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Series: Currency
COLUMN: Don't let political theater distract you from LUS's bigger problems
by Geoff Daily
Photo courtesy The Acadiana Advocate
LUS, Lafayette's biggest asset, is facing more threats and uncertainty than ever. In the next couple of years, LUS has to make a series of huge decisions. That includes investing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure that powers our city and economy, while navigating a changing regulatory environment and rapidly evolving marketplace, and replacing a number of long-term leaders, including finding a new permanent director.
Meanwhile, for two years and counting, LUS has been without permanent leadership. Now LUS's bottom line is further threatened by Lafayette's faltering economy.
These existential issues have garnered little public scrutiny. Instead, most of our community's attention and energy has been glued to the ongoing political scandal ignited by the last mayor-president over alleged improper payments from LUS to LUS Fiber that has since been escalated by the current mayor-president into accusations of criminal behavior among LUS's ranks.
The goose that laid the golden egg, as LUS has long been known for returning millions to the city's general fund annually, is now awash in scandal and controversy. And that's a very serious problem. These matters warrant scrutiny, but they're distracting us from more critical issues.
Why these scandals are relatively inconsequential
It may sound extreme to describe a potential multimillion dollar scam as relatively inconsequential, but it is when you take into consideration its size relative to the whole of LUS. In total, former Mayor-President Joel Robideaux claimed to have found approximately $2 million per year in overpayments from LUS to Fiber over an eight-year period. Annually, that's less than 1% of LUS's revenue, which came in at $230 million last year. Even if the whole of Robideaux's accusations prove true and all of that money is refunded, it would have minimal impact on LUS's overall financial position.
It could, however, have a significant impact on Fiber's finances. Fiber had $41 million in revenue and almost $6 million in net income last year. Losing $2 million in revenue would hurt, reducing Fiber's growth capital and making it more financially vulnerable to competition and the tremendous uncertainty in Lafayette's economy. Fiber should, however, be able to weather this impact. Paying back years' worth of overpayments is manageable, as Fiber can just add it to the debt it already owes LUS.
The only reason these potential overpayments are problematic at all is because of the Local Government Fair Competition Act. This Louisiana law was pushed by and designed to protect incumbent telecommunications giants like Cox and AT&T from having to face government-subsidized competition. The gist of the FCA is that Fiber has to operate without any subsidies from LUS or LCG. As a result, Fiber can't work like a normal department of LUS. If there were no FCA, it wouldn't be illegal for LUS to subsidize Fiber's operations. So the only law potentially broken is one designed to protect multi-billion dollar private companies, not one designed to protect the citizens of Lafayette. The law is the law, of course, and it has to be followed, but that context changes the narrative around whose rights are being trampled if any of these payments are found to violate the FCA.
Making a mountain out of a molehill
Utilities are typically pretty boring stuff. Outside of outages and rate increases, not much garners significant public attention unless things go very wrong. By those standards, LUS has been a veritable soap opera the last two years.
It all started back in 2018, when Mayor-President Joel Robideaux tried to cut a secret deal to sell management rights of LUS to Bernhard Capital, prompting longtime LUS Director Terry Huval's protest resignation and ultimate retirement. After Huval publicly criticized the move, Robideaux made a series of allegations, with apparent leaks to the press, about LUS overpaying for LUS Fiber's services, accusing Huval et al of illegal backdoor subsidies. He used these accusations as an excuse to replace interim LUS Director Jeff Stewart with his CAO, Lowell Duhon, ignoring protests from LUS's consulting engineer that Duhon wasn't qualified. According to LUS's bond covenants, the consulting's engineer is supposed to approve whoever is appointed as LUS director.
Enter Mayor-President Josh Guillory, who has thrown even more fuel on the political fire. First by continuing to ignore that consultant, NewGen Strategies and Solutions, and keeping Duhon on as interim director. Guillory has since escalated Robideaux's accounting inquisition into a criminal investigation, citing a "raid" that never happened to surface accusations of a cover-up of the "illegal" payments under Huval's watch. Guillory put four senior managers at LUS and Fiber on administrative leave; two were cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated and the other two have since resigned. NewGen has continued to urge LCG to appoint a qualified permanent director. Instead of heeding that guidance, Guillory is pushing NewGen out of the way, scapegoating the consultant for missing the payment scandal, even going so far as to insinuate that NewGen might be party to the alleged cover-up. For its part, NewGen says that any blame for missing these payments rests with LCG, not with its firm.
Despite the noise, we don't actually know that these payments violate the FCA and are thus "illegal" as Guillory continues to claim. A forthcoming forensic audit has yet to be produced, so we don't even know if LUS paid too much for these services. And we don't even know yet if there will be a formal criminal inquiry, as LCG didn't turn over much of its findings and documentation the DA had been asking for until late May. "I have not reviewed thoroughly all of the information that was provided to me at the end of May," District Attorney Keith Stutes told The Current this week.
The only reason this scandal has dominated public mindshare is because Robideaux and Guillory — who share political consultant Joe Castille — have chosen to make it that way.
The more important issues to address at LUS
Meanwhile, LUS has moved quietly closer to a much bigger inflection point with lasting implications.
Costs to comply with regulations will force LUS to shut down and replace a coal plant responsible for half of its generating capacity. Hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and millions more in ongoing expenses are on the line, which dwarf what's at stake in Robideaux's witch hunt. If we don't make the best decision on what to do next in this area, it could cost our community dearly for decades to come. And we have no one at the helm who is qualified to lead us through the process of making the best decisions.
LUS is still paying off $88 million in bonds it sold nearly a decade ago to keep that coal plant operating. It dodged a bullet on a $120 million plan to build a new natural gas power generator that was shelved after some public opposition and just before the Bernhard deal surfaced. A report by consultants running the current long-term power plan process suggests that decision would have been a costly mistake in hindsight, unnecessarily increasing LUS's expenses by $85 million over the next 20 years. Rates were raised to pay for that plan that never went forward. (It's worth noting LUS electricity rates remain among the lowest in the state.)
In NewGen's annual report about LUS, the firm pointed out that there has been, and will continue to be, significant turnover in LUS's managerial positions. Most important, Lafayette has to decide who to replace Huval as permanent director. This position is so vitally important as it's the person who's going to be charged with hiring the next generation of leaders, with navigating these enormous investment decisions and executing effectively whatever decisions are made. It'd be one thing if everything was stable at LUS and we just needed a caretaker to keep the lights on. But the reality is LUS is facing its most transformative period in decades, so it desperately needs proven, experienced, permanent leadership at the helm to ensure Lafayette has the best odds to make the right decisions.
Raising the stakes even further is the tremendous uncertainty LUS is facing on multiple fronts. Everything from navigating new regulations to the rapidly evolving marketplace for power generation to the significant headwinds facing our local economy to the changes in power consumption patterns. Not to mention having to raise money in an unsteady bond market while embroiled in a political scandal. The sands are shifting under LUS's feet, and it needs steady leadership to ensure it doesn't lose its footing.
While pretty much all recent attention has been on LUS, the sands are shifting even more aggressively under the feet of Fiber, which is facing significant new competition in the form of 5G wireless networks and low earth orbiting satellites. While Fiber's margin for error is much smaller than LUS's, its problems matter a great deal to LUS's financial position. LUS is on the hook for Fiber's $100 million in debt to bondholders if it should default — not to mention the $20+ million Fiber owes LUS for past support. While Fiber's financials are in decent shape at the moment, there are no guarantees of its continued financial viability, and its failure could have a significant impact on LUS and the people who own it: the citizens of Lafayette.
It's time to get our priorities straight
The continued stable operation of LUS is vitally important to our local economy; Lafayette can't afford to make suboptimal decisions during this period of tremendous change and uncertainty.
LUS is going on two years of interim leadership and counting, at the precise time it most needs qualified permanent leadership.
While we absolutely do need to continue to explore allegations of financial mismanagement within LUS, we can't allow that to detract from our focus on the much bigger issues we face. And they are arriving — now.
Politics needs to be put aside and a renewed focus placed on the issues that matter most to ensure LUS continues to be an asset on which Lafayette can build the next 100 years of its economy.
Tagged in: Joel Robideaux, Josh Guillory, LUS, LUS Fiber, NewGen
Geoff Daily created FiberCorps and helped launch the Lafayette General Foundation. He now works as a launch strategist.
Lafayette residents have lost more income than they did in the 1980s
You often hear that as bad as the economy is now, at least it's not as bad as the 1980s. But in terms of impact on personal income, new data shows that it's actually worse.
COLUMN: The parish needs to raise taxes (don't shoot the messenger)
Every part of parish government is underfunded. And there's no way to fix it without raising taxes.
COLUMN: The city of Lafayette is trapped in consolidated government
For the city to control its own affairs, this failed experiment in consolidation must end so our city can be free to govern itself.
Read more Currency »


"Family Disrupted" is five images from five photographers' personal projects that explore ruptures in the family structure. Each photographer approaches this from a different angle, some political, some deeply personal.
Ruben Natal-San Miguel photographed the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The devastation impacted families immensely, and his images offer a colorful, electric view into the destruction. Birthe Piontek approaches how Alzheimer's disease can disrupt the idealization of a parent — tearing, reconstructing and rephotographing old portraits of her mother to signal her fading memory. Collaborators Zora J. Murff and Rana Young, combining images from their own family archives with new narrative images, worked together to investigate the similarities in their own family experiences growing up with absent family members. Addressing a different strain of loss, Rafael Soldi uses dark, monochromatic portraits and photographs of ephemera to process the psychological impact of the sudden disappearance of his former partner years ago. Finally, Griselda San-Martin's series The Wall centers on the heartbreaking impact of the Mexican border wall on separating families whose members live on each side.
I encourage you to visit these photographers websites and follow them on Instagram to keep up with their work.
"Veer" From the series "Life Stand Still Here" by Rafael Soldi.
"Through The Wall" by Griselda San-Martin.
From the Series "Fade Like a Sigh" by Zora J. Murff and Rana Young.
From the series "Her Story" by Birthe Piontek.


