As many other people stated did I spawn under the spawn, which should never happen.
The spawn lacks any details and looks like a work of world edit.
I take damage in the spawn. Also hunger.
Image 2: No the gif is NOT speed up!
Way to much use of the Rainbow-color (&u).
The chat is a bit overfilled with text in my opinion.
Just typing / already shows me world edit-commands. Fix that.
You should change /help and show something more custom.
Your clear plugin activates quite often and more than 2 messages aren't really needed.
Default Vot message... Do you even TRY to make a server?
Absolutely NO love for detail... Or even for making even something decent.
1 point for the towers being something.
/ shows me all commands available, default vote message, default (Essentials) help menu, overuse of holograms and their &u color, way to fast animations in those, etc. etc. etc.


Pharmacogn Mag. 2017 Oct;13(Suppl 3):S595-S606. doi: 10.4103/pm.pm_397_16. Epub 2017 Oct 11.
Exploring the Cytotoxic Potential of Triterpenoids-enriched Fraction of Bacopa monnieri by Implementing In vitro, In vivo, and In silico Approaches.
Mallick MN1,2, Khan W1, Parveen R1, Ahmad S1, Sadaf2, Najm MZ2, Ahmad I2, Husain SA2.
Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Bioactive Natural Product Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India.
Department of Bioscience, Human Genetics Laboratory, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.
Bacopa monnieri (BM) is a herbaceous plant traditionally used from time immemorial in Ayurvedic and folklore medicines. We hypothesized that the extract of the whole plant might contain numerous molecules with having antitumor activities that could be very effective in killing of human cancer cells.
This work investigated anticancer activity of bioactive fraction of BM.
The hydroalcoholic extract of BM was fractionated with different solvent, namely, hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), acetone, methanol, and water. The in vitro anticancer activity was performed against various Human Cancer Cell lines, namely, Colon (HT29, Colo320, and Caco2), Lung (A549), Cervix (HeLa, SiHa), and Breast (MCF-7, MDAMB-231). Further, DCM fraction was evaluated in vivo for anticancer activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor-bearing mice since it showed the best cytotoxicity at 72 h (IC50 41.0-60.0 µg/mL). The metabolic fingerprinting of these extract were carried out using high-performance thin-layer chromatography along with quantification of bacoside A, bacoside B, cucurbitacin B, cucurbitacin E, and bittulinic acid.
Oral administration of DCM fraction at a dose of 40 mg/kg rendered prominent reduction of tumor regression parameters such as tumor weight, packed cell volume, tumor volume and viable tumor cell count as compared to the untreated mice of the EAC control group. The anticancer activity of DCM fraction may be due to the presence of large amount of bacoside A, B and cucurbitacins. The molecular docking studies of major metabolites with targeted proteins predicted the anticancer activity of DCM fraction which was in support of in vivo activity.
The in vitro, in vivo, analytical and in silico studies on DCM fraction of Bacopa monieri has proved its great potential for development of anticancer phytopharmaceuticals.
A new HPTLC method has been developed and validated for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of bacoside A, B, cucurbitacin B, D, E and bittulinic acid in Bacopa monnieri extract. Enrichment of active anticancer metabolites was done by polarity based fractionations of hydroalcoholic extract of Bacopa. DCM fraction of a hydroalcoholic extract of Bacopa showed anticancer potential against human cancer cell line (IC50 41.0-60.0 µg/mL) and in EAC treated mice (at a dose of 40 mg/kg body weight). The anticancer activity of Bacopa may be due to the presence of bacosides and cucurbitacin and it was confirmed by in silico screening. Abbreviations used: DBM: DCM fraction of Bacopa monnieri; DCM: Dichloromethane; EAC: Ehrlich ascites carcinoma; HCT: Hematocrit; HGB: Hemoglobin; HPTLC: High performance thin layer chromatography; ICH: International council for Harmonisation; LOD: Limit of detection; LOQ: Limit of quantification; LYM: Lymphocytes; MCH: Mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCHC: Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC); MCV: Mean corpuscular volume; MTT: 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; PLT: Platelet; RBC: Red blood cell; RDW: Red blood cell distribution width; RSD: Relative standard deviation; WBC: White blood cells.
Pharmacogn Mag. 2017 Oct;13(Suppl 3):S595-S606.


No. 14 & 16, Jalan Bulan U5/171, Seksyen U5, Subang 2, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
NMC Products (M) Sdn. Bhd. is a manufacturer and converting specialist in various adhesive tapes, insulation foam products, films and side-seal pouches. Established in 1990, operations began back in 1982 as a small trading business. We have grown over the years and obtained the ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification since June 2005. Customer focus remains our top priority. With the expansion of our manufacturing capabilities, we are actively developing the export market.
Our FIRMFIX® products are developed from extensive know-how through continual research and development. We manufacture and customize of a wide range of tape products for the industrial use, delivering solutions to industries such as HVAC, automotive, medical, exposition, construction, electronics, electrical, mechanical, advertising, printing and packaging. Equipped with our own production capabilities and flexibilities, we work closely with manufacturers of these industries to create custom-made products according to the required specification within a short lead time.
We have a strong technical team to assure product quality, timely delivery and hands-on service to further support the industrial needs.
NMC is committed to the welfare of our people and the environment. We are solvent-free.


text:
Ruby on Rails is a web app framework written in Ruby. It's got a lot of opinions and conventions that you'll learn if you work with it!

If you're new to programming or Rails, RailsBridge is a non-profit that has written [a few curriculums](http://docs.railsbridge.org/docs/) that can walk you through Rails and all those conventions.

* The [Rails Guides](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/) are short but thorough introductions to lots of different aspects of Rails.
* The full documentation of Rails is at http://api.rubyonrails.org, which you'll usually get to if you Google a Rails method.

### PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is a relational database we use to store patient information. Data is stored in tables.

You'll primarily interact with the database via [ActiveRecord](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/active_record_basics.html). Most

---

## Tests!!
We love tests! All the tests can be found in the test directory, and it's a great idea to unit and/or integration test the feature that you're working on. Try checking out the other tests in the app if you're not sure what or how to test something.

### MiniTest
* MiniTest is the default Rails testing framework! As such, there's a [handy Rails Guide](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/testing.html) about the various ways that Rails wants you to test.
* Google will probably also lead you to the [MiniTest docs](http://ruby-doc.org/stdlib-2.0.0/libdoc/minitest/rdoc/MiniTest.html) at some point in your journey, too.

### Capybara

* [Capybara](http://teamcapybara.github.io/capybara/) is a Ruby integration testing library that can uses browser to fill in forms, click buttons, and generally interact with the app, and then verifies that things worked as we expected!
* Here are [the Capybara docs](http://www.rubydoc.info/github/teamcapybara/capybara/master)
* Generally we have CircleCI run these for us, so you don't need to worry about setting up Capybara unless you need to write system tests.

---

## Intro to DCAF!!
We love our case managers and the UX team that figures out how we can help them be more happy and more efficient. Check out these resources for more context about the hows and whys of this app:
* [The DCAF website](https://dcabortionfund.org)
* [DCAF 101](DCAF_101.md), and explanation of how case managers use the app
* Join and read through the `#dcaf_case_management` [channel on Slack](https://codefordc.slack.com/messages/dcaf_case_management/files/)
* Read this [blog post about how we're using agile-ish](https://codefordc.github.io/blog/2016/09/12/code-for-dcaf.html).
* Read [the README](https://github.com/DCAFEngineering/dcaf_case_management/) (if you haven't already) :sparkling_heart:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Home » World News » Trump returning to White House ahead of Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party
Trump returning to White House ahead of Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party
Trump fires back at Biden over vaccine distribution
Biden, Trump exchange jabs over vaccine rollout; reaction from 'The Five'
President Trump plans to return to the White House from Florida on Thursday — earlier than originally planned, according to a schedule released late Wednesday night.
The president's early departure for Washington, D.C., comes as guests are set to attend the annual New Year's Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago, at which Trump has made remarks for the previous three years of his presidency, according to The Hill.
"The President and First Lady will be leaving Florida for the White House tomorrow at 11:00 AM," the schedule said, according to a tweet posted by Francesca Chambers, a reporter for McClatchy.
No specific reason was given for the change in plans, The Associated Press reported.
The president and first lady have been in Florida since Dec. 23.
Trump has been preoccupied with the election and the coronavirus relief bill during that time.
Earlier Wednesday, Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced he planned to challenge Congress's counting of the Electoral College votes next Wednesday that would affirm President-elect Joe Biden's win.
Senate GOP leaders are against the effort to challenge Biden's win, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recognizing the former vice president's victory, and behind closed doors urging Senate Republicans not to contest the election results.
But with Hawley joining the small group of House Republicans in objecting, the joint session of Congress next week would be dissolved and the House and Senate would then meet separately for two hours to debate and vote on a contested state's electoral vote.
A state's slate of electoral votes would be tossed only if both the House and Senate vote to do so.
Trump earlier Wednesday tweeted, "JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!" as he continues his push to overturn the election results.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Jason Donner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Microsoft deal for TikTok US fading as White House weighs crackdown: sources
Carer's allowance claimants may get a Christmas bonus this month – eligibility explained
SEISS 4th grant: When will the fourth self-employed grant be paid?
LGBTQ candidates made history in 2020, but what's most 'earth-shattering' about their record is its standout diversity
Bernie Sanders: If Dems win Senate, he'll be chairman of Subcommittee on Health
HousereturningtoTrumpWhite
Previous Post:Asia's new richest person is a Chinese vaccine investor who made $70 billion in 2020, surpassing Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani
Next Post:Futures Point To Slightly Higher Open For Wall Street

