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Dr. Jim Kizziar, a cardiologist in Little Rock, AR, treats illnesses such as heart disease through comprehensive care for your heart & cardiovascular system.
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Dr. Kizziar has one office in Arkansas where he specializes in Cardiology and Internal Medicine.
Dr. Kizziar works with six doctors including Dr. Jason Williams and Dr. Scott Young.
Dr. Kizziar, a cardiologist in Little Rock, is qualified to care for the heart and cardiovascular system. Dr. Kizziar may see patients for indicators like breathlessness, dizziness or chest pains, among others. Heart conditions diagnosed and treated by a cardiologist may include heart failure, heart aneurysms, coronary artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, arrhythmia, angina and congenital heart defects, among others.
The specialty of internal medicine is an area of primary care for adults. Dr. Kizziar specializes in diagnosing and treating cross-system illnesses that may affect multiple organ systems. When necessary, Dr. Kizziar also can refer patients to specialist physicians when medically needed. For instance, patients with severe kidney problems can be referred to a nephrologist for further medical tests or treatments.
Please Note: The information displayed below is sourced from the 2014 Medicare Physician and Other Supplier National Provider Identifier (NPI) Aggregate Report. It's important to remember that the statistics below are not inclusive of all patients treated by Dr. Kizziar, but only those who participate in Medicare.
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Now that I have gotten my political commentary out of the system, on to the city itself. As I mentioned in the previous post – Ho Chi Minh city is mad with scooters. Millions of people scooting around, honking, ducking, weaving and generally jamming up as a group.
Our first stop in Ho Chi Minh was the markets, our opportunity to see the hustle and bustle of the city.
In this long hall were long butcher tables. We had missed the morning rush where the butchers line up to carve and hand out cuts to the morning shoppers.
I turned and was face to face with a lot of dried fish.
One day I would love to live in one of these countries. To walk a market and be able to get the freshest of fresh, to experience the different vegetables and eat local would be amazing. We walked the market tasting with our guide explaining what we were eating.
The colors are so vibrant and the textures so different. The benefit of straight from the field (or jungle)
This fruit (cannot remember the name) wins my exotic fruit of the day award. Looks like a grape, sweet with a furry outside.
All through the markets were vendors sitting on the walk, selling their wares. We were careful to not linger in front of customers who were actually buying.
The spices of the market. You can buy a lot of spices for very little money.
The markets were very busy.
The markets were also filled with fish. Lots of fish.
And lots of squid.
And always remember, when walking take the time to look up.
If in the city, it is great to wander the markets.

subset: commoncrawl


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Experts Summarize State of Science in Autism Disorders
Published on in CHOP News
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Published on in CHOP News
October 21, 2009 — Scientific understanding and medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have advanced significantly over the past several years, but much remains to be done, say experts from the Center for Autism Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who published a scientific review of the field today.
"We summarized many new findings by autism researchers throughout the world, and give our perspective on the current state of the science in autism spectrum disorders," said lead author Susan E. Levy, MD, a developmental pediatrician and medical director of the Regional Autism Center at Children's Hospital. "We hope our review will be a useful reference for healthcare professionals working with ASD patients and families."
The article appears in the British journal The Lancet, published online on Oct. 12. Levy co-authored the review with Robert T. Schultz, PhD, a neuropsychologist and director of the Center for Autism Research at Children's Hospital, and David S. Mandell, ScD, a psychiatric epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Some recurrent themes of the review are the expanding knowledge of early brain development, and the importance of early diagnosis of ASDs, accompanied by intensive early treatment. The researchers also recognize the important role of parent involvement in early recognition of ASDs and in reinforcing their child's behavioral treatments at home. They also endorse research on methods for supporting families to reduce parental stress.
As evidenced by a long history of family and twin studies, ASDs are the neuropsychiatric disorder most affected by genetic factors. The authors review recent studies performed with the help of sophisticated gene-analyzing tools, and cite the finding earlier this year that a significant percentage of ASD patients have DNA alterations in a genetic area that affects how neurons interconnect in the brain. Combined with other studies of brain anatomy and function, the authors say, "genetic and neurobiological evidence point to a good causal model of this disorder — namely, genetically mediated abnormal findings of synaptic maturation and connectivity."
Further research is needed to explain in detail how genes affect the development of brain cell interconnections, but the authors say that future investigation may suggest techniques to intervene early in life with medical treatments.
Neuroimaging tools, such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), a method of mapping the brain's magnetic field, hold the potential of identifying a biological signature of ASDs, so that clinicians might identify autism during early childhood and monitor the effectiveness of treatments.
Regarding therapy, the authors note that the most researched treatments are those based on applied behavioral analysis, which includes intensive, highly structured treatments beginning in early childhood. More recently, those highly structured programs have been combined with other behavioral programs more akin to real-life situations, with increased effectiveness.
Although existing drugs do not treat core symptoms of ASDs, the authors refer to results showing medications may be effective in relieving related symptoms such as irritability and anxiety. Many other proposed and existing treatments, both biological and non-biological, have not been adequately studied.
In sum, say the authors, "no cure for autism spectrum disorders is yet available." However, "outcomes are improved with early detection and intensive treatment." In the future, the authors conclude that advances in early detection and diagnosis will allow more individualized and effective early treatment to alter the course of early behavior and brain development.
The authors received grant support from the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Education.
Levy SE, Mandell DS, Schultz RT. Autism. Lancet. Published online Oct. 12, 2009. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61376-3.
About Autism Programs at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Center for Autism Research (CAR) is a collaborative effort between Children's Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania. CAR's goals are to identify the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and develop effective treatments. Since CAR's establishment in 2008, CAR researchers have collectively published over 50 papers on many aspects of ASDs. The Regional Autism Center (RAC) is a multidisciplinary center for assessment, management and research related to children and adolescents with ASDs. The core team includes developmental-behavioral pediatricians, psychologists, nurse practitioners, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists and social workers. Patients are seen for diagnostic evaluation and second opinion regarding diagnosis, recommendations for services and treatments, and consultation for treatment program design.


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The basic functions of the combined inverter of the Steca Xtender series are the inverter, the battery charger, the switching function and the support of external sources of alternating current. These functions can be combined and controlled fully automatically, the range offers outstanding user-friendliness and very good exploitation of the energy available.
All the settings of the Steca Xtender XTM can be remote controlled. When a software with new functions is available, it can be loaded into the system, so the Steca Xtender XTM always stays up to date. Several Steca Xtender XTM can be connected in parallel or to form a three-phase system. That means that up to nine Steca Xtender XTM can work together.
These potential-free contacts can be programmed for many different applications. They can react to any event outside or inside of the inverter (grid availability, battery voltage, fault message ...) They can also be programmed on a timer or can be switched on during particular times (at night, at the weekend ...). In this way, they can serve to start up a generator, to switch off less important loads, to signal a fault, to charge batteries depending on the situation, etc.
Smart-boost function
With the smart-boost function, the output of another source of alternating current, such as a power generator or a land connection, can be increased; even when special loads are being used (inductive, asymmetric, with high switch-on current). It is also possible to combine the Steca Xtender XTM with almost all inverters which are already present in order to increase the available output.
Product features
Electronic protection functions


