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Note: I recently ran across a short article in Camping Life Magazine highlighting paddling destinations throughout the U.S. It's a great piece and I bookmarked it for my own personal future reference but thought, what about one that focuses on Texas?
Many don't realize that Texas is home to 3,700 named streams and 15 major rivers, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. While there is only one natural lake in Texas, over a hundred reservoirs have been created resulting in beautiful lakes throughout the state. What makes paddling in Texas so unique is that you can be floating waters that meander through cactus-strewn deserts and 1500 ft. canyons to cypress lined swamplands and coastal waters all within a days' drive. These diverse environments lend themselves to a variety of paddling opportunities that many would have to travel outside of theirs states to discover.
I do realize many of our customers and blog readers reside in other states but if you ever get a chance to visit Texas join us in considering these destinations (in no particular order):
1. Lady Bird Lake (Central Texas) – Located in the heart of downtown Austin, it's what I consider to be one of the best urban paddling lakes in the entire state. LBL was created by damning up the Colorado River just east of Austin creating one of the most beautiful in-city playgrounds for anyone to enjoy. Paddle west of Loop 1 to enjoy a little quite solitude surrounded by tree-covered hills, head east of IH-35 for some great fishing opportunities or stay between the two for a true "Austin experience". Enjoy bat watching, live music, awesome cityscape photo opportunities and a general sense of being in the middle of it all. With a variety of launch spots, no motor boats, kayak rental facilities, picnic areas and its close proximity to dozens of eating establishments you'll surely enjoy a full day of paddling Lady Bird Lake. (Google "Lady Bird Lake")
2. Brazos River (North Texas) – If you prefer a scenic river paddling trip that doesn't require traversing through rapids, the Brazos River, just below Possum Kingdom Lake, has your name written all over it. It is mostly an undeveloped river featuring granite cliffs, a variety of hills peppered with cedars and oaks with occasional views of the nearby Palo Pinto Mountains. There are no public campgrounds along this stretch of the river but several sand/gravel bars can be used as overnight campsites, just be wary of heavy rainstorms or dam releases as the water levels can quickly rise. The river from Possum Kingdom to Highway 4 runs about 19 miles. After that, the next takeout is at Highway 180 for a grand total of about 38 miles. (Google "Brazos River" "Possum Kingdom")
3. Guadalupe River (South Central Texas) – While primarily known for "tubing", the Guadalupe is also an amazing paddling river. You'll discover flat-water stretches as well as challenging Class III rapids. It is a spring-fed river with great water clarity that flows over a mostly limestone bottom through south central Texas and eventually making it's way into the Gulf of Mexico. It is what I consider a "lush" and very "green" river with mostly undeveloped countryside consisting of pecans, cypress, sycamore, oaks and other vegetation creating multiple sightseeing and photography opportunities. For those of you that enjoy fishing, the Guadalupe river is the only waterway in Texas that is home to trout year round, specifically around the Canyon lake area. Be sure to check on river levels because the Guadalupe can vary dramatically in just a few days and in some cases…hours. (Google "Guadalupe River")
4. Devil's River (West Texas) – For those that want to enjoy a truly rugged and remote experience, this is your river. You'll experience a variety of river characteristics from long flat-water stretches and deep pools to turbulent class III rapids. This clear and green tinted river flows through a rocky desert-like landscape that is mostly free of any impoundments and is considered to be one of the cleanest rivers in the state. While paddling this river, you'll be taken back into history with substantial archeological sites and a vast remoteness. Plan on a multi-day paddling trip because it can be very inaccessible and is an extremely primitive river with limited camping sites. Once again, this river is not for everyone, I do recommend you do your research. Check out the Devil's River Guide Book. (Google "Devil's River")
5. Caddo Lake (East Texas) – Yep, we got swamps in Texas! It is the only natural lake in Texas, covering roughly 26,000 acres and is relatively shallow throughout. You'll mostly find cypress trees, lily pads and mossy beards along the entire length of the sprawling maze of bayous and sloughs and pines and oaks in the uplands. While Caddo Lake provides unlimited scenic and photography opportunities, it is truly an angler's dream with over 70 species of fish. East Texas is known for having alligators in many areas and Caddo Lake is no exception and according to legend, this is considered to be the land of Bigfoot. (Google "Caddo Lake")
6. Lighthouse Lakes (Gulf Coast) – The Lighthouse Lakes are not actually lakes but a maze of tidal channels and coastal flats. It was the first designated Texas Paddling Trail and one of the most popular kayak fishing destinations along the Gulf coast. Paddlers can glide through mangroves and sea grass flats providing exceptional bird watching opportunities and of course, excellent fishing. The trail consists of four marked loops ranging in length from 1.25 miles to 6.8 miles. And as you probably imagined, the name did come from a Civil War era lighthouse, which still stands today. Canoes are not recommended due to some strong headwinds. Check out the Lighthouse Lakes Photocard Map (Google "Lighthouse Lakes")
This is only a small list of paddling destinations here in Texas. I can go on and on and could probably write a book about all the different destinations…hey, there's an idea! Anyway, we pride ourselves on the shear size of Texas and with that comes an unlimited amount of paddling opportunities for any skill level, activity interest and environmental preference. A few words of caution, always take great care when paddling these and other destinations. I recommend you do your research, get a hold of area maps, consider taking a navigational device and other safety equipment, always carry plenty of water and if possible, paddle with a group. Keep in mind that most of Texas is privately owned land so be respectful of people's property and never leave trash behind!


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Agent Orange
Vietnam veterans with type 2 diabetes are eligible for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) based on their presumed exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.
In 2000, the VA added type 2 diabetes to the list of "presumptive diseases associated with herbicide exposure." That action followed a report from the National Academy of Sciences that found "limited/suggestive" evidence of an association between the chemicals used in herbicides during the Vietnam War, such as Agent Orange, and type 2 diabetes.
The evidence of a link between exposure to Agent Orange (or dioxin, the problematic contaminant in Agent Orange) and diabetes is modest. Most of the association between Agent Orange and diabetes comes from studies of people who lived near or worked at manufacturing plants that produced large quantities of Agent Orange dioxin. In those cases, there appears to be some relationship between Agent Orange exposure and increased insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes.
In general the exposure that Vietnam veterans had to Agent Orange was much less than in the populations studied by scientists. Still, the VA has added diabetes to the list of conditions for which Vietnam veterans are eligible for disability compensation.
What is Agent Orange and What is Dioxin?
Agent Orange was a herbicide used in Vietnam to kill unwanted plants and to remove leaves from trees which otherwise provided cover for the enemy. In the 1970s some veterans became concerned that exposure to Agent Orange might cause delayed health effects. The concern about Agent Orange focuses not on the active ingredient, an herbicide with little or no effect on animals, but on a trace contaminant in the herbicide, dioxin. Studies have shown that dioxin and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) can cause a variety of illnesses in laboratory animals. More recent studies have suggested that the chemical may be related to a number of types of cancer and other disorders.
In 1978, the Veterans Administration set up the Agent Orange Registry health examination program for Vietnam veterans who were concerned about the possible long-term medical effects of exposure to Agent Orange. Vietnam veterans who are interested in participating in this Agent Orange program should contact the nearest VA medical center for an examination.
Veterans who participate in the Agent Orange examination program are asked a series of questions about their possible exposure to herbicides or Agent Orange in Vietnam. A medical history is taken, a physical examination is performed, and there is a series of basic laboratory tests. If medically required, consultations with other health specialists are scheduled. However, no special Agent Orange tests are offered since there is no test to show if any individual veteran's medical problem was caused by Agent Orange or other herbicides used in Vietnam. There are tests that show body dioxin levels, but such tests are not done by the VA because there is a serious question about their value to veterans. The VA simply makes a presumption of Agent Orange exposure for Vietnam veterans.
In its 1994 report on Agent Orange, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded that individual dioxin levels in Vietnam veterans are usually not meaningful because of background exposures to dioxin, poorly understood variations among individuals in dioxin metabolism, relatively large measurement errors, and exposure to herbicides that did not contain dioxin.
Benefits of the Agent Orange examination
The veteran is informed of the results of the Agent Orange examination during a personal interview and gets a follow-up letter further describing the findings. Each veteran is given the opportunity to ask for an explanation and advice. Where medically necessary, a follow-up examination or additional laboratory tests are scheduled. The examination and tests sometime reveal previously undetected medical problems. These discoveries permit veterans to get prompt treatment for their illnesses. Some veterans feel they are in good health, but are worried that exposure to Agent Orange and other substances may have caused some hidden illness. The knowledge that a complete medical examination does not show any problems can be reassuring or helpful to Registry participants. All examination and test results are kept in the veteran's permanent medical record. These data are entered into the VA Agent Orange Registry.
Vietnam veterans can get medical treatment for Agent Orange-related illnesses. Under Section 102, Public Law 104-262, the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, the VA shall furnish hospital care and medical services, and may furnish nursing home care to veterans exposed to herbicides in Vietnam. There are some restrictions. The VA cannot provide such care for 1) a disability which VA determines did not result from exposure to Agent Orange, or 2) a disease which the NAS has determined that there is "limited/suggestive" evidence of no association between occurrence of the disease and exposure to a herbicide agent.
The VA pays disability compensation to Vietnam veterans with injuries or illnesses incurred in or aggravated by their military service. Veterans do not have to prove that Agent Orange caused their medical problems to be eligible for compensation. Rather, the VA must determine that the disability is "service-connected." A Veterans Services Representative, at a VA medical center or regional office, can explain the compensation program in greater detail and assist veterans who need help in applying. For more information about the VA's Agent Orange Program, call the toll-free helpline 1-800-749-8387. For disability compensation program information, call toll-free 1-800-827-1000.
Additional Resources
- Vietnam Veterans of America's Agent Orange / Dioxin Committee.
- Legal services and further information on the VA's benefits regarding Agent Orange from the National Veterans Legal Services Program.
- Additional information on how the VA is handling Agent Orange claims.
- The National Academy of Sciences report on Agent Orange and diabetes.