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


IEEE Projects In Chennai our concern provide great support for final year students for complete their projects successfully .IEEE projects are nothing but taking up the concept from IEEE papers students of Chennai engineering colleges can be beneficial through our Chennai center because of flexible nature and availability of IEEE papers. All sorts of advanced technology based IEEE projects are offered in Chennai. Java, android and dot net are the three most widely used languages of IEEE papers. Due to its clear yet high standard nature IEEE projects are easy to do with minimum or no guidance.
Simulation type output is received only by using various simulation tools. Each domain makes use of different simulation tools in order to fulfill their needs and obtain results.
Expanded as data center simulation tool it is needed for simulating virtualized data centers. For many clients it provides infrastructure services. It is also a data center development technique.
An event based simulator that uses one simulation thread for various scientific applications. Data, product, infrastructure and service of cloud computing is supported through ground sim.
Expanded as simulation program for cloud infrastructure can analyze large scale data centers actions for attaining simulation result it is made used.
Ican cloud is simulation tools used for software framework. It is also part of cloud computing. Performance and parameter of particular applications are predicted using it. It has graphical user interface for running and designing software model.
Needed for simulating cost, time and violation of specific applications virtual machine, runtime of components and cloud providers are perfectly selected by CDOSIM.
It is an extensive version of grid sim. It is needed for simulating cloud components, its system behavior and resource provisioning policies.
It is a high configurable tool various algorithms are supported by it in order to attain a perfect result. Image, analysis, segmentation, classification and noise reduction is processed by matlab.
Grid applications basic components are built through it. Software applications are enabled and it is combined with grid instruments.
Grid computing's mechanism should be evaluated, developed and designed using this open source simulation tool.
It is a java based tool kit that simulates parallel and distributed computing.
It is a commercial simulator that is needed for development and research study of communication devices, applications and network. It has graphical editor to build network topology.
It is a discrete event simulator. Some processes of NS2 are quite parallel to tool command language and C++.
It is an open source discrete event simulator. Python scripting interface support NS3 parallel to real computer protocol entities are provided.


Immediate need for medical device assembler-(cha) seeking successful candidate will not only have what the r, responsibilities may include but not be limited to and qualifications:3-5 years experience in medical dev. Demonstrated abilities in both basic computer and , ability to stand or sit for long periods of time a and previous experience with manufacturing equipment a will be keys to success in this growing, well-known, dynamic, stable organization. Will be responsible for must be able to work in a clean-room environment a, demonstrated ability to work independently and wit and demonstrated to be flexible and open to change; se for Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals company. Great benefits. Apply for this great position as a medical device assembler-(cha) today! We are an equal employment opportunity employer and will consider all qualified candidates without regard to disability or protected veteran status.


text:
All Manufacturing Capabilities
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Precision Casting Parts Supplier
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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIE CASTING & SAND CASTING
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Difference between Zinc Die Casting and Aluminum Die Casting?
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIE CASTING PROCESS
ALL ABOUT DIE CASTING – FLASH, TOOLING, DIE-CAST METAL PAINT
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What is Aluminum Die Casting: Advantages & Applications
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Die Casting The Future In Aluminum
Die-Casting V/s Extruded Aluminium – Know The Difference
High Pressure Die-Casting Process – Step By Step
What Is Die-Casting? – Types Of Metals Used For Die-Casting
Die-casting or sand-casting – Which process is better?
One of the best parts about working for a precision casting parts supplier is that you work with an incredibly diverse range of businesses. From mining companies to automotive manufacturers, precision casting parts are in demand by a host of industries. By working here, you'll be exposed to many different types of people and have the opportunity to build relationships with many customers.
Know About Precision Casting Parts Supplier
contact-nab@zetwerk.com
Zetwerk provides high-quality Precision Casting Components and all secondary operations.
Submit the relevant part drawings, 3D files, and other information by clicking on the button below.
Precision Casting: Overview
Investment casting is a process in which a wax model of an object is molded into a ceramic mold. Wax is used because it is easy to work with and can be melted down and recycled. A wax pattern is coated with ceramic powder and heated until the wax melts, forming a hard shell. The solid ceramic coating is turned upside down and heated again to melt the wax out, leaving a layer of ceramic powder which becomes a replaceable shielding material. Molten metal is poured into a mold and cooled. The cast metal is then knocked out of the finished mold.
Investment casting, also called the lost-wax casting process, is where a pattern is surrounded by refractory materials and then melted out, leaving a cavity for molten metal. This process results in very fine details and an excellent surface finish. Investment castings can be molded with thin walls and intricate internal transitions that cannot be made using other casting processes, such as sand casting. Net or near-net castings made from metal can reduce material, labor, and machining costs. These castings can be produced from various metals, including bronze, magnesium, aluminum, and stainless steel.
Precision castings are used to make a variety of products, including turbine blades for aircraft and power plants, medical devices such as knee replacements, firearm components like trigger mechanisms and bolts, tools used in manufacturing and construction, jewelry made from precious metals, and many other machine components with complex geometries.
What Are The Steps Involved In The Investment/Precision Casting Process?
There are several steps involved in investment or precision casting:
Create Metal Die : In casting, the wax model is destroyed by the heat of the molten metal, so a new wax model needs to be created for each casting. If investment casting is not used for small volumes, a wax pattern is required to produce mold or die. Careful calculations must be made when creating a mold to ensure that all the shrinkage factors on the metal casting, wax model, and ceramic material applied to that model are considered.
Mold Creation : When you cast larger pieces, it's easier to use a gate system. A gate system is a tree-like assembly of multiple wax models attached to a central wax gate. Molten metal is poured into the mold through a pouring cup, usually attached to the casting rods' end. A ceramic coating is formed around the wax tree's patterns and gating system. The wax tree is immersed in a silica suspension, which coats the wax with a ceramic shell, which is hardened once it dries. They then covered it with increasingly thicker layers of the same material until they achieved the desired thickness. The thickness of a ceramic shell largely depends on the casting's size and weight and the temperature of the metal being poured. Usually, the wall thickness measures around 0.375 inches (9.525 mm). To create the shell, melted wax is first poured into a mold lined with a ceramic slurry. The slurry hardens and dries, forming a hollow shell.
Finishing : After casting, parts may be sandblasted or ground to remove imperfections and smooth surfaces near holes. Depending on the metal type, it has to be heat-treated to harden the final part.
Produce Wax Pattern : Wax models are used in the casting process. One wax model is created for every part that will be cast. Wax is melted and injected into a mold or die and hardens. A core may be required to develop internal functions. The resulting wax model is an exact copy of the manufactured part. Every wax model made equals a new cast; the two processes are similar, but wax is used instead of molten metal.
Pouring : The ceramic mold is heated to between 550 and 1100 degrees Fahrenheit. This process strengthens the mold and removes residue, such as wax or dirt, from the mold material. The molten metal is poured into the mold while it is still hot. The metal flows into each mold cavity through a central gating system. The heated mold allows the metal to flow easily through delicate, detailed parts, producing a casting with better dimensional stability as it cools and shrinks.
Cooling : When metal is poured into a mold, it cools and hardens, becoming rigid. The cooling time varies depending on the material being cast and the thickness of the casting
Shakeout : When the ceramic mold hardens, it breaks, and the castings can be removed. The mold is often broken manually or with water jets. Once removed, the castings are separated from the gating system by burning, sawing, cutting, manual impact, or cold breaking with liquid nitrogen.
Ultimately, your business's best precision casting parts supplier will depend on your specific needs and requirements. It's essential to research and choose a company with the capabilities and experience to meet your needs and produce high-quality products.
With a virtually unlimited range of capacities and capabilities, Zetwerk offers high quality production, competitive costs and best-in-class lead times – whatever the category, product, scale, or geography.
© 2023 Zetwerk
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Awuzie was reportedly gaining momentum as a potential first-rounder in the weeks leading up to the draft, but he ultimately come off the board late in the second. The four-year starter at Colorado had his most productive seasons from 2015-16, combining for 150 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions, and should see plenty of playing time as a rookie in Dallas. The Cowboys, who ranked a mediocre-at-best 18th in DVOA against the pass last year, lost cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to free agency. The club will try to make up for the veterans' departures with a corner group consisting of Orlando Scandrick, Anthony Brown, Awuzie and Nolan Carroll, among others.


Whether you are looking at door replacement or are building a new house, Weathermaster Kerry Limited will provide you with a superior level of professional service that you won't get anywhere else. We give that personal touch which makes us stand out from the crowd.
At Weathermaster Kerry, we pride ourselves as experts in the Doors industry, having many years of experience as professional front and back door advisers in Kerry, North Cork & Limerick.
For front and back doors, we recommend composite doors and offer top-of-the-range Palladio Composite Doors and Camden Inliten uPVC Composite Doors. For other doors, please contact us, as we install many different door types.
To extend your house to a garden, we have a huge range of doors to suit your vision. Please view our Patio Doors, French Doors and Bifold Doors. If you have something else in mind, please contact us and we can advise you, with no obligations at all.
Please click through below for more information on the door of your choice.
Weathermaster Kerry Limited is a family owned business, established in 1996. We are based in Clash, Tralee, Co. Kerry.
We supply and install only the best quality windows, doors, conservatories, fascia, soffit, guttering and more to customers in Munster, including Kerry, Limerick, Cork & Clare.
We are always proud of the fact that our repeat customers are testament to our quality of work; in fact most of our work comes from previous customers. We believe in offering customers the highest standard of service at a fair and affordable price.
Contact us today to discuss how we may be of help to you.


