Main objective of this report is to analysis Overall Banking Activities of National Bank Limited. Other objectives are to know about the Banking activities, management efficiency and overall performance of National Bank and get a clear concept and practical knowledge on over all Marketing activities to apply in the future. Finally find out some current problems and recommend some solution to analyze them to facilitate the future bankers.
The report has been written on the basis of information collected from the Primary sources and Secondary sources. In conducting the study I have followed the exploratory approach.
Face to face conversations with the employees of NBL.
By personal interviewing and interacting customers at NBL.
National Bank Ltd. is the first private sector commercial bank of Bangladesh, fully owned by local entrepreneurs. NBL started its never-ending journey from 23 March 1983. The Board of Directors of the Bank consists of the finest intellects of the country's business, commerce and banking areas. NBL brought a change in services in the banking sector besides the traditional Govt. banks with its excellent difference. The success of NBL is for its cooperative, helpful approach, understanding the real banking needs of each and every client and concern for their benefits and welfare. From the beginning NBL had the great objectives about the Share holders- to maximize their facilities as well as dividend. Now NBL is bigger concern compare to others in the same industry holding 91 branches in the inland area. In 1995 NBL acquired equity and management of Nepal Arab Bank Limited and in 1996 NBL opened a representative office at Myanmar. In different countries NBL has some exchange booths to facilitate the foreigners. With a string sense in all business area of commercial banking NBL could foresee tremendous growth in home bound remittance from Bangladeshi expatriates in USA, UK, Middle East and in different countries of the work. Consequently, NBL established a unique money remittance system with Western Union of USA for inbound and outbound remittance. Still now, NBL has this sort of novelty service facilities. NBL always is committed to fulfill its ethical responsibility to the society, country and to the whole world.
NBL has participated in the Brained Multi Purpose Project, a major enterprise undertaken for improving the ecological balance and the socio- economic conditions of the farmers the northern region of the country. Establishment of NBL Foundation, which operates National Bank Public School & College and sponsorship of various sports tournaments are few of the mentionable projects that display NBL's commitment to the society. Besides the different types of Accounts, NBL has some special schemes that really represent bank's concern about the clients, some of them are – MSS, SDS, SIS Credit Card, ATM services.
Ensuring highest standard of clientele services through best application of latest information technology, making due contribution to the national economy and establishing ourselves firmly at home and abroad as a front ranking bank of the country is our cherished vision.
Efforts for expansion of our activities at home and abroad by adding new dimensions to our banking services are being continued unabated. Alongside, we are also putting highest priority in ensuring transparency, accountability, improved clientele services as well as to NBL's commitment to serve the society, through which NBL want to get closer and closer to the people of all strata, Winning an everlasting seat in the hearts of the people as a caring companion in uplifting the national economic standard through continuous up gradation and diversification of our clientele services in line with national and international requirements is the desired goal we want to reach.
Offering quick and improved clientele services through application of modern information technology.
Playing an important role in the national progress by including improved banker customer relationship.
Ensuring highest possible dividend to the respected shareholders by making best use of their equity.
Pursuing the policy of nurturing balanced growth of the Bank in all sectors.
Consolidating our position in the competitive market by introducing innovative banking products.
Ensuring highest professional excellence for our workforce through enhancement of their work efficiency, discipline and technological knowledge.
Expanding the Bank's area of investment by taking part in syndicated large loan financing.
Increases finances to small and medium Enterprises (SME) sector including agriculture and agro based industries, thus making due contribution to the national economy.
Upholding the image of the bank at home and abroad by pursuing dynamic and time benefiting activities.
Ensuring maintenance of capital adequacy, comfortable liquidity, asset quality and highest profit through successful implementation of the Management Core Risk program.
At present, NBL has been carrying on business through its 85 branches spread all over the country. Besides, the Bank has drawing arrangement with 415 correspondents in 75 countries of the world as well as with 32 overseas Exchange Companies. NBL was the first domestic bank to establish agency arrangement with the world famous Western Union in order to facilitate quick and safe remittance of the valuable foreign exchanges earned by the expatriate Bangladeshi nationals. NBL was also the first among domestic bands to introduce international Master Card in Bangladesh. In the meantime, NBL has also introduced the Visa Card and Power Card. The Bank has in its use the latest information technology services of SWIFT and REUTERS. NBL has been continuing its small credit programme for disbursement of collateral free agricultural loans among the poor farmers of Barindra area in Rajshahi district for improving their lot. Alongside banking activities, NBL is actively involved in sports and games as well as in various Socio-Cultural activities. Upto September 2006, the total number of workforce of NBL stood at 2239, which include 1689 officers and executives and 550 staff.
Inspired by its social obligation and commitment and responsibility, NBL has been running a School and College upto Class XII solely on its own guardianship. From the very inception, this institution has been maintaining a good track record of results at the SSC and HSC Examinations. Conducted by an well-educated and trained team of teachers, reputation of this institution has been increasing bay-by-day as a result of their relentless and sincere endeavor.
Transparency and accountability of a financial institution is reflected in its Annual Report containing its Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Account. In recognition of this, NBL awarded Crest in 1999 and 2000, and Certificate on Appreciation in 2001 by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh.
Payment to cope with the high price tags of many necessary home and office appliances.
Scheme NBL makes better living possible for people living on fixed income. Customers can buy those home and office equipment's without over taxing their budget.
For most of the people on fixed income the opportunity to supplement their monthly earning is a golden one. And NBL Special Deposit Scheme gives a customer just that.
Under this scheme, customers can deposit, money for a term of 5 years. The deposited money is fully refundable at the expiry of the term. At the same time, during the term period they can enjoy a monthly profit corresponding to their deposited amount. As for instance, under this scheme a deposit of Tk,55,000/- gives a monthly income of Tk.500/-.
This scheme is specially designed for the benefit of the limited income group members. This helps to accrue small monthly savings into a significant sum at the end of the term. So, after the expiry of the term period the depositor will have a sizeable amount to relish on.
A monthly deposit of Tk.500/- or Tk.1000/- for 5 or 10 years period earns in the end Tk.40,100/- or Tk.2,24,500/- respectively.
Through its Credit Card. National Bank Limited has not online initiated a new scheme but also brought a new life style concept in Bangladesh. Now the dangers and the worries of carrying cash money are memories of the past.
National Bank Limited has introduced ATM service to its Customers. The card will enable to save our valued customers from any kind of predicament in emergency situation and time consuming formalities. NBL ATM Card will give our distinguished Clients the opportunity to withdraw cash at any time, even in holidays, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
NBL ATM card – your access to prompt cash.
This is an uncertain World and the threatening silhouettes of future catastrophes are always looming around. This NBL scheme gives your family protection against the insecurities of the world. This scheme is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. It combines the benefits of regular savings and insurance scheme, so, you get the usual rate of interest on the deposited amount while you enjoy the protection of a comprehensive insurance coverage. Under this scheme, the beneficiary(ices) get equal the deposit in case of natural death of the account holder whereas in the event of accidental death of the account holder the beneficiary(ices) will receive twice the deposit. As for example, if a customer picks up Easy Class (Tk.50,000/-) he/she will get Tk.50,000/- for natural death and Tk.1,00,000/- for accidental death apart from his/her deposited amount and interest.
Joining with the world's largest money transfer service "Western Union", NBL has introduced Bangladesh to the faster track of money remittance. Now money transfer between Bangladesh and any other part of the globe is safer and faster than ever before.
This simple transfer system, being on line eliminates the complex process and makes it easy and convenient for both the sender and the receiver. Through NBL – Western Union Money Transfer Service, your money will reach its destination within a few minutes.
The deposit of the Bank increased over the years. In 2003 it was 27762.12 million taka and at the end of 2006 its balance was 40350.87 million taka. Total deposits mobilized by the NBL in 2006 stood at tk. 40350.87 million, which is higher by the tk. 7366.82 or 22.33% than in 2005. Keeping in view the element of profitability, priority is given to mobilization of costless and low cost deposits. Deposits resources are raised by undertaking special saving mobilization programmers at the intervals throughout the year.
Loans and advance also showing the upward trend over the years, which indicates a positive signal for a bank. Total loans and advances disbursed by the NBL during 2006 increased by tk. 5689.47million to tk 32709.68 million. the rate of growth was 21.06%.
During the year Bank's profit after tax has also increased i.e. Tk. 88.12 million in 2003 to Tk. 507.49million in the year 2006, a positive balance. And the growth of profit 2006 is too high than 2005.
A huge source of bank's income, both has increased over the years. In 2006 Export earning was 28019.20million- a golden period. NBL financed export trade worth US$ 405.33 million equivalent to tk. 28019.2million in 2006.as compares to us $ 329.00 million equivalent to tk. 21344.1 million in 2005. The rate of growth stood at 23.20% in terms of dollar and 31.27% in terms of tk.
The volume of import trade financed by NBL in 2006 amounted in us$ 606.30 million equivalence to tk. 42455.5 million as against us$ 485.00 equivalent to tk. 31648.2 million in 2005.
The Banks main sources of funds are shareholders equity and savings of the public, which the bank mobilizes as deposits and deploys as short and long-term loan and advances as well as invites in different financial institution including Bangladesh Bank to earn profit. Total funds of the Banks is controlled by and utilized through the Treasury Division, Loan Division And Merchant banking division. As per the latest directives of Bangladesh Bank 18.0% of the total demand and liabilities are required to the maintained as statuary Liquidity Ratio (SLR) of which 5.0% are to be maintained in cash as CRR in current Account with Bangladesh Bank ( on which no interest in receive) and the rest 13% are maintain in different approved securities, treasury bills, bonds, debenture and foreign currency. In utilizing its resources the Bank keeps in view the need for maintaining required liquidity and earning maximum profit through lending and investing.
A department which has direct interaction with customers, deal with opening of different types of Accounts. After getting all required papers Officer go to the senior executives for taking the permission of open the A/C. in the mean time s/he verify all papers and finally if the client is eligible for a A/c holder then Bank permit him to open the A/C.
First interact with the client and understand his/ her interest to open an A/C, address, profession, social status and also his referee.
Declaration – who will withdraw money?
If it is a company's A/C then MA is must After fulfillment of all requirements a client is permitted to open an Account.
Under this scheme one customer can open an account for 3 years @ 9% interest rate, 5 years @ 9.25% interest rate, and 8 years @ 9.5% interest rate. The monthly installments are – Tk. 500, Tk. 1000, Tk. 2000, Tk. 3000, Tk. 4000, Tk. 5000, and Tk. 10000. For opening an account customer need to submit only one copy of his/her recent photograph (passport size). Same person can open more than one account in the same branch or bank on different monthly installment.
The scheme will be titled as NDS. The period of deposits will be 3 years. Credit facilities up to 80% are allowed against lien on balance of NDS A/C, at 15% rate of interest of quarterly rest.
This cash Department deals with cash, maintain the registers of Incoming and outgoing of cash flows. Cash department has to properly maintain cash management policy. Within this policy cash department performs activities through some steps and follows some policy, especially insurance policy.
In cash department above mentioned registers are maintained. For example, in receive register there are two heads. One is receive from branch and other banks, other are receive from customers. Hence in payment register there are also two heads. One is payment to branch and other banks and another is payment to the customer.
Day cash balance book – incase of large branch this book is maintained one after one day, but in case of small branch this book is maintained on current date.
Evening cash balance book – in case of emergency receive from customers, bank has to maintain this special kind of book for party services.
This Dept. plays an important role in deposit all cash, cheques, bills, DD, TT, PO or anything. Not directly interacted with customers but deals with the customers' tasks. Mainly Debt, credit and transfer is the major part of their task.