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Healthy Green Drink Recipe
A few weeks ago, fresh rambutans were on sale for only $0.69 a pound and we bought several pounds. I figured flight tickets to Vietnam are so expensive, it wouldn't be so bad to splurge on the tropical fruits instead of a trip to Asia!They're called chôm chôm in Vietnamese. After a few bags, my family eventually got sick of them, so I ended up making fruit purée and storing it in the freezer. I already had in mind a specific drink recipe I would make. I prepared a flavorful but healthy drink with a vibrant green color. In addition to the rambutans, I used spinach, kiwis, lemon and lime juice.
The result was delicious. I loved the acidic taste of the kiwis, lime and lemon that balanced so well with the sweetness from the rambutan purée.
Yields: 4 servings1½ pounds rambutans
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 kiwis
1 cup water
juice of 1 lime, + 4 thin slices for garnish
juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons green-colored decoration sugar
Prepping the rambutans:
Using a sharp hook-like paring knife, create a small cut around the fruit crosswise, being careful not to touch the flesh so the juice doesn't ooze out.
Gather the rambutan flesh in a blender. Pulse until blended. Strain the pulp through a large-mesh sieve, using a silicone spatula to press through as much as possible. Discard the fibrous solids. Place the fruit purée in half of an ice cube tray and store in the freezer for 2 hours; that way you don't need to add crushed ice in the drink.
Prepping the kiwis: Peel and coarsely chop the kiwis, reserving 4 thin slices for garnish.
Assembly time:
Add the rambutan ice cubes, kiwis, spinach, lemon juice and lime juice to the blender. Blend for 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup water for a smoother flow. The consistency of the drink should be smooth.
Fill a shallow plate with a little water and another plate with the green sugar. Dip the rims of the glasses first in the water and then immediately dip them in the sugar.
Pour into 4 glasses.
Finish with slices of fresh kiwi and lime for decoration (place on the rim of the glass).
You could "up" the flavors by adding coconut milk, instead of water.
For an alcoholic version, you could spike the drink with Vodka.
For a healthy equivalent drink, you could add celery, cucumbers or green apples.
For extra zing, you could add 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger.
You could replace the spinach leaves with kale (stems removed), parsley or a bit of mint.
You could add additional sweeteners in addition to the natural sweetness from the rambutans and kiwis.
I buy fresh rambutans at a local Asian market (I sometimes find them at the Indian market as well). You could also use canned fruit (also available in Asian markets) or more common fruit purées from nectarines, peaches, berries, pears or figs, depending on the season.Published By: on June 28, 2012.


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Template:Cub Scout Art/req
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
Mobile Menus: Cub Scouts - Scouts BSA - Venturing - Sea Scouts
Belt Loop Requirements
Complete these three requirements:
- Make a list of common materials used to create visual art compositions.
- Demonstrate how six of the following elements of design are used in a drawing: lines, circles, dots, shapes, colors, patterns, textures, space, balance, or perspective.
- Identify the three primary colors and the three secondary colors that can be made by mixing them. Show how this is done using paints or markers. Use the primary and secondary colors to create a painting.
Academics Pin Requirements
Earn the Art belt loop, and complete six of the following requirements:
- Visit an art museum, gallery, or exhibit. Discuss with an adult the art you saw.
- Create two self-portraits using two different art techniques, such as drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, or computer illustration.
- Demonstrate how to make paper. Make a sample at least 4 inches by 4 inches.
- Make a simple silkscreen or stencil. Print a card or T-shirt.
- Create a freestanding sculpture or mobile using wood, metal, soap, papier-mache, or found objects.
- Create an object using clay that can be fired, baked in the oven, or hardened in water.
- Photograph four subjects in one theme, such as landscapes, people, animals, sports, or buildings.
- Make a collage using several different materials.
- Use your artistic skills to create a postage stamp, book cover, or music CD cover.
- Use a computer illustration or painting program to create a work of art.
- Display your artwork in a pack, school, or community art show.
Please report any issues with this page.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Home Cleaning Company Fired Employee For Being Pregnant, Federal Agency Charges
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - V&B LLC, a Merry Maids home cleaning franchise in Kenosha, Wis., violated federal law by firing a woman because of her pregnancy, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.
According to John Rowe, director of the EEOC's Chicago District, which includes Wisconsin, the agency's investigation revealed that V&B fired Belinda Sternemann on June 3, 2011, because she suffered from pregnancy-related health issues. Sternemann, a military veteran who worked for V&B for over two years, was a Team Captain on one of V&B's crews and had an unblemished work record. Her pregnancy issues did not prevent her from working.
"Sometimes employers overreact and base employment decisions on an employee's pregnancy," said Rowe, who supervised the agency's investigation. "Pregnant women have the same right as other individuals to earn a living."
V&B's alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals who are disabled or perceived to be disabled. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency seeks lost wages, compensatory and punitive damages for Sternemann, an order barring future discrimination and other relief. The suit, captioned EEOC v. V&B LLC, d/b/a Merry Maids (Civil Action No. 2:14-cv-00363-LA, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and assigned to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman.
EEOC Chicago Regional Attorney John C. Hendrickson said, "Thirty-six years after the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, pregnancy discrimination continues to demand the EEOC's attention. Employers who are over-protective sometimes don't think clearly and fail to ask questions that can allay their concerns. The ADA requires employers to engage in discussions with employees they believe to be disabled before taking any action which would affect their employment rights - and we are determined to make employers comply with the law."
V&B LLC is a privately held company, co-owned by Vern Covington and Beth Pinzer, which employs approximately 20 women to provide house cleaning services.
The EEOC's Chicago District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement and the conduct of agency litigation in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. The case will be litigated by attorneys in the Milwaukee Area Office.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. Further information about the agency is available on its website at www.eeoc.gov.


