text:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. out 2 races after concussions
CONCORD, N.C. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss the next two races with his second concussion in the past six weeks, ending the championship chances of NASCAR's most popular driver.
The first concussion, suffered in a crash during an Aug. 29 tire test at Kansas, went undiagnosed until Wednesday, when Earnhardt was examined in Charlotte for lingering effects from Sunday's crash at Talladega.
"I knew having those two concussions back to back was not a good thing," he said Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "I knew to go see someone whether I wanted to get out of the car or not."
Hendrick Motorsports said Earnhardt will sit out races Charlotte and Kansas, and Regan Smith will replace him in the No. 88 Chevrolet.
Earnhardt, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Wednesday, was injured in a 25-car, last-lap accident Sunday at Talladega. Because he was able to drive his car away from the accident - teammate Jimmie Johnson even caught a lift on the window back to the garage - Earnhardt was not required to go to the care center for an examination at the time.
Slideshow:See more photos of the Talladega crash
Related: Crashes can end careers, but for some NASCAR drivers, the pain lingers
Ten after 3:A look at the decade after Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death at the Daytona 500
Immediately after the race, he called restrictor-plate racing "bloodthirsty" and said he no longer had any desire to compete at Daytona and Talladega.
The wreck was at least the second hard hit Earnhardt has had this season. He struck the wall extremely hard during the Goodyear test at Kansas when his right front tire failed, an accident driver Brad Keselowski tweeted about moments afterward.
Earnhardt, who attended a Washington Redskins exhibition game later that evening, was asked Thursday why didn't he seek attention after the Kansas accident.
"Too stubborn" he said. "With the Chase coming up, if I was to volunteer myself for medical attention, I didn't know how difficult it would be to get back in."
He added: "I knew something was not right. But I decided to just push through. I'd had concussions before."
Dr. Jerry Petty, a neurosurgeon who consults for NASCAR and also personally treats Earnhardt, said the driver was honest about his symptoms over the last six weeks. Earnhardt underwent an MRI on Wednesday and tests came back normal with no damage.
"He had no amnesia after either incident, which is very important," Petty said. We'll want to give him four, five days without a headache," and then they'll try to invoke a headache to see how he reacts before clearing him to race."
Said Earnhardt: "I feel perfectly fine, but I don't want to keep getting hit in the head."
Earnhardt earlier this season snapped a 143-race winless streak dating to 2008, and many believed he was in the best position in years to finally win his first Sprint Cup Series championship. But he had a mediocre start to the Chase for the Sprint Cup and left Talladega ranked 11th in the field.
By sitting out the next two races, he'll most certainly finish last in the 12-driver Chase race.
Earnhardt will also end his streak of 461 consecutive starts, which is the fifth longest active streak in the Sprint Cup Series.
NASCAR strengthened its commitment to keeping drivers with concussions off the track in 2002, in part because Earnhardt admitted he was unable to fully concentrate or communicate with his crew chief after an accident at California. He self-diagnosed himself with a concussion, which he revealed weeks later.
NASCAR then said doctors at infield care centers could require drivers to undergo CT scans or MRIs if they suspected a concussion. Clearance to race after suffering a concussion is not given until after a driver obtains a medical release.
Nationwide Series driver Eric McClure missed six weeks this season with lingering effects of a concussion suffered at Talladega. McClure said the concussion he sustained in the May 5 race was the third of his career, one of the main reasons his doctors and NASCAR officials made him sit out for an extended period of time.
"There's not really a set timetable for those things and that's been the challenging thing," McClure said after his June return. "That's what kept me from coming back was the lingering symptoms. I really felt a couple of weeks ago, after the first two weeks of being away from the track, and having total brain rest, that I was ready. But (my doctor) felt like we needed to wait, and I respect that opinion."


text:
Aug 15, 2024
Thursday, 09:00 am (America/New_York)
Come join Salesloft experts for a live Q&A session! Bring all your burning questions on topics like Cadence Best-Practices, Automation Rules, Admin Settings, etc.
Don't have time to stay the full hour? No problem! Feel free to drop in and out.
Office Hours will not be recorded for distribution after the session. All questions will be answered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
U.S. Economy: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
When it comes to unemployment reports in an election year, it's not just the data — it's also the spin.
Friday's jobs report could be seen as good news — at 8.5 percent, it's the lowest in three years. Good news for President Obama? Not according to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who lost no time in pointing out that the number is still above 8 percent — the figure that the president said would be the worst case under his 2009 stimulus package.
So where is the economy heading this year, and what does it mean for November's election? That's the question we put to three economists, one of whom is relatively optimistic; one who feels Americans will just muddle through the next year; and lastly, one whose viewpoint is more than a little gut-wrenching. We're calling their viewpoints the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Brian Wesbury, chief economist at First Trust in Wheaton, Ill.
OVERALL ECONOMY: Gaining steam
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 8 percent by Election Day
POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS: Good for Democrats
Since the first glimmers of hope for improvement emerged in the economy back in 2009, Wesbury has been consistently more upbeat than many of his fellow economists. He sees the recent trend in the unemployment rate and other economic measures as justifying that early optimism.
"I think this is going to be a better year than the pessimistic, dour outlook that many people have laid out," Wesbury says.
As the housing market bottoms out, expect to see an uptick in construction, which is traditionally the key to pulling the country out of recession, he says. "I think that's going to be one of the areas that add to growth."
Manufacturing also is gaining, but because of new efficiencies, will be less of a source of jobs than in the past, Wesbury says.
Cloud computing, smartphones and tablet computers are on the cusp of a new technological revolution, similar to the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, that will help drive the economy forward, he says.
Europe? Wesbury says not to worry — too much. He compares it to the Latin American debt crisis of the early '80s and Japan's woes a decade later.
"The U.S. weathered those crises and still posted strong growth," he notes.
By Election Day, the unemployment rate will be about 8 percent, "possibly 7.9 percent," says Wesbury. "That's going to be a sort of level and trajectory that President Obama is going to be able to point to and say his policies are having an effect."
Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist, IHS Global Insight
OVERALL ECONOMY: More of the same
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: Still above 8 percent by Election Day
POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS: A tossup
Gault's forecasts for 2012 look a lot like those for 2011. "It's another year of modest growth," he says.
"Internally, I think one of the most positive things is that housing has finally bottomed out and will begin to pick up. It's just a question of how rapidly it picks up. So, instead of housing being a big drag on the economy, it's going to be a modest plus," he says.
Business cash flow and profitability are looking quite good too, and the credit crunch has eased somewhat, meaning companies will find it a bit easier to borrow, he says. "But the big question is whether businesses are going to be willing to go out and spend and hire in a really big way."
Gault thinks companies will hire more and spend more, but they are still going to be cautious.
And the unemployment rate will still be above 8 percent by Election Day, he predicts. As hiring picks up, the size of the labor force will grow as people who had given up their job searches get back in the mix. "That's going to make it more difficult to get the unemployment rate back down," he says.
The big red flag is the situation in Europe, which Gault calls "the single biggest risk to the U.S." If the contagion from Greece spreads to Spain and Italy, "you could get a panic in the financial markets, and that would have repercussions for the U.S., because European banks would be unable to fulfill their obligations to U.S. banks."
Gault says politically the unemployment rate is important. People "will focus on the headline number and ignore the details of what it means," he notes.
"The economy should — I stress, should — be good for the Republicans," he says. "With the unemployment rate above 8 percent, incumbents generally lose."
David Levy, chairman of the independent Jerome Levy Forecasting Center
OVERALL ECONOMY: Watch out
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: "Back in double digits" by Election Day
POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS: "Not good for incumbents"
To say Levy's outlook for the next year — and well beyond that — is negative would be an understatement. He calls the current situation a "contained depression" that will last through this decade.
The last recession was out of the ordinary, he notes. In past downturns, it's been mostly about production getting ahead of sales. But the recession that began in 2008 was unlike those in 1961 or 1982. This time it's about private debt.
"There is a profound, multiyear adjustment going on in the United States as private balance sheets radically shrink," he says. "This corrective process, which will ultimately get us to a healthier place, makes it impossible for the economy to function properly."
Levy says it could have been worse and that both the government bailout of the financial sector and stimulus spending were necessary. Without them, "we would have fallen into another Great Depression," he says.
Even so, the bits of good news we're hearing now are just the calm before a new storm, he says. The U.S. economy is being silently stalked by Europe. Levy says the debt crisis there is far from over, and America's exposure to it is high.
"The biggest problem for the United States is that we're about to be hit by a huge storm blowing in from Europe at a time when we're still looking pretty soggy," he says.
The whole framework of the political discussion is about to be upended by chaos in Europe, Levy says.
What is the proper size of the government, what programs should it bolster, where should it invest? All those discussions are about to take a back seat to the impact of that European crisis, Levy predicts.
"It's going to be a very confusing and distressing period for a lot of Americans," he says.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text: marthaflares Uncategorized September 16, 2018 1 Minute Into the Mist Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Published by marthaflares I retired in 2012 as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. After a long a wonderful career, I found myself twiddling my thumbs about what to do. I didn't want to anything associated with my career. I wanted to challenge myself even more. I thought I'd start coloring in adult coloring books and after a while of people confirming I had a bit of talent, I decided to learn Procreate on my own. I haven't learned all I can yet, but I love what I'm producing! Please enjoy it with me. View all posts by marthaflares Published September 16, 2018


