text:
Cabin ventilation design services
Halton Marine offers a unique possibility to test and verify a wide range of air conditioning solutions for cabin ventilation. Halton mock-up cabin is a complete cabin installation with extensive range of air-conditiong solutions and measurement devices.
Halton also offers computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation services for optimizing the ventilation system functions. With CFD it is possible to simulate heat transfer, temperatures, velocities, and verify the comfort in the room.
HVAC audits
Halton Marine offers HVAC Audits for galley and cabin ventilation. Based on the audit, Halton Marine draws up a report on the upgrades, improvements and solutions it recommends in order to have a better functioning system. When these improvements have been carried out, Halton Marine conducts another survey to compare the results to the original values and to verify the results.
More information
Demand controlled ventilation for cabins
CABIN NO. 2 WITH Greenhouse lights used to simulate sun heatload transfer through glass, and measure it from two type of balcony glasses


text:
It's never an easy topic to bring up and one that most financial advisors would probably say has little, if anything, to do with them.
Any client who shows signs of weakening mental capacities, though, is very much an advisor's concern, says Richard Peterson, managing partner at San Francisco-based MarketPsych, just in case they ever have to face legal repercussions for having sold investment products to clients with dementia or some form of cognitive mental impairment.
In February of this year, an independent insurance agent who sold an indexed annuity to a woman in her 80s was actually sentenced to 90 days in jail on a felony theft conviction. The sentencing was unexpected, Peterson says, and it's definitely not something that's going to be an everyday occurrence.
All the same, financial advisors are having to expand their roles evermore and, through the application of behavioral finance principles, are becoming more deeply involved with their clients. It is part of their duty to be attuned to changes in their clients' behavior, particularly when it comes to clients that they have known for many years, Peterson says, because changes in behavior can have a serious impact upon life savings and financial planning.
"With the baby boomers now aging, every advisor has clients that will show evidence of some kind of mild to serious cognitive impairment," Peterson says. "Being aware of changes in their behavior and assessing their cognitive capability is another obligation now for an advisor who is on the front line."
Most advisors, of course, are not psychiatrists or doctors, and they have not been trained to recognize the signs of cognitive impairment. That's why MarketPsych has come up with the MEMRI checklist, a quick, easy-to-use tool for advisors who sense subtle changes in their clients' behavior but are not sure how to assess it.
"The checklist is a simple tool. Let's say it's a value-add for financial advisors that helps them look more professional, can help clear them of any potential liability and enables them to provide that much more service to their clients," Peterson says.
According to MarketPsych, advisors should run down the MEMRI checklist once a year for their clients over the age of 65, in order to assess them for: Memory loss (forgetfulness and inability to retain new information); Emotional liability (inappropriate risk taking that's otherwise uncharacteristic); Math lost (difficulties in doing simple calculations); Recognition lacking (confusion with simple directions, missing scheduled appointments, looking unkempt) and Insight limited (irrationally dismissive of suggestions that something might be affecting the client).
Peterson recommends advisors keep thorough documentation of the checklist findings. Most importantly, though, he recommends subtlety, particularly with clients that an advisor may have had for a number of years and with whom he or she already has a deep enough relationship, since the issue of cognitive impairment is such a sensitive one.
"Making a family member aware of the findings on the MEMRI checklist is also an important part of the process because it shows you really care about your client and creates goodwill," Peterson says.
The five-point mnemonic can help advisors speed the process of diagnosing cognitive impairment by referring them to a specialist. Ultimately, they'll be able to speed the process of diagnosis and management, all the while helping clients avoid any major financial pitfalls that they could be subject to.
Peterson – who is also a physician — has talked with several organizations, including the CFA Institute, about the merits of promoting MEMRI as another tool in an advisor's behavioral finance toolbox, and MarketPsych is looking to set up training programs to make advisors more aware of the nitty-gritties of cognitive impairment.
"The advisor role is continually evolving and taking on new dimensions," Peterson says. "MEMRI is an awareness tool that advisors can greatly benefit from and that can greatly enhance their practice."
Peterson is board-certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. A registered investment advisor in California, he's been at the forefront of cutting-edge research to bring neuroscience into the field of behavioral finance.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
You have just received a large sales order for your designs, a great opportunity for you, and you cannot possibly fill it because your small business is low on cash or below water to purchase supplies in order to fill the order. So what are you going to do? Consider the hurdles:
- Purchase the goods you will need from your suppliers, with upfront money you don't have
- Get the money you need from a bank, but without a long track record or history of impressive financial statements this may not work
- Accept not receiving payment from your customer until 30 or 60 days after they received shipment, creating a cash flow gap you can't manage.
If you turn down the order, you may lose your customer to a competitor and you will lose out on your opportunity to grow the business. You will have to get creative.
There is a way to remedy this situation and that is through purchase order financing. Purchase order financing (or funding) looks to the credit worthiness (and good fashion sense) of your customer. Your creditworthiness or the fact that your business may be underwater is not an issue; your customer's creditworthiness is. A purchase order financing company works with your supplier or manufacturer to get your garments produced on time. It also works with your customers to ensure payment of the invoice.
Here is how it works. A purchase order loan is a fee-based, short term loan and there is no interest charged. To see if the loan can be made, the purchase order lender investigates the credit history of your customer. If the customer has a good, solid track record of paying its bills and has the cash flow to pay for the goods it has ordered, a loan can be made. But there is some information required on your part. You must know your costs for the product and the gross margin attributed to that product. If you have a gross margin of 25% or more, then it is possible to execute a purchase order transaction. This means that you will have enough room to make a meaningful profit.
If your customer has good credit, the purchase order lender delivers a letter of credit to the manufacturer that guarantees payment for the needed goods. The factory then makes the products, and a third party verifies that the order is complete. The factory gets paid and ships the goods off, usually to a third party warehouse. It is rare that you would take delivery of the goods; they are usually shipped directly to the customer.
When the bill is paid, the funds go to the purchase order lender, which subtracts its fee and sends the remaining profits to you. This fee may amount to 4%.
There may be a hitch to the receivables portion of the transaction. If you have given the customer payment terms of 60 or 90 days, another type of specialty lender, a factor lender, comes into play to provide immediate payment to the purchase order lender. (See my post dated June 21, 2016). The factor lender buys the outstanding invoice at a discount and then waits and collects the full amount owed later, pocketing a profit in the process. Meanwhile, the purchase order lender and you get paid immediately. Thus, with this good news comes the bad, there is another layer of costs involved with factoring but this may be required by the purchaser order lender.
Here is what you do to start the Purchase Order Financing Process. You provide a valid purchase order with a credit worthy customer and the expertise to manage the process. The purchase order lender provides payment to your supplier, allowing your goods to be produced and shipped. Payment is typically completed through issuing letters of credit and ultimately the payment of the invoice.
Benefits to using a purchase order lender. While you stand to get 94-97% of the profit (implies a 25% gross margin), you are getting money to help you grow your business. You can use a purchase order lender many times; there is no restriction. The transaction does not show up on your balance sheet (off balance sheet financing) as a liability, thus working capital is not impaired by this transaction and your total debt to equity ratio is not increased.
Who, other than the fashion industry, use purchase order lending? Importers, exporters, wholesalers, assemblers, distributors and manufacturers, who are experiencing rapid sales growth, capital constraints, sales volatility, seasonal sales spikes, high development costs, stretched credit, new product launches can take advantage of this type of financing. Industries that can benefit are electronics, housewares, sporting goods, toys/games, furniture, food products, hardware and industrial goods.
To find a purchase order company you can look at industry information and the yellow pages. Make sure you check references first.


text:
Among recent Woody Allen films, the crabby but pretty "Magic in the Moonlight" is a well-thumbed playing card from the middle of the deck, not one of his fully good ones ("Midnight in Paris," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), not one of the whiffs ("Cassandra's Dream," "Scoop," "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"). The new one's set in 1928 in the south of France, where people really do seem on the verge of asking, "Tennis, anyone?" every second. Coldblooded British illusionist Stanley, played with a tight grimace by Colin Firth, has been invited by a fellow magician (Simon McBurney) to debunk a celebrated American mystic working her way through the Cote d'Azur.
Unmasking phony spiritualists is Stanley's offstage specialty, "from the seance table to the Vatican and beyond," as he says in one of the script's better lines. Lately the might-be spiritualist Sophie has convinced a wealthy family that she can communicate with the late husband of a credulous widow (Jacki Weaver), whose ukulele-strumming son (Hamish Linklater) has proposed to Sophie, promising her diamonds and love songs all the livelong day.
Then comes a twist, which will be enough for some Allen fans and not quite enough for others. Something happens to persuade the godless skeptic Stanley that Sophie is the real deal. He already thinks she's the berries, because Emma Stone, who plays her, looks fetching in costume designer Sonia Grande's hats. Eventually "Magic in the Moonlight" contrives to strand this odd couple in a rainstorm, (see "Manhattan" and "Match Point" for reference, and similarly clingy blouses), and they take refuge in a convenient seaside planetarium, where the stars realign without quite bringing the two together.
With this script, Allen isn't working in farce mode. It's more an easygoing nod to W. Somerset Maugham or, in the plot's "Pygmalion"-like relationship between a cynical older man and his desired younger female charge, George Bernard Shaw. Firth's character is a relentless pill, though an occasionally amusing one, thanks largely to Firth's wiles. ("Obsessed with mortality ... believes in nothing ... a very unhappy man," one character says of Stanley. "I like him.")
Stone is already shooting Allen's next project, so clearly what she brought to "Magic in the Moonlight" was enough for the writer-director. I think she's pretty good, though she could use a few lessons in indirection and subtlety; everything about her, from the voice to the eyes to her brash comic impulses, is effective and engaging but, at this point in her career, somewhat effortful.
The supporting cast, for an Allen ensemble, is typically splendid, with top honors going to Eileen Atkins as Stanley's imperious, all-knowing aunt. There are moments in "Magic in the Moonlight" when Allen takes a back seat to his designers and actors, parking his camera like a steamer trunk and simply taking in the scenery. One shot, for example, opens with an actor standing alone in the frame and then turning to his right, exclaiming, "Ah, Miss Baker!" while Stone enters the shot, as if the whole thing were a proscenium stage, lushly tricked out with real Riviera and Provence backdrops.
If Stanley's conversion from skeptic to believer had been better finessed, the central love story might have a different and more buoyant feeling about it. (Hard to say how much of Stanley's sourness is shared by the guy who wrote him.)
Allen has acknowledged that he's a sucker for '20s clothes, and sets, and cars, and glamorous locations populated by fantasy versions of the rich and famous. Guided by "You Do Something to Me" as its theme song, "Magic in the Moonlight" strolls along, muttering familiar axioms about the infernal inconvenience and bedevilment of romantic attraction. Shooting his fourth Allen project, cinematographer Darius Khondji bathes everything in gorgeous light; he's the real star here.
If the result keeps moviegoers of a certain age off the streets and away from "And So It Goes," it'll serve its purpose.
"Magic in the Moonlight" - 2 1/2 stars
MPAA rating: PG-13 (a brief suggestive comment and smoking throughout)
Running time: 1:37
Opens: Friday


