This 1985 Mazda RX-7 shows just 68k miles and is a largely stock GSL-SE finished in black over burgundy leather. This first generation Series 3 car is equipped with a fuel-injected RE-EGI 13B rotary and a 5-speed manual gearbox. It was acquired by the seller in the summer of 2017 from an RX7 club moderator out of Florida and brought to Arizona the following October. Recent work included new clutch hydraulics, fluid flushes, and an idler arm replacement, along with a fresh starter and battery. The sale includes factory accessories and manuals, partial records, a clean Carfax report, and a clear Arizona title in the seller's name.
Black paint is thought to be original throughout and has held up well overall per the seller. Several paint meter readings are provided in the gallery below. Miscellaneous blemishes are detailed up close, including an area of checking along the driver-side fender and quarter panel. The seller has reportedly found no evidence of body repairs and no accidents are indicated in the Carfax report.
Fittipaldi 15" wheels are mounted with Goodyear RS-A rubber from 2011 with approximately 8,000 miles of use according to the seller. A set of factory chrome SE-specific wheels is also included and pictured below. Black plastic trim is said to be relatively free of fading, while glass and lenses are absent of chips or cracks. Both retractable headlights are shown to be operational in photos.
Bucket seats are upholstered in burgundy leather and set off by silver dash accents. Trim is described as in good general condition aside from several areas of fading from UV exposure. The top-line SE model featured a removable body-colored sunroof and interchangeable glass moonroof, both of which are included here. Power windows and cruise control are also equipped along with air conditioning, which is said to be functional.
Instrumentation includes a 7,000 rpm tach and a 6-digit odometer showing just over 68k miles, approximately 3,000 of which have been added by the seller since mid-2017. The rear window wiper recently failed according to the seller, while all other accessories are said to be operational including the original AM/FM cassette stereo with equalizer. The power antenna has been replaced with a short fixed unit, though the original wiring remains present.
The fuel-injected 1.3L RE-EGI was a more powerful variant of the 13B rotary than that fitted to most contemporary RX-7s, producing 135 horsepower with 135 lb-ft of torque in 1985. Shifting is through a 5-speed manual gearbox, and a 2017 service included new clutch master and slave cylinders, oil and coolant flushes, an idler arm replacement, and an alignment.
Braking is from discs at all four corners. A fresh starter and battery were installed in 2016, while the brake fluid was flushed and accessory belts were replaced in 2015.
The Carfax report shows no accidents, thefts, or other issues.
Documentation is supplied for the 2017 work and occasional service receipts are said to date to the 1980s. A factory spare tire and jacking kit are also included in the sale along with the glass roof panel bag, front bra, owner's manual, and two keys.


Set in clean tidy garden like surrounds.
Our Power sites are a good size and have hedges and specimen trees for summer shade. There are a limited number of 10 meter plus RV sites for the larger mobile homes. We highly recommend booking these in advance. A Dump station is available for park guests use and every site has easy to access drinking water. Please note that all power connectors must have current electrical warrants or approved RCD plugs.
""Keep it up. You are one of the best of the over 100 motor camps we have stayed on since we retired 6 years ago".