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CGC, Standard Chartered makes RM70M available for SME capital in MY
Teddy Cambosa
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) Malaysia, a subsidiary of Bank Negara Malaysia, and banking institution Standard Chartered Malaysia have announced the availability of RM70M in capital to aid small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.
Under a Portfolio Guarantee (PG) agreement, the financing facility is expected to help ease the burdens of SMEs and sustain their business as they recover from the effects of the pandemic. The agreement brings the total amount of tranches jointly launched by both parties to RM1.71B.
The launch of this tranche is timely as it will provide SMEs with the opportunity to revitalize their businesses. Furthermore, The Portfolio Guarantee comes on the back of several financing initiatives announced by the government tailored specifically for SMEs.
"I am pleased to share that this Standard Chartered-CGC RM70 million PG aims to provide working capital for SMEs with viable business but lack collaterals to obtain the required credit facility, more now during this phase of revitalizing and reforming Malaysia's economy," said Datuk Mohd Zamree Mohd Ishak, president, and CEO at CGC.
Meanwhile, Abrar A. Anwar, managing director and CEO at Standard Chartered Malaysia, commented that SMEs have shown great resilience despite being one of the hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic, and that their agility is key to their resilience, allowing them to quickly transform their businesses to adapt to new ways of doing business.
He also stated that as more and more businesses leverage on technology, the financing facility will be timely in financing their digital transformation and penetration of new markets, accelerated during the course of the pandemic, and is used not just as a means to thrive in the new normal but also to keep up with evolving customer demands.
"We understand that our clients have unique needs and we want to ensure they have access to the assistance they need ranging from payment deferrals to interest-only repayments and debt restructuring which will not be reflected in their record. Our focus is on ensuring they are informed of the options available to them and that we are operationally prepared to provide much needed financing," Anwar added.
Malaysia, SMEs, SME support, Credit Guarantee Corporation, Bank Negara, Capital, Standard Chartered
Spotlight: The rise of niche players in the Digital Experience Platform scene
MARKETECH APAC tackles higher ed's digital marketing strategies in 'new normal' in webinar for APAC universities
MDEC's new virtual expo to highlight live streaming for e-commerce
MDEC launches '#SayaDigital Movement' to increase digital literacy across MY
UOB MY, The FinLab concludes program that aimed to aid SMEs' digitization
Standard Chartered partners with dentsu, adopts programmatic supply solution for global campaign


Our volunteer Skippers, Mates, Watch Officers and Watch Leaders (our Afterguard) are the backbone of the Rona Sailing Project. We are always keen to hear from anyone with a real interest in the welfare of young people, and with yacht sailing experience, who wishes to join us. Find out more in our FAQs or contact us here.
Currently over 60% of our 60 volunteer Skippers started as Trainees on our yachts.
There are two routes to become a member of the Afterguard.
At the end of a Sail Training Voyage, the Skipper can put forward Trainees who gain an Amory Award, and who have leadership potential, for our Watch Leader training process. Once they have completed their training, undergone a DBS check and gained their ASTO Safeguarding certificate, they can become Watch Leaders in the Project. From here, if they want to continue sailing with us and give something back to society, they can become Watch Officers then Mates and ultimately Skippers.
The other route to becoming a volunteer is for you to sail with us as a Supernumerary on a week-long, standard Sail Training Voyage (STV). Before sailing in the supernumerary role, you need to fill in an application form. Once the application is approved, you will need to be DBS (Disclosure and Barring service) cleared and have completed the ASTO online safeguarding course, or equivalent, before being permitted to sail.
Based on a recommendation from your Skipper, you can then be promoted to Watch Officer, subject to qualifications (minimum Day Skipper Practical ) and approval by our Afterguard Panel, a committee of Project Skippers and others).
Subsequently you can progress to Mate (RYA Yachtmaster Coastal with Commercial Endorsement) and then Skipper (RYA Yachtmaster Offshore with Commercial Endorsement). If you would like to follow the supernumerary route you will need to complete the Volunteer Application Form.


text:
Cultural Passes
The Friends of the Lawrence Public Library are a nonprofit, volunteer organization consisting of a group of people who support our library. This support makes it possible for the library to improve their public service programs for adult and children, as well as museum passes, computers, and furniture for the Library. Membership is open to anyone who is interested in improving the growth of our library.
Provide volunteer assistance for special library projects.
Raise funds to provide extra services.
Fund museum passes.
Fund educational programs.
Submit a Friends of the Library Application (PDF).
Visit the Friends of the Library Gift Shop at the Main Library's Circulation Desk
Visit the Friends of the Lawrence Public Library on Facebook
Library Initiatives
Long Range Plan
How can I become a Friend of the Library?
I'm doing family history research. What resources are available to me from the library?
Does the library have rooms available for meetings?
What benefits are there to obtaining a library card?
Meeting Rooms Information
Downloadable Books & Music
Library Card Perks
51 Lawrence Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 | Phone: 978-620-3600
Mon -Thurs: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Fri: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sat: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sun: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY (Closed)
135 Parker Street, Lawrence, MA 01843 | Phone: 978-620-3650
Fax: 978-722-9540 | Contact Us


text:
Top-20 finish for Martin Laird as Harris English wins in Hawaii
What did Justin Thomas say? Golf champion's homophobic slur after a missed putt explained - and his apology
Lee McGregor European title fight called off as boxing is suspended
Lee McGregor's European title fight against Karim Guerfi has been postponed once more following a shutdown of professional boxing in Britain due to the rise in coronavirus cases.
Sunday, 3rd January 2021, 5:28 pm
Updated Sunday, 3rd January 2021, 5:28 pm
Lee McGregor was due to fight Karim Guerfi of France for the European bantamweight title. Picture: SNS
The Edinburgh bantamweight was due to face the Frenchman for the European Boxing Union title at Production Park Studios in Wakefield, Yorkshire, on January 22. However, the British Boxing Board of Control, the organisation which oversees professional boxing in the UK, has announced a shutdown of all events under its auspices this month.
BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith said: "Following the increase in Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom and the effects such increases has on the NHS and the work of the board medical officers, it has been decided that no tournaments under the jurisdiction of the British Boxing Board of Control will take place in January 2021.
"A further review by the board's medical panel and stewards will take place later in January in relation to tournaments from February onwards."
McGregor was originally due to fight Guerfi on November 11 before the Scot tested positive for Covid-19.
No new date has been announced for the fight but promoter MTK Global said in a statement: "MTK Global hopes to reschedule the event along with all of the fights on the card as soon as possible."
The onset of the pandemic led to boxing being suspended from last March until July, and most events since then have taken place behind closed doors.
However, the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus in the UK has seen a rapid elevation in case numbers, with a further 57,725 reported on Saturday.


Women's apparel chain The Limited has closed all 250 stores and has moved all sales to its online platform, reflecting an increasingly challenging environment for bricks-and-mortar retailers.
Rio Tinto said it has chosen Middle East luxury jeweler Dhamani as a Select Atelier for Argyle Pink Diamonds.The decision means Dhamani joins a group of master craftsman and luxury jewelers with access to a direct supply of Australia's rare Argyle pink diamonds.
In a recent article, "Year-End Wrap Up: How the Diamond Industry Can Move Forward in 2017", Ehud Laniado talks about several steps that can, and need, to be taken by everyone involved in diamond industry in 2017.
Book your appointment with us at Centurion today for a FREE website assessment and a chance to win an iPad!
Diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky, in his most recent article "A New Diamond Industry", analyzes three significant changes – and the catalysts for those changes – that have been reshaping the diamond industry in recent years: 1) a new operating discipline, 2) a new generation of consumers, and 3) new technology.
Dummy engagement rings are on the rise. Are we simply becoming too fussy?
Last night, the 74th annual Golden Globes took place, and with all eyes on the Red Carpet, six top watch brands got some good attention as well. Among them: Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Harry Winston, Piaget, Bulgari and Tiffany & Co.
Only a few actors, producers, directors and writers can leave the Golden Globe Awards with a trophy in hand, but many more have the opportunity to create iconic jewelry moments on the red carpet.
When it comes to success as a retail jeweler, it all starts in the front. Your salespeople are your ambassadors to the world. And yet, many store owners still neglect to train their employees.


WIth everything flying on my mind this yuletide season on what to buy and what to give I finally save a lot for my family. Last 4 christmas that pass, I have spent almost all my Performance bonus, 13th month pay and commission giving and sharing with my relatives. Now together with my wife we started to save and spend not everything but only a part of all the money I have received.
Saving money is saving for the future. Now I hit my goal for the year. We have manage not to but things just because we WANT but because we need. We have learned the lesson from the past although it was a striving 4 years before we have it recognized. Its better late than sorry. This year was a bountiful Blogging experience to me where I hit my adsense profit more than I expected. I only told my officemate about the $100 earnings but its just the icing of the cake. It much better if I stay silent have it written over here to inspire bloggers like you who wants to earn online and read success story.
I also managed to lower all my cost for this year. I managed to have my Little amiel have her Medical Insurance. My goal for next year is to have my wife and my eldest daughter have a secured health card. We have managed to pay all our credit card bills and also paid the tuition fee of the two kids.
It was a tremendous, heart twirling experience of storming Blessings for Ardenio Family. With all the trust and love of God we have move to a new Church, The Greenhills Christian Fellowship East (GCF) together with my family we have been more closed to God. No matter how I strived still God move in and made me closer to Him. Today aside from being SAVED through Jesus, We also have saved for the coming raining season. I pray that God will continue to bring forth blessings to those who trust and love him.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Don't let this Merry Season give you a mountain of Debt but a Deep Sea of God's Blessing for you and your Family.