text:
Send Results to This Email:
Street Address:
Street Address:
At their first meeting of 2013, Memphis City Council members delayed until Feb. 5 a vote on third and final reading of a "wage theft" ordinance.
Council member Myron Lowery called for the delay at the Tuesday, Jan. 8, meeting saying he wanted to wait until the Shelby County Commission takes its final vote later this month on the same ordinance.
Lowery also said negotiations are under way with the Memphis Restaurant Association and the Memphis Hotel-Motel Association on the terms of the ordinance. Both industry associations have expressed concerns about the original draft.
The council also approved a resolution asking the state for grant money to help pay the cost of infrastructure improvements for the $300 million expansion of the Nike plant in Frayser. And the council approved two street-alley closures related to the expansion near New Allen Road and Frayser Boulevard.
The council approved a special use permit for a four-story 87-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites on Elvis Presley Boulevard being built by EP3 Developers LLC. The site of the Hernando Place hotel is on 3.49 acres that is now a vacant lot on the west side of Elvis Presley near Winchester with entrances on Hernando Road.
The Legislature has unanimously re-elected the Secretary of State Tre Hargett, Comptroller Justin Wilson and Treasurer David Lillard to another term in office.
Hargett was elected Wednesday to another four-year term, while Wilson and Lillard won their third two-year terms in office. All three were first elected by the Republican majority in the General Assembly in 2009.
Hargett is a former chairman of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority and represented Bartlett in the state House from 1997 through 2006.
Wilson is a Nashville tax attorney who as an aide to then-Gov. Don Sundquist was a supporter for a failed effort to impose a state income tax in 2002. Lillard, of Germantown, is a former member of the Shelby County Commission and financial and tax attorney.
EdR – a Memphis-based developer, owner and manager of collegiate housing – had several closings and transactions in November and December, including $126.5 million in acquisitions and $25.5 million in dispositions.
EdR completed the purchase of two communities adjacent to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, for $74 million. EdR also closed on its sale of The Reserve at Star Pass – a 1,020-bed collegiate housing community near the University of Arizona – for $25.5 million.
The company purchased The Province, a collegiate community adjacent to Kent State University, for $45 million.
And EdR acquired the ground lease encumbering its 74 percent owned asset, University Towers – a 953-bed collegiate community adjacent to North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. – for $7.5 million.
EdR, an apartment-only Real Estate Investment Trust, owns or manages 67 communities in 24 states with more than 37,000 beds within more than 12,000 units.
A group of sheriffs and police chiefs is speaking out against a legislative proposal to allow wine to be sold in Tennessee grocery and convenience stores.
Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork said at a news conference at the legislative office complex in Nashville that greater availability of wine would come at the price of public safety because it would draw the attention of law enforcement away from more pressing issues.
Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said a recent incident that led a fraternity to be banned from the University of Tennessee should dispel supporters' claims that underage drinkers aren't interested in obtaining wine.
In that case a 20-year-old Memphis student was hospitalized after a drinking game involving boxed wine that allegedly included consuming it through an enema.
Memphis-area home sales for December increased 26.5 percent from a year ago, with 1,156 total sales recorded in the Memphis Area Association of Realtors MAARdata property records database.
Average sales price year to date was up 2.2 percent at $128,774.
Total home sales year to date were up 17.2 percent, and monthly sales volume increased 19.8 percent to $1.94 billion.
Total sales decreased 2 percent from November. Inventory declined 4.8 percent, with 6,481 units listed for sale.
The database includes records of all property transactions in Shelby, Fayette and Tipton counties.
To see real estate information company Chandler Reports' 2012, fourth quarter and December totals for Shelby County, look for the Jan. 18-24 edition of The Memphis News.
Tennessee's general fund revenue collections came in $25 million above expectations in December, bringing the total surplus through the first five months of the budget year to $84 million.
December revenue collections reflect economic activity in November, which included shopping activity surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday.
Finance Commissioner Mark Emkes said the results may reflect renewed consumer confidence, but said revenue figures to be released next month will give a better picture of Christmas season retail activity.
The state collected about $12 million more than expected in December, a 5 percent growth rate. Corporate franchise and excise were nearly $13 million above the budgeted estimate.
Federal regulators for the first time are laying out rules aimed at ensuring that mortgage borrowers can afford to repay the loans they take out.
The rules being unveiled Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau impose a range of obligations and restrictions on lenders, including bans on the risky "interest-only" and "no documentation" loans that helped inflate the housing bubble.
Lenders will be required to verify and inspect borrowers' financial records. The rules discourage them from saddling borrowers with total debt payments totaling more than 43 percent of the person's annual income. That includes existing debts like credit cards and student loans.
CFPB Director Richard Cordray, in remarks prepared for an event Thursday, called the rules "the true essence of 'responsible lending.'"
The rules, which take effect next year, aim to "make sure that people who work hard to buy their own home can be assured of not only greater consumer protections but also reasonable access to credit," he said.
Cordray noted that in years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, consumers could easily obtain mortgages that they could not afford to repay. In contrast, in subsequent years banks tightened lending so much that few could qualify for a home loan. The new rules seek out a middle ground by protecting consumers from bad loans while giving banks the legal assurances they need to increase lending, he said.
The mortgage-lending overhaul is a priority for the agency, which was created under the 2010 financial law known as the Dodd-Frank Act. The agency is charged with reducing the risk of a credit bubble by helping to ensure that borrowers are better informed and loans are more likely to be repaid.
Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods, a local sporting goods provider for 86 years, has installed Green Ballast Inc.'s patented daylight harvesting fluorescent light ballasts in its new East Memphis location at 964 June Road.
Cliff Hunter, owner of Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods, said in a statement that "proper lighting is a key aspect of merchandising."
Green Ballast, led by CEO J. Kevin Adams of CB Richard Ellis Memphis, is a developer and marketer of energy efficient electronic ballasts for fluorescent fixtures in the commercial lighting industry. Green Ballast's ballasts measure and harvest available daylight to calculate and provide only the amount of needed electricity for proper lighting.
In addition to Tommy Bronson, Green Ballast has added several clients to its portfolio in recent months, including commercial real estate developer Belz Enterprises and Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Real Estate Investment Trust Healthcare Trust of America Inc.
Central Defense Security, a leading provider of business, retail and warehouse security, recently distributed 40 coats to underprivileged families served by Memphis community centers.
The coats were collected from CDS employees, clients and the community during a coat drive in November. After the collection efforts, CDS had all of the coats professionally cleaned by Mercury Valet Dry Cleaners, which donated its services.
CDS then worked with Whitehaven Community Center to identify recipients for each of the 40 coats.
The coats were distributed Dec. 7 at the Whitehaven Community Center.
The Federal Reserve paid the federal government a record $88.9 billion in 2012. The central bank earned the money from the Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities it has purchased to drive interest rates lower and boost the economy.
The Fed said Thursday that the 2012 payment was up 17.9 percent from 2011 when it paid the federal government $75.4 billion. It also surpassed the previous record payment of $79.3 billion made in 2010.
The Fed began buying Treasury bonds and mortgage bonds during the last recession and has kept up the effort since the downturn ended in June 2009 in an effort to boost the sub-par recovery and lower high unemployment. It is currently purchasing $85 billion in bonds each month.
Fed officials say the massive bond buying, known as quantitative easing, is needed until economic growth is stronger. But critics contend that the bond purchases could ultimately lead to higher inflation.
All of the Fed's purchases have pushed the central bank's balance sheet to $2.92 trillion, more than three times the size of the Fed's holdings before the financial crisis struck in the fall of 2008.
The Fed is funded from interest earned on its portfolio of securities. After covering its expenses, the Fed makes a payment of the remaining amount to the Treasury Department. Before the Fed launched the first bond buying program in 2008, its annual payments had averaged below $30 billion for the previous three years.
The 2012 payment to the Treasury was reduced by $387 million, which went to fund the operations of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of Financial Research, two new agencies created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which overhauled the government's financial regulations. Republicans opposed having these agencies receive their operating funds from the Federal Reserve rather than going through the normal appropriations process in Congress.
A high-ranking member of the Craig Petties drug organization pleaded not guilty Tuesday, Jan. 8, to federal racketeering and drug conspiracy charges.
Chris Hamlet returned to the U.S. in December after serving a prison sentence in Mexico. Hamlet was indicted in 2002 by a federal grand jury in Memphis as part of an investigation that became the largest drug case ever brought in Memphis federal court.
Hamlet's court-appointed attorney, Robert L. Parris, waived a detention hearing before Federal Magistrate Tu Pham meaning Hamlet will remain in federal custody.
Hamlet fled to Mexico in 2002 along with Petties. Petties was indicted that April as the lone defendant in the first in the series of indictments that eventually mapped out a violent multi-state drug organization with direct ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico. Petties was initially charged with possessing 600 pounds of marijuana.
Hamlet was stopped by police a month after the initial Petties indictment coming from Petties' home and authorities found drugs in the car and at his house in Raleigh.
That was when Petties and Hamlet fled to Mexico. Petties ran the drug organization from Mexico for the next six years and Hamlet was allegedly a key member of the organization.
Richard Myers has been named chief manager of Apperson Crump PLC, Memphis' oldest continuously practicing law firm. It's the second time for Myers as the firm's chief manager. He previously filled that role in 2010 and 2011.
Myers began practicing in 1992 and joined Apperson Crump in 1997. He became a partner in 2002. His practice concentrates on municipal and property law and foreclosure-related matters.
A graduate of the University of Chicago and the Cornell University Law School, Myers also is a director of the World Cataract Foundation.
The Memphis Area Association of Realtors has hired Christy Kinard as its new governmental affairs and professional standards director. Her first official day on the job will be Wednesday, Jan. 16.
Kinard most recently served as the legislative affairs advisor/assistant county attorney for Shelby County. She worked 12 years for Shelby County Government, serving as assistant county attorney since 2006. From 2008 to 2011, Kinard was an attorney and parliamentarian for the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
Kinard received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Memphis.
An experimental GTx Inc. treatment for muscle wasting in patients with a form of lung cancer will be reviewed under the Food and Drug Administration's fast-track program.
The Memphis company said Tuesday that the drug, enobosarm, is being studied in a couple late-stage trials involving patients with advanced forms of non-small cell lung cancer.
The FDA's fast-track program is designed to speed up the approval of drugs that treat serious or life-threatening diseases for which there are few other therapies. Those that receive fast-track status receive extra meetings and correspondence with regulators throughout the review process.
The status also raises the possibility of a faster, priority review from the FDA once the drug developer seeks approval.
GTx focuses on developing treatments for cancer and other serious medical conditions. Enobosarm is the most advanced product in the company's drug development pipeline.
GTx shares rose 60 cents, or 12.6 percent, to $5.35 in premarket trading. Its shares have traded in a 52-week range of $2.62 to $6.55 per share.
International Paper Co. declared a quarterly dividend Tuesday, Jan. 8, of 30 cents per share for the period from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2013. The dividend on common stock in the Memphis-based company is payable on March 15 to holders of record as of the close of business Feb. 15.
The company also announced a regular quarterly dividend of $1 per share for the same period, payable on the same date under the same terms on its cumulative $4 preferred stock.
International Paper executives are scheduled to release their fourth quarter and year-end earnings information Jan. 29 in a conference call with investors and analysts.
This year, more than 86,500 bows were sold during Malco Theatres' five-week holiday campaign "Wrapped with Love."
The annual campaign benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The program is in its 14th year, and this year it saw an increase of more than 6,000 bows sold compared to 2011.
The bows are hand-made from actual film and sold for $1 each. The material and volunteer production hours for the bows were donated, and a formal check presentation at the hospital is being planned for early spring.
Since 1999, Malco has raised more than $500,000 for St. Jude through its annual "Wrapped with Love" and "Kids Summer Film Fest" campaigns.
Commercial real estate veteran Will Barden has joined Colliers International Memphis as vice president of office services, effective Jan. 2.
Barden brings a wealth of experience in office tenant and user representation and will be teaming with Frazier Baker to help further expand Colliers' presence in office real estate.
A graduate of the University of Memphis, Barden previously was the principal broker for his own commercial real estate practice, Barden Commercial Realty LLC, for 11 years. Prior to that, he was director of brokerage services group with Trammel Crow Co. for five years.
Before Barden's real estate career, he worked in finance and accounting positions for 23 years, culminating in his position as chief financial officer for Langston Cos. Inc., a privately held industrial packaging concern based in Memphis.
Two federal lawmakers from Illinois are getting a firsthand look at urgent efforts to clear some Mississippi River bedrock that's crimping shipping on the waterway.
Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Bill Enyart were set to be briefed Monday about the work near Thebes, Ill., by Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard officials, then tour the site by boat.
Corps-hired contractors have been working since last month to clear the underwater rock pinnacles from the river.
The effort is considered vital in ensuring that stretch of river remains open to barge traffic as the lingering drought continues to lower the level of the Mississippi.
Barge industry trade groups have expressed concern the ever-dropping river could further restrict barge weights to the point that shipping on the river is halted.
Two state agencies, the federal government and the American Lung Association are encouraging Tennesseans to test their homes for radon.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can enter homes through foundation cracks or openings.
It's invisible and odorless and high concentrations can cause health problems including lung cancer.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 70 percent of Tennesseans live in areas with high or moderate risk of radon.
The Tennessee Health Department and the state Department of Environment and Conservation are offering more information about radon and radon testing on their websites or by calling toll free to 800-232-1130.
State officials recommend testing for radon during consistently cold weather.
The U.S. Supreme Court is questioning efforts by consumers' lawyers to limit the amount of money sought in class-action lawsuits so they are heard in state courts rather than more business-friendly federal court.
The justices on Monday appeared receptive to an insurance company's argument that lawyers artificially lower the amount of money at stake to keep the lawsuits in state courts that often favor plaintiffs.
The Standard Fire Insurance Co. of Hartford, Conn., says the tactic drags out lawsuits and makes fighting them so expensive that companies would rather settle.
The case involves a 2005 federal law that allows defendants to transfer class actions involving more than $5 million to federal court.
Standard Fire is being sued by an Arkansas homeowner over the cost of repairing hail damage.
The U.S. Supreme Court has turned away a challenge from former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and other Social Security recipients who say they have the right to reject Medicare in favor of continuing health coverage from private insurers.
The justices did not comment Monday in letting stand a federal appeals court ruling that held that there is no way for people who receive Social Security to reject Medicare benefits.
Armey, a Texas Republican, and two other former federal employees say private insurance covers more than Medicare. Two other plaintiffs are wealthy individuals who have high deductible private insurance and prefer to pay for their health care.
The case was funded by a group called The Fund For Personal Liberty, which says its purpose is to take on burdensome government regulations.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is accepting applications for its Citizen's Academy.
The TBI says the academy is designed to develop a better understanding and awareness of the agency in the community. It offers citizens a close look at the TBI's work investigating crime scenes and cyber crime, tracking terrorism information, and doing forensics examinations.
The academy runs from May 7 through May 28 at TBI headquarters in Nashville. It is limited to only 15 citizens.
Applicants must be at least 21 years old and be physically able to meet training and scheduling requirements.
Those interested should fill out the application located on the TBI website at www.tbi.tn.gov and submit it by Feb. 28.
The price of oil fell Monday, hit by uncertainty about what the U.S. Federal Reserve might do with its bond purchase program and data showing the U.S. unemployment rate unchanged.
By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for February delivery was down 44 cents to $92.65 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
On Friday, the Nymex contract closed up 17 cents at $93.09 a barrel after the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reported that the nation's crude supplies fell by 11.1 million barrels during the last week of 2012, much more than analysts expected.
The impact of last week's release of a transcript of the Federal Reserve's December meeting showing that policymakers disagreed over how long to keep a bond-purchase program in place was still being felt on the market.
Traders inferred the Fed might shorten the program, which could send U.S. interest rates, and therefore the dollar, higher. That in turn would hurt the price of oil. Oil, which is priced in dollars, tends to fall as the dollar strengthens and makes crude more expensive for investors holding foreign currencies.
On Monday, the euro was down at $1.3030 from $1.3065 on Friday.
Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, was down 44 cents to $110.87 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
Tennessee residents will continue to get federal extended unemployment benefits for at least another year.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development had warned late last month that the benefits were about to expire.
But the agency announced last week that they have been extended through Jan. 1, 2014.
Congress created the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program in 2008 to provide unemployment benefits to workers who had exhausted their state benefits. The legislation has been amended 10 times since it became effective.
About 30,000 Tennesseans receive the benefits.
Labor Commissioner Karla Davis said in a news release that claimants can get help finding jobs by using the Jobs4TN.gov website or visiting one of the department's career centers.
The two-year-old In-Synk Business Book Review is getting an upgrade in 2013.
It had been held on the first Friday morning of each month. But in the new year, it's moving to the noon hour. It will include lunch, upgrading the series to a lunch-and-learn format.
The In-Synk Business Book Review will continue to introduce the content of a "latest or greatest" business or leadership book, after which a discussion will ensue.
The first book review of 2013 will be Friday, Jan. 11, when Synk will review "Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it Matters," by Richard Rumelt.
To celebrate the new time and the addition of lunch, Synk is offering a couple of other incentives to attend. All participants in the Book Review in 2012 are eligible for a free ticket. Two-for-the-price-of-one tickets also available, as is a six-ticket season pass.
To register for the January book review, visit http://insynkgoodstratbadstrat.eventbrite.com, or www.in-synk.com, or http://bookreviewseasonpass.eventbrite.com for a season pass.
The book reviews will continue to be held at the Triumph Bank board room at Poplar Avenue and Interstate 240.
Doors will open at 11:30 a.m., the review begins at noon and will end by 12:45 p.m.
Veteran federal prosecutor Larry Laurenzi is the new chief of the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney's office for the Western District of Tennessee.
Laurenzi was appointed to the post by U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton as Steve Parker leaves the post to join a U.S. Justice Department detail in New Orleans.
Stanton created the unit within the office in February 2011 as part of a new division of cases. The unit's jurisdiction includes not only traditional civil rights violation investigations and cases but some government corruption cases as well as human trafficking cases and hate crime allegations.
Laurenzi has served several times as acting U.S. attorney for the district.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Coleman and Jonathan Skrmetti remain with the unit.
Ray Rico Freelance has inked a lease for 550 square feet in the heart of the Cooper-Young Historic District after working for six years as a freelancer out of his nearby home and hiring strictly contract labor.
The space at 2294 Young Ave. sits on the opposite corner of the current Cooper-Young Business Association office. Previous tenants include Victory Bicycle Studio and Shoenista's.
Rico had outside bricks sandblasted and constructed and painted inside walls in order to better prepare the space for client meetings. The team has already been working with Eric Mathews of LaunchMemphis on its one-year growth plan, to open Memphis' first creative co-op.
Additionally, Ray Rico Freelance has created and filled two full-time positions. Kathy Benefiel, who has a background in the medical field, manages office administration and bookkeeping. Tammy Bryant, with past experience in print sales and advertising, oversees new business development and client expectations. Ray Rico Freelance also plans to employ a full-time Web developer.
Ray Rico Freelance specializes in branding and design, speedy printing and online marketing, including social media and website design. Other services include grant writing, promotional items, copywriting and editing, photography and videography.
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