text:
North Carolina Republicans Have Tweaked Their Delegate Allocation Formula, but...
North Carolina Republicans had a bit of a roller coaster ride in 2015 with respect to how the party's plans for delegate selection came together.
First, North Carolina law at the time tethered the presidential primary in the Tar Heel state to the primary in South Carolina. That was a position -- prior to March 1 -- out of compliance with the national party rules.
Then, in an effort to remedy the calendar issue, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation (which was subsequently signed into law) that not only shifted the primary election date back into compliance but called for a winner-take-allocation of delegates. The latter of those changes was then ignored by the North Carolina Republican Party when the party opted for a straight proportional allocation of national convention delegates.1
But most of that law expired after the 2016 primaries. The primary date reverted to its position tethered to the South Carolina primary and the allocation method called for in state law again defaulted to proportional.
However, the tinkering has continued on both fronts -- within the state party and in the state legislature -- during the 2020 cycle. But the actions from both in that span have conflicted with one another and again threatens the compliance of the NCGOP delegate selection process. At the same time that legislation was active in 2017 in the General Assembly to schedule the North Carolina presidential primary for Super Tuesday (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March), North Carolina Republicans were voting to make the method of allocation more winner-take-all. That legislation became law in 2018, pushing the presidential primary in the Tar Heel state into the proportionality window (where winner-take-all rules are conditionally prohibited).
Now, while that combination of primary date and allocation rules is non-compliant under 2020 RNC delegate selection rules, it is not a problem, per se. And FHQ will explain why in a moment. But first, let us step through the changes that have been made to the allocation rules to this point.
For the 2016 cycle, North Carolina Republicans pooled all of their delegates (at-large, congressional district and automatic) and proportionally allocated them based on the statewide primary results. Additionally, there was no defined qualifying threshold. In other words, 1) the 2016 NCGOP allocation method was a close to mathematical proportionality as it gets and 2) that allowed for candidates receiving a very marginal share of the statewide primary vote to win delegates. Ben Carson, for example, only won roughly one percent of the vote in the 2016 North Carolina primary, but that was good enough to round him up to one delegate of the state's 72.
Few other states had a bar set so low for a candidate to be allocated any delegates. North Carolina, then, was inconsistent in its method of allocation compared with its peer states, much less the entire pool of states and territories. That gave the NCGOP room for some maneuvering during the 2020 cycle. And tinker they did in 2017.
In assembling a new plan in 2017, North Carolina Republicans shifted away from low bar proportionality and added several new layers that are similar to neighboring states.
From the Tennessee Republican method, the NCGOP borrowed a fairly high, two-thirds winner-take-all threshold for the allocation of congressional district delegates. Of the states that have winner-take-all thresholds in the Republican nomination process, the vast majority set it at its lowest point, a bare majority. If a candidate wins a majority of the vote, then that candidate wins all of the delegates either statewide or within a given congressional district. A two-thirds winner-take-all trigger is obviously a more difficult bar to hit (especially potentially in a crowded field of candidates).
From the Georgia Republican allocation method, the NCGOP mimicked the unique proportional allocation scheme for congressional district delegates. If no candidate reaches the two-thirds threshold, then the allocation system awards two delegates to the top vote-getter and the other congressional district delegate to the second highest candidate, but only if both candidates are above the 20 percent qualifying threshold. If only the top candidate clears that barrier in a given congressional district, then all three delegates go to that candidate. That is the backdoor winner-take-all scenario (but confined to just the congressional district level).
From the South Carolina Republican allocation method, the NCGOP took its new method for allocating at-large delegates. Under the South Carolina system -- and now the North Carolina Republican system -- the plurality winner of the statewide vote wins all of the at-large delegates from the state.
The elements borrowed from Tennessee and Georgia are both consistent with RNC rules. Yes, the combination contains winner-take-all elements, but those thresholds are rules-compliant. So, too, is the unique proportional allocation. No, that sort of top two allocation method is not exactly mathematically proportional, but there are only so many ways that three congressional district delegates can be allocated proportionally. This is one of them.
But the winner-take-all element that is akin to the South Carolina delegate selection process is not rules-compliant for a primary that is scheduled before March 15. And it is that segment of the NCGOP plan of organization that will have to change to come back into compliance.
That is a problem, right?
Technically, yes. But North Carolina Republicans are on top of it. A change to the at-large delegate allocation is on the agenda for the June 6-9 North Carolina Republican Party state convention in Concord. If adopted -- and the party has a persuasive case built on compliance issues to take to state convention delegates -- the allocation of at-large delegates would become more conditionally proportional. Under the proposal, the allocation of at-large delegates would...
Remain winner-take-all in the event that such a scheme is consistent with national party rules. While it is not, the insertion of this element is crafted with future cycles in mind. Should the RNC rescind the proportionality window in the future, then the NCGOP already has language included to allow for a winner-take-all allocation of at-large delegates. Even without a change on that front from the RNC, the NCGOP would have the foundation in place for a winner-take-all allocation of delegates should the North Carolina primary be scheduled for a later date, outside the proportionality window.
Be proportional to all candidates with more than 20 percent of the vote statewide in the primary.
Those changes would bring the North Carolina Republican Party delegate selection process back into compliance with RNC rules. However, what is noteworthy is what is missing in this latest round of proposed changes. There is, for example, no equivalent two-thirds threshold to conditionally award all at-large delegates to a candidate in a way similar to the allocation of congressional district delegates.
In other words, this plan is not quite as helpful to an incumbent president as it could be. And that breaks to some degree from the narrative that the RNC in concert with state parties is working to engineer a delegate selection system that is maximally advantageous to President Trump. Like Massachusetts Republicans, the NCGOP plan moves in the direction of assisting the president, but unlike those Bay state changes, the North Carolina move does not turn the knob as far in the president's favor as it could have.
1 "Ignored" may not be the best way of describing that. State parties ultimately have the discretion to set their own rules for delegate allocation. And the North Carolina Republican Party certainly used that discretion in the midst of the consideration the 2015 bill cited above. That said, the bill-turned-law set the method of allocation for winner-take-all, but allowed state parties an opt-out if that baseline was inconsistent with national party rules. But for Tar Heel state Republicans, a March 15 presidential primary was outside the proportionality window, and thus the winner-take-all scheme was compliant with national party rules. Nonetheless, North Carolina Republicans chose a proportional method of allocation with no qualifying threshold.
Labels: 2020 presidential election, delegate selection plans, North Carolina, proportionality rules, state parties
North Carolina Republicans Have Tweaked Their Dele...
Magic Number? Determining the Winning Number of De...
Maine Committee Working Session Offers Little Clar...
Massachusetts GOP Rules Change Adds an Element of ...
Committee Hearing Finds Both DC Parties in Favor o...
Puerto Rico Democrats Further Signal a Primary Mov...
Kansas Democrats Settle on May Party-Run Primary
Governor Polis Sets Colorado Presidential Primary ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Unanswered Senate Intel Committee Leaker Questions Haunt Russia Probe
The recent arrest of the Senate Intelligence Committee's former security director James Wolfe for lying to federal authorities about leaking to reporters has raised questions about the credibility and impartiality of the committee's Russia probe.
The Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation has been viewed — especially by Trump resisters — as the more serious and bipartisan of Congress's efforts to look into Russian meddling and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. The House Intelligence Committee's investigation was accused of partisanship and seen as less credible.
But Wolfe's arrest for leaking, in addition to other unaddressed behavior by the committee, suggests the Senate Intelligence Committee's probe has been corrupted by Democratic partisanship.
Wolfe, 57, was not just some committee aide. He was the committee's security director — responsible for handling all security matters for the committee, including making sure all classified documents were secure, that members did not accidentally reveal classified information, and that issues that could be security threats — such as extramarital affairs by staffers — were dealt with.
Yet according to his indictment, Wolfe used his supposedly non-partisan position to leak information to reporters that targeted former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and was damaging to him personally, as well as the Trump campaign.
"The revelation that the security director of that committee may have leaked information, certainly allegedly lied to the FBI about his communications with reporters, calls the whole operation into account," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
"The Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into Russia has been officially compromised," he added.
Targeting Carter Page
Wolfe last year confirmed to then-Buzzfeed reporter Ali Watkins that Page was identified as "[MALE-1]" in a classified court document the Justice Department had given the committee last year.
Shortly after, on April 3, 2017, Watkins published a story regarding the contents of the document, which said Page had "met with and passed documents to a Russian intelligence operative" in New York in 2013.
Page has said the "document" was research he had done, based on publicly-available information, and the "operative" was a Russian intelligence agent posted to the United Nations under diplomatic cover at the time. Page had actually cooperated with FBI agents to help indict the Russian intelligence agents who had tried to recruit him.
But Watkins' article — which was then picked up by numerous outlets — helped fuel a mainstream media narrative that the Trump campaign was in cahoots with Russia. She reported, "The revelation of Page's connection to Russian intelligence — which occurred more than three years before his association with Trump — is the most clearly documented contact to date between Russian intelligence and someone in Trump's orbit."
"This is an enormous problem. I mean, the two intelligence committees, we have access to some of the most highly sensitive information in the entire U.S. government," Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News Friday.
"The fact that you don't like the president, you may not agree with his politics, does not give you authority to leak classified information. I want to put that out there," Stewart said.
It was not Wolfe's only leak targeting Page.
Another leak, this time to MSNBC, revealed Page had been subpoenaed by Senate Intelligence Committee. MSNBC would later capture Page on video walking into the building.
Page responded Friday to the news via Twitter: "…It had long been a mystery to me how @MSNBC always miraculously knew about / was well staked-out for my Hart Senate Office Building visits, despite my best effort attempts to stay undercover. I guess all these things are now becoming more understandable."
Republican Senators Ignore Questions on Wolfe Leaks
Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee have not been eager to answer any questions about Wolfe's leaking or whether their investigation has been compromised.
Breitbart News sent a query to every Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, asking if they would comment on Wolfe's leaking and lying to federal investigators, and whether it has compromised the investigation.
Only Sen. James Lankford's (R-UT) office responded by deadline with, "We're not going to comment. Thanks for asking."
It is not clear whether the committee ever took steps to clamp down on those leaks — despite Page warning back in October 2017 that someone on the committee was leaking information about him.
According to the indictment, Page notified the committee twice, first on October 18, 2017, that someone had leaked that he had been subpoenaed by the committee, and again on October 24, 2017, that someone had leaked the timing of his expected appearance.
It appears they did nothing until they were notified by federal authorities later that year.
Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) said in a statement Thursday that they learned about the investigation into Wolfe "late last year," and had "fully cooperated with the FBI and DOJ since then."
"This news is disappointing, as the former staffer in question served on the Committee for more than three decades, and in the Armed Forces with distinction," they added.
Warner's Backchannel with Democratic Operatives
Wolfe's leaking is not the first time the committee has faced questions over its impartiality.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Warner, the committee's top Democrat, tried to establish a private backchannel with "pee dossier" author ex-British spy Christopher Steele, and was meeting with a Democratic operative working with Fusion GPS, the firm that commissioned the dossier.
In February, Fox News obtained unclassified text messages that showed that Warner had tried to get Steele to meet with him before any of the other committee members.
Texts between Warner and lawyer Adam Waldman showed that Steele repeatedly refused, and asked for a bipartisan letter from both Burr and Warner as political cover.
But Warner continued to push for a secret meeting or phone conversation with Steele without Burr, telling Waldman he would "rather not have a paper trail."
Warner also texted the lobbyist: "We have so much to discuss u need to be careful but we can help our country."
"I'm in," replied Waldman.
Waldman is the founder, president and CEO of the Endeavor Group, which according to a 2009 Harper's Magazine article, has "close ties" to Hillary Clinton.
Waldman, who represented Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, also offered to provide Warner information on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Deripaska and Manafort were former business partners who had a falling out.
The Curious Case of Former Senate Intel Staffer Daniel Jones
The texts also revealed that during the committee's investigation, Warner and Waldman were in touch with former Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee aide and former FBI official Daniel Jones, who at the time was working with Fusion GPS to continue looking for ties between Trump and Russia.
According to an April House Intelligence Committee report, Jones told the FBI in March 2017 that his group, the Penn Quarter Group, was paid $50 million by seven to ten wealthy donors to continue exposing Russian meddling, and that he had hired Fusion GPS to help him. Their research would go to "policymakers on Capitol Hill and the press."
According to the texts, Warner and Jones were directly in contact around that time.
In one text, Waldman told Warner that Steele would speak to Jones, whom he knew was speaking to Warner. In another text on April 25, 2017, Waldman said Steele told him that Jones was going to see Warner directly.
A Daily Caller report shows that Jones was also feeding Waldman news stories that he and Fusion GPS had planted in the media, including one by McClatchy that alleged the FBI was investigating whether Russian bots were influencing conservative outlets like Breitbart and Infowars.
Those same McClatchy reporters later reported that Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen visted Prague in 2016 — which would have validated one of the claims in the dossier. The McClatchy report was later criticized as thinly-resourced and not credible.
After Warner's texts came to light in February, the committee circled the wagons around him.
Warner and Burr issued a statement blasting "leaks of incomplete information."
"Leaks of incomplete information out of context by anyone, inside or outside our committee, are unacceptable," they said. They did not issue any statement when Page's name was exposed last April.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the committee, also defended Warner at the time, saying that he had fully disclosed his efforts to the committee four months prior, and adding that they had "zero impact on our work."
Burr has also criticized the House Intelligence Committee's investigation, saying, "I'm not sure that the House was required to substantiate every conclusion with facts."
The House investigation, among other things, revealed the dossier had been funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and that the Justice Department and FBI had used it to obtain a surveillance warrant on Page, without telling the surveillance court who paid for the dossier.
The investigation also showed the DOJ and FBI had also relied on a news article that was based on the dossier, and that the FBI had cut ties with Steele because he had shared his dossier with news outlets and talked to news media about his relationship with the FBI.
When Will the Senate's Investigation End?
While the House ended their investigation in March after 14 months, the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation is still ongoing, with no signs of wrapping up.
Last October, Burr told reporters that the issue of collusion was still an "open question," and in March, he told CNN that he has seen no evidence of collusion.
MORE: Burr just told me he's seen "NO" evidence of collusion yet and no evidence yet to substantiate 2017 IC assessment that Putin sought to aid Trump. Asked about efforts by Russians to coordinate w Trump camp, he said: "It's collusion on part of the Russians not the Trump camp"
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 12, 2018
The committee last month did issue a conclusion that Russia meddled in the election to help Trump and hurt Clinton — but have held off on issuing one on the collusion question.
Burr has said he hoped to finish the investigation during the month-long August recess, but now that the recess has been shortened to a week, it is not clear when the investigation will wrap up.
Meanwhile, Wolfe will continue to be a headache and a black mark on the reputation of the committee, as he faces prosecution. He is due to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in a federal D.C. district court.
"It really undermines what the committee's been doing, and whether it can be trusted to do anything in the future," Fitton said.
CrimePoliticsali watkinsJames WolfeJudicial WatchSen. Marco RubioSen. Mark WarnerSen. Richard BurrSenate Intelligence Committee


text:
The 11 best neighborhood restaurants in the Hartford area, according to our readers
Kevin Rennie: Lamont faces tough questions as the election season approaches, so do his potential Republican opponents
Where to get tested over the long weekend, walk-up and by appointment
UConn's Adama Sanogo emerging as a beast in the Big East as his power game starts to pay multiple dividends for Huskies
The Talcott Mountain Collective: Where you can get local beer, food and an 'escape from reality'
WNBA free agency 2022: What to know about the Connecticut Sun's situation, and what former UConn players are free agents
Ex-Gov John Rowland Out Of Prison
No. 10 UConn women's basketball team facing Xavier with renewed energy and willpower, especially on defense
22-year-old man fatally shot in Hamden
READER SUBMITTED: Lebanon Continues Effort To Support Agriculture
By Philip Chester and Town of Lebanon Town Planner
Lebanon |
The adoption of Public Act 14-33 (as part of CGS 12-91) this spring allows towns to exempt horses and ponies from taxation, and Lebanon's Board of Selectmen wasted no time adopting this provision in its continuing effort to support agriculture.
On Aug. 19, the Selectmen voted to exempt horses and ponies from taxation beginning Oct.1; but not before it heard from its current and former Assessor and its Town Planner - all of whom support the exemption.
Assessor Emma Sousa notes that there is significant time and money involved in billing and collecting taxes on horses, and the result is a relatively small amount of tax revenue generated for the Town. She also notes that under State Statute an exemption of $1,000 off the assessment is applied for each horse, and it is up to owners to declare the value of their horses.
Town Planner Philip Chester supports the exemption noting that this would be a further step in the town's goal to encourage agriculture, including horse farms, which could lead to additional tax revenue for buildings related to horses as well as ancillary businesses. He notes that taxing horses dates back to when they were used for farming and transportation, whereas now tractors and cars take their place and are taxed.
Lebanon has the largest amount of active farmland in the State and has strategically placed itself at the center of Connecticut's farmland preservation movement. It has the most preserved farmland of any town in the State. The town works closely with the agricultural community and regularly works with property owners interested in preserving their land and seeks federal, state and private non-profit grants to that end.
In recognition of Lebanon's significance in the farmland preservation movement the Department of Agriculture has chosen Lebanon Green to host its Farmland Preservation Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This family-friendly event is free and open to all and will include live music, square dancing, Connecticut Grown food, a hay maze, horse-drawn wagon rides and more.
Latest Lebanon
Lyman Memorial girls' basketball team begins new season
Lyman Memorial wins Class S girls' volleyball championship