text:
CarShare is a convenient program that gets you moving when you need it. Whether you're running errands, visiting family and friends, or taking a business trip, you can rent a variety of vehicles 24/7. We help you go where you want, when you want.
Enterprise CarShare is an automated way to rent a vehicle by the hour, the day, or overnight. Vehicles are parked in your community–where you live and where you work–and are accessible 24/7.Start Car SharingLink opens in a new window
Our low hourly rental rate includes fuel, physical damage/liability protection and 24/7 member service support.Learn more about CarShareLink opens in a new window
We offer a wide selection of vehicles for whatever your day has in store. Our diverse fleet includes hybrids, pickup trucks, sedans and SUVs.View our vehiclesLink opens in a new window
Once approved, you'll receive your membership card in the mail. You'll need this to access the vehicles.
Login, select the vehicle you want and how long you'll need it. With our mobile app you can reserve vehicles on-the-go.
Hold your membership card over the windshield sensor to unlock the vehicle. The keys will be waiting for you inside.
Return the vehicle at the end of your reservation. Hold your membership card over the reader one last time, the doors will lock and your rental has ended.
Enterprise has been delivering transportation alternatives right where people work and live since 1957. Our CarShare program is an extension of that. We have a great variety of fuel-efficient passenger cars, as well as electric vehicles in some locations that are friendlier to the environment, while still getting you where you need to be.Learn more about sustainability
CarShare is available in 35 U.S. states, Canada and the U.K., more than 130 university campuses, 40 dedicated government programs and 500 business accounts across the country.


text:
Britain's Got Talent winner Pudsey has landed a starring role – in his own movie!
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie is a barking mad movie featuring the pup and a load of other famous faces, including judge Amanda Holden!
In the film, Pudsey is a cheeky London stray who has found a new loving family in the shape of Gail and her three children Molly, George and Tommy!
Life is pretty sweet for Puds… until Mr Thorne – their dog-hating landlord – suddenly plans to demolish the entire village!
It's up to Pudsey to stop him before it's too late!
To celebrate Pudsey the Dog: The Movie coming to DVD, we asked you to send us your favourite picture of your pet!
We've picked out some of our favourite paw-traits we were sent!
Click here to see the full Pet Gallery
Thanks to everyone that sent theirs in!
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie is available on DVD from 10th November, courtesy of eOne
Fun Kids is the UK's children's radio station
Tune in on DAB Digital Radio in London and the South East, on mobile and online at funkidslive.com
Click here to listen!


text:
5 campsites nearby of Breuschwickersheim
There is no campsite specifically in Breuschwickersheim.
Main destinations of the Bas-Rhin
- Barr
- Wasselonne
- Seltz
- Munchhausen
- Le Hohwald
- Ebersheim
- Dambach-la-Ville
- Wingen-sur-Moder
- Wangenbourg-Engenthal
- Sundhouse
Our selection of campsites
With Capfun, family holidays are total bliss!
For "Blissful" family holidays, you can count on Capfun. On the Atlantic coast or by the Mediterranean Sea, in the mountains or in the ...
Your vacation in a campsite
See the Baie des Anges during your campsite stay in Nice
Camping France recommends the French Riviera and a family camping holiday in Nice. Great, top-quality campsites filled with sunshine ...
What will camping holidays be like in France in 2020, after COVID-19?
Because of the epidemic, camping holidays this summer, whether you are in a tent, campervan or mobile home, will not be the same as in ...
The 5* Yelloh Village Les Tournels is the place for feel-good holidays in a slice of paradise.
Unforgettable family holidays in a dream location! That's the unmissable offer from the 5* ...
FNHPA health procedures for reopening campsites in France
The French camping federation, the FNHPA (Fédération Nationale de l'Hôtellerie de Plein-Air) has unveiled the general health ...
The very best campsites for family holidays
Guide campings de rêve - 2020 Issue (324 pages - 12.50€)This essential guide gives you details of 300 ...
What to see in France
Camping on Noirmoutier island
A real paradise for nature-lovers appreciated for its typical architecture and white houses with blue shutters, ...


text:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Veterinarians at the Jacksonville Humane Society Animal Hospital are treating a dog who was shot in the face. JHS staff has named the lab mix Moe.
They said Moe is about a year old.
"Moe lost a lot of blood but he was very lucky because the shot just missed his eye, grazing his face and landing in his upper arm," said Dr. Jennifer Broadhurst, JHS shelter medical director. "Despite the pain, Moe was very sweet as we examined the extensive damage to his muscles and bone. We bandaged his wounds and will most likely need to amputate his leg once he is stable."
Residents of Anvil Road in Arlington called police after hearing a gunshot followed by a dog yelping. Officers found a large pool of blood in the street and followed the blood trail. They discovered Moe lying near the side of a house. An officer with the city of Jacksonville's Animal Care and Protective Services brought the dog to the Humane Society for treatment.
"Because of our partnership with ACPS, we are caring for more and more injured and abused animals at our hospital," said Denise Deisler, JHS executive director. "It costs hundreds of dollars to care for animals like Moe, but we are determined to give them the medical care they need and deserve."
No arrests have been made in the case. Moe will remain at the Humane Society as he recovers.
To donate toward the care of dogs and cats like Moe, visit www.jaxhumane.org/donate or call 904-725-8766.