Server down, Internet outages, Email problems, Application problems, Printing issues, Database connectivity, File and folder access problems, Hardware failures, Computer performance, Virus and malware infections, Network connectivity failures.
Email Mailbox and distribution list creation, Microsoft Outlook profile set-ups, Mobile device email setup, and email, contact, and calendar synchronization troubleshooting.
Server User account and group creation, Password resets and unlocking of domain accounts, File and folder permission, Data Backup & Restore, Disaster Recovery.
Microsoft Windows & Mac Operating Systems, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook Email Clients, PowerPoint, and Access), Google Apps, Mac Mail, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, How-To Training, Mobile Device Support.
Computer repairs - Hard Disk, Memory, Power Supply and other computer hardware problems. We work with your hardware vendors to provide you support, so you don't have to.
We work with your specialized software (third-party) vendors to provide you support, so you don't have to.
New Server, Computer setups and configurations, Network printer setups, Software application installations. Office relocations, Cabling, Any small or large projects.
Documentation of equipment and network so you're better connected.
Disaster planning/recovery, cloud vs local vs hybrid.
Ongoing Network Monitoring, Full System Documentation, Scheduled Proactive Patching and Optimization, Asset Management and Monitoring, IT Management and Security Policies, Network device management and configuration (Firewalls, Routers, Switches, etc.).


In fact, I'm not even sure that's a proper equation. Shouldn't it have more than just an equals sign? And doesn't it require a couple of numbers at least?
So it might not be a proper equation, but it's my equation.
When it's Autumn, any trip you take can be a roadtrip. I almost forgot I was going to work the other morning because it felt like I had loaded up the car for a dreamy trip through the misty countryside. There was a chilly bite to the air as I loaded the car and it was easy to pretend I was packing a small picnic instead of my work lunch. I drove past trees beginning to turn for Autumn and through patches of mist and fog.
And I tried really hard to remember I was driving to work and not to some scenic location for a lovely day of exploring and photographing all of the things.
If I can make a roadtrip out of my regular commute to work, then I can certainly do the same for an actual longer trip to something that's actually fun.
Such as a long weekend visit to my parents' place in Violet Town.
We're all about old-fashioned fun around here. This is a place where a good time involves a daytrip to the country to visit op shops and photograph all of the things, followed by an evening spent knitting or sewing garments from vintage patterns. Settle in, grab a scone and a cuppa and enjoy reading along.
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I write this blog on the lands of the Wurundjeri people and I wish to acknowledge them as Traditional Owners. I would also like to pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.


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Official Steelers Memorabilia Auction - Pittsburgh, PA (#165287)
09/15/2022 5:00 PM EDT - 09/25/2022 6:41 PM EDT CLOSED!
Lot #321Pittsburgh Steelers #93 Joel Steed 1991 Game Used Home Jersey. Ripon jersey has 1991 year tag and "Designed and Tailored Exclusively for Pittsburgh Steelers" tag. There is no size tag and jersey shows evidence of once having the 1992 Steelers 60th Season patch. Jersey has several repairs, loose threads, hit marks and sleeve tailoring. Steed was a career Steeler, playing from 1992 through 1999, starting 103 games. He was selected to the Pro Bowl once in 1997 as a nose tackle.
(28 bids)
Pittsburgh Steelers #93 Joel Steed 1991 Game Used Home Jersey. Ripon jersey has 1991 year tag and "Designed and Tailored Exclusively for Pittsburgh Steelers" tag. There is no size tag and jersey shows evidence of once having the 1992 Steelers 60th Season patch. Jersey has several repairs, loose threads, hit marks and sleeve tailoring. Steed was a career Steeler, playing from 1992 through 1999, starting 103 games. He was selected to the Pro Bowl once in 1997 as a nose tackle. Joel was drafted in the third round of the 1992 NFL Draft from Colorado. Each autographed and game-used item is personally authenticated by Pittsburgh Steelers Authentic Memorabilia. Each memorabilia item is affixed with an individually numbered, tamper-evident hologram which can be verified online ensuring that this item is authentic and eliminating the possibility of fraud.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


George Mason University is hosting a three-day planning workshop on May 22,23,and 24, 2017, to explore various short and long term visions for the Fairfax West Campus and Southwest Sector and its connections to Fairfax City, Fairfax County and the region. George Mason University students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well county staff, residents, and businesses, are invited to attend any or all of the scheduled sessions during the three-day workshop.
The workshop, facilitated by Perkins Eastman will look at several aspects of planning, including academic, research and innovation priorities, transportation, facility needs and design issues, partnership models for funding, economic development, athletics, recreation and housing. This type of public input-based planning process previously used at the Arlington Campus of George Mason University can be a successful way to ensure that multiple viewpoints are heard in planning for the university's future.
What is your vision of success for the Fairfax West Campus? What transformations are needed to achieve that vision?
What investments are needed to make the Fairfax West Campus a hub for innovation and economic development and other university needs?
What partnerships are critical to the future success of the Fairfax West Campus?
George Mason University is pleased to announce that Chris Downing of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech will be Keynote Speaker.
Chris Downing has more than 25 years of leadership experience at Georgia Tech in technology-based economic development, university outreach and technical assistance, entrepreneurship and start-up support. Downing has served in a number of capacities in the development and success of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), Georgia Tech's primary economic development and outreach organization. His roles have included Associate Vice President of EI2, Director of the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), Associate Director of the ATDC incubator, and several years as a research engineer with the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
Downing played a key role in the expansion and development of ATDC at Technology Square including the origination of Tech Square's research park and corporate collaboration spaces. His technology-based economic development efforts helped Georgia Tech and the Enterprise Innovation Institute win the prestigious "2014 Innovation Award" from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Tech Square's ecosystem also won the "Outstanding Research Park Award" in 2014 from the Association of University Research Parks. Downing is currently leading a feasibility study for the expansion of Georgia Tech's second research park, Technology Enterprise Park, into a broader life sciences and technology innovation district.
Downing's engineering expertise includes energy efficiency and energy recovery systems, mechanical facilities design, indoor air quality, and manufacturing process systems. He currently serves on advisory boards for the Technology Association of Georgia, TI-GER® Entrepreneurship Program, and the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. Downing is a registered Professional Engineer in both Georgia and Florida and holds a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida.
Creative design guided by humanity, purpose, and innovation results in a better quality of life and responsible environmental stewardship. This leadership team brings extensive experience to each project and focuses on the issues that lead to success and innovation. The Practice Areas include: Civic and Cultural, Commercial Mixed-Use, Healthcare, Higher Education, Hospitality, Large Scale Mixed-Use, Planning and Urban Design, Primary and Secondary Education, Residential, Science and Technology, Senior Living, Sports and Exhibition, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Workplace.


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Gene Keady to return to the Purdue sidelines…for an alumni game
By Raphielle JohnsonJul 13, 2012, 1:06 PM EDT
It's been seven years since Gene Keady, now a special assistant to Steve Lavin at St. John's, worked the sidelines at Mackey Arena.
Thanks to the Purdue alumni game on August 4 that wait will come to an end, as Keady will coach one of the two teams with the other being coached by current head coach Matt Painter.
Painter played four seasons for Keady at Purdue, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 1993.
To say that coach Keady, who isn't too sure as to whether or not they'll have a practice before the game, is looking forward to his return to Mackey Arena would be accurate.
"It will be great to see everybody and have a good time talking to old friends," he said. "It's going to be fun to see all the players I haven't seen in a while and maybe coach some younger ones."
The event, which will be followed by the 2012-13 edition going through an intrasquad scrimmage, is a first for the program and is being called the "Purdue Basketball Family Reunion."
Players such as Brian Cardinal ("Citizen Pain" anyone?), Chris Kramer and David Teague are expected to play in the game, and the rosters have yet to be completed so maybe there are a few other stars waiting in the wings.
But it's safe to say that the star of the show will be the man who led the Boilermakers to 512 victories and six Big Ten championships.
Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.


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Villarreal Soccer / Football Tickets at TraveliGo
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Villarreal CF or nicknamed "The Yellow Submarine" is a Spanish football club based in Vila-real that plays in La Liga (the top division of Spanish football) which is currently under the management team of Javier Calleja and has played at Estadio de la Ceramica. Villarreal's biggest league achieved three times by winning against Salamanca, Celta de Vigo and Tenerife. The largest winning was the competition against Las Palmas by 5–1 and 4–0 at Real Sociedad during the 2004–05 season.
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Thank you TraveliGo. It's a great football match.
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Thank you for the coordination, watching football as intended, maybe excited, but it's ok.


PERSONAL: Born December 21, 1934, in St. Johns, AZ; married LaRue Drechsel, June 22, 1962; children: David, Michael, Ashley. Education: Brigham Young University, B.S., 1959, M.A., 1962; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Ph.D., 1968.
ADDRESSES: Office—c/o Publicity Director, Wiley Publishing Group, 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158.
CAREER: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, teaching assistant, 1959-61, instructor of mathematics, 1963-65, instructor, 1965-66, assistant professor, 1968-72, associate professor, 1972-77, professor of statistics, 1977-2000, department chairman, 1980-85, associate dean, 1985-92; statistician for Hercules, Inc., 1961-63, and Kennecott Copper Corporation, 1969.
Methods of Multivariate Analysis, Wiley (New York, NY), 1995, 2nd edition, 2002.
Multivariate Statistical Inference and Applications, Wiley (New York, NY), 1998.
Linear Models in Statistics, Wiley (New York, NY), 2000.
Contributor to numerous publications, including Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, Phonetica, International Journal of the Sociology of Language, and Journal of Occupational Medicine.
"Rencher, Alvin C. 1934-." Contemporary Authors. . Encyclopedia.com. 21 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.