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Regular Seeds
Regular Cannabis Seeds
Buying Regular seeds is for those who prefer to go the all-natural route with their cannabis. Breeders in legal parts of the world use regular strains so they can combine the best genetics and create super hybrids. To produce your own seed both the female and male plant is needed and this means buying regular seeds. Before you go down this route we recommend putting in the time to find out all about growing with regs first as this requires a slightly different skill set if you've previously used feminized seeds.
- Victory Kush Regular Seeds$77.83
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We're Back!
Tune in for the podcast today: http://www.secondshifters.com/listen.html
Tune in for the podcast today: http://www.secondshifters.com/listen.html
Sanctuary has some super secret projects to take care of this weekend, but we'll be back next week with the podcast as usual. See you then!
The radio may be gone now, but we'll still be doing our weekly podcasts. To tune in (4pm Eastern Time on Sundays), just head to this link:
Well, with this post, it's official. We're going to be closing down the radio side of Second Shifters at midnight (Eastern) on New Year's Eve. Our first day of broadcast was Friday June 13th, 2003, so that makes 12 and a half years that we've been on air now. Sadly, the situation with royalties is just past the point of reason, and even though there may be a temporary break coming for some, it's clear that it's just that… temporary.
For anyone that's never heard Atnevon DJ before, your last chance will probably be Thursday night, so feel free to tune in for the final performance. If nothing else, it should be interesting.
The site is going to keep going, but we'll be undergoing some pretty major changes, and we may have to effectively take it down for a while while we re-vamp. Much of this is still in the planning phase, so you'll have to keep an eye out to see just what comes down the pipeline.
Many thanks go to Sanctuary for being co-host and co-admin for these last few years.
Backup batteries are supposed to help decrease stress, but somehow they're managing to cause Atnevon's day to go out the window. We're going to have to call off the podcast for this weekend, but we'll be back next week to tell the dark tale of UPS failure.
Hello friends, my name is Kidcha and I am here to tell you what you should and shouldn't watch this Halloween, because I put my foot in my mouth and declared I knew more than anyone else in the universe has ever known about this subject.
I mean, it might be true, but it was a bit dumb to brag about it, you know?
Yeah, I bet you do. Read more
Much to Atnevons displeasure, Season 6 of The Vampire Diaries aired on Thursday, Oct 2, 2014. (No – that's not giggling you hear from me as I torment him with this post.)
Last season left a few of our favorites seemingly disappearing into the Abyss of The Other Side as everything collapsed around them. Was this their final death? Are they alive? Read more
Apocalyptic earth has been at the center of many sci-fi movies. In fact as early as 1916 in a silent film titled "The End of the World" they were exploring the idea of what life would be like for the people left behind after an apocalyptic event either though natural methods, accident, war, aliens, or deliberate destruction by man. Our fascination with what we would do should the earth be destroyed, invaded, or made unlivable for humans, appears to be unending. Read more
On Aug 24th 2014 True Blood had it's last call. I can say I'm sorry to see it go. Like any good show that comes to a close you'll never satisfy every watcher that's invested, but all the questions were answered that needed to be, and every character had a sense of closure to their stories – one way or another. Read more
Project Greenlight comes back, Sharing gets de-valued, Killing your children was easier with a murder bottle, We try to make lemonade out of the moon's newly discovered shape, and We all agree that you shouldn't poke other people's meat in public.


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As natural disasters go, President Obama has – knock on wood – been luckier than his predecessor. That thought came to me on Monday as I waited for emergency crews to reconnect the power and telephone lines to my house. Both had been severed by a single tree felled during tropical storm Irene's leisurely jaunt through Vermont at the tail end of its travels up the eastern seaboard. I was lucky – the tree only grazed the house, power was restored after a day, and I was spared the flooding that hit much of Vermont, including throughout my town, and which completely cut off communication with at least a dozen nearby Vermont communities. As of today, helicopters are ferrying supplies to those communities while road crews work around the clock to repair damaged roads. And I have been busy cutting firewood.
Make no mistake – it could have been much worse. It is true that Vermont took a historic beating, with water levels in many rivers and creeks cresting at heights never previously recorded. And the cleanup is only beginning. It will be days, and even weeks, before roads are made passable and power restored to many areas. But the loss of life was minimal – four dead in Vermont and less than 50 in total attributed to the storm so far – in no small part because state and local authorities were proactive in requesting federal emergency authority to mobilize emergency response teams, and in issuing mandatory evacuations. Indeed, the biggest complaint heard in the aftermath of Irene is that authorities overreacted, particularly in ordering the evacuations. A full evaluation of the civil authorities' overall response must await the cleanup efforts, of course, but the initial perception is that the coordination between local, state and federal forces has been relatively smooth. In Vermont, local officials have taken the lead in the initial emergency preparations and responses, under state coordination. The feds are mostly providing resources and, in time, will provide disaster relief money. That partly reflects the decentralized nature of the storm's impact, at least in Vermont, where authorities have to deal with 250+ communities, many of them containing less than 1,000 people. Under these circumstances, local control over relief efforts is imperative.
This, of course, is in stark contrast to what happened in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast while George W. Bush was president. To be sure, at Category 5, Katrina was a more powerful storm than Irene, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached New England. And New Orleans, as the famous National Geographic film watched by every schoolchild of a certain generation reminded us, is a city that is built largely below sea level, in a bowl-shaped depression. The geography alone meant it was a disaster waiting to happen. The only question was when.
But, as Time Magazine's Michael Grunwald documents in the end, Katrina was primarily a man-made, and not a natural disaster. And the primary culprit is one almost no one talks about: the Army Corps of Engineers, whose malfeasance in this instance was aided and abetted for years by the local congressional delegation. The immediate failure was the breaching of the system of flood control levees designed by the Army Corps of Engineers to withstand surging waters from hurricanes. As it turned out, those levees were poorly designed and constructed, and proved not up to the task. But the more deep-rooted cause of the Katrina catastrophe was the Corps' policy, at the behest of local members of Congress, of building "water control projects": levees, dams, artificial lakes and irrigation channels that destroyed thousands of acres of wetlands which provided a natural barrier against storm-induced flooding. The water projects were intended to benefit local businesses, including fisherman as well as the oil industry. But by destroying the wetlands, the Corps eliminated a natural shock absorber that would have helped minimize flooding in the delta region. Given this decades-old policy, it was only a matter of time before a Katrina-like event would flood New Orleans. It was George W. Bush's bad luck that it happened on his watch.
This is not to absolve Bush of his share of responsibility – he was, as he later admitted, far too respectful of local and state authority in the initial hours after Katrina struck. When Louisiana Governor Kathleen Bianco proved slow in requesting the federal government to take charge of the emergency response, Bush hesitated rather than federalizing the National Guard on his own and ordering military troops in as well. Eventually he did so, but by then the damage was done. But Bush's error was only the latest in a sequence of mistakes, beginning with Mayor Nagin's initial decision to order a "voluntary" evacuation before making it mandatory and a more general lack of coordination between local, state and federal officials in responding to Katrina. These errors culminated with FEMA's botched response under the leadership of Mike (Heckuva job, Brownie) Brown.
As Hurricane Irene headed toward the east coast, it was clear that local politicians, particularly the state governors Christie and Cuomo, and New York Mayor Bloomberg – all of whom are rumored to be potential presidential candidates down the road – were not going to make Bianco's mistake. Mindful no doubt of the Katrina precedent, they all moved quickly in requesting authority from Obama to declare an emergency, and when the hurricane hits their states, they made sure to visit constituents, on the ground, to show their concern. Indeed, I could not listen to a news broadcast without seeing a somber-faced elected official, usually with jacket off and shirt sleeves rolled up, listing the disaster preparation steps that were underway. And that included the President, who cut short his vacation to return to the White House and give a nationwide address warning of the severity of the hurricane, and who thereafter made sure to visit, along with FEMA director Craig Fugate, local and state emergency crews on the ground in affected areas. There would be no visuals of Obama flying over disaster areas.
To be sure, Obama is not completely clear of political controversy in Irene's aftermath; already there is grumbling from some officials that FEMA is pulling money out of relief efforts in other regions hit earlier by tornadoes in order to fund the cleanup in areas affected by Irene. But so far he has escaped the criticism that befell Bush and his FEMA team (and that Obama endured during the Gulf oil spill crisis, another event for which a president took blame although it was largely Congress' fault.) The differing perceptions may say less about their respective handling of the two crises and more about the hurricanes themselves, and where they hit. If so, it is a reminder that disasters choose their presidents, and not vice versa.
Meamwhile, I leave you with a glimpse of Irene's local impact: the destruction of an iconic covered bridge in the town of Quechee.