text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!--
  **
  ** This file is maintained by amandel (Andreas Mandel),
  ** mgriffel (Michael Griffel) and amessner (Albrecht Messner).
  **
  ** PLEASE do not modify this file without approval from
  ** the maintainers!
  **
  -->
<app:app-info xmlns:app="http://www.jcoderz.org/app-info-v1.0"
         xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude">
   <application
      id="1"
      name="FawkeZ"
      short-name="FWK"
      package="org.jcoderz.commons">

      <xi:include href="fwk-rte-info.xml"/>
      <xi:include href="fwk-cmn-info.xml"/>
      <xi:include href="fwk-con-info.xml"/>
      <xi:include href="fwk-cfg-info.xml"/>

      <!-- =============================================
        Test Messages (don't use them; may be removed in future!)
        ============================================= -->
      <group
         id="255"
         name="Test Messages"
         short-name="TST"
         package="org.jcoderz.commons"
         service="NONE">
         <message
            id="65536"
            name="TEST_MESSAGE"
            level="java.util.logging.Level.INFO">
            <text>
               This is a test message and should not be used in a
               production environment. The parameter foo is set to
               ''{FOO}''. Now it''s
               {java.util.Date:NOW,date}. Time
               {java.util.Date:NOW,time}.
            </text>
            <solution>
               This is the solution of the test message.
            </solution>
         </message>
         <message
            id="65535"
            name="TEST_AUDIT_MESSAGE"
            level="INFO"
            category="AUDIT">
            <text>
               This is a test audit event and should not be used in a
               production environment.
            </text>
         </message>
         <configEntry furtherChangeRestricted="true">
            <key>testKey</key>
            <description>
               This is a test key.
            </description>
            <type>String</type>
            <serializeMethod></serializeMethod>
            <deserializeMethod></deserializeMethod>
            <defaultValue>test value</defaultValue>
            <roles>FawkezAdmin</roles>
         </configEntry>
      </group>
   </application>
</app:app-info>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: V8 communicating with busy script Through v8 I am running javascript which is waiting on input from the engine side. See below the simplified example. The problem is that Run() is blocking and flag is never set to 0. I also tried executing Run() in a new thread with Access Violation Errors as a result.
Is there a simple way to communicate with the running Javascript code? If it takes a separate Thread, what am I missing please?
Thank you very much in advance for your help!
int flag = 1;

static void getFlag(v8::Local<v8::String> property,
    const v8::PropertyCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& info) {

    info.GetReturnValue().Set(flag);
}

...
objtemplate->SetAccessor(String::NewFromUtf8(isolate, "flag"), getFlag);
...
Handle<String> source = String::NewFromUtf8(isolate, "while(flag) { ... }");
Handle<Script> script = Script::Compile(source);
script->Run();

flag = 0;

This is my multi-thread approach:
void runner(v8::Handle<v8::Script> * script) {
    (*script)->Run();
}

CreateThread(0, 0, (LPTHREAD_START_ROUTINE) runner, (LPVOID) &script, 0, 0);

A: Without going into details about why the above doesn't work: what you are trying to achieve  is multi-threading in JavaScript. That does not exist. JavaScript is a single-threaded language by design. Concurrency is asynchronous. And V8, like all other JS VMs, is a single-threaded engine. The only way multiple threads can access the same isolate is through a global mutax (cf. the Locker class).
In short, trying to approach JavaScript with a programming approach based on multi-threading won't get you anywhere. It's not how it works.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I get this output on the terminal and the cursor keeps blinking. I get the same result for several different queries.
Try putting a / on a new line.
You must terminate the SQL statement with semi-colon.
Also, prefer using / for PL/SQL objects where you have lot of statements embedded. If you use / for SQL statements, chances are that you might end up executing the statement twice as the previous executed statement is in the current buffer, and / executes statements in the current buffer.


text:
My Grandma died one week ago at the age of 85. I stayed up late the night before her funeral with a notebook and pen, trying to articulate what I was feeling about her and about the devastating loss of her. The funeral was a beautiful, celebratory, all-day affair. The service itself was two hours long, standing-room-only. We sang, and sang, and sang, as Mennonites in general and my family in particular do. My uncle built her casket, a beautiful unfinished pine--a bit of sawdust still lingered on an edge--and my cousin Darlene and sister Marja sewed the lining and the pillow. My mother, Grandma's only daughter, and my sister Becky and cousin Darlene dressed her for burial and did her hair. I love these elemental, grounded connections to the fact of the loss, and I love that to the very end, it was the hands of those who loved and knew her--those to whom she gave life--that touched her body and laid it to rest.
This is what I wrote the night before, and read at her funeral:
My first thought when I learned that Grandma had died was: I'm not prepared for this. It felt shocking in a way that objectively the death of an 85-year-old should not. But I wasn't prepared—I was shocked and overcome and heartbroken. Because you're never ready to lose a person who has been a fixture of your life from birth.
It's a luxury and a blessing to have such a thing as fixtures in your life, such a thing as a person who will always be there. To have had, in my case, almost 37 years with her.
I've been thinking about heritage. Legacy, about what's passed down, about the thread from woman to woman, from one generation to the next.
My daughter Aphra is a baby in a 4-generation photograph in which Grandma is the eldest. I am a baby in a 4-generation photograph in which my mother looks quite a lot as I do now. In a recent photo of myself, I am smiling a smile identical to the one Grandma's wearing in her wedding photo at age 19.
There's a grimace Grandma would make when she was opening a tight jar of peaches or jam. I catch myself making the same face in the same situations. She told me once, in her kitchen, not to bother filling a dirty pot with water for soaking—just set it in the sink and it will soon be filled through the normal course of kitchen activity, as the tap runs for hand-washing and cup-filling and purposes unrelated to soaking the pot. I think of this in my own kitchen nearly every time I set a dirty dish in the sink. Her water-saving tip always bears out.
We moved into a new house at the same time that Grandma and Grandpa were moving out of their home of 53 years on Moxam Drive, and we inherited many items they no longer had use for. I make soup in Grandma's stockpot. We have two threadbare quilts that hold a lot of history. Our living room lamps are so old they're cool—a friend told me she was sure she'd seen the exact set selling for a lot of money on Queen West. I cherish these small tangible connections to my past and to the people I come from. I think of Grandma regularly, when I'm making soup, and when I'm opening jars.
I make soup in Grandma's pot. Afterward, I do not fill the pot with wasted water.
The thing I treasured most about the year and a bit my grandparents lived with my parents was that my children got to develop a genuine ongoing relationship of their own with their Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa. I love that they loved her, that they'll remember her at least a little bit. That they knew her--certainly with less energy and ability than I did--but with the same puzzles and cookies and delight in seeing their faces. They knew from her the same love—a love that was so unforced and ever-present that it felt normal and unremarkable, that I now know was in fact extraordinary.
Draft Reading Series - March 23
On Sunday, March 23 I'll be reading in the Draft Reading Series, upstairs at the Black Swan Tavern in Toronto. After some internal debate over whether I'd feel less vulnerable up there hiding behind some fiction, I'm going with a personal essay, an unpublished creative non-fiction piece called A Real Woman. I'd be delighted to see you there. A limited-edition publication called Draft will also be available. I'm reading alongside Laure Baudot, Anne Elizabeth Carson, Jann Everard, Daniel Karasik, and Koom Kankesan.
Sunday, March 23, 3 p.m.
The Black Swan Tavern (upstairs)
154 Danforth (at Broadview)