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On February 19th and 20th, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Adriana Stumpo, 23; Nathan Pope, 26; Joseph Buddenberg, 25; and Maryam Khajavi, 20 - 4 people it described as "terrorists". Their "terrorism" apparently consisted of writing with chalk on a sidewalk, wearing bandanas while protesting, and distributing flyers about animal research at UCSC. No, seriously.
The background of this farce includes years of expansion of police power under the rhetoric of combating a "terrorism" which has come to focus, not on Al-Qaeda or abortion clinic bombers, but on scapegoats connected to protests against war, the destruction of the earth and animal life, and other affects of modern capitalist civilization. In particular there has also been a heated campaign over the past few years against experimentation on live animals in the University of California system which has seen sabotage as well as demonstrations against vivisectors. (The state response has already seen federal, local and UC police raid the Long Haul Infoshop in Berkeley as well as a private residence in Santa Cruz to steal computers and literature, and the FBI forcibly acquiring DNA samples. And if you think these kinds of powers will be used only against anti-vivisection activists, think again.)
But Nathan, Adriana, Maryam and Joseph are not charged with any destructive acts. They are the first people to be charged under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act of 2007, which basically makes bothering anyone who does anything with animals an act of "terrorism". The lengths to which the U.S government has gone to construct this spectacle are, indeed, spectacular - setting up surveillance cameras in a coffee shop, tracking the legal use of public internet terminals, even DNA testing bandanas while the same government says it doesn't have the money to help states use DNA testing in death penalty cases, possibly exonerating innocent people on death row! But there is money for DNA testing of activists' bandanas?!
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Kevin Spacey scandal: A complete list of the 15 accusers
The first accusation of sexual misconduct against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey landed on Oct. 29, and a little more than a week later more than a dozen men — including five who said they were teens at the time — have come forward to allege he sexually harassed, assaulted or attempted to rape them.
Here is a list of accusers, some of them named, some of them anonymous.
Spacey's lawyers, Todd Rubenstein and Bryan Freedman, have not returned calls and emails from USA TODAY seeking comment.
1. AnthonyRapp, an actor on Star Trek: Discovery, told BuzzFeed in an interview on Oct. 29 that Spacey made sexual advances in 1986, when he was 14, in Spacey's New York apartment. Spacey issued a statement saying he was "beyond horrified" to hear the accusation, insisting he didn't remember the encounter but apologizing to Rapp. In the same statement, he came out as gay for the first time in public, infuriating gay rights advocates who viewed his acknowledgment as a false conflation of homosexuality with pedophilia in an attempt to distract attention from the underlying accusation.
2. Roberto Cavazos, a Mexican actor, said in Spanish in a Facebook post on Oct. 30 that Spacey fondled or tried to fondle him against his will while he was at the Old Vic theater in London and Spacey was artistic director there. "Those of us who were around him at the Old Vic know that a lot more people will come forward with their stories in the coming days and weeks," Cavazos said in the post.
3. Daniel Beal, told London tabloid The Sun on Oct. 31 and The Daily Mail on Nov. 7 that in 2010, when he was 19 and working as a bartender in a West Sussex hotel, Spacey exposed himself to him outside the hotel while he was on a cigarette break. He continued, saying Spacey gave him an expensive watch to buy his silence.
4. Justin Dawes told BuzzFeed on Nov. 3 he was 16 and a theater usher in New Haven, Conn., in 1988, when Spacey, then appearing in a play there, invited him and a male friend to his apartment to watch a movie. Instead, Dawes said, Spacey gave them cocktails and played pornography on the TV. Dawes said it was "awkward" but not intimidating, and they left without incident. Still, "He knew that I was in high school. It was pretty clear. It's not like I was pretending to be an older, cooler person."
5. Mark Ebenhoch was a 35-year-old military advisor working in uniform on the set of 1995's Outbreak when, he said, Spacey (who had a role in the movie) instructed one of his "harem" of young male crewmembers to solicit him for sex with Spacey, BuzzFeed reported on Nov. 3. Ebenhoch turned him down feigning disgust because he was then in the closet himself and feared repercussions for his career. "As a military adviser the last thing you'd want anyone to know is that you were gay," he told BuzzFeed.
6. Harry Dreyfuss: The son of Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss wrote a first-person column in BuzzFeed on Nov. 4 describing how Spacey groped his genitals when he was 18 and his father was in the room. Harry Dreyfuss said it happened in 2008 in London when Spacey was directing his father in a play at the Old Vic and the three were alone in Spacey's apartment rehearsing lines.
His father didn't see it, and he didn't tell him until many years later. Instead, Harry Dreyfuss, now an actor and writer in Los Angeles, told jokes about it at parties, although now he realizes there was nothing funny about it. "Kevin Spacey is a sexual predator. But I still never thought talking about it seriously was ever an option." Buzzfeed quoted Bryan Freedman, one of Spacey's lawyers, as rejecting Harry's allegation: "Let me be clear, Mr. Spacey absolutely denies the allegations."
7. Tony Montana told USA TODAY on Nov. 1 that a drunken Spacey confronted him in 2003 at a Los Angeles pub, groped his genitals and chased him into a bathroom. "He grabbed my whole package, he grabbed me hard; no one had ever done that to me," said Montana, who was then in his 30s.
8. Kris Nixon, a 20-year-old bartender from Belfast, was working at a bar Spacey frequented near the Old Vic in 2007. He told People and The Sun on Nov. 6 he was invited to a party at Spacey's London apartment; he was sitting on a sofa when Spacey sat beside him and grabbed his crotch. "He was drunk but not paralytic. I walked over to (my girlfriend) and said, 'We need to leave.' " He brushed it off as "just some drunk guy" and never reported the incident. "It was my word against his and who is going to believe me?"
Anonymous accusers:
9. Anonymous bartender: London police said on Nov. 1 it is investigating an allegation by a man, then 23, who said Spacey sexually assaulted him in 2008 after he passed out at Spacey's London home where he had gone seeking advice on his career. He left after Spacey warned him to keep quiet about it.
10. Anonymous New York artist: A former child actortold Vulture on Nov. 2 that he began a sexual relationship with Spacey in 1983 when he was 14 and Spacey was 24, and that it ended when he was 15 and after Spacey allegedly attempted to rape him. He said he believes Spacey is a "pedophile."
11. Anonymous productionassistant: CNN reported on Nov. 2 that a former production assistant on House of Cards said Spacey sexually assaulted him, putting his hand down the assistant's pants while Spacey was driving them to the Baltimore-area set during one of the show's early seasons. The assistant said the touching was non-consensual.
12. Anonymous British journalist: BuzzFeed reported on Nov. 3 that a British journalist then in his 20s interviewed Spacey for a magazine in London in the early 2000s and afterward went to a club with Spacey and some of his friends. He said Spacey repeatedly grabbed his genitals and angrily tried to block him from fleeing. The journalist realized he could not write about the encounter because it meant outing then-closeted Spacey as gay. "If I were to publish a story about Kevin Spacey sexually harassing me on the job … there's no way without making it quite clear that he likes guys," he said. The interview ran without his byline.
13. "John" told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire on Oct. 31 that Spacey tried to seduce him at his New York apartment in 1984 when he was 17. He said Spacey asked him to share his bed, but he slept on the sofa and woke up with the actor's arms around him. He said he didn't believe anything sexual took place, but added, "I was uncomfortable at best, traumatized at worst."
14. Heather Unruh's son: The former Boston TV news anchor held a press conference Nov. 8 in Boston to accuse Spacey of groping the genitals of her then-18-year-old son in a bar on Nantucket, Mass., in July 2016. Unruh said her son filed a report on the allegation with police and "a criminal investigation has been opened," though police said they could not confirm or deny that due to state law. If confirmed, his case would be the first under police investigation in America. And as the most recent, it could potentially lead to criminal charges.
15. Andy Holtmzan: In 1981, the NYU grad was working at The Public Theater in New York when Spacey, then 22 and an up-and-coming actor with a minor role in their production of Henry IV, Part 1, committed what he termed a "wordless assault." Holtzman told USA TODAY he was on a phone call when Spacey began his attack.
"Within minutes, wordlessly, he was up and all over me," Holtzman, now a 64-year-old marketing consultant, recalled. "The aggression was certainly more than a grope. When I was finally able to push him off and scream (at him), he theatrically stepped back, incredibly angry, grabbed his coat and bag, stormed out and slammed the door."
Holtzman said the encounter, which happened when he was 27, left him more stunned than traumatized. He was gay and comfortable with his sexuality but said he wasn't interested in Spacey, who was then in the closet. He couldn't fathom why the actor would do such a thing to him and then react the way he did when he was rebuffed.
"It was the look on his face that was really shocking and then scary," Holtzman said. "The anger was undeserved. If you ask for something and get a no, then I can understand the anger, but you ask for nothing and then try to take everything? Where is that anger coming from?"
If you have ever experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct while working in the entertainment industry, we'd like to hear from you. Send us a secure tip using the instructions at newstips.usatoday.com.


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At the DC International Wine and Food Festival, I made sure to stop by the New Zealand Wine Growers table. I had the chance to free style taste some of their selections at the Wine Blogger Conference, but I only made it through a few there as my palate was just plain tuckered out by that point in the day. So I was excited to see them again, and am pleased to be attending their regional tasting at the end of March.
2008 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc: Gooseberry, grapefruit, citrus, very nice.
2008 Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc: Green pepper, gooseberry, very sitrus, herbal notes.
2008 Giesen Three Brothers Sauvignon Blanc: Peach, citrus, gooseberries, very tart, nice tropical notes.
2008 Brancott Reserve Sauvignon Blanc: Lemon, citrus, grass, crisp, nicely done.
2007 Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc: Bright, floral, tropical, pear, lemon, crisp, tongue tingly.
2007 Staete Landt Pinot Gris: Pear, lemon, honey, apple, light.
2004 Vinoptima Gewurztraminer: Lychee, apricot, white peach, grassy, hay, honey.
2007 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir: Cherry cola, flowers, violets, cherry, raspberry, vanilla, very light, easy to drink.
2006 Brancott Reserve Pinot Noir: Earth, Coke, raspberry, cherry, bright fruit.
2005 Wither Hills Pinot Noir: Chocolate, berries, red fruit, sweet, cherry, raspberry, really nice in the mouth.
Filed under: DC International Wine and Food Festival, New Zealand, Wine |