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Man accused of being cross-dressing bandit
A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of holding up two businesses at gunpoint while wearing what were described as a woman's wig, gloves and scarf.
Ahmand Nelson, 32, was arrested Monday on two counts of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. Bail was set at $100,000.
The first robbery occurred Jan. 6 at a Citgo convenience store in the 1800 block of Bandera Road and was captured by surveillance cameras, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The second happened Sunday at a Sunglo gas station in the 2800 block of Guadalupe Street. A clerk at the front desk was processing paperwork when a man matching the suspect's description walked in and demanded cash from a drawer, the affidavit says.
The employee told police she smirked, thinking the man was joking, until she saw his black semi-automatic handgun.
She then started getting money from the drawer and putting it on the counter. The gunman then tapped the employee's hand with the gun and told her to place the cash in his hand, the affidavit says.
Police said they recognized the suspect from surveillance footage as Nelson because officials had been investigating his possible involvement in other robberies, the affidavit says.
Witnesses identified him through a photo lineup.
Twitter: @aley_EN


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Kellan Lutz may be nearly done with Twilight — the final installment, Breaking Dawn – Part 2, hits theaters next month — but his career is far from over.
"I want to act for the rest of my life," the 27-year-old tells DuJour magazine. "I'll win an Oscar one day, but I'm in no rush to get there. I don't care if that takes me 50 years, and I'm old. I just love what I do."
If the acting jobs dry up, though, the self-proclaimed science nerd has a solid plan B: chemical engineering.
Calling chemistry his "biggest passion in life," Lutz reveals that he has two top-secret patent-pending inventions in the works. In fact, he recently flew to Arizona (where his mom and several siblings live) to build his inventions with a scientist there.
"It's great because acting has given me the resources and platform to help charities but also the money to create my inventions and pay for the patent process," he explains. "Attorneys aren't cheap!"
Fortunately, the star still has a few paydays in his future. Lutz has several films set to be released in the next year or so, including Tarzan, a remake of the 1932 movie Tarzan the Ape Man. But first, he'll bid farewell to the Twilight Saga — the franchise that gave him his big break.
"It really is bittersweet," the Breaking Dawn actor says. "It's very much like high school…and I'm ready to graduate."
That said, he's looking forward to celebrating the release of the film with his family, friends, and co-stars.
"This is such a special moment in my life," Lutz adds. "I really just want to experience it with the people who mean the most to me."
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text: Just came across an article that mentions the largest SGE cluster. http://www.esj.com/news/article.asp?EditorialsID=402 "Tokyo University, for example, has a grid with 777 [Sun] systems. They are using Solaris and SGI IRIX systems in a mixed environment, so the 777 [computers] I mentioned are only Sun systems, and there are another 500 SGI machines." -Ron __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com


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RP-5217 Filing Fee
The filing fee for the RP-5217 is $125 for qualifying residential or farm property and to $250 for all other property. These fees apply to all deeds submitted for recording.
Backfile Conversion of Deed Book 1074 & Mortgage Book 778
Our backfile conversion is now completed. Images are now available from:


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How does one begin a resume?
In order to effectively convey your strengths, you must do a self assessment.
Begin with a list of your greatest accomplishments and personal qualities.
Describe your skills and accomplishments with each employer by using action words. List only the skills that you would like to use on a new job. If you are writing a scannable resume then use key words.
Write a chronological history of your employment, training, volunteer work and extra-curricular activities.
Analyze the requirements of the new job you want to apply for.
Compare the skills required with your background and indicate how you have demonstrated these skills. (Apply for jobs where you have the closest fit and interest.)
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|The Continent Hotel Bangkok, where you will experience the peak of luxury and convenience in a boutique hotel.
Sukhumvit Road is adjacent to our hotel, and offers Bangkok's best in dining, night life, shopping and entertainment, for both the business and the leisure traveler.
Thanks to a masterful combination of style, design and location, the Continent Hotel is probably the top lifestyle hotel Sukhumvit has on offer.
But why go out, when you can stay in? Continent Hotel offers fine dining fare unparalleled for a boutique leisure hotel. Sukhumvit visitors pass by many of Bangkok's finest restaurants to try our award-winning fare. From 35 floors in the sky, with our rooftop bar, Bangkok's skyline comes alive, allowing you to enjoy the finest in cocktails and fusion cuisine with a panoramic view. For their rooftop experience, guests can choose between two restaurants: the Axis & Spin brings in the trendy nightlife clientele, while our Medinii restaurant offers the finest Italian fare in an intimate and romantic setting. Stay cool in our on-site swimming pool while sipping fruity cocktails at the H2O pool bar, and enjoy all-day light snacks as well as a luxurious afternoon tea at the Compass Lounge.
All of our 153 guest rooms feature all of the amenities that discerning luxury travelers expect of a top-rated hotel, including access to our popular O2 Sky Gym. The rooms themselves are expertly designed according to four main themes – Ocean, Forest, Desert , and Space – and our most popular rooms are on the 26th to 32nd floors, appropriately named "Sky Rooms".
Premier Room
(room size: 28 sq.m. | Connecting Rooms Available | Non-Smoking Only)Our Premier Rooms are situated on the higher floors where you can unwind in the backdrop of the Bangkok city view. This room type offers a choice of either a king-sized bed, queen-sized bed, or twin beds. All Premier Rooms are non-smoking.
Executive Room / Executive Room, Luxury Sky
(room size: 32 sq.m., Sofa bed available at this room type only)The Executive Room comes with a larger space, It is available in all 4 environmental themes. With a chic and modern décor, the room has a bright interior and a king-sized bed. Offering both smoking and non-smoking options upon request.
|Executive Room
|Executive Room
|Executive Room
|Executive Room, Luxury Sky
|Executive Room, Luxury Sky
|Executive Room, Luxury Sky
Sky Room, Luxury Sky
(Higher Floor with Sky Benefits | Connecting Rooms Available | Non-Smoking Only)A recommended choice for our guests, the Sky Room provides an amazing skyline view from the 22nd to 32nd floors. The rooms has an inviting and warm atmosphere as well as being sophistically decorated and are fully-equipped with modern amenities and safety features.
Continent Room / Continent Room, Luxury Sky
(room size: 35 sq.m., Higher Floor with Sky Benefits & Free Mini-Bar )The Continent Room will provide the comfort you need after a hectic day of exploring Bangkok city. Decorated in an exquisitely luxurious style, the Continent Room features an elegant setting for a romantic getaway.
|Continent Room
|Continent Room
|Continent Room
|Continent Room, Luxury Sky
|Continent Room, Luxury Sky
|Continent Room, Luxury Sky
|Situated in the heart of Bangkok, The Continent Hotel offers world class and international range of culinary choices.
Enjoy traditional Thai and tantalizing Italian food or the international breakfast buffet served at Medinii.
Sip on cocktails at H2O pool bar or Axis & Spin which is the roof top bar.
Enjoy light snacks and afternoon tea served at the Compass lounge within the hotel premises.
(Italian with an Asian twist)
The Medinii is a lofty Italian restaurant with an Asian twist to the flavor. Located on the 35th floor of the hotel.
Opening hours: 6am – midnight
|Axis & Spin
(Sky Bar & Lounge)
Axis and Spin is Bangkok's up-and-coming coolest night party and relaxation venue. Located on the 38th and 39th floors of the hotel.
Opening hours: 4pm – 2am
(Pool Bar)
Relax outdoors on the 37th floor by the breezy poolside at H2O.
Opening hours: 9am – midnight
(Lobby Bar & Lounge)
You can sit back and relax or enjoy a comfortable meeting environment at the Compass Lobby Bar & Lounge. Located on Ground floor of the hotel.
Opening hours: 9am – 6pm
The Continent Hotel Bangkok offers a full range of 5-star services and facilities for your comfort and enjoyment, including:
|Swimming Pool
|Swimming Pool
|Sun Bed
|Fitness Center
|Fitness Center
|Meeting Room
|Meeting Room
|Meeting Room
|For travelers seeking easy access from the airport and to destinations all around the city, at a hotel near BTS stations, or a hotel on Sukhumvit,
we offer both, being right next to Asok BTS station and the underground Sukhumvit MRT station. For convenience in city travel,
ours is probably the best modern hotel Sukhumvit has to offer. Aside from being a top location for a leisure hotel,
Sukhumvit offers an amazing array of boutique shops as well as large shopping malls, featuring leading global brands such as Louis Vuitton,
Chanel, Coach, and many other top lifestyle brands, all within a short walk from us.
Guests come from all around Asia to shop at The Emporium Bangkok and the recently-opened EmQuartier,
and we are pleased to be within a short walk of both of these landmark destinations.