text:
10 steps to success with money
Financial Literacy: 10 Steps to Success with Money
Warren Buffett started with $6,000 saved from his paper routes and in 60 years, accumulated $60 billions—about the size of Bolivia's GDP.
What can we learn from Mr Buffett?
"My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest."
Invest your money in businesses sharing profits with you and over time you can reach $1,000,000. Use an IRS tax-FREE account and it's like a $300,000 bonus.
http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Literacy-Steps-Success-Money/dp/1491044616/
People don't reach goals because they don't start saving early
Only one in four financial planning clients actually begin saving early enough in their career to achieve the recommended level of retirement savings. Overspending and living beyond one's means (61 percent) are the most common reasons clients veer from their financial plans, the study shows. You can make sure your grandchild starts early by opening a tax-FREE account for them with $100. Every year you delay costs your favorite kid $100,000 later. http://www.amazon.com/Give-your-Grandchild-000-Lifetime/dp/1456433105
Study shows indexing is good even for high-cost managers
Fund managers have every incentive to mimic their benchmark when markets are down, according to researchers. During up years, a strong relationship exists between fund performance and net flows. However, during down years, outperforming or underperforming a benchmark does not have a significant impact on the subsequent year's flows. Earn 10-12% yourself without the high fees: http://www.amazon.com/your-Wall-Street-Stock-traders/dp/1490533273
Drivers don't use discounts—missing $500 savings
Almost two in five drivers are either not receiving any car insurance discounts (30%) or do not know if they are receiving any discounts (9%), according to InsuranceQuotes.com. http://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Insurance-Beware-Double-Coverage/dp/1480027634
Health exchange drops price
Kaiser Permanente lowered the rates it is proposing to charge customers through the District's new DC Health Link insurance exchange by 4.4 percent for small-business employees and half a percent for individuals. Two other plans, United HealthCare, and Aetna dropped rates by more than 10 percent. CareFirst is the fourth company on the exchange. Buy only what you need: http://www.amazon.com/Health-Insurance-ONLY-right-policy/dp/1480125083
Insurers named in "too big to fail" list
AIG and Allianz are among insurers deemed systemically important by global financial rule makers, meaning they may face tougher capital standards and tighter regulation.
Health care exchanges explained (sort of) in video
http://kff.org/health-reform/video/youtoons-obamacare-video/
When you shop for health insurance, avoid these inadequate policies and gaps in coverage: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/hazardous-health-plans/index.htm
ObamaCare exchanges required states to work through many parts. Each state offers differing benefits and costs. NY says you can save 50%. Some states offer nothing. Having a lot of choices just makes it harder to decide and lets insurers cloud the price: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/19/what-makes-u-s-health-insurance-exchanges-so-complicated/
81% of Americans say they are aware of the 2010 Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) requirement that most Americans must carry health insurance or pay a fine. But many uninsured say they didn't know they had to get coverage. Where have they been?
LA homeowners' rate increases
State Farm in Louisiana is making changes to minimum homeowners' deductibles and implementing an overall 8.8 percent homeowners' rate increases. Check coverage for discounts and save: http://www.amazon.com/Homeowners-Insurance-Beware-Coverage-Policy/dp/1480100870
FL wants the money from your benefits
The state of Florida has put the squeeze on some of the nation's biggest life insurance companies to hand over benefits from almost 96,000 unclaimed policies worth more than $75 million. You claim it: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/02/how-to-find-lost-life-insurance-policies/index.htm
Survey Finds Fear of the Markets Trumps Fear of Death
Americans are more afraid of investing in the stock market than they are of losing their jobs, public speaking and even dying. Many – especially younger investors – use a website for their financial planning needs. Investment 'professionals' are unclear about why this is. Low-cost index funds provide 10-12% a year over time.
83 percent of respondents are afraid of another financial crisis, while 72 percent are concerned their personal health care costs will become unmanageable and 71 percent worry they will not be able to pay for their children's education. Rather than working with an investment professional, generation X and millennials are more likely to use websites as their primary financial planning resource. Some use Wealth Without Wall Street: http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Commissions/dp/1442168137
SCAMS "Deficits don't matter" Republican godfather, Dick Cheney, 2002
Posted by dan keppel at 8:45 AM No comments:
Labels: 7000 millionaires, advisor fees, auto insurance, avoid taxes, life insurance, literacy, ObamaCare, too big to fail, unclaimed funds
Are you ready for retirement?
Are you ready for retirement? Hope for the best; Plan for the worst
=The best guarantee for the future is having money
=Financial advisors can't predict the future
=Make a plan for the future or the government will
Pension funds like the one for California workers (CalPERS) have 63% equities, 23% fixed income and 14% other assets like real estate, forests, etc. Very little is in risky investments like hedge funds or gold. By Ian Sender, former director, Wall Street firm
http://www.amazon.com/Are-you-ready-retirement-worst/dp/1491002662/
Annuity sales tactics you should avoid
When sales people hear that their products are expensive—3% a year or more, they claim that the benefits of death benefit and their sage advice are worth it. Most annuities never pay death benefits. Tax advantages are less than a regular investment account. Advice is not useful unless you are investing $100,000 or more.
Free email article available at IANBooksEditor@yahoo.com.
There are more sales tactics you should avoid: http://www.amazon.com/Not-Buy-That-Annuity-Guaranteed/dp/1466494573
How does your Medicare Advantage plan rate?
Out of five possible stars, 85 percent of AARP's plans fell into the 3.0-3.5 range, with 8.7 percent in the 4.0 range and no plans achieving an excellent 4.5 or 5.0 score. In comparison, 31 percent of non-AARP plans achieved a score of 4.0 or higher. The highest performing competitors across contracts were nonprofit health plans, including Kaiser; Gunderson Lutheran Health System; Baystate Health; and HealthPartners. Certain for-profit plans also had higher average contract scores than AARP, including Humana and Aetna. Compare plans at www.medicare.gov
Long-term care insurance usage study—Half used for home care
The majority of new long term care insurance claims in 2012 started after the policyholder was age 70. "Over two-thirds (68%) of new claims began after the policyholder turned 80," a study reports. "About one-in-four (23.5%) started their claim between ages 70 and 79. Roughly half of newly opened claimants received benefits for covered home care services with the rest paying for care in assisted living communities or skilled nursing homes. The most common reasons for a long term care insurance claim are Alzheimer's disease, stroke, arthritis, circulatory issues or injury." Only 4% of men require institutional care. Consider alternatives: http://www.amazon.com/Long-term-Care-Insurance-Updated-Edition/dp/148274001X
Car dealers now offer insurance in SC
Love Chevrolet and the Allstate Insurance Company partnered to open a new agency inside the dealership in Irmo that will sell a full-range of insurance products, including automotive, home and life insurance. Called Love Insurance and Financial Services, the agency is the first of its kind in South Carolina and is designed to create a one-stop shop for customers to buy and insure a car. Allstate finished a pilot program that opened agencies in 11 dealerships across the country during the past two years. The pilot program was successful, and now Allstate is expanding the model to other dealerships like Love Chevrolet. Instead, buy with discounts, directly and save: http://www.amazon.com/Vehicle-Insurance-Beware-Double-Coverage/dp/1480027634
Wall Street gurus crash and burn—but still make $ millions by avoiding taxes
Hot hands attract hot money from wealthy, take 2% and 20% of gains, become rich and lazy, hot money leaves to find another hot hand. The pattern is typical "bubble" creation so real long-term investors have stayed away. Those who stay at the party too long, regret it. Our working person's pension money is usually the last to leave. Thus one of the largest "bubbles" is down 8% in 2013 while their neighbor's 500 index fund is up 20%. Meanwhile, Congress still gives the "bubble" people a tax break and we pay for it. Gurus can't make you rich: http://www.amazon.com/Hows-your-Wall-Street-guru/dp/1490533273
401k use is up—average savings rate is over 10%
A survey of American workers cite "saving enough for retirement" as their greatest financial concern – but men are paying more attention and taking more positive action, but women live longer. Participants in general are saving more, with the average retirement savings rate among those surveyed at 10.5%, up from 9% two years ago. Satisfaction with information from retirement plan sponsors is down sharply (10% in 2013 vs. 30% two years ago). Men are more likely to have a professional advisor and are more confident than women in virtually every aspect of retirement planning and defined contribution investment decisions. Ensure Your Financial Health with Wealth: A Woman's Guide to a $2,000,000 Tax-FREE Wealth Reserve http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466388293
Is critical illness insurance right for you?
Prudential has just entered the employer market. These policies say they cover major illness like heart attack, cancer, organ transplant, renal failure, stroke and coronary artery bypass surgery. But employees are already covered for all of these causes in their comprehensive health care policy. Pru says health coverage does not pay for expenses like transportation and day care. These policies pay "a flat dollar amount, which can be used for anything and provides an "easy and convenient" way to keep extra protection in place," Pru said.
These kinds of policies are just an expensive savings account that pays you less. You are better off using your own car and family for these expenses and using the money to buy a real health policy. Renal failure and cancer treatments cost much more than any "flat dollar amount" from these policies. Skip it: http://www.amazon.com/Health-Insurance-ONLY-right-policy/dp/1480125083
Almost one-fourth of U.S. drivers feel they've come close to causing an accident while using their cell phone while driving, according to a new survey.
Allstate cutting benefits to employees to raise stock price
It named cost-cutting as one of its top priorities for 2013, and is reducing some retirement and life insurance benefits in a move that it says will boost its book value per share to $2. The changes include a new formula to calculate pensions, as well as ending retiree life insurance benefits for current employees.
America has more than 44 million workers (27,500 private-sector pension) that are now receiving reduced checks from the government pbgc.gov/ because their employers cancelled their pensions. Make your own: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466367466
Employees pick less-expensive high-deductible health plans
Liazon survey says that when given the choice between a conventional employer-sponsored health plan and a less-expensive high-deductible or preferred network plan, 60% of employees chose the lower-priced plans. "HSA plans encourage individuals to take an active role in their health care decisions while stretching their health care dollars." Buy only what you need: http://www.amazon.com/Health-Insurance-ONLY-right-policy/dp/1480125083
You don't get what you pay for—even for the "professionals"
State pension plans that pay higher fees don't get better returns for their employee plans. According to a BenefitsPro, "The 10 states paying the highest fees - a median rate of 0.61% - posted annualized five-year returns of 1.34%. In comparison, the 10 lowest-paying states paid a median rate of only 0.22% and garnered 2.38% returns." If pension funds would just stick low-cost index funds, they would have returns of 7% for 5 years. Don't pay for what "professionals" can't deliver: http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Commissions/dp/1442168137
New York health exchanges offer 50% drop in premiums
Health insurance premiums will drop by about 50% on average for consumers in New York who buy new plans through a state-run marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. The state approved plans to be sold by 17 insurers, including UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint, the industry's two biggest carriers, according to a statement today by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The lowered rates mean that starting Oct. 1, a New York City resident who now pays at least $1,000 a month for insurance will be able to buy coverage for as little as $308, according to rates posted by governor's office. http://www.healthbenefitexchange.ny.gov/
Why is your LPL Financial advisor raising your fees?
Your broker or advisor who uses LPL will be hit with new fees because of the way the firm is regulated. They can pass the costs on to you. You can leave and move your assets to a low-cost firm like Schwab, Fidelity or Vanguard. Try doing it yourself. All these firms have licensed advisors on salary who pass on economies of scale to you: http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Commissions/dp/1442168137
When hell freezes over?
4 senators want Wall Street banks to separate their 'high-stakes gambling' units from your savings and checking. Banks don't want to give up your 'cheap' deposits. The bill sponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren, John McCain, Maria Cantwell, and Angus King would separate traditional banks that offer checking and savings accounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. from "riskier financial institutions." The latter category includes companies involved in investment banking, insurance, swaps dealing, hedge funds and private equity, according to the lawmakers' statement released yesterday. Some former bankers support the bill but previous attempts have failed. No current bank lobbyists are for it, so it has no chance to pass even the Senate.
Follow the Money host in jail
Patrick Kiley's radio voice was softened after being convicted of scamming hundreds of people who were victimized in the Ponzi scheme. He hosted "Follow the Money," broadcast on many Christian radio channels.
Senators pretend to be outraged by high gas prices
Lawmakers grilled representatives of oil producers and refiners seeking an explanation for a rise in gasoline prices at the pump amid a boom in U.S. oil production. Remember when we were told there was low supply so prices were high. Guess what, now the oil companies send the oil to places where the prices are higher so we all pay more anytime the oil companies want to raise profits. It is called monopoly capitalism and the Senators benefit in their dividend accounts. Laughs on us. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-16/senators-grill-refiners-over-high-prices-amid-oil-boom.html
Credit bureau that has notorious errors in data, to verify income for ObamaCare
