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Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
Chapter 13 Dependents and Survivors Benefits
Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors
Death Gratuity Payment
Military services provide payment, called a death gratuity, in the amount of $100,000 to the next of kin of Servicemembers who die while on active duty (including those who die within 120 days of separation) as a result of service-connected injury or illness.
If there is no surviving spouse or child, then parents or siblings designated as next of kin by the Servicemember may be provided the payment. The payment is made by the last military command of the deceased. If the beneficiary is not paid automatically, application may be made to the military service concerned.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
For a survivor to be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), one of the following must have directly caused or contributed to the Veteran's death:
- A disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty while on active duty or active duty for training.
- An injury, heart attack, cardiac arrest, or stroke incurred or aggravated in the line of duty while on inactive duty for training.
- A service-connected disability or a condition directly related to a service-connected disability.
DIC also may be paid to certain survivors of Veterans who were totally disabled from service-connected conditions at the time of death, even though their service-connected disabilities did not cause their deaths. The survivor qualifies if the Veteran was:
- Continuously rated totally disabled for a period of 10 years immediately preceding death; or
- Continuously rated totally disabled from the date of military discharge and for at least 5 years immediately preceding death; or
- A former POW who was continuously rated totally disabled for a period of at least on a year immediately preceding death.
Payments will be offset by any amount received from judicial proceedings brought on by the Veteran's death. When the surviving spouse is eligible for payments under the military's Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), only the amount of SBP greater than DIC is payable. If DIC is greater than SBP, only DIC is payable. The Veteran's discharge must have been under conditions other than dishonorable.
Payments for Deaths After Jan. 1, 1993:
Surviving spouses of Veterans who died on or after Jan. 1, 1993, receive a basic rate, plus additional payments for dependent children, for the aid and attendance of another person if they are patients in a nursing home or require the regular assistance of another person, or if they are permanently housebound.
Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits
Surviving spouses who are eligible for DIC or survivors pension may also be eligible for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits. They may apply for these benefits by writing to their VA regional office. They should include copies of any evidence, preferably a report from 2014 Survivors Pension Rates an attending physician or a nursing home, validating the need for aid and attendance or housebound care. The report should contain sufficient detail to determine whether there is disease or injury producing physical or mental impairment, loss of coordination, or conditions affecting the ability to dress and undress, to feed oneself, to attend to sanitary needs, and to keep oneself ordinarily clean and presentable. In addition, it is necessary to determine whether the surviving spouse is confined to the home or immediate premises.
|Recipient of Pension
|Maximum Annual Rate
|Surviving spouse
|(With dependent child)
|Permanently housebound
|(With dependent child)
|Needs regular aid & attendance
|(With dependent child)
|Each additional dependent child
|Pension for each surviving child
Special Allowances
Add $261.87 if the Veteran was totally disabled eight continuous years prior to death. Add $266 if there are dependent children under age 18 for the initial two years of entitlement for DIC awards commencing on or after Jan. 1, 2005.
Payments for Deaths Prior to Jan. 1, 1993: Surviving spouses of Veterans who died prior to Jan. 1, 1993, receive an amount based Parents' DIC: VA provides an income-based monthly benefit to the surviving parent(s) of a Servicemember or Veteran whose death was service-related.
When countable income exceeds the limit set by law, no benefits are payable. The spouse's income must also be included if living with a spouse.
A spouse may be the other parent of the deceased Veteran, or a spouse from remarriage. Unreimbursed medical expenses may be used to reduce countable income. Benefit rates and income limits change annually.
Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors:
Survivors of Veterans who died of service-connected causes incurred or aggravated prior to Aug. 13, 1981, may be eligible for a special benefit payable in addition to any other benefits to which the family may be entitled. The amount of the benefit is based on information provided by the Social Security Administration.
Survivors Pension
VA provides pension benefits to qualifying surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of deceased Veterans with wartime service.
To be eligible, spouses must not have remarried (with an exception that remarriage of surviving spouse terminated prior to Nov. 1, 1990), and children must be under age 18, or under age 23 if attending a VA-approved school, or have become permanently incapable of self- support because of disability before age 18. Surviving spouses and children must have qualifying income.
The Veteran must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable and must have had 90 days or more of active military service, at least one day of which was during a period of war, or a service-connected disability justifying discharge. Longer periods of service may be required for Veterans who entered active duty on or after Sept. 8, 1980, or Oct. 16, 1981, if an officer. If the Veteran died in service but not in the line of duty, survivors pension may be payable if the Veteran completed at least two years of honorable service.>
Children who become incapable of self-support because of a disability before age 18 may be eligible for survivors pension as long as the condition exists, unless the child marries or the child's income exceeds the applicable limit.
Survivors pension provides a monthly payment to bring an eligible person's income to a level established by law. The payment is reduced by the annual income from other sources such as Social Security. The payment may be increased if the recipient has unreimbursed medical expenses that can be deducted from countable income.
Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits
Surviving spouses who are eligible for VA survivors pension are eligible for a higher maximum pension rate if they qualify for aid and attendance or housebound benefits. An eligible individual may qualify if he or she requires the regular aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required for everyday living, or is bedridden, a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, blind, or permanently and substantially confined to his/her immediate premises because of a disability.
Surviving spouses who are ineligible for basic survivors pension based on annual income may still be eligible for survivors pension if they are eligible for aid and attendance or housebound benefits because a higher income limit applies. In addition, unreimbursed medical expenses for nursing-home or home-health care may be used to reduce countable annual income, which may result in a higher pension benefit.
To apply for aid and attendance or housebound benefits, write to a VA regional office. Please include copies of any evidence, preferably a report from an attending physician or a nursing home, validating the need for aid and attendance or housebound type care. The report should contain sufficient detail to determine whether there is disease or injury producing physical or mental impairment, loss of coordination, or conditions affecting the ability to dress and undress, to feed oneself, to attend to sanitary needs, and to keep oneself ordinarily clean and presentable. In addition, it is necessary to determine whether the claimant is confined to the home or immediate premises.
Survivors' & Dependents' Educational Assistance Eligibility:
VA provides educational assistance to qualifying dependents as follows:
- The spouse or child of a Servicemember or Veteran who either died of a service-connected disability, or who has permanent and total service-connected disability, or who died while such a disability existed.
- The spouse or child of a Servicemember listed for more than 90 days as currently Missing in Action (MIA), captured in the line of duty by a hostile force, or detained or interned by a foreign government or power.
- The spouse or child of a Servicemember who is hospitalized or receives outpatient care or treatment for a disability that is determined to be totally and permanently disabling, incurred or aggravated due to active duty, and for which the service member is likely to be discharged from military service.
Surviving spouses lose eligibility if they remarry before age 57 or are living with another person who has been recognized publicly as their spouse. They can regain eligibility if their remarriage ends by death or divorce or if they cease living with the person. Dependent children do not lose eligibility if the surviving spouse remarries. Visit www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/ for more information.
Period of Eligibility:
The period of eligibility for Veterans' spouses expires 10 years from either the date they become eligible or the date of the Veteran's death. Children generally must be between the ages of 18 and 26 to receive educational benefits. VA may grant extensions to both spouses and children.
|Level I
|Level II
|Level III
|Monthly Rate
The period of eligibility for spouses of Servicemembers who died on active duty expires 20 years from the date of death. This is a change in law that became effective Dec. 10, 2004. Spouses of Servicemembers who died on active duty whose 10-year eligibility period expired before Dec. 10, 2004, now have 20 years from the date of death to use educational benefits.
Effective Oct. 10, 2008, Public Law 110-389 provides a 20-year period of eligibility for spouses of Veterans with a permanent and total service-connected disability rating effective within 3 years of release from active duty.
The payment rate effective Oct. 1, 2013, is $1,003 a month for full-time school attendance, with lesser amounts for part- time. Benefits are paid for full-time training up to 45 months or the equivalent in part-time training.
Training Available: Benefits may be awarded for pursuit of associate, bachelor, or graduate degrees at colleges and universities; independent study; cooperative training; study abroad; certificate or diploma from business, technical, or vocational schools; apprenticeships; on-the-job training programs; farm cooperative courses; and preparatory courses for tests required or used for admission to an institution of higher learning or graduate school.
Benefits for correspondence courses under certain conditions are available to spouses only. Beneficiaries without high-school degrees can pursue secondary schooling, and those with a deficiency in a subject may receive tutorial assistance if enrolled half-time or more.
Special Benefits:
Dependents over age 14 with physical or mental disabilities that impair their ability to pursue an education may receive specialized vocational or restorative training, including speech and voice correction, language retraining, lip reading, auditory training, Braille reading and writing, and similar programs. Certain disabled or surviving spouses are also eligible.
Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship:
Children of those who died in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, are potentially eligible to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Refer to Chapter 4, "Education and Training", for more details.
VA may provide counseling to help participants pursue an educational or vocational objective.
Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) Death Benefit:
VA will pay a special MGIB death benefit to a designated survivor in the event of the service-connected death of a Servicemember while on active duty or within one year after discharge or release. The deceased must either have been entitled to educational assistance under the MGIB program or a participant in the program who would have been so entitled but for the high school diploma or length-of-service requirement. The amount paid will be equal to the participant's actual military pay reduction, less any education benefits paid.
Children of Vietnam or Korean Veterans Born with Spina Bifida:
Biological children of male and female Veterans who served in Vietnam at any time during the period beginning Jan. 9, 1962, and ending May 7, 1975, or who served in or near the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) during the period beginning Sept. 1, 1967, and ending Aug. 31, 1971, born with spina bifida may be eligible for a monthly monetary allowance and vocational training if reasonably feasible. The law defines "child" as the natural child of a Vietnam Veteran, regardless of age or marital status. The child must have been conceived after the date on which the Veteran first entered the Republic of Vietnam. For more information about benefits for children with birth defects, visit www.va.gov/hac/forbeneficiaries/spina/spina.asp. A monetary allowance is paid at one of three disability levels based on the neurological manifestations that define the severity of disability: impairment of the functioning of extremities, impairment of bowel or bladder function, and impairment of intellectual functioning.
Children of Women Vietnam Veterans Born with Certain Birth Defects:
Biological children of women Veterans who served in Vietnam at any time during the period beginning on Feb. 28, 1961, and ending on May 7, 1975, may be eligible for certain benefits because of birth defects associated with the mother's service in Vietnam that resulted in a permanent physical or mental disability.
The covered birth defects do not include conditions due to family disorders, birth-related injuries, or fetal or neonatal infirmities with well-established causes. A monetary allowance is paid at one of four disability levels based on the child's degree of permanent disability.
Vocational Training:
VA provides vocational training, rehabilitation services, and employment assistance to help these children prepare for and attain suitable employment. To qualify, an applicant must be a child receiving a VA monthly allowance for spina bifida or another covered birth defect and for whom VA has determined that achievement of a vocational goal is reasonably feasible. A child may not begin vocational training before his/her 18th birthday or the date he/she completes secondary schooling, whichever comes first. Depending on need and eligibility, a child may be provided up to 24 months of full-time training with the possibility of an extension of up to 24 months if it is needed to achieve the identified employment goal.
Other Benefits for Survivors
VA Home Loan Guaranty:
A VA loan guaranty to acquire a home may be available to an unmarried spouse of a Veteran or Servicemember who died as a result of service-connected disabilities, a surviving spouse who remarries after age 57, or to a spouse of a Servicemember officially listed as MIA or who is currently a POW for more than 90 days. Spouses of those listed MIA/POW are limited to one loan. Surviving spouses of certain totally disabled Veterans, whose disability may not have been the cause of death, may also be eligible for VA loan guaranty.
"No-Fee" Passports:
"No-fee" passports are available to immediate family members (spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters) for the expressed purpose of visiting their loved one's grave or memorialization site at an American military cemetery on foreign soil. For additional information, write to the
American Battle Monuments Commission,
Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500,
2300 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201,
or telephone 703-696-6897, or visit www.abmc.gov
Burial and Memorial Benefits for Survivors:
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers several burial and memo rial benefits for eligible survivors and dependents. These benefits may include interment at a state, tribal or national Veterans cemetery, plot, marker and more. To learn more about these and other benefits please refer to Chapter 8 of this guide.