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The advancement division generates philanthropic support and builds favorable public relations for EMU through effective marketing and communications of EMU's mission, vision, and programs, and cultivates enduring relationships with individual and organizational donors, students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, congregations and conferences. We do this in collaboration with the EMU community.
Advancement goals and objectives are results oriented, and reflect a commitment to allocate human and financial resources in ways that maximize our effectiveness in telling the EMU story. We share the story through personal relationships with constituents, by producing top quality publications, and through communications via the world of electronic communications – all of this so that prospective students will choose to attend this institution, and alumni and friends will find it meaningful to support EMU as strong advocates and generous donors.
Kirk Shisler, vice president for advancement


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Magnecor KV ignition wires
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Racing stud dual thread 12x1.5 : 12x1.5 L 76mm
from € 5.99


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What Did Bolivia Do to Deserve This?Comments
Imagine opening up a box you think will be filled with "Detroit Tigers: 2012 World Series Champions" hats and t-shirts, and instead finding this:
Beth Cox wore a Mitt Romney T-shirt, a cross around her neck and fresh eyeliner, even though she had been crying on and off and knew her makeup was likely to run. A day after the election, she tuned the radio to Glenn Beck and began pulling posters and American flags off the wall.
Her calendar read "Victory Day!!" and she had planned to celebrate in the office by hosting a dance party and selling Romney souvenirs. But instead she was packing those souvenirs into boxes, which would be donated to a charity that sent clothes to South America. Instead a moving company was en route to close down the office in the next 48 hours, and her friends were calling every few minutes to see how she was doing.
Via Rude Pundit. And if you haven't seen this, then you just don't understand schadenfreude.


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The full trailer for Paramount's much-anticipated "World War Z" has finally been released.
Earlier this week we saw a preview teaser for the film based off the 2006 book of the same name by Max Brooks.
Check out Brad Pitt as United Nations' agent Gerry Lane saving his family from the ant hills of zombies (literally) below:


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So I saw the recent FB post about OCNA hotspots and in the process of trying to figure out how many OCNA caches are in Ontario, found a minor things but will bring them up all the same
When you do a cache search, you can select to hide inactive caches. What is an inactive cache? there is nothing on the website or wiki to state what that means. After a bit of testing, it seems to me that inactive caches include both archived caches and temporarily unavailable caches. The other one I find strange is to hide "Observed" caches which again after some testing seems to be caches you are watching. Why you would want to hide those in a search, beats me. Should these definitions we added to the wiki?
And speaking of the wiki, I noticed a few other things that should be updated, such as file size limits for photos and the new option to select whether you will publish the cache upon approval or let the OCNA admin do that.
Small stuff, yes it is.
Now if I just had a cache type for the 30 or so benchmarks I'd like to list but not as virtual caches....


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Max Payne @ University is a Total Conversion for the first Max Payne game. The main setting is the real life premises and surrounding areas of the Computer Engineering and Informatics Department a.k.a CEID in Patras, Greece. This modification integrates the Kung Fu Deluxe Engine and the Enemy Kung Fu engine. It also features 5 level maps, some new weapons, and a story with two possible endings.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
A corner of the exterior of the CEID building. Max
is looking for a get-away car.


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2014 was a year of opportunities and happily growing up for me. There were several events this year that were not even in my plans, yet I still went with them. I'm glad and more than thankful that I did because these add to the best times of my life. I lost friends along the way, but I also met new people and made amazing new friends who share my values and passions in life. I have been to 3 countries this year, talked to strangers, ordered food without understanding anything on the menu, experienced a lot of firsts, took on the adventures that I've been blessed with happily embracing the fact that I won't be the same person each time I come back.
I have encountered bumps along the way, but these weren't stuff that couldn't be resolved with the right attitude and wise use of resources. I am grateful for P, my Mom, and one of my very good friends Candace for always giving me that extra push to all these new experiences. It feels great that I'm getting better, a lot better at being a functioning adult and I'm proud of it. I know Mom's happy about it as well. With all that's happened and everything I've accomplished in 2014, I can only look forward to 2015 with full anticipation for everything wonderful that will take place.
Friends, join me as I look at back at some of the best moments of my life in 2014.
First trip of the year: Revisiting Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Next Stop: Brunei Darussalam
Next Stop: Singapore
Japan and I, it was love at first sight!
My Best Friend's Wedding
Exploring the unknown, but loving it.
This was another super project this year, thankful for the trust given to me.
I really wanted to work with her, but the project was deferred :(
Rouge: Moldex Realty's 2014 Vertical Annual Sales Award & Rally
Once again doing the impossible at the Golden Affiliates event.
Second to the last event with one of the best bosses ever.
My 2014 Heroes
And to you, thank you for taking time to visit my blog in 2014. I hope to meet you in person in one of my future travels. From my home to yours, I wish you a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous 2015. Keep on smiling! ☮ Peace + ❥ Love + Good Vibes. RUSS.