After collecting cheque at first it goes to the computer operator. The officer entry the cheque no, judge validity of the cheque, check the current balance. If computer shows "good for payment" then cheque is approved for cancellation process.
If computer shows "do not pay" then no amount is debited from the A/C.
If the cheque amount is 25,000 and above and it is transfer cheque then second cancellation is needed Otherwise first cancellation is enough.
Operation is divided two parts; one is manually and other is computerized.
Inland Remittance Dept. Always busy to remit customers money from one destination to another destination with a minimum charge. Mainly money sent through TT. PO, DD, SDR etc.
Though Pay Order is an unconditional instrument so when a customer presents PO to this dept. Bank bound to pay the money unless any injunction of court. Without An account PO purchase is not allowed .If a PO of same bank another branch is presented then one branch has to send a credit advice to the paying branch.
Incase of TT minimum 3 parties are related. After getting a TT must justify the test number, TT number. After matching the test number "test agreed" seal is given upon telex message, then voucher has to prepare. At last paying branch debit its issuing branch and credit its customers account.
In case of DD, there is no responsibility of bank. Party has to bear DD of his own responsibility. In this case paying and issuing branches are different.
Pay slip is issue for meeting internal payment, FDR interest, a/c closing amount etc.
For DD- Commission 0.10%, Vat 15%.
For TT – Commission 0.10%, Vat 15% & Telephone charge Tk.40.
For PS – No charge required.
Every member bank of the Clearing House prepares a bank-wise list of cheques and drafts received from its customers and drawn on different banks.
Representative of each bank visits the Clearing House with the cheques and their list in the morning and delivers the cheques and drafts to the representatives of the respective banks. Similarly, he/she also receives the cheques drawn on his/her bank from the representatives of the other banks.
The representatives return to their respective banks to meet again in the afternoon to return the dishonoured instruments, if any, to the representatives of the respective banks.
The representative of each bank computes the final balance payable or receivable by his bank or other bank from other banks after taking into account the various amounts of receipts and payment.
of the respective banks as maintained with the Clearing House.
Loans & Advance is a major earning source of a Bank. NBL is also very careful to provide loan, normally NBL sanction loan to individuals, small/medium or large industries. Actually loans give out of the Bank's deposits, against valuable security.
NBL follows some general rules/principle to provide loan to its client.
The bank shall provide suitable credit services and products for the markets in which it operates.
Loans and advances shall normally the financed from customers' deposits and not out of the share, temporary funds or borrowings from other banks.
Credit will be allowed in manners, which will in no way compromise the Bank's standards of excellence and to customers who will complement such standards.
All credit extension must comply with the requirement of banking companies Act 1991 and Bangladesh Bank's instructions as amended from time to time.
The aggregate of all cash facilities shall not exceed 80% of customer deposits. It is further governed by the statutory and liquidity reserve requirement of Bangladesh Bank.
What is CC: Actually cash credit is one kind of credit facilities to the customer. CC is a fully continuous loan. Generally this loan issued for providing working capital of a business.
Some discussion about CC Generally hypothecation is used in a large scale. In hypo stock acts as a primary security and keeps under borrowers full responsibility.
In case of pledge stock possession is kept under bank and bank guard it own cost. After submitting bills by party bank pay bill amount to the supplier and party collect money from supplier. Party has to maintain certain % of margin to the bank.
In case of first arrangement borrower has to pay 15% of loan amount to the bank, then he /she can goes to arrangement.
In case of third arrangement this percentage is 45%.
If borrower does not pay his/her liability although taking this reminder action then bank goes to legal action (file case).
Different interest rate of different securities: FDR: Loan against FDR between 80% – 90% interest rate is 2% – 3%. If loan issued above 90% Interest Rate is 3.5% – 4.5%.
So party's net bill receivable (NBR) is determined after cutting 18.5% charge on work value & this value is distributed step by step.
Before sanctioning a Loan: Before sanctioning guarantee-lending risk analysis (LRA) and proposal preparation is must. Branch sends the LRA report with the proposal to the board meeting (if loan is above 20lac) to finalize the decision of providing Loan.
Bid Bond: Actually in the time of tender bid bond is used. It's one kind of instrument.
Performance Guarantee (PG): Generally bank gives PG upon party's work ability for a certain time period. PG gives on total work value.
Advanced payment guarantee (APG): APG gives for the initial amount.
Counter Guarantee: A Guarantee against a Bank guarantee.
Bank must be responsible for any lapses, disorders. Inability of party & treated as failure.
Validity of BG: Work order must have a valid period and within this valid period party has to finish his work. But if employer wants he can extend this valid period.
Theme of ADB loan: Asian Development Bank distributes a handsome fund to different developing countries. Generally in case of ADB loan charges 12% interest rate for 6 years repaid on monthly installment basis. Loan repayment starts after 1 year.
If loan is 2 lacs Safety money is Tk. 100 per month.
If loan is (2 – 4 ) lacs Safety money is Tk. 300 per month.
If loan is (4 – 6) lacs Safety money is Tk. 400 per month.
If loan is (6 – 9) lacs Safety money is Tk. 500 per month.
If loan is (9 –12) lacs Safety money is Tk. 600 per month.
If loan is above 15 lacs Safety money is Tk. 800 per month.
If installment exceeds 50% of total salary then he/she does not permits provide EHBL facilities.
Loan for purchase of land is restricted to 40% of total value of land.
Papers & Procedures for EHBL: Photocopy of agreement of sale/allotment letter from concerned authority. Up to-date clearance from Rajuk/CDA/KDA for Dhaka/Narayangonj/Chittagong and Khulna areas or from local development Authority/Municipality for others areas stating that the land is free from acquisition.
Sale permission from Housing estate if the plot is leased by Housing / other Govt. body.
Whether the land is under direct possession of the seller and buyer will get possession on the same immediately after purchase.
Valuation Certificate of land signed by a bank official.
Theme of HBL: Generally HBL is issued for customers.
Whether the land is under direct possession of owner. Possession certificate from recommending authority after spot verification.
Whether the land is fit for immediate construction or requires earth filling.
Copy of approved plan from RAJUK/CDA/KDA/Purchaser /an engineer.
Estimate cost of the proposed construction signed by a PWD engineer not below the rank of Asst. engineer.
Clearance certificate form the Bank's approved lawyer regarding the genuineness of the right, title etc. of the owner of the land.
Photocopy of agreement of sale duly attested by the Recommending Authority.
Clearance certificate form RAJUK/CDA/KDA for Dhaka/ Narayanganj/ Khulna and Chittagong areas and from competent authority for other areas for sale where necessary.
Sale permission from Housing Estate if housing & settlement or other Govt. body leases the plot and house where necessary.
Valuation certificate of ready- made / apartment signed by a PWD engineer not below the rank of Asst. engineer.
Clearance certificate form the Bank's approved lawyer about the genuineness of right, title etc. on the land and house.
Whether the house is in habitual condition.
Rescheduling Rules: After receiving rescheduling application bank has to query why loan account becomes defaulted.
Considering rescheduling bank has to observe borrowers liability with other bank. Bank must have to observe borrower's cash flow statement, Income statement, Balance sheet. Sometime bank can inspect borrower's industry/firm physically to ensure borrower's repayment capacity of rescheduling liability. Bank must preserve this report .if bank satisfied with above conditions, and then loan can be rescheduled. Otherwise legal action must be taken, keeping sufficient provision and write off the loan. Rescheduling must be for minimum time period.
Between maximum 15% of overdue installment or 10% of outstanding – which is lower pain in cash then 1st rescheduling considered. Between maximum 30% of overdue installment or 20% of outstanding – which is lower pain in cash then 2nd rescheduling considered.
Between maximum 50% of overdue installment or 30% of outstanding – which is lower pain in cash then 3rd rescheduling considered.
Rescheduling of demand and continuous loan: In case of demand and continuous loan's rescheduling rate of down payment vary in order to loan amount.
E) Statement of rescheduled loan.
A consolidated statement as per Bangladesh Bank requirement sends it through Head Office as a continuous basis. As when required others additional statements have to prepare.
Statement of loan & advances in Govt. & private sector at Inspection date.
NBL provide both Credit card & Debit Card Basically this department deals with credit cards, and now days only the 'Master Card'. But NBL recently is starting the operation of VISA Power Card as a Debit Card. Master Card is using as an alternative of cash. In the real world cash carrying is not safe always that's why credit card is very popular in the modern world and also in Bangladesh. People can draw cash from the ATM with out any involvement of human, by credit card one can buy anything from the shop.
Silver & Gold, both has local & International range.
– Interest rate is 2% for both Local and International.
For exporter lien will be his F.C A/C and payment of card will be through USD.
If approved by the management the card will punch and deliver after 1 day to the Clint.
The card holder may avail any of the above Cards subject to fulfillment of necessary requirements.
NBL Power Card can be used for purchases at merchants where VISA Cards are accepted through electronic point of sales terminals.
NBL Power Card can be used for withdrawing cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATM) s.
For Local Card there is no issuance fee for the 1st year and from the 2nd year only Tk. 200 will be charged.
For the International Card highest charge will be $ 40 & lowest will be $ 15.
To get a NBL Power Card customer has to submit only two copies of his/her recent photograph and the TIN (Tax Identification Number).
Here merchant is our client who has a shop/ outlet. Merchant uses our NBL card machine. NBL take 3% interest from the merchant.
For manual machine phone call come from the merchant to take the approval, whether the card is valued or not, card has sufficient balance or not And person of this Dept. Check the cardholder's current situation and give the decision to the merchant.
For POS merchant can know the current situation of the cardholder in his computer.
Merchant marketing people always keep on follow to find the problems in the market and doing their maintenance and servicing job.
The Merchant will indemnify and not will NBL responsible for any claims, demands, actions, suits or proceeding, liabilities, losses, costs, expenses, legal fees or damages asserted against NBL by any holder on account of acts or omissions by the Merchant in connection with the sale of goods and services and the performance of this agreement. The indemnity provided herein shall service the termination hereof in so far as it pertains to events, which transpired during the subsistence hereof.
Imprinters for use by the Merchant will be provided on request. The imprinter provides to the Merchant must be returned on termination of this agreement. Any other Imprinter used by the Merchant not provided by NBL must be one, which can accommodate MasterCard charge slips or email or fax/telex. CCD will stop function of that stolen card.
Cash drawing is very easy in Master Card. People can draw money from ATM or from the bank also. For using the ATM pin code is require punching into the machine.
Cardholder can get a supplementary card for another person. But the main cardholder will carry all charges.
One cardholder cans delegate his authority to get the insurance coverage after his death, so that nominee will get all insurance payment after cardholder's death.
No bank account is needed.
Money can be send with Master Card or Visa Card.
Fastest & safest way to transfer money.
People can collect money from any branches of the National Bank Ltd.
Sender has to fill up a form supplied by the agent of Western Union.
After filling up the form sender has to give the form and money to the agent.
Sender has to collect a recite of MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number).
Sender has to inform the recipient about the amount of money and the MTCN.
Receiver has to collect the MTCN and information about the amount of money.
Then recipient has to fill up a form after presenting his/her identity in any branch of NBL.
After examining the identification through the computer network the agent of the Western Union will give the money to the customer.
No privacy for party to talk personality with the officers.
No Advising facility for new party/ Importer.
All manual register- a lengthy process of keeping accounts.
Completely absent of employee motivation.
Telex message goes after 1 or 2 days.
Sometimes communication gap between officers and executive.
No marketing activities to Boost up Export & Import activities.
No promotion or features for the valued parties.
All amendment goes through Telex not through E-mail.
No analysis for competitors – what they are doing.
No alternative arrangement for customer during rush hour.
Poor customer services, poor care of customers.
New competitors entry into the same market with greater facilities.
Advising charge is high compare to other Bank.
LIM / LTR interest rate seems to high.
No Local Area Network (LAN) system within the computers.
Customers' always run from table to table with their files not the employees.
No good Photocopy machine inside the department.
Analysis of National Bank Limited.
Firm can motivate employee in various way. But rewarding employees financially improves level of employees work.. Renowned organization of the world gets success by using this motivating tool. But use of other tools re also very important. Because need of money is not important I all level of employee. Higher-level employee want something more than money.