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[Part II of the author's "Conceptions of Romantic Love in Pre-Raphaelite Painting and Poetry."]
How Dante Gabriel Rossetti painted changed over time, but what he painted stayed rather consistent throughout the majority of his career — namely, individual portraiture of women and portrayals of romantic relationships. While I will focus on the latter, the two are certainly related and occasionally even overtly intertwined. In the case of either of these subjects, Rossetti painted a rather distinctive type of woman. Many of the women he painted have pouty lips, long red hair, slightly long necks, and observable power in their overall facial expressions. In this regard, Rossetti does, on some level, objectify the women he paints. Sometimes, Rossetti uses the women as means to portray some value, such as in Lady Lilith, who gazing into a mirror with a powerful pose is an obvious representation of vanity. And in this case, as well as in many other cases with far less obvious symbolism, Rossetti paints in a manner which clearly expresses a certain adoration and love for the female form and its beauty, and some of his portrayals have little reason to exist other than this adoration. Moreover, Rossetti paints these women in a fairly distinctive manner. Women in Rossetti's painting almost always have an obvious and flourishing sensuality. While a viewer can appreciate the form itself from afar, Rossetti paints in such a way that touch seems pervasive, and sex never seems far behind. If women are objects in Rossetti's paintings, they are often sexualized objects.
Nonetheless, despite the obvious sensuality and sexuality inherent in Rossetti's painting, his portrayals of romantic love offer something else, which allows a viewer a reaction often more subtle and touching. Certainly Rossetti's paintings on one level glorify beauty, but beauty, though necessary, does not seem sufficient for romantic love. Rossetti creates a spiritualized vision of romantic love which goes beyond a simple, one-sided adoration of beauty. The paintings imply a deeper connection between the lovers — on some emotional or spiritual, if not mental, level — that brings them together, that drives the passion of their feelings, and that causes the grief which occurs while apart.
Left: Paulo and Francesca by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Right: Beata Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
[Click on thumbnails for larger images.]
Rossetti's Paulo and Francesca is fine portrayal of romantic love with which to begin. This watercolor takes its story from Canto V of Dante's Inferno (Wood, p. 26). Rossetti narrates this story using a triptych, which traditionally has been a format for religious painting. Here however, Rossetti uses a literary source with obvious religious influence, but centers the painting on a specific pair of lovers and what happens to them. Rossetti leaves the viewer not with a religious painting, but more a sort of secularized spirituality. On the left side, Paulo and Francesca kiss and embrace. In the center, Dante and Virgil compassionately watch over the tragic circumstances of the lovers in which they die together. On the right side, Paulo and Francesca float eternally, in each other's arms, through hell (Wood, p. 26). And despite the implied tragedy, and despite the religious implications of their souls floating through hell, Rossetti's rendition emphasizes above all the relationship, the love between the couple. The painting emits a definite warmth, as the two side panels (which are unusually large for side panels) both show the lovers in their embrace. If Rossetti wanted to emphasize the tragedy, he could have painted their death. Instead, Rossetti nearly glosses over this part of the story and leads us to think more of the beautiful sentiment of being in the embrace of a lover without end.
A quick and helpful comparison is to Rossetti's own The Blessed Damozel, a considerably later painting. In this painting, a woman leans on the edge of Heaven, with flowers and angels around her. Despite being in Heaven, she can only think about her lover and times with him, while he lies on Earth thinking of her at the same time. In this painting, Rossetti completely usurps the religious notion of Heaven in order to emphasize the grief of separated love, suggesting, once again, that he values romantic love over religious notions. Paulo and Francesca seem altogether content in their tragic fate when compared to the obvious dissatisfaction of the damozel and her lover. Apparently, being in Heaven would not be enough, Rossetti suggests in this painting, if you are away from the one you love.
The Wedding of Saint George and the Princess Sabra by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. [Click on thumbnail for larger image.]
Another relatively early and intriguing watercolor, on the subject of romantic love, is Rossetti's The Wedding of Saint George and the Princess Sabra. Rossetti makes an especially medieval atmosphere present in the painting, aided by its decidedly flat surface. Though the painting abounds in medieval and gilded ornamentation and a great amount of little details, Rossetti focuses the composition above all on the lovers locked in an intimate embrace. Even the two women in the background, servants it would seem from their similar and relatively plain dress, look upon the lovers, who don't seem to acknowledge or care that they are looked upon. Furthermore, Christopher Wood states "the Princess Sabra is cutting off a lock of her hair, to give as a favour to Saint George" (p. 26). Before she cuts, however, the lock of her hair is already intertwined in George's armor, and it seems the two lovers themselves could hardly be more intertwined than they already are.
In its execution, The Wedding of Saint George and the Princess Sabra is exceptional, but in subject matter also, the painting distinguishes itself. Rossetti here conveys achieved, consummated love, which has an altogether different feel to it from the much more common conveyances of tragic love or unrequited love. Moreover, Rossetti paints achieved love without ulterior motives. In this regard, the painting begs comparison to somewhat similar works by other Pre-Raphaelites. Sir John Everett Millais's A Huguenot, on St. Bartholomew's Day refusing to shield himself from danger by wearing a Roman Catholic badge also has two lovers embracing, but the painting also has a clear political motive, as established by its unusually long title. William Holman Hunt's The Hireling Shepherd has two young lovers casually relaxing with one another, but the painting has an obvious and dominating moralizing element, because the shepherd should be attending to his flock instead. Rossetti's The Wedding of Saint George and the Princess Sabra, however, allows the lovers' embrace to be the subject alone and manages to convey a sense of purpose and grandeur — without need of any other motive.
Beata Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. [Click on thumbnail for larger image.]
Finally, regarding Rossetti's works conveying romantic love, his Beata Beatrix must be discussed. Rossetti once again uses Dante as a source for his painting, but he takes a more personal approach here. Beata Beatrix is predominantly a posthumous portrait of Rossetti's wife, Elizabeth Siddal (Wood, p. 96), and is arguably Rossetti's single most powerful work of art. Rossetti, in this painting, equates Siddal with Dante's love, Beatrix, while a red bird approaches her as a messenger of death (Wood, p. 96). Beatrix is enraptured, eyes-closed, almost unaware of what's happening. Meanwhile, a compass or clock separates the foreground and background, and in the background, Love and Dante gaze at each other (Wood, p. 96) as this death sequence symbolically takes place.
Beata Beatrix differs in a number of respects from Rossetti's other portraiture. Firstly, and most obviously, Beata Beatrix contains a pervasive, brilliant sense of atmosphere and mood. Due to the intense mixtures of colors, a viewer has an immediate and intense reaction, long before he or she recognizes and processes the symbolic details of the painting. Secondly, Rossetti paints this portrait of his then dead wife with far more intimacy than the large majority of his others portraits. There is no stylization as in the aforementioned Lady Lilith, and Rossetti sees no reason for his characteristic exaggeration of lips and hair and so forth. Finally, and most importantly for the concerns of this paper, Rossetti includes Dante, Beatrix's lover, in this painting. Although Dante is in the background and altogether an amorphous figure, this inclusion of the lover adds another dimension to this death scene. We realize the consequences of this death, and they are not simply a matter of beauty. The painting proves that physical beauty can and will be immortalized, but this beauty is not enough. When there is love without actual interaction, without life together, there is inevitably grief, remorse, and yearning. In this regard, Beata Beatrix summarizes Rossetti's conception of romantic love, as I interpret it.
Conceptions of Romantic Love in Pre-Raphaelite Painting and Poetry
- Introduction
- Sir Edward Burne-Jones: Painter of the Pedestal
- Christina Rossetti: Between Love of God and Love of Man
- Algernon Charles Swinburne: Love in a Meaningless, Ephemeral World
Last modified 27 June 2020