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Today, Jonathan Coulton and Greg Pak launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a new comic based on JoCo's signature songs.
With artwork by Pak's frequent collaborator Tak Miyazawa, "Code Monkey" will tell the story of a programmer who's drawn from the cubicle farm of one of a supervillain's legitimate business into a spacefaring rescue mission. He and his boss head off in an adventure against two chief adversaries: a robotic queen and their own general ineptitude. Code Monkey is at a strict disadvantage in any situation whose solution doesn't require him to manipulate an SQL server backend. And yes, alas, this includes affairs of the heart.
We interviewed the creative team via email.
TechHive: "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," starring the Bee Gees; "Harper Valley PTA," starring Barbara Eden; "The Gambler," starring Kenny Rogers; and of course, "The Christmas Shoes," starring Rob Lowe. And "Code Monkey" joins this list of songs that became fully-realized stories. What's the attraction?
Jonathan Coulton: As your list of hugely successful entertainment properties demonstrates, this kind of creative endeavor always works. It's basically like printing money (joke).
Actually, for years people have suggested to me the idea of creating some kind of larger work out of these songs that ties together the characters and common themes that seem to already exist in the same universe. A few groups have written and performed full-on Jonathan Coulton musicals, which is always fun to see. I've always liked the idea of getting these characters together and seeing what they have to say to each other beyond the internal monologues that already exist.
Greg Pak: Jonathan's my favorite current singer-songwriter because he's first and foremost a storyteller. Virtually every one of his songs features a strange, funny, relatable, and totally compelling character. Code Monkey's a perfect example. He's a hapless, put-upon computer programmer who seethes as his boss condescends and pines as the object of his affection ignores him. And he talks like the Hulk. What's not to love?
TH: Why "Code Monkey" and not, say, "Skullcrusher Mountain" or "Chiron Beta Prime," which seem to have direct storylines?
GP: Funny you should ask! Because the "Code Monkey Save World" graphic novel is based on several songs, including "Skullcrusher Mountain" and "Chiron Beta Prime"! The Coultonverse is a rich and varied place, and we're taking advantage of all of its strange nooks and crannies. Fans of zombies, robots, and curlers in particular may be pleased to know that we're also taking inspiration from "Re: Your Brains," "Future Soon," and "Curl."
JoCo: Indeed, as Greg points out, we're trying to bring together characters from a few different songs. One of the challenges is the almost immediate retcon you have to take on in doing this—these songs were not originally designed to fit into a consistent single story universe, so you have to bend a few rules. I'm super excited about the parts of this story that are new, the choices that Greg is making as he brings the threads together.
It's always exciting when you get to watch someone talented build on something you've already created. That collaborative aspect means that even for me, the guy who wrote the songs, there's a whole bunch of new stuff that's going to happen.
TH: You guys are suddenly making it sound like a Marvel mega crossover event! What do you think the musical equivalent of the famous "Avengers versus Justice League" crossover would be, if you could incorporate characters from Jonathan's and any other band's songs?
GP: I pick Styx's "Come Sail Away." Skullcrusher vs. Alien Angels!
JoCo: I'd go with Leonard Cohen—you'd get a lot of intense, deep thinking, East Village types in there, slouching around being all interesting. I'd like to see Skullcrusher try to hang out at one of their parties.
TH: What's the basic storyline of the "Code Monkey" comic?
GP: Code Monkey teams up with the moody supervillain Skullcrusher to save Code Monkey's beloved co-worker Matilde from Laura the Robo Queen's slave colonies on Chiron Beta Prime. Hijinks ensue.
The twist is that Skullcrusher is just as inept as Code Monkey when it comes to matters of the heart. He pines for Laura the Robo Queen, hopelessly. Unrequited love, fantastic heroism, seething villainy. We've got it all!
TH: I imagine that "Code Monkey" could have served as the whole "elevator pitch" for a comic story. Or, alternatively, just as the booster rocket that gets the story going and then gets jettisoned. Was it a good framework for stories that fit that kind of world, or has Jonathan been carrying around a clear picture of who the narrator is, and the life he led outside the song, all of these years?
JoCo: I actually don't have a huge framework in mind outside the songs. When I write I try to get deep into the character, and I try to empathize as much as possible. Best case, the writing comes from a very emotional place, so that it's almost personal, even though I'm speaking as a giant squid or a zombie or whatever.
And the larger story line that comes before and after doesn't enter into my process—I don't have the patience! So really I'm depending a great deal on Greg's talents as a storyteller, to take those characters and make them dance in a pleasing way, for longer than three minutes and 45 seconds.
GP: I've had all of Jonathan's songs in my iPhone for a couple of years now, so I've heard them all about one billion times each. And over the months, I've kind of internalized all of these different characters. Once I started thinking about how a story might work, the characters kind of fell into place very naturally. They're all so distinctive that you get great moments when you put any two of them in the same room.
But what really makes it all work is that there's a kind of shared emotion threading through all of these songs and characters—a kind of longing. These are all characters in motion, all yearning for something just out of their grasp. That motion and emotion generates conflict and drama. Just great stuff.
TH: The first time I heard "The Future Soon" I thought that the kid narrating the lyrics could have been the subject of a movie...the song crystallized a certain kind of "teenage nerd filled with dreams and desires, but whose imagination creates a lack of focus and a lot of obstacles" that was, alas, quite familiar.
JoCo: Yes, it's remarkable how many people find themselves in that character. Apparently we're all sitting alone in our rooms, plotting our delicious revenge. And really this guy is the heart of the story I think—the sad villain who no one appreciates seems to tap directly into who most of us think we really are.
GP: Exactly. While putting this story together, I realized that the narrator of "Future Soon" and "Skullcrusher Mountain" could actually be the same guy at different stages in his life. And yes, I was totally compelled by that idea of a nerd-turned-supervillain, particularly given the character's hapless and hopeless romantic longings. Incredibly creepy, funny, and affecting all at once.
A big part of the fun of the story will be seeing this character, whom we're calling Skullcrusher, serving as a kind of mentor for Code Monkey. He's a very bad mentor, of course—and the question is whether the more innocent Code Monkey will go down the same path towards miserable villainy. Drama!
TH: Which sounds kind of perfect, because there's probably nobody at any company with the power for greater good or greater evil than the folks who write the code that runs everything.
GP: Heh. In the outline we've worked up, Code Monkey actually works for Skullcrusher's legitimate businesses, SKM Industries. So he may have knowingly or not been contributing to massive evil for ages now.
TH: I think it's fair to say that "Code Monkey" has become an anthem for the brave men and women of the International Coding Corps. To actually draw this guy must be like being the first person to draw Doctor Doom without his mask on...even if a fan can't tell you what he looks like, they probably know what's "wrong."
Is Code Monkey even male? How do you get that figure "right"?
Tak Miyazawa: To be honest, I didn't know much about the Code Monkey phenomenon until Greg asked me to be part of the team. Living in Japan for the past 6 years... I've been in a bit of a bubble. Anyway, I think it's safe to say I was seeing it with fresh eyes. Greg gave me a short bio of each of the characters and I was free to draw what felt right to me. I feel very fortunate about the amount of freedom I was given and the fact that Greg and Jonathan liked them so much!
GP: I'll just say that the instant I opened up my email and saw Tak's initial sketches, my head exploded from the awesome. Particularly that one little sketch of Code Monkey typing with that slightly dangerous arch to his eyebrow. There's a guy on the verge—who knows what he's going to become? Adorable—or deadly? I love it so so so so much.
JoCo: I'll second Greg's comment—not that I had any preconceived notions of what he looked like, or even if he was a monkey or not, Tak nailed it out of the gate.
GP: I will say one thing: from the beginning, I knew he had to be a real monkey. And if we can get away with it, I hope to never explain it.
TH: It must be fun to be surprised by something new in something that you yourself wrote. It sounds like your process for creating this comic will be a little like the classic Marvel Method of writing comics: the writer hands a synopsis, the artist breaks it down into pages, the writer then scripts through the artwork.
GP: Well, the Marvel Method really is about producing story pages that way. I've planned out the whole story, but at the moment, we've just had Tak working on character and cover designs. So yes, there's a lot of fun back and forth, with me tossing him a few lines about the each characters and Tak hitting us back with sketches. And Tak somehow has a direct line into my brain, because he's totally nailing every single design.
When we get to the actual writing and drawing of story pages, I'll give Tak full script pages. I've done more Marvel Method writing recently—most recently with "X-Treme X-Men," and I've had a lot of fun with it.
But Tak and I have always worked with full script together and it's been great. Tak's absolutely amazing with character—particularly with very small, funny nuances. And I think we'll have the best chance of teasing out those moments if we go full script.
At the same time, I'm always hugely open to artists bringing awesome ideas to the table, and Tak's one of those endlessly inventive guys who finds fun bits to play with that bring out essential things about the characters. He created all the scenarios for those initial character sketches of Code Monkey—and I love them all so much, from the coffee mug to getting caught surfing the web to that dangerous raised eyebrow. Just solid gold.
TH: Jonathan, has the experience gotten you thinking about writing music specifically for a comic or film?
JoCo: I'm always thinking about that. Mostly I don't have the big idea yet for such a project, but it's certainly something I'm interested in doing one day. Who knows, once this thing gets going we may find there's a whole universe of stories there—musicals, movie musicals, novelizations of the movie musicals, and then ultimately a documentary film about all the conspiracy theories and secret hidden meanings in our enormous body of work. Fingers crossed!
This story, "Interview: Jonathan Coulton and Greg Pak on their Kickstarter project 'Code Monkey'" was originally published by TechHive.