text:
Frequent Links
Superman (Earth-Two)
Superman. Also pictured; Earth-2's Lois Lane Kent,
Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Art by Phil Jimenez
|Publication information
|DC Comics
|First appearance
Justice League Vol 1. #73 (August 1969)(retroactively stated to have originally appeared in Action Comics #1, 1938)
|Created by
|Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
|In-story information
|Full name
|Kal-L/Clark Kent
|Team affiliations
Daily Star
Justice Society of America
All-Star Squadron
Black Lantern Corps
|Notable aliases
|Black Lantern
|Superhuman strength, speed and stamina, multiple extrasensory and vision powers, invulnerability, longevity, flight, Black Lantern Power Ring
Superman of Earth-Two is a superhero in comic books published by DC Comics, who first specifically appeared in Justice League Vol 1. #73 (August 1969). He is a version of the Kryptonian superhero Superman from an alternate reality called Earth-Two. Unlike the Earth-One Superman, the Earth-Two Superman is portrayed as significantly older and is given the birth name of Kal-L.
- 1 Fictional character biography
- 2 Powers and abilities
- 3 Other versions
- 4 In other media
- 5 References
- 6 External links
Fictional character biography
When the Golden Age of Comic Books came to a close in the 1950s, most of DC Comics' superhero comic books ceased publication. At the start of the Silver Age, characters such as the Flash and Green Lantern were revamped for more modern times, ignoring or abandoning established continuity and thus making a clean break between the two eras. It was later established that the Golden Age and Silver Age heroes lived on Earth-Two and Earth-One respectively, these being separate parallel Earths in a single Multiverse.
Superman was one of the few exceptions; his stories had been published without interruption since his 1938 debut in Action Comics #1. This caused a continuity problem, in that Superman was simultaneously a member of the Justice Society of America on Earth-Two and also member of the Justice League of America on Earth-One. It was eventually resolved that there were two Supermen.[1] The Silver Age Superman was Kal-El from Earth-One, and the Golden Age Superman was Kal-L from Earth-Two.
Several differences between the two Supermen were established to clarify the distinction. The Earth-One names "Kal-El", "Jor-El" and "Jonathan and Martha Kent" became "Kal-L", "Jor-L" and "John and Mary Kent" on Earth-Two, as in the original Golden Age stories. Kal-L's costume was largely adapted from the 1940s drawing style, retaining the famous sweatshirt wrist cuffs, while his S-shield symbol was originally very different from the main Superman S symbol, adapting the 1940s six-sided version with the tail endings and hard left tilt of the S edges. George P├®rez famously redesigned Kal-L's 1940's S shield (starting in JLA (Vol 1) #197) to be mostly the main S symbol with five sides and to merely reflect the tilt connecting the upper edge to the side of shield. Some artists such as Alex Ross and others including Justice Society series artist Dale Eaglesham continued to use the specific 6 sided 1940's S shield after Perez' change for Kal-L. Stories featuring both Supermen also indicated that Kal-L was the older of the two, being depicted as late-middle-aged, with grey or solid white hair at the base hair-line and face wrinkles, while his Earth-One counterpart was a youthful man of modern times.
These choices not only helped DC Comics to restore continuity to some of the character's Golden Age stories, but also led them to experiment with a Superman other than the mainstream one. Several differences between Kal-L and the better-known Kal-El were introduced. Kal-L was written to be different from the original Golden Age Superman, most famously by revealing his dual identities of Clark Kent and Superman to the woman he loved in the late 1940s, the Lois Lane of Earth-Two, and eventually marrying her in 1950.[2] Their early marital life was depicted in the feature "Mr. & Mrs. Superman" in DC's Superman Family series, which was very different from the original published Superman stories of the 1940s and 1950s, in which Kent kept his secret from Lane and never married her.
As Superman, Kal-L was considered the first public superhero in the history of Earth-Two, being the first individual to appear regularly in a colorful costume and display superhuman abilities, in contrast to earlier part-time super-powered heroes such as Dr. Occult.
In a contended story, Kal-L received some brief training in his teen years from his Earth-One counterpart, after Superboy was accidentally hurled into Earth-Two (and back in time several decades to the early 1930s).[3] In this story Kal-L briefly attains flight by hovering, an account that is refuted in all other stories specific to Kal-L, as he is stated only to be able to superleap until adulthood. This suggests that the story relates to another Kal-L counterpart in the pre-Crisis infinite multiverse, rather than to the actual Earth-Two Superman. However, in Superman Family #207 (May/June 1981), Kal-L tells Lois about having met Superboy, suggesting the above story did occur as written. Additionally, Kal-L also noted he was only capable of superleaping until he reached adulthood, and only learned to fly sometime after he started his Superman career.
Kal-L began fighting evil on a local level in his base of operations, the American city of Metropolis. Later in his career he would consider first the entire United States and then the whole world under his protection. In November 1940 Superman became a founding member of the Justice Society of America.[4] Like Batman, he was referred to as an "honorary member" during the original meeting of the Justice Society. He subsequently appeared with it in two published adventures during the 1940s, aiding them on several other occasions retroactively[clarification needed] as a member of the World War II All-Star Squadron. He built a secret citadel in the mountains outside Metropolis as his headquarters, as shown in Infinite Crisis, and eventually built a Fortress of Solitude comparable to that of his Earth-One counterpart.
In later years, Kal-L was considered an elder statesman of Earth-Two's superhero community, the one that later generations of superheroes looked to as an example and role model.[5] In his secret identity as Clark Kent, Superman also enjoyed success at the Daily Star, of which he was appointed editor-in-chief in the 1950s, replacing George Taylor.
Fellow Kryptonians
In 1950 Superman encountered three other surviving Kryptonians, U-Ban, Kizo and Mala. All three brothers were members of the ruling scientific council exiled from Krypton after they attempted to conquer the planet. Imprisoned in suspended animation in tube vessels, they were later freed.[6] Superman's lookalike Mala later created a counterfeit Earth.[7] These Golden Age stories and characters were never referred to in later Earth-Two stories.
At some time during the Silver Age, Superman's cousin Kara arrived on Earth after a lengthy journey from Krypton. When her father Zor-L discovered that Krypton was about to explode, he placed her in a spacecraft directed towards Earth. Although this occurs at the same time as Kal-L's ship is launched, Kara's ship travels more slowly, and she arrives on Earth decades after her cousin has landed. KaraŌĆÖs Symbioship is designed to keep her in stasis during the journey and provide her with life experiences and education in the form of a virtual reality. By the time she arrives on Earth, Kara is in her later teens to early twenties.
The Symbioship provided virtual copies of Zor-L, Alura and fellow Kryptonians from within her home city of Kandor. Once removed from the ship, this virtual reality ceased to exist. Only Kara - Power Girl, as she would later be known - was known to interact with this virtual Kryptonian reality.
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Kal-L was one of the heroes from various Earths who fought to save the Multiverse from destruction during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths and was present at the battle at the Dawn of Time, in which the five remaining Earths were merged into a single universe. As a result, Kal-L still existed and still remembered the history of his home reality, even though no one in the new reality remembered he had ever existed.
After grieving over the loss of his wife Lois and his friends from Earth-Two, Kal-L joins the remaining heroes for a final battle with the Anti-Monitor in the Anti-Matter Universe, where the Anti-Monitor has absorbed all life. Kal-L strikes the final blow that kills the Anti-Monitor.
Alexander Luthor, Jr. of Earth-Three then reveals to Kal-L that he saved the Lois Lane Kent of Earth-Two from the collapse of the Multiverse. He then transports Kal-L, Lois Lane, Superboy of Earth-Prime and himself into a paradise dimension, sealing themselves off from the universe.[8]
As a tribute to the Earth-Two Superman, before the Superman character was recreated by John Byrne in the Man of Steel mini-series, Kal-L's origin was retold in Secret Origins #1 (April 1986), written by Roy Thomas and drawn by former Superman artist Wayne Boring.
In post-Crisis continuity, Kal-L's role in various All-Star Squadron adventures was taken by the character Iron Munro from the Young All-Stars series. Kal-L's roles as the most respected member of the Justice Society of America and the person who found his cousin Power Girl were given to the Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott and to Kal-El respectively. Lee Travis (the first Crimson Avenger) became the first costumed hero of the post-Crisis universe after being shown a vision of Kal-El's future heroism before the start of his career (keeping Superman as the inspiration for Earth's superheroes in the new universe as well).[9]
Kal-L later felt that the paradise was more a prison than a refuge, and eventually discovered a doorway that would allow him to leave the paradise dimension without causing the destruction of the universe.[10]
Infinite Crisis
Kal was content to stay in the paradise dimension until Lois began to fall ill, when he created a replica of Metropolis and the Daily Star office building in an attempt to help. After the attempt failed, Kal-L began to believe Alexander's claims that the paradise dimension was eating away at their souls. Alexander and Superboy used Kal-L's distraction over Lois' health to break out of the paradise dimension and start their plan to recreate the Multiverse.[11]
Appalled by the rapidly deteriorating state of affairs in the world, Kal-L and his three companions emerge from their self-imposed exile to help. Kal-L batters an exit through the crystalline barrier which has separated them from the rest of reality.[12] He then meets up with Power Girl, explains her true origins and the events of the previous Crisis, and enlists her help.
The touch of the Earth-Two Lois restores Power Girl's memories, and Kal-L then reveals to her that his plan is to bring back Earth-Two.[13] He then tries to enlist Batman's aid by claiming that Batman's distrust of the heroes has been caused by Earth-OneŌĆÖs darker nature, and promises always to stand by him when the "right" Earth returns. Batman, however, asks Kal-L if the Dick Grayson of this Earth is a corrupted version of the one that Kal-L knew, and attempts to use the Kryptonite ring against him. Kal-L destroys the ring and departs.[14]
Power Girl is knocked out and captured by Superboy-Prime after discovering Alexander Luthor Jr.'s tuning fork, which he plans to use to restore the Multiverse in order to search for the perfect Earth. Alexander succeeds in recreating Earth-Two, causing Kal-L, the Earth-Two Lois and the heroes who originated on Earth-Two to be sent there.[15]
Soon after their arrival on Earth-Two, the Earth-Two Lois dies after telling Kal-L she was happy to have lived such a long life. Kal-El hears Kal-L's screams of sorrow from the current Earth and investigates. A griefstricken Kal-L angrily attacks Kal-El upon his arrival, blaming him for corrupting Earth-Two as he did his own Earth. During the fight, both Supermen experience lucid visions of the other's life and try to change things on the other's Earth for the better. However, they both fail.[16][17]
After the fight, Kal-L realizes that a perfect Earth does not need a Superman and that Alexander is using him for his own purposes. Kal-L survives the collapse of the alternate Earths into New Earth and witnesses the death of Kon-El, making him realize he condemned the wrong Superboy.[18]
Kal-L and Kal-El then join forces to defeat Doomsday and Bizarro during the Secret SocietyŌĆÖs assault on Metropolis. The two Supermen then team up to overcome Superboy-Prime by dragging him into space through KryptonŌĆÖs red sun Rao, causing all three to lose their powers and crash land on Mogo, a planet of the Green Lantern Corps. Kal-L and Kal-El, without powers, fight Superboy-Prime on MogoŌĆÖs surface, where Superboy-Prime savagely beats Kal-L to death.
Kal-El then intervenes and overpowers Superboy-Prime, who is then imprisoned by several Green Lanterns. Having witnessed his other self's nobility and courage, Kal-L dies in Power GirlŌĆÖs arms, affirming that Kal-El is a true Superman, and telling Kara that he will always be with her. His last word is a whispered "Lois".[19]
Blackest Night
Kal-L and his wife Lois Lane Kent of pre-Crisis Earth-Two return to the DC Universe as soulless Black Lanterns in Blackest Night. After killing an unknown number of residents of Smallville, they attack the Kent family by kidnapping Martha to lure his modern counterpart and Superboy Conner Kent into a confrontation. Kal-L and Lois have stated their intention to reunite the family with Jonathan Kent in death.[20] Kal-L proves to be almost unstoppable[21] until Conner steals the Black Lantern Psycho-Pirate's Medusa Mask, using its emotion-creating powers to draw Kal-L's ring away from his body, returning Kal-L's corpse to its lifeless state once more.[22]
Kal-L's corpse is placed in Justice Society headquarters away from the Black Lanterns. Black Lantern Lois tries to get close enough to her husband's body, but Power Girl prevents her.[23] Black Lantern Lois sacrifices herself by removing her ring and giving it to Kal-L to reanimate him.[24] During the battle between Kal-L and Power Girl, Mr. Terrific creates a machine – powered by Alan Scott's ring, the Helm of Nabu, Lightning's electrical abilities and Stargirl's cosmic rod – that destroys Black Lanterns. Mr. Terrific activates the machine, severing the Black Ring's connection to Superman.[25]
In the backstory to the 2015 DC Comics event Convergence, Brainiac collects the city of Metropolis from pre-Crisis Earth-Two right before the entire timeline is erased at the conclusion of the 1985 crossover story Crisis on Infinite Earths. The city is covered in a dome, which suppresses the powers of those within it and it's sent to Telos alongside many other cities from other doomed timelines. Kal-L and Lois are in Metropolis when it happens. During the next year, Kal-L eventually reveals his secret identity as Superman to the public, and works as a journalist to help keep the city's peace. When the dome is opened and Kal-L and the other heroes recover their powers, Telos, an entity which claims to be the planet itself, announces that they need to fight against other domed cities for their survival, otherwise their own cities and people would be destroyed.[26] Following the conclusion of Convergence, Brainiac along with Hal Jordan alters history so that the pre-Crisis Earth-Two was never erased from history, meaning that Kal-L's exile, death and resurrection as zombie no longer happened [27] and he is alive and well on the continuing Earth-Two at the story's conclusion.
Powers and abilities
The Earth-Two Superman has super-strength, the power of flight, super-speed, super-breath, arctic breath, super-hearing, super-vision (including X-ray, heat, microscopic and telescopic visions), and invulnerability to most forces other than magic, psionics, and Kryptonite.
An additional ability that actual Golden Age Superman possessed, which his modern counterpart does not, is an ability to "mold" his face to disguise himself, as chronicled in several Golden Age tales.[citation needed] This ability was never specifically ascribed to the specific Earth-Two Superman or shown in any specific Earth-Two Superman story, but was mentioned only in Golden Age stories.
Originally,[28] Kal-L was significantly weaker than the Silver Age Superman of Earth-One or the Modern Age Superman; it was later revealed his powers took longer to develop or be discovered.[28] While Kal-L could only super-leap an eighth of a mile until adulthood, as costumed Superman, Kal-L later gained full-fledged flight by the early 1940s. By the time Kal-L met Kal-El in the late 1960s,[29] the two heroes were almost evenly matched in powers. However, almost all later renditions[30] of the Earth-Two Kal-L showed him exhibiting his more limited abilities, including a temporary reliance on his leaping ability while allied with the Justice Society on a case involving his cousin Power Girl and the immortal criminal Vandal Savage.[31]
Based on Superman's first origin and subsequent reference by U-Ban, this Superman came from a race of Kryptonians that possessed superhuman strength, leaping ability, and some visual aptitudes to compensate for that planet's greater gravitation pull. Most accounts of the Kal-L's origin state that his powers came from his Kryptonian heritage, not from the energy of a yellow sun (Secret Origins #1 [1986]). A later conflicting reinterpretation stated that his powers fluctuated when under a red sun, as noted in Infinite Crisis and All-Star Comics.[citation needed]
As a Black Lantern
As a Black Lantern, Kal-L's black power ring needs to be charged by feeding on the hearts of living beings within the emotional spectrum. The ring appears to have given Kal-L's body all the abilities he would have had as a Kryptonian under a yellow sun, as well as the ability to recall certain aspects of his former life. Wearing the ring, however, places Kal-L under the influences of Nekron and his disciples Scar and Black Hand.
Other versions
Post Crisis Earth-2 "missing" Superman and wife
In the final issue of the weekly comic book 52, a new Multiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 identical realities. Among them is one designated "Earth-2". As a result of Mister Mind "eating" aspects of this reality, it takes on visual aspects similar to the pre-Crisis Earth-Two, including an alternate Superman and other Justice Society characters, although the names of the characters and the team are not mentioned in the panel in which they appear.
The New 52 Earth-2
A completely separate Earth-2 Superman was introduced in the new Earth 2 series launched in May 2012 as part of "The New 52" (a reboot of the DC Comics universe). This version of Superman is named Kal-El same as the main version, not Kal-L as the original. The Earth-2 Kal-El is also far younger than the original Kal-L only a little older than the mainstream Superman. The new Earth-2 Superman's aged foster parents, John and Mary Kent, both survive to the present unlike that of the current mainstream Superman.[32]
This new Earth-2 Superman was seemingly killed alongside his world's Batman and Wonder Woman while fighting off an invasion from the planet Apokolips led by Steppenwolf.[33] However issue #16 reveals that he not only survived but had somehow allied himself with Apokopolis, taking the name Brutaal.[34] After being snapped out of Darkseid's control by his wife Lois Lane (who in this reality inhabits the wind-manipulating robot body known as Red Tornado), Superman and Red Tornado leave for the Kent family's farm.[32] After a protracted battle with Earth 2's superheroes, in particular Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and a younger Kryptonian, Val-Zod, he is revealed to be scaling and decomposing. Realizing he is a Bizarro-type clone and that his power is waning, he is destroyed by Lois using a cyclone blast from her hand.[35]
The Earth-2 universe's Val-Zod will take over the role of Superman from Kal-El starting in Earth-2 #25 and throughout the Earth-2: World's End mini-series.
Writer James Robinson commented on this version of Superman: "Mourning the death of his beloved, Superman carries both a sadness in his heart along with the weight of Earth 2ŌĆ▓s welfare upon on his shoulders, while never showing this and seeming to all that he is this worldŌĆÖs peerless champion."[36]
According to comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Two.[37] This separation was confirmed in Justice Society of America Annual #1 (2008) when, during the battle between the Justice Society of America and Justice Society Infinity, it is revealed that this universe's Superman has been missing for several years after a major crisis. The Post-Crisis Earth-2 Power Girl was searching for him for years.[38] Starman admits the possibility that the missing Post-Crisis Earth-2 Superman is still alive (Justice Society of America [second series] #23) despite being lost, whereas Kal-L is dead.
In other media
In the Justice League episode "Legends", the League teams up with the Justice Guild of America, a superhero team which is an analogue of the Justice Society of America. Justice Guild member Tom Turbine is depicted as an amalgamation of Kal-L and Tom Strong, DC's science hero.[39]
Video games
- Though not the feature character, Kal-L specifically appears in the video games Justice League Heroes and Superman Returns as an alternate form for Superman complete with white hair at the hairline.
- The Black Lantern Kal-L appears an alternate skin in Injustice: Gods Among Us.
In Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, the shield emblazoned on Superman's chest, representing the house of El and "hope", bears a strong resemblance to that worn on Kal-L's chest.
- ^ Justice League of America #73 (1969)
- ^ Action Comics #484, 1978
- ^ New Adventures of Superboy #15-16 (MarchŌĆōApril 1981)
- ^ DC Special #29 (1977)
- ^ All Star Comics #69 (November/December 1977)
- ^ Superman (vol. 1) #65 (July/August 1950)
- ^ Action Comics #194 (July 1954)
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (1986)
- ^ Golden Age Secret Files and Origins #1 (2001)
- ^ The Kingdom #4 (1999)
- ^ Infinite Crisis Secret Files (2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #1 (December 2005)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #2 (January 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #3 (February 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #4 (March 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #5 (April 2006)
- ^ Superman: Infinite Crisis trade paperback
- ^ Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006)
- ^ Infinite Crisis #7 (June 2006)
- ^ Blackest Night: Superman #1 (October 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: Superman #2 (November 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: Superman #3 (December 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: JSA #1 (December 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: JSA #2 (January 2010)
- ^ Blackest Night: JSA #3 (February 2010)
- ^ Convergence: Action Comics #1 (April 2015)
- ^ Convergence: Action Comics #2 (May 2015)
- ^ a b Bates, Cary (w), Swan, Curt (a). "Two Men of Tomorrow" Action Comics 484: 23 (June 1978), DC Comics
- ^ O'Neil, Denny (w), Dillin, Dick (a). "Where Death Fears to Tread" Justice League of America 74 (September 1969), DC Comics
- ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Giordano, Dick (a). "Crisis on Three Earths!" DC Comics Presents Annual 1 (1982), DC Comics
- ^ Levitz, Paul (w), Wood, Wally (a). "The Return of Vandal Savage!" All Star Comics 65 (MarchŌĆōApril 1977), DC Comics
- ^ a b Earth-2 #23
- ^ Earth 2 #1 (May 2012)
- ^ Earth 2 #16 (December 2013)
- ^ Earth 2 #26
- ^ DC Wraps "Earth 2" Reveals with Jim Lee's Superman - Comic Book Resources
- ^ Brady, Matt (2007-05-08). "the 52 exit interviews: grant morrison". Newsarama. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- ^ 52 52: 13/3 (May 2, 2007), DC Comics
- ^ The Justice League Watchtower: The Justice Guild of America
External links
- Superman Through the Ages: Earth-2 Superman
- The Golden Age Superman Site
- JSA Fact File: Superman
- Earth-2 Superman Index