subset: commoncrawl


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Beth Kondrick (redBoobergurl on Muppet Central Forum) – I have been a Muppet fan for pretty much as long as I can remember. I don't really remember a time I didn't love the Muppets. My earliest memories are of Bert and Ernie doing "Here Fishy Fishy" on Sesame Street, and my mom says this was my favorite thing to watch when I was about two years old, so as you can see, my memories go wayyyy back as I am now a 28 year old approaching her ten year high school reunion.
Naturally, as a young Muppet lover, I had many Muppet toys. I was smart enough to hold on to several of them and have brought them here in photos for you all to see. The ones I no longer have I really wish I did, as some of them were quite…well for lack of better words, interesting! We had a family friend who crocheted a bunch of Sesame Street stuffed toys for me – I had Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover and Big Bird and they could pretty much win the Tough Pigs Ugly Toy contest! Big Bird had a beak that squeaked too. I have no idea why this person thought Big Bird's beak should squeak, my best guess is she maybe thought that Big Bird was actually Rubber Duckie or something. But this article is not about the toys I no longer have, it is about the ones I have managed to hold on to, so without further ado, here we go.
Night Night Ernie
This Ernie doll as you can see is quite loved. He was a chosen toy at nighttime for me for a number of years in my early childhood. On the surface, he's pretty cute. He's all dressed for bed in his nice footy pajamas. But uh oh, what's this? Turn him over and notice something sort of…odd when you think about it. He has a stretchy piece of fabric over his behind that you can pull down and well; we get a view of his little flat orange butt.
Yes folks that's right, I said Ernie's butt. Not something you'd really think about too much or expect from an Ernie doll right? When I was little, I just thought it was fun to pull the pocket up and down, I didn't really think much of it. But now as an adult I can't help but wonder if such a toy could even be made today! Apparently the early 80's were a much simpler time or something. Although, even then, was it really necessary? What is the point of exposing Ernie in this fashion anyway?
Now of course, the adult Muppet fan in me gets nit-picky now and also says – if this is a "Night Night Ernie" then why doesn't he have yellow pajamas with red popcorn looking shapes on it like he does on the show? He didn't wear blue footy pajamas to bed!
All joking aside, I really did love this doll a lot and again, I think that's pretty apparent by the wear and tear you can see in the picture.
Baby Grover
And here we have a cute, cuddly, furry and much loved stuffed Grover. I know what you're thinking; shouldn't he be a darker color blue? And aren't his eyes a bit too big and borderline scary looking? What's the deal?
Well, this Grover doll was actually called a "Baby Grover" doll. He had a diaper that said "Grover" on it and a little pink bonnet that ended up going to one of my baby dolls somewhere along the way. There were several others that my grandma had at her house as well – Oscar (Baby Oscar was actually quite lovable and cute), Big Bird and Cookie Monster. Somehow Grover came home with me from my grandma's one time and just never ended up back for all the other grandchildren to enjoy. I guess he preferred living with me. After all, I freed him from his diaper and baby bonnet to attempt to make him more like "Real" Grover.
I have to say, I loved this doll. He may not have looked much like "true Grover" but it was enough for me. I even wrote a story in second grade about my Grover doll coming to life after I lost him on a bike ride and how he found his way home. Yes indeed, a budding fan fiction writer in the making!
Rubber Duckie
I am sure just about every kid has had a Rubber Duckie in their life, but how many had one that was made to look like THE Rubber Duckie? I'd like to think my Rubber Duckie is pretty unique.
Rubber Duckie, much like our good friend Ernie sang about was a great bath time companion. He really did float, although mine did not squeak. In fact, though buoyant, he was surprisingly heavy and wasn't very squeezable at all.
I was asked by some friends later in life if they could borrow Rubber Duckie for a duck pond at some event and I said in horror "No! If you use him in the duck pond you'll have to deface him by putting a number underneath him! This is no ordinary Rubber Duckie!" I am sure they all thought I was crazy, but you know what, they're right and that's ok, at least I am comfortable with who I am darn it!! Um, yeah, so moving on…
Rubber Duckie remains a fixture in my parents' home, he sits on a shelf with several other smaller duckies in my mom's guest bathroom. I can't help but smile that he's on display for all to see when they visit their house.
Kung Fu Kermit
Hey, you're not Kermit! You're one of the Kung Fu Creatures on the rampage! (Reference to an episode of Garfield and Friends if you're confused).
So I got this lovely Kermit on one of my visits to Disney World about 12 years ago. I wanted a Kermit doll, I did not have one throughout my entire childhood growing up and decided my life was not complete without a Kermie. So we stopped in the store outside of Muppet Vision 3D and there was a bin full of these gems. And believe it or not – this was the best looking one.
After I got him home I realized I could not get his arms and legs to lay nice to save my life. My parents and I started joking that he looked like a Kung Fu artist. Maybe he's practicing so he can finally karate chop Piggy. Or to teach self defense to the innocent children on Sesame Street. "Good morning boys and girls, Kermit T. Frog here and I am going to talk to you today about stranger danger and how you can avoid it…"
Thankfully for my first wedding anniversary with my husband, he was generous enough to buy me a Master Replica Kermit the Frog, so Kung Fu Kermit was relegated to a box. I still get a good laugh out of him though!
Cookie Monster Koosh
So remember when Koosh balls were all the rage? Remember how Rosie O'Donnell used to propel them at her audience during her talk show back when she was considered the "queen of nice?" (Although what's up with that – the Queen of Nice shooting koosh balls at people? Oxymoron perhaps?) Well, at some point the fine makers of Koosh balls expanded their product line to include little characters from various children's shows. I am the proud owner of one such Koosh – in the form of Cookie Monster.
I have to say; I'm not sure what the point is here – a regular Koosh ball can be used for playing catch or catapulting at your studio audience. My Cookie Monster has rather hard plastic arms, legs and a head. And he's holding three plastic cookies. He's cute; the Koosh part of him is his body. But that's about it. He's just cute. I see no value in playing with a toy like this. Of course, I should probably mention here I was a teenager when I bought this so I guess I never really intended to play with him. But it's the principal of the thing.
As of today, he resides on my desk at work, kind of helps perk things up in an otherwise dismal, depressing cube.
So there you have it – a few examples of odd Muppet toys of my youth. I am sad I no longer have some of the ones I once had. In addition to the crocheted Sesame Street characters I mentioned above, I had at one time collected all of the Fraggle Rock Happy Meal toys from the late 1980's and also had some Muppet Babies Happy Meal toys as well. Those would be quite a collector's item to have now! Sometimes we just can't foresee how important something might be in the future though. I'm thankful I saved the things I did. I just might pass them on to my own children, you just never know!
The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier


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Roundup: UF soccer one win from SEC title
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The No. 10 Gators advance to the Southeastern Conference Soccer Tournament final after taking a 3-0 win over Missouri in Friday's semifinal action at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
Next up is a rematch of the 2011 SEC Tournament final, as Auburn upset No. 12 Texas A&M 2-0 in the first semifinal of the day. The Tigers defeated Florida 3-2 in the 2011 final. This will be the 14th SEC Tournament appearance for Florida (16-4-1, 11-2 SEC), which leads the league with nine tournament titles.
A 40-second span in the first half led to the Gators opening a 2-0 lead. A pass from the end line by senior All-American Erika Tymrak found sophomore Havana Solaun about eight yards above the far post. She hit a one-timer to put the Gators on the board at 18:09.
Then the pair reversed roles.
Soon after the kickoff, the Gators gained control and moved the ball into the Tiger half. Solaun, from deep in the Tiger half, sent a ball to Tymrak at the top of the box. She struck a 17-yard shot to the far post upper corner for her seventh goal of the season.
The goal was the seventh for Tymrak, moving her into a tie for the Gators' season lead with fellow senior Jo Dragotta.
Those quick goals weren't the only fireworks of the opening half. A total of six cards were handed out in the first 45 minutes, with the Tigers (14-7, 8-5 SEC) on the receiving end of five of them. Missouri head coach Bryan Blitz was ejected at 23:44 after receiving his second yellow card.
Florida pushed the lead to 3-0 in the 57th minute when a pair of All-SEC first-team selections connected on a set piece. The Gators were awarded a free kick about 27 yards above the MU goal. Dragotta's low kick was touched in by Holly King at the far post for her fifth goal of the season.
Sunday's final airs live on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m. The match can also be heard on AM-850.
Florida Splits Dual Meet with Texas A&M
SWIMMING: Florida in dual-meet action against SEC opponent Texas A&M at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The No. 1 UF men's team defeated the No. 21 Aggies 197-98, while the No. 11 UF women fell to No. 4 Texas A&M 104-196. The Gators improve to 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC on the men's side, as the women are now 1-2 overall and 1-2 in the SEC.
Florida's men saw 10 different student-athletes combine for 14 wins in the rout of the Aggies. The relay group of sophomore Christian Homer, sophomore Ricky Munch, junior Marcin Cieslak and junior Brad deBorde won the men's 200 medley relay in a time of 1:29. 57.
CROSS COUNTRY: In just his first season at the helm of the program, Florida assistant track and cross country coach Paul Spangler picked up SEC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year honors, while seven Gator runners racked up All-SEC accolades, announced by the league office Friday.
Other UF honorees include Florence Ngetich and Agata Strausa (women's All-SEC first team); Callie Cooper (women's second team); Shelby Davidson and Julie Macedo (women's all-freshman team); Mark Parrish (men's first team); and Phil Duncan (men's all-freshman team).


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It began with Eragon ...It ends with Inheritance. Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest.
Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances. The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaesia? And if so, at what cost? Featuring spectacular artwork by cult artist John Jude Palencar, this stunning book brings the bestselling Inheritance cycle to a breathtaking conclusion.
Christopher Paolini was educated at home by his parents. His abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at fifteen. He became a New York Times bestselling author at nineteen and continued the Inheritance cycle with Eldest and Brisingr. Christopher lives in Montana, USA, where the dramatic landscape fed his vision of Alagaesia.


text:
May 10, 2012
Washington, DC – May 10, 2012 – Detroit Lions Quarterback Matt Stafford and Washington Redskins Linebacker London Fletcher were featured participants at the White House Summit on Financial Capability and Empowerment today, where they joined Administration officials and local students in playing Visa's Financial Football educational video game.
At the same Summit Visa announced the launch of a free, comprehensive high school personal finance curriculum that will equip teachers with engaging financial literacy classroom lesson plans. Visa also announced its intention to provide all of its employees worldwide with financial education.
"Financial Football proves that learning the vital life skill of money management doesn't have to be boring," said Joseph W. Saunders, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Visa Inc. "I speak for every Visa employee when I say how honored we are to have our financial literacy program showcased at the White House. Ensuring Americans have the financial literacy tools they need to be successful can only happen if the private sector and government work together. Today's White House Summit is a perfect example of the kind of collaboration that delivers results."
At the White House, Stafford and Fletcher shared their personal thoughts about the importance of financial education. Following their remarks, the NFL stars coached a group of teenagers in playing the fast-paced video game projected in front of the Summit audience of 150.
"I am honored to be here at the White House and to be promoting financial capability and empowerment. It's never too young for kids to start learning the fundamentals of personal finance," said Stafford.
"I told the students at the White House that even NFL players need to make budgets and live within their means. Whether you have $1 million or $100, you have to manage that money wisely because earning it wasn't easy," said Fletcher.
Earlier in the day Stafford and Fletcher, joined by Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan, coached a similar game of Financial Football with Navy Federal Credit Union at the Pentagon for military personnel. Since 2006, Visa has reached agreements with 34 states and the District of Columbia to distribute the NFL-themed Financial Football game (www.practicalmoneyskills.com/football) to every high school in those states.
"Personal financial responsibility is something everyone needs to take seriously, and I'm proud to help spread the word here today. I look forward to welcoming Matthew back to Washington when he visits the White House as a Super Bowl Champion next year," said U.S. Rep. Gary Peters.
The new high school personal finance curriculum unveiled today, called 'The Practical Money Skills Course,' (www.practicalmoneyskills.com/course) includes 22 engaging personal finance lesson plans mapped to national financial literacy and economics standards. This free curriculum is available in print, online and for iPads as an iTextBook.
Visa is also making a new commitment today to reach all of their employees worldwide with financial education by the end of 2013. This commitment is a natural extension of Visa's robust global financial inclusion initiatives and the company's track record for being a private sector leader in financial literacy.
Visa's Practical Money Skills for Life (www.practicalmoneyskills.com) financial literacy program reaches millions of people around the world each year. Launched in 1995, the program is now available in 10 languages in 30 countries. At Practical Money Skills for Life, educators and parents can access free educational resources including personal finance articles, games, lesson plans, and more.
About Visa Inc.
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks–VisaNet–that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/about-visa/our_business.html.
Contact: email@example.com


text:
glasnost gläs´nōst [key], Soviet cultural and social policy of the late 1980s. Following his ascension to the leadership of the USSR in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev began to promote a policy of openness in public discussions about current and historical problems. The policy was termed glasnost [openness]. The brutality of the Stalin era, such as the great purges and the Katyn massacre, were acknowledged, and the corruption and stagnation of the Brezhnev era were sharply criticized. Soviet leaders became more receptive both to the media and to foreign leaders as a new period of detente opened between East and West. Gorbachev hoped that a candidness about the state of the country would accelerate his perestroika program.
See M. Gorbachev, Perestroika (1988); E. A. Hewett and V. H. Winston, ed., Milestones in Glasnost and Perestroyka (1991).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Russian, Soviet, and CIS History


text: BrianOfDenver 1,496 Report post Posted June 15, 2018 To celebrate the mega event of The Raja playing 100 spins at $1,000 per spin, we are having a contest. To enter - post below your guess of The Raja's largest jackpot while playing $1,000 spins! The Prize - The Big Jackpot Prize Pack OR $100 CASH (if the winner is a Patreon Member they win both prizes) The Rules - one guess allowed per person, no edits allowed. The closest guess to the actual amount will win your choice of prize. All entries must be posted by 7:00 PM PST on Tuesday 6/19. To win both prizes, the winning entry must be a Patreon Member in good standing who signed up prior to June 19, 2018. For more information on Patreon, please sign up here - https://www.patreon.com/thebigjackpot Prize packs may vary, above is only an example 1 The Raja reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Tagged: wrestler
A true inspiration
There are people in this world who are seemingly put here to inspire others and the Los Angeles Dodgers were fortunate enough to meet one of those people today.
Anthony Robles, the much-heralded ASU wrestler who won a national championship this year despite being born with just one leg, had a room full of tough-guy big leaguers in awe this afternoon when he spoke to them before batting practice.
This came about after Ted Lilly saw Anthony's story back in Spring Training. Anthony was not in town when we were here last month, but he was gracious enough to come by for the first game of the series and offer his inspiring words. His entire story was amazing, but you could hear a pin drop in the room when he finished his talk by reciting a poem he wrote and later read at the ESPYs.
"Every soul who comes to earth with a leg or two at birth, must wrestle his opponents knowing its not what is, but what can be that measures worth. Make it hard, just make it possible and through pain, I won't complain. My spirit is unconquerable. Fearless I will face each foe for I know I am capable. I don't care what's probable, through blood, sweat and tears I am unstoppable."
He finished his chat and nearly every player on the team came over to shake his hand or take a picture with him. It was a truly humbling moment for everyone in the room.
Given that he's now seeking to make a career as a motivational speaker, I jokingly told him afterward that it would help his cause if the Dodgers came out and won, 15-0. If we lost, we'd have to tell people he spoke to the team on a different day.
Sure enough, in the third inning the Dodgers scored six runs, equaling their most on the season and had seven hits, their largest total in an inning in exactly two years.
Suffice to say, he's welcome back any time.
For more info, visit his website anthonyrobles.com or follow him on Twitter @arobles125