text:
Don't worry: today remains V-Day and not Z-Day. On Monday, hackers were responsible for broadcasting bogus emergency messages warning TV viewers of an imminent zombie invasion. It's a series of intrusions that underscore the vulnerability of the nation's public warning system.
"Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from the grave and attacking the living," stated one warning broadcast over KRTV in Great Falls, Montana, according to Reuters. It went on to warn viewers not "to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are extremely dangerous."
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the hacks, which were also perpetrated on Emergency Alert System devices used by stations in Michigan, California, Tennessee, and New Mexico. But Mike Davis, a hardware security expert and principal research scientist at security firm IOActive, told reporters he recently found a variety of weaknesses in some of the machines used to receive emergency messages and then automatically interrupt regular programming to broadcast them over the air. Weaknesses included devices that still used default passwords that are listed in user manuals hosted online and authentication bypass vulnerabilities that allow hackers to log in even when they don't have a password.
"There is some really, really, terrible software on the other side of that box," Davis told Threatpost.
While a bogus message about zombies seems little more than a harmless prank, the intrusion had potentially much more serious consequences. ABC10 and its sister station CW 5 disconnected their networks from the EAS system to prevent further intrusions. The move could have prevented authentic warnings from reaching viewers had an emergency broadcast been dispatched during that time. More importantly, the hoaxes underscore the vulnerability of a national alert system that's mandatory for all wireless, cable, and satellite TV systems. It was originally designed to give the US president the ability to address the public during times of emergency.
The vulnerability of the system is hardly unusual. Last week, Ars reported on critical weaknesses in widely used devices sold by Honeywell that allow hackers to commandeer heating systems, elevators, and other industrial equipment in large buildings. The defects in emergency alert devices are more of the same.