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Dagestan: 824 persons lost or wounded in 2011 in armed conflict
In 2011, at least 824 persons fell victim to the armed conflict in Dagestan, including 413 casualties and 411 more persons, who received wounds of various gravity. As compared with 2010, the total count of victims went up by more than 20 percent – in 2010, there were 685 of them. The main blow fell on civilians. These are the results of calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on the data from its own correspondents and information from open sources.
Explosions and terror acts
In 2011, 86 explosions in Dagestan were reported, which killed 58 persons, including 14 power agents, 12 militants and 32 civilians. In total, 180 persons were wounded, including 113 power agents and 67 civilians.
These explosions included four suicide bombings, which killed 7 persons: 3 power agent and 4 suicide bombers; besides, 30 persons, including 28 power agent and 2 civilians got wounded.
In 2010, Dagestan saw 112 explosions, including 5 suicide bombings; the latter killed 29 persons, including 5 suicide bombers; 108 persons more were wounded. Thus, in 2011, self-explosions became less devastating in Dagestan.
Loss among power agents and members of armed underground
In 2011 in Dagestan, the losses among members of the armed underground made 173 persons, including suicide bombers and those, liquidated as a result of "counterterrorist" operations of power agents. Besides, at least 103 persons were detained by law enforcement bodies on suspicion of involvement in the armed underground.
Last year, 176 suspected militants were liquidated in the republic; and 41 more were detained.
The "Caucasian Knot" emphasizes that the statistics on members of the armed underground reports about those, who had been declared as such by law enforcement bodies.
In 2011, in total, 111 employees of law enforcement bodies perished as a result of shelling, explosions and armed clashes; and 281 others were wounded. In 2010, these figures were 124 and 200, respectively.
Civilian casualties
The confrontation of power agents and the armed underground results in victims among the civil population. Thus, in 2011, there were 259 such victims in Dagestan.
In 2011, at least 129 civilians were lost in Dagestan as a result of explosions, shelling, terror acts and attacks; and at least 130 civilians were wounded.
In 2010, unidentified attackers killed 78 civilians in skirmishes between power agents and militants and by explosions; 107 more civilians were wounded.
Kidnappings and disappearances continued: in total in 2011 in Dagestan at least 31 such cases were registered. In 2010, there were at least 18 such incidents.
One should understand that the above statistics cannot reflect with absolute accuracy the number of victims in each of the identified categories of the survey. Not all the data gets into news reports. It is not always possible to verify the reliability of statements made by law enforcement bodies. There are difficulties in identifying human remains – the lack of adequate laboratories is still an acute problem, which affects the timing and quality of examinations.
Shooting more, blowing up less
The above figures indicate that in 2011 the war move towards a greater impact on civilian population: the number of killed power agents and militants went down, but the number of civilian victims went up dramatically.
The total number of victims of the conflict increased from 685 persons (of which 378 were killed and 307 others wounded) in 2010 up to 824 persons (of which 413 persons were killed and 411 others wounded) in 2011. Thus, the death toll went up within a year by 139 persons, that is, by more than 20 percent.
In 2011, in attacks, bombings and armed conflicts there were killed 13 law enforcers less than in 2010 (which is a 10-percent decrease); however, more enforcers were wounded – by 81 persons – than in 2010, which is a 40-percent increase.
We also see a sharp decline in the number of explosions – from 112 in 2010 to 86 in 2011, including a decrease in the number of suicide bombings – from 5 in 2010 to 4 in 2011. These bombings also became less bloody: in 2011, suicide bombers killed and wounded 100 persons less than in 2010, which means a 72-percent reduction (37 casualties in 2011 against 137 in 2010).
At the same time, in 2011, Dagestan saw a significant increase in the number of deaths and injuries among civilians: by 74 persons or almost 40 percent more than in 2010.
Let us remind you that in 2011 Dagestan remained the North-Caucasian leader by the total number of victims.
The sad trend dominated, despite the measures taken to reduce the tension, including the efforts of the adaptation commission for the persons who wish to quit the armed underground and return to peaceful life. During the work of the commission, about 40 members of the armed underground have surrendered and pled guilty. The commission also helps the persons already convicted for their criminal actions, but ready to get corrected.
The work aimed at returning militants to civilian life should continue, said the participants of the hearings on the topic "Peacemaking Practice in Northern Caucasus: Experiences, Models and Methods to Improve Efficiency", held on November 29 at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. However, several public figures of Dagestan believe that the efficiency of the adaptation commission is nullified by the continuing violations of rights of local residents by law enforcers. This is the opinion of the famous local poet Adallo, while Abbas Kebedov, a co-chair of the public movement "Territory of Peace and Development", said that so far not a single real militant had passed through the commission; and it needs greater authorities.
"North Ossetia: in 2011, 14 persons fell victim to armed conflict", "Karachay-Cherkessia: 34 victims of armed conflict in 2011", "Ingushetia: 108 victims of armed conflict in 2011".
North Caucasus - statistics of victims; Conflicts; Human rights; Society; Crime; Dagestan; North-Caucasian Federal District