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Mall owners, including Simon Property Group Inc. and General Growth Properties Inc., have been moving on from struggling retail centers as the economic rebound drives them to focus on the best-performing markets.
A $94 million loan on a South Dakota mall owned by Indianapolis-based Simon, the largest U.S. real estate investment trust, was transferred last month to a special servicer, which negotiates with landlords on behalf of bondholders. General Growth had three malls with loan-workout firms in the third quarter, and Glimcher Realty Trust Realty Trust handed over a loan on a mall in its hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to a special servicer in October.
Mall landlords were the second-best-performing U.S. REIT group last year, gaining 26 percent, even as the delinquency rate for retail properties remains close to the April 2011 peak, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The operators are focusing on the most lucrative markets, while turning to special servicers or even giving properties back to lenders in a sign that some shopping centers may never fully recover from the real estate crash.
"There are some tired malls out there that shouldn't exist and won't exist in a few years," said Ryan Severino, a senior economist at Reis Inc., a New York-based real estate data company. "It's very difficult to bounce back. Very difficult."
Troubled properties—which are often older and in less-populated areas—are being left out of a rebound spurred by improved store performance. Retail sales climbed 5.2 percent last year, the Commerce Department reported on Jan. 15.
Mall companies were the best-performing REIT industry group in 2012 after industrial and warehouse owners, whose shares gained 27 percent.
General Growth gained 36 percent in 2012, making it the second-best performer in the nine-member index. The company's funds from operations rose 8.8 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, to $231 million. The measure is a gauge of cash flow used by REITs.
The Chicago-based company is focusing on properties that generate the highest sales per square foot for tenants and deciding whether to sell lower-quality centers, CEO Sandeep Mathrani said on a Nov. 1 conference call with analysts.
"We want to own and operate high-quality regional malls in the best markets," he said. "We've been very focused on identifying opportunities to acquire assets that fit within this strategy, and also to identify and ultimately dispose of those assets we consider non-core that do not fit our long-term plans."
General Growth had three malls in special servicing in the third quarter: West Oaks in Ocoee, Fla., Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville, Fla., and Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta, according to a supplemental filing on the company's website.
Simon reported that funds from operations jumped 19 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, to $720 million. The company, which owned or had stakes in 329 properties as of Jan. 11, had a 23-percent stock gain in 2012.
The loan on Simon's Rushmore Mall in Rapid City, S.D., was packaged into a bond and sold as a commercial-mortgage-backed security. It was transferred to a special servicer Dec. 11, according to Fitch Ratings. The 830,000- square-foot center was built in 1978 and renovated in 1993, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Simon acquired full ownership after a multiple-property swap with its partner on the mall, Macerich Co., Simon said in February.
The mall had an appraised value of $117.5 million in 2006 as the commercial-property market peaked, and was appraised at $45 million in September 2011, less than half the amount owed on it, the data show. The occupancy rate for the mall was about 87 percent in the third quarter, down from 96 percent at the end of 2011, according to a regulatory filing. CWCapital Asset Management is the special servicer for the debt.
Michael Goodwin, a spokesman for CWCapital, declined to comment on its mall loans in special servicing. Les Morris, a Simon spokesman, also declined to comment.
"There are still malls that are underwater," Rich Moore, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Solon, Ohio, said, referring to properties worth less than what's owed on them. "Just because the economy is better doesn't change that."
The rate of U.S. retail properties with debt payments 60 days or more late was 6.56 percent last month, little changed from a year earlier and close to the 6.91 percent rate in April 2011, the highest in Bloomberg CMBS data going back more than five years.
The biggest reason properties go into special servicing is because the value of the property is lower than the amount of the loan, said Cedrik Lachance, an analyst with Green Street Advisors Inc. in Newport Beach, Calif. When that happens, the landlord doesn't have as much incentive to put money into the real estate and is likely to hand it over to the lender. More often than not, the property is put up for sale after going into special servicing, he said.
West Oaks was sold for $15.9 million to West Oaks Mall FL LLC, which has a Las Vegas address, on Nov. 21, according to a quit-claim deed filed in Orange County, Fla. The buyers won the property in an auction conducted by CWCapital, which agreed to forgive the debt owed by General Growth in exchange for proceeds from the sale, said Steven Maksin, a principal of the group that bought the property.
"It's going to take some time to turn the mall around," said Maksin, CEO of Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC. "It's a great asset, well located."
Investors in the bonds backed by the West Oaks loan lost $50 million with the sale, according to a Dec. 26 report by Standard & Poor's.
David Keating, a spokesman for General Growth, said in an e-mail that the company no longer owns West Oaks, and declined to comment on Southlake and Regency Square.
Other mall REITs are looking to sell their lower-quality malls to improve the quality of their portfolios, Nathan Isbee, an analyst with Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in Baltimore, wrote in a Jan. 7 note. Macerich, for example, has started marketing 17 lower-quality malls in secondary markets, he said. Thomas O'Hern, chief financial officer at Santa Monica, Calif.-based Macerich, didn't return telephone calls seeking comment on possible sales.
Malls that are No. 2 or 3 in their markets and haven't been renovated recently aren't performing as well as those with upscale stores or dining and entertainment attractions, Craig Guttenplan, a REIT analyst at CreditSights Inc. in London, said. When the economy was stronger, retail spending was high enough to support more malls, Guttenplan said.
"Lower-quality malls are going to languish until consumer spending ramps up across the board," he said.
Glimcher had the loan on its 1 million-square-foot Eastland Mall in Columbus transferred to special servicer LNR Partners so it could work out a restructuring of the debt, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The loan balance is about $41 million.
Glimcher is in talks with LNR and exploring its options, Karen Bailey, a Glimcher spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.
The mall, with tenants including J.C. Penney Co., was 74-percent occupied at the end of October, Bloomberg data show. The property is located near other malls and has vacancies in its anchor space, according to Lachance.
"It doesn't have the greatest of competitive positions," Lachance said in a telephone interview. "It's a mall that's reasonably productive at this point, but its competitive position is eroding."
Malls can go from being valuable to being worth next to nothing if occupancies decline with the loss of retailers that help draw customers, Lachance said.
"As vacancies start to mount, the problems really multiply themselves," he said. "It might be a benefit for the company to send the keys back rather than help the mall over time."


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While tablet computers have been seen by many as an expensive executive toy, there is mounting evidence that they can also save money.
This time it's in the form of a pilot project which saw UK members of parliament using iPads for official business, and saving thousands of pounds as a result, mainly on the cost of printing paper documents for committee meetings.
As a result, the parliamentary administration committee has recommended that tablet computers be provided to all 650 members of parliament as part of their IT equipment allowance. A ruling whether to go ahead with the scheme will take place later.
iPads also appear to provide value for money when compared to the cost of buying the laptops for MPs, as Joan Miller, head of parliamentary ICT told a recent conference, saying "Even if I replace iPads twice a year, it's cheaper than our encrypted laptops".
But there are caveats to the claim that thousands can be saved by giving MPs iPads: the savings were calculated by comparing the costs saved on printing to the cost of purchasing each iPad.
What that figure didn't include was the monthly cost providing mobile data to the iPads and the expense of in-house IT teams managing and supporting the devices.
That's a pretty big omission – iPad data plans alone range in price from anything between about £7.50 per month for 1GB of data to £20.99 per month for 3GB of data – £4,875 per month or £13,643 per month if multiplied by the Commons' 650 MPs.
Still, the argument for giving politicians iPads extend beyond savings – it's also about more efficient ways of working.
Sir Alan Haselhurst, chairman of the parliamentary administration committee told TechRepublic: "Our conclusion is that it [the iPad] provided an effective and practical way of working. You don't have to handle large amounts of paper, you can carry the device with you so it enables you because of its portability to work on it in many different circumstances."
Haselhurst argues that as parliament shifts to issuing more documents electronically rather than on paper that MPs are going to need a tablet device "in order to do their work".
Momentum is building behind corporate tablet rollouts as the devices demonstrate their business benefits: for example the global charitable health foundation the Wellcome Trust, has trialled the use of 130 iPads as a way of running paperless committee meetings.
However, whether in the midst of economic gloom, how the general public will welcome the sight of politicians touting shiny iPads remains to be seen.


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My first memory of any Tom Clancy work was when my parents went to see The Hunt for Red October in the movie theater. My parents didn't go to the movies very often—only when there was something they really wanted to see, like a movie adaptation of a book they'd read. I didn't have any idea what the movie was about, and I didn't ask. I assumed it was something along the lines of leaves turning red in the fall.
Fast forward to junior high, when I picked up and read The Hunt for Red October. I quickly discovered it was not about the color of autumn trees after all. I had entered the world of Jack Ryan, and I loved it. Fortunately for me, my parents had several other Tom Clancy novels waiting on the bookshelf for me to read, and he kept writing new ones. I can still vaguely remember devouring one of his books, all 700-some pages, in a single day during a Christmas break.
Growing up, we normally waiting for the paperback to come out before we purchased a book. Tom Clancy novels became exceptions. They were purchased in hardcover during the first Costco trip after the book's release. Then my mom, dad, and I fought over who got to read it first. Eventually, a younger sister and younger brothers got in line for the books too.
At some point, my parents purchased The Hunt for Red October on VHS. (Or maybe they borrowed it from someone, and then bought it after they saw how much we liked it?) I watched it on a Friday night. I wanted to watch it again the next night. And the next weekend. It was like I'd gone back to that phase most toddlers go through when they watch the same movie over and over again until everyone in the house except them hates the movie. Joining me in most viewings was my younger sister. Years later, she bought a copy of The Hunt for Red October for me, just because, even though we were both college students and neither of us had much of a budget for gifts.
I still recall one teenage birthday when my dad (normally not the parent in charge of birthday presents) brought out a copy of Clear and Present Danger (the movie version) for me before I even headed off to school. It's another movie I've watched over and over again. Then, when I married my husband and we combined our movie collections, it turned out we had a single duplicate: The Hunt for Red October. We still have both copies.
I gave Tom Clancy novels up when I went to college. I knew I'd have a hard time putting one of his novels down and focusing on homework, so I didn't even pick one up. And for some reason, I haven't gone back. But that doesn't mean I've stopped admiring him as a storyteller.
I wouldn't say I outgrew Tom Clancy. I just outgrew that phase of life where I could spend an entire day doing nothing but reading. Now, as a writer, I admire what he was able to accomplish and his ability to reach so many readers.
Thank you, Tom Clancy, for hours of entertainment. Thank you for providing my family with dinnertime conversation and dozens of shared literary and cinematic experiences. Thank you for proving that people from any occupation can write. Thank you for writing scenes that have inspired parts of my novels. You'll be missed, and your works will long be remembered, in my family, and in the homes of millions of readers all over the world.
Do you have a favorite Tom Clancy novel or Tom Clancy movie? A favorite scene? A favorite memory involving one of his works? Please share.