text:
|The Heritage Foundation Since its founding in 1973, The Heritage Foundation has served as a research and educational institute -- a think tank -- whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread
|Rate Thread
Legislation Prohibits Taxpayer-Funded Attack Ads on Soda
On 02.01.12 03:11 PM posted by Rob Bluey
New legislation introduced in the U.S. House yesterday would prohibit the use of federal money for advertisements attacking products like Coke and Pepsi.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) introduced the bill to counter a growing trend of anti-obesity ads that are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Scribe reported in October the money was included in President Obamas economic stimulus law.
The federal government has provided $230 million in funding to at least 25 communities for a variety of anti-obesity measures, including advertisements.
In New York City, the money supported the Pouring on the Pounds campaign, which used grotesque pictures and misleading information that the citys chief nutritionist called into question.
The city came under fire again last week after the New York Times reported the Bloomberg administration doctored a photo of man with an amputated leg. The person pictured in the $500,000 ad campaign has both of his legs; the citys health department confirmed the advertising agency removed one of them to more effectively show a possible consequence of type 2 diabetes.
New York City received $15.5 million in federal funding for its anti-obesity efforts. While it has generated most of the attention for its eye-catching ads, other cities are engaging in similar practices. In Philadelphia, the city spent $2.4 million on ads attacking soda. Campaigns have also popped up in Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle and even Topeka, KS.
The 2009 stimulus, of course, was sold to Congress as a plan to revive the economy by creating or saving millions of jobs. According to Smart Taxpayers Exposing Waste, a campaign launched by the American Beverage Association, Philadelphia could have used the money it spent on ads to hire 52 police officers, 54 firemen, 57 paramedics, 58 teachers or 88 EMTs.
While not all of the $230 million provided by the CDC funded anti-obesity advertisements, critics like DesJarlais have taken aim at the money because it attacked American-made products.
Our top priority should be restarting the economy and creating jobs not funding scare campaigns against perfectly safe and legal products, DesJarlais said. At a time when our nation faces high unemployment, it makes absolutely no sense that federal and city agencies would aggressively advertise against American products made by American workers.
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread
|Rate This Thread