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Prologue: The Capitalist Revolution
John Pierpont Morgan enjoyed an excellent Civil War. He didn't fight, although he was prime military material, being in his midtwenties and blessed with solid health. Instead he hired a substitute in the manner of many rich, tepid Unionists. Morgan's father was a transatlantic banker with one foot in New York and the other in London; to train his son for the business he had sent him to school in Switzerland and college in Germany. The young man's aptitude for numbers prompted one of his professors at Gottingen to suggest a post on the mathematics faculty, but he replied that he heard the family business calling, and he returned to America to become a commodities trader. In an early transaction he bought a boatload of coffee without authorization; before his astonished superiors could fire him, he unloaded the cargo for a fat profit. They appreciated the income but distrusted the audacity and so declined to make him a partner, whereupon, in 1861, he planted his own flag on Wall Street.
His timing couldn't have been better, nor his scruples more suited to the opportunities the war afforded. Hearing of a man who had purchased five thousand old carbines from an armory in New York for $3.50 each, Morgan proceeded to finance a second purchaser, who paid $11.50 per gun, rifled the barrels to improve the weapons' range and accuracy, and sold them back to the government for $22.00 apiece. The government got something for the six-fold premium it paid to repurchase its guns, but not nearly as much as Morgan did.
Morgan speculated in all manner of commodities during the war. Though he didn't shun honest risk, neither did he unnecessarily court it. He cultivated confidential informants who could tell him, a critical moment before such news became common knowledge, of the latest developments on the battlefield. His rewards were remarkable, especially for one so young. The tax return he filed in the spring of Appomattox revealed an annual income of more than $50,000, at a time when an unskilled worker counted himself lucky to get $200.
Morgan wasn't alone in profiting from the nation's distress. Andrew Carnegie had clerked on the Pennsylvania Railroad during the decade before the war; by the time the war ended he was crowing, "I'm rich! I'm rich," from his speculations in railroads, iron, and oil. John D. Rockefeller focused on oil and did even better than Carnegie, creating the company that would show America and the world what an industrial monopoly looked like and how it behaved. Jay Cooke sold more than a billion dollars of bonds for the Union and took several hundred thousand in commission for himself. Cornelius Vanderbilt lengthened his lead as the richest man in America by diversifying from steamboats into railroads. Jay Gould learned the ways of Wall Street and the weaknesses of the federal government as he prepared for a breathtaking assault on the nation's gold supply. Daniel Drew, Gould's occasional partner, summarized the mood of the entrepreneurial classes: "Along with ordinary happenings, we fellows in Wall Street had the fortunes of war to speculate about, and that always makes great doings on a stock exchange. It's good fishing in troubled waters."
When Abraham Lincoln honored the heroes of Gettysburg after the battle that largely decided the war, he carried his listeners back to the dawn of American freedom, to the moment when Thomas Jefferson drafted and the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's assertion that all men were created equal provided the basis for democracy--the government of, by, and for the people Lincoln proclaimed the Gettysburg dead had died defending.
Yet another manifesto of 1776 was beginning, by the time of the Civil War, to exert as much influence over American life. Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations was to capitalism what Jefferson's Declaration was to democracy; where Jefferson cited natural law to justify a politics of self-government, Smith appealed to human nature in support of an economics of self-interest. Democracy didn't spring fully formed from Jefferson's brow, nor capitalism from the brain of Smith; each required decades to evolve and mature. But nowhere did they mature more fully than in the United States, which became the world's archetype of a capitalist democracy.
Yet the dual manifestos of 1776 were also dueling manifestos. The visions limned by Jefferson and Smith were in some ways complementary, with each claiming to maximize personal freedom, the first in politics, the second in economics. But in other respects they were antagonistic. Democracy depends on equality, capitalism on inequality. Citizens in a democracy come to the public square with one vote each; participants in a capitalist economy arrive at the marketplace with unequal talents and resources and leave the marketplace with unequal rewards. Nor is inequality simply a side effect of capitalism. A capitalist economy can't operate without it. The differing talents and resources of individuals are recruited and sorted by the differential rewards, which reinforce the original differences. Inequality drives the engine of capitalism as surely as unequal temperatures drive heat engines--including the steam engines that were the signature devices of industrial capitalism.
Tension between capitalism and democracy has characterized American life for two centuries, with one and then the other claiming temporary ascendance. During the first half of the nineteenth century, democracy took the lead, as the states abandoned property qualifications for voting and the parties responded by courting the masses of ordinary men. Andrew Jackson embodied the democratic ethos, by both his humble origins and his reverence for the people as the wellspring of political legitimacy. Jackson waged political war on the pet projects of the big capitalists of his day, smashing the Bank of the United States, vetoing federal spending on roads and canals, and beating down tariff rates.
But capitalism fought back during the Civil War. Even as the Republican party freed the slaves, it emancipated the capitalist classes from the constraints imposed by Jackson and his Democratic heirs. Government became the sponsor of business rather than its foe, underwriting railroad construction, raising tariff rates, creating a national currency, and allowing the likes of Morgan to troll for fortunes in the troubled waters of the war.
And the war was just the beginning of the capitalist ascendance. Morgan's peace proved even better than his war. He never became as wealthy as Carnegie, Rockefeller, or some of the other great capitalists of the era; upon the reading in 1913 of Morgan's will, which showed an estate of $68 million (exclusive of an art collection valued at $50 million), Carnegie lamented, "And to think, he was not a rich man." Yet Morgan's power was more pervasive than the others'. Carnegie dominated steel, the industry on which modern America was, almost literally, built, and Rockefeller controlled oil, which lit, lubricated, and was beginning to power American life. But Morgan commanded money, the philosopher's stone of modern capitalism. Morgan money's reorganized the railroads, the nation's vascular system. It bought out Carnegie and fought off Rockefeller to create the largest corporation in American history to that time, the United States Steel trust. And in one telling instance, it rescued President Grover Cleveland and the federal government from financial catastrophe.
In his lighter moments Morgan played at being a pirate. He cruised about in a black-painted yacht he called the Corsair; he read of the exploits of that other famous Morgan, the English buccaneer Henry, and wondered if they were related. But Morgan was more than a pirate. He was a revolutionary. Pirates prey on the status quo; Morgan dismantled and rebuilt it. During the decades after the Civil War, Morgan and his fellow capitalists effected a stunning transformation in American life. They turned a society rooted in the soil into one based in cities. They lifted the standard of living of ordinary people to a plane associated, not long before in America and for decades after elsewhere, with aristocracy. They drew legions of souls from foreign countries to American shores. They established the basis for the projection of American economic and military power to the farthest corners of the planet.
They didn't do this alone, of course. A secret of their success was their ability to harness the strength and skill of armies of men and women to their capitalist purposes. More than a few of these foot soldiers participated unwillingly in the revolution; many hated Morgan and his ilk and passionately opposed them. But the nature of revolutions is to sweep the reluctant along, and despite the protests of farmers, laborers, and others attuned to a different time and sensibility, the capitalist revolution surged forward.
It left not a single area or aspect of American life untouched. It roared across the South, wrenching that region from its feudal past into the capitalist present, reshaping relations of race, property, and class and integrating the Southern economy into the national economy. It burst over the West, dictating the destruction of aboriginal economies and peoples, driving the exploitation of natural resources and making the frontier of settlement a frontier of national--and global--capitalist development. It crashed across the urban landscape of the East and North, turning cities into engines of wealth and poverty, opulence and squalor, that confirmed cardinal tenets of the American creed even as it contradicted others. It swamped the politics of an earlier era, capturing one major party and half the other, inspiring the creation of a third party, and determining the issues over which all three waged some of the bitterest battles in American history. It demanded, and received, the protection of the courts, which reinterpreted the Constitution in capitalism's favor.
In accomplishing its revolution, capitalism threatened to eclipse American democracy. Morgan never ran for political office, but his mastery of finance afforded him more power than any elected official save the president, and sometimes even more than the president. No senator or governor so directly controlled the lives of so many people as Carnegie, whose hundreds of thousands of employees looked to him for the wages on which they and their millions of dependents relied. Rockefeller held whole regions hostage to his petroleum monopoly; he browbeat city governments, extorted favors from the states, and defied the federal government to rein him in. Lesser princes of the capitalist clan were hardly more accountable to the tens of millions who worked for them or purchased the goods and services they provided.
Wealth had always conferred power, but never had a class of Americans been so wealthy as the great capitalists of the late nineteenth century, and never had such a small class wielded such incommensurate power. By the century's end the imperatives of capitalism mattered more to the daily existence of most Americans than the principles of democracy. The old forms of law and politics survived, not least since the capitalists couldn't be bothered to change them. "What do I care about the law?" bellowed Cornelius Vanderbilt. "Hain't I got the power?" He did have the power, and with it he and the other capitalists dominated American life. Whether their advantage would prove more durable than democracy's earlier edge, none of them could tell. But for the time being, in the land of Jefferson the sons of Smith held sway.


