acquired the assets at the historic base cost of the person that has died.
This recommended change is primarily focused on trying to create a level playing field for decision-making around whether to gift away assets during a lifetime or wait until death. This change could also lead to earlier transfer of assets and a greater flow of wealth across generations, providing beneficiaries with access to an inheritance at a more useful stage of their life.
The OTS report highlights the important role BPR and APR play in ensuring that farms and businesses can continue from generation to generation, and in supporting the provision of investor finance to some small and medium sized businesses. The report also touches on the complexity of the qualifying rules for BPR and APR. This demonstrates the importance of working with a specialist BPR provider to ensure underlying trading businesses remain qualifying throughout the lifetime of an investment.
In terms of potentially simplifying the currently complex IHT landscape, these changes would probably be broadly welcomed. Helpfully, the OTS are suggesting that there should be sufficient lead time ahead of the implementation any changes for people to have time to take account of the new regime and consider any impact on their personal situation.
This material is not intended to constitute legal or tax advice. Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this material, it should not be relied upon. Appropriate specialist advice from a qualified individual should be sought as needed. TIME is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, under FCA number 534723.Posted: 09/07/2019 Categories: Inheritance Tax, News, Press, TIME:Advance, TIME:AIM, TIME:CTC


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I have different window sensors for my doors and windows. Now I want to add a master sensor which displays me true if a door is open or false if every door is closed.
IMy idea was to add a dummy presence sensor and then a rule which says true if one of the doors/windows are opened or false if every door/window is closed. But how do i do this? or any better idea?
When device_plugin_zway_windowsensor15 is opened then set presence of device_dummypresencesensor present
this works only for the opening process after a second it changes the state


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We work closely with companies around the world to deliver solutions for their environmental measurement challenges. Our Five-Stage Process enables to us work effectively within an industry, including:
Tell us about your project to see how we can work together.
"A great thing about Cirrus is that we can talk to them as individuals." Eggborough Power Station
We like using the equipment on many levels as it is simple to use, heavy duty and reliable. It minimises the amount of work that we have to do when it comes to measuring noise and provides a robust and accurate record of each event's noise levels.
Being able to hire the Cirrus equipment is ideal for me as a consultant. I have access to the best equipment I need for a specific job but don't have to invest the money for what might be a one-off. I know the equipment will be in perfect working order for me.


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The Tumaini Children`s Drop In Centre (TCDIC) was opened two years ago in Eldoret, Kenya, to help get kids permanently off the street.
The centre is run by staff and volunteers who provide education, life skills coaching, connect youth to housing, and offer positive outlets like art, culture and recreation.
These services help kids to gain confidence, learn healthy practices and new skills. This translates into many kids returning to school, gaining employment, starting their own business, reuniting with their families, and finding supportive housing or living independently.
Over the past two years over 600 street children and youth have been through TCDIC.
There is a growing need for TCDIC to expand its services. Building a strong monitoring and evaluation system would greatly improve TCDIC's ability to garner more funding to do this while also contributing vital information to help improve their existing services. It is also essential to include the opinions and ideas of the street children & youth that come to Tumaini. Photovoice seeks to do this while helping Tumaini fulfil their mission of empowering these individuals to make positive changes in their lives.
For more information, please see their website


text: On the last day of our vacation in California, we took Julianne to Disneyland. We had such a great time. We took so many pictures that I decided it would be easier to just put a little slide show together rather than try to upload that many pictures to blogger (that seriously would have taken all night). Since I am an expert at Windows Movie Maker now after working on this video for a month straight, I whipped this one up in under an hour. Much easier than blogger's 5 picture at a time upload (I don't like you blogger upload). So here it is....our adventure at Disneyland with grammy and papa. Pause the music at the bottom of my blog and enjoy!