text:
It was cold and rainy in Chicago the other day, on our bumpy path toward spring. When my kids came home from school, they asked for hot chocolate and gluten-free s'mores. I was happy to oblige, because I had a couple packets of hot chocolate mix that I wanted to use up and I had gluten-free graham crackers in the cabinet.
Gluten-free graham crackers are hard to find. I've yet to discover one that comes close to the sweet, nutty taste of whole wheat graham flour with a tender texture that crumbles in my mouth.
In the past, I've bought Jo-Sef's Square Cinnamon Cookies, which are chunky, cinnamon-flavored gluten-free graham crackers, and Health Valley Rice Bran Crackers, which are thin cookie/crackers with a graham taste. Recently, I bought Kinnikinnick's S'moreables, which have a honey-molasses flavor and are sturdy enough to stand up to s'mores (though there were quite a few non-sturdy broken crackers in the box).
While all of these store-bought cookies are good for snacks or s'mores, I wouldn't use them in a graham cracker pie crust. They're too expensive and too sugary. For a graham cracker crust, you're better off with crushed gluten-free gingersnaps or crushed gluten-free animal crackers. Or bake your own gluten-free grahams with a recipe from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef.
S'mores — toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers — are campfire favorites that are so good that you beg for "some more."
One of the best things about camping is skewering a giant marshmallow on a long stick, holding it over the campfire and watching the marshmallow puff up and turn golden brown (or thrusting it into the flames and watching it catch fire, with flames leaping into the night sky and charring the marshmallow charcoal black).
It's much tamer to watch the marshmallows turn a pleasant tan in the toaster oven, but you've got to take what you can get.
Marshmallows are generally gluten free, but check the ingredients to make sure. When we made our s'mores this week, I had only mini marshmallows on hand, but the bigger ones ooze more (and oozing is good). Hershey's chocolate bars, the classic chocolate for s'mores, are gluten-free. But I had only dark chocolate chips at home, so I used those, though chocolate chips don't melt as well.
Gluten-Free S'Mores
(gluten-free, kid-friendly)
By Gluten-Free Nosh
printable recipe
The following instructions were adapted from the S'moreables box.
- Gluten-free graham crackers
Chocolate bars
- 1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lay graham crackers in pairs on the foil. On one graham cracker, place a square of gluten-free chocolate. On another cracker, place the marshmallow(s).
3. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until the marshmallows turn golden brown and the chocolate begins to melt.
4. Remove from oven and let rest for 1 minute. Using a spatula, carefully lift the chocolate cracker and flip it on top of the marshmallow cracker. Gently press the two parts together to make a sandwich.


text:
Brett Gibbs, an attorney for copyright-trolling firm Prenda Law, is in a tight spot. A Minnesota man named Alan Cooper has accused Prenda of stealing his identity and making him the head of two litigious shell companies called "AF Holdings" and "Ingenuity 13." Earlier this month, an angry California judge ordered Gibbs to appear in his courtroom on March 11 to explain himself, and he invited both Gibbs and defense attorney Morgan Pietz to file written comments on the issue. Both did so on Tuesday.
Apparently realizing the legal danger he's in, Gibbs has hired attorney Andrew Waxler to represent him. As Fight Copyright Trolls notes, Waxler's focus is on "primarily defending lawyers in malpractice actions."
"Mr. Gibbs has strived to be honest and forthright with this Court, and all courts during his legal career," Waxler writes.
Gibbs' defense is that he's just a lowly outside counsel for Prenda, and that as a result he knows almost nothing about the clients he represents. In other words, if Prenda did anything unethical, it was the fault of his superiors, not him.
According to Gibbs, his "only involvement with AF Holdings and Ingenuity was and is as a contracted outside attorney representing AF Holdings in California" on behalf of Prenda.
Gibbs says that he "does not have direct contact with his clients and receives assignments related to the litigation from the senior attorneys. Thus, Mr. Gibbs does not have direct contact with the principals of AF Holdings or Ingenuity. Mr. Gibbs has never met Alan Cooper, and does not know the extent of Mr. Cooper's role is in AF Holdings aside from seeing a signature from an 'Alan Cooper' on the aforementioned assignment and pleadings."
Of course, Gibbs doesn't specify who these "senior attorneys" are, but the Tuesday filing of defense lawyer Morgan Pietz names names. Pietz believes that "Alan Cooper" isn't the only bogus identity Prenda has used in recent years, and he offers still more evidence linking "Cooper" to Prenda puppetmaster John Steele. The real, Minnesota-based Alan Cooper worked for Steele as a caretaker before Cooper raised his identity-theft concerns.
Prenda has identified a man named as "Salt Marsh" as the owner of AF Holdings. Since that doesn't sound like a real name, attorney Nicholas Ranallo did some digging. He was unable to find anyone named "Salt Marsh," but he did discover that a man named Anthony Saltmarsh shares an Arizona address with Steele's sister, Jayme Steele. Pietz suggests that Saltmarsh is Ms. Steele's "live-in boyfriend."
Pietz also reveals the existence of another Prenda-linked company, called VPR Inc. A 2010 filing with the Nevada Secretary of state lists "Alan Cooper" as the firm's only officer, and "Cooper" is listed as having the same Arizona address Saltmarsh shares with Steele's sister.
Finally, Pietz notes that on March 24, 2011, someone registered the domain notissues.com with the name "Alan Cooper" and the e-mail address firstname.lastname@example.com. Here again, "Cooper" is listed as living with Ms. Steele in Arizona.
If you believe there's really a man who has the name of Steele's caretaker, the address of Steele's sister, and the e-mail address of Steele himself, you might be interested in some unique swamp-related real estate opportunities in Florida, where Steele now resides.
"Mr. Gibbs surely bears a significant amount of responsibility for Prenda's egregious actions, but he has not acted alone," Pietz writes. "The fraud here is systematic, and part of a conspiracy involving several other lawyers and laypeople." In Pietz's view, these villains include Paul Duffy (nominally Prenda's principal), Steele, Steele's former law partner Paul Hansemeier, and Mark Lutz of Sunlust Pictures fame. Perhaps when the judge is finished grilling Gibbs, he should order these other Prenda-related people to his courtroom to answer questions about their activities.
We've e-mailed Steele for comment and have not received a response.
Listing image by Shawn Hoke