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Nominations are being accepted for the 2013 Ellen Gregg Ingalls/UAB National Alumni Association Award for Lifetime Achievement in Teaching.
The award is presented annually to a full-time regular UAB faculty member who, throughout his/her career at UAB, has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to teaching. To receive the Ingalls/Alumni Award, the faculty member must be a former recipient of the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and have served UAB for 20 or more years as full-time regular faculty.
The materials needed for nomination of a faculty member for the Ingalls/Alumni Award are attached. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. June 12, 2013.
Contact Linda Piteo at email@example.com or 934-9438 for more information or to receive a nominee information form.
June 07, 2013


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Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game Saturday in a 4-0 win over the Mariners in Seattle.
Only 20 other pitchers have tossed perfect games, in which no opposing batter reaches base, in Major League history, according to MLB.com.
It was the first no-hitter of the 2012 season.
Humber threw 96 pitches, 67 for strikes, and struck out nine. The last batter he faced, Brendan Ryan, nearly spoiled the perfect game when he struck out but had to be thrown out at first when the ball got past Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski.
Until Humber's gem, Philadelphia's Roy Halladay had the most recent perfect game, on May 29, 2010, against Florida. Oakland's Dallas Braden had the American League's most recent perfect game, on May 9, 2010, against Tampa Bay. The last White Sox pitcher to throw a perfect game was Mark Buehrle against Tampa Bay on July 23, 2009.
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No double plays, no stolen bases, nobody thrown out at home. A perfectly boring game. Glad I wasn't watching. Really glad I didn't pay money to see it.
Aren't you a ray of sunshine, lol....
I saw the Sox steal a base. And the vibe in the park was AMAZING. Even the Mariners fans were cheering at every pitch!
Well, there WASN'T any action from the Mariner's side...
White Sox, on the other hand, got on base...
And scored...
No offense, Maggie.
Your are obviously not a baseball person, a perfect game is the ultimate a pitcher can achieve. It's exciting to witness, I have came close 2 times in witnessing a perfect game, one was broken up legitimately and the other one the umpire messed up on a call.
A perfect game is very exciting to watch for the tension starts to build up going into the ninth inning, obviously you are not a baseball person.
Unfortunately, a tainted game.
The final pitch was a wild pitch (two feet off the plate in the middle of the left-hand batter's box) and there is simply no way the batter (Ryan?) did not check his swing. A fantastic performance and a likely no-hitter, but not a perfect game.
@ChiSoxFan – thanks for posting the video!
After watching it 5-6 times, I am still not sure that he swung (the bat seems to go parallel to the plate, but not beyond it, and Ryan's wrists did not break). He's clearly just protecting the plate and not intending to swing (he's not even halfway through his checked swing when the ball is by him and the catcher). However, I am not as sure as I was when I posted, so that is a good thing.
Thanks again!
Let us put it this way: had the ump called that swing a check-swing, it would have been 10-times as controversial. It's a discretionary call. Period. No replay that I've seen (and they've already shown it 1,000 times on TV) has shown conclusively–or even convincingly–that the call was wrong. To me, that means it was the correct call and anyone with a conscience would stop bringing it up and taking away from this man's fantastic accomplishment. It's just unfortunate what happened to Armando Gallaraga's perfect game from 2 yrs ago...
Moral of the story: Don't play for a Florida team.
Um, the Mariners are from Seattle, darlin'.
Two old men had been best friends for years, and they both live to their early 90's, when one of them suddenly falls deathly ill. His friend comes to visit him on his deathbed, and they're reminiscing about their long friendship, when the dying man's friend asks, "Listen, when you die, do me a favor. I want to know if there's baseball in heaven."
The dying man said, "We've been friends for years, this I'll do for you." And then he dies.
A couple days later, his surviving friend is sleeping when he hears his friend's voice. The voice says, "I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that there's baseball in heaven."
"What's the bad news?"
"You're pitching on Wednesday
You have for all occasions, don't you, my friend?
A recent Scottish immigrant attends his first baseball game in his new country and after a base hit he hears the fans roaring run....run! The next batter connects heavily with the ball and the Scotsman stands up and roars with the crowd in his thick accent: "R-r-run, r-run will ya!" A third batter slams a hit and again the Scotsman, obviously pleased with his knowledge of the game, screams "R-r-run, r-r-run will ya!" The next batter held his swing at three and two and as the ump calls a walk the Scotsman stands up yelling "R-r-run, r-r-run!" All the surrounding fans giggle quietly and he sits down confused.
A friendly fan, sensing his embarrassment whisper, "He doesn't have to run, he's got four balls."
After this explanation the Scotsman stands up in disbelief and screams, "Walk with pr-r-ride man! Walk with pr-r-ride
Is it Scott from the lawn commercials?
Feed it!
I was so excited watching the game that I pooped in my Depends during the 4th quarter.
It has been years since a Humber got this much attention.


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The Generation III Feeder from Staco is designed to improve ease of feeder adjustment.
Staco's Bryan Shive says the clearly visible marked settings on the feeder make it possible to set feed gates in an exact location every time.
"The old crank-style adjustment made reducing feed waste a time-consuming, inconvenient, guessing game," Shive relates. The index pattern on the Generation III feeder is designed so each movement opens the feed gate 11/48 in.
Steve Hoff asked about bolt breakage on the adjustment lever. Shive says a 51/416 in. stud is welded into the lever to prevent breakage.
Craig Christensen asked if pigs would play with the exposed parts of the settings. Shive says pigs won't bother the settings, but a guard can be added.
The panel was enthusiastic about the ease of adjustment. "If you have 20 people responsible for adjusting feeders, you can very easily instruct them on how to do this," Christensen says.
Richard Collins suggested producers could schedule feeder adjustments on the calendar and expect an accurate, regular adjustment with this product.
A double-sided finishing feeder with five holes/side has a list price of $279. Prices vary according to feeder model.
(Circle Reply Card No. 105)