Equifax will be paid $ millions to verify incomes of people who apply for federal subsidies to buy health insurance. Regulators will never fix the way bureaus keep reselling their errors no matter what you do.
Two Americas
Planned Parenthood informed staff at three of its facilities in Texas that they would be closing. Out of the three Planned Parenthood clinics that are closing, only the Bryan clinic performs abortions. "In recent years, Texas politicians have created an increasingly hostile environment for providers of reproductive health care in underserved communities. Texans with little or no access to health care services have been deeply affected by state budget cuts to programs provided by Planned Parenthood health centers and dozens of others that provided lifesaving cancer screenings, well-woman exams and birth control," said a spokeswoman.
Lincoln Benefit Life to Resolution Life (GB)
Allstate will discontinue issuing fixed annuities and its agents will sell other products.
Labels: 401k, advisor fees, annuities, auto insurance, lobbyists, long-term care insurance, medicare, ObamaCare, tax evaders, Two Americas, war on women
Is your variable annuity broken?
Insurers have been cutting future benefits or raising the price of these expensive products. The popular minimum withdrawal benefit now costs an average 1.25%, up from under 1%. That lifts the average base price to 3.7% you are charged EVERY year, no matter how well your investments do. And you may be restricted in how much your account can earn. Some insurers are now limiting stock exposure to 60% of your account. Thus "peace of mind" may cost more than you paid. Your alternatives are not good: transfer to another insurer or pay surrender charges. Better: annuitize now—putting the payments into a tax-advantaged account. Alternatives: http://www.amazon.com/Not-Buy-That-Annuity-Guaranteed/dp/1466494573/
Customize Your Insurance -Save $3,000 every year
Buy only what you need and save $3,000 every year.
Accumulate $1,000,000 free of fees and taxes.
Avoid the Wealth Killers.
The best guarantee of lifelong security is having money. Accumulating $1 million requires that we avoid high product and advisor fees, commissions, loads and … taxes—the Wealth Killers.
Since we need to buy protection—auto, home, health, life insurance—why not skip the "bells and whistles" and save $3,000 every year? We avoid fees by buying ONLY the financial services we need at a discount. We avoid taxes by using an IRS-approved tax-FREE account. We invest ALL our savings. We accumulate $1 million by leveraging the Miracle of Compounding over time. http://www.amazon.com/Customize-Your-Insurance-Save-every/dp/1490936440/
Insurers against gun-toting teachers
As more states enact laws allowing teachers or administrators to carry guns in schools, insurance carriers are threatening to raise their premiums or revoke coverage entirely. Guns in schools made no sense in the Wild West either. Remember, Dodge City banned gun-carrying within town limits (and schools). People kill with whatever is at hand. While the United States has overall rates of violent crime in line with rates in other developed nations; our homicide rate is, relatively speaking, off the charts. Data: http://www.chicagojustice.org/blog/reporting-as-the-201ccarnage-and-mayhem201d/2008_Murder_Analysis_in_Chicago_CPD.pdf
Who really benefits from all these gun sales?
The top 1 percent of households took 23.5% of all U.S income.
Q: Why do the rich get richer? A: Compounding of high investment earnings. Income includes dividends from shares of stock, rent, and profits from selling something for more than you paid for it. Once you have $1 million, you can let it compound in stocks etc at 10-12% and have $2 million in about 10 years, $4 in 20 and $8 in 30. You don't even have to use a broker to make money. In fact, Wall Street usually takes more than it gives. http://www.amazon.com/Tune-your-401k-EARN-Tax-FREE/dp/1490591028
Big brother Data saves life (sentence)
An insurance company monitoring device that records when a car is started and stopped has helped clear a northeastern Ohio man in the suffocation death of his 7-month-old daughter. Twenty-eight-year-old Michael Beard was acquitted by a jury in Cleveland of murder and other charges. He was facing life in prison in the May 2011 death of Lynniah Beard. The prosecutors contended Beard suffocated the baby at 4:45 a.m.
But his attorney noted that the Progressive Snapshot device in his car showed he arrived and turned off the car at 4:44 a.m., and turned it back on three minutes later.
His attorney said that in those three minutes, Beard discovered the baby wasn't breathing and returned to the car to rush her to the hospital.
Brokers are against "best advice" rule for customers
A leading Wall Street trade organization told the Securities and Exchange Commission last week thatraising investment advice standards for brokers would force individual firms to spend millions of dollars to upgrade their compliance systems. You don't want to wait for the government to force brokers to do the right thing. Use unbiased advisors at the major mutual fund firms for free and earn more.http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Commissions/dp/1442168137
America becoming a "banana" republic?
Hiring is exploding in the one corner of the U.S. economy where few want to be hired: Temporary work. From Wal-Mart to General Motors to PepsiCo, companies are increasingly turning to temps and to a much larger universe of freelancers, contract workers and consultants. Combined, these workers number nearly 17 million people who have only tenuous ties to the companies that pay them — about 12 percent of everyone with a job. The rise in temp and contract work shows that many employers aren't willing to hire for the long run. The number of temps has jumped more than 50 percent since the recession ended four years ago to nearly 2.7 million — the most on government records dating to 1990. In no other sector has hiring come close.
The top 1 percent's share of national income is over 23 percent. The average inflation-adjusted hourly wage declined by more than 7 percent from 1976 to 2007.
A "banana" republic has 1% elites and 99% in near poverty conditions, like Honduras was.
ObamaCare health insurance exchange
First state to go live is Oregon. Looks like they are ready to cover uninsured. Many GOP states have said they won't cover uninsured. Will everyone move to Oregon?
http://coveroregon.com/
Buckets of Money advisor has his buckets revoked
Ray Lucia, host of a nationally syndicated daily radio program and famed for his Buckets of Money investment strategy, was fined $50,000 and had his adviser registration revoked by an administrative-law judge yesterday. Mr. Lucia's firm was fined $250,000 and its registration was revoked, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.
AIG, GE, Prudential leveraging again a threat to us
U.S. regulators have labeled American International Group and General Electric's finance arm as potentialthreats to the financial system, designations that bring stricter government oversight.http://www.usatoday.com/
Regulators allow disaster to strike small investors
Hedge funds and other firms that seek private investments will be allowed to advertise publicly for the first time. SEC killed an 80-year old ban on advertising intended to safeguard small investors from taking on potentially dangerous risk. The "snake oil" salesmen are exempt from requirements to report public financial statements. Hedge fund owners, with bank loans, are exempt from paying income tax on their gains already. WOW! Wild Wild West again.
What is wrong with American military-industrial complex?
It was commissioned by the Army in February 2010 to be the Command and Control Facility for Regional Command Southwest during the surge. How could the U.S. military spend $34 million constructing a building in Afghanistan that has never been used - and may now be demolished? In May 2010, even before construction began, the Marine commander cancelled the project. Despite that request, the Air Force told British-based AMEC to construct the facility and, in November 2012, the U.S. government took over the facility. Afgans don't want it. Private equity firms own British AMEC and got the $34 million. We got the bill.
Is anyone at the Pentagon in charge? Can the Taliban buy it? They are funded by donations from Britain and the Persian Gulf.
Farm bill pays corporations extra money for poor results but $0 for poor
Even conservatives voted against it since it was still "loaded down with market-distorting giveaways to special interests with no path established to remove the government's involvement in the agriculture industry." GOP cut all food stamps and nutrition for the poor: Let them starve, is the message.
Labels: advisor fees, AIG, annuities, derivatives, food stamps cut., GE, GOP, gun coverage, gun totters, health ins, homeowners insurance, ObamaCare, save $3000, tax evaders, Wall Street ad men, wasted taxes, wealth killers
How did your Wall Street guru do?
How did your Wall Street guru do? Stock traders can't make you rich
*Few stock-picking gurus do well for long
*Last year's genius is this year's loser
*Gurus' forecasts are correct less than 50% of the time
*Gurus attract money which then dilutes high returns
*Computer trading beats the best gurus consistently
Warren Buffett used compound interest to become wealthy.
"My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and
compound interest." Warren Buffett
You need just $250 a month (and compounding) to reach your lifetime money goals.
http://www.amazon.com/How-your-Wall-Street-guru/dp/1490533273/
Is your mutual fund still around?
Only one mutual fund company has increased its presence in the top 10 funds since 1998.http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20130623/CHART/130619921
Putnam, American Century and Fidelity Advisor have dropped off the list by 2013.http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20130623/CHART/130619920
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. Abraham Lincoln
Wall Street gurus don't last but your retirement does.
Idaho ObamaCare policy $240/mo. average
Health insurance policies sold via Idaho's insurance exchange starting Jan. 1 will cost around $240 monthly, a figure based on packages submitted so far to the state Department of Insurance by insurers aiming to participate. For instance, a family of four making $60,000 headed by a 40-year-old would likely be eligible for a government tax credit of $7,193 toward their annual premium of $12,130. That means they'd pay $4,937, about 8 percent of their income, or $410 monthly. Meanwhile, lower-income families would make lower payments, with help from the government's sliding-scale subsidies provided for those who earn less than 400 percent of the poverty line.
Almost 70% of Millennials Have No Retirement Plan—NOW only $9 a day
Millennials, young people 30 and under, are coming of age in a world vastly different from that of their parents and grandparents. 54 percent have had some college education, compared to only 36 percent of "baby boomers" (those ages 50-64) at their age. 39 percent are nonwhite. 90 percent use the Internet at least occasionally, compared to 79 percent of boomers, and 75 percent use social networking sites, compared to only 30 percent of boomers. And, due to a flagging economy, they are less likely to be employed than previous generations were at their age. The unemployment rate for those ages 18-24 is nearly double the overall rate (16.3 percent compared to 8.8 percent). http://www.amazon.com/The-New-American-Retirement-System/dp/1461030072
HSBC bank put its advisors on salary
HSBC has taken a move that many in the industry have long considered unthinkable: it has put all of its advisors on salary. Under a new compensation structure, advisors are paid a salary plus a quarterly discretionary bonus, marking a huge shift from being paid solely on commission. All non-US advisors are salaried. But observers suspect that there are other reasons for the shift. Some say the desire to more closely align client and advisor interests may have prompted the change. Without commissions, the fear or perception that advisors are "churning/spinning accounts" or suggesting products and services merely to increase their production is removed. Some investors are getting the advice and then doing it themselves:http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Without-Wall-Street-Commissions/dp/1442168137
ER—the new health care system?
Record numbers of Americans are going to emergency rooms for dental treatment, which is straining the nation's health care system and increasing health care costs. Half the states have declined to expand Medicaid to the uninsured with federal dollars. Uninsured in these states will expand their use of the ER as their health care system. GOP lawmakers have provided no other option for the poor.
ObamaCare mandate delayed 1 year
The mandate would require most businesses with 50 or more full-time employees to provide health insurance meeting certain minimum criteria — or pay a penalty of $2,000 per worker. The purpose of the employer mandate is to discourage employers from dropping coverage and leaving employees to buy subsidized insurance in the Obamacare exchanges at greater taxpayer expense. The delay does not affect the individual mandate, the requirement that most Americans purchase insurance, nor does it halt the implementation of marketplaces where individuals and businesses can sign up for insurance coverage.
GAO reports corporations enjoyed a 12.6% tax rate
This is far below the 35% tax that is the statutory rate imposed by the federal government on corporate profits. The report found that even when foreign, state, and local taxes were included, the tax rate of large companies rose only to 16.9 percent of total income, still well below the official 35 percent. Big companies are shouldering a smaller part of the overall tax burden than in the past. As a percentage of federal tax revenue, corporate taxes have fallen to 9 percent from more than 30 percent in the 1950s.
66% of US corporations pay NO tax. Working Americans are forced to close the gap as their average inflation-adjusted wages have fallen. Pay only your fair share: http://www.amazon.com/Tax-FREE-Retirement-code-lifetime-income/dp/1475206976/
Bankers gouge our soldiers for $6.5 millions
Obama's new regulator, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it has ordered U.S. Bank and another company, Dealers' Financial Services, to refund a combined $6.5 million to more than 50,000 active duty service members to make up for failing to disclose fees and other costs on auto loans. Borrowers who were "often young and new to the car buying process."
Shame! Boycott U.S. Bank!
Obama's new regulator OK with derivatives that could cost us taxpayers again!
Securities and Exchange Commission head, in her first commission vote, Ms. White led the commissioners in approving a proposal that, if finalized, could leave investors and taxpayers exposed to the ravages of reckless bank trading. Congress has a bill that would ask Obama to list the banks, foreign and domestic that could cause a system failure. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/opinion/a-disappointing-debut-at-the-sec.html?_r=0
Obama haters tell NFL not to help uninsured—and they comply
The league's response came following receipt of a letter sent last week by two Republican Senators warning that the NFL could undermine its nonpartisan reputation by getting involved in an issue marked by "divisiveness and persistent unpopularity."
"It is difficult to understand why an organization like yours would risk damaging its inclusive and apolitical brand by lending its name to (the ACA's) promotion," Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) wrote in a letter to six major sports organizations, including the NFL and Major League Baseball.
Where are the pro-citizen Senators?
Labels: advisor fees, bank gouge soldiers, corporate taxes, mutual funds, no commissions, Obama haters, ObamaCare, retirement, tax evaders