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Volume 19, Number 12
+TXØDX is on the air but not yet on the DXCC List
+New Mexico hams put Y2K practice to good use
+New York PRB-1 bill introduced
+FCC puts CORES, FRN on hold
+YHOTY nominations open
Solar update
In Brief: This weekend on the radio; KF2GC is new Northern New York SM; HQ Web developer needed; QST Cover Plaque Award; Rare opportunity; +FCC fines Washington firm for illegal amplifier sales; Iridium QRT, but suitors still knocking; Neat star/satellite tracking site; +Southeastern VHF Society 2000 Conference set; Second annual International DX Convention Contest Dinner; Timewave acquires ANC-4 noise canceller; Sydney Olympics special event call sign to debut; Contacting ITS to verify a prior Amateur Radio license
+Available on ARRL Audio News
TXØDX IS ON THE AIR--BUT NOT YET ON THE DXCC LIST
As promised, the Chesterfield Islands TXØDX DXpedition debuted on the bands March 23. And while the Islands' DXCC status is pending, the advice from the experts is: "Work 'em now, worry later!"
A view of the 1993 FK5C Chesterfield Island IOTA DXpedition.
TXØDX already has overcome at least one hurdle on its way to becoming an official DXCC "entity." The International Amateur Radio Union has accepted the Association des Radio Amateurs de Nouvelle Caledonie (ARANC)--the Amateur Radio Association of New Caledonia--as an IARU member society. A letter to that effect was faxed March 23 to ARANC President Jean Phillippe Torregrossa, FK8FK, by IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ.
ARRL Membership Services Manager Bill Kennamer, K5NX, says the Chesterfield Islands, located in the Coral Sea, now are "potentially eligible" as a DXCC entity because of their separation from New Caledonia--some 350 km away. The ARRL DX Advisory Committee and the ARRL Awards Committee still must vote to approve Chesterfield Islands as a DXCC entity. Kennamer says he's not sure when those votes might occur but thinks the DXAC vote could be "fairly soon."
TXØDX kicked off activity on 15 meter CW and SSB, as well as on 17 meter SSB, and 10 meter CW, working split. Pileups were described as bedlam. The station is expected to be on the air for the WPX SSB Contest the weekend of March 25-26, concentrating on a special 10-meter SSB frequency of 28.745 MHz. Using Yaesu FT-1000MP transceivers, the team expects to be able to operate CW and SSB simultaneously on the same band.
Announced operating frequencies are: CW--1834.5, 3504, 7004, 10,104, 14,024, 18,074, 21,024, 24,894, 28,024 and 50,115 kHz; SSB--3790, 7085, 14,195, 18,145, 21,295, 24,945, 28,480, and 50,115 kHz; RTTY--14083 and 21083 kHz. The TXØDX operators will announce their listening frequencies as appropriate for the areas of the world with propagation at the time.
QSLs for TXØDX (and for TX8CI) HF contacts go to Jarmo J. Jaakola, OH2BN, Kiilletie 5C30, Helsinki 00710 FINLAND; TXØDX QSLs for 50 MHz QSOs only will be handled by Kan Mizoguchi, JA1BK, 5-3 Sakuragaoka 4 Chome, Tama-City, Tokyo 206-0013 JAPAN.
Operation is expected to continue until Thursday, March 30. Regular bulletins will be posted to the TXØDX Web site http://www.n4gn.com/tx0dx/ throughout the operation.
NEW MEXICO HAMS STAY ON AIR AS MOST OF STATE GOES DARK
New Mexico suffered what could be the largest power loss in the state's history March 18. Amateur Radio operators stood by to fill the communication gap as the outage that resulted from a grass fire left thousands without power.
"We had done our Y2K exercises well, and it paid off," said New Mexico ARRL Section Manager Joe Knight, W5PDY. Knight says smoke from a large grass fire caused the large insulators on a major power line to arc, shutting down the line. Three major power lines from the Public Service Company of New Mexico's Four-Corners Power Plant followed suit. The outage subsequently took out a major power generating unit. "In a domino effect, most of the state of New Mexico, a small part of southern Colorado and part of El Paso, Texas, were out," Knight explained. Thanks to emergency power, hams and repeaters remained operational.
"Needless to say, there were no cell phones, and the 911 system was jammed," Knight said. ARES/RACES was activated and in full operation through both local and linked repeaters throughout the state. "Operators were cautioned to transmit only for emergency traffic in order to conserve our battery power on the linked repeater system. Since the shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, filling stations and traffic lights were down, it made for a real Y2K emergency."
Knight says the linked system was able to help keep the public up to date on what was happening. In addition, 21 battery-powered HF stations checked into the New Mexico Roadrunner Traffic Net and were on standby until the power was restored to most of the state. Two broadcast radio stations, KOB AM and KDEF AM, were on the air using emergency power generators. Knight said the New Mexico State Emergency Operations Center and the Albuquerque EOC also were on line using emergency power.
"There were several traffic accidents and a few burglaries, but the hospitals all operated on emergency power," Knight reported. Approximately 1.3 million people were without power for about three or four hours following the outage, which began around 4:30 PM Mountain Time.
In Las Cruces, officials had to halt the state's high school basketball playoffs when the power went out in the arena.
"It was certainly a wakeup call for amateurs in the affected areas," said Knight.
PRB-1 BILL INTRODUCED IN NEW YORK
A bill has been introduced in the New York State Assembly to codify the essence of the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1 in New York State law. Assembly bill A. 9947 would require localities to "reasonably accommodate" Amateur Radio antennas and would prevent localities from restricting antenna structures to less than 95 feet above ground level or from restricting the number of support structures.
ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, says New York hams now have the chance to enact a law to "solve most of our tower problems." According to Fallon, the bill represents two years of work by his Hudson Division PRB-1 Task Force, which spearheaded the bill's development as well as a strategy to get it enacted. The Task Force used other successful state PRB-1 bills as models and had assistance from ARRL Headquarters. Fallon's staff and all three ARRL section managers in the Hudson Division stand squarely behind the measure. Support also has been obtained from Atlantic Division section managers in New York, and plans are under way for a statewide promotional effort.
Ten states have PRB-1 laws in place. New York joins California and Kansas among the list of states that have pending PRB-1 legislation. The New York measure is one of the few to specify a minimum antenna height.
The bill, introduced March 7, is in the Committee on Local Governments, which must vote on the measure before it goes to the full Assembly. Assuming the measure makes it past both chambers, it would go to Gov George Pataki--a former amateur--for his signature.
Fallon is urging clubs and individuals to contact their New York State lawmakers--Assembly and Senate--to cosponsor or support A. 9947. Echoing the PRB-1 language, it would provide that any ordinance impacting the placement, screening or height of antennas "must reasonably accommodate Amateur Radio antennas and shall impose the minimum regulation necessary to accomplish the political subdivision's legitimate purpose."
The bill also would prohibit any local ordinance, by-law, rule or regulation, or other local law from restricting Amateur Radio support structure height to less than 95 feet above ground level or from restricting the number of antenna support structures.
For more information, contact ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon. N2FF. n2ff@arrl.org; 516-746-7652.
FCC: HOLD THE PHONE ON CORES AND FRN
The FCC has rescinded a March 16 Public Notice that announced implementation of the FCC's agency-wide Commission Registration System (CORES) and the issuance of an FCC Registration Number (FRN) to each licensee. The new system, which would supplant Universal Licensing System registration for Wireless Telecommunications Bureau-administered licensees, was to have gone into effect next Monday, March 27. Some key FCC personnel said they were unaware of the new system until they saw the Public Notice on the FCC's Web site.
This week, the FCC said it was delaying implementation of CORES and FRNs and suspending the March 27 effective date "until further notice." The FCC said it plans to soon issue a new Public Notice "clarifying certain issues about the new program and providing a new effective date for implementation."
CORES registration is expected to replace ULS registration within a year and possibly as early as six months from now. Information provided to the ARRL by FCC officials indicates that a new CORES registration form will take the place of the ULS Registration Form 606 when the new system goes on-line. Once in place, CORES will assign a new 10-digit FCC Registration Number, or FRN, which will replace the Licensee ID Numbers now issued by ULS for WTB licensees. Most FCC licensees are handled by the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
The ULS--which covers Wireless Telecommunications Bureau licensees and applicants--became effective for the Amateur Service last August, and the FCC still has not removed all the wrinkles from the system. Most hams have yet to register in ULS. Those who have automatically will be registered in the new system.
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR 2000 NEWSLINE YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
Nominations are open for the 2000 Newsline Young Ham of the Year award. The award is presented annually to an Amateur Radio operator 18 or younger living in the 48 contiguous states who has provided outstanding service to the nation and community or to the betterment of the state of the communications art through Amateur Radio.
Nominations are due before May 30, 2000, on an official application and accompanied by verification materials. Applications forms are available for a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: 2000 Young Ham of the Year award, c/o Newsline, 28197 Robin Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.
Nominating applications and additional details also are available at http://www.arnewsline.org. Scroll down to "Young Ham of the Year Award."
Last year's Young Ham of the Year was Michelle Swann, KE4EZI, of Warner Robins, Georgia.
The award presentation is scheduled take place this summer at the 2000 Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama the third weekend in August. For more information, contact Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, newsline@arnewsline.org
Propagation prognosticator Tad Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Spring is here, and 10 and 12 meters are the place to be. A high solar flux and shifting seasons are again producing conditions where low power mobiles can work the world on the highest HF bands.
Last year at this time, the average solar flux for the week was 147.5. This week it was 207.8, much higher, and almost 13 points higher than last week's average. A steady upward recent trend can be seen in the graph at http://www.dxlc.com/solar/.
Geomagnetic indices have been quite low, but this should change. Active conditions are predicted for the next few days, due to recurring coronal holes and some recent flare activity.
Weekend conditions for the CQ Worldwide WPX Phone Contest could be stormy. The predicted planetary A index for the next five days, Friday through Tuesday, is 25, 30, 20, 10 and 10, so it looks like the best contest conditions may be on Sunday. On March 31 and April 1 conditions may be unsettled or active again, but should be quiet until April 18. Solar flux predicted for the next five days is 230, 240, 245, 245 and 235. Flux values are expected to bottom out around 185 on April 12 or 13, then peak near 250 around April 22 or 23.
Sunspot numbers for March 16 through 22 were 138, 152, 142, 208, 240, 191 and 212 with a mean of 183.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 184.4, 192.4, 194.8, 208.2, 210.3, 230.5 and 233.8, with a mean of 207.8. The estimated planetary A indices were 4, 6, 7, 8, 8, 6 and 11, with a mean of 7.1.
This weekend on the radio: The CQ WW WPX Contest (SSB) is the weekend of March 25-26. See March QST, page 100, for more information. Just ahead: The EA RTTY Contest, the SP DX Contest, and the 500th Anniversary of Brazil Discovery Contest are the weekend of April 1-2. See April QST, page 100, for more information.
KF2GC is new Northern New York SM: Thomas A. "Tom" Dick, KF2GC, of Saranac Lake has been appointed Northern New York Section Manager to replace Chuck Orem, KD2AJ, who has stepped down. The term of office expires January 1, 2001. Members may contact Tom Dick at kf2gc@arrl.org.
HQ Web developer needed: Want to put your Web application development experience to work? ARRL Headquarters is looking for a Web Specialist with experience in HTML/CSS and Javascript and the ability to devise Web-based solutions using PHP, Perl and MySQL on the Linux platform. Forward resumes to Bob Boucher, c/o ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. E-mail resumes are accepted (rboucher@arrl.org). The ARRL is an equal opportunity employer.
QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of the March QST Cover Plaque Award is Lew Smith, N7KSB, for his article "A Simple 10-Meter QRP Transmitter." Congratulations, Lew! The March QST Cover Plaque Award is the first to be awarded on the basis of an on-line vote of ARRL members. Voting for the best article in each issue of QST takes place on the ARRL Members Only Web site at http://www.arrl.org/members-only/QSTvote.html. More than 500 members participated in the voting.
Rare opportunity: A rare opportunity for ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ (r), to present a QST Cover Plaque Award to an author in person occurred in an even rarer venue--the Skyfest 2000 Convention in Herceg-Novi, Montenegro, March 17-19. UBA (Belgian) society President John Devoldere, ON4UN, wrote the article judged the best in January QST ( "The 1999 Solar Eclipse and Amateur Radio") about UBA's project to observe the radio effects of last summer's eclipse. Sumner, Devoldere, and Jay Terleski, WX0B, of Array Solutions were invited guests and speakers at the convention in Montenegro.
FCC fines Washington firm for illegal amplifier sales: The FCC has affirmed a $7000 fine on Cellular Systems Northwest Inc of Enumclaw, Washington, for willful and repeated violations of the Communications Act and FCC rules relating to the sale of transmitting equipment. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order March 16, the FCC said Northwest, a consumer electronics dealer, on two occasions in 1997 and 1998 sold and offered to sell "external radio frequency power amplifiers--commonly known as 'linear amplifiers'" to two different FCC agents posing as a member of the general public. The FCC said the amps were capable of operating in the 27-MHz Citizens Band. A Notice of Apparent Liability was issued in June 1998. Northwest sought recission of the $7000 forfeiture saying it never intended to offer or recommend the linears for CB use; its violation was unintentional; that it had ceased selling the illegal equipment; and that it is "small retailer" attempting to make ends meet. The FCC was unmoved and upheld the $7000 fine. The company was given 30 days to pay.--FCC
Iridium QRT, but suitors still knocking: With their $5 billion constellation of 66 satellites now on the verge of destruction, Iridium officials have been given approval by the US Bankruptcy Court in New York to begin shutting down the company's mobile phone system. Service was terminated last Friday, and Iridium has asked the Bankruptcy Court to release up to $8.3 million in company funds to cover the closing of the operation. But there's still some eleventh-hour interest in keeping the Iridium array intact. This week, two groups have stepped forward: One is a group of investors led by hotJump Inc, a privately held content network. A group spokesman says it's made an acquisition bid for Iridium. The second, Las Vegas-based Merit Studios Inc, has contacted Iridium's attorneys to discuss a plan "to salvage the failed venture." There's been no comment from Iridium backer Motorola or from Iridium on either potential offer. Another potential suitor, Gene Curcio, of Crescent Communications Inc, last week expressed interest in buying the constellation and transitioning its management to General Dynamics if Motorola would agree to keep the birds in the air for another 60 to 90 days. Motorola reportedly declined, and Curcio didn't have the necessary up-front money. Barring the eventual emergence of a financial savior, Iridium will go forward with plans to deorbit and destroy the satellites. The de-orbiting process could take as long as two years.--press reports
Neat star/satellite tracking site: A new star/satellite tracking site, Heavens-Above, is on the Web at http://www.heavens-above.com/ . The site is primarily devoted to visual observing, but it recently added the capability to provide Amateur Radio satellite pass predictions. Heavens-Above draws on the support of the German Space Operations Center, which hosts the Web site.--thanks to Steve Ford, WB8IMY
Southeastern VHF Society 2000 Conference set: The Southeastern VHF Society holds its fourth annual conference Friday and Saturday, April 14-15, at the Atlanta Marriott Hotel Northwest, Marietta, Georgia. Dick Hanson, K5AND, is the conference chairman. The conference gets under way Friday at 8 AM and continues through the Saturday banquet. Among other activities, the event will include VUCC Award verification, antenna gain and preamp noise-figure testing, Amateur Radio testing, a flea market and vendor displays, plus the annual business meeting April 14, and the SVHFS auction and banquet April 15. ARRL First Vice President (and avid VHF enthusiast) Joel Harrison, W5ZN, will be the banquet speaker. The ARRL will publish conference Proceedings. The Georgia Tech Amateur Radio Club will offer a final chance to upgrade under the old FCC rules at 10 PM Friday, April 14. At the stroke of midnight, amateurs may take one of the new exams or turn in credit for an upgrade. Testing is being coordinated by Brennan Price, N4QX, n4qx@arrl.net. For additional conference information, visit http://www.svhfs.org/svhfs, e-mail Program Manager Bob Lear, K4SZ, k4sz@alltel.net or write SVHFS, PO Box 1255, Cornelia, GA 30531.
Second annual International DX Convention Contest Dinner: The Northern California Contest Club has announced the second annual International DX Convention Contest Dinner, Friday, April 14, 8 PM, Holiday Inn Visalia, 9000 West Airport Dr, Visalia, California. Tickets are available from Champion Radio Products, 888-833-3104 (toll-free); fax 530-758-9062; dinner@kkn.net; PO Box 2034, El Macero, CA 95618. Order deadline is Friday, April 7. Tickets are not being sold at the door.
Timewave acquires ANC-4 noise canceller: Timewave Technology has acquired the rights to the ANC-4 antenna noise canceller from JPS Communications Inc. Timewave says it will start production of the ANC-4 immediately and expects to start shipping units to dealers by May 10. The company also will service and support JPS Communications-made ANC-4 units. JPS left the Amateur Radio market last year. For more information, contact Randy Gawtry at Timewave Technology: 612-452-5939; rgawtry@timewave.com or visit http://www.timewave.com.--Timewave Technology news release
Sydney Olympics special event call sign to debut: AX2000--the call sign commemorating the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, gets its first workout this month. The New South Wales Division of the Wireless Institute of Australia has authorized a number of NSW Amateur Radio clubs to use the call sign during 2000. The Manly-Warringah Radio Society will activate the call in the CQ WW WPX Contest March 25-26 and will continue to use the call sign through March 31. In April, the Wahroonga Amateur Historical Radio Association will be active as AX2000/IMD on International Marconi Day, April 29. Other New South Wales radio clubs will activate the call at various times throughout the year, and AX2000 will be on the air from the WIA Divisional headquarters during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. By the way, the call sign will be "pronounced" as "A-X-two thousand." The Australian Communications Authority has announced that Australian radio amateurs may use the optional AX call sign prefix June 15 through November 2 to commemorate the Sydney Olympic Games.--WIA/Q-News
Contacting ITS to verify a prior Amateur Radio license: Those electing to contact FCC archives contractor ITS Inc to document having held an amateur license in the past are advised to telephone ITS instead of e-mailing. For a fee, ITS will research prior licensing records and should be able to provide you with the necessary documentary proof. Call ITS at 717-337-1433 to place an order (eg, for "verification of a pre-March 21, 1987, amateur license"). The verification letter you receive will be on FCC stationery and stamped with the FCC seal. The ITS Web site is http://www.itsdocs.com/. Credit card orders are welcome.