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About Us
River Ridge wants to provide you with a place that you will be proud to bring your family and friends. We have the best fishing in East Texas. Many years ago rivers got a bad rap because of the dumping of waste by big companies. Times have changed and we are proud to be located on the Sabine River where the water runs clean and the fish taste great. We hope you will check us out and maybe enjoy some of our paradise. Looking forward to seeing you soon. We are located about 45 minutes from the casinos in Bossier City, Louisiana. After you catch your fish you might want to try your luck and eat a nice meal.
SABINE RIVER is the upper part of Toledo Bend Reservoir in East Texas. It is located 12 miles south of Carthage, Texas on Hwy 699 which is about 40 miles south of Longview, Texas and 60 miles west of Shreveport, Louisiana. Several species of bass, crappie, channel, blue and flathead catfish are all in abundance. Sabine River is ideal for year-round fishing. River Ridge has been featured on "The Texas Angler" outdoor show for 3 years. The 6 lb. line class world record white bass was caught by Keith Warren ("The Texas Angler") here in 1996. Also Ed Snyder, Editor of the Lakecaster Magazine, caught the 2 lb. line class world record white bass here. It is common to catch white bass that weigh over 3 lbs. Some weigh 4 lbs and better. The Sabine River State Record white crappie was caught here February 26, 2000.
River Body Records
while fishing with Jane
Ben Cornelius-white bass
|Jane Gallenbach-crappie
2.40 lbs.-March 1, 2007
Suzanne Lang-hybrid yellow bass


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Smile For Me
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Annual Compliances For LLP
In Balaghat
We are experts who know how to make the work as painless and seamless as possible for you.File Annual Compliance now
Why we need to do annual compliance for Limited Liability Partnership?
Form 11 for Annual Return and Form 8 for Statement of Accounts are required to be filed for Annual compliances.
Form LLP 11 to be filed within 60 days from the closure of financial year and LLP has to close its financial year on 31st March, so last date for LLP to file Annual Return is 30th May and Form LLP 8 within 30 days from the end of 6 months of such financial year, so the due date to file form 8 for the financial year is 30th October.
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Documents Required For Annual Compliances For LLP
- Bank Statements from 1 April to 31 March for all bank accounts in the name of LLP
- Credit Card Statements if Expenses are incurred by Partners on behalf on LLP
- Invoices of Purchases and Sales during the year
- Invoices of expenses incurred during the year
- Copy of GST returns filed
- Copy of TDS Challans Deposited
- Copy of TDS Returns filed
Save money on filing your annual compliance, have a word with experts and get it done now.Lets talk
Persons, who subscribed to the "Incorporation Document" at the time of incorporation of LLP, shall be partners of LLP. Subsequent to incorporation, new partners can be admitted in the LLP as per conditions and requirements of LLP Agreement.
Every partner shall inform the LLP of any change in his name or address within a period of fifteen days of such change. The LLP, in turn, would be under obligation to file such details with the Registrar within thirty days of such change.
A person may cease to be a partner in accordance with the agreement or in the absence of agreement, by giving 30 days notice to the other partners. A person shall also cease to be a partner of a limited liability partnership- (a) on his death or dissolution of the limited liability partnership; or (b) if he is declared to be of unsound mind by a competent court; or (c) if he has applied to be adjudged as an insolvent or declared as an insolvent. Notice is required to be given to ROC when a person becomes or ceases to be partner or for any change in partners.
An LLP shall be under obligation to maintain annual accounts reflecting true and fair view of its state of affairs. A "Statement of Accounts and Solvency" in prescribed form shall be filed by every LLP with the Registrar every year.
Audit of LLPs shall be mandatory. However a more simplified compliance regime for small LLPs is being proposed by exempting such LLPs from the requirement of audit by exemption through notification by the Central Government.
Every LLP would be required to file with ROC, every year, an Annual Return, contents of which would be prescribed under rules.
The following documents/information will be available for inspection by any person:- · Incorporation document, · Names of partners and changes, if any, made therein, · Statement of Account and Solvency · Annual Return The manner and fees for such inspection shall be prescribed in the rules.
Provisions of clauses 60 to 62 of the Act provide for the manner in which compromises or arrangements including mergers and amalgamations involving LLPs shall be allowed.
It is proposed to provide the provisions and procedures required to be complied with when the affairs of an LLP are to be wound-up and dissolved, by enabling the Central Government to make rules under the LLP Act, 2008.
Other services on mycorporation in Balaghat
Private Limited Company Registration in Balaghat
One Person Company Registration in Balaghat
Public Limited Company Registration in Balaghat
Limited Liability Partnership Registration in Balaghat
Proprietorship Registration in Balaghat
Partnership Registration in Balaghat


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The True Woman
This is a 17th-century French engraving entitled The True Woman. Although its author and its circulation to the public in general is not precisely known, engravings such as this one were ever more popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the power of the newly-invented printing press to reach the masses became apparent. Engravings are another tool that helps historians gauge common views and attitudes held in the early modern period, when the majority of the population remained illiterate and pictures were really worth more than a thousand words. Although the picture speaks for itself, the engraving includes a poem, intended to drive home the picture's message:
This horrible double-headed monster,
Passing, does it not frighten you?
However, o great beast,
Your two sides are often one.
Consider this infamous monster,
Who does not hear any reason,
You will see that it is woman,
Who is an Angel in Church and a devil at home.
Both the engraving and the words are representative of the common belief in early modern Europe that women had a double nature, being simultaneously angels and demons. The depiction also reveals a second contemporary concern: one's inability to tell from outer appearances a person's inner nature. Such concerns were echoed in the period's witchcraft craze, in which fear of women's potential power to disrupt peace and order manifested itself in violent attacks against them.
This source is a part of the Women in the Early Modern World, 1500-1800 teaching module.
The True Woman. Seventeenth-century engraving. In A History of Women: Renaissance and Enlightenment Paradoxes, Davis and Farge, eds. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1993.


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As rising interest rates make it more expensive for people to buy homes, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Monday that the Federal Housing Administration is reducing the insurance premiums people pay monthly on FHA mortgages.
The annual premium that people will pay is dropping 25 basis points — from 0.85 percent of the value of the mortgage to 0.60 percent. The change goes into effect for people who refinance mortgages or buy homes with FHA loans on or after Jan. 27.
The reduction will save the average borrower who gets a 30-year fixed-rate $200,000 mortgage about $500 a year, the FHA said. About 1 million borrowers will save money on mortgage payments, reducing costs about half a billion next year, said HUD Secretary Julian Castro in a conference call with journalists.
"I don't think it matters one way or another because it's a minimal reduction," said Mike Drews, immediate past president of Illinois Realtors. "I don't see it making people jump on the bandwagon now."
Yet he noted that FHA loans have been crucial to first-time homebuyers since the 2008 housing crash made it difficult for young purchasers to get mortgages with low down payments.
Under FHA rules, people can get mortgages if they are able to come up with a 3.5 percent down payment. That's more manageable for many young homebuyers than accumulating the 20 percent down payment banks may require for conventional mortgages. FHA loans also are available to people with lower credit scores than banks typically require for conventional loans.
Homebuyers with jobs and minimal debt may be able to get an FHA loan with credit scores as low as 580 under FHA rules, although banks may have more stringent requirements before granting FHA loans. About 20 percent of mortgages are FHA loans.
The FHA has been easing requirements on the mortgages it insures since last year when it reduced annual premiums it charges borrowers by a half a percent. The reductions follow a period after the housing crash in which HUD repeatedly increased the premiums people were required to pay for FHA loans as it tried to bolster its reserves amid massive mortgage defaults. Premiums increased about 150 percent.
Reductions can be made now because the FHA's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund has recovered, said Castro. In a news release, FHA said the fund has gained $44 billion in value since 2012. The recovery has made this the second consecutive year since 2008 that FHA's reserve rate exceeded the level required by law.
The new premiums of 0.60 percent are close to the 0.55 percent FHA used to charge on 30-year mortgages before the housing crash in 2008, according to the FHA. Besides the annual premiums, borrowers are charged a one-time upfront 1.75 percent fee for FHA loans.
Twitter @gailmarksjarvis


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This past weekend we said good-bye to summer and welcomed autumn with open arms. Autumn is one of the most beautiful times to head out and visit your favorite hiking trails. There are the bright colors of foliage to experience, crisp chill air to breath and plenty of other exciting adventures to look forward to on the trail. To celebrate the arrival of the fall hiking season, we have compiled a list of the most popular packs from Osprey, Gregory and Black Diamond to help you find the perfect pack.Gregory's Miwok 22 Pack is a great option for your next day hike. It's small enough to not weigh you down, weighing only 1lb unpacked, and big enough to take your lunch and extra layers with you. Another great option is Osprey's Manta Hydration packs; which range in size from 20-30L packs. This pack will be sure to keep you hydrated on the trail with the Osprey/Nalgene reservoir. It is taste and odor free, BPA and PVC free, and contains the AquaGuard anti-microbial formula to prevent bacteria and mold.
Need a little more pack for your hike? Weight is definitely important when hiking those longer trails that may take you a bit longer to complete. Terra Nova offers some of the lightest and most dependable backpacks on the market. There is the Terra Nova Laser 20L Elite pack, which weighs only 210 grams and is packed with features like side compression cords and dual hip belt pockets. With a price of $50.00, this pack is hard to beat!
Gregory also offers up some great lightweight trustworthy packs. The Fury 40 is a great pack that was just recently redesigned for 2012 and is perfect for the minimalist hiker looking to shed weight but not functionality. The pack is equipped with dual tool/axe/trekking pole attachments, cross hydration tube retainer and kinetic FTS suspension among other unique features.
For your longer hikes that will require more gear, there are a variety of packs from Osprey, Gregory and Black Diamond to accompany you on your adventure. The Black Diamond Infinity 60 pack is a stylish and comfortable backcountry option. It is described by Black Diamond as "all about comfort and mobility in a big package, blending the volume of a traditional lightweight backpack with the latest in superior design and technology." The pack is hydration compatible and holds up to 45 lbs.
The Palisade 80 from Gregory is another reliable option that is packed full of features. It's perfect for your next extended hike and can carry all the gear you need, without weighing you down. It is equipped with Gregory's Response™ CFS Suspension, a generous front pocket, and hideaway water bottle pocket. Not to mention the quick-adjust 5-point angle waistbelt adjustment.
How are women specific backpacks beneficial to the female hiker? There are a variety of benefits including a special molded back panel that is designed specifically for a woman's shape and the torso dimensions are usually more narrow and shorter.
Some of MPGear's most popular woman's specific packs include Osprey's Ariel series, Gregory's Deva 70 and Black Diamond's Flare pack.
Now you can choose the perfect pack for your next autumn hike and enjoy the outdoors in style and comfort!