The Fourth of July is right around the corner. A time to gather all your family and friends and celebrate America's Independence. This red, white and blue dessert is a perfect addition to your party treats for the day. This delicious dessert includes 1 pound of blueberries and strawberries. You can find this No-Bake Strawberry Blueberry Trifle on the blog of Natasha's Kitchen. Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!


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Drew Blair reaches 1,000 points
By Alexis Bass
DULUTH, MN. (CBS3 Duluth) - Only one collegiate team in the Northland has yet to see a conference loss, and that team lives in Bulldog Country. The UMD men's basketball team is currently 15-0. So you may wonder what their secret sauce is. There is surely one guy who deserves quite a bit of credit.
A redshirt junior and UMD guard, Drew Blair, put up his 1,000th career point Saturday night against Concordia St. Paul, reaching this milestone in just 58 games.
Blair averages 18.7 points per game right in front of four-time NSIC North Division Player of the week sophomore forward Austin Andrews. Head coach Justin Weick says Blair has gone from the third and fourth player on the scouting report to the first due to his strength and trust in his teammates.
"A really talented player can score in a lot of different ways, really crafty. So it gives the defense a lot of problems. He's not just a shooter; he can get to the rim. To be able to get to 1,000 in pretty much two years, right? It was a full first year. 13 games last year, 15 games this year, that's about two full years. So big credit to him he's got two and a half years to keep on adding to it," said Weick.
"I give all my thanks to my coaches and teammates. As you said, I couldn't do it without them. Constantly putting me in position to score. When you know that your coaches and teammates trust you to make the right play. It's a lot of hard work over the years, but obviously couldn't do it without the guys around me," said Blair.
Blair says he competes with the 'no one can guard me' mentality and loves to take the big shots. The guard is right on track when it comes to finding himself in the record books again in the future—the Bulldogs visit Winona on Friday.
Copyright 2022 CBS3 Duluth. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This April, I'm flying to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to march 26.2 miles while carrying a 35-pound pack over uneven terrain, up rolling hills and down steep climbs. At the Mountain Man Memorial March I'll hike for hours alongside active duty military, reserve and guard units, veterans, civilian family, friends of the fallen, and even Cub Scouts.
My eldest son, RJ, is a sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina in the U.S. Army ROTC Program. When RJ graduates college, he'll receive a commission as a a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
As reported in Sebastien Junger's book Tribe, high soldier PTSD rates are in part due to the stark transition modern soldiers face as they leave the military culture of total belonging, shared resources and serving the collective good.
Chris Power, a medically-released veteran who manages special projects at Medcan, explains how events like the Mountain Man Memorial March remind soldiers they share common values and remain a part of the larger community.
Power joined the True Patriot Love expedition to Mount Everest last April (you can read about it here).
And, you don't have to travel to Nepal for the same impact.
Since signing up for the march, my son keeps me accountable and checks that I'm working out regularly (his school regimen is strict, so I need to keep up with him). I'm excited to get to see him in a different environment and observe the man he's becoming. Together with his classmates and the Medcan team, we'll all be focused on achieving something together without distractions (no phones!). Previous trips with my two other sons have led to incredible growth for all of us, including networking and opportunities to stretch socially, emotionally and physically.
Now in its 12th year, the annual MMMM is scheduled for 26-27 April, 2019, in Gatlinburg, TN. This event has become one of the largest events in the United States to celebrate the service and honour the ultimate sacrifice of fallen service members. Any funds collected can be directed to True Patriot Love in support of military and Veteran families.
Learn more about upcoming expeditions like the True Patriot Love's Women's Expedition: Baffin Island 2019, which will bring together a team of Canadian female soldiers and Veterans with female business and community leaders from across Canada.
Looking forward to meeting you and see you in Tennessee.
Shaun Francis is the Chair of the True Patriot Love Foundation, the official charity of Invictus Games Canada and is CEO and Chair of Medcan, a proud sponsor of The Invictus Games.
We'd be happy to help if you'd like to ask questions about our services or book an appointment.