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Ready for something bigger
Laura Power
Published Monday, October 29, 2007
FORT SMITH - After years of preparing, recording and practising, State of the Art is ready to rock.
The Fort Smith-based metal group was formed years ago when brothers Jamie Chabun, Brandon Kikoak and Aaron Kikoak of Inuvik were in Winnipeg looking for musicians to play with. They met Craig Allard, a bassist from B.C.
Fort Smith band, State of the Art is formed by Aaron Kikoak on guitar and vocals, Jamie Chabun on drums, Brandon Kikoak on guitar and vocals and Craig Allard on bass. - Laura Power/NNSL photo
They got some experience playing in the Winnipeg scene, including their gig as the opening act for Harlequin, but after two years of that scene they decided to move to Fort Smith.
"We were getting sick of the whole rat race in the city," said Brandon, guitarist and vocalist for the group.
In Fort Smith, the plan was to get their act together as a band and get ready to hit the national scene.
"You can really concentrate here," said Allard.
The guys have been keeping a fairly low profile up until now. Brandon said because the band isn't talked about publicly, it allows them to grow.
Since moving to the NWT, the band has already travelled with their music, including a tour they did in 2005 en route to Vancouver. In the meantime, they've played everywhere from Inuvik to Edmonton and Yellowknife to Calgary and have been featured on APTN.
At home, Brandon said, "we have our places to play here."
The band released a self-titled CD in 2005, which they recorded themselves in their studio in Fort Smith. They are now recording a 10-song album they say they would like to market on a larger scale. They also aim to get some Canada-wide recognition in the near future.
"We're ready for it now," said Brandon. "We're at the top of our game and we're ready to get out there."
The new album is expected to be complete in the spring, but the band plans to have a single recorded before a Northern tour they're planning in the early new year. Brandon said they would like to get out East during the tour, so they will likely include Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet in the lineup. If all goes as planned, there will also be several NWT stops including Yellowknife, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. It's possible they'll also play a few more stops including Whitehorse.
During the tour, they will begin shooting footage for a documentary being created about the band.
"It'll be about the band going from the minor leagues to whatever comes after that," said Chabun, the band's drummer.
As State of the Art plans for the upcoming tour, the musicians are keeping an eye out for bands to join them on the various tour dates.
Until then, it's back to preparing, recording and practising.