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One of three people charged in the shooting near the Detroit Princess Riverboat last summer pleaded to a minor charge, and two others face upcoming trial dates.
Michael A. Thomas, 32, of Roseville, was sentenced in March to two years probation with the first six months in the Wayne County Jail after pleading no contest to assault with a dangerous weapon in exchange for dismissal of an assault and battery charge.
Thomas was accused of slapping and striking a woman with an object on the boat, igniting a fight that led to the shooting and wounding of six people Aug. 6 along the river in downtown Detroit.
Thomas around the time of the shooting also was caught selling cocaine in Warren. He was convicted by plea of three counts of delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and two counts of attempting the same offense and was sentenced Nov. 27 by Judge Diane Druzinski of Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens to one to 20 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Thomas' wife, Latoiya Mitchell-Thomas, 29, faces the most charges in connection with the shooting as she is accused of firing shots into a crowd. Charged with six counts of attempted murder, six counts of two lesser included charges and two weapons charges, she faces a May 6 jury trial in front of Judge Megan Maher-Brennan in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit.
Mitchell-Thomas retrieved a gun from her parked vehicle and fired shots into a crowd after the altercation on board, police say.
Thomas was struck in the back by a bullet that police say was fired from the crowd by Ladon Richard, 46, of Detroit, who is a relative of the woman struck by Thomas. Richard is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of two lesser included charges as well as reckless discharge of a weapon causing injury and felony firearm.
Richard's attorney, James Galen, however, says his client never pulled out a gun and never fired a shot. He said Thomas was struck by a bullet fired by his wife.
'We're not interested in a plea deal of any kind,' Galen said. 'My client maintains her innocence and will take it to trial.'
Richard, who is free after posting 10 percent of a $100,000 bond, faces a separate June 24 jury trial in front of Maher-Brennan.
Galen said he plans to file motions in the case prior to an April 26 pretrial.


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In the beginning, God created heaven and earth and the Ferrari. And then he created Ferruccio Lamborghini, a man convinced he could have done a better job of just about all of it.
Ferruccio is long gone, but Lamborghini management, under the watchful eye of Audi, carries the same conviction. Though we've parked the Ferrari F12 and Lamborghini Aventador tail-to-tail for photography near Modena Cathedral, the Ferrari might as well feature a cloaking device for the attention it's getting.
If you told the assembled throng that the Ferrari was light-years better to drive, do you think they'd listen? Do you think they'd care? Like it or not, where supercars are concerned, visual punch is just as important as the force that pushes the Ferrari north of 211 mph and the Lamborghini almost 6 mph past that.
Staring at these two machines in the heat of an Italian summer, it's easy to forget that when Lamborghini began making cars 50 years ago, its first model was an awkward riff on Ferrari themes. The sensational Miura that followed changed everything. For more than 20 years, from the moment Ferrari's mid-engine Boxer replaced its front-engine Daytona in 1973, the two firms' range-toppers battled with their engines behind the driver. Because they handled more like race cars? Maybe. Because they resembled them, more likely.
Then, in the 1990s, Ferrari's new boss, Luca di Montezemolo, called time on the madness. He declared that Ferraris should be as drivable as Honda Civics and returned the horse to the front of the cart. Twenty miles to the north, Lamborghini told any wavering customers to grow some coglioni and carried on as before.
Which brings us to today, to a 1430-hp thrash through the Emilia-Romagna countryside in the front-engine Ferrari F12 and mid-engine Lamborghini Aventador. A wild ride that'll have us feted like celebrities, feeling like F1 stars, and stranded at the side of the road. As different as these cars might seem, they're undeniably rivals. If you're fortunate enough to have $400,000 burning a hole in the Bemberg-lined pocket of your hand-tailored pants, you simply can't consider one without the other.
I watch R&T Web Editor Alex Kierstein contemplate the impending popping of his Lamborghini cherry as he eyes the Aventador's 335-millimeter rear Pirellis outside the marque's Sant'Agata factory. This car is textbook Lamborghini: low, wide, angular. And expensive, at $404,195. Just looking at the thing is intimidating.
Dropping beneath the trademark scissor door and over the broad sill isn't as hard as it looks. Alex certainly isn't impressed with the Aventador's plastic door pull, which feels like it was swiped from a Korean compact, but the huge digital instruments, which switch from speedo to tach at the push of a button, appeal to the tech geek in all of us. And to anyone who's driven the Aventador's predecessor, the Murciélago—a car whose front seats favored those with rickets—the seat-wheel-pedal relationship is a revelation. The nav system might be borrowed from a $30,000 Audi A4, but that only means it's a cinch to use. We set our destination as Via Abetone Inferiore, lift the slightly tacky console cover over the starter button, and point the nose south.
It's a 40-minute drive to Ferrari's Maranello home along narrow two-lanes flanked by flat fields. For a country responsible for so many of the world's greatest cars and fashion houses, Italy's roads, like those in the rest of southern Europe, are almost bereft of interesting vehicles. Cars here are like the mules they replaced, mere tools to move people around. Even before the current economic downturn, price and practicality beat style and speed.
The boxy minivans filling the roads might be slow, but there are so many of them that you rarely get a chance to pass, even with 700 hp. So you exploit every half-chance, giving the huge left-hand shift paddle a few taps before letting the V-12 breathe.
This is, believe it or not, a new engine. With the death of the Murciélago, Lamborghini finally retired the V-12 it had been honing since the marque's 1960s inception. The new twelve displaces a mere 2 cc more, but the engine's internal dimensions are radically different, the near-square bore-and-stroke geometry swapped for measurements that make the cylinders look like pie plates. The old engine was gruff, if effective. But the new one positively zings, soaring beyond 8000 rpm before you have to call for another ratio from its seven-speed automated manual.
The gearbox is a vicious thing, one clutch and an infinite amount of refinement short of the Ferrari's. Shifts in Strada and Sport modes are predictably ponderous, but Corsa, the angriest setting, bangs cogs home like a Top Fuel car leaving the line. Subtlety isn't the Aventador's strong suit.
Little wonder, then, that when we arrive at Ferrari's factory, we're met with strict instructions to keep the Lamborghini outside the hallowed gates. So we park across the street, near the gift shop, and immediately cause commotion. Sales of cheap, branded pens and gauche footwear take a nosedive as the store empties and the car is swarmed. We try to look nonchalant as we flail over that sill—getting out is harder than getting in; should have practiced—lock up, and head for reception.
Knowing I had driven an Aventador before, Lamborghini simply tossed us the keys and left us to it. Knowing I hadn't driven the F12, Ferrari lays on a personal, info-heavy engineering briefing. We get the usual propaganda about carbon being reserved for Ferrari's most exclusive cars because it costs big money to do right; aluminum, they claim, is a more practical material to repair and often no heavier in execution. We hear about the latest magnetorheological dampers, which can react in five milliseconds. And we're shown a graph comparing the response of the F12's 6.3-liter V-12 with that of an unnamed 12-cylinder rival. I wonder what car that could be?
Penance served, we're finally handed the keys. After the theater of the Lamborghini, the $323,338 F12 ought to be a visual disappointment. In the conventional sense, I suppose it is, but not if you really care about cars. This isn't a beautiful Ferrari, but few are. And it's a happier result than the company's four-seat FF.
It sounds cliché, but standing next to the F12, it's hard not to appreciate how successfully it marries the needs of both engineering and style. Most obvious is the so-called Aero Bridge on each fender, which takes air passing over the hood and directs it down the car's flanks. From some angles, it's artful shadows; from others, the fender just has a brutal hole in it. All told, Ferrari says the F12 produces over 270 pounds of downforce at 125 mph, up 76 percent over the 599 GTB it replaces. How much of that is due to the fact that the car's rear apron looks like the toe of a massive camel? No one says.
Dull roads and traffic meant our journey between the two supercar camps was hardly the stuff of dreams. But a few miles southwest of Maranello, shortly after the F12's dash displays the comforting words "electrical system failure," the scenery changes dramatically. After heading east through Castelvetro di Modena and Vignola, we turn south, tracking the rock-lined Fiume Panaro into the spine of hills that separate supercar valley from Italy's western coast. And good supercars from mere transportation.
Dynamically, you'd expect the Lamborghini to have the edge. Constructed around a central carbon monocoque, its drivetrain is longitudinal, 180 degrees from the mid-engine norm. The gearbox tucks under the center tunnel, a practice Lambo established with the Countach, to keep the car's center of mass close to its geometric middle. But the Ferrari's front-engine, rear-transaxle layout, pioneered on the 1964 275 GTB, means its 46/54 front/rear weight distribution isn't far off the Aventador's 43/57.
Worse still, the Aventador is down on power, though not by much. Both V-12s produce peak power at 8250 rpm; 700 hp in the case of the 6498-cc Lamborghini, 730 hp for the 6262-cc Ferrari. Both also output 509 lb-ft of twist, the Aventador's arriving at 5500 rpm, 500 rpm sooner than with the F12. As you'd expect, these are gut-wrenchingly rapid machines. In the best supercar tradition, this is more performance than any sane man could possibly justify in a road car.
Four-wheel-drive traction gives the Lambo a physical, but also psychological, edge off the line. An Aventador we previously tested demolished the 0-to-60 sprint in just 2.7 seconds. Ferrari loaned us an F12 on the condition that we wouldn't measure its performance, but the factory claims the car takes three seconds flat to reach the same speed. Three barely perceptible tenths from the seat; a lifetime on paper. Still, that's far from the whole story. Both these cars gallop past 100 mph in well under 10 seconds; the difference between them is epic hair-splitting. No matter how you slice it, they each offer astonishing performance and sound incredible.
The F12's engine is derived from the V-12 in Ferrari's FF, but it's fortified with an absurd 13.5:1 compression ratio and trick manifolds, the combined results giving an extra 79 hp. It delivers monster power everywhere and a shriek that feels like it could flay the skin from your bones. But that's nothing compared with the response. This thing picks up revs as if it had a nickel for a flywheel, and it slices through the seven gears of its dual-clutch transmission as if they were made of air.
That lack-of-inertia feeling pervades the F12 experience. You muscle the Aventador around, its weighty steering and stiff structure giving confidence that the Ferrari initially fails to impart. The F12's steering feels too light and quick at first, seemingly eager to embarrass you into ham-fisted corrections. But then it clicks. You relax your grip on the wheel, make more measured inputs, and learn that, despite its lightness of touch, the steering is no less talkative than the Lambo's.
Each car tells you that it has plenty of grip, but both offer a healthy serving of understeer before doing anything nasty. The difference is in how the Ferrari gives you options. With enough space, the Lambo can be coaxed into a slide, but you'd be coaxed into a rear-fastening cardigan if you tried it on the road. Choose neat, choose to live. The F12 also does neat, that razor-sharp steering dissecting mile after mile of tarmac with ruthless efficiency. Or you can do what we did and hurl the thing around like a $1500 Miata.
You tread the line between grip and slip in the Lamborghini as if you're hiking across the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. In the Ferrari, you flick a steering-wheel dial from Sport to Race and keep going until you hear three little beeps signaling the stability control's retirement, as if you were dialing up an extra degree on the climate control. And while the Lamborghini's fixed-rate dampers don't have the compliance to deal with anything less than a perfectly smooth road, in the Ferrari, you can reach for the adjustable-damper button on the steering wheel and carry on at maximum attack. Time to stop? The F12's standard carbon-ceramics are easier to modulate, particularly in light braking situations. Ferrari says this fully trimmed grand tourer laps its Fiorano circuit one second quicker than the track-ready 599 GTO and two ticks sooner than its entry-level 458.
Ravaging these mountain roads is joyous but tiring, even from the comfort of a cabin a Miura driver could only dream about. And it's not just the driver getting hot and bothered. The cars are, too. The Ferrari might have faltered with its dashboard warnings, but the Lamborghini throws in the towel first, telling us there's a fault with its engine start/stop system. It has the stop bit nailed. Start is proving more troublesome.
By the time Lamborghini's engineers have come out and charged the battery (apparently drained by all our stops with the lights on), we're tired enough that we head back to our hotel. Both cars are nearly out of gas, and Italy's 1950s mentality toward 24-hour service stations (24 hours per week), means we cruise home as efficiently as possible. I turn the Ferrari down to Sport mode, hit the wheel-mounted button to mellow the dampers, and lope back to Modena like I'm driving a fat Mercedes. Behind me, the Lambo's xenons bounce around like lasers at a warehouse party as the car hopscotches over rough pavement.
We spend the following day where you joined us, keeping our lensman happy by prowling the streets of old Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari. The center of the old town is off-limits to regular traffic, but the police are sufficiently smitten to turn a blind eye and even pose for portraits. Photos with the Aventador, anyway. Everyone wants to know if they can have a picture with the Lamborghini. At least that's what I think they're asking, because from the driver's seat, I can't hear a thing over the radiator fans struggling to keep the V-12 cool. Forget chatting up that pretty girl in the next lane—it sounds like there's a live airboat in the rear wheel wells.
But who needs words when design can be so verbose? The Lamborghini is the modern embodiment of the 1970s supercar concept. It looks, sounds, and accelerates just the way your 12-year-old self thought a supercar should. There's an element of public service about owning an Aventador. Watching the faces of the people you pass, you become convinced that you're giving something to the community. In that sense, the F12—more usable, more engaging, more satisfying—is a selfish purchase, despite its hatchback and huge trunk. Somewhere between the two, the perfect V-12 supercar is waiting to be built.
Until that happens, our money would buy the Ferrari. Be honest with yourself about what you want from a supercar, and picking your own winner is easy.
|2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
|2013 Ferrari F12Berlinetta
|mid, longitudinal
|front, longitudinal
|naturally aspirated
|naturally aspirated
|aluminum block and heads
|aluminum block and heads
|DOHC, 48 valves
|DOHC, 48 valves
|6498 cc
|6262 cc
|BORE x STROKE
|95.0 x 76.4 mm
|94.0 x 75.2 mm
|700 hp @ 8250 rpm
|730 hp @ 8250 rpm
|509 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm
|509 lb-ft @ 6000 rpm
|8250 rpm
|8500 rpm
|7-speed automated manual
|7-speed dual-clutch automatic
|carbon fiber and aluminum
|carbon fiber and aluminum
|188.2/79.9/44.8 in
|181.8/76.5/50.1 in
|106.3 in
|107.1 in
|67.8/66.9 in
|65.6/63.7 in
|5.3 ft3
|11.3 ft3
|DRAG COEFFICIENT x FRONTAL AREA
|0.33 x 20.5 ft2
|0.30 x 22.2 ft2
|control arms
|control arms
|control arms
|15.7-in vented carbon-ceramic rotors, 6-piston fixed calipers
|15.7-in vented carbon-ceramic rotors, 6-piston fixed calipers
|15.0-in vented carbon-ceramic rotors, 4-piston fixed calipers
|14.2-in vented carbon-ceramic rotors, 4-piston fixed calipers
|Pirelli P Zero
|Michelin Pilot Super Sport
|3795 lb
|3594 lb
|5.4 lb/hp
|4.9 lb/hp
|11/18 mpg
|12/16 mpg
|3.0 (mfr)
|8.3 (mfr)
|217 mph (mfr)
|211 mph (mfr)