text:
All covers eve: Getting them just right
Sierra at
Dürty Nelly's
Saturday, October 30
To me, the country-rock band Sierra seemed like a strange choice for Dürty Nelly's Halloween show, but what do I know? The turnout for the show was better than I've ever seen at the bar, and it was pretty plain to see that almost all the souls there had come to watch the band perform.
Something in the high percentages of mullets and old baseball caps, audience participation and eyes turned toward the stage suggested to me that this was so– and little wonder. The band was phenomenal, their cover-centric set revealing the power possible when a band takes someone else's material and makes it their own.
Composed of two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer (3/4 mulleted), Sierra began their set with a raucous country-rock number– but it was their second song, Dire Straits' "So Far Away" that really got the audience into their good-time vibe and off such topics as woodworking (fascinating to overhear, however).
From the song's first guitar intro, ears perked up, my companion slapped my wrist and whispered she actually knew this song, and things grooved on from there. In its instrumental perfection, the only difference between this version and the original was lead guitarist Pete Fekas' different vocal tone, lacking the beat-dog feel of Mark Knopfler's original recording.
Brooks & Dunn's "Feels Good, Don't It?" was next (fun fact: the duo was considered at the top of the '90s country line-dancing movement), sung by guitarist Keith Bradley in a strong flexible voice. Two staccato chords and workman-like led the song on its up-tempo path, until the injection of a pristine guitar solo from Fekas (gotta love those triplets).
Soon enough, though, the first echoing note of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" was sounded, and with Bradley taking lead vocal duties again, everyone got a little bit closer to their table-mates. As he unfailingly hit the high I's of the "And I wanna fall in love," Bradley's occasional vibrato and Fekas' backup vocal lines and harmonies did justice to the original while being different enough to keep things interesting.
Sawyer Brown's "Some Girls Do," John Cougar Mellencamp's "Check It Out" (on its completion, prompting a derisive "John Cougar ain't sh*t" from the bar), and various other country-informed hits roared past me, but what really struck home was the tone of the group's interlocking guitars– their telecaster and strat combo, sounding pure as freshly fallen snow, was something to hear. It didn't hurt that both Fekas and Bradley are exemplary guitarists and their back-and-forth work was over the top.
There were no costumes in sight, and the spooky vibe was barely discernible, but Sierra made missing out on pagan fun all right for the night.
Photo by Máire Corcoran


text:
Instant Download Magic
What is a Download file?
Just like Netflix, we offer you streaming and downloadable magic DVD's for you to access from any internet connection! Simply watch online, or save the files to your computer to watch offline!
What are the benefits of downloading?
No shipping of product to you.
You can access the products you purchase instantly (after we initially process your order during normal business hours)
The purchased Products are available 24/7
You can access the files from anywhere in the world, just log in to your account and view your catalog of downloads you have purchased.
Items 1-90 of 2175
Items 1-90 of 2175


text:
It is reported that 2/3 of the world's population have never seen snow-and there are times when I wish I belonged to that group.
There is great variety to be found in the accursed stuff, however, which is why the Yup'ik, in their wanderings around Southwestern Alaska, express the conditions of the snow that surrounds them in so many different ways.
For a writer who lives in the world of the Yup'ik (or for that matter, anywhere along the North American Pacific coast south to more or less Coos Bay, Oregon), there's also a great similarity between the storms that mark daily existence and the writing process itself.
If you've never seen snow…or the flooding that can follow a storm…if you're all too familiar…or if you just wondered what the heck a lexeme is…today's conversation is for you.
For all of this to make sense, we better begin by setting the stage.
Today's conversation, as we said, takes place along the Pacific Coast of North America. The coastline is paralleled by multiple mountain ranges: the Coast Ranges of Oregon, Washington's Olympics, the Cascades (which bisect Oregon and Washington), the giant wrinkle in the Earth that is Vancouver Island, the fantastically complicated Pacific and Kitimat Ranges of British Columbia, and the equally fjord- and forest-studded Boundary Ranges that bring the reader into Alaska. It even reaches out to the Canadian Rockies and the headwaters of the Columbia, Yukon, Copper, and Frasier Rivers.
To paint a simple picture, much of the land in this region consists of either forested mountains upon which enormous amounts of water fall, or the lowlands through which the runoff from those mountains must flow. Around here, anything under 3000 feet (1000 meters for my world readers) doesn't hardly count, and many peaks go well above 10,000 feet.
Trees can grow more than 300 feet (100 meters) tall.
The reason so much water falls here is because we are the first land encountered by nearly every storm moving east across the Pacific, thanks to the jet stream, which can either scoop up the warm and highly saturated Western Pacific air and transport it north from the tropics right at us (the "Pineapple Express"); or run the air north past the Aleutian Islands and from there south at us, creating…well, creating some miserable and awful weather.
The kind only a Norwegian could love.
How much water are we talking about? The National Park Service reports that parts of Washington's Olympic Peninsula receive 140 to 167 inches of rain annually (that's 350 to 425cm…). Forks, Washington (it's located right at the most northwestern spot in the State) has averaged 118 inches (300cm) of rain the past 20 years-and reported over 160 inches twice in those two decades.
It's not like Florida rain, either. Many days, it rains half an inch or less…but the sky is often gray, and there's often a mist or drizzle (think Scotland or New Zealand or Peru). How many days? NOAA tells us that residents of Juneau, Alaska can expect an average of 223 rainy days a year (see p. 45), 193 days in Astoria, Oregon (the mouth of the Columbia River), or 208 days in Quillayute, Washington; as compared to a mere 120 days in Mobile, Alabama, the American city widely described as our rainiest.
As for Vancouver Island and the British Columbia coast?
Surfers there require a wetsuit-just for the rain.
(Quick joke-if Noah lived here, he'd say to God: "40 days…that's not really much of a threat, you know…")
The basic explanation for all of this is that these moisture-laden storms come blowing in off the Pacific, and the clouds are too wet and heavy to climb over the mountains-until they dump enough water to get past…then they hit the next mountains, and the process repeats…until the coast becomes a giant holding facility full of retained water. And then, depending on the temperature, you have either a giant snowpack-or the floods begin.
(Just so you know: the most snow ever around here in 12 months?
1140 inches (that is not a typo; it's 2895cm) at Mt. Baker, Washington during the 1998-99 season.)
Sometimes we get both rain and snow.
Like the last few days.
As we touched upon a moment ago, there are many kinds of rain: the mist, the on-and-off drizzle, soupy fog, your basic downpour…and all of them can be complicated by the addition of wind, and changes in temperature. (Warm rain is an entirely different animal than cold rain, and it is hard to find weather much more miserable than windblown rain at just above freezing-unless you live on permafrost…and especially after you've had it every day for the past, oh, let's say…55 days.)
And in this part of the world, it's not uncommon to have all of this weather on the same day…with occasional sunbreaks during the rest of the week. (This week's Port Alberni, BC, weather forecast illustrates the point nicely.)
Which brings us back to the Yup'ik and lexemes.
Lexemes, you say?
… Roughly, a lexeme can be thought of as an independent vocabulary item or dictionary entry. It's different from a word since a lexeme can give rise to more than one distinctly inflected word. Thus English has a single lexeme speak which gives rise to inflected forms like speaks, spoke, and spoken.
–Anthony Woodbury, Counting Eskimo words for snow: A citizen's guide
As there are many forms of rain, there are also many forms of snow; and the Yup'ik have 15 lexemes for snow and its various forms. Just as with writing, storms have a "story arc" that creates a progression of rains and snows (and the occasional "ice fog", an especially nasty weather that turns roads into skating rinks)…and that's really where this story is going.
The story always begins with the warnings: the actual National Weather Service and Department of Transportation alerts, and the local news, preparing us for (stealing from "The Daily Show") The Storm Of The Century Of The Week.
And that's what we got on Thursday: "Look out, this is gonna be a big one!"
I worked all night Thursday and as I checked the weather there was really nothing. I went to bed to gray skies and a "bare and wet" landscape.
As I awoke Friday afternoon I looked out the window and…
…snow was everywhere!
Not so deep yet (maybe 4 inches…10cm), but the big flakes were falling rapidly.
Suddenly it was 6 inches-and it's time to make some decisions about shoveling.
There are two reasons why shoveling matters:
–If a lot of snow falls, the compression and accumulated moisture can turn the fluffy, powdery snow into "concrete", making the process at least twice as difficult.
–If the compressed and uncleared snow refreezes, it will form a virtually impossible to remove crust of ice-making walking and driving way too exciting (amazing video-don't miss this!) for my taste.
By now the snowflakes are alternating between larger and smaller-with the smaller flakes falling faster…but the fallen snow is still light and fluffy (powder!), so at that point, the shoveling began. It's about 28 degrees F. (-2 C.).
There's about 300 square feet to be cleared, 6 inches deep (15cm), and lots more falling, even as I shovel. Well, to be accurate, I'm pushing the snow at this point, because it's still light and easy to move.
My current snow shovel is my favorite ever: about a foot wide (30cm), thick, plastic (aluminum shovels always seem to bend at the corners or the rivets fail-I hate that), and able to easily slide, even full of the heaviest snow. The less you lift the better in this job, so sliding the full shovel as much as possible is a good thing. Of course, at some point you still have to lift the snow to remove it, but as of now that's not a big problem.
After half an hour or so a good third of the work is done; and it's time for a break. The snow is still powdery, and it's changing from big, fluffy flakes to an icier, more granular flake. Not an ice pellet…but instead more like the difference between sorbet and granite. Still 26-28 degrees F.
Only the snow is still falling, and there's a covering over the "cleared" driveway.
For those who have never been to the snow, there's a process of jacket removal that must be observed.
Did some work inside-and now there's 8 inches on the ground…including almost 2 inches over the "cleared area". But it's still fluffy, so the reclearing goes very fast…but the rest of the driveway now has 8 inches to remove, and the snow is turning into tiny ice pellets, then back to small flakes, then back to large, for more or less the next 3 to 4 hours. At this point, about ¾ inch per hour (almost 2cm) is falling.
The next portion of the driveway's snow is not as light as the first area; the compression having its effect and moisture accumulating in the snowmass…but it's still not too bad, because it's not yet raining.
After another hour it's time for another break…and I'm just past 50%.
It's medium heavy snow, and now it's hard work.
I've been listening to an old-school country playlist as I work; and the falling snow makes a great counterpoint to Kitty Wells and Merle Travis…but the last song is the new school "Texas" from Willie Nelson, so it's break time.
There's 9 inches now, according to my handy ruler stuck in the snow on the barbrque. It's no longer so granular, as the weather has begun to warm-and the snow is now heavy to lift. The last 10 feet or so are the hardest, as mixed rain and snow are falling.
By the time the snow is cleared, a foot has fallen (30cm), but the rain is picking up…and by the time I'm writing this (24 hours after the shoveling ended)-and the temperature has risen 20 degrees to the 40s F., and it was over 50 degrees F. (10 C.) during the afternoon.
The wind has become huge…with gusts above 100 mph (160 km) reported in multiple locations. It never stopped blowing all night, and it's still blowing as the sun comes up.
And the rain never stopped-in fact, near legendary amounts (almost 14"-that's 35 cm-in Bremerton, Washington for example) have fallen in the last 48 hours wreaking havoc over the area-all rivers in the Western Washington are threatening to flood or have already, the Governor of Oregon has declared an emergency (and road closures have virtually cut the Oregon Coast off from any access to the interior), and I have just heard Washington's Governor has done the same.
I-5, the main north-south highway running from Vancouver, BC to Tijuana, Mexico (connecting Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego) is under an estimated 8 to 9 feet (3 meters) of water; and will not be passable for a currently unknown length of time. The water is 5 feet above any previous record.
The only available detours are so circuitous that the trip from Seattle to Portland (normally 160 miles one way) is now 275 miles longer-requiring a trip to Yakima, and making a one way trip over 400 miles (640 km).
Roads are literally falling off hillsides. (Click on the "Slideshow" link.)
Helicopters have been performing rescues since yesterday.
One of our favorite restaurants, the Ranch House BBQ, located outside Olympia, Washington has been destroyed, we have just been told (click on the "Mudslide Destroys Olympia Restaurant" link).
Our godson (the one who did not join the military) and his parents live in an exceptionally hard-hit area, Gray's Harbor County, who are at this mooment some of the 80,000 without power-and the projections are that it will remain that way for them for at least a week. They are right at the Pacific coast, and there are so many downed trees that there's going to be enough free firewood for at least two cold winters, for those lucky enough to grab it up.
It is an amazing story, but I'm going to stop at this point, do some actual newsgathering, and see what I can report as the day develops.
I'll leave you with this thought: when we began we discussed the similarity between the arc of the storm and the arc of the story…and there could not be a better example of that than the story that is arcing before us even as we speak.
Stay tuned…and if I have useful updates I'll post them here.