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Intimidation Clothing & UrFight announce merger of two of Local MMA's biggest supporters
Filed under Athlete Sponsorships, Event Sponsorships, Fighter Sponsorships, Intimidation Press Release, Local / Regional MMA, News, Sponsorships
Intimidation Clothing, LLC and UrFight are pleased to announce that the two companies have agreed to terms to team up in a never before seen merger. The two brands, which both cater to the MMA/Combat Sports Industry, plan to take their individual strengths and combine them in what will surely benefit MMA fighters, gyms and promoters on the local level. After years of competing against each other, a newly-formed collaboration will work to better serve Local MMA and expand the awareness for both brands across the globe.
Long known for their personalized MMA fighter shirts, UrFight has proven to be the hardest working brand in the industry. Commonly seen at multiple Local MMA events across the South, Midwest and East Coast, the brand has sponsored several hundred fighters across the USA and plans to continue to expand their sponsorship roster.
"For years I have had a tremendous amount of respect for the UrFight team," said Intimidation Clothing Founder Luke Jernigan, who will now serve as the Director of Marketing & PR for both brands. "They are the only brand that I ever found that could out-hustle Intimidation when we were at our peak, and their outside-of-the-box thinking is something I have always envied. To be able to team up with this group is going to be tremendous for the Local MMA market as we build both brands and take them to the next level."
To kick the partnership off, both UrFight and Intimidation products will be available for sale at the Happy Valley Fight Series event in Elizabethton, Tennessee on Saturday, December 5th.
MMA fighters looking to benefit from the merger can apply for sponsorship with UrFight as long as they have a fight lined up in the near future. Continued expansion of Intimidation Clothing's sponsorship program will be announced in the coming months.
Intimidation Clothing is a lifestyle brand of apparel targeting the Mixed Martial Arts and Combat Sports markets with a history of strong support for Local MMA. With a international reach which has included dealers in the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore and China, the Intimidation brand has been regularly featured on the backs of top-level MMA fighters in the UFC, Bellator MMA, WSOF and a multitude of Local MMA promotions. Anyone interested can apply to sell the Intimidation brand as a dealer and products are available for sale online at IntimidationClothing.com. Fans can also like Intimidation Clothing on Facebook or follow @IntimidationMMA on Twitter and Instagram.
Tags: east coast mma, midwest mma, southeast mma, support local mma, tennessee mma, UrFight, valor fights
Intimidation Clothing to sponsor Cody Stevens at CFFC 35 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
April 23, 2014 by david
Intimidation Clothing is pleased to announce its sponsorship of featherweight star Cody "The Wolverine" Stevens in his upcoming bout at CFFC 35 this weekend in Atlantic City. Stevens (11-6-1) is set to face Bellator and TUF 14 veteran Jimmie Rivera (12-1) in a featherweight bout that will serve as the evening's co-main event.
Stevens became a member of Team Intimidation last year, and he has been a staple on the Ohio MMA scene since making his amateur debut in 2006. A native of Mansfield, Ohio, Stevens won amateur and professional titles for the NAAFS, and he has faced some of the toughest fighters in the Midwest and the world. "The Wolverine" has faced Saul Almeida, TUF veteran Jeff Smith, and current UFC fighter Wilson Reis, and he holds victories over Anthony Durnell, UFC veteran Donny Walker and he earned a victory over UFC veteran Dustin Neace at RFO: Big Guns 12 in August 2013. Most recently, he competed against Asian MMA legend Shinya Aoki at ONE FC 11 in Singapore last October.
In 2012, Stevens won a scholarship to train at the legendary Tiger Muay Thai gym in Phuket, Thailand. Since moving to Thailand to train, Stevens has drastically improved as a fighter, and it has shown during his last 3 fights. This will mark the third straight fight where Stevens will wear the Intimidation logo in his fight.
Intimidation Clothing is a fast-growing Ohio based MMA & MX clothing brand with a growing national presence and over 50 authorized dealers across the USA. Known as the biggest supporter of local MMA, the Intimidation brand is also regularly featured on multiple sporting events on SpikeTV, AXS TV, SportsTime Ohio, MTV2, FUEL TV, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet and EpixHD as well as MMA highlight shows on Spike TV, AXS TV and more. In addition to over 110 styles of high-quality, bold t-shirts and sweatshirts for men, women and children and is also known for their premium-quality EliteFighter MMA board shorts. Anyone interested in becoming a dealer can apply to sell the Intimidation brand as a dealer and they can be found for sale online at IntimidationClothing.com. Fans can also follow the marketing wing of the Intimidation brand, Intimidation Interactive Media, @IntimidationIM, like Intimidation Clothing on Facebook or follow @IntimidationMMA on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of Mike Wrobel, ShootItMMA.com
Tags: atlantic city mma, bellator, cody stevens mma, east coast mma, mansfield mma, midwest mma, naafs, new jersey mma, ohio mma, rfo, shinya aoki mma, tiger muay thai, ufc
Weekend MMA Recap: Rebecca Heintzman impresses Atlantic City, NJ crowd winning pro debut on highly successful weekend
There was some serious Team Intimidation flavor at the Cage Fury Fighting Championships 28 event over the weekend in Atlantic City, as two sponsored fighters were in action at the event. Following up on on a perfect 6-0 amateur career, Rebecca Heintzman (1-0) made a successful debut at the event, as she submitted Allison Haynes (0-1) in the second round of their bout. Heintzman (pictured, right) continues to be a part of Intimidation's support for women's MMA, as the rising star is one of the sport's best prospects. Also at CFFC 28, Julian Lane (5-3-1) dropped a razor thin split decision to unbeaten prospect Paul Felder (6-0) in one of the night's featured bouts. Lane will now travel to Pittsburgh to headline Pinnacle FC 5 against another unbeaten foe in Joey Holt next month.
Team Intimidation was also represented well at the Extreme Cage Combat 18 event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as Intimidation served as a sponsor for the Canadian event. UFC veteran David Loiseau put on a show in the main event, as he claimed the ECC light heavyweight title with a 15-second TKO victory over Mike Kent. Matt McGrath also claimed the ECC welterweight title with a 3rd round TKO victory over Christ Franck at the event.
Team Intimidation was also on hand sponsoring the Blaze Kids Challenge near Chicago, as Premier Fight Supply represented the brand at the event. The event, designed to get kids to be more active, featured strength tests, explosion tests, speed tests, and more and continues Intimidation's strong push into the Chicago market.
In Intimidation Alumni news, UFC veteran Charlie Brenneman (pictured, left) picked up a win over Kyle Baker in the CFFC 28 main event, and he is now 4-0 since being cut by the UFC last year and dropping to lightweight. Brenneman seems poised to get the call from the UFC yeat again having now reinvented himself as a lightweight after a 4-4 run at 170lbs in the UFC from 2010-2012. Also, former Bellator tournament finalist Luis Nogueira returned stateside for the first time in more than a year, as the Brazilian submitted Frank Baca with an arm triangle choke in the first round at Bellator 105.
Looking ahead, Intimidation will have a busy first weekend of November, as Team Intimidation will be on hand sponsoring and selling at both the UVC 26 event in Columbus, Ohio, and Hardrock MMA 58 event in Bowling Green, Kentucky with crews on hand at both events.
Intimidation Clothing is a fast-growing brand of lifestyle apparel & MMA training gear with a growing national presence and over 50 authorized dealers across the USA. The Intimidation brand is regularly featured on multiple sporting events on FOX, SpikeTV, AXS TV, SportsTime Ohio, MTV2, FUEL TV, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet and EpixHD as well as MMA highlight shows on Spike TV, AXS TV and more. In addition to over 110 styles of high-quality, bold t-shirts and sweatshirts for men, women and children the brand is well known for their popular Vintage Series, Local MMA t-shirts and Intimidate Cancer lines of merchandise. Anyone interested can become a dealer by applying to sell the Intimidation brand which is also available for sale online at IntimidationClothing.com. Fans can also follow the marketing wing of the Intimidation brand, Intimidation Interactive Media, @IntimidationIM, like Intimidation Clothing on Facebook or follow @IntimidationMMA on Twitter.
Heintzman photo courtesy of CFFC.
Tags: atlantic city mma, bellator, blaze kids challenge, buffalo mma, canada mma, charlie brenneman mma, chicago mma, columbus mma, east coast mma, ecc mma, extreme cage combat mma, hardrock mma, illinois mma, joey holt mma, julian lane mma, kentucky mma, luis nogueira mma, new jersey mma, new york mma, nova scotia mma, ohio mma, pennsylvania mma, pinnacle fighting championships, pittsburgh mma, premier fight supply, racheal blaze, rebecca heintzman mma, ufc, ultimate victory challenge, uvc, wmma
Intimidation to sponsor Rebecca Heintzman in pro debut at CFFC 28 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Intimidation Clothing is excited to announce its sponsorship of Rebecca Heintzman in her upcoming professional MMA debut later this month. Heintzman is set to compete at the Cage Fury Fighting Championships 28 event on October 26 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Heintzman will walk out wearing Intimidation's new pink women's "Support Local MMA" tee which she is pictured in.
Heintzman polished off a perfect 6-0 amateur record late last year, as she claimed the NAAFS amateur women's flyweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Rachel Sazoff at the Intimidation-sponsored NAAFS: Night of Champions 2012 event. The Western New York product was named the 2012 Breakout Amateur Fighter of the Year by Promoting Real Women, and she is also currently pursuing her doctoral degree in wetland ecosystems at Binghamton University. The elite athlete also played 2 years of lacrosse and 4 years of soccer while she was an undergraduate at Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania.
As an instructor at the Power of One MMA gym in Vestal, New York, Heintzman joins a growing group in that region sponsored by Intimidation. The brand recently sponsored an amateur event by TNT Promotions in the area, along with sponsoring professional fighter Kyle "Kyote" Rozewski, a native of the area who is also a leader in the fight to get MMA legalized and regulated in New York.
Tags: atlantic city mma, buffalo mma, east coast mma, kyle rozewski mma, naafs, new jersey mma, new york mma, power of one mma, tnt fight series, women's mma
Intimidation to sponsor Julian Lane at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 28 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Intimidation Clothing is pleased to announce its sponsorship of Julian "Nitrane" Lane in his upcoming bout on October 26th. Lane (5-2-1) is set to travel to Atlantic City, where he will take on Paul Felder (5-0) in a featured professional bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 28.
A veteran of The Ultimate Fighter 16, Lane also competed once for Bellator, where he stopped Joe Heiland with a guillotine in the first round at Bellator 66 in April 2012. He started a busy 2013 with a loss to Nick Duell in March fighting for the NAAFS then scored a first round submission over James Reese at Fight Time 15 in Florida in June. A fan favorite in Mansfield, he recently returned to his hometown for the first time since 2011, when he fought to a draw with fellow Bellator veteran Rocky Edwards at RFO: Big Guns 12 Resurrection. Known for his aggressive striking and power, Lane looks to add to the win column against the undefeated Felder as he fights for the CFFC promotion for the second time this calendar year.
Along with sponsoring Lane, Intimidation is also set to sponsor veteran amateur fighter Rebecca Heintzman in her professional debut at the event against Allison Haynes (0-0).
Intimidation Clothing is a fast-growing brand of lifestyle apparel & MMA training gear with a growing national presence and over 50 authorized dealers across the USA. The Intimidation brand is regularly featured on multiple sporting events on SpikeTV, AXS TV, SportsTime Ohio, MTV2, FUEL TV, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet and EpixHD as well as MMA highlight shows on Spike TV, AXS TV and more. In addition to over 110 styles of high-quality, bold t-shirts and sweatshirts for men, women and children and is also known for their premium-quality EliteFighter MMA board shorts. Anyone interested can become a dealer by applying to sell the Intimidation brand which is also available for sale online at IntimidationClothing.com. Fans can also follow the marketing wing of the Intimidation brand, Intimidation Interactive Media, @IntimidationIM, like Intimidation Clothing on Facebook or follow @IntimidationMMA on Twitter.
Tags: bellator, caged fury fighting championship, east coast mma, julian lane mma, mansfield mma, midwest mma, naafs, new jersey mma, nick duell mma, ohio mma, rebecca heintzman mma, rfo, rocky edwards mma, the ultimate fighter, tuf
Intimidation to sponsor UFC veteran Charlie Brenneman at CFFC 23 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Intimidation Clothing is pleased to announce its continued sponsorship of UFC veteran Charlie "The Spainard" Brenneman. Brenneman returns to action at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 26 on August 17th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Fighting in the CFFC Lightweight title fight, Brenneman (18-5) is set to take on South Carolina product Ronnie Rogers, a veteran of nearly 30 professional fights and winner in 5 of his past 6 bouts.
Brenneman made the transition to 155 pounds after being cut from the UFC last year, and he celebrated his new weight class with a second round submission win over Eric Irvin at VFL 40 in January. He then signed a 3-fight deal with CFFC and proceeded to win two more fights to improve to 3-0 in 2013. The ultra-popular native of Central Pennsylvania owns 9 career stoppage victories and owns notable victories over Rick Story, Amilcar Alves and Jason High during his UFC days. He now trains with Dan and Jim Miller in Eastern PA at the AMA Fight Club.
Tags: ama fight club, atlantic city mma, caged fury fighting championship, charlie brenneman mma, east coast mma, eric irvin mma, new jersey mma, ufc
Weekend Recap: Rozewski & Hanson impress as Intimidation continues sponsorship of NAAFS, Art of War MMA events
August 6, 2013 by david
Intimidation Clothing continues to be the country's biggest supporter of local MMA, and that much was evident in the sponsoring of two major local events in two Midwestern states over the weekend, as well as multiple fighters.
NAAFS: Caged Vengeance 14 took place in Carrollton, Ohio, and Intimidation Clothing was on hand yet again. In addition to serving as a title sponsor for the event, Intimidation also sponsored the winners in both professional bouts, as Kyle Rozewski and Wes Hanson were both victorious. Rozewski (3-3) evened his pro record in the co-main event, as he submitted Rhett Northcraft (1-4) with a rear naked choke after dropping him with a head kick. In the main event, Wes Hanson (1-0) stopped Chaz Holloway (0-1) with a guillotine choke after a back-and-forth bout. Scheduled to fight in the night's main event, Dustin Kempf (pictured, right with Tony Castillo) saw his opponent withdraw with an injury the week of the fight. Check out a full recap of the Caged Vengeance 14 event on the Ohio MMA News website.
Art of War 7 took place in Indianapolis, and Intimidation was on hand selling at its official booth as a continued sponsor of events by Mad Wolf Promotions. Intimidation sponsored amateur Cameron VanCamp earned the lightweight title by defeating Markus Hall via rear naked choke in the first round, and Dustin Parrish dropped an extremely close split decision to Sean Fallon in the main event in what was perhaps the most anticipated amateur bout in Indiana MMA history. For a full recap of the Art of War 7 event, check out the Bluegrass MMA website.
Intimidation will be back in action with two events this weekend, as the crew will travel to Athens, Ohio for UVC 25 at the Athens County Fair. Also sponsored will be the American Grappling Challenge event near Akron and a Saturday night MMA event from Victorium MMA in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Tags: american grappling challenge, art of war mma, athens mma, bluegrass mma, cameron vancamp mma, carrollton mma, dustin kempf mma, dustin parrish mma, east coast mma, indiana mma, indianapolis mma, kyle rozewski mma, kyle vancamp mma, mad wolf promotions, markus hall mma, midwest mma, naafs, ohio mma, ohmma.com, victorium mma, virginia mma, wes hanson mma
Intimidation Clothing to sponsor Victorium MMA event in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Filed under Event Sponsorships, Local / Regional MMA, News, Sponsorships
Intimidation Clothing is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the upcoming Victorium MMA event, "Episode II," on August 10th in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
As the only all professional MMA organization in Virginia, Victorium MMA is quickly rising as one of the premier promoters in the East. The event features 13 professional bouts, including the premiere of the 115-pound male division in the U.S.
Along with the MMA event, Victorium MMA is also supporting the We Support Sam and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Tags: east coast mma, victorium mma, virginia mma
Intimidation to sponsor Andrew Osborne at CFFC 23 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Intimidation Clothing is pleased to announce its sponsorship of professional lightweight Andrew "Ozzy the Brute" Osborne in his upcoming bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 23 this weekend in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Osborne (6-5) is set to take on Mike Bannon (4-1) in a featured pro bout.
With a record of 3-1-1 in his last five bouts, Osborne is one of the best up and coming fighters on the east coast. After going on a 4-fight unbeaten streak, he lost via arm bar to Ryan LaFlare when he stepped up in weight class to challenge for the Ring of Combat welterweight title in January. Known for his well rounded style, Osborne has taken on all comers in his 2-year career and plans to continue to do so.
CFFC 23 will also feature the organizational debut of UFC veteran Charlie Brenneman, who will also be sponsored by Intimidation for the second consecutive fight.
Intimidation Clothing is a fast-growing brand of lifestyle apparel & MMA training gear based in Ohio with a strong presence throughout the Midwest USA and a growing national presence. The Intimidation brand is regularly featured on multiple sporting events on SpikeTV, AXS TV, SportsTime Ohio, MTV2, FUEL TV, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet and EpixHD as well as MMA highlight shows on Spike TV, AXS TV and more. In addition to over 110 styles of high-quality, bold t-shirts and sweatshirts for men, women and children and is also known for their premium-quality EliteFighter MMA board shorts. Intimidation products can be found for sale online at IntimidationClothing.com and fans can follow the marketing wing of the Intimidation brand, Intimidation Interactive Media, @IntimidationIM. Follow Intimidation Clothing on Facebook and @IntimidationMMA on Twitter.
Tags: andrew osborne mma, caged fury fighting championship, charlie brenneman mma, east coast mma, fight firm philadelphia, pennsylvania mma, philadelphia mma, ring of combat mma
Intimidation to sponsor UFC veteran Charlie Brenneman at CFFC 23 on April 12 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 4, 2013 by david
Intimidation Clothing is pleased to announce its sponsorship of UFC veteran Charlie "The Spainard" Brenneman in his upcoming main event bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 23 on April 12 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Brenneman (16-5) is set to take on Florida product Robert Goodridge (5-1) in a 155-pound bout at the event, which takes place just outside of Philadelphia.
Brenneman made the transition to 155 pounds after being cut from the UFC last year, and he celebrated his new weight class with a second round submission win over Eric Irvin at VFL 40 in January. Now, he returns to lightweight and has a new home after signing a 3-fight deal with CFFC. The ultra-popular native of Central Pennsylvania owns 8 career stoppage victories and owns notable victories over Rick Story, Amilcar Alves and Jason High during his UFC days. He now trains with Dan and Jim Miller in Eastern PA at the AMA Fight Club.
Intimidation Clothing is a fast-growing brand of lifestyle apparel & MMA training gear based in Ohio with a strong presence throughout the Midwest USA and a growing national presence. The Intimidation brand is regularly featured on multiple sporting events on SpikeTV, AXS TV, SportsTime Ohio, MTV2, FUEL TV, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet and EpixHD as well as MMA highlight shows on Spike TV, AXS TV and more. In addition to over 110 styles of high-quality, bold t-shirts and sweatshirts for men, women and children and is also known for their premium-quality EliteFighter MMA board shorts. Intimidation Clothing products can be found for sale online at IntimidationClothing.com. Fans can also learn more about everything from MMA blood work to championship belts from Intimidation Interactive Media, the marketing wing of the company on Twitter, Intimidation Interactive Media, @IntimidationIM. Follow Intimidation Clothing on Facebook and @IntimidationMMA on Twitter.
Tags: ama fight club, caged fury fighting championship, charlie brenneman mma, east coast mma, new jersey mma, pennsylvania mma, philadelphia mma, ufc