text:
InSync10 Conference Melbourne 16-17 August 2010 August 15, 2010Posted by Richard Foote in InSync10.
2 comments
Looking forward to catching up with everyone at the InSync10 Conference in Melbourne tomorrow. Should be a great event with lots of interesting presentations. I'll be flying in from (not so) sunny Canberra tomorrow morning in time for most of the morning sessions.
My presentation on "Indexing New Features in Oracle11g R1 and R2" is on the Tuesday morning at 10am in Room 106. As usual, I've packed in about 2 hours worth of material in the 45 minute session but hopefully not too many people will mind missing out on the following morning tea 😉
Be sure to tap my shoulder and say hello if you see me wandering around 🙂
Index Block Dump: Index Only Section Part I (TVC 15) August 10, 2010Posted by Richard Foote in Block Dumps, Index Internals, Oracle Indexes.
2 comments
Having already covered general block header details relevant to several different types of Oracle blocks (Block Dumps Part I and Part II), the next part of the block dump is relevant only to index blocks.
Below is a dump of the index only section of an index leaf block dump:
Leaf block dump
header address 200514140=0xbf39a5c
kdxcolev 0
KDXCOLEV Flags = – – –
kdxcolok 0
kdxcoopc 0x80: opcode=0: iot flags=— is converted=Y
kdxconco 2
kdxcosdc 0
kdxconro 3
kdxcofbo 42=0x2a
kdxcofeo 7987=0x1f33
kdxcoavs 7945
kdxlespl 0
kdxlende 0
kdxlenxt 0=0x0
kdxleprv 0=0x0
kdxledsz 0
kdxlebksz 8036
First a note identifies the block as being a Leaf block dump or a Branch block dump.
All index block dumps (whether an index leaf or branch) have the details listed above up to and including kdxcoavs. Specific points of interest for details included in any index block dump:
kdxcolev 0 – index level (a value of 0 denotes this as a leaf block)
kdxconco 2 – number of columns in the index. Note: although the index was only defined on the single NAME column, the index actually includes the rowid as an additional column, as the index was defined as Non-Unique (hence the value 2). All Oracle indexes are effectively unique as Oracle makes them so by adding the rowid to the column list for all Non-Unique defined indexes.
kdxconro 3 – number of index entries in the index block (this block dump was taken when the index only had the 3 entries, prior to the insertion of the additional rows in Part II in this series)
kdxcofbo 42=0x2a – offset to the beginning of free space within the block
kdxcofeo 7987=0x1f33 – offset to the end of free space within the block. Note index entries get added "from the bottom" of the index free space and so it's from this offset that any subsequent index entries will be added.
kdxcoavs 7945 – available free space within the block (effectively the space between kdxcofbo and kdxcofbe)
The following details are only included if the block is an index leaf block.
kdxlende 0 – number of index entries that have been marked as deleted within the block (this will be discussed more fully later). When an index entry is deleted (or indeed updated which is effectively a delete of an index entry followed by an insert), the entry is not physically deleted but is only marked as deleted. Generally these deleted index entries are subsequently cleaned out by Oracle but kdxlende keeps a count of those deleted index entries that have yet to be cleaned out.
kdxlenxt 0=0x0 – pointer to the next index leaf block within the logical index structure (as this is the only leaf block within the index, there is no pointer set although this is usually only unset for the last or "right most" leaf block within the index structure). During a larger index range scan, all the required index entries may not be found within a single index leaf block and Oracle may need to quickly find the next logical leaf block within the index structure. This pointer basically contains the Relative Block Address (RBA) of the next logical leaf block which can be accessed directly as necessary during such index range scans.
kdxleprv 0=0x0 – pointer to the previous index leaf block within the logical index structure (as this is the first and only leaf block within the index, again there is no pointer set although this is usually only unset for the first or "left most" leaf block within the index structure). Again, during a larger index range scan in which the data is required in descending order, all the required index entries may not be found within a single index leaf block and Oracle may need to quickly find the previous logical leaf block within the index structure. This pointer basically contains the RBA of the previous logical leaf block which can be accessed directly as necessary. As such, it's used by Oracle for index range scans that require the data to be extracted in logically reverse order (eg. to avoid an order by desc). Note only a leaf block associated with a blevel 0 index has neither the kdxlenxt or kdxleprv assigned.
These two pointers provide the linked list mechanism for all such index range scan operations involving more than one leaf block. Note that a branch block doesn't have such pointers between branch blocks but it does have a pointer to the first block it references below itself in the index structure (kdxbrlmc).
kdxlebksz 8036 – actual maximum useable space within the index block (basically the block size less the block header "overheads"). Note that an index branch block has an equivalent value called kdxbrbksz which typically has more useable space as a branch block only has the one ITL entry by default.
Next, we'll look at the index entries themselves.


text:
From Heather Armstrong's It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita (Simon Spotlight):
"Leta knew how to poop, she knew how to eat, SHE HAD TO KNOW WHAT TIME IT WAS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD."
"'HA! ANOTHER BABY? The logistics of more than one TOTALLY BOGGLED MY MIND."
"But this time we couldn't park in the special parking space because I was no longer pregnant (THANK THE LORD GOD JESUS!) and we had to park in the non-pregnant parking space and walk an extra twenty feet to the door. We found this inconvenience totally unacceptable as we were living in America and shouldn't have to walk an extra twenty feet for anything. AM I RIGHT? AM I RIGHT? This is the best country on Earth! WE DON'T WALK NOWHERE FOR NUTHING. Damn straight."
Armstrong knows how to type, she knows how to blog, SHE HAS TO KNOW HOW ANNOYING IT IS TO READ SO MANY CAPITAL LETTERS, EXCLAMATION POINTS, AND MISPUNCTUATED SENTENCES, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Especially when she SAYS MEAN THINGS about old people like her stepfather, such as: "Maybe if you SCREAMED A LITTLE LOUDER THE WINDOWS WOULD EXPLODE."
Read the full review of It Sucked and Then I Cried.
The Delete Key Awards finalists are being named in random order, beginning with No. 10, but numbered for convenience. This is finalist No. 2. You can also read about the Delete Key Awards on Janice Harayda's page (@janiceharayda) on Twitter. The winner and runners-up will be announced on March 15 on One-Minute Book Reviews and on Twitter.
© 2010 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


text:
Popularity:#3 of 12 Pharmacies in New Castle#48 of 106 Pharmacies in New Castle County#85 of 179 Pharmacies in Delaware#28,087 in Pharmacies
Address and Phone Number for Walmart Pharmacy, a Pharmacy, at Wilton Boulevard, New Castle DE.
View map of Walmart Pharmacy, and get driving directions from your location.
Find 6 Pharmacies within 2.2 miles of Walmart Pharmacy.
Find 2 external resources related to Walmart Pharmacy.
Walmart Pharmacy, located in New Castle, DE, distributes medicines and drug compounds for customers with a prescription. The Pharmacy also prepares medicines for dispensation and may oversee over-the-counter drug sales. The Pharmacy accepts certain health insurance plans for prescription medications.You may contact the Pharmacy for questions about:


text:
Pop Up Photo Studio Pops Up Again!
Farmers! Chefs! Caterers! Local food artisans and shop owners!
May 5 Pop Up Studio at Logan Square Kitchen!
You need beautiful, professional photographs of your foods to promote yourself on your website, in e-newsletters and on Facebook. My Pop Up Photo Studio is a quick, reasonably-priced way to get them.
I am a commercial food photographer who thinks small local food businesses need beautiful, compelling photographs to best promote their product. I am teaming up with Logan Square Kitchen, a commercial kitchen and small foods incubator to bring you another Pop Up Photo Studio! On May 5, I'll unpack my traveling photo studio at LSK and go to work for you. Chefs and caterers can even take advantage of the full kitchen on site to prep and plate things.
Here are the details:
What's A Pop Up Photo Studio:
- Professional, studio quality photography of your product for you to use on websites, blogs, Facebook, advertisements etc.
- You will receive both a high resolution and a low resolution version within a few days. You have unlimited rights to use of the photos.
- 45 minute time slots; first photo: $125, each additional photo: $25
- We'll likely get 1-4 photos done for you in that time, depending on complexity. Some items are more time-consuming to photograph than others. Send me a description of your products or a snapshot and I can estimate ahead of time how many we may be able to get done.
What To Bring:
- Table-top sized items only please.
- Single items or small groupings recommended.
- Be sure to bring duplicates of your product/ingredients.
- I'll have a basic white backdrop set up; if there's something else you'd like, bring it along. I encourage you to think about simple fabrics, Paper Source papers and placemats for backgrounds.
- Dishware is not provided, so please bring your own.
- I will also set up a simple backdrop for head shots, so if you need a portrait done, that is also available.
- If your project seems outside these parameters, please call or email me ahead of time.
Registration and Payment:
- Payment must be made by cash or check the day of the shoot. If you want to pay with a credit card, set up a free Venmo account and be sure I receive payment prior to May 5th.
- "This is just what I need, Grant, how do I sign up?" Just click here and fill out this form; advance registration REQUIRED:
Here's what past Pop Up clients had to say:
"Thanks Grant, the photos look fabulous. I was very excited to see them. Thank you for providing the opportunity to have my bread and scones beautifully and professionally photographed at a very affordable price. The studio was an inspired idea and very helpful to those of just getting started in the food business."
– Phillippa Cannon
"Thanks so much Grant. We never imagined that our little group of products could look so good. What a wonderful collection of photos you produced for us. As a small producer, so many things seem just out of reach, and promotional photos were one of those things before your Pop-Up Photo Studio. We are honestly excited about the next time that someone requests a photo for an article[… ]The price was quite fair, the location was great, the atmosphere was comfortable and conducive to our creative project. Thank you so much for thinking up this truly inspired idea. See you at market."
– Tracey Vowell, Three Sisters Garden
To see more of my work: grantkessler.com
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Logan Square Kitchen 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Here are some samples from the inaugural Pop Up Photo Studio:
"They look great! Thank you for setting up the "Pop-up Studio" for us little guys."
Phillippa Cannon scones
Three Sisters Garden