text:
Three years after the Fort Hood military base massacre by a radical Muslim soldier, it seems the Senate is not interested in the possibility of jihadist infiltration of the U.S. military.
Instead, U.S. lawmakers apparently have deep concerns about American Muslim soldiers being harassed or even violently attacked by other enlistees because of the 2009 tragedy.
Earlier this week, Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee for defense secretary, submitted his responses to an extensive questionnaire by the Senate Armed Services Committee probing his positions ahead of scheduled confirmation hearings.
Advertisement - story continues below
One section of the questionnaire, reviewed in full by WND, was titled "Muslims in the U.S. Military."
That section contained only the following two questions:
TRENDING: Rand Paul points to 4 wild 'data dumps' that put Biden ahead: 'Fraud?'
- Are you concerned that the attack at Fort Hood could lead to harassment or even violence against Muslims in the military?
- If confirmed, what strategies would you advocate to address the potential for harassment or violence against Muslims in the U. S. military?
Not a single question asked how Hagel might implement policies to ensure against the enlistment of radicalized Muslims or how the military can work against already enlisted Muslim soldiers being radicalized.
Advertisement - story continues below
The committee also did not ask Hagel for recommendations on how military leaders can work to better recognize the signs of a radicalized Muslim soldier.
In the case of Nidal Malik Hasan, whose shooting massacre left 13 dead and dozens more wounded, army superiors were reportedly exposed to Hasan's radicalism but failed to take measures against the army psychiatrist.
Hasan reportedly gave a slideshow presentation on Muslims in the U.S. military that included anti-war statements and sections of the Quran that call for jihad.
Hasan, an American of Palestinian decent, attended a controversial mosque, Dar al-Hijrah, in Great Falls, Va., in 2001 at the same time as two of the 9/11 terrorists.
The mosque was led at the time by late al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in 2011 in a U.S. drone strike.
Advertisement - story continues below
A Muslim officer at Fort Hood in Texas was quoted by the London Telegraph as saying Hasan's eyes "lit up" when he mentioned his deep respect for Awlaki's teachings.
To this day, both the Obama administration and the military are loathe to call the Fort Hood shooting a terrorist attack even though survivors of Hasan's rampage were quoted by news media as saying he began his attack by shouting "Allahu akbar" or "Allah is greatest" in Arabic.
Hasan reportedly had earlier given away copies of the Quran to neighbors.
Relatives told media that after the death of Hasan's parents, in 1998 and 2001, he became a devout Muslim.
Advertisement - story continues below
"After he lost his parents he tried to replace their love by reading a lot of books, including the Quran," his uncle, Rafiq Hamad, said.
A former classmate told the Associated Press Hasan was a "vociferous opponent of the war" and "viewed the war against terror" as a "war against Islam."
Dr. Val Finnell, who attended a master's in public health program in 2007-2008 at Uniformed Services University with Hasan, said the murderer previously told classmates he was "a Muslim first and an American second."
"In retrospect, I'm not surprised he did it," Finnell said. "I had real questions about what his priorities were, what his beliefs were."
After Hagel's live appearance before the Senate committee today, he was described by Washington media as appearing "defensive, frustrated and lethargic."
But he also raised some eyebrows with his comments, including his non-comments. For example, Sen. James Inhofe, ranking Republican, asked, "Given that Iran, the people – I'm quoting right now from Iran – people of the Middle East, the Muslim region and North Africa, people of these regions hate America from the bottom of their heart. It further said Israel is a cancerous tumor in the heart of the Islamic world. They further said Iran's warriors are ready and willing to wipe Israel off the map. The question I'd like to ask you, and you can answer for the record if you'd like, why do you think the Iranian foreign ministry so strongly supports your nomination to be the Secretary of Defense?"
Hagel said, "I have a difficult enough time with American politics, senator. I have no idea, but thank you. And I'll be glad to respond further for the record."
Freshman Texas Sen. Ted Cruz that played two tapes from Hagel appearances on Al Jazeera – including when he did not appear to challenge a caller accusing Israel of war crimes.
In the second tape, Hagel appeared to endorse a comment that American is a bully.
Cruz told Hagel that is not a position expected of a high government official.
Hagel also refused to answer yes or no to Sen. John McCain's question about whether he was right or wrong to call a troop surge a "dangerous foreign policy."


text:
Was the New Apple iPad Made Ethically?
Apple mania took over the interwebs on Wednesday morning as the company unveiled its latest iPad.
In addition to the roar of excitement, the activist watchdog group, "SumOfUs" called on Apple to release employees' time card data from the last four months to see if workers in China were forced into grueling and illegal overtime schedules.
SumOfUs Executive Director Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman spoke with Mashable on Wednesday morning. She cited the New York Times' story from January that reported employees at an Apple factory in China were awoken from slumber to work overnight shifts in order to make last-minute changes to the iPad 2. That article was the catalyst for this particular petition, she said, but SumOfUs has targeted Apple and its working conditions in China since the organization launched in late November 2011.
She says Apple's hiring of the Fair Labor Association is a public relations move, or "whitewashing" as she called it.
"It is a PR exercise, not an actual investigation," she said. "The head of the FLA was giving interviews one day after he arrived — he didn't interview any workers. It's clear anything they release will be calculated."
This response doesn't fix the problem, "but it's cheap," she said. Apple will have to spend money or change their practices in order to actually make a difference. —- "Apple's going to have to allow it's suppliers to have a slightly bigger profit margin," she added.
Last year, Apple's profit margin was more than 30 percent, while Foxconn (Apple's most notorious factory) had a 1.5 percent profit margin, Bloomberg reported. Stinebrickner-Kauffman said Foxconn's profit margin is actually more profitable than a lot of factories in Asia, but still not enough for suppliers to follow Apple's and the FLA's code of conduct.
"The other thing they'll (Apple) have to realize is they can't make last minute changes and expect their suppliers to hold to their timeline," she said.
Stinebrickner-Kauffman said she's an iOS device-user herself and like many folks with Apple devices, doesn't want to be complacent while accusations of unfair working conditions persist about Apple's factories in China.
The FLA said the conditions at Foxconn are better than other Chinese factories. It's also been said that the suicide rate in China is higher than at the Foxconn factories. However, Stinebrickner-Kauffman points out that the suicides we hear about at Foxconn are just the reported ones.
The petition has not yet been emailed to supporters and has already garnered more than 130,000 signatures. Stinebrickner-Kauffman said she thinks Apple will hear the message loud-and-clear, even if they don't acknowledge it.
"Apple doesn't like to admit it," she said. "But there have been successful NGO campaigns against Apple."
Green My Apple, a campaign by Greenpeace was one of them, she said. It spurred Apple to change its recycling practices and restrict or ban certain toxic chemicals. Apple called the program, "A Greener Apple."
SumOfUs was launched in late November with the goal of help organize consumers to push companies to be more sustainable and responsible.
Are you going to buy the new iPad or will you wait until Apple hands over employees' time cards? Are you going to sign the petition? Have you stopped purchasing Apple products because you don't want to support its overseas labor practices? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
More Coverage of Apple's New iPad
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, alexeys


text:
Archie #647
Archie stars in "Welcome to Mirrordale"-A date night with Betty turns into an inter-universe collision when the Madhouse Carnival comes to Riverdale! Archie has a lot to reflect on when he takes a trip to the House of Mirrors, but little does he know, those mirrors are more than they appear! He's catapulted into a world where everything seems familiar to home... just a bit different! Can Archie make it back to his date in Riverdale, or is he doomed to switch places with his mirror-world counterpart forever? There's only one way to find out!
Cover Illustrator