text:
Brown Study
Neil Brown
The Spectator Australia Diplomatic Research Unit has laboured away in secret for years on projects too sensitive to mention in public, but which have been pivotal to the survival of Western democracy. Due to our personal contacts with some of its bravest operatives and aided by means of back channels and the dark web, we are now able to reveal one of the most delicate exercises in international diplomacy ever undertaken in Australia since Governor Phillip came ashore at Sydney Cove and was greeted with the cry of the local inhabitants: 'Welcome to Country'. We refer, of course, to the campaign now underway to have Senator Mathias Corman elected as secretary-general of that monumental repository of human wisdom and economic knowledge, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, better known to those on the international gravy train as the OECD, which has been responsible for the economic progress of the last 60 years and where its performance has been, well, interesting. The campaign has been rightly assisted by the Australian government that has put at Senator Cormann's disposal a functioning RAAF aircraft and attendant crew and staff to whisk him from one belle époque capital to another and one luxury hotel to the next, to enable him to advance his cause in something approximating the dignity befitting an unemployable ex-politician in search of tax-free employment, particularly one who has no known qualification other than to speak advanced Walloon. But I hope we can discuss the rights and wrongs of this campaign without echoing the mean-spirited critics who have said it is highly improper that taxpayers' money should be used to shoehorn a private citizen into a job where there is no sign that he might relinquish any of his tax-free salary or refund even some small part of the vast cost of getting him elected. It was originally suggested that the good senator should travel by train and in economy class and book his accommodation through Airbnb to make reservations at those charming one-star European B-and-Bs with evocative names like La Grande Hotel Monte Carlo du lac. But, fortunately, this proposal was rejected on the ground that, although the OECD was theoretically concerned with the economic well-being of the man in the street and that its employees could benefit from experiencing what the man in the street experienced himself, it was little more than showy eccentricity that anyone should believe in such a populist fantasy or, worse, try to put it into practice. Thus, all things considered, it was decided by several public service grandees having lunch at the Commonwealth Club, that it was better to take the VIP aircraft and luxury hotel option, even if it would inevitably give rise to ill-informed criticism and abuse.
After all, they reasoned, the OECD might be a junior member of the club of useless parasites that inflict themselves on the world at taxpayers' expense, but if this were the standard to be applied to applicants for jobs at the OECD, the same might be imposed when the next man was up for appointment as head of a body far more important than the OECD, like the UN Human Rights Council or the World Health Organisation. For instance, how could you expect a candidate for head of the UN Refugee Agency to travel like a refugee?
No, the real debate that raged in the public service was not whether Senator Cormann was being given too extravagant a regal procession through the mirrored halls of Europe's chancelleries to ingratiate himself with their pretentious occupants, but, rather, whether he had access to all of the accoutrements of travel needed to prepare himself for this tax-free office. Thus, we can reveal that this thorny issue went as high as the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs who, after an exhaustive round of working lunches with multiple task forces, issued an edict to ensure that Senator Cormann was properly equipped for his journey. Such was the top-level security clearance given to this document that it remained secret for half an hour and was found in a filing cabinet at a Fyshwick auction house. But one of our alert operatives found it and we summarise it here, in the public interest.
The first reform instituted by the secretary relates to the staff appointed to support the senator, which, until then, was a miserable team described by DFAT as follows: The task force consists of 8.5 dedicated staff, made up of a task force manager and campaign strategist, strategy and policy advisers, a visits manager, two graduates and a communications specialist. (The .5 of a staff member, who is only 120cm tall, represented small business).
This is woefully inadequate and includes none of the specialists that the aspiring head of the world's most pre-eminent economics institute requires. Thus, the secretary has issued an immediate order that the task force be augmented by the following, whose skills are clearly essential at the OECD, or any other economics think-tank: a clairvoyant, two fortune tellers, three witches (who come as a package), a retired puppet master, a card sharp, a two-up consultant from Kalgoorlie, an aboriginal elder who specialises in smoke with an optional extra in mirrors, three former executives of the Health Services Union whose unparalleled experience in lying and deception is a prerequisite for anyone working in economics and, finally, the head croupier at Crown Casino as an ethics consultant.
But the final touch has been added to the inner cabin of the VIP aircraft with a series of international best sellers on economics and government that the senator will find invaluable: I learned my economics at Hogwarts, Machiavelli was a Wimp, Card Tricks for Beginners, Statistics for Dummies and Start your own Investment Company by Charles Ponzi. With his new team and this intellectual fire power, the question being asked from Wall Street to Wuhan is: how could the senator possibly lose?
You might disagree with half of it, but you'll enjoy reading all of it. Try your first 10 weeks for just $10