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PublicWatchdog.org – Park Ridge
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Another Real Estate Sham…Wow!
With the City Council already having dug us even deeper into its 2009-10 budget hole by throwing extra public money at private organizations which invoke their 501(c)(3) not-for-profit status to justify their perennial money-losing performances, we thought it worthwhile to bring some attention to what could become another financial black hole for Park Ridge taxpayers.
As reported by both local newspapers during the first week of this month, a board member of the 501(c)(3) Kalo Foundation of Park Ridge [pdf] is looking to buy 720 Garden Street – most recently, the home of American Insurance but unofficially re-named the "Clute House" by the Kalo-ers – for a "Park Ridge Non-Profit Center" to house our community's non-profit organizations.
Ironically, the Kalo board member driving this plan is none other than John Sasser, who in the waning days of last month's mayoral campaign tossed a cool $1,000 into the political war chest of former Mayor Howard "Let's Make A Deal" Frimark [pdf], whose semi-secret attempt to negotiate the City's purchase of that very same property for a new police station was "outed" by then-alderman, now Mayor Dave Schmidt.
At the time, Frimark and his Alderpuppets howled like banshees about Schmidt's disclosure, falsely accusing Schmidt of violating the non-existent confidentiality/secrecy of "closed session" City Council meetings. But when the city attorney opined that nothing in the Illinois Open Meetings Act prohibited such disclosures, or provided any sanctions against it, Frimark cooked up a silly, kangaroo-style "condemnation" of Schmidt – which infuriated many citizens and may well have helped propel Schmidt into the mayor's office.
Well done, Howard!
But back to Sasser's plan. According to the Park Ridge Journal article ("Kalo May Buy Historic Clute House," May 6), Sasser is "trying to set up financing to purchase the building directly as a non-profit." Sasser calls his plan "a leap of faith."
Sounds to us more like a white elephant in the making.
Right now, we understand that 720 Garden is generating a nice chunk of property taxes each year which benefits the City, the Park District and, to an even greater degree, School District 64. But if that property is purchased by a non-profit, in all likelihood that tax revenue will disappear because non-profits in Illinois are eligible for tax-exempt status.
And judging by past and current City Council practices, the non-profits who would own and/or occupy 720 Garden would soon be asking – and getting – tax dollars from the City to keep that building open and operating. So, once again, Park Ridge taxpayers would be providing welfare to a bunch of private organizations, many of which are run like hobbies instead of businesses.
What's Sasser's angle (because there's always an "angle" with deals like this)?
We're not sure, because we don't know all the tricks of the real estate trade, or the various ways that property can be leased, optioned or otherwise managed so that it can be purchased at its currently-depressed market price using the currently-low financing rates, carried on a non-profit basis while the real estate market recovers, and then sold off for a tidy profit when the market recovers, and/or when the Uptown Redevelopment plan eventually moves down there to Target Area IV.
We here at PublicWatchdog believe that taking any private property off the tax rolls is bad public policy unless it is absolutely necessary for an over-riding public purpose. And that policy becomes even worse in practice when the taxpayers also end up paying for the operation and upkeep of the tax-exempt property, via City welfare payments to those organizations.
We're already being fleeced by a TIF District that has sucked millions out of City coffers while providing only promises of profits to come. We don't need to add to that problem by taking a revenue-producing property off the tax rolls in that District.
Categories: City of Park Ridge Government
posted by publius on 05.29.09 @ 6:53 am
How To Balance The City Budget
We here at PublicWatchdog don't make the approx. $200,000 (all in) City Manager Jim Hock is paid each year to be the City's chief operational officer. Or the approx. $120,000 Assistant City Mgr. Juliana Maller receives. Or the approx. $115,000 paid to Community Preservation & Development Director Carrie Davis. Or the approx. $130,000 paid to each of Public Works Director Wayne Zingsheim, Acting Police Chief Tom Swoboda, Fire Chief Craig Gjelsten and Finance Director Diane Lambesis.
(Frankly, we don't make anything running this blog. The only good thing about that sad fact is that it's harder to accuse us of having a conflict of economic interest.)
Throw in the $12,000 paid to Mayor Dave Schmidt, and the $1,200 paid to each of the Alder-dunces, and we're talking about almost $1 million a year in payroll for the people who, in one way or another, are responsible for balancing the City budget – which means they are being paid pretty big bucks, collectively (and even individually), to saddle us with the $2 million deficit budget the City Council recently passed.
And despite the demand from Mayor Schmidt that they come up with amendments to get the budget in balance, the occupants of this financial clown car recently added to that deficit by giving away even more handouts to a bunch of private organizations which – as a matter of public policy – have no business sucking public tax dollars out of the City's coffers while legitimate City infrastructure needs are neglected for lack of funding.
Because the folks paid to balance the budget have yet to display the intellectual honesty and intestinal fortitude needed to get the job done, we're going to give it a try – secure in the knowledge that we can't do worse, and that we're costing the taxpayers nothing. So here we go:
· Implement a pay-as-you-go policy for every fee-based service, starting with water. Just passing through the entire 2009 water rate increase [pdf] charged Park Ridge by the City of Chicago will not only take a big bite out of the deficit, but it just might encourage more water conservation, making it a win/win.
Reduction: $400,000. Deficit remaining: $1,600,000.
· Freeze wages at 2008-09 rates. And when the employees (and the union) beef, remind them of the 570,000+ private-sector workers in Illinois who are currently jobless and the fact that a "flat" paycheck is better than no paycheck at all, especially when it comes with a great pension and all the other benefits that most of the people paying the bill for them don't themselves enjoy.
Reduction: $800,000. Deficit remaining: $800,000.
· Chop two-thirds of the $900,000 budgeted "to complete construction of the streetscape on Summit, Touhy to Prospect." [pdf] Once again, folks, it's a question of priorities. During a recession/depression, things like appearance need to take a back-seat to necessities. Frankly, given the sad state of the City's finances, we have to question the sanity of the City even commencing this project in 2008.
· Rescind the $39,000 over-budget "welfare" payments to local community groups [pdf]. It's just plain bad public policy for City government to funnel tax dollars to private organizations, at least unless and until there is an official determination by the City that: (a) each such organization receiving City tax dollars provides services that the City itself must/should provide; (b) each organization provides those services at a lower cost than that at which the City could provide them, or provides better services at the same cost; and (c) each organization provides the same degree of financial and operational transparency that is required of the City.
Reduction: $39,000. Deficit remaining: $161,000.
· Eliminate the "original" (pre-increase) $34,000 contribution to the Park Ridge Senior Center. The Senior Center is already gorging at the public trough to the tune of the $159,740 in tax dollars the Park District has budgeted for it in 2009 [pdf]. And last we heard, the Center has less than 1,200 members, many of whom aren't even Park Ridge residents/taxpayers. That means we are paying $130+ a year for each member to belong to this little club – if not more, depending on whether any public money makes up that "miscellaneous" revenue source that is supposed to provide an additional $97,445 of revenue in 2009.
· Eliminate the "noise abatement" funds [pdf], which are supposed to go for the rental of noise monitors to tell us what we already know; and about what nobody in a position of authority seems to give a rat's derriere about: That we've got high levels of air plane noise over Park Ridge. Unless and until somebody with any clout – the FAA, either of our two U.S. senators, or any members of our state's congressional delegation – assures us in no uncertain terms, and in writing, that they will actually do something about the situation if, and just as soon as, they are provided with specific noise readings, we're just chasing our tails with noise monitors and decibel levels.
· Eliminate the funds that have been earmarked for training ($9,000), tuition reimbursement ($12,000) and new carpeting ($40,000) in the Library [pdf]. If police training is being cut back, there's no reason to spare the training of library staffers. And why are we giving anybody "tuition reimbursement"? As for new carpeting: not this year.
Reduction: $52,300. Deficit remaining: $49,700.
And for that last $49,700, we're going to let Ald. Don Bach – who has been whining about too many City employees for months – put his money where his mouth is: we invite him to recommend which single City employee should lose his/her job; and we promise to publish his selection should he finally demonstrate that he has the cojones to actually make one.
Tick tock, Bach.
Categories: City of Park Ridge Government, Park Ridge Park District
How About Something Special For Memorial Day 2009?
On Monday the traditional Park Ridge Memorial Day Parade will step off from South Park (Cumberland and Talcott) and end after passing the reviewing stand at City Hall.
The Parade is always a festive occasion, with the typical blend of elected officials, political organizations, community groups and various and assorted other participants mixing in for an entertaining event that brings the community together in a Norman Rockwell-esque sort of way. And there's nothing wrong with that.
But Memorial Day is really not meant to be a celebration. It is a national holiday intended to commemorate and honor our fallen heroes, the men and women who have died in service to our country. Unfortunately, that purpose seems to be increasingly lost among both the parade marchers and the parade watchers.
So we have two suggestions for those of you marching in this year's Memorial Day Parade:
First, every group marching in the parade should invite one or more veterans, or current servicemen/women, to lead the group.
Second, every individual marcher, adult and child alike, should buy a poppy from the folks selling them on the street corners and shopping areas all over town, and wear that poppy proudly as you march on Monday. The same goes for those of you watching the parade. And when you do, think of the poppies that inspired Canadian Army Lt. Col. John McCrae to write the words to "In Flanders Fields":
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
Categories: City of Park Ridge Government, Park Ridge Park District, Park Ridge-Niles School Dist. 64, Maine Twp. High School Dist. 207
The City Budget And The Culture Of Stupidity
In the 1993 movie, "Dave," the title character – Kevin Kline as a presidential look-alike who fills in for a disabled president – seeks advice on balancing the national budget from his store-front accountant buddy, played by Charles Grodin. The Grodin and Kline characters spend an all-nighter poring over the budget, with Grodin at one point commenting: "If I ran my business this way, I'd be out of business."
That pretty much describes the way the Park Ridge City Council has been running the city since the voters cut the Council in half, beginning in 2007. After booking $3 million in deficits over the past two years, the Council outdid itself this year by passing a budget with a built-in $2 million deficit.
At the prodding of new Mayor Dave Schmidt to come up with some amendments to balance the budget, City staff and the aldermen appear to merely be going through the motions. Worse yet, however, is that when they actually do something more than that, they go in the wrong direction!
Monday night, the Council, as expected, approved an amendment adding $39,000 more in "welfare" payments to several local community groups who either can't or won't do what it takes to pay their own way. And, as expected, the Council approved a 5% water rate increase that is patently insufficient – by $400,000 – to cover the price increase on water we purchase from the City of Chicago.
Illinois has a well-deserved reputation for its state-wide "Culture of Corruption," a symptom of which is budget deficits which end up turning into massive and chronic debt. And it would be foolish to think that Park Ridge is immune from that Culture of Corruption: although we're pretty small potatoes, the opportunity for kinkiness is always there when land deals, developers and consultants converge.
But what it looks like we're dealing with here isn't so much corruption as plain unvarnished stupidity.
How many more deficit budgets can this City endure before it reaches the point where it can't pay its bills, and its infrastructure collapses – or where we need a substantial tax increase because the Council (and our former mayor) didn't have the courage to tell us the truth about the City's finances and do what was necessary to fix them? How much longer will City government keep whistling past the financial graveyard?
Right now, we've got a leader-less Council. It's "dean," Rich DiPietro (2nd Ward), is the consummate follower whose next original budget idea will be his first. And the next most-senior alderman, Frank Wsol (7th Ward), voted against the meager 5% water rate increase not because it was too low but because it was too high!
Wsol wanted no increase at all, preferring to dip into reserves even though the City already appears to be cash-poor. What Wsol really endorsed here, however, is a kind of financial socialism: by the City eating the increased water cost, that cost gets spread over the entire community rather than landing more heavily on the biggest users, thereby providing a subsidy to those biggest water users. As we have said before, that's bad government, bad economics, and political pandering.
As for the other (besides Wsol's) "no" vote on the water rate increase, Don Bach (3rd Ward), he's a one-trick pony – that "trick" being to respond to any and all calls for a balanced budget by braying for staff cuts. So far, staff isn't budging; and Bach has offered not even one concrete suggestion of what staff cuts should be made and how much those would save. In other words, he's been a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
The taxpaying residents of Park Ridge deserve better than this. Unfortunately, this cast of characters appears incapable of providing it.
Mr. Einstein, Meet Mr. Stengel
A quote attributed to Albert Einstein is that insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If so, then tonight's City Council meeting promises to provide some insanity, as our City Council is expected to respond to Mayor Dave Schmidt's call for filling the $2 million deficit in the 2009-10 budget – by going an additional $39,000 in the hole on handouts to private community groups.
These are the same Alder-dunces who helped former City Manager "Tiny Tim" Schuenke foist on us unsuspecting taxpayers the budgets in 2007-08 and 2008-09 which posted, collectively, over $3 million in deficits while at the same time making sure that those private community groups got tax dollars that could have gone toward such important infrastructure needs as relief sewers or street repaving.
And if that's not insane enough for a community who's finances are already on the ropes, look for the Council to also approve only a 5% increase in water rates, thereby locking in a $400,000 deficit in the City's water fund for the coming year. Unless, of course, they want to get even nuttier and follow the lead of Ald. Frank Wsol (7th Ward) and Ald. Don Bach (3rd Ward) in rejecting any water rate increase, despite a 15% increase in the price of water that Chicago is charging Park Ridge!
Our new mayor apparently re-thought the insanity of a third straight deficit budget while on post-election R&R in Hawaii, and upon his return he called for an amendment to balance that budget the night he was sworn in (May 4). Unfortunately, we have seen and heard nothing from City staff that offers any hope for filling the current budget hole. And it sounds as if a solid majority, if not a unanimity, of the City Council is ready to make that hole even deeper by approving the over-budget giveaways to those community groups because (according to Ald. Jim Allegretti (4th Ward)) they "add, dollar for dollar, a lot more than we give them."
Oh yeah? Prove it!
If those organizations really provide such obvious and indisputably important services at such bargain-basement prices, why do they need handouts from City government in the first place? Can't the taxpayers themselves see all that value they provide and contribute directly from their own pockets far more money than what the City is donating, ostensibly on their behalf?
After all, that's the essence of why (according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Gary Becker in his May 10, 2009, post on the Becker-Posner blog) the great socio-political philosophers John Locke, David Hume and Adam Smith opposed "big government" and favored the private decision-making of individuals rather than the decision-making of hamstrung government bureaucrats and the special interests who are adept at manipulating them. To those keen thinkers, even wrong decisions leading to bad outcomes are useful because they provide learning experiences that improve future decision-making.
As we've said before, most of those organizations do add some value to the quality of life in our community, although we have yet to see it quantified in any objective or credible way. More importantly, however, as private entities they are not required to be accountable to the taxpayers – nor do they really try to be, as shown by the fact that most/all of them don't even post their financial reports, payrolls, etc. on their own websites for the public to scrutinize. As we see it, that's reason enough to deny them scarce tax dollars in the middle of a fiscal crisis.
But if the Council wants to be fiscally irresponsible in that fashion, then it should come up with some countervailing frugality. For example, Bach has made repeated calls to "cut senior management," but he has offered nothing specific on what positions should be cut to reduce the $2 million deficit, or even to make up for the extra $39,000 giveaway to those community groups. That should come as no surprise to anybody who remembers his all talk, no action response to the new O'Hare runway, or his vote to give as much as $2.4 million of our tax dollars to Napleton Cadillac only because (so he claimed) 30 of his constituents he polled told him they favored it.
And what else but insanity can be blamed for certain Council members' seemingly mindless opposition to increasing the price of water dollar-for-dollar to reflect its increased cost? When our elected officials follow up two successive budget shortfall years by passing a budget with a built-in $2 million deficit, one that will burn off needed fund balances to subsidize (and thereby implicitly encourage) water consumption, they are engaging not only in bad government but in bad economics that smacks of political pandering to boot.
In the early 1960s, the manager of the expansion New York Mets reacted to yet another bumbling loss with the question: "Can't anybody here play this game?" If Casey Stengel were alive today and managing the Park Ridge City Council, he could ask that very same question.
It's Charade Time At School District 64
Over the past few weeks we have been beating up on the City of Park Ridge for its $2 million deficit budget. But of our three main local governmental units, neither the City of Park Ridge nor the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District can hold a candle to Community Consolidated School District 64 when it comes to spending the taxpayers' money.
Not only does District 64 have the biggest budget of the three but, as can be seen from the "expenditures" pages (11 & 12) of District 64's 2008-09 budget document [pdf], District 64 has been on a two-year spending kick, apparently to make up for those years when it teetered on the brink of financial catastrophe and regularly flirted with the unfriendly takeover of its finances by the State Board of Education. Expenditures jumped $6 million (a/k/a, 12.5%) from 2005-06 ($47,985,622) to 2006-07 ($54,134,215), and another $8 million (a/k/a, 14.8%) from 2006-07 to 2007-08 ($62,290,761).
That's a whopping 27.3% increase in just two years!!!!
Unfortunately, we can't tell exactly what real educational benefits the taxpayers, or even the students, have received from that monumental increase, because District 64 tends to be vague and mysterious on such things as objectively measurable performance or standardized (ISAT) test scores. But one thing we can tell you with certainty: you won't find one District 64 school on the Chicago Sun-Times' lists of the Top 50 Illinois elementary schools and the Top 50 Illinois middle schools [pdf].
But we can always feel better about ourselves knowing that District 64 Supt. Sally Pryor makes it into the "Top 50" elementary school district administrators (as reported by the Family Taxpayers Foundation) with her 2008 salary of $228,911. Is that what they call paying for performance?
Not only can District 64 spend our money like drunken sailors on shore leave, but it is absolutely masterful at public relations – as evidenced by the award just-departed School Board president Sue Runyon won from the Illinois chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) propaganda machine for the "education" community (translation: teachers and administrators).
And that propaganda machine is hard at work again, as evidenced by the District 64's May 4, 2009 Press Release [pdf], in which Supt. Pryor hails the District's new "Strategic Plan" as an "exciting plan" which "captures the hopes and vision we share for the education of our students." Warning: If you continue reading the Press Release beyond that point, you had better put on some waders – because the you-know-what gets a lot deeper.
Not surprisingly, there's no clear mention of this "exciting plan" raising standardized test scores or achieving other objectively-measurable academic standards. But when somebody talks up a strategic plan by pointing out that it was produced "through more than 35 hours of strenuous effort," you can pretty much assume that the warm breeze you feel is smoke being blown up your kilt, especially when all that "strenuous effort" occurred "[u]nder the skillful leadership of Dr. Howard Feddema of the Cambridge Group" – the hired-gun consultant we wrote about back on November 3, 2008.
But the real clue that this strategic planning session wasn't intended to be taxpayer-friendly, or even taxpayer-conscious, comes from the list of folks who participated in that "strenuous effort": 17 of them were District 64 teachers or administrators, while 11 were "community members" – only one of whom (Bill Kann) had no children in District 64 schools and, therefore, could reasonably be viewed as having no direct personal stake in the process other than as a taxpayer. Talk about a stacking the deck!
That's what passes for "community outreach" at District 64, however. And since "community outreach" is just the propaganda substitute for "round up the usual suspects," what the taxpayers are really getting with this new "Strategic Plan" and its "Action Teams" is just another charade.
A very expensive charade.
Categories: Park Ridge-Niles School Dist. 64
posted by publius on 05.15.09 @ 10:32 am
Are Park Ridge Taxpayers "Mad As Hell" Yet?
In the 1976 movie satire of the television news industry, Network, the central character, a veteran newscaster being pushed out the door by his younger, ratings-whoring bosses, strikes a responsive chord with the general viewing public by his valedictory rant: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
Well, Park Ridge taxpayers, we've got a City government that has been mismanaged into a financial sink-hole from which recovery is neither imminent nor assured. And our City Council recently passed a budget that has an almost $2 million deficit – on the heels of the two most recent budgets which racked up over $3 million in deficits.
If that has you scratching your head, or looking for some torches and ropes, you are not alone.
Yet this past Monday night, the Council, operating as a Committee of the Whole ("COW"), responded to our new mayor's call for a balanced budget by, among other things, restoring the taxpayer funding to primarily private community organizations to the level of last year's appropriations, $271,000, which appropriations contributed to last year's million dollar-plus budget deficit. But as Ald. Jim Allegretti (4th Ward) blithely noted: "$38,900 is not going to make or break this budget."
You're right, Jimbo…but that's only because this budget is already broken in so many places that City Mgr. Jim Hock should send the City's Super Glue contract out for competitive bidding. If fiscal irresponsibility were a crime, Allegretti and the rest of the Alder-dunces over at 505 Butler Place would be wearing orange jumpsuits and addressing each other by number instead of name.
But the mental disconnect over spending money the City doesn't have – and has no realistic plan for getting – isn't just Allegretti's. 7th Ward Ald. Frank Wsol, the Council's self-proclaimed "fiscal conservative" who lost most of his credibility supporting the ridiculous, multi-million dollar new police station, may have lost the rest of it with his comment Monday night (as quoted in today's Park Ridge Journal article, "Contributions Back For More Discussion") about why these private community organizations deserve taxpayer funding: "The volunteers on these boards do things that you can't pay for, you can't buy."
That's just not true, Frankie. The volunteers on those boards apparently mismanage their organizations' finances and spend money they don't have in much the same way you and your fellow Alder-dunces do. And we pay you guys $100 per month, so that gives us the going rate in Park Ridge for mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility.
Wsol continued to earn his $100 monthly stipend at the same COW meeting when he – indicating his preference for handouts to mismanaged community organizations over maintaining the integrity of City Hall's physical plant – led the charge against waiving the competitive bidding process for replacing a leaking 70-ton chiller for the City Hall air conditioning system. Replacement cost: $84,000, or less than 1/3 of what Wsol and the Council want to give the community organizations.
Without the new chiller, or its repair to the tune of about $40,000, Public Works Director Wayne Zingsheim warns that air conditioning at City Hall might not be sufficient to keep the City's computers and servers operating. He asked for the bidding waiver because he found an available chiller (which otherwise takes 8 to 10 weeks to manufacture) at a dealer in Tennessee, who agreed to hold it for a day or two until the Council could make a decision.
We here at PublicWatchdog are big fans of the competitive bidding process and don't take kindly to its waiver. Whether there should be a waiver of that process in this instance, however, is unclear. But that's beside the point of this post.
The point of this post is that the Alder-dunces are delaying the repair or replacement of a key element of City Hall's air conditioning system – and arguably putting its computer network at risk – in order to go through the competitive bidding process to save a tiny fraction of what they are throwing at the people running those private community organizations which seem unwilling and/or incapable of functioning without government handouts. That's just bad government, purely and simply.
Unfortunately, this is only chump change when compared to the $2 million of budget deficit still on the table, and whatever other potential financial catastrophes are lurking out of taxpayer view. But given their track record, we shudder to think of how the Alder-dunces will end up dealing with any of this – although if past is prologue, expect the same kind of not-so-benign neglect over the past two years that got us to this point.
Are we "mad as hell" yet?
The Watchdog's Kibbles and Bits – Box 11
Brick Headed: This week's Park Ridge Herald-Advocate features a woe-is-us piece on the Brickton Art Center, another one of those private not-for-profit corporations that seems to perpetually live on the taxpayer dole because it just can't (or won't) figure out – or sign onto – the concept of "capitalism." ("Hard times hit Brickton Art Center," May 7)
According to the H-A story, BAC is in financial trouble because "donors are contributing less, grants have dried up, class attendance is down by about 25 percent, and funding once received from the state has significantly decreased." By our count, 3 of those 4 funding sources are handouts rather than real live earnings. And that's assuming that "class attendance" actually covers its costs.
The people who run BAC are fine folks, and BAC is a nifty kind of place. But if you're going to run a "business," run a BUSINESS. One that doesn't rely more on taxpayer welfare than it does on turning out desirable products or services which real live customers are willing to purchase at a price that at least covers the costs of doing…wait for it…BUSINESS!
Otherwise, you're just running a hobby. Which is all well and good, so long as the already-strapped taxpayers don't end up holding the bag as involuntary investors.
Bud No Dud: We've taken issue in the past with local commentator Bud Jones when he beefed about spending $130,000 to televise City Council meetings ("Air Bud," The Watchdog's Kibbles and Bits – Box 7) – although we now know it can be done for next to nothing by a regular citizen sitting in the front row of the gallery filming with a tiny hand-held camera and then downloading it on YouTube.
But we're 100% solid with Bud's objection to the H-A's posting a separate story – instead of merely a "Police Blotter" item – on the DUI arrest of Ald. Robert Ryan's son. ("Objection to story on DUI arrest," May 7)
We disagree with Ryan on most public issues, but what the H-A did to his son is dirty pool. Young Mr. Ryan is not a public official, nor is he a "public figure" merely because his father is. And at age 23, he is legally an adult, not a minor – so his mis-step cannot even reasonably be viewed as some form of failure of parental supervision.
Ryan should be treated the way any other ordinary citizen is treated, not subjected to the glare of a harsh spotlight he has not sought and from which he has not benefitted.
posted by publius on 05.08.09 @ 1:42 pm
A Good Start For Mayor Schmidt
Shortly after being sworn in Monday night, Mayor Dave Schmidt took an important first step in proving that his election was the right thing for Park Ridge: He broke the 3-3 tie among the six remaining aldermen and sent the "charitable contributions" portion of the 2009/10 budget back to the Finance & Budget Committee for re-evaluation.
In so doing, Schmidt put in motion a complete review, and possible amendment, of the entire recently-passed 2009/10 budget. He made it quite clear that not only would he like to see the current $1.8 million deficit eliminated, but also that he does not take kindly to $630,000 of that deficit resulting from giveaways to private community groups and from the City Council's refusal to pass on the full costs of increased water prices to the consumers, as reflected in Schmidt's comment on the latter point: "Water rates must reflect pay as you go economics."
We couldn't understand how the City Council, after having booked over $3 million in deficits during the past two years, could still pass a 2009/10 budget that included another $1.8 million deficit. Spending more than it has been taking in is why the City is in such a financial mess in the first place, a fact that still seems lost on the folks seated around The Horseshoe who purportedly represent us.
So with the price the City of Chicago charges Park Ridge for water having just increased 15% (with another 14% increase already scheduled for next year), how does the Council justify raising the price to us water users by only 5%, leaving the City $400,000 in the hole? If you're Ald. Frank Wsol (7th Ward), who fancies himself the Council's resident fiscal conservative, you push for subsidizing that shortfall with money from the Water Fund reserves, claiming that those reserves represent money "[w]e've taken from the taxpayers already."
Indeed they do, Ald. Wsol, but so what? Most of the money sitting in City accounts at any given time didn't come from a winning Powerball ticket – it's money that's already been taken from the taxpayers, one way or the other. But that's never stopped you or your fellow aldermen from spending it before, so why are you so hung-up on it now?
The Water Fund reserves that Wsol wants to deplete are intended to cover a variety of water-related costs, including the cost of paying the debt service (almost $900,000/year) on the remaining $10,625,000 of bonds issued in 2004 to pay for the City's new water reservoir at Hinkley Park; the cost of water main repair and replacement ($1.47 million); and the cost of repair and replacement of fire hydrants and water meters ($267,000). Depleting that fund puts at risk the City's ability to pay for those needs.
The City's subsidizing of water costs to its residents is also irresponsible because it artificially influences the application of market forces to the cost of water use. Manipulating the price to the consumer is dishonest, and doing it to reduce the price of water below its cost encourages over-use and even waste of water. That's a lot closer to fiscal insanity than fiscal conservatism, Ald. Wsol.
As for the $226,000 in handouts to private and quasi-private community organizations, both Ald. Jim Allegretti (4th Ward) and Robert Ryan (5th Ward) keep insisting that the community gets back far more value than the tax dollars handed over to those organizations – without one lick of proof to support such grandiose claims. If the taxpayers really thought these organizations are that valuable, however, why wouldn't donations of money and services be sufficient to eliminate the annual begging for these government handouts?
Maybe that question, along with a lot of other ones, will be adequately asked and answered in the upcoming review and amendment (hopefully) of the 2009/10 budget. If that happens, it will be a good start indeed for Mayor Schmidt…and for the taxpayers and residents of Park Ridge.
New, Challenging Era Of City Government Starts Tonight
A new era in the history of Park Ridge City government will begin tonight (City Hall, 7:30 p.m.) with the swearing in of Mayor Dave Schmidt.
He inherits a City in its worst financial condition in memory. Several million dollars of budget deficits during the past two years and a newly-passed 2009/10 budget sporting $1.8 million of red ink are just two of the many indications of a City government that has been operating for the past two years – and looks like it will operate again this coming year – by cannibalizing its own fund "reserves" (i.e., its savings accounts). And, not surprisingly, those reserves are dropping to levels that are currently uncomfortable and on their way to dangerous.
How has this been allowed to happen?
First of all, for the past four years we have had no meaningful leadership in the big chair at City Hall. Frimark fiddled while Park Ridge figuratively "burned" in the economic sense.
Second, for the first three of those years we had a city manager who might not be able to competently manage a kid's sidewalk lemonade stand but who was masterful at concealing that fact from a City Council that wasn't really looking all that hard. So spending was occurring in ways that were not as productive as they could have been, while revenues received inflated projections with no basis in reality.
And, third, for the past two years we have had a Mayor and City Council as unable as they have been unwilling to make the hard decisions required to run what amounts to a $50 million-plus business cost-effectively. They preferred to engage in indiscriminate and irresponsible spending, even as they bragged about how modest they were keeping the tax increases.
As a result, revenues stopped covering expenses and the reserves began being tapped. One example is our Emergency 911 service, which will cost the City $1,264,000 this year while the corresponding telephone surcharge revenue is only expected to raise $525,000, leaving a $777,200 shortfall that the City will have to cover. Another one is the City billing us water users $400,000 less in water fees than it will pay out to the City of Chicago for that water, because a majority of the City Council would rather bleed down the Water Fund in a way City Manager Jim Hock politely calls "worrisome" – in part because the Water Fund balance has provided a source of cash that the City can "borrow" for other purposes.
And according to the City Manager's April 15, 2009, "Budget Message," the City's future cash solvency – its having enough cash on hand to pay expenses – has reached the point where it is a "concern."
Frankly, this kind of crackpot financial management should be a "concern" to all of us, or at least those of us who haven't already stuck the "For Sale" sign in the front yard and have the movers on order.
There's no real magic to managing the city's finances, so long as the people doing it can grasp the simple concept that they have to make the ends meet: revenues have to equal or exceed expenses. If you can't or won't cut the expenses, then you have to raise more revenue. Unfortunately, the outgoing mayor and his Alderpuppets have refused to do either at a sufficient magnitude to make up the difference.
Which is where Schmidt is coming in.
Make no mistake about it, unless leopards truly can change their spots Schmidt cannot expect much responsibility or support from the Alderpuppets who will continue to dominate the Council for the next two years. Every one of them except Frank Wsol (7th Ward) publicly endorsed and actively supported Frimark's re-election bid. And they regularly crossed swords with Schmidt on Council matters like the new police station and abuse of the Illinois Open Meetings Act, even well before Schmidt declared his candidacy.
So instead of looking for further cuts in expenses or more ways to raise revenue, at last week's COW meeting, the Alderpuppets – sans a vacationing Schmidt – continued to ignore the warnings of Hock and City Finance Director Diane Lambesis and, instead, voted to add another $38,900 to the $1.8 million budget deficit by giving even more handouts (beyond the $187,100 already approved) to the private "community group" corporations who can't or won't fundraise in a way that makes them self-supporting.
It would almost appear that these Aldermopes are actually trying to sabotage the new mayor, except that from the nature of their comments and questions it is pretty clear that they don't have a clue about City finances – so any sabotage is more inadvertent than intentional.
We can only hope that during the next two years Hock and Lambesis, if they stick around, stick to their guns and continue their dire warnings about fiscal irresponsibility as loudly and as frequently as possible; and that Schmidt uses the "bully pulpit" that the mayor's office provides to convince the citizens of Park Ridge that the business-as-usual mentality that has taken us to this point has got to change.
Starting tonight.
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Mario has star power, and I'm not talking about invincibility.
Super Mario Run was downloaded 40 million times in the first four days of its release worldwide, according to Nintendo. The publisher confirmed that figure in a message on Twitter. That makes the platformer easily the fastest app ever to 40 million downloads in the $36.6 billion mobile gaming business, and it hasn't even launched on Android yet.
Nintendo did not share its revenues, but the game spent the last several days at No. 1 on the grossing list in a number of countries around the world. That means it was likely generating between $2 million and $5 million per day from the United States alone.
This early success for Nintendo's first mobile game (it previously only released the Miitomo social app in March), represents the company's move into an important market that could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Super Mario Run doesn't even use the microtransaction business model that has help games like Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga earn more than $1 billion in a year. Instead, Nintendo has made its runner free to download, and then it only asks for $10 to unlock all of its content.
Most other mobile games don't have that kind of paywall and instead let a small percentage of "whales" spend hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars to subsidize the rest of the non-paying audience. This model will likely mean that Super Mario Run will not maintain its place at the top of the grossing chart, and we're already seeing that.
The game has dropped from No. 1 after only three days at that position, according to intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Pokémon Go, on the other hand, held onto No. 1 on the grossing chart for weeks with its free-to-play microtransactions.