text:
Not long ago, I tried to play an insanely difficult-to-understand game called Dwarf Fortress. It was hard. It was nigh-impenetrable in terms of its mechanics and interface. I spent a good long time helplessly watching the best minds of my dwarf clan destroyed by madness, thirst, and mysterious tantrums. I got exactly nowhere without the most explicit and procedural instructions, and even then progress was slow, painstaking, and shadowed by failure (or as DF fans refer to it, "fun") at every step.
But there are more than a few endlessly patient souls who have pushed through those early trials (some for hundreds of hours). These survivors exhibit such agency with the game that they not only live, but thrive next to threats like volcanoes and necromancy towers. Following the Ars article, a number of DF forumgoers took it upon themselves to flip our 10-hour challenge on its head: what could a handful of experienced players accomplish in 10 hours? Just how far could they get?
In a contest to develop the most interesting scenarios, the players voted amongst themselves and came up with both a winner and runner-up fort for their usage of time and diaries they kept during their 10 hours of play (both paused and unpaused time counted towards the total). Even though all players were longtime veterans, one was forced to resign from the contest due to a "level 10 aquifer."
The winning fort, built by user Thatdude, set out not to make a fort, but to build an entire above-ground town. The user gave each dwarf its own personal house—not a trivial task, given that standard procedure is to dig a hole in the ground and throw the dwarves in, as opposed to collecting and processing enough materials to create dozens of structures.
Integral to Thatdude's success was trading (read: stealing) goods from visiting humans and elves. Waves of migrants (homeless dwarves who show up and want to live with you) had generally pointless jobs and children (really just mouths to feed until they grow up). This did not help the situation.
Around the five-hour mark, a hill titan (a "colossal grouse that shoots webs") entered the map and proceeded to rend the landscape and murder innocent dwarves. A short time later, a "tantrum spiral" begins, which Eric Nelson, another veteran player, describes as a dangerous scenario that "can kill even the biggest or best defended forts." Why? The destruction comes from within.
According to the DF wiki, a tantrum spiral begins with a single unhappy dwarf who becomes possessed of a rage and starts throwing items around or starting fistfights. The dwarf will get punished, but if his punishment is too severe, more dwarves have tantrums as a result. This creates a chain reaction of "fun." Thatdude started the spiral with 84 dwarves. Two hours later, the last berserking dwarf is put down, and the fort is down to a population of 21.
By the time Thatdude hits 10 hours, he has a room for every living dwarf, and a grave and marker for all except the last one to die. The end population is 87, with 67 dead and 4 years of in-game time elapsed.
The runner-up fort, built by forum user Mishrak, started out as an attempt to roleplay a tie-in to Ars' attempt to play the game. Sadly, "fun" quickly got involved and Mishrak ran out of time. He did, however, manage to build a tribute room dedicated to Ars out of gold and magma, which eventually became residence to a dead necromancer and bodies of the fallen.
Mishrak embarked near a necromancy tower and a volcano, which are apparently just things that crop up for funsies in a game like DF. Both are bad scenarios waiting to happen: necromancy towers, as in fiction, produce "zombie sieges, necromancer migrants, and vampires." The volcano, as in real life, periodically results in large-scale destruction and hot, fiery death.
Mishrak set about finding water (there was none above ground, so he had to dig 121 levels down to find a subterranean water source) and creating booze, an element that is "one of the most critical factors in the success or failure of a fort," he said. "Dwarves that have no alcohol won't be able to work efficiently and will work twice as slow… it's on par with necessity of fresh food and water in terms of fort survival." An enviable game mechanic.
The golden Ars room Mishrak built was not just a room, but a 20-level-deep pit over which Mishrak put a drawbridge to his colony. Any time an entity tried to cross the bridge, Mishrak could pull a lever and drop them, sometimes to their death, into the Ars room. Some beings survived the fall, including the necromancer, who can reanimate corpses into zombies. "Were I to continue with the fort," Mishrak said, "it would have been even more glorious a room—filled with zombie goblins and other things."
The semi-deadly trap seemed to avoid the problem of tantrum spirals, as the enemies weren't being willfully murdered by anyone other than gravity. Unburied or unmemorialized dwarves lying around can also cause tantrum spirals, but since the corpses were sealed off in a room, they couldn't cause tantrum spirals either. "I've a feeling I'm not too far from a siege," Mishrak wrote.
Early on in the essay describing his fort, Mishrak wrote that he "tried to open HFS" but encountered problems digging under the magma sea. I asked what HFS was. "HFS is a code name for a spoiler," Mishrak told me.
"I can spoil it for you if you want," he said. "Or you can get good enough at the game to where you hunt for adamantine or dig REALLY deep and find out for yourself." New players are said to be just getting the hang of the game after hundreds of hours and dozens of failed forts. And my minimal progress is widely known after less than half a day with the game. This is an anxiety-inducing, daunting proposition.
"Or I guess you can wiki it," Mishrak said. Problem solved.