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Speaker cancels lecture, cites offensive KSU poster
Amadeus Smith
An advertisement for a lecture describing Serbians' moral deficiency has lead to a cancellation from its speaker, Peter French.
French, a philosophy professor at Arizona State University, wrote to serbianna.com, saying the poster for "On Being Morally Challenged by Collective Memories," contains statements that give a false impression of the intent and focus of the speech, which was scheduled for today.
"I certainly do not think that Serbian culture is morally deficient or any such thing," French wrote. "I do not know enough about Serbian culture to make such a judgment."
French went on to say the ideas presented in the poster were not part of his paper, which was the basis of the speech.
According to serbianna.com, the poster said that Serbian men felt they had to "rape and murder Kosovar women and children," and the urge was influenced by "collective memories nurtured in Serbs for seven centuries."
French said the advertisement, which was "created to excite audience interest," has offended a portion of the Serbian community.
"However, after event organizers generated a poster with a blurb citing the Serbian/Kosovo example to announce the lecture and displayed it on the Kent State University campus and Web site, there arose an outcry of complaints and accusations regarding my supposed views about Serbs," he said.
At this point, the promotional poster's author has not been determined.
The lecture was part of the 2006-2007 Veroni Memorial Lectures in Philosophy and the Humanities. According to the philosophy department's Web site, the department is currently scheduling another lecture on collective memory and moral responsibility.
Contact minority affairs reporter Amadeus Smith at [email protected].