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This appendix describes how to install and configure Oracle products using response files. It includes information about the following topics:
When you start the installer, you can use a response file to automate the installation and configuration of Oracle software, either fully or partially. The installer uses the values contained in the response file to provide answers to some or all installation prompts.
Typically, the installer runs in interactive mode, which means that it prompts you to provide information in graphical user interface (GUI) screens. When you use response files to provide this information, you run the installer from a command prompt using either of the following modes:
If you include responses for all of the prompts in the response file and specify the
-silent option when starting the installer, then it runs in silent mode. During a silent mode installation, the installer does not display any screens. Instead, it displays progress information in the terminal that you used to start it.
If you include responses for some or all of the prompts in the response file and omit the
-silent option, then the installer runs in response file mode. During a response file mode installation, the installer displays all the screens, screens for which you specify information in the response file, and also screens for which you did not specify the required information in the response file.
You define the settings for a silent or response file installation by entering values for the variables listed in the response file. For example, to specify the Oracle home name, supply the appropriate value for the
ORACLE_HOME variable:
Another way of specifying the response file variable settings is to pass them as command line arguments when you run the installer. For example:
-silent "ORACLE_HOME=OraDBHome1" ...
See Also:Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for more information about response files
The following table provides use cases for running the installer in silent mode or response file mode.
|Use silent mode to do the following installations:
The installer displays progress information on the terminal that you used to start it, but it does not display any of the installer screens.
|Response file
|Use response file mode to complete similar Oracle software installations on multiple systems, providing default answers to some, but not all of the installer prompts.
In response file mode, all the installer screens are displayed, but defaults for the fields in these screens are provided by the response file. You have to provide information for the fields in screens where you have not provided values in the response file.
The following are the general steps to install and configure Oracle products using the installer in silent or response file mode:
Note:You must complete all required preinstallation tasks on a system before running the installer in silent or response file mode.
Prepare a response file.
Run the installer in silent or response file mode.
If you completed a software-only installation, then run Net Configuration Assistant and Database Configuration Assistant in silent or response file mode.
These steps are described in the following sections.
This section describes the following methods to prepare a response file for use during silent mode or response file mode installations:
Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type, and for each configuration tool. These files are located at
database/response directory on the installation media.
Note:If you copied the software to a hard disk, then the response files are located in the directory
Table B-1 lists the response files provided with this software:
Table B-1 Response Files for Oracle Database
|Response File
Silent installation of Oracle Database 11g
Silent installation of Database Configuration Assistant
Silent installation of Oracle Net Configuration Assistant
Table B-2 Response files for Oracle Grid Infrastructure
|Response File
Silent installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations
Caution:When you modify a response file template and save a file for use, the response file may contain plain text passwords. Ownership of the response file should be given to the Oracle software installation owner only, and permissions on the response file should be changed to 600. Oracle strongly recommends that database administrators or other administrators delete or secure response files when they are not in use.
To copy and modify a response file:
Copy the response file from the response file directory to a directory on your system:
$ cp /directory_path/response/response_file.rsp local_directory
In this example,
directory_path is the path to the
database directory on the installation media. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, then you can edit the file in the
response directory if you prefer.
Open the response file in a text editor:
$ vi /local_dir/response_file.rsp
See Also:Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for detailed information on creating response files
Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.
Note:The installer or configuration assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.
Change the permissions on the file to 600:
$ chmod 600 /local_dir/response_file.rsp
Note:A fully specified response file for an Oracle Database installation contains the passwords for database administrative accounts and for a user who is a member of the OSDBA group (required for automated backups). Ensure that only the Oracle software owner user can view or modify response files or consider deleting them after the installation succeeds.
You can use the installer in interactive mode to record a response file, which you can edit and then use to complete silent mode or response file mode installations. This method is useful for custom or software-only installations.
Starting with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), you can save all the installation steps into a response file during installation by clicking Save Response File on the Summary page. You can use the generated response file for a silent installation later.
When you record the response file, you can either complete the installation, or you can exit from the installer on the Summary page, before it starts to copy the software to the system.
If you use record mode during a response file mode installation, then the installer records the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into the new response file.
Note:Oracle Universal Installer does not record passwords in the response file.
To record a response file:
Complete preinstallation tasks as for a normal installation.
Ensure that the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software owner user (typically
grid) has permissions to create or write to the Oracle home path that you will specify when you run the installer.
On each installation screen, specify the required information.
When the installer displays the Summary screen, perform the following steps:
Click Save Response File and specify a file name and location to save the values for the response file, and click Save.
Click Finish to create the response file and continue with the installation.
Click Save Response File and click Cancel if you only want to create the response file but not continue with the installation. The installation will stop, but the settings you have entered will be recorded in the response file.
Before you use the saved response file on another system, edit the file and make any required changes.
Use the instructions in the file as a guide when editing it.
Run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line, specifying the response file you created. The Oracle Universal Installer executable,
runInstaller, provides several options. For help information on the full set of these options, run the
runInstaller command with the
-help option. For example:
$ directory_path/runInstaller -help
The help information appears in a window after some time.
To run the installer using a response file:
Complete the preinstallation tasks as for a normal installation
Log in as the software installation owner user.
If you are completing a response file mode installation, set the
DISPLAY environment variable.
Note:You do not have to set the
DISPLAY environment variable if you are completing a silent mode installation.
To start the installer in silent or response file mode, enter a command similar to the following:
$ /directory_path/runInstaller [-silent] [-noconfig] \ -responseFile responsefilename
Note:Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a relative path, then the installer fails.
In this example:
directory_path is the path of the DVD or the path of the directory on the hard drive where you have copied the installation binaries.
-noconfig suppresses running the configuration assistants during installation, and a software-only installation is performed instead.
responsefilename is the full path and file name of the installation response file that you configured.
When the installation completes, log in as the
root user and run the
root.sh script. For example
$ su root
# /oracle_home_path/root.sh
You can run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode to configure and start an Oracle Net listener on the system, configure naming methods, and configure Oracle Net service names. To run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template. Oracle provides a response file template named
netca.rsp in the
response directory in the
/response directory on the DVD.
Note:If you copied the software to a hard disk, then the response file template is located in the
database/response directory.
To run Net Configuration Assistant using a response file:
Copy the
netca.rsp response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system:
$ cp /directory_path/response/netca.rsp local_directory
In this example,
directory_path is the path of the
database directory on the DVD. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the
response directory if you prefer.
Open the response file in a text editor:
$ vi /local_dir/netca.rsp
Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.
Note:Net Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.
Log in as the Oracle software owner user, and set the
ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the correct Oracle home directory.
Enter a command similar to the following to run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode:
$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/netca /silent /responsefile /local_dir/netca.rsp
In this command:
/silent option indicates runs Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode.
local_dir is the full path of the directory where you copied the
netca.rsp response file template.
Use the following sections to create and run a response file configuration after installing Oracle software.
When you run a silent or response file installation, you provide information about your servers in a response file that you otherwise provide manually during a graphical user interface installation. However, the response file does not contain passwords for user accounts that configuration assistants require after software installation is complete. The configuration assistants are started with a script called
configToolAllCommands. You can run this script in response file mode by creating and using a password response file. The script uses the passwords to run the configuration tools in succession to complete configuration.
If you keep the password file to use for clone installations, then Oracle strongly recommends that you store it in a secure location. In addition, if you have to stop an installation to fix an error, you can run the configuration assistants using
configToolAllCommands and a password response file.
configToolAllCommands password response file consists of the following syntax options:
internal_component_name is the name of the component that the configuration assistant configures
variable_name is the name of the configuration file variable
value is the desired value to use for configuration.
The command syntax is as follows:
For example:
Oracle strongly recommends that you maintain security with a password response file:
Permissions on the response file should be set to 600.
The owner of the response file should be the installation owner user, with the group set to the central inventory (oraInventory) group.
To run configuration assistants with the
configToolAllCommands script:
Create a response file using the syntax filename.properties. For example:
$ touch cfgrsp.properties
Open the file with a text editor, and cut and paste the password template, modifying as needed.
Example B-1 Password response file for Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation for a cluster
Oracle Grid Infrastructure requires passwords for Oracle Automatic Storage Management Configuration Assistant (ASMCA). Provide the following response file:
oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMPASSWORD=password oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMMONITORPASSWORD=password
Example B-2 Password response file for Oracle Real Application Clusters
Oracle Database configuration requires configuring a password for the SYS, SYSTEM, SYSMAN, and DBSNMP passwords for use with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). In addition, if you use Oracle ASM storage, then configure the ASMSNMP password. Also, if you selected to configure Oracle Enterprise Manager, then you must provide the password for the Oracle software installation owner for the S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD response.
oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSPASSWORD=password oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSTEMPASSWORD=password oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSMANPASSWORD=password oracle.assistants.server|S_DBSNMPPASSWORD=password oracle.assistants.server|S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD=password oracle.assistants.server|S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD=password
If you do not want to enable Oracle Enterprise Manager or Oracle ASM, then leave those password fields blank.
Change permissions to secure the file. For example:
$ ls -al cfgrsp.properties -rw------- 1 oracle oinstall 0 Apr 30 17:30 cfgrsp
Change directory to
$ORACLE_HOME/cfgtoollogs, and run the configuration script using the following syntax:
configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=/path/name.properties
for example:
$ ./configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=/home/oracle/cfgrsp.properties


text:
Concentrate All Firepower on that LEGO Star Destroyer | The assembly of an enormous Executor-class Star Destroyer, in LEGO. It's 50 inches long, 3,152 pieces. (via Geeks are Sexy)
Your Guide to the New Kotaku Network
Starting on the evening of February 12, Kotaku will begin to offer scheduled programming. Your listings are at left. What does this mean? More »
This Taco Bell PlayStation Vita Contest Seems A Little Weird
Kotaku has been contacted by several customers who say Taco Bell informed them that they won a PS Vita on January 30, but never followed through. They were told to expect a follow-up by e-mail or snail-mail within 2-3 days to verify that they had won. The follow-up didn't come. More »
The Makers of Rock Band Just Rickroll'd Us All
Today, Harmonix announced that Rick Astley's 1987 pop hit will be coming to Rock Band via next week's Valentine's Day DLC pack. It was the most-requested song in a poll asking gamers which song they'd most like to see in the game More »
Valve: It's 'Probable' That Hackers Obtained Old Steam Transaction Data
Valve CEO Gabe Newell said today in a statement to Steam users that as a result of a hack last November, it is "probable" that hackers have obtained a backup file with information on Steam transactions performed between 2004 and 2008. More »
New Unofficial Call of Duty Elite Slogan is Just an Activision Joke
Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg jokingly announced a new slogan for Call of Duty: Elite today: Call of Duty Elite: It's not a douche move. More »
Concept Artist Behind Fallout 3, Skyrim Has Died
The concept artist who created nearly all of the designs in Fallout 3, Adam Adamowicz, passed away earlier this week. A fellow concept artist has outlined Adamowicz's skill and legacy in a touching obituary. More »
Why Won't My Parents Play Video Games With Me?
As I continue to carve out a path for myself as a games writer, looking to turn my lifelong hobby into a self-sustaining career, I am reminded with every new achievement of my childhood, when gaming wasn't only my most passionate endeavor, but the activity that formed a stalwart bond between my father and me. More »
This Konami Building Seems To Be On Fire
Multiple Japanese Twitter users have posted pictures of what appears to be a fire in a Konami office. Twitter user @wataru_hrt has put up this picture of what appears to be smoke coming out of a Konami building in the Roppongi district, where Metal Gear Solid studio Kojima Productions is based. More »
Get Your First Look at Mass Effect's New Female Shepard in Action
In this new trailer for the fast-approaching Mass Effect 3, we get to see a lot of old scenes played out by a very new face. This is your first in-game look at the new default female Commander Shepard, fresh off the public auction block and replacing the old standard model. More »
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text:
E Street will never be quite the same.
The death of saxophone player Clarence Clemons ripped a hole in Bruce Springsteen's music and onstage life, taking away a figure who had served him loyally for decades and never failed to add joy to the E Street Band's epic performances.
Clemons died Saturday at age 69, about a week after he suffered a stroke at his home in Singer Island, Fla.
Clarence Clemons' Greatest Chart Hits
Photos: A Clarence Clemons Tribute
It's not the first loss for the rock world's best-known and most accomplished backup band. Keyboard player Danny Federici died in 2008 of melanoma. Steve Van Zandt, Springsteen's youthful friend and closest partner, left for several years in the 1980s and was replaced on guitar by Nils Lofgren. When Van Zandt returned, Lofgren stayed.
Yet Clemons' loss cuts deeply into the soul of the band. His importance was acknowledged whenever Springsteen performed "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," when he sang, "We made that change uptown and the Big Man joined the band," inevitably followed by a wail of Clemons' sax and a roar from the crowd. The two men met in 1971 on the New Jersey bar band circuit, and when Springsteen released his debut album two years later, Clemons left a more successful outfit for a new Boss.
December 2010: Clemons' final performace with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Inevitably Clemons' introduction was the climax every night when Springsteen presented the individual band members to the audience, accompanied by a variety of regal nicknames like "Master of the Universe" and "King of the World."
"Do I have to say his name?" Springsteen would shout to the crowd.
"No!" came the roar back. He did anyway.
Last fall's release of "The Promise," which included a DVD of a 1978 Springsteen concert performance, underscored the central role of Clemons in the act. The two men were a marked physical contrast: a bedgraggled, slightly scrawny white guitar player and a 6-foot-5-inch, 270-plus-pound black man with a sax – known simply as the Big Man _who would be intimidating if he didn't so often carry a smile.
They would stalk each other on the stage, staring with ferocious eyes, and play their instruments as they stood back to back, leaning on the other for support. They'd even kiss, their relationship sending a message of brotherhood, family and – given racial undertones – tolerance and respect for all.
The relationship was captured memorably with a giant photo of the two men on the cover of Springsteen's "Born to Run" album.
Clemons was musically vital, too, particularly given the longer, structurally ambitious songs Springsteen was writing in the 1970s, a potent mixture of rock, soul, jazz and folk. Clemons' sax kicked "Born to Run" into overdrive, and his solo was a key moment in the majestic "Jungleland." He had a deep, booming voice not often displayed, although he added hearty "ho-ho-ho's" during seasonal renditions of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town."
Truth be told, Clemons' role in the E Street Band diminished as the years went on. Springsteen's simpler song structures left less space for the sax, and the instrument competed to be heard in a dense wall of sound anchored by three electric guitar players. Clemons would add maracas or tambourines to some of Springsteen's compositions.
Clemons' physical ailments also made him a less active presence onstage. He underwent spinal surgery last year after many years of back pain and spent time in a wheelchair after double knee replacement surgery.
Springsteen generously made accommodations for the ailments, installing an elevator on the stage set for when Clemons couldn't negotiate the stairs, according to Caryn Rose and Glenn Radecki of the Springsteen website Backstreets. A throne-like golden chair was placed onstage for when Clemons needed his rest.
Clemons' death is unlikely to bring an end to the E Street Band, which Springsteen alluded to in a statement posted on his website Saturday announcing the death.
"We are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years," he said. "He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."
But the loss leaves Springsteen with a real challenge moving forward. While Federici's contributions were valued and respected, he was a back bencher, tied to the shadows of the stage and his replacement not a major issue for the casual fan.
Clemons was different, and his loss will inevitably change the onstage dynamic. The saxophone is such a major presence in Springsteen's music that it's difficult to imagine many of his songs being performed without it. They will be big shoes for anyone to fill.
"As long as we tell the stories, as long as we play the songs, the Big Man will always be with us," Rose and Radecki wrote on Backstreets following Clemons' death.