text:
Q: Ubuntu Sophos Auto Update When I use a standard use account will Sophos update properly? It should auto update every hour by itself but when I use a standard use account will everything work properly on Ubuntu 18.04?

A: Yes, the updater is started in the background, by savd so is not affected by what logged in users there are on the system.
savd runs as a daemon started by your OS's init system (normally systemd).
It runs in the background as root.
So when it wants to start an update it is already root. When you run savupdate manually you need to become root (using sudo) before you can successfully run it.


Other application stacks (PHP, DJango, etc) will be supported as new recipes at a later date.
This cookbook aims to provide primitives to install/deploy any kind of application driven entirely by data defined in an abstract way through a data bag.
Chef 0.8 or higher required.
The following are also dependencies, though the recipes are considered deprecated, may be useful for future development.
The application cookbook contains the following recipes.
Searches the apps data bag and checks that a server role in the app exists on this node, adds the app to the run state and uses the role for the app to locate the recipes that need to be used. The recipes listed in the "type" part of the data bag are included by this recipe, so only the "application" recipe needs to be in the node or role run_list.
See below regarding the application data bag structure.
Using the node's run_state that contains the current application in the search, this recipe will install required packages, set up the deployment scaffolding, create the context configuration for the servlet container and then performs a remote_file deploy.
A JDBC datasource for all databases in the node's current app_environment. The datasource uses the information (including JDBC driver) specified in the data bag item for the application.
An Environment entry that matches the node's current app_environment attribute value. This is useful for loading environment specific properties files in the web application.
This recipe assumes some sort of build process, such as Maven or a Continuous Integration server like Hudson, will create a deployable artifact and make it available for download via HTTP (such as S3).
Requires apache2 and passenger_apache2 cookbooks. The recipe[apache2] entry should come before recipe[application] in the run list.
Sets up a passenger vhost template for the application using the apache2 cookbook's web_app definition. Use this with the rails recipe, in the list of recipes for a specific application type. See data bag example below.
Using the node's run_state that contains the current application in the search, this recipe will install required packages and gems, set up the deployment scaffolding, creates database and memcached configurations if required and then performs a revision-based deploy.
This recipe can be used on nodes that are going to run the application, or on nodes that need to have the application code checkout available such as supporting utility nodes or a configured load balancer that needs static assets stored in the application repository.
For Gem Bundler: include bundler or bundler08 in the gems list. bundle install or gem bundle will be run before migrations.
For config.gem in environment: rake gems:install RAILS_ENV=<node environment> will be run when a Gem Bundler command is not.
In order to manage running database migrations (rake db:migrate), you can use a role that sets the run_migrations attribute for the application (my_app, below) in the correct environment (production, below). Note the data bag item needs to have migrate set to true. See the data bag example below.
Simply apply this role to the node's run list when it is time to run migrations, and the recipe will remove the role when done.
Tomcat is installed, default attributes are set for the node and the app specific context.xml is symlinked over to Tomcat's context directory as the root context (ROOT.xml).
Unicorn is installed, default attributes are set for the node and an app specific unicorn config and runit service are created.
The following recipes are deprecated in favor of rails+unicorn, as that is performant enough for many Rails applications, and takes less time to provision new instances. Using these recipes may require additional work to the rest of the stack that wouldn't be required with rails+unicorn because they were early-phase development of this cookbook.
Builds passenger as an nginx module, drops off the configuration file and sets up the site to run the application under nginx with passenger. Does not deploy the code automatically.
Sets up the application stack with Ruby Enterprise Edition, Nginx and Passenger.
The recipe searches the apps data bag and then installs packages and gems, creates the nginx vhost config and enables the site, sets up the deployment scaffolding, and uses a revision-based deploy for the code. Database and memcached yaml files are written out as well, if required.
The applications data bag expects certain values in order to configure parts of the recipe. Below is a paste of the JSON, where the value is a description of the key. Use your own values, as required. Note that this data bag is also used by the database cookbook, so it will contain database information as well. Items that may be ambiguous have an example.
The application used in examples is named my_app and the environment is production. Most top-level keys are Arrays, and each top-level key has an entry that describes what it is for, followed by the example entries. Entries that are hashes themselves will have the description in the value.
Note about "type": the recipes listed in the "type" will be included in the run list via include_recipe in the application default recipe based on the type matching one of the server_roles values.
Note about databases, the data specified will be rendered as the database.yml file. In the database cookbook, this information is also used to set up privileges for the application user, and create the databases.
Note about gems and packages, the version is optional. If specified, the version will be passed as a parameter to the resource. Otherwise it will use the latest available version per the default :install action for the package provider.
"production": "commit hash, branch or tag to deploy"
"production": "true or false w/o quotes to force deployment, see the rails.rb recipe"
"production": "true or false boolean to force migration, see rails.rb recipe"
"production": "password for the root user in mysql"
"production": "password for the debian-sys-maint user on ubuntu/debian"
"production": "password for the 'repl' user for replication."
"production": "if using EBS, integer of the number of snapshots we're going to keep for this environment."
"namespace": "specify the memcache namespace, ie my_app_environment"
Note about databases, the data specified will be rendered as JNDI Datasource Resources in the servlet container context confiruation (context.xml) file. In the database cookbook, this information is also used to set up privileges for the application user, and create the databases.
Note about packages, the version is optional. If specified, the version will be passed as a parameter to the resource. Otherwise it will use the latest available version per the default :install action for the package provider.
"checksum": "SHA256 (or portion thereof) of the WAR file to deploy"
To use the application cookbook, we recommend creating a role named after the application, e.g. my_app. This role should match one of the server_roles entries, that will correspond to a type entry, in the databag. Create a Ruby DSL role in your chef-repo, or create the role directly with knife.
Also recommended is a cookbook named after the application, e.g. my_app, for additional application specific setup such as other config files for queues, search engines and other components of your application. The my_app recipe can be used in the run list of the role, if it includes the application recipe.
You should also have a role for the environment(s) you wish to use this cookbook. Similar to the role above, create the Ruby DSL file in chef-repo, or create with knife directly.
This role uses a default attribute so nodes can be moved into other environments on the fly simply by modifying their node object directly on the Chef Server.