This Feb. 19, 2014, file photo shows the Facebook app icon on an iPhone in New York.
A UK regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office, has proposed a rule that would restrict people under 18 from using the "like" button on Facebook or Instagram.
The proposal, part of a 16-rule code, was introduced to better protect minors on social media platforms.
Teenagers in the UK beware: regulators have proposed a rule that would restrict those under 18 from using the "like" button on Facebook and Instagram.
The proposal, part of a 16-rule code introduced by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), an independent UK watchdog group created to uphold information rights, was introduced to better protect minors on social media platforms, and limit Facebook's ability to collect their personal data and distribute to advertisers.
The regulator noted in its report that positive reinforcement techniques, such as the "like" button, could "nudge or encourage users to stay actively engaged with a service, allowing the online service to collect more personal data." It cautioned that the button could also influence minors to "select less privacy-enhancing choices when personalizing their privacy settings" or "spend more time than they intend on a particular service."
ICO told the BBC that social media networks could avoid a total ban on the "like" button if they agreed to stop collecting the personal data of minors when they use the platforms.
The watchdog has also proposed rules intended to bolster transparency surrounding privacy and community standards, minimize the amount of personal data retained by the sites, and make it more difficult to track minors' locations. For example, the ICO recommends that location-tracking be switched off by default after each session, and that 'bite-sized' explanations be provided to minors so they know exactly how their personal data is being used.
The code aims to limit efforts by social media platforms to keep people on their apps for longer periods of time.
The proposed code comes after the European Union's GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation, went into effect last May. That policy requires any company that does business with EU citizens to get consent from people to use their data, and requires an easy means for people to opt out of data collection if they so choose.
The regulator argued in the report that the restrictions on the "like" button correspond with Recital 38 of the GDPR, which states that "children merit specific protection with regard to their personal data, as they may be less aware of the risks, consequences, and safeguards concerned and their rights in relation to the processing of personal data."
The report adds that "using techniques based upon the exploitation of human psychological bias in this way goes against the 'fairness' and 'transparency' provisions of the GDPR."
But, the watchdog's proposal has drawn criticism. Matthew Lesh, head of research at the Adam Smith Institute Think tank, which promotes free-market ideas, told the BBC that the policy is "draconian," adding that "it is ridiculous to infantilize people and treat everyone as children."
As noted by the BBC's technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, the ICO has no issue with the "like" button itself; rather, its problems stem from how social media platforms are collecting minors' personal data and targeting them with advertising.
"If the platforms want to hold on to what they regard as useful elements of the social media experience, they'll have to show they work differently for children than for adults," Cellan-Jones wrote.
As of now, the ICO's regulations are nothing more than proposals. But, teenagers who are fans of the "like" button should take note — their days of "liking" on Facebook and Instagram may be numbered.