text:
Regular price
Handmade jazz tuba player wood ornament by well know southern folk artist Lorraine Gendron. Each one is hand painted and signed by the artist. May vary slightly due to it's one-of-a-kind nature.
6.5" tall x 3" wide x 3/16" thick.
See all of the ornaments we carry HERE.
See all of Lorraine Gendron's work we carry HERE.


text:
Warwick, Thomas de Beauchamp, earl of
Warwick, Thomas de Beauchamp, earl of, d. 1401, English nobleman, of an ancient and powerful family. He was one of the governors of the young Richard II. After Richard assumed power, Warwick joined the barons who opposed the acts of Richard's favorite courtiers and was one of the lords appellant (1388) who accused them of treason and curbed Richard's power. When Richard resumed control (1389), Warwick retired to his estates until his sudden arrest on a fabricated charge of treason in 1397. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London (in the Beauchamp Tower, named for him) and then banished to the Isle of Man until the accession of Henry IV, when he was restored to his estates.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish History: Biographies


text:
Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
VA Reaches Out to Veterans about the Health Care Law
Aug. 6, 2013, 08:00:00 AM
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an awareness campaign and a new website, www.va.gov/aca, to let Veterans know what the Affordable Care Act means for them and their families. Veterans receiving health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs will see no change in their benefits or out-of-pocket costs when portions of the Affordable Care Act take effect next year.
"VA wants all Veterans to receive health care that improves their health and well-being," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "If you are enrolled in VA health care, you do not need to take any additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standards. If you are not enrolled in VA health care, you can apply at any time."
"VA encourages eligible Veterans who are not enrolled in VA's health care system to take advantage of the world-class care we provide to the men and women who have served this Nation in uniform," Shinseki added.
Veterans can apply for VA health care at any time by visiting www.va.gov/healthbenefits/enroll, calling 1-877-222-VETS (8387), or visiting their local VA health care facility. Full details on eligibility are available at www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book
VA's health care system for Veterans has no enrollment fee, no monthly premiums and no deductibles. Most Veterans also have no out-of-pocket costs, though some may have small copayments for some health care or prescription drugs.
"VA will continue to provide Veterans with high quality, comprehensive health care and other benefits they have earned through their service," said Dr. Robert Petzel, VA's chief physician and under secretary for health.
The Affordable Care Act was created to expand access to coverage, reduce rising health care costs, and improve health care quality and care coordination. The Affordable Care Act creates new opportunities for coverage for uninsured Veterans and their families.
There are more than 1.3 million Veterans and more than 950,000 spouses and children of Veterans without health insurance. Most uninsured Veterans are eligible for VA health care. For those who are not eligible for VA care – such as Veterans' family members – the law created a new Health Insurance Marketplace.
In 2014, the Marketplace will be a new way to shop for and purchase private health insurance. People who purchase insurance through the Marketplace may be able to lower the costs of health insurance coverage by paying lower monthly premiums. For more information, visit www.healthcare.gov.
For information about VA health care and the Affordable Care Act, VA encourages Veterans and family members to visit the new website at www.va.gov/aca, or call 1-877-222-VETS (8387), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or Saturdays from 11a.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern time. The new website includes a Health Benefits Explorer, where Veterans can learn about the benefits they can receive if they enroll in VA care.
# # #
Disclaimer of Hyperlinks
The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Veterans Affairs of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized VA activities, the Department does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the Department and the VA website. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate and about specific additional external links which you believe ought to be included by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com.
People wishing to receive e-mail from VA with the latest news releases and updated fact sheets can subscribe to the
VA Office of Public Affairs Distribution List.


text:
ALBANY — New York's attorney general is suing HSBC Bank USA and HSBC Mortgage Corp., claiming they're failing to set timely foreclosure settlement conferences required by state law.
The law says mortgage lenders who sue to foreclose on residential homeowners will request court-supervised intervention and attend a settlement conference on possible loan modifications within 60 days.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said about 25,000 foreclosure cases statewide have languished for months because lenders have delayed filing the papers to trigger a conference while continuing to assess interest, fees and penalties.
The lawsuit would require HSBC to waive those later charges.
Schneiderman said lenders are "brazenly ignoring state law," citing nearly 300 HSBC cases in four counties.
He said he'll also sue other lenders.
HSBC said it's committed to complying with the law and will respond appropriately to Schneiderman.


text: Life Is My Motivation is inspirational and motivational epic track. Great for projects expressing power, adventure and inspiration.This is a modern and motivational business / corporate track that brings to imagination images of business success, freedom, productivity, sales, fashion, growth even space journey images. This inspirational track is ideal for any business related production looking for an motivational and melodic corporate theme.


text:
Type your search query and hit enter:
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle Endeavour
NASA To Offer Space Shuttle Tiles & Astronaut Food
WASHINGTON, D.C. — NASA is expanding its offer to museums and schools of space shuttle heat shield tiles and food packaged for spaceflight. Beginning Tuesday, museums across the United States will be eligible to receive these pieces of space history, in addition to the schools and universities that have received them since the end of the Space Shuttle Program.
Providing space shuttle thermal protection tiles and dehydrated astronaut food to museums is a way for NASA to share technology and history with the public. This initiative helps NASA inspire the next generation of space explorers, scientists and engineers.
The lightweight tiles protected the shuttles from extreme temperatures when they re-entered Earth's atmosphere. The astronaut food was precooked or processed so it required no refrigeration and was ready to eat. It could be prepared simply by adding water or by heating.
Requests for these artifacts are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Museums must obtain a user ID and password from their state agency for surplus property. Eligible educational institutions need their National Center for Education Statistics or Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System numbers assigned by the U.S. Department of Education to apply for this offer. Schools and museums can obtain additional information, register for a login ID, and request a tile or food at:
Tiles are available in three types: black-coated, white-coated and uncoated. Institutions may request up to three tiles, one of each type, while supplies last. Schools and museums are responsible for a $23.40 shipping and handling fee per tile, which is payable to the shipping company through a secure website. Space food is offered as a package of approximately three space food items for a shipping and handling fee of $28.03. Institutions may request only one package of space food.
NASA also is offering artifacts representing significant human spaceflight technologies, processes and accomplishments from its space exploration programs. Artifacts include 11 Fastrac engine nozzles used on X-34 aircraft; models of aircraft fuselages tested at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; early space shuttle prototype models; Ranger, Telestar, Explorer XII, Mariner VII, Nimbus and other spacecraft models; X3 solar mirrors; and various space shuttle components.
For additional information about thermal tiles, space food and other NASA artifacts, available to museums and libraries, visit:
For NASA Tiles for Teachers lesson plans, visit:
Astronauts Complete Second Spacewalk »
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