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Most of our family's traditions come from my family. I think that's because I'm the girl. But our New Year's Tradition comes from my husband. It's quite simple, and I'd like to share it with you. And I will even add, Try This At Home, for good measure.
On the stroke of midnight,
Open the back door –
to force out all the BAD luck.
Open the front door —
to let in the GOOD luck.
The rest is optional, but we always:
- Drink a toast to the New Year.
- Kiss anyone who happens to be nearby – especially Cooper the dog who might not be there to kiss next year. (I wrote and posted this for New Years Eve 2011/12, and Cooper is still with us for 2012/13!)
- Hope for all the best for all we care about in the New Year.
This year I will of course add to family and flesh friends a wish the happiest, healthiest of new years to all my blogging buddies.
Happy New Year – may your good luck always be stronger than your bad.
Yup, this is a re-tread. I will probably post it next year, too.
Last year, when I posted this tradition, some of my bloggin' buddies worried that they weren't going to be home — that their doors would not be available at midnight. That they were at a party, or at someone else's house ("Hey," some said, "we don't want to give THEM all the good luck!").
If you are out when the ball drops, or traveling or your own personal doors are unavailable to you, you have my official permission to improvise. You can do this at Midnight in your own home; in somebody else's, in a hotel — wherever. Or you can wait and carry out the tradition when you get home, after you have put down your suitcase and relaxed a minute. There is no expiration date/time stamp on it.
Traditions are what you make of them, after all.
Happy New Year!


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Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with 64-year-old Diana Nyad about her record breaking swim from Cuba to Florida.
Tune in at 11 p.m. ET on September 2, 2013 for Dr. Gupta's special report: "Diana Nyad: Xtreme Dream Come True."
Post by: Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Filed under: Anderson Cooper
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


text:
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott had a rude return to his home state early Thursday morning, but emerged from a car-moose collision uninjured.
According to Lt. David Rackliffe of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, Wescott, the winner of Olympic snowboard cross competitions in 2006 and 2010, was at the wheel of his 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan on Route 16 in Dallas Plantation when it struck the moose shortly after 1 a.m.
"It did roughly $3,000 to $4,000 worth of damage," Rackliffe said. "It appears that the moose actually ran into him."
Rackliffe said the moose ran into the woods after running into the passenger side of the Eurovan. Wescott was uninjured and was able to drive the vehicle the rest of the way to his home in Carrabassett Valley, Rackliffe said.
Wescott lamented the crash in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday.
"Welcome home to Maine. Now here is a moose in your windshield to mess up your night," Wescott wrote. "Home safe but it looks like the Eurovan is gonna have an insurance vacation at the VW garage. Damn it."
Rackliffe said Wescott's accident continues a busy summer of car-moose crashes in Franklin County.
"We actually did a couple of press releases on that [situation earlier this summer]," Rackliffe said. "From mid-June through mid-July, between us and state police who cover northern Franklin County, we documented more than 22 car-moose crashes in that roughly 30-day period."
While there are plenty of moose in western Maine, Rackliffe termed the rash of crashes "extraordinarily high."


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As noted previously, I'm traveling. This is a repost from January, 2010. Thanks for reading.
Can there possibly be a greater American juxtaposition: Portland, Maine to Las Vegas, Nevada? But then Las Vegas (I feel weird calling it Vegas, we're not that close) makes for a stark comparison to most any other place.
I had to go, yes, had to go, to Las Vegas to attend to some last-minute–and unexpected–business. This was my third time in that city. The first visit, I think six or seven years ago, was particularly weird. My daughter, Allie, and I had been climbing in Joshua Tree, dirt-bagging it, tearing our knuckles on those famous cracks, getting sunburned and thriving a pitch off the deck. Good stuff. Camp fire at night. Great stuff.
Carole and Jeff (I think Tim was in Michigan, at camp) flew out and met us in Sin City. Allie and I drove out of the desert, still dirty and thrilled at the great climbing, and into the evening glow of Las Vegas. As we pulled into town she looked at me like we'd just landed on a moon of Jupiter. "Las Vegas is weird," she said.
In 1968 Joan Didion wrote Slouching Towards Bethlehem. In an essay called "Marrying Absurd" she wrote: "Las Vegas is the most extreme and allegorical of American settlements, bizarre and beautiful in its venality and in its devotion to immediate gratification…" That was a long time ago. But it still rings true. Las Vegas is an event seeking participants.
This time, a few years older and knowing what to expect, it is, well, still weird. There are some places that feel right. And some that don't. More people than not, I think, find Las Vegas right. Not me. But I revel in contrariness. Maine feels right. Every other place seems by degrees a little weird from home. Some places more than a little.