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Center for Homeland Defense and Security
DHS – FEMA
About the HSDL
Homeland Security Digital Library
Policy & Strategy Documents
General U.S. Policy Documents
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Strategic Intelligence Assessment and Data on Domestic Terrorism
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From the Executive Summary: "Preventing terrorist attacks remains a top priority for both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The threat posed by international and domestic threat actors has evolved significantly since 9/11. The greatest terrorism threat to the Homeland we face today is posed by lone offenders, often radicalized online, who look to attack soft targets with easily accessible weapons. Many of these violent extremists are motivated and inspired by a mix of socio-political goals and personal grievances against their targets. With this report, we are providing our strategic intelligence assessments on DT [domestic terrorism], a detailed discussion of our procedures and methods to address DT threats, as well as data on DT incidents and our investigations."
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States. Office of Homeland Security
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Standards of Conduct
From the Introduction: "In fulfilling its mission, CBP [Customs and Border Protection] and its employees must sustain the trust and confidence of the public they serve. All employees must maintain high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality, character, and professionalism to ensure the proper performance of government business and the continued trust and confidence of the public. The conduct of CBP employees must reflect the qualities of integrity and loyalty to the United States; a sense of responsibility for the public trust; courtesy and promptness in dealing with and serving the public; and a standard of personal behavior that reflects positively upon, and will be a credit to, both CBP and its employees."
United States. Office of Homeland Security; U.S. Customs and Border Protection
FLETC Instructional Capacity (Fiscal Year 2019 Report to Congress)
From the Executive Summary: "Senate Report 115-283 articulates Congress's expectation that FLETC [Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers] maintain training at or near facility capacity before entering into new leases or establishing new partnerships with training organizations. Accordingly, Senate Report 115-283 directs FLETC to provide a cost analysis detailing FLETC's capacity at each site as measured against annual student occupancy. [...] This report represents the model that FLETC has developed to calculate instructional capacity."
United States. Office of Homeland Security; Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Report as of February 28, 2019 (Fiscal Year 2019 Report to Congress)
From the Document: "P.L. 116-6 requires that the FEMA Administrator provide a report by the fifth business day of each month on the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) that includes a funding summary, a table delineating DRF funding activities each month by state and event, a summary of the funding for the catastrophic events, and the funds exhaust date, or end-of-fiscal-year balance."
United States. Office of Homeland Security; United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
CBP Border Security Report: Fiscal Year 2018
From the Document: "As the guardian of our nation's borders and the gateway to our global economy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a premier law enforcement agency committed to ensuring America's safety, security, and prosperity. [...] This report summarizes CBP's [Customs and Border Protection] Fiscal Year 2018 border enforcement efforts, which reflect CBP's focus on counterterrorism, countering transnational organized crime, and border security."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection; United States. Office of Homeland Security
2019 National Preparedness Report
From the Executive Summary: "The 'National Preparedness Report' summarizes the progress made and challenges that remain in building and sustaining the capabilities needed to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats, hazards and incidents that pose the greatest risk to the Nation. As a requirement of the 'Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006' and a key element of the National Preparedness System, this annual report offers all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the public practical insights into preparedness that support decisions about program priorities, resource allocation, and community actions. The '2019 National Preparedness Report (2019 Report)' presents an overview of the five preparedness mission areas--Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery-- and describes major findings identified through community-wide research and engagement."
DHS Resilience Framework: Providing a Roadmap for the Department in Operational Resilience and Readiness
From the Executive Summary: "Since May 1998, Presidential and Federal Directives and Executive Orders have been issued on protecting national critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure are those assets and systems that are so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of them would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health, or safety. Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, there has been a notable shift in emphasis from protecting critical infrastructure but to also ensuring that communities and Federal agency infrastructure are resilient. Simply stated, resilience is the ability to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruption. Hazards and threats that can cause disruptions can take many forms, including natural, technological, and human caused. These could entail, for example, severe weather, power outages, roadway failures, acts of terror, and cyberattacks."
United States. Office of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security: FY 2018 Budget in Brief
From the Document: "The President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Budget of $44.1 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reflects our continued commitment to the security of our homeland and the American Public. Homeland security is the most important mission that any government can provide to its people. This FY 2018 Budget provides funding to sustain and strengthen our most critical programs and capabilities in each of our mission areas - securing and managing our borders, enforcing and administering our immigration laws, preventing terrorism and enhancing security, safeguarding and securing cyberspace, and strengthening national preparedness and resilience."
Integrated Product Teams for Department of Homeland Security R&D (FY17 Report)
From the Introduction: "In August 2015, the Secretary of DHS issued a memorandum establishing Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to identify and coordinate the Department's R&D [research and development] activities. [...] This report presents the results of the second annual cycle of the IPTs, the FY16-17 IPT process."
2017-09-29?
FABIS-Mobile Facial Recognition Software: Experimentation Report
From the Executive Summary: "FABIS-Mobile facial recognition software, developed by Ideal Innovations, Incorporated (I3), underwent operational experimentation on January 24, 2017, at the National Urban Security and Technology Laboratory (NUSTL). FABIS-Mobile is designed to enable users to rapidly identify individuals appearing in video and still camera images. It is available as a smart phone application that performs facial recognition analysis on images collected with the smartphone's built-in camera. It also is available as software for laptop or desktop computers that can analyze images obtained from sources such as a surveillance camera network. The faces of individuals captured in video or still imagery are compared against a database of facial images of people who security or law enforcement agencies seek to identify."
United States. Office of Homeland Security; National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (U.S.)
Kada, John
From the Introduction: "[T]he Secretary of Homeland Security issued a memorandum in August 2015 establishing Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) as the central mechanism by which DHS identifies and coordinates its R&D [research and development] efforts in priority mission areas. The initial IPTs focused on the following DHS missions: Aviation Security, Biological Threat, Counterterrorism, Border Security, and Cyber Security. Supporting the broader Unity of Effort Initiative, the IPTs brought together cross-component teams to align the Department's R&D investments with priority technological capability gaps. [...] The FY16 IPTs identified technological capability gaps to gain a better understanding of current and emerging R&D needs. The IPTs then identified R&D efforts to develop solutions that address the most critical gaps to support the security and resilience of the Nation."
Strategy for Waterside Security of Especially Hazardous Cargo
"The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-281), Section 812, directs the Coast Guard to develop, in conjunction with appropriate federal agencies, a national strategy for the waterside security of vessels carrying, and waterfront facilities handling, especially hazardous cargo. This strategy is based on the Waterside Security of Especially Hazardous Cargo National Study Results, delivered to Congress on May 14, 2012. The study identified measures to improve the security of maritime transportation of especially hazardous cargo and evaluated the waterside security of vessels carrying, and waterfront facilities handling, especially hazardous cargo. The Strategy for the Waterside Security of Especially Hazardous Cargo establishes the framework by which the federal government, led by the Department of Homeland Security, addresses risks to the Marine Transportation System posed by a waterside attack or other maritime incident causing a release involving especially hazardous cargoes. Although the likelihood of an attack or other incident that creates a release is low, a successful attack on the nation's Marine Transportation System, especially where it involves especially hazardous cargoes, could cause significant injury and loss of life, as well as damage to critical infrastructure and key resources. The high consequence nature of such an incident underscores the importance of developing, implementing, maintaining, and periodically reviewing and modifying existing security and safety policies, as well as requirements to address especially hazardous cargo. […] Underlying this Strategy for the Waterside Security of Especially Hazardous Cargo is the recognition that these cargoes are important to the Nation's economy. This strategy seeks to reduce risk while considering all costs and promoting economic growth."
United States. Coast Guard; United States. Office of Homeland Security
Wireless Emergency Alerts: Arbitrary-Size Location-Aware Targeting Final Report
"This document describes research being done on a new Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) geotargeting mechanism by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL). This work was undertaken with the support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). The WEA service provides the ability to send geographically targeted text alerts to the public. However, the current WEA geotargeting mechanism is limited by the relatively coarse granularity of cellular network sites. JHU/APL investigated methods of improving the geotargeting accuracy of WEA. The new WEA geotargeting mechanism is called Arbitrary-Size Location-Aware Targeting (ASLAT). This document compares the performance of the new mechanism with existing WEA geotargeting, discusses the requirements for the new mechanism and identifies the required changes to existing WEA standards. ASLAT utilizes the location awareness of mobile devices to improve geotargeting accuracy."
United States. Office of Homeland Security; United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate
Secure Communities
"The goal of Secure Communities was to more effectively identify and facilitate the removal of criminal aliens in the custody of state and local law enforcement agencies. But the reality is the program has attracted a great deal of criticism, is widely misunderstood, and is embroiled in litigation; its very name has become a symbol for general hostility toward the enforcement of our immigration laws. Governors, mayors, and state and local law enforcement officials around the country have increasingly refused to cooperate with the program, and many have issued executive orders or signed laws prohibiting such cooperation. A number of federal courts have rejected the authority of state and local law enforcement agencies to detain immigrants pursuant to federal detainers issued under the current Secure Communities program. The overarching goal of Secure Communities remains in my view a valid and important law enforcement objective, but a fresh start and a new program are necessary. As recommended by the Homeland Security Advisory Council Task Force, Secure Communities 'must be implemented in a way that supports community policing and sustains the trust of all elements of the community in working with local law enforcement."
Johnson, Jeh Charles
Southern Border and Approaches Campaign Memorandum
"The overarching goals of the Southern Border and Approaches Campaign are to enforce our immigration laws and interdict individuals seeking to illegally cross our land, sea, and air borders; degrade transnational criminal organizations; and decrease the terrorism threat to the Nation, all without impeding the flow of lawful trade, travel, and commerce. The ten objectives of the Southern Border and Approaches Strategy will be: [1.] Minimize the risk of terrorism. [2.] Increase the perceived risk of engaging in or facilitating illegal transnational or cross-border activity. [3.] Interdict people and goods attempting to enter illegally between ports of entry. [4.] Increase situational awareness in the air, land , and sea border and approaches. [5.] Decrease or disrupt the profitability and finances of transnational criminal activities at the optimal points. [6.] Dismantle criminal and terrorist organizations and networks. [7.] Prevent the illegal exploitation of legal flows. [8.] Maximize the resiliency of key nodes, conveyances, pathways, and transportation infrastructure. [9.] Minimize the cost to travelers and delays to shippers in being screened and vetted at ports of entry. [10.] Maximize the number of travelers and value o f imported goods that undergo screening before arriving at ports of entry."
Policies for the Apprehension, Detention and Revomal of Undocumented Immigrants
"This memorandum reflects new policies for the apprehension, detention, and removal of aliens in this country. This memorandum should be considered Department-wide guidance, applicable to the activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This memorandum should inform enforcement and removal activity, detention decisions, budget requests and execution, and strategic planning. In general, our enforcement and removal policies should continue to prioritize threats to national security, public safety, and border security. The intent of this new policy is to provide clearer and more effective guidance in the pursuit of those priorities. To promote public confidence in our enforcement activities, I am also directing herein greater transparency in the annual reporting of our removal statistics, to include data that tracks the priorities outlined below."
U.S. Fire Administration: Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 Report to Congress
"During the last 10 years, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimated an average of 1,514,500 reported fires each year. USFA [U.S. Fire Administration] recognizes the seriousness of the national fire problem and is committed to working for a fire safe America. USFA's efforts in public education and awareness, training, research, technology development, and data collection and analysis in FYs 2012 and 2013 have helped reduce the nation's death and injury rates from fires. In FYs 2012 and 2013, USFA continued providing national leadership for the fire and emergency services stakeholders in prevention, preparedness and response. As an integral part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA, USFA contributes to FEMA's mission to support citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all-hazards, by leading efforts to build local capacity in support of increasing first responder capabilities nationally."
Homeland Security Information Network-Intelligence (HSIN-Intel) Partner Products Fact Sheet
This fact sheet describes the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) and how it is used nationwide with other government organizations. The following is from the overview: " HSIN is made up of a growing network of sites, called Communities of Interest (COI). COIs are organized by state organizations, federal organizations, or mission areas, such as emergency management, law enforcement, critical sectors, and intelligence. Users can securely share information and products within their communities or with other communities as needed. HSIN provides secure, real-time collaboration tools, including a virtual meeting space, instant messaging, and document sharing. HSIN also allows partners to work together instantly, regardless of their location, to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate. HSIN-Intel is a COI focused on supporting the collaboration of fusion centers within the National Network of Fusion Centers, including the sharing of products and information. It is the primary vehicle for fusion centers and other key stakeholders to share sensitive but unclassified information. HSIN-Intel is a chartered and vetted community of intelligence analysts from the homeland security, intelligence, and law enforcement communities at all levels of government who share homeland security-related information and analyses on a daily basis in order to address threats to the homeland. In order to make HSIN-Intel even more robust and user-friendly, a new section was created--called Partner Products-- that allows users to easily find and access valuable products and resources, including analytic products, situational awareness products, guidebooks, and other critical resources, many of which were previously unavailable. The lists on the following pages include current resources available on the Partner Products Web pages."
Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide: Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 201 Supplement 1: Toolkit
"This toolkit provides resources and information, data sources, and templates to support the conduct of a Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) as described in the first edition of the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 201: Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide."
NLE 2011: Preparedness Matters
"An earthquake with a 7.7 magnitude in the central U.S. region of the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) could result in direct economic losses totaling nearly $300 billion in the eight U.S. States that make up the NMSZ--Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, according to 'Impact of Earthquakes in Central USA', a two-year study conducted for the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The study predicts indirect losses could be twice this amount, likely deeming it the largest economic loss due to a natural disaster in the United States. The impact on critical infrastructure is expected to be substantial. Estimates indicate nearly 715,000 buildings would be damaged in the eight-state region. The human toll would be catastrophic as well, with an estimated 86,000 injuries and fatalities resulting from damage to infrastructure. To help businesses, owners/operators of critical infrastructure, Federal, State, and local government agencies, and others to prepare for such an event, the U.S. government's National Level Exercise (NLE) this year will simulate the disastrous nature of an earthquake in the Central United States. 'The National Level Exercises provides a platform for industry to test threat information- sharing processes and exercise their crisis management plans in a no-fault environment,' said Clyde D. Miller, director for Corporate Security for BASF--The Chemical Company, and chairman of PCIS [Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security], the Cross Sector Coordinating Council. 'The exercises also allow industry to gain insight into how the government operates during an incident, offers industry an opportunity to work with local responders and Federal partners, and provides an opportunity for industry to test, review, and refine company policies.'"
Memorandum for the Record from Dr. Teresa R. Pohlman Regarding National Environmental Policy Act Requirements, October 1, 2010
From the Background: "The April 20, 2010, explosion and subsequent sinking of the DEEPWATER HORIZON Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit caused a release of oil into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico that was unprecedented in United States history. The release was classified a Spill of National Significance (SONS) [...] by the Commandant of the Coast Guard in a Memorandum issued on 29 April 2010 [...]. Pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA-90) and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), a SONS may be declared for spills that because of severity, size, location, response effort and/or threat to public health and welfare, require extraordinary coordination of federal, tribal, state, local and responsible party resources. [...] During the months of June and July, my staff and I worked with personnel from DHS operational Components [...] on this emergency regulation, its implementation, and to develop workable alternative arrangements to ensure that public participation and full governmental consultation occurs to the extent the emergency situation allows. We coordinated closely with the Council on Environmental Quality to determine relationships to other programs, and equities across the Department and the federal government."
Pohlman, Teresa R.
Alternative Arrangements to Meet National Environmental Policy Act Requirements for Issuing and Implementing the Emergency Temporary Interim Rule - Temporary Suspension of Certain Oil Spill Response Time Requirements to Support Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of National Significance (SONS) Response
From the Introduction: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with its component the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), began consulting with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) while developing the Emergency Temporary Interim Rule [ETIR] to facilitate response to the Spill of National Significance (SONS) from the 'Macondo' well in the Gulf of Mexico while continuing to ensure public and maritime safety. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which jointly prepared and issued the ETIR, has participated in the consultations, assisted in developing these alternative arrangements, and will assist DHS and the USCG during implementation. These alternative arrangements, which take the place of an Environmental Impact Statement, provide that DHS and the USCG will consider the potential for significant impacts to the human environment as they implement the ETIR and shift additional response resources (primarily equipment such as skimmers and boom) from around the country to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the cleanup of the SONS."
Preparing Makes Sense. Get Ready Now. (brochure)
This high-resolution, full-color, two-sided, tri-fold brochure from Ready.gov offers basic preparedness tips to the general public.
Ready Campaign (U.S.); United States. Office of Homeland Security
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Exercise - October 21, 2008: Final Report - Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program [Luzerne County, Pennsylvania]
From the Lessons Learned Information Sharing abstract: "This after-action report includes information on the October 21, 2008, full-scale plume exercise conducted in the 10-mile plume exposure pathway, emergency planning zone around the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region III. The purpose of the exercise and the out-of-sequence demonstrations was to assess the level of State and local preparedness in responding to a radiological emergency."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Radiological Emergency Preparedness Division; United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; United States. Office of Homeland Security
Hammons, Darrell
Alaska Multi-Agency Maritime Communicable Disease Emergency Response Plan: Guidelines for Response to Public Health Emergencies at US Sea Ports of Entry in Alaska
This plan aims to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into Alaska. The plan covers emergency operations and assignment of responsibilities.
United States. Department of Homeland Security; United States. Office of Homeland Security; Alaska. Division of Public Health
Pandemic Influenza Impact on Communications Networks Study
"There is widespread concern among policymakers and public health experts about the possibility of a worldwide pandemic outbreak. In preparation for dealing with a pandemic scenario in the United States, several national plans have been released by the Homeland Security Council (HSC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other organizations. Many of these national plans identify telecommuting as a key component of the national response to a pandemic influenza. Despite increasing adoption of telecommuting as a normal method of business, the technical feasibility of widespread telecommuting given the existing infrastructure is not well established. In particular, businesses may not be prepared to handle the surge in telecommuting traffic and telecommuters may face congestion when competing for network resources due to an increase in recreational users and children home from school."
Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Annual Report to Congress
"This report highlights many of the areas in which the Department has worked to ensure our goal of protecting America while preserving our civil rights and civil liberties. For instance, the Department has taken rigorous steps to prohibit racial profiling by training our personnel to pursue suspicions that are based on observable and concrete behaviors instead of race. We are also developing cooperative relationships with leaders of the American Arab and Muslim communities, both in our Nation's capital and in cities throughout the country. We are working hard to enforce this Nation's immigration laws and ensuring that these enforcement efforts are consistent with the Constitution and Federal law. At the same time, we are committed to America's tradition of being a welcoming Nation for legal immigrants. We strongly believe that America can both enforce its laws and fully respect our fundamental freedoms. In a related incident, Hurricane Katrina exposed many faults in the Nation's emergency preparedness, response and recovery capabilities, and this Department has worked energetically to put new solutions in place. Through our Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, we are leading a cross-government effort to improve preparedness among people with disabilities and their families, and have made many improvements to the response and recovery system that will benefit these communities."
Transit Security Track, G&T Regional Conference, January 11-12, 2006 [presentation]
This presentation contains slides of three panels concerning the Transit Security Track. These panels were presented at the State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP) Regional Conference that took place January 11-12, 2006. From the Purpose: "The purpose of the Transit Track is to provide a forum for the discussion of homeland security issues relevant to mass transit stakeholders. The succession of topics will focus on Department of Homeland Security Grant Programs, Associated Reporting Requirements, Available Resources, and Technology Discussions related to protecting the Nation's Mass Transit Infrastructure."
United States. Office of Homeland Security; United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office for Domestic Preparedness
Thomas, Kerry L.
Managing Homeland Security Programs: Resources and Discussion, G&T Regional Conference, January 11-12, 2006 [presentation]
This presentation contains slides of the first and fourth sessions of the G&T (Grants and Training) Regional Conference that took place January 11-12, 2006. This presentation discusses the following: 1. Program Management Handbook: Why and How It Was Developed, 2. Managing Homeland Security Programs: Networking and Discussion, 3. Dissemination Tool Kit: Overview.
Managing a Homeland Security Training Program, G&T Regional Conference, January 11-12, 2006 [Presentation]
The following identifies what consists of the G&T [Grant and Training] Training Program that was held on January 11-12, 2006: "[1] Identifying gaps in existing training [2] Developing training and job aids to fill gaps [3] Targeting specialized training based on needs analysis [4] Building capacity through train the trainer and institutionalization [5] Implementing methods to measure competency and performance based on training [6] Building and sustaining partnerships[.]"
Webb, Sandra R.
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Riverdale is located in the fastest growing area of new-age Pune, Riverdale boasts of being situated amidst a world-class neighbourhood. At the heart of the IT district of Kharadi, a variety of retail and hospitality options along with schools and hospitals are within close proximity. Being at the centre of a well-developed road network, Kharadi offers ease of access to all major localities in Pune.
Project by - Duville Estates Pvt. Ltd.
Guided by Mr. Behram Dubash, the Chairman whose vision has spanned over 50 years of guiding the family's shipping business and transforming it into one of the highest corporate repute and Mr. Tushad Dubash, Director and principal promoter of Duville Estates, Riverdale has truly stood by its ideology and belief system of creating new structures on unshakeable values.
Daily monitoring audit of materials and construction progress supervision – MASTERS PROJECT- Management Consultants.
Bathroom & Toilet Plumbing through beneath surface ducts - Underslung plumbing systems.
Easy handling & low time investment allowing for quick repairs and replacements.
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Material: wool and a mixed element to make it super touch addictive....kids love to keep touching it.
Adorable and beautiful mermaid tail blanket, like a sleeping bag, could fit your feet go in fins, warm your feet.
Easy inside and out, can be used on the couch, for camping, sleepovers, in bed, in the car - anywhere!