text:
Main Content
Top of the page
This topic talks about the testing, diagnosis, and treatment of cervical cancer. For general information about abnormal Pap test results, see the topic Abnormal Pap Test.
Cervical cancer occurs when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Cervical cancer can often be successfully treated when it's found early. It is usually found at a very early stage through a screening test, such as the Pap test.
Most cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus, or HPV. You can get HPV by having sexual contact with someone who has it. There are many types of the HPV virus. Not all types of HPV cause cervical cancer. Some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not cause any symptoms.
Most adults have been infected with HPV at some time. An infection may go away on its own. But sometimes it can cause genital warts or lead to cervical cancer. That's why it's important for women to have regular cervical cancer screening tests. A Pap test can find changes in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you treat these cell changes, you may prevent cervical cancer.
Abnormal cervical cell changes rarely cause symptoms. But you may have symptoms if those cell changes grow into cervical cancer. Symptoms of cervical cancer may include:
As part of a pelvic examination, you may have a Pap test. During a Pap test, the doctor scrapes a small sample of cells from the surface of the cervix to look for cell changes. If a Pap test shows abnormal cell changes, your doctor may do other tests to look for precancerous or cancer cells on your cervix.
Your doctor may also do a Pap test and take a sample of tissue (biopsy) if you have symptoms of cervical cancer, such as bleeding after sex.
The treatment for most stages of cervical cancer includes:
Depending on how much the cancer has grown, you may have one or more treatments. And you may have a combination of treatments. If you have a hysterectomy, you won't be able to have children. But a hysterectomy isn't always needed, especially when cancer is found very early.
Finding out that you have cancer can change your life. You may feel like your world has turned upside down and you have lost all control. Talking with family, friends, or a counsellor can really help. Ask your doctor about support groups. Or call the Canadian Cancer Society (1-888-939-3333) or visit its website at www.cancer.ca.
The Pap test can find cervical cell changes that can lead to cervical cancer. Regular Pap tests almost always show these cell changes before they turn into cancer. It's important to follow up with your doctor after any abnormal Pap test result so you can treat abnormal cell changes. This may help prevent cervical cancer.
The HPV vaccine is approved for females ages 9 through 45 years. It protects against two types of HPV that cause most cases of cervical cancer. The series of shots is recommended for females ages 9 to 26 and can be given to females ages 27 to 45. The HPV vaccine is also recommended for males ages 9 to 26.
HPV vaccine recommendations may be different in your province or territory. Check with your doctor or provincial ministry of health to find the HPV vaccine recommendations in your area.
The virus that causes cervical cancer is spread through sexual contact. The best way to avoid getting a sexually transmitted infection is to not have sex. If you do have sex, practice safer sex, such as using condoms and limiting the number of sex partners you have.
Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
Cervical cancer is caused by severe abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix. Most precancerous or cancerous cell changes occur in the cervix at the transformation zone, because these cells normally undergo constant change. During this natural process of change, some cervical cells can become abnormal if you are infected with high-risk types of HPV.
Other things may play a role in causing cervical cancer, such as having more than one sex partner or smoking cigarettes.
Abnormal cervical cell changes rarely cause symptoms. If cervical cell changes progress to cancer, symptoms may include:
The symptoms of advanced cervical cancer may include:
Cervical cancer happens when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. Cervical cancer can often be successfully treated when it's found early. It is usually found at a very early stage through a screening test, such as the Pap test.
If cervical cancer isn't treated, it may spread from the cervix to the vagina, and then into deeper tissue layers of connective tissue around the uterus. As it progresses, it may spread to the pelvic lymph nodes and other pelvic organs. Advanced-stage cancer may spread to lymph nodes; to other organs in the pelvis, causing problems with kidney and bowel function; or to other organs in the body, such as the liver and lungs.
Treatment of cervical cancer depends on the stage of your cancer and if it has spread.
A risk factor for cervical cancer is something that increases your chance of getting this cancer. Having one or more of these risk factors can make it more likely that you will get cervical cancer. But it doesn't mean that you will definitely get it. And many people who get cervical cancer don't have any of these risk factors.
Things that may increase your risk for cervical cancer include:
Call your doctor if you have:
If you have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, be sure to follow your doctor's instructions about calling when you have problems, new symptoms, or symptoms that get worse.
Health professionals who can evaluate your symptoms and your risk factors, and who can diagnose cervical cancer include:
Doctors who can manage your cancer treatment include:
Screening tests can help your doctor find and treat cervical cell changes before they progress to cervical cancer.
The recommended screening schedule is based on your age and things that increase your risk. Talk to your doctor about how often to have this test.
Tests to confirm a diagnosis of cervical cancer include:
Tests to find the extent (stage) of cervical cancer include:
Cervical cancer found in its early stages can be successfully treated. The choice of treatment and the long-term outcome (prognosis) of cervical cancer depend on the type and stage of cancer. Your age, overall health, quality of life, and desire to be able to have children must also be considered.
Treatment choices for cervical cancer may be a single therapy or a combination of therapies, such as:
You can find more information about cervical cancer online at the:
When you first find out that you have cancer, you may feel scared or angry. Or you may feel very calm. It's normal to have a wide range of feelings and for those feelings to change quickly. Some people find that it helps to talk about their feelings with family and friends.
If your emotional reactions to cancer get in the way of your ability to make decisions about your health, it's important to talk with your doctor. Your cancer treatment centre may offer psychological services. And a local chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society can help you find a support group.
Your feelings about your body and your sexuality may change following treatment for cancer. Managing body image issues may involve talking openly with your partner about your feelings and discussing your concerns with your doctor. Your doctor may be able to refer you to organizations that can offer additional support and information.
Cancer treatment during pregnancy is the same as for non-pregnant women. But when you'll get treatment may depend on the stage of your cancer and what trimester you are in. For example, if you have early-stage cervical cancer and you are in your third trimester, your treatment may be delayed until after you deliver your baby. Treatment may cause problems such as an early delivery or even the loss of the baby.
After treatment for cervical cancer, it is important to receive follow-up care. Your oncologist or gynecologic oncologist will schedule regular checkups that will include:footnote 1
Follow-up tests that may be recommended by your oncologist include an abdominal and pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan. This test is to see if cancer has spread to other organs in the belly or pelvis.
Cervical cancer can return, or recur, after treatment. The chance that your cancer will return depends on the stage of the initial cancer. Cancer found early is less likely to come back than cancer found at a later stage.
Your long-term outcome (prognosis) for recurrent cervical cancer depends greatly on how much the cancer has spread when the recurrence is diagnosed.
Treatments include surgery and chemoradiation or chemotherapy to relieve symptoms. Your doctor may talk with you about being in a clinical trial. Clinical trials for cervical cancer are studying therapies that target cancer cells.
Cancer treatment has two main goals: curing cancer and making your quality of life as good as possible. Hospice palliative care can improve your quality of life by helping you manage your symptoms. It can also help you with other concerns that you may have when you are living with a serious illness.
For some people who have advanced cancer, a time comes when treatment to cure cancer no longer seems like a good choice. This can be because the side effects, time, and emotional stress of treatment are greater than the promise of cure or relief. But this isn't the end of treatment. Hospice palliative care providers will work to help manage pain and other symptoms or side effects. They may help you decide what treatment you want or don't want. And they can help your loved ones understand how to support you.
It can be hard to decide when to stop treatment aimed at prolonging your life and shift the focus to end-of-life care. You and your doctor can decide when you may be ready for hospice palliative care.
To learn about supportive care, see:
You can treat early cervical cell changes (dysplasia), which can reduce your risk for cervical cancer. You can also reduce your risk for abnormal cell changes.
The recommended Pap test schedule is based on your age and things that increase your risk. Talk to your doctor about how often to have this test.
Women who smoke cigarettes or who breathe in second-hand smoke have a higher risk for cervical cell changes that can lead to cervical cancer.footnote 2 Quitting smoking may decrease this risk.
For information about quitting, see the topic Quitting Smoking.
If you are a woman age 45 or younger, you may be able to get the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine protects against HPV. There are many types of HPV. Some types of the virus can cause cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine protects against the most common HPV types that can cause serious problems. For more information, see the topic Immunizations.
Preventing an STI, including HPV, is easier than treating an infection after it occurs. HPV infection usually doesn't cause symptoms, so you or your partner may not know that you are infected.
To reduce your risk:
Not having sexual contact is the only certain way to prevent exposure to STIs. Sexually transmitted infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) can be spread to or from the genitals, anus, mouth, or throat during sexual activities.
The side effects of cancer treatment can be serious. Healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep and exercise may help control your symptoms. Your doctor may also give you medicines to help you with certain side effects.
Other symptoms that can be treated at home include:
Problems after hysterectomy may include:
Having cancer can change your life in many ways. For support in managing these changes, see the topic: Getting Support When You Have Cancer.
Chemotherapy is used to shrink cervical cancer and decrease tumour growth. It may be used alone or along with radiation (chemoradiation).
Chemoradiation, compared with radiation alone, improves survival in early-stage cervical cancer.footnote 4 Chemoradiation can be used as the main treatment or after a hysterectomy.
Chemotherapy may be used to treat cervical cancer that has spread beyond the cervix.
Chemotherapy medicines used to treat cervical cancer may include carboplatin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel.
Most chemotherapy will cause some side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and hair loss. Your doctor may also give you medicines to control and prevent nausea and vomiting. Home treatment may also help relieve other common side effects of cancer treatment.
Surgery to remove the cancer depends on the location and extent of cervical cancer and your desire to be able to have children. You also may be given radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of the two (chemoradiation). These treatments may be given before or after surgery to try to destroy any cancer cells that may remain or to help control or shrink the tumour.
Surgery for very early stages of cervical cancer may preserve your ability to have children. Surgeries include:
Surgery for most stages of cervical cancer does not preserve your ability to have children. Surgeries include:
Side effects from a conization usually include mild cramping during the first few hours, soreness for several days, and vaginal discharge for about a week. This surgery may be done in your doctor's office.
A hysterectomy is major surgery with general anesthesia, so you will likely be in the hospital for a few days. With laparoscopic surgery, you may go home the next day. As soon as you feel strong enough, get up and move around as much as you can. This helps prevent problems after surgery like blood clots, pneumonia, and gas pains.
Other side effects from hysterectomy may include:
For more information, see the topic Sexual Problems in Women.
Radiation therapy is used for certain stages of cervical cancer, often along with surgery. Chemotherapy may be given at the same time as radiation treatment (chemoradiation) to improve survival rates. Chemoradiation may be used as the main treatment or after a hysterectomy.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy). Or it may come from radiation material (radioisotopes) in thin plastic tubes inserted through the vagina into the cervical area where the cancer cells are found.
Radiation may cause many side effects, including diarrhea and irritation of the bladder (radiation cystitis). Home treatment may help relieve some common side effects of cancer treatment.
Your ability to have or enjoy sexual intercourse may also be affected. This is because radiation may cause changes to the cells lining the vagina (mucosa), making intercourse difficult or painful. A series of vaginal dilators, starting with a small one and progressing to a larger size, may be used after radiation therapy. Using the dilators can help by making the vaginal opening larger.
Radiation to treat cervical cancer may thin the bone and increase the risk of fractures in the pelvic area, including hip fractures. You can take steps to prevent thinning of the bone (osteoporosis), such as getting enough calcium and vitamin D. Also, try to prevent falls, which can lead to fractures. For more information, see the topic Osteoporosis.
Some women who have cervical cancer may be interested in taking part in research studies called clinical trials. Clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients. They are based on the most up-to-date information. Women who don't want standard treatments or are not cured using standard treatments may want to take part in clinical trials. These are ongoing in many Canadian provinces and in some other countries for all stages of cervical cancer.
People sometimes use complementary therapies along with medical treatment to help relieve symptoms and side effects of cancer treatments. Some of the therapies that may be helpful include:
These mind-body treatments may help you feel better. They can make it easier to cope with treatment. They also may reduce chronic low back pain, joint pain, headaches, and pain from treatments.
Before you try a complementary therapy, talk to your doctor about the possible value and potential side effects. Let your doctor know if you are already using any of these therapies. They are not meant to take the place of standard medical treatment.
CitationsNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (2012). Cervical Cancer, version 1. Available online: http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/cervical.pdf.National Cancer Institute (2012). Cervical Cancer (PDQ): Prevention—Health Professional Version. Available online: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/cervical/HealthProfessional.Winer RL, et al. (2006). Condom use and the risk of genital human papillomavirus infection in young women. New England Journal of Medicine, 354(25): 2645–2654.Martin-Hirsch PL, Wood NJ (2011). Cervical cancer, search date October 2009. BMJ Clinical Evidence. Available online: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Current as of: May 4, 2022
Author: Healthwise StaffMedical Review: Anne C. Poinier MD - Internal MedicineDonald Sproule MDCM, CCFP - Family MedicineKathleen Romito MD - Family MedicineAdam Husney MD - Family MedicineE. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal MedicineRoss Berkowitz MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
Current as of: May 4, 2022
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Anne C. Poinier MD - Internal Medicine & Donald Sproule MDCM, CCFP - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & E. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal Medicine & Ross Berkowitz MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.
© 1995-2022 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.
Learn more about Amazon Prime.
Your Shopping Basket is empty.
Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.
If you already have an account, sign in.
There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.
Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.


text:
Feel free to use this glossary to help familiarize yourself with some of the common terms used in the real estate and mortgage industry. Simply click on the letter your subject would be listed under.
If you are ready to start your buying or selling process
give me a call at 714-269-1705 - I´m happy to answer all your questions.