Action-packed rides? Live-action mascots? Magicians?
Have you ever racked your brain for the best entertainment services to get for your kid's party?
When there are a million and one ideas floating around, how do you decide?
When your child wishes for a supercalifragilistic shindig, you try to do your best to make it come true.
Regardless of what kind of party it is – Halloween, graduation, or birthday – you would want to give the best to your cherished child. You search for the best party activities that would make your child and all the guests have the best time of their lives.
For a hip and happening kids' party in Dubai, you need not go far. You can simply call The Big Moo for professional party services that will ensure all the kids (and kids at heart) will have an excellent time.
Let spirits soar higher with bouncy castles in your kiddie party. If you are having the party at an outdoor venue, these bouncy bastions of fun are the perfect addition to your kid's party. Instead of just staying cooped up indoors, let the kids enjoy fresh air and sunshine while bouncing around to their heart's content.
Not only will they have fun crawling, running, and jumping around, but they will also learn how to interact with other kids. Some lasting friendships may even form while playing dungeons and dragons within the bouncy fortress.
There are also other kinds of inflatables such as giant board games, mechanical bulls, race tracks, fly-on-the-wall, and the highly popular Zorb balls. Additionally, should you have a unique concept or design for an inflatable that is not on the list, The Big Moo will surely scour the globe to get you what you want.
To lessen the party-management load on your shoulders, you can also hire professional party entertainers who can do live hosting for the festivities.
There's a range of services that The Big Moo can provide. You can hire a game organizer who will take care of games that will knock the socks off your energetic kiddos.
There are also break-dancers who will not only amaze kids with their skills on the dance floor but also leave adults' mouths agape. Who knows? You may even dance along with the lively beats, especially when you hire an accompanying DJ. Let a pro music spinner churn out heart-thumping music to make everyone dance to his or her heart's content.
What's a party without food?
Sate your guests' appetite with fun, delicious food from a variety of concessionaires. Choose The Big Moo's catering services and make your guest's tummies happy.
Kids and adults alike can have their fill of cotton candy, chips, colorful slushies, hot dogs, and other fun food stands that can provide a delectable selection of gustatory delights for everyone at the party.
The best part? You don't have to sweat it out in the kitchen preparing the food yourself. All you need is to dial up The Big Moo and they will set it all up for you.
Your kid wants to invite superheroes to the party? No problem! Let them fly in with the help of the best party organizers in town.
The Big Moo will send your child's favorite character to the party. With the company's impressive range of mascots available, you can pick out which character will add verve and vibrancy to your kid's party.
Mascots of superior quality and precise resemblance to your kid's most-loved characters are available to join in on the fun and provide more entertainment. They can participate in games, dance with your guests, or simply jump around and keep your kiddie guests rolling with laughter.
A fantasy kingdom? Unicorns? Pirates and mermaids?
No problem. Whatever your kiddo or you have in mind when it comes to the theme of the party, experienced party managers can make it all come to life.
With The Big Moo's seasoned party planners, you can simply discuss what ideas and concepts you have and they will turn your kiddie party into one fantastic world. From low-key and intimate get-togethers with only the closest family and friends, to a huge carnival of excitement, these party pros can transform a plain venue into the most magical place on earth.
From balloons to backdrops, banners to funky furniture, party accessories to sound systems, you can simply relax and let the team at The Big Moo do their magic.
If you want to have an exceptional kids' party in Dubai, only go for professional party planners. With The Big Moo's wealth of experience and expertise, you can be assured that your child's special day will be made even more memorable, and become something that you will all cherish for the years to come.
What Exactly Can an Events Management Company Do For You?
Planning an event in the UAE?