Celebrate Mardi Gras in South Florida with a free Mardi Gras concert in Hollywood, Florida at the new ArtsPark Amphitheater by New Orleans rising star Glen David Andrews.
When: Saturday, December 18th at 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Location: ArtsPark Amphitheater by New Orleans at Young Circle, Hollywood Boulevard and U.S. 1, Hollywood, Fl.


text:
In her first documentary, Dr. Elizabeth A. Castle brings over fifteen years of experience as a storyteller, community organizer, and oral historian working in collaboration with indigenous communities. The film Warrior Women is based on research done for her book on the same subject of women's activism in the Red Power Movement.
While completing her Ph.D. at Cambridge University, Castle worked as a policy associate for President Clinton's Initiative on Race at the White House.
Her dissertation on the history of women's activism in the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement qualified Castle for the UC President's Postdoc Fellowship where she worked under the mentorship of Professors Bettina Aptheker and Angela Y. Davis at UC Santa Cruz. She was a delegate to the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.
She continued her work as a storyteller as oral historian of race, gender, and social movements as at Regional Oral History Office at UC Berkeley before taking a position as a Native Studies professor at the University of South Dakota. Currently, she is coordinating an indigenous activist oral history project for the United Nations through the Indigenous People's Center for Documentation in Geneva, Switzerland. She is a visiting professor of Women and Gender Studies and the Black Studies Programs of Denison University.
Program Affiliations
Impact Campaign Fund
Cohort Years
2015-2016 (Documentary Lab)
2020 (Impact Campaign Fund)
https://www.warriorwomenfilm.com/
@warrior__women


Call Mosaic Insurance in Prescott for all your business insurance needs. As experts in business insurance in Prescott, Mosaic Insurance understands that any new business is at risk, even before hiring the first employee or making the first dollar. Without the proper insurance in place, one lawsuit or catastrophic event could be enough to wipe out a small business before it even has a chance to get off the ground. So here is a list of the basic insurance requirements for any new business.
Professional Liability Insurance (also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance) - This covers a business against negligence claims due to harm that results from mistakes or failure to perform. Because each business is unique, this is normally a custom policy written to protect the aspects of your business dealings with the public.
Property Insurance - Whether a business owns or leases its space, property insurance is a must. This insurance covers equipment, signage, inventory and furniture in the event of a fire, storm or theft.
Workers Compensation Insurance - With the first employee comes the need for workers compensation insurance. This will cover medical treatment, disability and death benefits in the event an employee is injured or dies as a result of his work with that business.
Product Liability Insurance - If you produce a product, or even a part of a product, that goes to an end user, product liability is a must. Product liability insurance works to protect a business when a business finds itself named in a lawsuit due to damages caused by one of its products.
Vehicle Insurance - If company vehicles will be used, the vehicles should be fully insured to protect businesses against liability if an accident should occur. At the very least, businesses should insure against third-party injury, but comprehensive insurance will cover that vehicle in an accident, as well.
Business Interruption Insurance - If a disaster or catastrophic event occurs, a business's operations will likely be interrupted. During this time, your business will suffer from loss of income due to the inability to work in the office or to manufacture products. Business interruption insurance compensates a business for its lost income during these events.
By having the right insurance in place, a business can avoid a major financial loss due to a lawsuit or catastrophic event. If you're not sure you have proper business insurance in Prescott, the experts at Mosaic Insurance will be glad to review your coverage and give you their professional advice. To speak to one of our agents, please give us a call at 928-458-7374 and we will be happy to work with you to ensure your business is protected from disasters.


text:
Le championnat du Brésil de football américain 2015 ou  est la sixième édition de la division élite du Brésil. Elle est divisée en Superliga Nord-Est et en Superliga Centre-Sud, où les champions de chaque superliga sont confrontés au Brasil Bowl VI. Après deux finales perdues, João Pessoa Spectros remporte le premier titre national de son histoire, en battant la double champion Coritiba Crocodiles.

La finale de la Superliga Centre-Sud remportée par Coritiba Crocodiles contre l'Arsenal de Cuiabá dans la Pantanal Arena bat le record de public en matchs de football américains dans le pays avec environ .

Superliga 2015

Les équipes participantes

*Participe uniquement à la phase préliminaire de la Superliga du Nord-Est.

Format du championnat
La Superliga Centre-Sud est composée de sept équipes. Chaque équipe affronte chaque adversaire une fois, les deux premières équipes se qualifiant pour la finale.

La Superliga Nord-Est, organisée par la LINEFA, est divisée en deux phases: la phase préliminaire et la phase principale. Dans la phase préliminaire avec cinq équipes divisées en deux groupes, le groupe sud avec trois équipes et le groupe nord avec deux équipes. Qualification du meilleur de chaque groupe pour la prochaine phase. La phase principale maintenant composée de huit équipes est également partagée entre le groupe Sud et le groupe Nord. Les équipes jouent six matchs (trois à la maison et trois à l'extérieur), quatre matchs entre adversaires du même groupe et deux matchs en dehors du groupe. Les deux meilleurs vont en demi-finale, le premier recevant le second de l'autre groupe. Les vainqueurs se qualifient pour la finale, le Nordeste Bowl VI.

Les champions Nord-Est et Centre-Sud se rencontrent pour le titre national, le Brasil Bowl VI.

Superliga Nord-Est

Phase préliminaire

Phase principale

Playoffs

Superliga Centre-Sud

Phase principale

Finale

Brasil Bowl VI

Torneio Touchdown 2015
Le tournoi Touchdown 2015 est la septième et dernière édition de l'un des championnats nationaux de football du Brésil. L'autre tournoi est la Superliga. Le Timbó Rex remporte son premier titre en battant le champion de l'année précédente, Vasco da Gama Patriots qui avait vaincu le propre Timbó Rex.

Les équipes participantes

Format du championnat
Cette édition voit la participation de , contrairement à 2014, où le tournoi en a 20. Les équipes sont divisées en deux conférences de deux groupes de quatre équipes chacune: Conférence Nord (Groupes A et B) Conférence Sud (Groupes C et D ). Les équipes gagnantes de leurs groupes sont classées pour les séries éliminatoires, ainsi que les deux équipes les mieux classées au sein de chaque conférence, quel que soit le groupe. Les huit équipes classées jouent dans le système à élimination directe en match simple, avec l'avantage du terrain pour l'équipe la mieux classée jusqu'à la grande finale.

Classement

Playoffs

Références

Liens externes

Championnat national de football américain
Compétition de football américain
Football américain au Brésil
Football américain en 2015

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Six dead as protests continue in Egypt
Tens of thousands of Egpytians took to the streets yesterday to call for the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak. The rallies turned violent as protesters clashed with security forces, leaving at least six people dead and many more woulded.
Egypt takes stock after major protests
The Takeaway analyzes the protests, the Egyptian government, and the impact both could have on the U.S.
Egypt's Christians under pressure
Egypt is on high alert after a New Year's Day suicide bombing at a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria. As Ursula Lindsey reports, the attack was just the latest violence targeting Christians in Egypt.
Egypt elections: Violence and fraud predicted
Egypt is holding parliamentary elections this Sunday. Past elections have been marred by fraud and violence. As Ursula Lindsey reports, many observers fear it will be worse than usual, with crack downs on the Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
Arts, Culture & Media
Egypt's Ali G.
Egypt is becoming an increasingly repressive society, but one Egyptian comedian is using his TV show to shake things up.
Mubarak Meets With Obama
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak makes his first visit to the U.S. in five years and is scheduled to meet President Obama. The Takeaway looks at the context and what to expect from the meeting with Julie Mason, reporter for The Washington Examiner.
Egyptian President to White House Today
President Obama is meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and is expected to push Egypt to make important concessions towards Israel. Michael Slackman, Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times, joins The Takeaway with the Egyptian reaction.
Who's next in Egypt?
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is in Washington this week to speak with President Obama. But back at home, the big question is who will succeed the aging Egyptian leader. Ursula Lindsey reports from Cairo.
Egyptian opposition politician released from jail
Egypt will not open border crossing into Gaza
In a speech today, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said his country will not fully open the border crossing into Gaza. He said that it will remain that way until the Palestinian Authority is in control of the border post.
The man touted as Egypt's Jon Stewart goes off the air
Bassaem Youssef, Egypt's version of Jon Stewart, pulled the plug on his popular political TV show this week, citing political pressure.
Global Scan
A Canadian rock star uses his photos to show the legacy of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
Canadian Bryan Adams is known best for his music — but he's also known for his photography. But his latest work, which is on exhibition in London through January, brings attention to Britain's war wounded. That story and more in today's Global Scan.
Egyptians are shocked as former president Hosni Mubarak goes free
Protests roiled Egypt this weekend after a court dropped all criminal charges against its former president, Hosni Mubarak. While his eventual successor, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, enjoys huge support, the reaction to Mubarak's release showed how many people are unwilling to forgive their ex-leader.
Revenge of the remnants: Egypt's new 'felool' consolidates
The GroundTruth Project
A change of the voting system sets the stage to hand power back to the "felool" — or remnents — those who had low-level power under the Mubarak era. What does that mean? "I'm negative,'' says one opposition official, "about the current prospects for democracy."
Four years after a 'revolution,' Egypt is back to square one
The January 25 uprising in Egypt caught journalist Thanassis Cambanis by surprise with its size and ambition. But, as he describes in his new book about the Egyptian revolution, the moment of changed seems to have passed, and Egypt is back in the hands of yet another strongman.
In California, praying in a language rooted in ancient Egypt
Coptic Christians are a minority in their ancient home of Egypt — and they're an even bigger minority when they come to the US. So a church in Hayward, California has become a haven for preserving their culture, and ancient language, in a new home.
From thousands of miles away, an activist tries to keep change alive in Egypt
Amira Mikhail was in Cairo's Tahrir Square on the day Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power. Four years later, she's still trying to press for change — but the disappointment of the Egyptian revolution's aftermath means she's doing it from the United States.
Egypt's Mubarak, a symbol of dashed hopes, goes free
In six years, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak has gone from symbolizing the hubris of Middle East dictators swept away by the Arab Spring uprisings to an emblem of dashed hopes.
Commentary: Americans should demand reforms that ensure government serves the people
Sarah Chayes, a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says politicians from both sides of the aisle are not taking seriously enough their duty to ensure they're not turning their government role into an opportunity to make a buck.
Bestselling Egyptian author says he's being sued for 'insulting' the government
The bestselling author of "The Yacoubian Building" has faced bans, backlash and now, a lawsuit in his homeland of Egypt.


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Women charged on active participation in politics
Featured Politics
Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele has tasked Nigerian women not to only take up roles in trade unionism but also participate in active politics, as a way of contributing their quota to nation building.
Engr. Salako-Oyedele, who made this call while declaring open the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Women Commission annual seminar, held at the ASUSS Secretariat, Leme, Abeokuta, said women were great pillars in the society and should take up active roles in governance, reiterating Governor Abiodun's commitment at ensuring that women have more than 35 percent representation in his government.
The Deputy Governor further stated that this administration was passionate about the welfare of his employees, which constitutes a large percentage of teachers, and civil servants, who she maintained were mostly women, assuring that all hands were on deck to improve service conditions, as well as ensure prompt payment of salaries.
Earlier, in his welcome Address, the President, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Quadri Olaleye, represented by National Secretary, Comrade Musa Lawal, said for any meaningful development to take place, the incorporation of women into the scheme of things must be structured in such a way as to ensure maximum utilisation of their skills and efforts.
He added that there was need for a deliberate and concerted effort to educate, encourage and empower women to participate and contribute meaningfully to development.
Also in her remark, the TUC Women Commission National Chairperson, Comrade Hafsatu Shuaib said, supporting the adoption and implementation of improved national and states' legislation to protect and enhance the rights of women and girl-child and the application were well respected, noting that the organisation had over the years, developed, prioritised and implemented policies affecting women members, as well as maintained links with trade union women groups.
READ Bandits kidnap INEC official in Sokoto
In her contribution, representative of the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mrs. Olumayowa Agbesola, encouraged women to engage more in trade union activities, pointing out that a nation cannot succeed without women.
NUCJ congratulates new Ogun NUJ Chairman, Olugbenro
Bayelsa poll: APC, PDP shift battle to Court


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Q: Python 2.7 : LookupError: unknown encoding: cp65001 I have installed python 2(64 bit), on windows 8.1 (64 bit) and wanted to know pip version and for that I fired pip --version but it is giving error.
    C:\Users\ADMIN>pip --version
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "c:\dev\python27\lib\runpy.py", line 162, in _run_module_as_main
    "__main__", fname, loader, pkg_name)
  File "c:\dev\python27\lib\runpy.py", line 72, in _run_code
    exec code in run_globals
  File "C:\dev\Python27\Scripts\pip.exe\__main__.py", line 5, in <module>
  File "c:\dev\python27\lib\site-packages\pip\__init__.py", line 15, in <module>
    from pip.vcs import git, mercurial, subversion, bazaar  # noqa
  File "c:\dev\python27\lib\site-packages\pip\vcs\mercurial.py", line 10, in <module>
    from pip.download import path_to_url
  File "c:\dev\python27\lib\site-packages\pip\download.py", line 35, in <module>
    from pip.utils.ui import DownloadProgressBar, DownloadProgressSpinner
  File "c:\dev\python27\lib\site-packages\pip\utils\ui.py", line 51, in <module>
    _BaseBar = _select_progress_class(IncrementalBar, Bar)
  File "c:\dev\python27\lib\site-packages\pip\utils\ui.py", line 44, in _select_progress_class
    six.text_type().join(characters).encode(encoding)
LookupError: unknown encoding: cp65001

Note : The same command works fine for python 3. I have uninstalled both and installed again but still no success.

A: The error means that Unicode characters that your script are trying to print can't be represented using the current console character encoding.
Also try to run set PYTHONIOENCODING=UTF-8 after execute pip --version without reloading terminal if everything going well add PYTHONIOENCODING as env variable with value UTF-8. See How to set the path and environment variables in Windows article to get info how to add Windows variable.
NOTE: For PowerShell use $env:PYTHONIOENCODING = "UTF-8"
Also you can try to install win-unicode-console with pip:
pip install win-unicode-console

Then reload your terminal and try to execute pip --version
However you can follow suggestions from Windows cmd encoding change causes Python crash answer because you have same problem.

A: First of all you need to upgrade your pip.
You can do this in Windows by:
python -m pip install -U pip

Then go manually to your script folder, enter command line from that folder (you can do this by clicking shift + right mouse button -> Open console window), and then you should use one of this commands.
pip -V
pip --version

This will result in
pip 7.1.2 from c:\python27\lib\site-packages (python 2.7)

If you still have trouble, you can try to remove your current Python PATH, and add a new one to Python 2.7.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hole in the Wall Canyon is easily accessible and is viewable across the Lowe River at approximately mile 8 of the Richardson Highway. The first WI5 route outside of Keystone Canyon, Crystal Visions, was climbed in this canyon. Aside from Crystal Visions, this area contains a handful of other quality two pitched routes. Access is best gained at approximately the 12.5 mile marker on the Richardson Highway crossing the Lowe River on the pipeline bridge. But, parking may be available at the end of an access road to the pipeline crossing that is sometimes plowed (see map below).


Enter the "cardio gun show." This EMOM (every minute on the minute) will hike up your heart rate and pump up your arms.
You'll alternate between two movement: jumping rope and the curl to overhead press.
Jumping rope is a low-impact way to carve your calves, burn fat, and improve your rhythm and coordination. If you don't have a rope, fake it, or hop, skip, or run in place.
The dumbbell curl to press is a combo exercise that works your entire upper body. Plus, any time you extend your arms overhead, the demand on your core increases.
You'll change up your grip to prevent boredom and to make sure you get a complete arm workout. Here are your three options.
This works your forearms (the brachioradialis muscle) more since it limits the amount of assistance you can get from your biceps. After all, you want to muscle up both your lower and upper arms for aesthetics and performance.
The overhand grip also works your deltoids more on the pressing component because you get less assistance from the triceps.
This neutral, palms-facing grip targets your brachialis, the elbow flexor that lies between your biceps and triceps. When it's well developed it really adds thickness to your arms.
The hammer-grip also targets your triceps more on the overhead press, and is easier on the shoulders. Feel free to use this option more if you have a history shoulder pain or poor mobility.
This version involves a rotational component at both the arm and shoulder level.
First, you supinate the wrists (palms come up) as you curl the weight to shoulder level. This will turn your biceps into baseballs because it employs both functions—flexing the elbow and turning the wrist—of the biceps brachii.
Then, you rotate your arms outward and simultaneously press the weights overhead. This is often referred to as an Arnold Press because the Terminator credited this move for his awe-inspiring delts, and it hammers all three heads of your shoulders and really strengthens your rotator cuff.
So here's how to do the workout: Grab a stopwatch. Perform the exercises in the order shown every minute on the minute (EMOM). Follow the prescriptions for each movement.
If you finish all the reps before the minute is up, rest the remainder of that minute before beginning the next move at the top of the minute.
Minute 6: dumbbell rotational curl to press, 10 reps.
That's 1 round. Do up to 5 total rounds for a 30-minute workout.
For the jump rope work, progress by adding 5 to 10 revolutions per session. Once you can do 100 skips EMOM, progress to doing 50 revolutions on one leg or use a heavier rope.


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WonderCon seems to get better for me each year, not so much because of changes to the event itself, but because I learn more about what is going on and have a fuller experience because of it.
This year I got my badge on Friday after work to avoid the mad Saturday crush, and wandered the exhibition hall for the last hour or so before closing, taking note of things I wanted to buy and crowd-watching. I had texted Chris and Jean as I headed down the hill to Moscone. Jean was apparently over in Chinatown to see the Miss Chinatown pageant, but on my way to Hall A, I ran into Chris hunched over his laptop, shamelessly fanzining in public. After chatting with him for a few minutes I went to the panel for the new 3D live action Journey to the Center of the Earth.
There was a panel just wrapping up for the movie adaptation of Mark Millarís Wanted, which stars James McAvoy. Although the director is Timur Bekmambetov, whose work on Night Watch seems like a good match for the material, what I saw seemed to indicate that the story has been changed considerably, possibly toned down and mainstreamed beyond recognition. On the other hand I was utterly charmed by McAvoy himself, whose career I was only dimly aware of before entering the room.
The Journey panel started a little late with two of the technical crew and Brendan Fraser on the panel. The movie itself seems to be a kid-friendly action adventure without terribly complex ambitions, but although the preview we saw was not in 3D (Jean got to see that one I think) the explanation of the technology was very interesting; it seemed to be a real leap ahead from what we have seen so far. Brendan Fraser was interesting to listen to; someplace between thoughtful and/or possibly baked out of his mind but clearly having a good deal of enthusiasm for the process.
He was quite enter-taining during the Q&A process, obviously an old pro at it ñ although I own a copy of Monkeybone, so I didnít personally require an apology for that one.
After the panel let out, I ran into Garcia again, this time with the lovely and talented Linda, chatting with local costumers extraordinaire Mette Hedin and Bryan Little as well as some other folks who had just attended Gallifrey. After some dallying we all trundled over to Melís for some much needed nourishment.
I always enjoy watching the crowd at Melís during these kind of events or after certain shows or clubs let out, spotting my fellow travelers, and naturally this was no exception: Halfway through the meal Derek McCaw from Fanboy Planet stopped by to say howdy and mentioned that there was some sort of Justice League panel the next day. I had skimmed my program book but somehow missed that the gorgeous Bruce Timm New Frontiers cover art was for a DVD adaptation of the recent graphic novel of the same name. I wrote that one down on my list as a must-see.
On Saturday I found myself at Melís again before hitting Moscone South for a day of glorious consumerism. There were several t-shirt designs I was interested in but they were either in the giant madhouse t-shirt vendor that was far too claustrophobic for my tastes, or in the case of my absolute favorite they were out of my size.
I consoled myself by getting a set of Brian Ewing art cards and a bunch of books including Capote in Kansas, which I sat and read cover to cover a few minutes later while waiting for my phone to charge.
My first panel for the day was a coloring in comics talk by Steven Oliff of OlyOptics. I missed the start of it, but the second half at least was very informative, even for non-comics coloring. I took the opportunity while waiting for the 4 p.m. J. Michael Straczynski talk to wander around people-watching.
WonderCon is always good for costumes if you donít mind the frequent holdups when photographers converge on a target. There were some I recognized from previous years, like Loki and two variations on the Green Hornet, or from other conventions like the Tenth Doctor with his companion Dalek, but there were a bunch of others I had not personally seen before including an Indiana Jones and DS couple, a Batman and Batwoman team, and a Bobís Big Boy. My favorite group costumes were a team of Cobra minions and a troupe of Victorian explorers complete with pith helmets and parasols. In the not-quite-a-costume-but-still-awesome category were two remote- controled R2 units that were programmed with all sorts of appropriate sound effects and tunes.
Preceding the J. Michael Straczynski talk was a presentation for a new animated Spiderman show for Kidsí WB that sounded promising, although Iím not really the biggest Spidey fan. I donít think Iíve seen JMS talk in years and although heís always a good speaker he seemed in an especially good mood. And no wonder, he currently has several movie projects in various degrees of completion for the likes of Ron Howard, Clint Eastwood and Brad Pitt. The most exciting of these from my perspective is that he penned the script for the upcoming adaptation of World War Z by Max Brooks, who is apparently an old time Babylon 5 fan, bless his heart.
Aside from working for others Straczynski has started his own production company, the aptly named And The Horse You Rode in On Productions, through which he hopes to adapt his Midnight Nation and Rising Stars series. He also announced he was no longer exclusive to Marvel Comics, which means that he will be working on some DC series, as well as getting two creator-owned titles over at Image. As if all that was not enough, he gave us old-time Babylon 5 fans a thrill by announcing that there will be a new comics series for sure, and that Paramount was apparently pleased with sales for the recent Lost Tales DVD and is considering doing further stories with a more robust budget in the future. Aside from that, he took questions and told stories and was all around one of my favorite speakers.
After that I again ran into Chris Garcia, who was not even supposed to be there, much less wandering the hall lusting over a 1950s Worldcon program book. We wandered around while I waited for my next big event, the New Frontiers sneak preview.
The room was pretty full and we were treated to a trailer for another exciting DVD release, an Animatrix-style six-story anthology of After that I again ran into Chris Garcia, who was not even supposed to be there, much less wandering the hall lusting over a 1950s Worldcon program book. We wandered around while I waited for my next big event, the New Frontiers sneak preview.
The room was pretty full and we were treated to a trailer for another exciting DVD release, an Animatrix-style six-story anthology of B. came in dressed as Doctor Evil, followed almost immediately by Mette and Bryan in their Midna and Wolf Link costumes from Legend of Zelda.
The Masquerade was tempting, as was the annual Isotope party which I really meant to get to this year, but the flesh was weak and I decided to call it a night and save my strength for the last day of the con.
Sunday I bought a bunch more comics, natch, and got to see the complete New Frontiers which was excellent and I am very glad I got to see it on the big screen even though itís a direct-to-DVD release. The adaptation is faithful to the source material and the title sequence is lovely. Angel fans will be amused to know that Hal Jordan is voiced by David Boreanaz.
After the movie, the exhibitors hall was just a few minutes from closing and dazed comic book fans both costumed and in civvies were being shunted blinking into the sunlight.
WonderCon doesnít quite produce the post-convention blues that something like Baycon or Loscon does for me, but it does seem sad to go directly home afterwards, even if you do have a big bag of comics to read. So instead, we finished off the day at the San Francisco Brewing Company in North Beach, where a plate of meat and the Albatross and the Emperor Norton Lagers and the Alcatraz Stout did a great deal to round off a successful weekend
~EspaÒa Sheriff
SF/SF Issue #61, 2008