text:
DRC News Update: Peace Deal Signing Delayed; IDPs Wish to Return Home
President Joseph Kabila is seeking to end the rebel activity in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Originally uploaded by panafnewswire
Haggling over peace pact delays end of DR Congo conference
GOMA, DR Congo (AFP) - - Rival sides in a bitter conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo inched closer to a settlement but delayed the closure of a peace conference, organisers said Tuesday.
Representatives of some forces involved in fighting that has driven more than a million people from their homes in Nord- and Sud-Kivu provinces were haggling over details before finally agreeing a ceasefire.
"We shall pursue our plenary session tomorrow (Wednesday) and the closing ceremony will probably be tomorrow," Sekimonyo wa Mangengu, one of the chief organisers, told AFP, after the non-combatant delegates met on Tuesday.
The different factions on Monday declared themselves ready to stop fighting and demobilise after getting sight of a historic deal presented to them at the conference in Nord-Kivu province's capital.
Mangengu, the rapporteur general at the conference that started on January 6, opened Tuesday's session in the absence of the armed groups and said other representatives would debate and adopt reports on Nord- and Sud-Kivu provinces.
He made no direct comment on the absence of delegates, but delegates from two of the warring factions told AFP they wanted last-minute clarifications regarding the "act of engagement" they were to sign.
Mangengu said only that conference president Apollinaire Malu Malu and National Assembly speaker Vital Kamerhe, head of the committee of elders, were detained by "other activities".
Malu Malu, a Roman Catholic priest, and Kamerhe on Monday already delayed the end of the conference by a day and presented the rivals with draft peace plans for Nord-Kivu and Sud-Kivu provinces.
Nord-Kivu, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen heavy fighting since August last year. Sud-Kivu borders Rwanda and Burundi, which have their own history of conflicts.
Members of the National Council for the Defence of the People (CNDP), led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda, who was not at the conference and is based in highlands north and west of Goma, demanded clarifications.
The draft text made no mention of the status of Nkunda, who presents himself as the defender of the Congolese Tutsi minority population. He is wanted by the Kinshasa government under an arrest warrant for war crimes by his men.
Representatives of local tribes who have formed Mai-Mai militia self-defence groups and battled Nkunda's CNDP also said they wished to go over points in the text.
Tuesday's plenary session adjourned because some delegates among more than 1,000 gathered at a university in Goma said they had yet to receive copies of reports from the various workshop groups.
The UN mission in the DRC, MONUC, which in 2003 oversaw the end of a major war, the disengagement of foreign armies and democratic elections, has now deployed 90 percent of its 17,000 peacekeeping troops in the volatile east.
Foreign diplomats attending the talks warned that "recommendations" accepted by the conference to restore peace and the authority of the state in the east would come to nothing unless the belligerents signed the "act of engagement".
Such a pact would be the first collective and public commitment of its kind affecting the east since the 1989-2003 war.
The United States and other western powers have pressured both President Joseph Kabila, whose army has deployed 25,000 men to battle Nkunda's estimated 4,000 troops, and the rebel general to make peace. They have even raised the possibility of Nkunda going into exile.
But Nkunda regards some 6,000 armed Rwandan Hutus based in eastern DRC, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDFL), as his primary foes. His aides regularly accuse the DRC army of using these "genocidal killers" as auxiliaries.
The Rwandan government in Kigali holds some of these Rwandan Hutus responsible, when they served either as government troops or militia, for the genocide in their country in 1994 of around 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis.
Conference delegates, in preliminary reports, demanded the repatriation of foreign fighters in eastern DRC and the return in safety of Congolese displaced people and exiles.
Congolese await 'historic' deal
A peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo government and armed groups in the east is due to be signed at a ceremony in Goma.
The deal includes an immediate ceasefire, the phased withdrawal of all rebel forces from North Kivu and the resettlement of thousands of villagers.
Correspondents say the fate of rebel Gen Laurent Nkunda, wanted for war crimes, is not included in the pact.
Human Rights Watch's Anneke Van Woudenberg says the deal is "historic".
Talks involving the Dr Congo government and more than 20 rebel groups have been under way for more than two weeks and sponsored by the United States, the European Union and the African Union.
The deal aims to end months of bloody conflict around the town of Goma, which has driven over 450,000 people from their homes in the last year.
More than five million people have died in the central African country in the past decade from war and related crises, an aid agency survey suggests.
The International Rescue Committee says 45,000 people are dying every month - a total of 5.4 million dead since 1998 surpassing any conflict since World War II, it says.
Journalist Justin Dralaze at the conference told the BBC that the deal gives amnesty to all fighting groups, but it is not clear what will happen to Mr Nkunda.
There has been talk that Gen Nkunda could be integrated into the army or sent into exile.
He leads the main rebel movement in the area and his forces repulsed a major government offensive last December.
The government has issued an international arrest warrant against Gen Nkunda, for alleged war crimes committed by his forces.
The renegade general claims his forces are protecting ethnic Tutsis in North Kivu province from Rwandan Hutu rebels - both Interahamwe militia and former Rwandan armed forces - who have lived in eastern DR Congo since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Some of these Hutu fighters now form the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group.
Mr Dralaze says it is also not clear whether the issue of the FDLR and Interahamwe is going to be dealt with in the peace agreement.
Many groups, he says, want these militia to be disarmed and returned to Rwanda as they do not believe the Congolese army will protect their communities.
The Interahamwe were supposed to be disarmed under the terms of the 2002 peace deal which ended DR Congo's five-year civil war.
President Joseph Kabila is in Goma, but has not attended the talks personally, neither has Gen Nkunda.
Once signed, United Nations troops would keep the two sides apart, moving into 13 positions vacated by the rebels.
And within a week specialist advisers would fly in from the US, the UK and Europe, to try to work on the details.
The EU is promising $150m of aid to reconstruct the region, which has been devastated by the fighting.
"This is increasingly looking like an historic moment for eastern Congo," Ms van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch said.
"If the agreement is signed it will be an important foundation for bringing peace and ending the suffering of so many thousands of people."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr//1/hi/world/africa/7202002.stmPublished: 2008/01/22 11:01:44 GMT
The Displaced Just Want Peace
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
News that parties to the bloody conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said they would sign a peace treaty was welcomed by those displaced by the civil strife, who just want calm restored so they can return home.
"We eagerly wait for the guns to fall silent, for Laurent Nkunda's [forces] to give up their arms and we will return to our homes," said Domina Maniriho, 37-year-old mother of six and a resident of the Mugunga 1 displaced persons' camp, 17km west of Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
Nkunda, an ethnic Tutsi, leads the National Congress for the Defence of the Congolese People (CNDP) insurgency, which says it has been fighting to protect eastern Congo's minority Tutsi population from attacks by Hutu militias known as the FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda), many of whom are alleged to have taken part in Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
Fighting between Nkunda's forces and government troops in North Kivu intensified in August 2007 when Nkunda pulled out of a peace agreement that would have seen his forces mixed with Congo's regular army. Congo's army, he said, had not done enough to neutralise the FDLR.
At a conference in Goma aimed at restoring peace and security to the Kivu provinces, government officials and representatives from rival militia factions and rebel groups on 22 January said they would sign a ceasefire agreement that would bring fighting to an end.
Those displaced by the conflict say they would like to see the repatriation to Rwanda of members of Hutu extremist militias they regard as the main cause of insecurity in the region.
"We expect the government and the international community to take back home the Interahamwe [Hutu extremist militias] as recommended by all participants in the conference," said Maniriho.
The DRC government has tabled a plan that provides for the repatriation of Rwandan Hutu fighters, first voluntarily and then by force from mid-March if they refuse to leave.
Despite expressed commitment to a truce before the conference opened early in January, sporadic outbreaks of fighting between parties to the conflict have been reported.
"There are too many killings, too many rapes and abuses that should stop at all costs," said Alphonse Batiburasabinako, a 50-year-old ethnic Hutu farmer.
Thousands of women have been raped during the violence in the Kivu provinces, according to humanitarian organisations. Entire villages have been looted and often set on fire. Civilians have been forced to flee from areas where they had sought refuge.
Batiburasabinako said his teenage son has been missing for months since he was abducted by rebel forces.
"I do not know what has become of him since the troops of Laurent Nkunda took him hostage on his way home from school to go to work as a slave or child soldier," he said. "I do not know if he is still alive or if he is already dead."
The UN Mission in Congo (MONUC) has denounced continued recruitment, by all parties to the conflict, of children into the armed forces.
For some of those displaced by the unrest, the ethnic conflict is seen as a game played out by politicians.
"In our village we lived together, ate together, without problems, among Tutsi, Hutu and Twa ethnic groups. But it is the politicians who try to turn us against each other for their own interests," said Batiburasabinako, a resident of the Mugunga camps, where he lives surrounded by Tutsis and members of other ethnic groups.
"We want to live in harmony where there will be no differences in ethnicities like before 1996 [when the civil war that precipitated the current crisis first broke out]," said Maniriho.
"We want the war to stop so that we can regain our villages of origin, go about our businesses and earn our living as free men," agreed Batiburasabinako.
The displaced have complained about unsatisfactory conditions in the camps, saying humanitarian assistance has not been adequate.
"We receive a sack of flour a month, but that is not enough to feed a family of 10 people for a month," said Batiburasabinako. "I sometimes have to barter a little of that for other kinds of food and work in the fields to sustain my family," he added.
Despite the hardship, the camp at Mugunga has a thriving market. Residents trade in farm products and manufactured goods brought from towns.
Inadequate supplies
Prostitution has also emerged as a by-product of the camp life.
"When, at the end of a day, I do not have enough to eat, I solicit for sex, often unprotected, in camps or outside, in exchange for 200 Congolese francs [US 40 cents], as long as I have enough to buy flour and a very small piece of meat for the evening for my son and myself," said Tantine, 19 (not her real name). Hundreds of other women do the same, according to Tantine.
Internally displaced people live in small straw huts often covered with a tarpaulin provided by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. But there are those who do not have roofs over their heads and are constantly exposed to the elements.
"Hundreds of newcomers do not even have shelter. They are crowded in sheds where they sleep rough until they find a solution," explained Vanessa Kalafulo, the official in charge of the Mugunga camp.
Medical supplies are also inadequate, she said.
"During the past four months, we have registered 80 cases of cholera, all of whom died because the care we gave them was not sufficient," she said.
"We just need assistance and the end of the war and then we can go home and enjoy the development that has been promised by Westerners and the Chinese," said Maniriho.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), North Kivu is worst affected by the displacement crisis. Since August 2007, unrest has forced about 232,000 people to flee their homes, taking the total of internally displaced persons in the province over 800,000. Unconfirmed reports suggest there may be an additional 150,000 displaced.
In South Kivu, more than 100,000 people were displaced last year, even as the province became a "safe haven" for 60,000 people fleeing North Kivu, according to OCHA.
This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the Pan-African News Wire
Rev. Pinkney Persecuted in Berrien County Jail
Somali Update: Renewed Resistance Attacks in Capit...
Sudan in Fresh Bid to Chair African Union
South Africa: "Don't Blame Minister For Home Affai...
Kenya News Bulletin: Unrest After Opposition MP Sh...
Iraq War Update: US Troops Killed in Mosul; New Of...
Zimbabwe News: UN, AU Charter Upheld; Probe in AG ...
Palestine Update: PFLP Founder George Habash Dies ...
Freddie Scott (1933-2007), the Legendary Rhythm & ...
South Africa's Electricity Shortages Causes Nation...
Black Women's Votes and Presidential Politics
Kenya Update: More Killed as Toll Rises; Rival Giv...
The Revolution and Socialism Will Always Be Preser...
"Claim No Easy Victories": New Orleans and the Gul...
Marian Anderson Historical Society to Celebrate 11...
Zimbabwe News Bulletin: Elections Set for March 29...
MECAWI to Host Conference on the Growing Threat of...
PBS Celebrates Black History Month With Extensive ...
PANW Editor to Speak at "Conscious Change" Confere...
Kenya News Bulletin: Kibaki and Raila in Face to F...
It Ain't The Voting That Counts--It's The Counting...
Historians: MLK's Complexity Largely Ignored
Namibia Dam Will Mean Our Destruction, Says Himba ...
Makgoro Mannya: The Pick of the Crop
Palestine Update: Gaza Wall of Separation With Egy...
Rev. Dr. Lucius Walker Subpoenaed in New York Inve...
Kenya News Bulletin: Graca Machel, Museveni Arrive...
DRC News Update: Peace Deal Signing Delayed; IDPs ...
France to Outline Blueprint Plan For Rebellion-str...
Ethiopians Caught Between Army and Rebels in Ogade...
Detroit MLK Day Rally & March Reaffirms Struggle A...
Detroit's Fifth Annual MLK Day Rally & March to Hi...
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You Don't See on A...
Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence--A Spe...
Kenya News: EU Meets Kibaki, Opposition Ready for ...
Women in Social History: Josephine St. Pierre Ruff...
The Pivotal Role of Women in the Struggle for Civi...
Former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano: A De...
Zimbabwe News: Mujuru Warns Against Abuse of Power...
Kenya News Bulletin: Do Not Dishonour MLK; Women S...
America's Martin & Martin's America--An Essay by M...
South African Land Minister and Bank Board Defends...
Marion Jones & Sports Under Capitalism--A Commenta...
Creating Decent Work Opportunities in South Africa...
Kenya Bulletin: More Killed in Third Day of Opposi...
Zimbabwe Update: Mbeki Still Confident; ZANU-PF Pr...
Recession Looming in United States
Seven Steps to a Homeland Security Campus
Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Robert ...
NCBL Statement: AFRICOM Threatens the Sovereignty,...
FARC Not a Terrorist Group
Kenya News Bulletin: Opposition Protests Continue;...
Kenya News Update: Four Killed in Clashes With Pol...
Kenya News Update: Angry Exchanges at Parliament O...
Going Old South on Obama: Ma and Pa Clinton Flog U...
Race and Gender in Presidential Politics: A Debate...
Appeal to Support the San Francisco 8: Legal Updat...
Zanzibar Revolution Commemorated 44 Years Later
Ethnic Woes a Legacy of Colonialists' Power Game
Kenya News: HRW Says 'Dozens Killed by Police'; OD...
World Watches Kenya
African National Congress 96th Anniversary Stateme...
President Mbeki Appoints Acting National Police Co...
US Economic Crisis Deepens: Cleveland Sues Lenders...
China Defends Economic Ties With Sudan
Kenya Update: Has Genocide Been Committed?; Women'...
European Union Force to Deploy to Chad, CAR Next M...
Mozambique Update: Flood Situation Set to Worsen; ...
Appeal to the Black Reparations Movement: Join the...
Nigeria News Update: Foreign Reserves Rise; Surplu...
Tshala Muana: A Musical and Political Biography of...
Mbilia Bel: A Musical Biography
Dr. Oscar Peterson Was One of the World's Greatest...
Philip Agee, 72, Former CIA Operative, Dies in Cub...
US Intelligence Suggests Coverup in Benazir Bhutto...
Detroit MLK Day Rally & March to Continue Legacy o...
Kenya Report: African Union Chair Holds Talks to M...
RUF Rebels in Sierra Leone Called Former Liberian ...
A History of South African-Chinese Relations
Sudan Update: United Nations Spokeswoman Resigns; ...
Kenya Political News: Kibaki Names 17 Cabinet Memb...
Sudan Update: Austrian Arrested For Spying; Chad B...
Namibia Removes Two Officials From Private Securit...
Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Panel to Start ...
ANC National Executive Committee Statement on the ...
Africa Must Consolidate Gains in 2008
Voter ID Laws Are Set to Face a Crucial Test
South Africa Update: How Will Zuma Deal With Tensi...
Naomi Campbell Interviews President Hugo Chavez
MECAWI Protest at State Capital Set for January 29...
Kenya Political Reports: Darkest Week; Economic Fo...
Zimbabwe Must Not Fall Into the Same Trap as Kenya...
Looking For a Pan-African Way in Kenya
Hague Court to Hear Case Against Former Liberian P...
Jacob Zuma Marries Fourth Wife
Kenya News: Kibaki Offer on Unity Government; Elec...
Kenya Update: Land Factors, Peace Plans and the Ro...
Fifth Annual Detroit Martin Luther King, Jr. Day R...
12th Annual Dinner Tribute to the Families of Poli...
Conspiracy Charge Dropped Against 5 of the San Fra...