text:
The Plantation opens new outdoor amenities park
The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach unveiled its new amenities park, Plantation Commons, on Jan. 19. The park features a croquet lawn, playground, pavilion and open space.
Approximately 100 members of The Plantation attended a special ribbon cutting celebration. Many participated in a croquet round robin in instructional format to learn how to play the sport.
"We're excited to introduce a new sport to The Plantation. Croquet is one of the fastest growing sports in the private club industry, and we're now one of the few clubs in Northeast Florida to offer a croquet court," said Rob Schlingmann, general manager and chief operating officer of The Plantation. Younger members explored the new, custom designed playground structure and enjoyed the multipurpose field. One five-year-old was overheard saying it was, "the best playground she had ever been on in her entire life."
The Plantation Commons is the first of three initiatives to be completed at The Plantation. In addition, The Plantation is currently updating its Beach Club and undergoing a $6 million golf course revitalization in which the greens, tees and bunkers will be rebuilt, the drainage system will be upgraded and a new irrigation system will be installed. The golf course will reopen in October this year.
The Plantation is a premier equity residential neighborhood in Ponte Vedra Beach with luxury amenities, including a championship golf course, private beach club, tennis facility, amenities park, fitness center and a clubhouse. For more information, call 543-7534 or go to theplantationpvb.com.


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Powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT15D turbofans, the Beechcraft took to the skies in 1985, and featured a number of improvements over its Mitsubishi predecessor:
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Men's Basketball Team won second place in the Championship Basketball Cy – Per Cup 2016 on August 21 to 28 2016 in GOR Sukapura Dadaha Tasikmalaya.
This event was held on Thursday, July 14 to 15 , 2016. MPLS held in an effort to help students recognize the level of education both physically and socially .