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Economic solutions have been a solid tool for achieving environmental goals. Perhaps the most famous is the idea of power plants trading pollution credits, but there's one for water that could benefit your farm.
USDA and EPA recently announced they are working together to support the development of water quality trading markets. These markets are expected to provide farmers and ranchers with new income opportunities, in addition to enhancing water quality and conservation.
In such a trading market, regulated entities or permitted emitters (electric utilities, wastewater treatment plants and industrial plants) could buy and use pollutant reduction credits generated by other sources (crop and livestock farmers) in a watershed. Participation in a water quality trading market is voluntary.
Like what you're reading? Subscribe to Farm Industry News Now e-newsletter to get the latest news and more straight to your inbox twice weekly.
The markets would provide a financial incentive to farmers and producers to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants beyond what is required by any law or other reduction target, which may be part of a watershed plan or total maximum daily load, says Ellen Gilinsky, EPA senior policy adviser.
"Any industries that have a permit that includes limits for a pollutant, such as nitrogen, phosphorus or even temperature, are potential buyers if the credits they can buy are cheaper than installing new technology to meet those limits," Gilinsky says. If, for example, a wastewater treatment plant needs to reduce nitrogen to 200 pounds per year, but can only get to 100 pounds per year with existing technology, it could buy 100 pounds of nitrogen reduction credits from a producer who has implemented and verified best management practices, or BMPs, that reduce nitrogen input into the watershed by 100 pounds.
Web resources
USDA's Office of Environmental Markets website offers information on how water quality trading programs work, along with tools producers can use to calculate which management practice would result in credits to sell, says Ann Mills, USDA deputy undersecretary. Farmers also are encouraged to contact the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service or their local conservation districts.
Pilot projects are underway in Wisconsin's Fox River watershed and the Ohio River Basin, as well as in Oklahoma, Florida, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
In Wisconsin, NRCS, the Great Lakes Commission and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources launched a pilot project last summer to reduce high nutrient levels and algal blooms in Wisconsin's Lower Fox River watershed, which flows into lower Green Bay. Excessive nutrients, including phosphorus, have resulted in a dead zone in Green Bay, says Jimmy Bramblett, state conservationist, NRCS, in Madison.
In the first phase of a three-phase project, the agencies are working with farmers (engaged in both crop and dairy production), the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Wisconsin's Discovery Farms to demonstrate and evaluate new and existing conservation practices to reduce phosphorus runoff. They also will set up a framework, or the guidance and policy, for trading water quality credits within the watershed.
The second phase will test the trading of credits between farms and permitted emitters. The third phase will implement the project itself, which is targeted to begin in 2016 or 2017.
In the Ohio River Basin, the Electric Power Research Institute, or EPRI, and a group of power companies, wastewater utilities, farmers, and state and federal agencies are involved in an interstate water quality pilot program.
Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky signed a trading plan in 2012, setting up the world's largest water quality trading program. The market could gradually involve eight states, with the potential to include 230,000 farmers, 46 power plants and thousands of wastewater utilities.
EPRI contracts with state agricultural agencies, using private and federal funds. (EPA provided $1 million in 2009, and USDA awarded $2.3 million in three separate instances.) The state agencies, in turn, work with local soil and water conservation districts to provide farmers the water quality trading contracts. The local districts provide outreach services and ensure farmers are reducing pollutants above and beyond what's required by law.
Financial framework
In this cost-share program, farmers would pay just 25% of the cost of implementing and maintaining BMPs (such as cover crops). EPRI pays the remaining 75%, explains Jessica Fox, program manager, EPRI-Environment.
The price of credits fluctuates, depending on the location of the watershed, the distance between the farming operation and the buyer of the credits. The price of credits in the EPRI program would be based on per pound of nitrogen and the cost of the BMPs involved. This would differ on each farmer's soil, slope of the fields and conservation practice. EPRI conducts analyses based on the particular watershed involved to determine the value. For more information, visit wqt.epri.com.
The Ohio River project has a number of BMPs already in place and will execute a series of stewardship credit pilot trades between 2014 and 2015 to test an online credit registry and live trading market. The first credit trades will take place early this year.
"As markets are built, we need agri-cultural stakeholders at the table," says USDA's Mills. She adds that for these markets to succeed, the credits must provide enough financial incentive to farmers to make it worthwhile. Calcu-lating the necessary BMPs and signing up for trading programs should not be onerous. Also, farmers' privacy must be considered when developing the verification standards, Mills adds.
The water quality trading markets are designed with working lands in mind. "USDA is interested in ensuring credits can be generated by working farms and ranches, not just land retirement," Mills says. Farmers may even be able to "stack" credits if their BMPs also generate wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, bio-diversity and other ecosystem services.
The credits must be quantifiable and verifiable, Mills says. The monitoring and approval of these credits will be required, and rules will be set by the state in which the trading occurs, not by EPA and USDA, Gilinsky notes. The length of credit approval can be annual or longer, depending on what the state in which the trading takes place decides. Auditing will most likely be done by conservation districts or third-party contractors.
The federal agencies will provide grants, loans and technical assistance to states, agricultural producers, regulated sources and interested third parties on water quality trading. They also will develop tools and information resources that states and credit generators can use in decision-making. These resources will be used to foster consistency and integrity across regional initiatives.
"This is a 21st-century approach that can create new revenue streams for producers, helping keep farmers as farmers at a time when they are losing acres to development," Mills says. "It also provides a new set of incentives to make investments in conservation. This is an exciting time for agriculture and ecosystem services."
Gilinsky adds that the new agreement between USDA and EPA also provides for more education and outreach on trading and how agricultural producers can participate.


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If you've been following along this blog for a while, you probably know by now that bread pudding is by far my single most favorite dessert in the world. IN THE WORLD. For this reason alone, it's a very good thing I live in Hawaii, a state particularly fond of bread pudding. You'll find bread pudding at more restaurants on this tiny island than you can count on with a dozen hands. Bread pudding is player on restaurant menus running the range from high end such as Le Bistro in Niu Valley, the Kahala Resort, Chef Mavro's Cassis Honolulu, and all the way to casual spots such as Panya, the bakery section of Don Quijote, and most importantly Kaka'ako Kitchen.
I say most importantly because of all the seemingly bazillion bread pudding haunts that flood this island there must be one that does it best. And of course you are entitled to your own opinion because food, especially bread pudding, is a very subjective subject and there's no sense in arguing who does what best – it's all a matter of opinion. With that said, let me express my opinion. Kakaako Kitchen does the best bread pudding on the island of Oahu. It is, honestly put, mind blowing. And it is also simply amazing. For a mere $3.50 you can have an orgasm in the form of warm custardy pudding. With a side of creamy vanilla bean speckled crème anglaise nonetheless! It's a small price to pay.
So here's what happens: swing open the doors to Kakaako Kitchen and look to the right of the register. You should see a dessert case. A really awesome dessert case. Filled with wonders of carrot cake, lemon bars, banana poi bread and pumpkin bread. To the left of the register are cookies. The double chocolate walnut is best. I don't know about the others. But what should catch your attention is the small Styrofoam container towards the bottom of the case. There should be at least a dozen of these containers. There's no hint as to what they hold. You just have to know. Whereas the other treats are packed in clear plastic boxes, these come in silent white containers. Only the worthy can indulge.
Whisper the words "bread pudding" and hand your money to whoever's at the register. The cashier will ask, "do you want it hot?" And you must say, "YES, YES!" And he'll pop it in the microwave for a bit. What?! Microwave?! Blasphemy! But deal with it. Microwaving this bread pudding does wonders. And so out comes the bread pudding in a minute or so, along with a fork and napkins…and you must run to the nearest table to sit and eat because it is only good HOT.
And so…oh man, here comes the best part! You open up the container, stare at this wondrous piece of art in all its picture perfect glory, and stab the fork in with reckless abandon of joy. Make sure to stab the fork in to the top part of the pudding because as you'll notice the top part forms this half-custard, half-pudding glory that only sounds and not words could describe (it's the right half of the photo). This bread pudding lies on the pudding end of the spectrum, and you could easily eat it with a spoon, or glory be, just pour it all in your mouth. Mind you, it still retains the dignity of the eggy sweet bread entwined with laces of cinnamon and teasingly dotted with vanilla. If you could ever find sin in the mouth it would not be the chocolate soufflé or crème brulee, but this homely creature: the bread pudding. This creature that manages to be all at once fluffy with custard soaked innards and wickedly scandalous with a chilled anglaise which could make for a pudding all itself. I've already decided that at my wedding (which is no where in the foreseeable future) we will not eat cake. We will have bread pudding.
Unfortunately it is not a dish recommended for eating on a date, as it will come to be a messy affair should you chose to split it. And by messy, I mean both the fact that it is a terribly messy, most ungraceful pudding to share and also by the fact that who the heck would want to share pudding if they could have their own? However, if you insist on taking your significant other for a taste, I suggest you get one per person cause it simply works out better that way.
Kaka'ako Kitchen
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Western blot and Triton X-100 in blocking buffer - (Feb/20/2013 )
I was wondering about the precise reason for using Triton X-100 in blocking buffer during a western blot. The cells containing my protein of interest are already lysed and triton x-100 is a detergent primarily used for permeabilizing cell membranes. However, I found a possible reason mentioned under the product's description at http://www.mclab.com/Triton-x-100.html
It says: 'It can be used to reduce the surface tension of aqueous solutions during immunostaining (usually in concentration of 0.1-0.5% in TBS or PBS Buffer).'
Could this be the reason for using triton x-100 in the blocking buffer? And can someone explain how exactly reducing surface tension would help in needing less antibody and getting a better surface covering? (I found this over at wikipedia, in the article about immunohistochemistry).
I thought reducing the surface tension could help in solubilizing the antibodies, allowing better contact and spreading of the antibodies, but I'm not sure.
Thanks in advance.
we used tween 20, not triton.