Great creative makes a meaningful first impression and leaves a lasting one. It helps differentiate you from your competitors, can solve problems, and boosts both your brand awareness and your bottom line. Our award winning team has the experience and skills to achieve this.
Studies show that the average consumer is exposed to up to 4,000 brand messages a day! So brand identity and brand architecture has never been more crucial. Having a differentiated brand, and a framework that your customers understand for organising products within it, requires proper thought. We have the experience to help you implement this successfully.
The demands on people's time and attention are more intense than ever. Great creative work is imperative to get heard and seen above all of the background noise. Our agri expertise means we can engage with your customers in with a tone and knowledge of the industry that non-specialised agencies simply cannot. Meaningful creative that stands out and appeals to farmers heads, hearts and wallets, is what we do.
Great design brings communications to life, and is what will gain attention and leave a lasting impression. No matter what the media, our experienced designers' creativity and attention to detail will ensure it makes an impact. We can also manage the every step of the production process with our supply partners or work alongside yours.
Having all of your organisation actively engaged with real clarity around your culture and what you stand for is absolutely imperative. They need to understand the goals, know the plans for getting there, and be confident about the value of their contribution towards them. Effective internal communication helps achieve this and is something we live by everyday.


When you are struggling to make the grade it is easy to feel like just giving up and throwing in the towel. However, with the help of an experienced tutor you could be well on your way to achieving not just a passing grade, but a truly impressive one! There are Cocoa Beach tutors available now to guide you through your course work and offer support on homework and assignments. So whether you are looking for someone to help you pass a particularly challenging class, or for someone to help prep you for an upcoming exam, check out local tutor listings now and put yourself on the road to success'i.
We love Dana! She is tutoring our daughter in Algebra I Honors and she is the best. Our daughter loves her and looks forward to their tutoring sessions. Dana is very experienced and does an awesome job!! Thank you, Dana!!!
"Experienced English Language Tutor with Master of Arts in TESOL"
"Adult/Child Reading & Writing Tutor"