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Address by President Kennedy at The American University, Washington, D.C., June 10,
1963[]I have . . . chosen this time and this place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too
often abounds and the truth is too rarely perceived-yet it is the most important topic on
earth: world peace.What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced
on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the
slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth
living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better
life for their children-not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women,
not merely peace in our time but peace for all time. .First: Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is
impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads
to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by
forces we cannot control.We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade; therefore they can be solved by
man. And man can be as big as be wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human
beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable, and we believe
they can do it again.I am not referring to the absolute, infinite concept of universal peace and good will
of which some fantasies and fanatics dream. I do not deny the values of hopes and dreams,
but we merely invite discouragement and incredulity by making that our only and immediate
goal.Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden
revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions - on a series
of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned.
There is no single, simple key to this peace, no grand or magic formula to be adopted by
one or two powers. Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many
acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new
generation. For peace is a process, a way of solving problems.With such a peace there will still be quarrels and conflicting interests, as there are
within families and nations. World peace, like community peace, does not require that each
man love his neighbor; it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance,
submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement. . . .Second: Let us reexamine our attitude toward the Soviet Union.No government or social system is so evil that its people must be considered as lacking
in virtue. As Americans we find communism profoundly repugnant as a negation of personal
freedom and dignity. But we can still hail the Russian people for their many
achievements-in science and space, in economic and industrial growth, in culture and in
acts of courage.Among the many traits the peoples of our two countries have in common, none is stronger
than our mutual abhorrence of war. Almost unique among the major world powers, we have
never been at war with each other. And no nation in the history of battle ever suffered
more than the Soviet Union suffered in the course of the Second World War. . . .Today, should total war ever break out again-no matter how-our two countries would
become the primary targets. It is an ironical but accurate fact that the two strongest
powers are the two in the most danger of devastation. All we have built, all we have
worked for, would be destroyed in the first 24 hours. And even in the cold war, which
brings burdens and dangers to so many countries - including this nation's closest allies -
our two countries bear the heaviest burdens. For we are both devoting massive sums of
money to weapons that could be better devoted to combating ignorance, poverty, and
disease. We are both caught up in a vicious and dangerous cycle in which suspicion on one
side breeds suspicion on the other and new weapons beget counter-weapons.In short, both the United States and its allies, and the Soviet Union and its allies,
have a mutually deep interest in a just and genuine peace and in halting the arms race.
Agreements to this end arc in the interests of the Soviet Union as well as ours, and even
the most hostile nations can be relied upon to accept and keep those treaty obligations,
and only those treaty obligations, which are in their own interest. . . .Third: Let us reexamine our attitude toward the cold war, remembering that we are not
engaged in a debate, seeking to pile up debating points. We are not here distributing
blame or pointing the finger of judgment. We must deal with the world as it is and not as
it might have been bad the history of the last 18 years been different. . . .Speaking of other nations, I wish to make one point clear. We are bound to many nations
by alliances. Those alliances exist because our concern and theirs substantially overlap.
Our commitment to defend Western Europe and West Berlin, for example, stands undiminished
because of the identity of our vital interests. The United States will make no deal with
the Soviet Union at the expense of other nations and other peoples, not merely because
they are our partners but also because their interests and ours converge.Our interests converge, however, not only in defending the frontiers of freedom but in
pursuing the paths of peace. It is our hope-and the purpose of Allied policies-to convince
the Soviet Union that she, too, should let each nation choose its own future, so long as
that choice does not interfere with the choices of others. The Communist drive to impose
their political and economic system on others is the primary cause of world tension today.
For there can be no doubt that, if all nations could refrain from interfering in the
self-determination of others, the peace would be much more assured. . . .I am taking this opportunity . . . to announce two important decisions . . .First: Chairman Khrushchev, Prime Minister Macmillan, and I have agreed that high-level
discussions will shortly begin in Moscow looking toward early agreement on a comprehensive
test ban treaty. Our hopes must be tempered with the caution of history, but with our
hopes go the hopes of all mankind.Second: To make clear our good faith and solemn convictions on the matter, I now
declare that the United States does not propose to conduct nuclear tests in the atmosphere
so long as other states do not do so. We will not be the first to resume. Such a
declaration is no substitute for a formal binding treaty, but I hope it will help us
achieve one. Nor would such a treaty be a substitute for disarmament, but I hope it will
help us achieve it.Finally, my fellow Americans, let us examine our attitude toward peace and freedom here
at home. The quality and spirit of our own society must justify and support our efforts
abroad. . . .It is the responsibility of the executive branch at all levels of government -local,
State, and national-to provide and protect that freedom for all of our citizens by all
means within their authority. It is the responsibility of the legislative branch at all
levels, wherever that authority is not now adequate, to make it adequate. And it is the
responsibility of all citizens in all sections of this country to respect the rights of
all others and to respect the law of the land. . . .While we proceed to safeguard our national interests, let us also safeguard human
interests. And the elimination of war and arms is clearly in the interest of both. No
treaty, however much it may be to the advantage of all, however tightly it may be worded,
can provide absolute security against the risks of deception and evasion. But it can, if
it is sufficiently effective in its enforcement and if it is sufficiently in the interests
of its signers, offer far more security and far fewer risks than an unabated,
uncontrolled, unpredictable arms race.The United States, as the world knows, will never start a war. We do not want a war. We
do not now expect a war. This generation of Americans has already had enough - more than
enough-of war and hate and oppression. We shall be prepared if others wish it. We shall be
alert to try to stop it. But we shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the
weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of
its success. Confident and unafraid, we labor on-not toward a strategv of annihilation but
toward a strategy of peace.
Source:from The Department of State Bulletin, XLIX, No. 1253 (July 1, 1963), pp. 2-6.
This text is part of the Internet
Modern History Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and
copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern European and World history.
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright.
Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational
purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No
permission is granted for commercial use of the Sourcebook.
© Paul Halsall, July 1998
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet
Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at
the Fordham University Center
for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the
Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in
providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not
the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.
© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 20 March 2023 [CV]


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At a party once, Jesus was asked if he were a leg man or a tit man. The answer is neither. He's a LEGO man. Well, to be honest, he's all three, but rather like faith, hope and charity, the greatest of my husband's loves is LEGO. I'm not bitter. The colorful, benippled bricks have just been around rather longer than I have. That's not to say LEGO has never caused problems in our relationship. When it did, though, I came up with the following 10-point solution to cope.
To tell the truth, I was once as bewitched by the bricks as he is. We had a massive box at home, a hangover from when my brother, older than me by 11 years, was the snot-nosed kid of the house. (Well, I say massive, but it was barely Yoda-sized compared to J's Millennium Falcon box of LucasTricks.) When I inherited the snot-nosed kid mantle, my brother having moved on to smoking dope and listening to Pink Floyd, I also inherited the LEGO.
And I loved it, back in the days when I was too small to see my father's eyes roll when I begged him to help me make a LEGO pony. How fickle I was back then, however, and eventually lost interest—after all, there are only so many minimalist box-shaped houses you can make with a handful of hereditary LEGO. (I abandoned it for an Eagle-Eye Action Man I'd found, but even that obsession only lasted a few months, once I realized I couldn't get his plastic shorts off with my teeth, a knife or even the help of the dog.)
Point is, I was not fully unaware of the issues when I married a LEGO maniac. I wouldn't go as far as Lady Di did when she said there were three people in her marriage, but there was a point over Christmas when the whole LEGO thing became a bit of a nightmare. (It might have had something to do with the fact that we had become obsessive 24 watchers, and so, unconsciously, every time we saw the Millennium Falcon box, we could hear that bloody clock ticking down.) The pressure was unspeakable, from colleagues and commenters alike. Reader, I must confess that I threw one of the boxes on the floor, mixing up piles of bricks that he had spent hours sorting out.
The look in Jesus' eyes. You may say baleful, but I see your baleful and I raise you pure, unadulterated, naked hurt. A lot of humble pie was eaten that night. I vowed to change, so I came up with a ten-point plan with which to sink my irrational plastic jealousy. Here it is:
1. Have a Spare Room
A man needs a shed—a place his tools can call home, and where he can potter about in undisturbed for hours and hours. Since we're still waiting for LEGO to bring out its life-sized LEGO Shed kit (estimated completion time 4-6 weeks), J keeps the bricks to his Millennium Falcon in the spare room. If we have friends to stay, the boxes are placed reverently on the floor of the office, until the room is vacant again. Blam can attest to this, as he found some LEGO under his pillow when he came to stay in February.
2. Keep the Dog in Plastic Chew Toys
I haven't yet noticed primary colored bricks in the dog's poop, but when I do, I know that we need to go to the pet store again. And if Jesus notices, it'll be time to get a new dog. Joke.
3. Never Hoover
Now, this rule I absolutely love. I have also glued LEGO bricks and mini-figs to the ironing board, the washing-up gloves and the family silver.
4. Always Wear Shoes In the House
Have you ever stepped on a LEGO brick? I know a guy who had to go to hospital to have one of those little one-row brickettes removed from the ball of his foot after he stood on it by mistake. I think you know him too—he writes for Gizmodo.
5. Vote Denmark During Eurovision
I believe there is a trip to the LEGO factory in Denmark coming up in June. Did I want to accompany him, he asked me tenderly months ago? What, and stand in the way of a man and his first love? Feel like a gooseberry as he fingers and fondles the bricks in the factory? No, no, no, no, nonononononononono. No. NO. But do I tell him I don't want to go and get nipple marks on my fingers from obsessive brickplay? Of course not. Anyway, someone has to look after the dog.
6. Regular Visits to the Local Toy Shop
"Have you got that one? Thought so. And that one. Oh look! It's a singing Freddie Mercury doll. Now why don't they do a Freddie Mercury LEGO? Or Bowie? Yeah, come on then, let's go inside."
7. Never Write a LEGO Post for Giz
I value my marriage above all things.
8. Laugh Every Time He Makes You Watch the "Death By Tray" LEGO Skit
This is not exactly a hardship, as Eddie Izzard is funny as fuck. Jesus did actually manage to recite the whole skit when he was drunk in a taxi a few weeks ago. The long, 4am journey home was, believe it or not, alleviated by a slurred version of "Jeff Vader? Runs the Death Star?"
9. Agree That the World Would Be Better If Totally Made of LEGO
How simple life would be. A couple of tiles came off your roof? Buy them from the LEGO store, then go up a ladder and clip them back on again. Kids, we're going to build a swimming pool this weekend. A leaky one, but still, a swimming pool. No, honestly. Imagine, if the world was made out of LEGO you would just be able to unclip rogue states from the globe and dismantle them before putting them back in the cupboard, and then the world would just be a safer place. And what if everyone's hands were shaped like those of the LEGO figures? Well, you wouldn't get any work done, for a start.
10. Try to Relate and Even Join In
Just after his Millennium Falcon arrived, J bought a TIE Fighter LEGO set. "It's for you," he said. "You can do that while I assemble the Falcon." A month later, I had to go back to Britain for a long weekend, and when I came back, I found the TIE Fighter sitting, assembled on his desk. "Oy, I was meant to do that," I said. Jesus shrugged. "I missed you. And I was bored," he replied.
So, there you have it. While it may not be as life-changing as AA or NA's 12-Point Plan, my LEGO-acceptance program keeps us on the straight and narrow. And I know you're all wondering when Jesus is going to present his newly-clicked Millennium Falcon to the world, well, hell, so am I. However, I think he needs an incentive. Any ideas?