The Peter-McGill neighbourhood is home to over 12,000 immigrants, with almost half of them having arrived within the last 5 years, as well as over 7,000 non-permanent residents including refugees and international students.
Despite the fact that 12% of the population of Peter-McGill are newcomers to Canada, there are relatively few resources available to new immigrants in the district. As a result, we held a Forum on Immigration in 2016, which lead to the creation of the Immigration Committee in the summer of 2017. The committee brings together 9 organisations, as well as residents and students to develop initiatives to help with the integration and support of newcomers to Peter-McGill.
To work together to better understand the lived experiences of newcomers in the district and to develop initiatives to support their integration into neighbourhood life.
80 people gathered at the first Forum on Immigration in Peter-McGill, which took place on May 5th, 2016 at the YWCA, including newcomers, international students, permanent residents and Canadian citizens alike, with rich discussions on inclusion and integration.


text:
Антиавторитаризъм е опозиция на авторитаризма. Това може да е убеждение, практика или движение, като думата се употребява в педагогиката, в смисъла на антиавторитарна педагогика, която отхвърля насилието при възпитанието , практика, която е била по-често срещана преди, а днес се смята за неприемлива, а другата употреба, която е и основна, е в областта на политиката или това е противопоставянето на анторитарните тенденции в управлението, режими или политически убеждения на групи, индивиди или организации. В някои случаи анархистите го използват като синоним на анархизъм, макар че тяхното отхвърляне на авторитаризма и неговите форми е свързано и с отхвърлянето на властта като цяло и убеждението в колективното и синхронно вземане на решения от общностите.

Исторически, обикновено антиавторитарни движения се появяват при наличие на някаква форма на авторитаризъм, в Европа по време и след Втората световна война като опозиция на фашизма, в Източна Европа по време и след комунизма това е опозиция на авторитарния комунизъм .

Източници

Педагогика
Политически движения
Политически теории

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


To naturally earn backlinks from high-authority sites, you need to create link-worthy content. Learn 4 research-backed methods to create link-worthy content for your brand.
Irrespective of your industry, making it to the top 3 results in Google Search for a high traffic keyword can open traffic floodgates to your site and help you acquire thousands of potential customers.
Everyone of your competitors wants the top search spots that you dream of. To outrank them, you'll need to do a couple of things.
Backlinko carried out a study of more than 1 million Google Search Results and found a direct relationship between a site's search ranking and the number of unique domains linking to it.
Google thinks of backlinks as votes of confidence to a site. The more votes a site has, the higher it ranks.
To naturally earn backlinks from high-authority sites, you need to create link-worthy content - content that's so useful, so detailed, and so authentic that other content creators cite it as a resource.
Not sure how to create such content?
Here are 4 research-backed methods to create link-worthy content for your brand.
Who likes to read long and fat blocks of plain text? I know I don't.
In fact, a study by Chartbeat shows that 55% internet users don't read an article for more than 15 seconds. Good luck getting backlinks to a piece of content no one reads.
The solution to both these problems (no reader engagement, no backlinks) lies in using more visuals.
No matter how useful and actionable your content is, you'd struggle to keep readers engaged without using images and other forms of visuals in your content.
A study by Moz shows that content with visuals gets significantly more backlinks than plain text content.
So instead of spending all your time creating plain text content, invest some resources into visual content creation as well.
In my experience as a content marketer, infographics and even smaller images with data do a much better job at earning backlinks than generic stock photos.
You can hire freelancers from sites like Fiverr or Upwork to create infographics for your blog or use free tools like Canva or Visme to create images yourself.
For example, look how this infographic, about the ideal image sizes for different social networks, makes this complex topic much easier to understand.
Ahrefs, one of the world's most popular SEO tools, also used embedded maps and infographics in their content to get dozens of high authority backlinks in their early days.
You don't even have to come up with very creative ideas for your images. You can simply make a portion of your content more visually appealing to get links. That's all.
For example, look how Unblock, a blog about cryptocurrencies, has added real-time price update charts to make its content more eye-catching.
If even this seems too difficult to execute, just crop and use small portions of relevant infographics published by other blogs. You can find hundreds of them with just a few searches. But don't forget to link back to the original image source.
Such small additions can make your content stand out from the crowd, keep your readers engaged for longer periods of time, and, of course, get you more backlinks.
Groom+Style creates an article with a fun, relevant and informative feature image, plus multiple infographics and unique images spaced through the 6000 plus word article.
Opinions are important but they're not always reliable (especially in the Fake News era). The internet is overflowing with opinionated content that lacks substance and research.
To add credibility to your content, you need to back your arguments with facts, figures, research, and solid data that no one can deny.
According to research, using data in your content not only turns your opinions into facts but also helps you get more backlinks. SEO Powersuite surveyed more than 700 content marketers and SEOs, 70% of whom considered data/research as the most effective content type to get backlinks.
You can implement this to your content marketing strategy in a number of ways.
If you don't have a huge email list you can promote your survey using paid advertisements like Facebook or LinkedIn ads. Or you could simply run a Twitter or Facebook poll on a hot topic in your industry.
But if you can't do any of those things, there's another way.
Search the web for the most interesting and relevant statistics about your niche and publish them in a single post.
If you make a habit of backing your claims with statistics and research, your content will stand a much higher chance of getting natural backlinks.
Just like statistics and research, using real-world examples and case studies also adds credibility to your content and makes it more link-worthy. Case studies provide proof of concept and help you make more convincing arguments.
Whenever you share an opinion or advice with your readers, try to cite a real world example that shows your tip in action.
For example, Brian Dean, an internet marketer, first introduced Skyscraper Technique to create content that gets links on autopilot. In theory, Brian's technique looked solid but he didn't stop there. He published multiple case studies to prove that Skyscraper Technique actually worked.
This is a particularly effective strategy if you're creating content for the service industry or a SaaS company.
Zipline, a retail ecommerce communication tool, has used case studies to great effect in its content.
This not only helps prospects understand how the product works but also gives them a clear idea of its effectiveness.
Plus, it's the kind of content they can easily cite in guest posts, interviews or press releases to get high authority backlinks.
Study after study proves that longer content that offers actionable step by step guidelines not only results in greater reader engagement but also tends to attract more backlinks.
Let's study an example that further proves the effectiveness of longer content for link building.
Shopify is a leading ecommerce platform known for publishing mammoth guides and super actionable content. Here's a 5000+ words post from their blog about finding product suppliers.
post has almost 400 comments and thousands of social shares.
what I found when I checked its backlink profile in Moz Link Explorer.
than 1.6K backlinks from 114 unique domains.
Here's another example of a 5000+ words article on a completely different site which is not even remotely as popular as Shopify.
Almost 700 links from 293 different domains.
If you dive deep and analyze other popular long-form articles, you'll mostly find that their backlink count is higher than shorter posts.
Don't waste your time writing thin 500 word posts anymore. If you want to write on a topic, go deep and cover it from every aspect. Give your readers as much information as you can and try to make it actionable at every step.
Building backlinks from high authority sites isn't as easy as it used to be a few years ago. But major publications and brands are still happy to link back to high quality content that serves as a good reference for their readers or helps them add credibility to their arguments.
If you can create such content on a regular basis for your brand, there's no reason why you can't secure quality backlinks from the top sites in your niche.