text:
Noteshelf for iPad
Today's Best Tech Deals
Picked by PCWorld's Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect's Editors
Generic Company Place Holder Noteshelf
The iPad is just a bit smaller than a traditional sheet of looseleaf paper. Sometimes, however, the tablet doesn't seem quite as useful as pen and paper—especially when you want to jot down some quick notes. Sure, Apple's stock Notes app works fine, but only if you have the time to tap out your notes on the iPad's virtual keyboard. When you need to scribble some notes down in a hurry, or when you crave the ability to scrawl down more than just typewritten text, it's time to take a trip to the App Store.
Ramki's offering is the $6 Noteshelf. It's an impressively deep, feature-rich app that aims to simplify the process of jotting down notes.
The first time you launch Noteshelf, you get the option of stepping through a 17-page user guide. (A 17-page manual, of course, is something old-school paper notebooks almost never ship with.) The guide is well-worth flipping through, as it describes much of the app's tucked-away functionality in detail.
The app's titular shelf is very reminiscent of the bookshelves in iBooks. You keep different sets of notes in different virtual books; you can create as many books (each with as many pages of notes) as you'd like. Noteshelf offers 15 different attractive notebook covers to choose from, and 20 different page options. Those page designs include traditional lined paper, graph paper, blank paper, music notation sheets, a day planner, and plenty more. And each notebook can contain any permutation of pages, so you can use graph paper for the first page of your Remodel notebook, and then a blank sheet on the next page to sketch out your new kitchen.
Of course, if you use the day planner template, that won't mesh with the events in your iOS calendar. But if you prefer the scribbled approach of days of yore, yet still want to take advantage of your shiny iPad, Noteshelf's approach may suit you just fine.
You can add many more options to Noteshelf—oodles of notebook cover options and page templates—through various in-app $1 purchases. You can even spend a buck to get alternative bookshelf options.
So you know you have options for how your multitouch notepad looks. How's the process of actually making notes within the app?
Not too shabby. You get a few options. My least favorite one is using my finger as a pen. I like my printed handwriting just fine; on the iPad, my finger-writing gets sloppy, oversized, and frustrating. That's not a fault of Noteshelf per se, but it does make the app one of the few with which I prefer using a stylus.
You get plenty of pen options: You choose among 17 pen colors, using a slider to select your thickness. To make writing even easier, Noteshelf includes a cleverly-implemented zoom mode, which repurposes the bottom half of the screen for a close-up of a subset of your page. Writing in the zoomed-in section is perhaps the easiest way to handwrite within a note, and the zoomed-in section advances cleverly as you reach the edges. It's very well done.
An update in January added the option of typing in text as well. You can create text boxes, and then type into them with the on-screen keyboard. You can also add photos, icons, and highlights to your notepads, too.
Importantly, Noteshelf includes unlimited undo/redo. I'm a sucker for unlimited undo, especially when an errant finger could unintentionally scrawl a giant, unwanted line through the middle of the page.
Another clever option in Noteshelf is its Wrist Protection mode. Enable it, and you can rest your wrists on the iPad's screen as you write (a much more natural writing position) without your wrist marking up the bottom half of the screen. To avail yourself of Wrist Protection mode, however, you need to turn off iOS 5's multitasking gestures in Settings. I love those gestures, but Wrist Protection mode is excellent. I've taken to (temporarily) disabling the gestures when I intend to spend time in Noteshelf.
The app sports numerous other features that make a good thing great: A Page Finder view shows thumbnails so that you can quickly find, move, delete, or copy a page of your notebook. You can tag pages and then search by those tags. You can share notes via email, export them as PDFs or images, share them with Dropbox or Evernote, and print them.
In short, I'm impressed with Noteshelf. The iPad isn't the world's easiest hand-held note taking machine. Sure, hook up an external keyboard, and you can type up all the notes you need. But if you're sans keyboard and you'd rather avoid going back to the paper and pen of your youth, Noteshelf offers a masterfully crafted alternative.
[Lex Friedman is a Macworld staff writer.]
This story, "Noteshelf for iPad" was originally published by Macworld.
Generic Company Place Holder Noteshelf
Coupon Codes
Walmart Promo Codes
Walmart promo code for an additional $10 off grocery app orders
Target Promo Code
Up to 50% off everything - Target Black Friday promo codes
Sam's Club Coupons
Good Value! Sam's Club offer - $45 for a membership
Backcountry Coupon
Save 30% on The North Face at Backcountry
FOREO Coupons
FOREO Black Friday Sale: 35% off Everything
Walgreens Coupons
Walgreens promo code: 20% off $45+


text:
Life Sciences & Healthcare
Life Science industries cover a broad set of products for pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices. These businesses have unique requirements affecting product development, production and regulatory compliance.
Oracle Healthcare Cloud solutions meet the complex needs of healthcare payer and provider organizations and their patients. Oracle empowers the healthcare industry with the industry's most complete and unified ERP, finance, HCM, supply chain, and EPM cloud applications.
DAZ Systems has provided their expertise and guidance to over 400 companies, with many of those references in the Life Sciences & Healthcare industry. DAZ's experience in Platform as a Service (PaaS) along with their rapid deployment methodology has led their customers through successful Oracle Cloud Implementations.
Life Science is Unique
With a life science company's unique needs it becomes essential to have a business system that can help speed time to market, adhere to detailed regulatory requirements and handle detailed product traceability through an often complicated supply chain. Product development is a long and costly process usually requiring project accounting and even prototype production to manage activity. Once products are approved, then decisions for manufacturing internally or using subcontractors need to be made and possibly additional supplier qualifications. Quality data, testing, and documentation becomes an important part of life science company operations. This includes batch or device history records as part of the overall traceability requirements from a regulatory and litigation perspective.
DAZ has experience implementing Oracle Applications for medical device and pharmaceuticals companies from startups to Fortune 500. Our team is well versed in cGMP requirements and the document deliverables required for validation.
Key Industry Influencers
- Serial/Lot Traceability
- 21CFR Part 11 Compliance
- Validation Requirements
- Project Accounting in R&D
For more information about DAZ Systems Experience and Customers, visit DAZ Case Studies.


text:
Identifying Performance Parts Trends
About this product:
The automotive specialty-equipment industry was born in the racing and performance segment. In fact, the original name of SEMA, now the Specialty Equipment Market Association, was the Speed Equipment Manufacturer's Association. While the name and the industry evolved to include an array of more than 7,000 businesses, racing and performance still deliver the iconic images that people associate with automotive accessories.
In large measure, that niche mirrors the overall marketplace, and the trends that occur in the performance segment often offer a preview of what will take place in the rest of the industry.


text:
Alabama Blue Light Law Traffic Ticket Defense Law Firm
Visit www.AlabamaSpeedingTicket.com for more information.
The lawyers at AlabamaBlueLightLawAttorney.com focus our practice on Blue Light Law traffic ticket defense in the State of Alabama, including the cities and counties listed below, and the entire State of Alabama. If you have been charged with an Alabama Blue Light Law Violation traffic ticket in any of the following cities, counties or in any Court throughout the State of Alabama, you need the knowledgeable, experienced and aggressive attorneys at AlabamaBlueLightLawAttorney.com to fight for your rights. We will do everything we can to get you the absolute best result possible in your Blue Light Law traffic case pending in Alabama.
Jefferson County
Mountain Brook
St. Clair County
Shelby County
Bibb County
Alexander City
Baldwin County
Many people wonder if they should hire an attorney for a traffic ticket. Yes, you should hire an Alabama Traffic Defense Attorney to represent you and your Blue Light Law violation charge, even if you have a clean driving record. Any time you are convicted of a traffic violation, points are added to your drivers license. It is important to keep these points off your drivers license so that you do not risk having your drivers license suspended. If you are from another state and are convicted of an Alabama traffic violation, your state will be notified of your conviction. Hiring an attorney may help you avoid potential problems or consequences that could arise from a conviction of your Blue Light Law violation.
We help motorists from Alabama and from out of state with any traffic ticket you may receive, including but not limited to the following:
Blue Light Law
Move Over Law Violation
Running Red Light
Disregard Traffic Control Device (Running Red Light)
Failure to Appear
You should never plead guilty and pay the fine. This may seem like the easy way out, but it is not. The Alabama Traffic Defense Attorneys at AlabamaBlueLightLawAttorney.com handle hundreds of traffic cases each year and have the experience and knowledge to fight your Blue Light Law violation. Let an Alabama Traffic Defense Attorney handle your Blue Light Law traffic charge before it turns into something more serious such as suspension of your drivers license.
Call us today (866) 348-2889. Dont wait. The initial consultation is free of charge.
The Lawyers at AlabamaBlueLightLawAttorney.com handle Traffic Charges throughout Alabama and other traffic violations for out-of-state clients and residents of Alabama, including clients in Mountain Brook, Bessemer, Winston County, Cullman County, Blount County, Tuscaloosa County, Dothan, Auburn, Mobile, Anniston, Oxford, Talladega, Trussville, Gardendale, Pelham, Calhoun County, Baldwin County, Florence, Gadsden, Tuscaloosa, Boaz, Albertville, Jefferson County, Shelby County, St. Clair County, Bibb County, Cleburne County, Guntersville, Cullman, Montgomery, Alabaster, Clanton, Union Town, Phenix City, Huntsville, Decatur, Chelsea, Pleasant Grove, Madison County, Walker County, Etowah County, Chilton County, Marion County, Cherokee County, Russell County, Mobile County, Columbus, Harpersville, Lee County, Baldwin County, Talladega County, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, and Homewood.


text:
|Up a level
PANGAEA DocumentationWesterhold, T. , Röhl, U. , Raffi, I. , Fornaciari, E. , Monechi, S. , Reale, V. , Bowles, J. and Evans, H. F. (2008)
Table S8. Proposed position of short eccentricity cycle maxima in the depth domain of studied records. Eccentricity cycle numbers are relative to the K/Pg boundary (Paleocene) and to onset of the CIE at the PETM (Eocene), doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.666282 ,
Bremerhaven, PANGAEA .hdl:10013/epic.38834


text:
« [MP3] DJ Tunez Ft. Wizkid Adekunle Gold & Omah Lay Pami | biography of DJ Switch – Nigerian female artist Career , Awards And Net Worth »
Download Another hot new song by "Jeezy Ft. Tamika Mallory " Entitled "Oh Lord".
NOTE: Our main motive is to bring 320kps mp3 audio mp4 video music lyrics and latest hits around the world to your door for your online steaming and right here for your fast download.
Enjoy And Download 320kps mp3 audio mp4 video music lyrics and latest hits below and also remember to let us know what you think of the new track using our comment box below.
Tags: 320kps, Jeezy, latest hits, mp3 audio, mp4 video, music lyrics, Oh Lord, Tamika Mallory
Share this post with your friends on
« [Mp3] Asap Hussle Ft. Peruzzi – Deliver | »


text:
Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
Hi,I've decided to use the Zotac ION Motherboard for my Media Directors. Unfortunately, I'm going to need a composite video "Tuner" for my main room as I will need to capture from my Sky STB, so need one with a USB connection (no PCI slots!)I spotted the Kworld KW-TVUSB506RF-Pro USB TV Box External Station. Anyone used it / got it working / tried it and given up?Ta!
I dont think there is any Linux support for the Kworld KW-TVUSB506RF-Pro


text:
In video games, it's been the year of the bow for almost two years now. But games aren't having all the fun - movies have been right in the thick of it.
In fact, recent films like Brave and The Hunger Games have carried on a long Hollywood tradition of bows, arrows, bowstrings and arrowheads. This new supercut from Slacktory pays tribute to the many archers of the silver screen.
[via Laughing Squid]


text:
Find out more about researching works in the collection.
The Museum
Inside the museum you will find inspiring exhibitions and works of art that you won't find anywhere else. We invite you to experience first-hand the wonderful artwork in our galleries.
View our current and upcoming exhibitions schedule to discover what is fresh, new, and on the horizon. Don't forget to come to the Arts Center to see them for yourself!
View Exhibitions
The Arkansas Arts Center's permanent collection boasts a number of renowned works including drawings, contemporary craft and special collections. Take some time to explore the collection.
View collections
Featuring a world-class international collection of art, live theater productions, art classes, lectures, films, family programs, shopping and dining, the Arkansas Arts Center offers something for everyone.
View programs
Business Hours: Mon – Fri 9 AM - 5 PM Address: 2510 Cantrell Rd., P.O. Box 2137, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-2137 Phone: 501.372.4000
© Copyright 2020 Arkansas Arts Center. All rights reserved. All text and images are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without written permission from their respective owners.