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Filled with Frank Sinatra music, Chicago architecture and references to U.S. brands like Nike, the 2000 film "What Women Want" about a chauvinist ad exec who gains the ability to hear women's thoughts is a "a very American movie," director Nancy Meyers says on the commentary track of the DVD. "And the character is very American."
A decade later, "What Women Want" has been remade in China and was released last month in the U.S. by upstart distributor China Lion. Meyers, for one, might be surprised to see how few details needed to be changed to make her story relevant to Chinese moviegoers.
Hong Kong singer-actor Andy Lau takes over the role originated by Mel Gibson, and just like Gibson he swills red wine and drinks coffee. Thanks to increasingly Westernized tastes in China, there was no need to substitute rice wine or tea, the filmmakers said. He drives an Acura, has a divorced wife who's taken up with a foreigner, and serenades his work rival/love interest with an English-language song in a Beijing jazz lounge.
"It says a lot about how China has evolved," said Dede Nickerson, an American and a producer on the new version who has lived in China for two decades and was key to setting up the remake of the Paramount Pictures film. "You would have had to make a lot more changes 10 years ago."
The remake was directed by Chen Daming, who left China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and spent most of the 1990s in Los Angeles, playing small roles in films like "Beverly Hills Ninja" and working on scripts. He returned to his homeland to take a stab at directing.
"China was changing economically, growing very fast, so I thought it was a very interesting time to do film," he said. When Nickerson approached him about "What Women Want," he was skeptical. But after a few conversations, he said, "I started to get excited about a story about what was going on with women in China."
"Ten years ago, China was still a man-dominated society," Chen said. "Men still had more power. It's definitely changing. You look at all my friends — women are powerful and doing things much more than 10 years ago. There are many more opportunities."
Chen said he did make certain changes to reflect Chinese mores, such as strengthening the family back story of the ad executive by adding a father character.
The new "What Women Want" also reflects how fast China has built up a globalized consumer culture after decades of centralized communist economic policies.
"When I was a student here in the late '80s, having a Coke and a bag of M&Ms was a luxury. Now I'm sitting here with a Starbucks," said Nickerson. "In 1990, there were 50,000 cars in Beijing, and today there are 4 million."
The filmmakers had no trouble attracting companies including Lipton Tea, Acura and L'Oreal to ink product-placement deals for the remake. Apple lent computers as props. "China is exactly like repeating America," Chen said. "So I thought the film could be interesting in that way. The kind of lifestyle people try to have. You go to Beijing, and it has become a sea of McDonalds, other brands."
Given how fast lifestyles in China and America are converging and that China's homegrown film industry is still relatively immature compared to Hollywood's, Nickerson and her fellow "What Women Want" producer Yu Dong say they see many opportunities to adapt U.S. productions.
"I extremely appreciate 'Sleepless in Seattle,'" said Yu, "and I hope to make a Chinese movie out of it."
Filled with Frank Sinatra music, Chicago architecture and references to U.S. brands like Nike, the 2000 film "What Women Want" about a chauvinist ad exec who gains the ability to hear women's thoughts is a "a very American movie," director Nancy Meyers says on the commentary track of the DVD. "And the character is very American."


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Alabama has a rich musical heritage that has produced some of the nation's most influential composers, instrumentalists, and vocalists. Rooted in traditional folk and spiritual music brought to the region by European immigration and enslaved...
Now largely a secular festival, Mardi Gras originated as a Christian celebration. The season runs between the Feast of Epiphany and Ash Wednesday in the spring, culminating in the revelry of Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday")....
Alabama has produced a number of distinguished physicians, nurses, and medical institutions. Three Alabama physicians have served as Surgeon General of the United States, and several Alabama natives have significantly influenced medical education...
Alabama's history, culture, geography, and natural environment are covered in a wide selection of books. Here are a few we think you will enjoy. Several of the authors listed have written entries for the Encyclopedia of Alabama.
EOA in the classroom! The Alabama Department of Archives & History has lessons plans using EOA content.
New to EOA? For an introduction to EOA's content, please read historian Wayne Flynt's essay on Alabama.
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BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore school police officers have cast a no-confidence vote in their chief, saying he's ignored their concerns and shouldn't be running the department.
The vote by union members against Chief Marshall "Toby" Goodwin took place last month.
The union president said in a letter to the schools chief executive that 84 of 110 officers made a "no confidence" vote against Goodwin.
It wasn't immediately clear why the union made the decision, but more information is expected to come out at its next meeting next week.
The city school police department has about 140 officers.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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MILFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) - The demolition of Newtown, Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 young children and six adults were shot to death last December, will begin on Friday under a cloak of secrecy meant to discourage souvenir-hunters, town officials said.
The town has required the workers handling the tear down of the building to sign agreements banning them from discussing any aspect of the work as Newtown officials attempt to fade out of the media spotlight that hit the commuter suburb after the December 14 attack.
Town officials aim for completion of the nearly 60-year-old school's demolition by the one-year anniversary of the attack.
"We have people showing up here every day who want to see the school," said Newtown First Selectman Patricia Llodra. "We are not a tourist attraction or a large city. We are a small town of 28,000 that just wants to be left alone to heal."
The massacre by 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza, a former Sandy Hook student, was one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, and led to stricter gun laws in Connecticut, New York and other nearby states.
Town officials have barricaded the property around the school to keep members of the public and media away.
"We don't want parts of the building showing up as collector's items on eBay," Llodra said.
Full-time security guards will be at the site during demolition, and contractors have also signed confidentiality agreements.
Bestech, an Ellington, Connecticut, company that specializes in removing asbestos and other hazardous waste, is on the job and planning to start tearing down part of the school Friday and through the weekend, town officials said.
Abatement work to inspect for and remove any hazardous material was underway on Thursday, but major demolition, which could include removal of parts of the building, was not due to occur until Friday, Llodra said.
Newtown School Board Chairwoman Debbie Leidlein said she was, "very relieved demolition of the old school is starting so a new school can be built."
The new school is expected to open by December 2016. Town voters last month accepted a state grant of $49.3 million to demolish the school and build a new one on the same site with a different entrance site and driveway.
Sandy Hook School pupils have been attending a school in neighboring Monroe since the shootings.
(Editing by Scott Malone, Lisa Von Ahn and Andre Grenon)


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