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The Tron Xbox 360 controllers look amazing, and make you feel like you're a real cool dude with Olivia Wilde sitting next to you. Not a bad deal for $50.
Everything feels like it should, with the sticks having just the right amount of resistance to feel good, but not too loose. The triggers might be slightly plasticky feeling, but it's too early to tell without spending a few hours shooting things. Buttons definitely feel good.
Only wish: Wireless please. [PDP]


text:
Electric Office Equipment Safety
- Do not place electric cords under floor covering, where they can be walked on or damage can go unnoticed.
- Check for cords that are broken, frayed, damaged or tied in knots, or that have melted insulation. Have them repaired or replaced promptly.
- Use extension cords with three-pronged plugs for office equipment requiring grounding.
- Insert and remove plugs by grasping the plug. Pulling on the cord could damage it. Be careful not to let fingers touch the metal prongs.
- Do not overload an outlet with too much office equipment.
- Put safety covers over unused electric outlets. This is particularly important if you have children visiting your office. Never let children play around outlets.
Electric Heaters
It is important to keep all materials that can burn away from heating sources.
- Do not hang clothes to dry on or near your heater or heating vent.
- Avoid placing office furniture close to heaters.
- Use only office equipment with the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) symbol. This symbol shows that the product has been safety-tested.
Electricity and Water
Electricity and water can be a lethal combination. If electrical equipment falls into a sink of water or you touch electrical equipment with wet hands or while standing in water, you risk severe electric shock and possibly death.
- Never use radios (except small battery-powered ones), TVs or hair dryers near sinks or toilets.
- Always dry your hands before touching electrical equipment.


text:
Ala. Troopers Getting AR-15 Rifles
Alabama state troopers are joining a growing number of law enforcement agencies adding weapons to match the firepower of criminals.
Department of Public Safety Director Mike Coppage said Monday his department has bought 100 AR-15s and could buy more. Eventually, he said, he''d like all 330 patrol troopers to be armed with the semi-automatic civilian version of the U.S. military''s M-16.
"One of the problems we have is we''re in so many predominantly rural areas and we''re seeing an increase in the type of weapons the bad guys have - AR-15s and AK-47s," Coppage said. "We''d like to give the troopers an equal chance."
A number of agencies across the nation are making the move toward the weapons. The Birmingham Police Department is in the midst of a battle with Mayor Bernard Kincaid over whether to allow city patrol officers to carry semi-automatic rifles.
Three Birmingham officers - Harley Chisholm, Rob Bennett and Carlos Owen- were shot to death in June with a semi-automatic SKS rifle. The officers were armed with handguns.
Kincaid has said he''s dedicated to giving the police department the best equipment possible but that he''s still unsure if that should include high-powered rifles.
Coppage said he''s aware of the controversy in Birmingham. "I think it has a lot to do with the political climate there," he said. "A faction still thinks the police are the bad people."
But the move toward the rifles, he said, is a natural progression.
"Law enforcement has always been adapting to changes in weapons," he said. "Way back when, as the bad guys started getting bigger guns, police changed" from .38-caliber, six-shot revolvers to 9 mm semi-automatic pistols with higher capacity.
"Realistically, what you have to look at is changing times," said Coppage, a former Birmingham police chief.
Coppage said he''s considered purchasing the rifles for some time. Using federal grant money through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, he bought the guns in November.
The department tried out several kinds before deciding on the .223-caliber AR-15s. That is the same cartridge used by the U.S. military in the M-16, the fully automatic version of the AR-15.
Weapons are available that can be tailored to a department''s needs, such as rifles with cartridges with shorter ranges to use in urban areas.
The department is still drafting its carry-and-use policy. While many departments require officers to carry the rifles in their trunks, Coppage is considering a fixed mount inside trooper patrol cruisers.
Coppage said he hopes to start training in February or March.
"The biggest problem we''re having is finding the ammunition," he said. "With the conflict in Iraq, it''s hard to come by."
Coppage said it just makes sense for the troopers to carry the weapons. In the more rural areas, it could be too late by the time tactical teams arrived for backup with their high-powered rifles.
In one incident, he said, troopers were called to back up a sheriff''s department. They were still half a mile away when they came under fire.
"We can show without question," he said, "the bad guys are more heavily armed."


text:
Today's News: Our Take - Did a Wheel of Fortune Contestant Lose Unfairly?
We'd like to buy a do-over, Pat.
There's no nice way to say it: A Wheel of Fortune contestant got royally screwed on Wednesday's show, losing thousands of dollars because she failed to enunciate the "g" at the end of "swimming."
Check out the 15 best TV shows of 2012
Presented with the puzzle "SE_EN S_ _NS A-S_ _MM _NG" under the clue "Living Things," the contestant, Renee, correctly guessed "Seven Swans A-Swimming." Only problem? She pronounced it "Seven Swans A-Swimmin'," causing host Pat Sajak to tell her she was incorrect and move on to the next contestant.
"Yeah ... can't accept that," Sajak tells her, over the applause of audience members who clearly think Renee has solved the puzzle. "Amy, it's your turn."
Amy, the next contestant, then chooses a V and a W before she's forced to solve the puzzle because all of the remaining letters are vowels. She offers the same response as Renee did seconds earler, but makes sure to emphasize the "G" sound.
After congratulating Amy, Sajak asks, "Do you know what happened there?"
"No, I thought she did it," a baffled Amy responds.
Sajak goes on to explain to Amy (and a pursed-lipped Renee) that Renee incorrectly used "the vernacular" in her guess.
Watch the video below. Do you think the ruling was fair?
View original Did a Wheel of Fortune Contestant Lose Unfairly? at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


text:
Attentiveness is the
natural prayer of the soul.
Pay attention, there is
no time to rush.
Martha in the Morning
1. Martha out my window
2. My Loop
3. Bringing Kelly to work.
4. Grethe waiting for her kiss.
5. My new baggy yoga pants.
Comments are closed.
~I invite you
to stand in AWE
of the glorious
1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for.
Notice the Trance
We all do it—switch to autopilot when life gets busy. We forget about what matters. We no longer see the mystery. We start to live small.
It's time to wake up to your life!
Come play with me!
Start to pay attention to the simple gifts in your life. Write them down!
I like to call them my
5 Grate Things
No matter how hard the day, you can always come up with something!
Grate tip:
Try not to repeat yourself...
dig for the good stuff and uncover the magic!
"You wander from room to room, hunting for the diamond necklace that is already around your neck." ~Rumi
October 2022


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These Hundreds Charts produce colored worksheets where you may control the format. You may select the number set to be either 1 through 100 or 0 through 99.
You may produce a fully filled in chart or one that is partially filled in.
1 through 100
0 through 99
5 percent
10 percent
20 percent
25 percent
30 percent
40 percent
50 percent
60 percent
70 percent
75 percent
80 percent
90 percent
95 percent
99 percent
of the numbers blank for the student to fill in.
You may enter a message or special instruction that will appear on the bottom left corner
of the Hundreds Chart.
Include Hundreds Chart Answer Page
Now you are ready to create your Hundreds Chart by pressing the Create Button.


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A concise overview of India's fastest growing building solutions provider.
A brief introduction to those who are instrumental in the company's operational excellence.
A glimpse into the philosophy and values the company runs on.
Most trusted company for roofing solutions since 1934.
Providing Boards and Panels with complete quality assurance.
Offering Pre-Engineered Steel Building solutions for fast and strong construction.
An overview of the financial highlights of the company.
A detailed summary of the Financial Shareholders.
A look into disclosures under statutory enactments.
Read more about the latest Newsletter.
Get an in-depth insight into the latest happenings and events.
We provide building products and building solutions for commercial, industrial and residential sectors in over 25 countries. In India, we distribute our products across 1,00,000 villages and 600 cities.