text:
Our poor animals have had a long season of trudging through the snow and ice. I know a sheep or two that are tired of hay and looking forward to some green pastures.
The ducks and geese, leaving frozen footprints in the snow, and dreaming of their swimming pool.
But, you know March, a fickle season of temperature swings, daylight savings time, and the official start of Spring. Almost halfway through the month and the thawing and refreezing is a good sign that Spring is on it's way. You really have to watch out for the ice hidden under snow and puddles...ask me how I know!!
|Tulip tree.
Here's hoping that Winter truly does go out like a lamb. See you in Winterset!


text:
CA building
Dilip Dhakal / September 2, 2015
This material is copyrighted but may be used for any purpose by giving due credit to southasiacheck.org.
Latest Stories
- Fact Check Ex-minister Baskota overstates number of Covid testing labs
- Fact Check World Doctors Alliance's video on Covid-19 misleading
- Fact Check 'Red mercury' claims on social media just a hoax
- Fact Check Purported government text message about snap curfew was a hoax
- Media Quarterly report (July-Sept) on anonymous sources in newspapers
- Fact Check Some claims in Putin memes circulating in Nepal are false
In Public InterestScientists worldwide in desperate search for COVID-19 drug South Asia Check has gathered insights on the trials and investigations for vaccines and drugs to tr... Read More
- Six things to know for cannabis legalization in Nepal
- Women ministers in Nepal
- Brace yourself for toxic winter air
- Nepal has no technology to test alleged use of oxytocin in fruits and vegetables
- Nepal is among 25 countries that deny women right to pass on citizenship to children independently
Recommended Read
Ex-minister Baskota overstates number of Covid testing labs Former minister Gokul Baskota on Monday claimed tests for Covid-19 are being conducted in around 97 places in Nepal. Read More
World Doctors Alliance's video on Covid-19 misleading Over the past few days, Facebook users in Nepal have widely shared a message that claims the WHO has retracted several of its Covid-19 guidelines. Read More


text:
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants you to see the full appraisal report on the house you're buying or refinancing as early in the mortgage process as possible, and without your having to ask the lender for it.
This means all the "comparable" properties the appraiser selected, adjustments for property condition or location, plus all additional data -- especially computer-generated estimates -- that may have been used to arrive at the final value. It also means you would get to see who performed the appraisal and whether he or she is merely licensed in the state or carries a professional designation -- letters such as "SRA" after the name indicating higher levels of training and experience. Plus it would give you an idea about whether the appraiser is locally based and thus knowledgeable about neighborhood sales and listing trends, or has traveled from another part of the state.
Information like this can be crucial in an environment where home sellers, buyers and realty agents routinely complain about botched appraisals that complicate or kill deals by coming in thousands of dollars below the contract price. In many cases, critics say, appraisers continue to inappropriately select distressed-sale comparables to value non-distressed transactions in areas where property values are now rising. In a May survey of its members, the National Association of Realtors found that 33 percent of agents reported problems connected with appraisals that endangered sales.
The consumer bureau also wants to open the door to disclosure of fee-splitting information that typically is kept hidden from you: How much of your $450 to $600 in appraisal charges at closing will go to the appraiser, and how much to an unseen appraisal "management company" that may be owned by or affiliated with your lender and is also getting a cut of the action?
In a proposal Aug. 16, the bureau said that under its plan, mortgage lenders would be required to provide copies of all written appraisals and other data used in the valuation "promptly after receiving them," but in no event later than three business days prior to the closing. This would include the electronic "automated valuation models" (AVMs) widely used by lenders and management companies to supplement standard reports.
AVMs, which depend on public records rather than on-site observations, have been criticized by some appraisers and realty agents as being tools to keep appraised values below contract prices agreed upon by sellers and buyers in rebounding markets. Banks defend their use as safeguards against overvaluation and subsequent losses in the event of default.
Pat Turner, who has a "senior residential appraiser" (SRA) designation and is active in the Richmond, Va., area, has a different term for them: "interference" in the work of the local appraiser. He says appraisers often submit their reports to management companies only to hear back that an AVM has located alleged "comps" indicating the value should be below what the appraiser reported. In one recent appraisal assignment, said Turner in an interview, a bank's management company told him to consider two lower-cost comparables identified by an AVM that would have significantly depressed the valuation he submitted. He refused, he said, because he knew the objective was simply to "push the value down" so that the bank could limit the loan amount.
The consumer bureau also has issued proposals for revisions to the current closing cost sheets used nationwide for real estate transactions. Among the changes: an option to include a breakout of the appraisal charges paid by borrowers. The first would be the amount the appraiser actually receives. The second line would be what the appraisal management company takes.
The fact that appraisal management companies are pocketing big chunks of the borrowers' appraisal payments generally is unknown to most consumers. In some cases, the appraisal charge may be $500 and the appraiser is being paid $200 to $250 -- much less than the traditional fee before the advent of management companies. Critics connect these low payments with the rising level of complaints about incompetent appraisals, often performed by newcomers to the field or less experienced individuals who agree to work for less.
The consumer agency's proposals won't be finalized for months, but in the meantime you as a consumer can ask: Where are my hundreds of dollars going? To the appraiser? Or into the coffers of my lender? If it's the latter, what's the justification for the extra charge? The answers could be troubling.
Ken Harney's email address is email@example.com.


text:
Things To Do
Here is a list of ideas for activities in Centre County, PA. This list provides links to information on StateCollege.com that will help you enjoy your time in HAPPY VALLEY!
Enjoy a Concert
Enjoy a concert or show at the Bryce Jordan Center. See what events are coming soon by visiting our performances page.
Catch a Movie
Catch a movie at one of our theaters. View theater times and movie viewings by visiting our movie page.
Get Outside
Do you enjoy the outdoors? Visit our Outdoor Adventure listings for info on Centre County's adventure activities.
Find Local Entertainment and Drink Specials
Find out what's happening at the local bars and clubs. See the entertainment schedules and drink specials on our Bar Tour page.
Chat Online
Make new friends or touch base with old pals with our online chat room.
Become a Music Nut
Learn more about local radio stations and upcoming concerts on our music page.
Read Your Horoscrope
Check our horoscopes to see what the day has in store for you!
Test Your Knowledge
Test your basic trivia knowledge. Visit our trivia section and see how many questions you answer correctly.
Eat Out
Looking for a good place to eat. Find tons of great restaurants via our Dining Guide.
Go to the Theatre
If you are into the performing arts, see our Arts and Entertainment page for local theatre groups and upcoming State College performances.
Find That Special Someone
Look for your perfect mate using our online Personals Page. Place an ad or browse our current listings.
Enjoy a Live Show
Do you enjoy music? Check Arts & Entertainment, Music Page, or Performances for upcoming live shows.


text:
IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE - We are open for business with replenished stock!
We are not registered for VAT so the prices you see are the prices you pay!
If you have any questions or wish to discuss product details, please call and ask to speak to Art.
Please note there is a 5 to 6 week waiting list from placing Furnace and Tong orders until their dispatch due to demand.
Please check back for further updates.
Sub-Total: £1,457.18


text:
Meanwood Cricket Club is based in North West Leeds and currently competes in the Leeds and Wetherby Cricket League running two senior sides. We also run junior training sessions for 8-15 year olds. The ground is situated on Parkside Road behind the Myrtle Tavern Public House. Voted one of the most picturesque grounds in the region, the club prides itself on its friendly atmosphere and has an active social element too.
League games usually take place on a Saturday afternoon and our evening Twenty20 side compete on a Tuesday. The club hold weekly training sessions at the ground during the season (mid-March to early September) for both junior and senior cricketers.
We are always on the look out for new players of all ages and ability. If you are interested in joining please contact the club secretary: Howard Collier - Mobile: 07725510471 or Email: email@example.com
To access all the features of this site you need to Log In or Sign Up.
Please complete the following form to create a Team App account and join Meanwood Cricket Club.
If you already have a Team App account, please log-in now.


text:
| 5.6°C Belfast
Gemma Arterton is to star in a new musical version of Made In Dagenham, t he story of a band of female factory workers who staged a strike in protest against sexual discrimination and demanded equal pay.
The stage show is based on the 2010 film of the same name which starred Sally Hawkins and told the true story of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike in Dagenham.
The musical is written by Richard Bean - the playwright behind trans-Atlantic hit One Man, Two Guvnors - with music by David Arnold, who has composed for Bond films and Sherlock, and lyrics by Richard Thomas, whose credits include Jerry Springer: The Opera.
Gemma Arterton said: "I'm beyond thrilled to be playing Rita O'Grady in Made in Dagenham. It's an important story that I'm passionate about telling, and we intend to tell it with wit, warmth and, of course, a lot of singing and dancing in this production!"
Directed by Rupert Goold, the show will open at London's Adelphi Theatre on November 5, with previews from October.