text:
[Hundreds die in a Bangladesh factory disaster. More victims are found. This is the price that is paid in human blood to satisfy capitalist consumerism. Third World people pay the price to keep First World people comfortable. This disaster is simply a symptom of a much larger problem. Billions suffer under inhumane conditions. The entire system has no go. The solution is not to have capitalist states arrest capitalist factory owners. The solution is to abolish the entire capitalist system, to abolish the capitalist class, to abolish the wealthy, to empower the poor. Only the poor armed with the most advanced revolutionary science, Leading Light Communism, can make true revolution. –NP]
Death toll in Bangladesh collapse passes 300
By JULHAS ALAM
SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) — With time running out to save workers still trapped in a collapsed garment factory building, rescuers dug through mangled metal and concrete Friday and found more survivors — but also more corpses that pushed the death toll past 300.
Wailing, angry relatives fought with police who held them back from the wrecked, eight-story Rana Plaza building, as search-and-rescue operations went on more than two days after the structure crumbled.
Amid the cries for help and the smell of decaying bodies, the rescue of 18-year-old Mussamat Anna came at a high cost: Emergency crews cut off the garment worker's mangled right hand to pull her free from the debris Thursday night.
"First a machine fell over my hand, and I was crushed under the debris. … Then the roof collapsed over me," she told an Associated Press cameraman from a hospital bed Friday.
More than 40 survivors were found late Friday evening on some floors of the Rana Plaza, said fire service inspector Shafiqul Islam, who searched the building. Through holes in the structure, he gave them water and juice packs to combat dehydration in the stifling heat and humidity.
"They are alive, they are trapped, but most of them are safe. We need to cut through debris and walls to bring them out," Islam said.
By Friday night, more than 80 survivors had been rescued, according to officials at a command center.
But more dead were also discovered. Shamim Islam, a volunteer who entered the collapsed building along with rescue workers, said he saw "many bodies inside."
"I threw some water bottles through a hole, as there were some survivors, too," he said.
The search will continue into Saturday, officials said, with crews cautiously using hammers, shovels and their bare hands. Many of the trapped workers were so badly hurt and weakened that they needed to be removed within a few hours, the rescuers said.
There were fears that even if unhurt, the survivors could be dehydrated, with daytime temperatures soaring to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and about 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight.
Hundreds of rescuers crawled through the rubble amid the cries of the trapped and the wails of workers' relatives gathered outside the building, which housed numerous garment factories and a handful of other companies.
Brig. Gen. Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder, who is overseeing rescue operations, said before the evening rescues that 2,200 people have been pulled out alive. A garment manufacturers' group said the factories in the building employed 3,122 workers, but it was not clear how many were inside it when it collapsed Wednesday in Savar, a suburb of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka.
Military spokesman Shahin Islam told reporters that 304 bodies had been recovered so far.
An AP cameraman who accompanied a rescue crew Thursday heard the anguished cries for help from two men — one half-buried under a slab beside two corpses, the other entombed deep in the rubble. The first man later died and the second had not been heard from for hours and is presumed dead, rescuers said.
Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy told reporters that search-and-rescue operations would continue until at least Saturday, because "we know a human being can survive for up to 72 hours in this situation."
Forty people had been trapped on the fourth floor of the building until rescuers reached them Thursday evening. Twelve were soon freed, and crews worked to get the rest out safely, Shikder said. Crowds burst into applause as survivors were brought out.
Police cordoned off the site, pushing back thousands of bystanders and relatives after rescue workers complained the crowds were hampering their work.
Clashes broke out between the relatives and police, who used batons to disperse them. Police said 50 people were injured in the skirmishes.
"We want to go inside the building and find our people now. They will die if we don't find them soon," said Shahinur Rahman, whose mother was missing.
Thousands of workers from the hundreds of garment factories across the Savar industrial zone and other nearby areas marched elsewhere to protest the poor safety standards in Bangladesh. Local news reports said demonstrators smashed dozens of cars Friday, although most of the protests were largely peaceful.
Police say cracks in the Rana Plaza had led them to order an evacuation Tuesday, but the factories ignored the order and were operating when the building collapsed the next day. Video before the collapse shows cracks in walls, with apparent attempts at repair. It also shows columns missing chunks of concrete and police talking to building operators.
Officials said soon after the collapse that numerous construction regulations had been violated.
Abdul Halim, an official with Savar's engineering department, said the owner of Rana Plaza was allowed to erect a five-story building but had added another three stories illegally.
Mahbubul Haque Shakil, a spokesman for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said she had ordered police to arrest the building's owner as well as the owners of the garment factories in "the shortest possible time."
Police chief Mohammed Asaduzzaman said police and the government's Capital Development Authority have filed negligence cases against the building owner, identified as Mohammed Sohel Rana.
Habibur Rahman, police superintendent of Dhaka district, said Rana was a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front. Rahman said police were also looking for the owners of the garment factories.
Two of Rana's relatives were detained for questioning, police officer Mohammad Kawser said.
The disaster is the worst ever for the country's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards. Since then, very little has changed in Bangladesh, where low wages have made it a magnet for numerous global brands.
Bangladesh's garment industry was the third-largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade. The country's minimum wage is now the equivalent of about $38 a month.
Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.
The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers.
Britain's Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.
Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.
U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the collapse underscored the urgency for Bangladesh's government, as well as the factory owners, buyers and labor groups, to improve working conditions in the country.
Human Rights Watch says Bangladesh's Ministry of Labor has only 18 inspectors to monitor thousands of garment factories in the Dhaka district, where much of the nation's garment industry is located.
John Sifton, the group's Asia advocacy director, also noted that none of the factories in the Rana Plaza were unionized, and that had they been, workers would have been in a better position to refuse to enter the building Wednesday.


text:
Twain to end her Vegas residency
LAS VEGAS -- Country superstar Shania Twain will end her residency in Las Vegas with a final show Dec. 13, two years after she made a grand Sin City entrance on horseback and began performing at Caesars Palace.
Twain announced 16 "Shania: Still the One" shows in October and December, in addition to summer performances running through Saturday at the Colosseum -- the same venue that hosts fellow Canadian Celine Dion.
"I can't thank Las Vegas enough," Twain said in a statement, calling the city "home" and noting an after-school program she launched in a needy Las Vegas school. "I started the first international Shania Kids Can clubhouse in Las Vegas because I love this city, and my time here has given me more than anyone can ever know."
The singer, known for hits including "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" and "That Don't Impress Me Much," came to town in November 2012. Traffic down the Las Vegas Strip was temporarily halted for a herd of horses that accompanied her on her grand entrance.
Her stage show features trained horses, a live band and a flying motorcycle.
Organizers said at the time that Twain's residency would be a two-year engagement. She will have performed more than 110 shows by the end of the year.


text:
I would like to take this opportunity to remind you all that American Experience on PBS will be airing a documentary by Ric Burns (younger brother of filmmaker Ken Burns) entitled Death and the Civil War on Tuesday, September 18 at 8:00PM Eastern Time. The airing is timely, as it will be just after the 150th anniversary of the bloodiest single-day battle in American history with the Battle of Antietam on September 17.
This film, based upon Drew Gilpin Faust's landmark work This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (2008), illustrated how the Civil War changed how Americans on both sides of the conflict perceived death. Prior to the war, influenced by the religious revival of the Second Great Awakening, people believed in the concept of a "good death", which involved dying at home, surrounded by loved ones, at peace and ready to go, and possibly and offering of last words to friends and family. This death was rooted in Christian tradition emerging in the nation through the early 19th century, where a new belief in a corporeal heaven, gained wide acceptance by the eve of war. This belief held that the deceased will gain a renewed body upon entering heaven and will reunite with loved ones who passed on before them, as well as the surviving relatives and friends when they die, with all living in everlasting peace and harmony with God.
As the war's cruel reality shattered notions of a short, relatively bloodless conflict, Americans faced a new concept of death, as hundreds, and soon thousands, of young men were slaughtered in their prime, unable to enjoy the tranquility and dignity of a "good death". Soldiers soon adapted to this changing circumstance and created the same conditions, in a modified fashion, for their dying comrades. The men were surrounded by photographs of loved ones, their army friends, and were able, when possible, die in relative peace. The deceased's comrades also took on the unenviable task of notifying loved ones of the demise of the soldier, as well as arranging for shipment of effects and, if able, the body.
This documentary did an outstanding job of analyzing the harsh situation facing the nation in the early years of the war, that stands in stark contrast to how our nation treats the war dead today. Before and during the early years of the war, the federal government did not bear responsibility for identifying, accounting for, and treating its war dead. The result was that many dead were not identified initially, being buried in graves marked "Unknown". Further, the government had no way of effective notification of casualties, with relatives relying upon the casualty reports in local papers, which could be inaccurate, creating increased anxiety among people as to the fate of their loved one serving, whether they were dead or not. Death was exacerbated by the lack of an ambulance corps, preventing early evacuation of wounded, which caused many to linger on the battlefield, dying of their wounds, without the comfort of the "good death".
The film revolved around several themes: dying, burial, emotions around death, memorializing, identifying, and slavery. Each of these themes was well treated. Slavery was quite interesting, as the African-American experience with death was quite different through the horrors of slavery, which created a higher mortality possibility for them than whites. They created their own concept of the "good death", which involved dying in the struggle for freedom. What was interesting to consider was that the historians involved in the film argued that contraband camps, where escaped slaves were initially housed, represented one of the first American examples of refugee camps, where conditions were quite harsh and fostered a higher mortality.
Beyond the overall content of the documentary, there were several things that stood out for me in this piece. One was the early mention of the casualty figure of 750,000, which is based upon new research that appeared in the journal Civil War History (December 2011), that is still gaining acceptance in the scholarly community and will take years to gain full recognition. The use of the figure will go far in terms of generating wider acceptance of the new calculations of just how many died in the war.
In addition to the use of new casualty figures, the story of 19th century methods of embalming and the role photographers played in bringing the savagery of death on the battlefield to Americans' homes. Further, commemorating the dead, both through establishing national cemeteries and creating Memorial Day (on both sides of the Mason-Dixon) was an important subject. It was quite interesting to consider that without the Civil War, we likely would not have the system of national cemeteries, let alone an accounting of our war dead, at least as we know it. The story of Charleston blacks burying deceased Union POW's from the racetrack prison camp and leading a commemoration ceremony and parade with Union forces in early May 1865 represented one of the earliest occurrences of what we know as Memorial Day.
With an all-star cast of historians and commentators, including Drew Gilpin Faust, Vincent Brown, David W. Blight, and George Will among others, Ric Burns has crafted a masterful documentary in the vein of his brother's The Civil War. It combines the use of photographs, filmed scenes, and stirring narration, including powerful and emotional examples from the primary sources of the war, the writings of the people experiencing the war themselves. While Faust's book is an important read and I urge everyone to read it, Death and the Civil War is a must-see documentary that illustrates the transformative effect of the war on our nation in the midst of its 150th anniversary.


text: |At Mist Tube you can see all the hot tube videos clearly and you'll quickly learn that it's easy to find the sort of porn action that will turn you on. The free porn tube is updated daily and stocked with tube movies up the wazoo. Just look at all the categories below! You have so much choice!