text:
'Meditative Gardener' aims to cultivate good nature
By Kevin O'Connor, Rutland Herald, March 21, 2010
Vermont, USA -- Gardens sprout bouquets and salads, but can they also seed inner peace?
<< Cheryl Wilfong of Dummerston, seen here at Brown & Roberts Hardware in Brattleboro, is the author of "The Meditative Gardener: Cultivating Mindfulness of Body, Feelings and Mind."
PHOTO BY KEVIN O'CONNOR
Vermonter Cheryl Wilfong remembers a 2005 meditation retreat in which a Buddhist nun sought to weed everyone's minds of wild, invasive thought.
"Imagine a flower garden growing in your heart …" the instructor urged. "Imagine a lotus streaming forth golden light …"
For Wilfong, something else sprang up: the idea of grafting her three favorite interests — gardening, meditation and writing — into a book.
Five years later, the Dummerston resident has published "The Meditative Gardener: Cultivating Mindfulness of Body, Feelings and Mind," a 256-page paperback blooming with insight, instruction and color photography.
"Just as we cultivate our flower, vegetable and herb gardens, we can bring such intention and effort to nurturing our inner garden," she writes in the introduction. "The Buddha's teachings help us understand the similarities between nature and human nature."
Wilfong laughs when recalling how the nun's calls to imagine were supposed to plant visions of loving kindness. Instead, they got her looking at her life.
An Indiana native, she had come to Vermont in 1972 and discovered gardening in 1977, just before marking her 30th birthday with her first meditation retreat.
A counselor by training, Wilfong went on to graduate from the University of Vermont Extension's Master Gardener program in 1999 and enroll in the Community Dharma Leader course at California's Spirit Rock Meditation Center in 2005. Needing a class project, she began her book.
Having already written "Following the Nez Perce Trail" — a 512-page guide to the historic passage from Montana to Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon — Wilfong knew she needed to start with an outline. For "The Meditative Gardener," she found her framework in the basic teaching points of the Satipatthana Sutta, a Buddhist text whose title translates into "Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness."
That complex work reflects on the body and its myriad sensations, be they pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, and the mind and its states ranging from love to hate. Through it, Wilfong saw a simple truth: "The mind is the master, and the body is the slave."
With mental focus, she has moved from her first garden — a small plot of flowers and vegetables — to develop a backyard Eden of almost 30 beds. But other times her thoughts drift and dawdle.
"Our minds are a jungle of exotic greenery that we walk or run through every day without really recognizing what it is that grows there," she writes. "We may even develop a certain fondness for some plants that we later find out have poisonous roots."
That's when the mind, touched by desire, hatred or ignorance, triggers the body to actions of greed, aversion or delusion. Wilfong cites such garden-variety examples as purchasing too many plants or procrastinating from weeding.
She also writes about the rest of the world. The short biography on her book jacket makes her life sound serene: The author wakes daily before dawn to meditate, then gardens, studies Buddhism, naps 20 minutes every afternoon and teaches at Brattleboro's Vermont Insight Meditation Center before retiring early.
But Wilfong feels the sting of being, and not just from mosquitoes. Having come of age in the 1970s, she recounts on page 120 the camaraderie of sex, drugs and rock and roll — and the consequences upon waking up.
"I was really trying to skate around that," the author says.
But her editor pushed for personal detail.
"I did it, as briefly as possible," Wilfong says with a laugh. "It's just being honest that I'm human."
Wilfong's book doesn't chisel a set of moral commandments. Instead it coaches readers how to contemplate whether attaching to or avoiding something harms more than helps.
Alongside a set of related exercises — consider "Loving-Kindness Meditation toward Bugs" or "Sprouting Compost Contemplation" — the author also urges everyone to exhale.
"Having goodwill toward the garden is important, but even more important is having goodwill toward the gardener, which is to say, yourself," she writes. "If we practice mindfulness, we realize we don't have to improve anything; we need only bring awareness to the time we spend in the garden."
If only publishers acted accordingly. Wilfong spoke with several who liked her concept but wanted changes. Deciding to print the book herself, she received help from Windham County photographers Gene Parulis and Lynne Weinstein and book designers Dede Cummings and Carolyn Kasper.
The author is advertising the $35 paperback in the Buddhist magazines Shambhala Sun, Buddhadharma and Tricycle, through mailings to fellow members of the national Garden Writers Association, and on her Web site, www.meditativegardener.com (which features downloadable meditations).
With the weekend's arrival of spring, Wilfong is getting ready for another summer of gardening.
"I went with the break-your-back theory for almost 30 years."
Then she hired someone to help out.
Isn't that cheating? Wilfong considers it compassion.
"This was a way to be kind to myself, and I could hire a mother and support her. We're doing each other a service."
And sharing their good nature.


Welcome to our resource library. Here at Alliance we believe that knowledge is power—for this reason we are constantly creating new material so that you have all the resources you need to make informed and educated decisions when it comes to your next project.
More so, if there is something that you would like information on but it's not in out library—contact us, we'd be more than happy to help.
Do You Have a True Understanding of the Cost for Bonding?


text:
from Qt import QtCore, QtGui, QtWidgets, QtCompat

class Ui_mainWindow(object):
    def setupUi(self, mainWindow):
        mainWindow.setObjectName("mainWindow")
        mainWindow.resize(485, 391)
        self.centralwidget = QtWidgets.QWidget(mainWindow)
        self.centralwidget.setObjectName("centralwidget")
        self.verticalLayout = QtWidgets.QVBoxLayout(self.centralwidget)
        self.verticalLayout.setObjectName("verticalLayout")
        self.lineEdit_search = QtWidgets.QLineEdit(self.centralwidget)
        self.lineEdit_search.setObjectName("lineEdit_search")
        self.verticalLayout.addWidget(self.lineEdit_search)
        self.tableView = QtWidgets.QTableView(self.centralwidget)
        self.tableView.setSelectionBehavior(QtWidgets.QAbstractItemView.SelectRows)
        self.tableView.setObjectName("tableView")
        self.tableView.horizontalHeader().setStretchLastSection(True)
        self.verticalLayout.addWidget(self.tableView)
        self.horizontalLayout = QtWidgets.QHBoxLayout()
        self.horizontalLayout.setObjectName("horizontalLayout")
        self.pushButton_reload = QtWidgets.QPushButton(self.centralwidget)
        self.pushButton_reload.setObjectName("pushButton_reload")
        self.horizontalLayout.addWidget(self.pushButton_reload)
        spacerItem = QtWidgets.QSpacerItem(40, 20, QtWidgets.QSizePolicy.Expanding, QtWidgets.QSizePolicy.Minimum)
        self.horizontalLayout.addItem(spacerItem)
        self.verticalLayout.addLayout(self.horizontalLayout)
        mainWindow.setCentralWidget(self.centralwidget)
        self.menubar = QtWidgets.QMenuBar(mainWindow)
        self.menubar.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(0, 0, 485, 28))
        self.menubar.setObjectName("menubar")
        mainWindow.setMenuBar(self.menubar)
        self.statusbar = QtWidgets.QStatusBar(mainWindow)
        self.statusbar.setObjectName("statusbar")
        mainWindow.setStatusBar(self.statusbar)
        self.actionReload = QtWidgets.QAction(mainWindow)
        self.actionReload.setObjectName("actionReload")
        self.actionSearchQueryChanged = QtWidgets.QAction(mainWindow)
        self.actionSearchQueryChanged.setObjectName("actionSearchQueryChanged")

        self.retranslateUi(mainWindow)
        QtCore.QObject.connect(self.pushButton_reload, QtCore.SIGNAL("released()"), self.actionReload.trigger)
        QtCore.QObject.connect(self.lineEdit_search, QtCore.SIGNAL("textChanged(QString)"), self.actionSearchQueryChanged.trigger)
        QtCore.QMetaObject.connectSlotsByName(mainWindow)

    def retranslateUi(self, mainWindow):
        mainWindow.setWindowTitle(QtCompat.translate("mainWindow", "OMTK - Plugin Manager", None, -1))
        self.pushButton_reload.setText(QtCompat.translate("mainWindow", "Reload", None, -1))
        self.actionReload.setText(QtCompat.translate("mainWindow", "Reload", None, -1))
        self.actionSearchQueryChanged.setText(QtCompat.translate("mainWindow", "SearchQueryChanged", None, -1))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub