text:
Image credit: Courtesy of James DeMers
Reed Noss
President and Chief Scientist, Florida Institute for Conservation Science
Mississippi Lowland Forests
Bioregion: Southeast Savannas & Riparian Forests (NA25)
Realm: Northern America
States: United States: AL, GA, SC, NC, VA
The Mississippi River is legendary as the largest drainage system in the United States and the second largest on the North American continent after Hudson Bay. The cultural history of the river is embedded in the American mind through the writings of Mark Twain and other authors. The Mississippi Lowland Forests ecoregion occupies the lower portion of this watershed, along the Mississippi River and its tributaries from the river mouth in Louisiana to the southern tip of Illinois.
The bottomland forests and floodplain swamps of this ecoregion are similar to those of the Mid-Atlantic US Coastal Savannas and Southeastern US Conifer Savannas ecoregions, but they have suffered even greater losses to logging, agriculture, and hydrological alterations, making this one of the most highly converted and imperiled ecoregions on the continent.
The climate of the Mississippi Lowland Forests ecoregion ranges from subtropical at its southern extreme to warm temperate through most of the region. The essentially flat topography, floodplain dynamics, and swampy vegetation separate this ecoregion from the more xeric conifer-dominated uplands of adjacent ecoregions.
The dominant natural vegetation is controlled primarily by hydroperiod, that is, the length of time a site is inundated each year. Proceeding from longest to shortest flooded conditions, the major natural communities are river swamp forest, lower hardwood swamp forests, backwater and flats forests, and upland transitional forests. Virgin stands of bald cypress hundreds of years old or older were common in the most flooded areas, but virtually all of these have been logged. Swamp tupelo is a co-dominant tree with bald cypress in the long-hydroperiod swamps.
As flooding duration declines up gentle slopes, many other trees enter the community, including water hickory, red maple, green ash, and river birch. Seasonally saturated forests higher up the elevation gradient support these species plus sweet gum, sycamore, swamp laurel oak, and willow oak, along with many woody vines.
The flagship species of the Mississippi Lowland Forests ecoregion is the ivory-billed woodpecker. Image credit: Creative Commons
Raised areas or ridges in the floodplain once supported extensive canebrakes of giant cane, the American bamboo, more than 99% of which have been lost. Bachman's warbler, now probably extinct, was a canebrake specialist. The rare Swainson's warbler, the only member of its genus (Limnothlypis), also finds its most suitable habitat there. Oak-hickory forest occurs on the drier natural levees, ridges, and old dunes.
The extensive bottomlands of the Mississippi River watershed, like other southern swamps, once supported populations of North America's largest woodpecker, the ivory-billed woodpecker. Some of the last reports of this species were from the Arkansas portion of this ecoregion in 2004 and along the Pearl River on the Louisiana-Mississippi border in 2017, but they have not been independently confirmed. The status of this enigmatic bird remains uncertain, but it is probably extinct. The Mississippi Valley remains a major flyway for migratory waterfowl and songbirds.
At the time of European settlement, bottomland hardwood forests represented the majority of the inland wetland acreage in the U.S., with most of that area in the Mississippi River floodplain. Today, the Mississippi Lowland Forests ecoregion has lost over 90% of its pre-settlement vegetation. Very little old-growth forest remains, and most aquatic habitats are degraded.
Priority conservation actions for the next decade are to: 1) restore hydrologic regimes and associated bottomland forests and floodplain swamps; 2) greatly increase federal, state, and local acquisition of conservation lands, and improve management of existing conservation lands; 3) reduce or eradicate populations of problematic exotic species.
1. Sharitz, R.R., and W.J. Mitsch. 1993. Southern floodplain forests. In W.H. Martin, S.G. Boyce, and A.C. Echternacht, editors. Biodiversity of the Southeastern United States: Lowland Terrestrial Communities. Wiley, New York.
2. Ricketts, T.H. et al. 1999. Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
3. Clark, J.R., and J. Benforado, editors. 1981. Wetlands of Bottomland Hardwood Forests. Elsevier, New York.


The 700 sq.ft Presidential Suite takes the suite experience to even grander levels of scale and luxury. An intricately detailed decor gives off the feel of residing in a true palace of old. The master bedroom with its King size bed, separate tub and large walk-in shower is a sensuous cocoon. A living room with plush seating and an attached guest powder room lets your visitors feel wonderfully at home. It also offers a convenient space to conduct business with no interruption. The vibrant inner courtyard offers a view outdoors as grand as the one inside.


text:
For my parents' generation, the idea was not that marriage was about some kind of idealized, romantic love; it was a partnership. It's about creating family; it's about creating offspring. Indian culture is essentially much more of a 'we' culture. It's a communal culture where you do what's best for the community - you procreate.
Aasif Mandvi
Author Profession: Actor
Born: March 5, 1966
Find on Amazon: Aasif Mandvi
Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Patel, Ram Charan, Abhishek Bachchan, Prabhas, Hrithik Roshan, Amitabh Bachchan, Vijay Deverakonda
About, Best, Communal, Community, Creating, Culture, Essentially, Family, Generation, Idea, Indian, Indian Culture, Kind, Love, Marriage, More, Much, Offspring, Parents, Partnership, Romantic, Romantic Love, Some, Where, You
I think Islam has been hijacked by the idea that all Muslims are terrorists; that Islam is about hate, about war, about jihad - I think that hijacks the spirituality and beauty that exists within Islam. I believe in allowing Islam to be seen in context and in its entirety and being judged on what it really is, not what you think it is.
Beauty War You Hate
I go to Buzzfeed and 'Huff Po,' IMDB, 'Deadline.' And then I just Google myself, like 'Aasif Mandvi in a hat,' and see what comes up.
Myself Hat Go See
You can talk about and think about Muslims as you want, but you can't stop Muslims from building a mosque. You can hate Muslims from the comfort of your house or publicly, but when that becomes stopping Muslims from building a mosque or worshipping, then we are crossing the line into something else.
You Hate Think Your
One of the first auditions I had in New York was for a commercial where I had to go in and audition to be a snake charmer... It was either some bank commercial or something where they wanted a guy charming a snake... I remember they wanted to know if I actually knew how to snake charm.
Snake Remember Go Know
If you don't acknowledge differences, it's as bad as stereotyping or reducing someone.
You Bad Someone Differences
I rarely went to the mosque, I never fasted, and I only prayed namaaz on the holy nights because my mom bugged me about it.
Me Mom Never Mosque
The great joy of doing 'The Daily Show' for me is that I get to sit on the fence between cultures. I am commenting on the absurdity of both sides as an outsider and insider. Sometimes I'm playing the brown guy, and sometimes I'm not, but the best stuff I do always goes back to being a brown kid in a white world.
Best Me I Am Daily
In America, people think being South Asian is still kind of exotic. When you go outside New York and Chicago and L.A., there are people who have never tried Indian food... they've never even tasted it!
You Food People Think
In Britain, you never get away from the fact that you're a foreigner. In the U.S., the view is it doesn't matter where you come from.
You View Matter Never
Traditional television as we have known it will make love to the Internet and have a child. That child will be the future. It's already happening, and it's hot!
Love Future Hot Child
I never consciously got into comedy. It was sort of one of those things where I was a theater student, I was acting, I was doing comedy, I was doing dramatic stuff, so it's been something that I've always done and enjoyed doing and had an instinct to be relatively good at.
Good Never Doing Things
The artist never really has any control over the impact of his work. If he starts thinking about the impact of his work, then he becomes a lesser artist.
Work Thinking Never Control
People lament that there's no roles being written for South Asian or Muslim characters. But their parents don't want their children to go into the entertainment field. You don't get it both ways.
You Children People Parents
An artist's job is simply to take the mirror in front of your face and hold it there. It's not to give you any answers. It is simply to take that mirror and point it at you.
Mirror You Face Job

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The exchange of ideas between the designer and owner saw to the starting of the case in original elements, blended with avant-garde ideas to create a unique design effect. The intertwining of original ad Avant0-garde approach gave birth to endless distinctive styles.
Most of the walls in the house are in the original cement form, just like in the living room. The black sofa set in the room exudes calmness while the other side has straight stainless steel standing in irregular ways to become the best decoration to separate the living room and dining hall. There is a small bar at the left side of the living room that is very refined while the brick surface wall serves as storage spaces to reveal an original charm. The concrete wall is more obvious at the staircase as one goes up steps. The lighting the lit up parts pf the wall also offers a different flavour to the design.
The spaces in the house are fully utilized, like the comfortable theatre room that allows the owner to enjoy private audio-visual moments. The master bedroom is roomy where light and dark shades of brown are cleverly used to bring out the owner's calm and steady manner. Other than that, the cloak room has the layout of an exquisite boutique for the placement of different clothing. There is also a loft to carve out a separate private area. Meeting the owner's preference, the designer also set aside a model collection room and private working area where many pillars near the ceiling are preserved to present the authenticity of original structure and yet Avant-garde.


It's been a hectic few weeks here. While I can't say its been busier than usual, my holiday schedule has been a lot less predictable.
The caddies and my messy bench.
Thankfully, I've been able to sneak in a bit of shop time. After finishing my wife's Tin Can Caddies & the Wand Racks, I had a clean(ish) bench and it was time to get back to work on the shop.
I didn't get too much done, but I did get the rigid polyisocyanurate aboard up. Hopefully I'll also get the spray foam done to air seal it before I have to go back to work.
One schedule I did keep during the holiday's was our regularly scheduled MWA podcast. For the audio, check out iTunes or the MWA page.
I hope all my fellow woodworkers had an enjoyable and productive holiday season.


text:
Q: Why does S-V or T-A couplings in Fermi weak interaction model produce electron oscillations? In Fermi interaction model, vector bilinears were originally included in the interaction Lagrangian but since these couldn't explain nuclear spin changes other combinations were considered. However V-A couplings only survived. But before going to that in Greiner's book on gauge theory of weak interactions chapter 1 page 10, it is said S-V and T-A couplings cause electron oscillations and that it can be shown so.
What kind of oscillations are being talked about there and how can it be shown?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Aurouër är en kommun i departementet Allier i regionen Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes i de centrala delarna av Frankrike. Kommunen ligger  i kantonen Yzeure som ligger i arrondissementet Moulins. År  hade Aurouër  invånare.

Befolkningsutveckling
Antalet invånare i kommunen Aurouër

Referens: INSEE

Se även
 Lista över kommuner i departementet Allier

Källor

Kommuner i Allier

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Makhachkala, December 30, 2015. A new meat and dairy plant has recently been solemnly put into operation in Dagestan. The Prime Minister of the Republic Abdusamad Gamidov accompanied by other government official attended the ceremony. In his greeting speech, Gamidov noted that the opening of the plant created more than 20 jobs in the area.
The implementation of this investment project started in the beginning of 2015 on the initiative of individual farm complex "Omarov." The cost of the project makes 47 million rubles.


Kyvernitis Travel S.A. | SWITZERLAND - LES CERNIERS - Kyvernitis Travel S.A.
Located at 1400 meters, in a private ski area in Switzerland, at the foot of the "Dents-du-Midi", nestled above the picturesque village of Les Cerniers ,Whitepod, was awarded with the World Prize for Sustainable Tourism in 2005 and is a Unique Alpine Experience. As a Member of ECO Luxury Retreats of The World has an original concept that offers a unique and unforgettable experience in a beautiful mountain environment. 15 spacious and luxurious domes (the pods) based in a high mountain pasture, welcome guests in a cozy atmosphere.
Far from all urban nuisances the area is a perfect site for this unique ecological concept designed to be in total harmony with the surrounding environment.
The Resort provides an alternative means to explore the Swiss Alps. With the use of the pods (dome shaped tents), pitched on wooden platforms, Whitepod offers low impact accommodation in an untouched and pristine alpine environment. Isolated from all urban pollution, the mountain region lends itself beautifully to such an eco-tourism development. The Whitepod site comprises of fifteen 40 sq.m. geodesic tents, with fantastic view of Lake Geneva! The cozy tents are furnished carefully with unique and antique objects from the region, soft carpet and large comfortable beds. The Scandinavian designed bathrooms are directly linked with warmed spring water. Wood stoves and good insulation guarantee a very high comfort and warmth atmosphere all day and night long. A pod is a geodesic structure anchored on wooden platforms, and naturally isolated from the cold and the snow.
All pods are equipped with wood-burning stoves, organic luxury bedding and full services bathrooms. At the center of the 15 pods, stands a charming early 1800s wooden chalet where guests meet for breakfast in the morning or gather in the evening around its central fireplace for evening drinks and socializing.
One of a kind, is the activity offered, the Dog sledging ballad,where you can discover the mountains while being guided comfortably installed in a sled for 2 poeple. Ride through forests and snowy fields and feel..unique!


Up for sale is this two owner 1990 Toyota Land Cruiser, 4x4, FJ62.
The 4.0 liter, fuel injected, inline, 6 cylinder engine starts right up and runs extremely well. The idle is smooth. The engine does not smoke ormake any unusualnoises. The entire drive trainis solid and tight. Although the Land cruiser has 272k miles from what we understand and the overall condition/light interior weartheywere mostly freeway driven miles.
The automatic transmission shifts properly into all gears and the 4x4 options engages properly.
The steering and suspension are in good working order.
-Climate controls operate properly and the air conditioning works perfectly!
-Good dash instrumentation, all gauges register accurate readings, trip meter does not work.
Cosmetically the Land Cruiser is honest and completely stock. The paint appears to belargely original and the overall appearance is very strong.
Although the Land Cruiser has some minor rust (mostly isolated to panels not technically attached to the chassis of the vehicle (fenders, doors, etc), with the exception of a small spot pictured below on the firewall/drip rail near where the roof rack is mounted). There are various imperfections such as dings, dents, chips, scratches, scrapes, blistering, hazing, fading, clear coat peeling, nicks, the overall appearance is very attractive.
Pictures speak a 1,000 words so what you see is what you get, nothing more, nothing less.
The overall appearance of this Land Cruiser gets high marks for having a tremendous amount of character and patina. The new owner will be pleased with the overall condition.
Due to the high registration fees currently due here in California the Land Cruiser will not be offered to any California buyers. Out of state or country buyers only. We priority/overnight titles to out of state or country buyers titles immediately after payment is cleared.
This Toyota FJ62 is also available for sale locally and is subject to removal from the auction at anytime should it be sold. If you have any questions call Evan at 310-594-4224 or e-mail. We can arrange shipping and it can be expedited quickly and inexpensively to your door worldwide.
1990 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62. Runs and drives great!!!


Sometimes, abuse is subtle — but still incredibly dangerous.
If you are reading this, you've already begun to question certain aspects of a possible or current relationship. Friends and family members may be pointing out signs that are difficult to face.
Below I've compiled a list of a few of the immediate signs of an abusive relationship. If any of these indications speak to you, it would behoove you to slow the relationship and reassess your truths.
One of the signs of an abusive relationship forming before it has really started is the other party will push for things to move more quickly than normal. Your would-be partner will behave intensely from the beginning; they may move extra quickly in the trying to spend the night with you or even suggesting you move in together shortly after you begin dating.
If you are unsettled with the swift pace that they are moving in, this is likely a warning sign.
An abusive person will make it clear early on that they have a jealous streak, far beyond what is healthy. This will only escalate, and it may include relationships from your past that are long over. There may also be stalking-type behaviors, such as watching your house, checking your phone, and asking about social media posts. Extreme jealousy is not healthy, and it is a sign of many other issues.
The abuser will often want to control all aspects of money, even if they do not make their own. They may expect you to foot the bill for everything; yet, when you want to spend money on something, they may control it or simply forbid the purchase all together. This control will eventually extend to other areas of the relationship (and your life) as well. More on that in the next tip.
Another sign of an abusive relationship is the abuser will want you to spend less and less time with family and friends, eventually cutting you off from these people completely. The more your family and friends point these behaviors out, the more likely your partner will try control your behaviors and actions.
An abuser will always blame others for his or her actions, never accepting responsibility for what they have actually caused. This is especially true for run-ins with people in public, and even when they fall into trouble with law enforcement.
Stories they tell you from any time in their lives will blame everyone else involved for whatever has happened; they'll often complain that people are out to get them and to take advantage of them. This will be the case in all areas, and it will include all the times that they were actually at fault.
Finally, another sign of an abusive relationship is called "gas lighting." This is basically a mind control method where the abuser confuses the victim by leading them to believe that everything is their fault, and that if the victim would just change and do things the way the abuser wants them done, then everything would be better. Not only is this untrue, it sets the precedent for more control and mental and emotional abuse; sadly, these forms of control will often lead to physical abuse.
That said, just because someone does not hit you does not mean that you are not being abused.
If some or all of these signs of an abusive relationship are present in your current relationship or one that you are considering, then you need to make plans to end this now.
This article was originally published at MeetMindful. Reprinted with permission from the author.


text:
How "Game of Thrones" made fans root for a monster
By Michael Rougeau
"Game of Thrones" recap with 1 episode left
Warning: Season 8 spoilers ahead
Move over, "Breaking Bad" — there's a new hero-turned-villain on television, and Heisenberg has nothing on the Mad Queen Daenerys Targaryen.
Many fans have found it easy to root for the character familiarly known as Dany over the years. The would-be heir to a stolen throne, exiled to a distant land and harried by assassins sent by her family's usurpers, forced to beg for scraps at her abusive brother's side, the Dragon Queen started with nothing but a name. Over eight seasons of HBO's "Game of Thrones" (not to mention the so-far five full-length novels on which the series was based), Daenerys clawed her way up from the bottom, overcoming the longest of odds and slowly accruing power while earning herself a reputation as a freer of slaves, a breaker of chains, and a maternal messiah to the common people.
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones." Courtesy of HBO
Sure, Dany had a cruel side. She's burned and crucified those who stood against her, free from remorse in her self-assured righteousness. Madness runs in Targaryen veins, according to "A Song of Ice and Fire author" George R.R. Martin. "Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin," Martin has his characters say. In "Game of Thrones" season 8, episode 5, "The Bells," we found out on which side — greatness or madness — Dany's coin fell. Unfortunately, it wasn't the side of greatness.
Game of Thrones More
Maisie Williams will star as another badass character in next TV role
Inside "Game of Thrones"
"Game of Thrones" doc reveals cast reaction to Daenerys' fate
HBO's big test after "Game of Thrones": Don't lose viewers
More in Game of Thrones
With the help of Jon Snow and the armies of the North, Daenerys the Dragon Queen did what her advisors had said was impossible: She conquered King's Landing with minimal bloodshed. Then, for reasons that are as myriad as they are vague, she chose bloodshed anyway. Driven mad by grief, loss, paranoia, anger, hatred, and years of desperation, flight, ridicule, and abuse, Daenerys burned King's Landing to the ground, street by street, killing tens of thousands of innocent souls in a fit of insatiable bloodlust that seemed to go on forever.
Daenerys and Drogon left a path of destruction in last Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones." HBO
The episode, directed by Miguel Sapochnik, gave fans several long-awaited payoffs, from Cersei's death to the much-hyped "Cleganebowl." But it also accompanied several characters through the massacre, giving fans a street-level view of the carnage their beloved queen had chosen to wreak.
Among the fans who closely scour the page, the screen, and the internet for clues and theories, the most cynical believed this was inevitable. The foreshadowing has been there all along, and even if these last couple of seasons have felt rushed, this was the ending the series would have always reached regardless. But the reason it stings so badly for some fans is that it didn't have to go down this way. Dany was so easy to adore not in spite of the spark of madness that only needed a little fanning to inflame, but because it always felt like she had the capacity to overcome it. She could "break the wheel," as the character has said.
But when confronted with the easy victory that she once longed for, Daenerys chose fire and blood. The Dragon Queen elected to tread the easy path to power: She killed indiscriminately in order to rule by fear, because earning the love of the people is hard work.
Dany murdered thousands, but unlike "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones" didn't spend its entire run gradually transforming its protagonist from a hero to a villain. Although the clues were there, the actual transformation occurred over just a few episodes. And "Game of Thrones" has no time left for a season of redemptive denouement — not with this atrocity in the second-to-last episode. On "Breaking Bad," Walt saved Jesse in his final act, but with just one final episode of "Game of Thrones" left to go, the best thing Dany can do now is die — and monster or not, the millions of fans who have loved her for years will still mourn.
The last two "Game of Thrones" books can't arrive too soon.
More "Game of Thrones"
"The Simpsons" predicted this "Game of Thrones" twist 2 years ago
"Game of Thrones" season 8 episode 5 review
HBO drops official trailer for "Game of Thrones" documentary
Easter eggs and hidden references in "The Bells"
Video breakdowns by GameSpot of "Thrones"


text:
Q: Can we define principal curvatures for a planar curve? I am working with a surface that has an unknown parametrization; however, we can define a function on the boundary. Thus, I can define a curve in a plane. Can I define principal curvatures along the function $y = f(x)$? Additionally, is anybody familiar with formulas which allow me to express the principal curvatures in terms of $f(x)$. I believe I should be able to use the following curvature function:
$k = \frac{f''(x)}{(1+f'(x)^2)^{3/2}}$
for the curvature in the x-direction. Anybody have suggestions/corrections? I appreciate it.


The Tecsun S-8800 is the latest iteration of large portable shortwave radios built on the same chassis as the C.Crane CCRadio-SW, Grundig S350DL & Grundig S450DLX.
Note in SSB mode on LW, MW and SW, tuning steps are 10 Hz and 1 kHz.
Click here to search eBay.
Click here to purchase from Anon-Co.
This entry was posted in Portables, Tecsun and tagged Portables, S-8800, Shortwave Portables, Tecsun, Tecsun S-8800. Bookmark the permalink.


This birth injury claim was filed in Baltimore City against St. Agnes Hospital after a newborn suffered hypoglycemic brain damage. It was filed in Health Claims Arbitration on March 6, 2018, and it is the 107th medical malpractice case filed in Maryland this year.
Another birth injury lawsuit filed against St. Agnes. This case involved the failure to act after the fetal heart monitor showed a fetus in distress.
A 29-year-old woman presented to St. Agnes Hospital after her water broke at 36 weeks of pregnancy. Given her documented history of gestational diabetes, her health care providers should have performed glucose checks throughout the course of her labor. If the hospital staff had performed regular glucose checks, they would have recognized the woman's abnormal results and provided an insulin drip to regulate her blood sugar levels.
Unfortunately, the hospital staff never performed any glucose tolerance tests whatsoever and the woman's baby was born in a depressed state, requiring suctioning, stimulation, and transfer to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Bloodwork revealed that the baby's glucose levels were seriously low and dropping.
If the appropriate glucose testing was performed during labor and delivery, the baby would have been born without hypoglycemia. Because the mother's blood sugar levels were abnormal during delivery, her baby was born in a severe hypoglycemic state which led to significant and permanent disability. The baby was provided with dextrose (sugar) in the NICU, but he was still exhibiting blank stares, low oxygen saturation levels, and left-sided twitching.
The day after birth, brain imaging revealed an injury to the baby's occipital lobes. Later that day he was transferred to another hospital for seizure activity, and additional studies confirmed the presence of hypoglycemic brain injury.
According to a study published in Translational Pediatrics, persistent hypoglycemia may lead to long-term visual or hearing impairment, cognitive abnormalities, secondary epilepsy, and other central nervous system disorders. The severity of a neonatal hypoglycemic brain injury (NHBI) can even exceed that of a hypoxic-ischemic injury.
Rather than simply starving brain cells of glucose, hypoglycemia can also kill neurons by releasing a neurotoxin from the brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. Brain cells in the visual cortex and the central nervous system are particularly vulnerable.
Mild hypoglycemia in an otherwise healthy fetus may not be sufficient to cause injury. But the more severe the hypoglycemia, the more likely injury will occur.
Neonatal hypoglycemia is diagnosed when plasma glucose levels are less than 35mg/dL (term) and 25mg/dL (preterm). The fetus in this lawsuit had test results ranging from 28-51.
Why do sugar levels matter so much? Glucose is the primary fuel to the brain. So glucose is crucial for the brain's energy metabolism. If the fetus has protracted and severe hypoglycemia, the result can be brain damage. Doctors do not fully understand all of the nuances but fetus neonatal hypoglycemia may be caused by the overproduction of insulin by the fetal pancreas that has been stimulated in utero by significant hypoglycemia.
Often a child can suffer neonatal hypoglycemia with any long-term consequences. The odds of a good outcome go down significantly when the child has seizures as this baby had.
One problem for defendants is that the standard of care requires not only a glucose tolerance test but repeated tests after her admission if she was at high risk for gestational diabetes.
Failing to regularly test for glucose tolerance during labor and delivery.
Failing to provide an intravenous insulin drip during labor and delivery.
As a direct result of the defendants' negligence, the baby will suffer the emotional, physical, and financial damages associated with a severe and permanent brain injury.
Read more about hypoglycemic birth injuries.


This is a placeholder page for Joyce Fekete, which means this person is not currently on this site. We do suggest using the tools below to find Joyce Fekete.
You are visiting the placeholder page for Joyce Fekete. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Joyce Fekete. We created this page automatically in hopes Joyce Fekete would find it. If you are not Joyce Fekete, but are an alumni of Westchester High School Houston, TX, register on this site for free now.


text:
Saudi's Al-Tayyar Group Plans 30% IPO
The travel firm had to cancel a similar sale two years ago due to a lack of demand.
Saudi Arabia's Al-Tayyar Travel Group has received approval to sell a 30 per cent stake to the public, the bourse regulator said on Sunday, two years after the firm scrapped a similar sale due to a lack of demand.
The Capital Market Authority approved the initial public offering of 24 million shares, it said in a statement on the bourse website.
The 30 per cent IPO, a portion of which will be allocated to institutional investors, will be open May 14-20 once a book-building process is completed, the statement said.
The group's president, Nasser Al-Tayyar, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
In 2009, the company said it planned to raise SAR1.2 billion ($320 million) from an IPO. This was slated to launch in April 2010, but was cancelled due to a lack of demand.
Al-Tayyar Group started as a family business in 1979.
DFM Index Books 2011 Losses Of 17%
DFM Suspends Trading In Al Mazaya
Investcorp Acquires UK Education Group
Kingdom Holding Plans Bond Sale
Kuwait To Launch $65.6m Trading System
More Saudis Seek Unemployment Benefits
NMC Plans London IPO
Saudi Plans Ambitious Nuclear Programme
UNB's Q4 Net Profit Drops


The Android One initiative may double the Android user base in the next couple of years.
Soon after my article about why the Z3 launch in India could be important for Blackberry, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) announced the Android One, reinforcing the notion that inexpensive smartphones will be an important strategy in emerging economies. This is also a warning bell for its competitors such as Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Mozilla and Blackberry (NYSE:BB) that are also focusing on bringing out lower priced devices for the emerging markets.
Android One is a new initiative by Google to decrease the cost of developing and releasing smartphones. The initiative aims at pooling resources from smartphone makers and others in the ecosystem to provide turnkey solutions in handset manufacturing.
These phones, irrespective of the makers, would all run the same standardized Android OS, with Google providing the OEMs with hardware reference designs. The OS updates would come in directly from Google, as is the case with the Nexus line of devices. Also, Google would provide handset makers access to its Play Store to help them add locally relevant apps to their devices.
This will allow the OEMs to save time and cost on customizing the OS for the different devices, thereby reducing the time to market and the price to the end-user for these devices. Google expects that the initiative will reduce the price of the devices significantly and allow them to target the sub-$100 smartphone market, without compromising on the user experience.
Google is working closely with three local manufacturers in India, Micromax, Spice, and Karbonn, with the first few devices expected to be launched in this fall. Additionally, the company will soon target other local manufacturers from other countries.
So, what could the Android One mean for investors? Consider how the example of India could work out. India is a price-sensitive market, and although mobile uptake has been significant, less than 5% of the population uses smartphones. This is attributable to the fact that, in countries such as India, smartphones are sold unsubsidized, making them too expensive for most of the population. Additionally, poor mobile infrastructure and expensive data plans are equally at fault for poor smartphone adoption.
Per a recent CMR India report, approximately 247.2 million mobile handsets were shipped in India for 2013, of which 206.5 million were feature phones and only 41.1 million were smartphones. Interestingly, IDC estimates that about 78% of smartphone units shipped in India are within the sub-$200 category, a category that is opened up by introduction of Android One. Additionally, the initiative could potentially lead to feature phone users transitioning to smartphones, thereby enlarging the market pie.
Competitors are also fighting for a share of the pie in India. While there are already a few smartphones in India in the sub-$200 category, these devices have low-end hardware and very poor user experience. However, BlackBerry recently launched the Z3 in the sub-$200 smartphone category with superior specifications.
Microsoft already has a plethora of feature phones and smartphone devices, catering to the sub-$100 category such as the Nokia Asha and Nokia X, plus some entry-level Lumia phones. These devices, however have low specs hardware and do not provide a very enriching user experience. The company is also planning on cheaper chipsets for Windows phones and easing restrictions on hardware specifications for OEMs to remain price-competitive in emerging markets.
Mozilla, on the other hand, is looking to undercut Google with a $40 phone through its partnership with local companies such as Spice and Intex. The devices will run on the Firefox OS.
However, none of these competitors have an eco-system that can match what Android has. Additionally, the Android One initiative will ensure better hardware and a better user experience in the sub-$100 category, which will differentiate it from competitors. As suggested by a recent article on Verge, Google might be on its way to owning the world with Android One.


Home. Parking & Transport. Parking.
There's more choice than ever before with our parking options - whether you're parking for a long time or just dropping in, we've created a parking option to match your needs.
Click on a car park for more information.
Located under the car park building, The Loop is where you can pick up and drop off passengers free. There's no parking or waiting in The Loop, so if you need to stop a little longer, head to the Orchard Road car park where you can park FREE for 30 minutes.
Our most affordable parking option and located a short walk from the airport terminal. Picking someone up? Park here FREE for 30 minutes. Up to 4 hours for $10.
A secure and uncovered car park and a short walk to the airport terminal. There is a $10 minimum charge in this car park.
Premium covered parking. The multi-level secure car park building is your closest option to the airport terminal.
Located on Ron Guthrey Road, Craddocks offers safe and secure indoor and outdoor vehicle storage, as well as a free on demand shuttle to and from the airport terminal. Vehicle grooming and mechanical services are also available.


text:
62: Sherlock Holmes ASMR – The Red-Headed League Part 4
17th February 2017 17th February 2017 The ASMR Podcast Team Sherlock ASMR
In Episode 62 of The ASMR Podcast we welcome back Sherlock ASMR, who continues his series of whispered Sherlock Holmes readings with the final part of 'The Red-Headed League'.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/heardyet/asmr-sherlock-redheaded-league-pt-4.mp3
Subscribe to The ASMR Podcast on iTunes, Pocket Casts, TuneIn or Stitcher.
We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had found ourselves in the morning. Our cabs were dismissed, and, following the guidance of Mr. Merryweather, we passed down a narrow passage and through a side door, which he opened for us. Within there was a small corridor, which ended in a very massive iron gate. This also was opened, and led down a flight of winding stone steps, which terminated at another formidable gate. Mr. Merryweather stopped to light a lantern, and then conducted us down a dark, earth-smelling passage, and so, after opening a third door, into a huge vault or cellar, which was piled all round with crates and massive boxes.
"You are not very vulnerable from above," Holmes remarked as he held up the lantern and gazed about him.
"Nor from below," said Mr. Merryweather, striking his stick upon the flags which lined the floor. "Why, dear me, it sounds quite hollow!" he remarked, looking up in surprise.
"I must really ask you to be a little more quiet!" said Holmes severely. "You have already imperilled the whole success of our expedition. Might I beg that you would have the goodness to sit down upon one of those boxes, and not to interfere?"
The solemn Mr. Merryweather perched himself upon a crate, with a very injured expression upon his face, while Holmes fell upon his knees upon the floor and, with the lantern and a magnifying lens, began to examine minutely the cracks between the stones. A few seconds sufficed to satisfy him, for he sprang to his feet again and put his glass in his pocket.
"We have at least an hour before us," he remarked, "for they can hardly take any steps until the good pawnbroker is safely in bed. Then they will not lose a minute, for the sooner they do their work the longer time they will have for their escape. We are at present, Doctor—as no doubt you have divined—in the cellar of the City branch of one of the principal London banks. Mr. Merryweather is the chairman of directors, and he will explain to you that there are reasons why the more daring criminals of London should take a considerable interest in this cellar at present."
"It is our French gold," whispered the director. "We have had several warnings that an attempt might be made upon it."
"Your French gold?"
"Yes. We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources and borrowed for that purpose 30,000 napoleons from the Bank of France. It has become known that we have never had occasion to unpack the money, and that it is still lying in our cellar. The crate upon which I sit contains 2,000 napoleons packed between layers of lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is much larger at present than is usually kept in a single branch office, and the directors have had misgivings upon the subject."
"Which were very well justified," observed Holmes. "And now it is time that we arranged our little plans. I expect that within an hour matters will come to a head. In the meantime Mr. Merryweather, we must put the screen over that dark lantern."
"And sit in the dark?"
"I am afraid so. I had brought a pack of cards in my pocket, and I thought that, as we were a partie carrée, you might have your rubber after all. But I see that the enemy's preparations have gone so far that we cannot risk the presence of a light. And, first of all, we must choose our positions. These are daring men, and though we shall take them at a disadvantage, they may do us some harm unless we are careful. I shall stand behind this crate, and do you conceal yourselves behind those. Then, when I flash a light upon them, close in swiftly. If they fire, Watson, have no compunction about shooting them down."
I placed my revolver, cocked, upon the top of the wooden case behind which I crouched. Holmes shot the slide across the front of his lantern and left us in pitch darkness—such an absolute darkness as I have never before experienced. The smell of hot metal remained to assure us that the light was still there, ready to flash out at a moment's notice. To me, with my nerves worked up to a pitch of expectancy, there was something depressing and subduing in the sudden gloom, and in the cold dank air of the vault.
"They have but one retreat," whispered Holmes. "That is back through the house into Saxe-Coburg Square. I hope that you have done what I asked you, Jones?"
"I have an inspector and two officers waiting at the front door."
"Then we have stopped all the holes. And now we must be silent and wait."
What a time it seemed! From comparing notes afterwards it was but an hour and a quarter, yet it appeared to me that the night must have almost gone, and the dawn be breaking above us. My limbs were weary and stiff, for I feared to change my position; yet my nerves were worked up to the highest pitch of tension, and my hearing was so acute that I could not only hear the gentle breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper, heavier in-breath of the bulky Jones from the thin, sighing note of the bank director. From my position I could look over the case in the direction of the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint of a light.
At first it was but a lurid spark upon the stone pavement. Then it lengthened out until it became a yellow line, and then, without any warning or sound, a gash seemed to open and a hand appeared, a white, almost womanly hand, which felt about in the centre of the little area of light. For a minute or more the hand, with its writhing fingers, protruded out of the floor. Then it was withdrawn as suddenly as it appeared, and all was dark again save the single lurid spark which marked a chink between the stones.
Its disappearance, however, was but momentary. With a rending, tearing sound, one of the broad, white stones turned over upon its side and left a square, gaping hole, through which streamed the light of a lantern. Over the edge there peeped a clean-cut, boyish face, which looked keenly about it, and then, with a hand on either side of the aperture, drew itself shoulder-high and waist-high, until one knee rested upon the edge. In another instant he stood at the side of the hole and was hauling after him a companion, lithe and small like himself, with a pale face and a shock of very red hair.
"It's all clear," he whispered. "Have you the chisel and the bags? Great Scott! Jump, Archie, jump, and I'll swing for it!"
Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. The light flashed upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes' hunting crop came down on the man's wrist, and the pistol clinked upon the stone floor.
"It's no use, John Clay," said Holmes blandly. "You have no chance at all."
"So I see," the other answered with the utmost coolness. "I fancy that my pal is all right, though I see you have got his coat-tails."
"There are three men waiting for him at the door," said Holmes.
"Oh, indeed! You seem to have done the thing very completely. I must compliment you."
"And I you," Holmes answered. "Your red-headed idea was very new and effective."
"You'll see your pal again presently," said Jones. "He's quicker at climbing down holes than I am. Just hold out while I fix the derbies."
"I beg that you will not touch me with your filthy hands," remarked our prisoner as the handcuffs clattered upon his wrists. "You may not be aware that I have royal blood in my veins. Have the goodness, also, when you address me always to say 'sir' and 'please.' "
"All right," said Jones with a stare and a snigger. "Well, would you please, sir, march upstairs, where we can get a cab to carry your Highness to the police-station?"
"That is better," said John Clay serenely. He made a sweeping bow to the three of us and walked quietly off in the custody of the detective.
"Really, Mr. Holmes," said Mr. Merryweather as we followed them from the cellar, "I do not know how the bank can thank you or repay you. There is no doubt that you have detected and defeated in the most complete manner one of the most determined attempts at bank robbery that have ever come within my experience."
"I have had one or two little scores of my own to settle with Mr. John Clay," said Holmes. "I have been at some small expense over this matter, which I shall expect the bank to refund, but beyond that I am amply repaid by having had an experience which is in many ways unique, and by hearing the very remarkable narrative of the Red-headed League."
"You see, Watson," he explained in the early hours of the morning as we sat over a glass of whisky and soda in Baker Street, "it was perfectly obvious from the first that the only possible object of this rather fantastic business of the advertisement of the League, and the copying of the Encyclopaedia, must be to get this not over-bright pawnbroker out of the way for a number of hours every day. It was a curious way of managing it, but, really, it would be difficult to suggest a better. The method was no doubt suggested to Clay's ingenious mind by the colour of his accomplice's hair. The £4 a week was a lure which must draw him, and what was it to them, who were playing for thousands? They put in the advertisement, one rogue has the temporary office, the other rogue incites the man to apply for it, and together they manage to secure his absence every morning in the week. From the time that I heard of the assistant having come for half wages, it was obvious to me that he had some strong motive for securing the situation."
"But how could you guess what the motive was?"
"Had there been women in the house, I should have suspected a mere vulgar intrigue. That, however, was out of the question. The man's business was a small one, and there was nothing in his house which could account for such elaborate preparations, and such an expenditure as they were at. It must, then, be something out of the house. What could it be? I thought of the assistant's fondness for photography, and his trick of vanishing into the cellar. The cellar! There was the end of this tangled clue. Then I made inquiries as to this mysterious assistant and found that I had to deal with one of the coolest and most daring criminals in London. He was doing something in the cellar—something which took many hours a day for months on end. What could it be, once more? I could think of nothing save that he was running a tunnel to some other building.
"So far I had got when we went to visit the scene of action. I surprised you by beating upon the pavement with my stick. I was ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind. It was not in front. Then I rang the bell, and, as I hoped, the assistant answered it. We have had some skirmishes, but we had never set eyes upon each other before. I hardly looked at his face. His knees were what I wished to see. You must yourself have remarked how worn, wrinkled, and stained they were. They spoke of those hours of burrowing. The only remaining point was what they were burrowing for. I walked round the corner, saw the City and Suburban Bank abutted on our friend's premises, and felt that I had solved my problem. When you drove home after the concert I called upon Scotland Yard and upon the chairman of the bank directors, with the result that you have seen."
"And how could you tell that they would make their attempt to-night?" I asked.
"Well, when they closed their League offices that was a sign that they cared no longer about Mr. Jabez Wilson's presence—in other words, that they had completed their tunnel. But it was essential that they should use it soon, as it might be discovered, or the bullion might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than any other day, as it would give them two days for their escape. For all these reasons I expected them to come to-night."
"You reasoned it out beautifully," I exclaimed in unfeigned admiration. "It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true."
"It saved me from ennui," he answered, yawning. "Alas! I already feel it closing in upon me. My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little problems help me to do so."
"And you are a benefactor of the race," said I.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, perhaps, after all, it is of some little use," he remarked. " 'L'homme c'est rien—l'oeuvre c'est tout,' as Gustave Flaubert wrote to George Sand."
male reading scottish whispering
61: [Mature Content] Sweet Whispers 4
63: Sherlock Holmes ASMR – A Case of Identity Part 1


Thirty years after their first adventures in The Three Musketeers, we find Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan in very different situations, now. Athos has settled down at his own estate. Porthos married a rich widow, and is now a Baron. Aramis joined a monastery, and is now the Bishop of Vannes. D'Artagnan alone remains a Musketeer for the king, and is now captain of the very force he so longed to join all those years ago. In The Man in the Iron Mask, Dumas rounds out his Musketeers into probing, multifaceted characters. Each now has a wealth of experience behind each of his actions. This is no simple adventure tale. It is political intrigue at its finest. The entire novel is presented unabridged, and is over 24 hours in length.
From Shirley Williams of Judsonia, Arkansas on 4/20/2017 .
Another excellent job by BJ on this classic work of historical fiction. The voices of Porthos and Colbert are especially well done. Many of the characters are referred to at times by their name and at other times only by their French title. I found it helpful to make my own list of characters as each was introduced into the story to help me keep them all straight.
From Holly of Los Angeles, California on 9/20/2016 .
A very enjoyable reading. BJ's voice makes the book come alive. I can hardly put it down.


Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB Mathematics, JAMB Mathematics Questions, JAMB Mathematics Questions 2019/2020 | In this examination guide, we will show you past JAMB Mathematics random repeated questions for free. You will understand how JAMB Mathematics questions are set and many other examination details.
If you need us to help you with more updated information at the right time about JAMB Mathematics Questions 2019, kindly provide us your phone number and email Address in the comment box below. Also feel free to ask any question pertaining to this guide.


For EM investors, I believe, Indian equities make a compelling tactical case for a portfolio over-weight in 2017. Political stability and strategic macro drivers are feeding this Asian tiger with just enough energy to accelerate its growth.
India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh (UP), recently voted for state elections. With a population of about 205 million, if UP were a country, it would be the fifth-largest country in the world. With the backdrop of a surprise demonetization that caused people a lot of inconvenience, everybody expected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, BJP, to lose considerably.
However, in this season of political surprises, Modi's BJP won a decisive and an unprecedented 80% mandate. Not only is this a big thumbs-up to Modi's governance, but, more importantly, this will boost the party's numbers in the upper house, where a lack of a majority by the BJP has often hindered the approval of key but tough reforms. Also, UP's verdict sets a strong tone for Modi's re-election in 2019.
An immediate consequence of this recent election could be a faster and smoother implementation of India's much-awaited taxation overhaul, the Goods and Services Tax Bill this year. With a renewed mandate and more confidence, we expect the Modi government to implement more reforms in 2017 and 2018 that will continue to make India an attractive destination for investment.
Political stability is critical for economic growth and markets to do well. What we are looking at in India right now is a federal government that has a clean mandate, states that are giving strong verdicts for reforms and strong trends for re-election of the current federal government.
Nearly 12 million to 14 million people enter India's workforce every year, and the Modi government has launched an aggressive campaign to create 400 million jobs by 2020 through a full host of plans.4 Additional jobs will further feed into consumption and spending.
Market performance is equally important for investors, and this is where I believe an active central bank is fueling earnings expansion for corporate India.
As fiscal tailwinds helped in inflation easing, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) took this opportunity and launched a successive rate-cut campaign. So far, we have seen 175 bps of consecutive rate cuts since January 2015. Now with inflation bottoming out, I believe India is heading toward the end of the cycle of rate cuts. Most state-owned and public banks in India have already lowered lending rates by 1% to 1.5%, and the RBI has been nudging them to pass on remaining rate cuts to the end customer.6 This rate-cut environment could help boost earnings with a lag as the lower cost of credit jump-starts the economic engine.
The last two times that RBI engaged in a consecutive rate cuts, the WisdomTree India Earnings Index (WTIND) responded with double-digit total returns in the year that immediately followed. Thus, solid performance by Indian markets in 2017 so far should not come as a surprise.
The WisdomTree India Earnings Index is an earnings-weighted index that provides access to profitable companies eligible to be purchased by foreign investors. It is a comprehensive exposure to a profitable segment of Indian equities.
The World Bank classifies India as a lower-middle-income country, with a per capita income of $1,300. However, as per projected IMF trends, India's per capita income would surpass $4,000 over the next decade, and it will become an upper-middle-income country.7 This would make India the only country in the world to improve income classification within a decade, with the help of a stable democracy's checks and balances.
I believe we are witnessing a multitrillion-dollar wealth generation opportunity, and investors who are willing to participate in India's economic expansion stand to realize the potential upside.
1Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/10/17.
2Source: World Bank, as of 12/31/16.
3Source: United Nations Statistics Department, as of 12/31/16.
4Source: Government of India, as of 12/31/16.
5Source: Bloomberg, as of 12/31/2016.
6Source: Reserve Bank of India, as of 12/31/16.
7Source: World Bank, as of 12/31/16.
Double-digit returns were achieved primarily during favorable market conditions. Investors should not expect that such favorable returns can be consistently achieved.


Engine Type Model Year Turbocharger Part No. Version Nameplate No.
Turbochargers on 1980 models are not interchangeable with those on 1981 models.
Exhaust Manifold, Part No. 931 111 093.02, for 1980 cars, has been replaced by reinforced manifold, Part No. 931 111 096 00.
This new-type manifold has recess for fill-in gasket seal in flange to by-pass pipe.
When installing new-type exhaust manifold for the first time, use by-pass pipe, Part No. 931 123 033 04, and fill-in gasket seal, Part No. 931 123 195 00. The new by-pass pipe can be connected to the old manifold without recess.
The fill-in gasket seal and never the old-type gasket must be used on recessed flange connections.


Grasshopper runs within the Rhinoceros 3D CAD application. Programs are also created by dragging components onto a canvas. The outputs which comes out of these components are then connected to the input components. Grasshopper is used mainly for building generative algorithms. Many of the Grasshoppers components created by 3D geometry.
We will used to cover Animation, Refining Polygonal Models, Creating Materials, Applying Textures and Rendering using Grasshopper 3d.
Practical Grasshopper 3D based projects at the end of the course will be done with the help of trainers if you required .
This grasshopper 3D short course is based on head-on, trainer-lead and classroom. This training can be taken at relevant stages (part-time, evening course, weekend).A list of all upcoming public Grasshopper 3d training course is given on training dragon website.
This advance Excel training at YAMI COSMO SERVICES GREEN PARK DELHI is designed to become a successful Data Analyst and it is also highly recommended for those who are just willing to start their career in Analytics.


text:
Betty Gabriela Rodriguez
Founder & Chair
Master's Degree in Social Economy
Certified gender professional
Virginia Gamboa
Journalist & PR Specialist
Master's Degree in History of the Americas
Luisa Fernanda Torres
Master's Degree in Applied Positive Psychology
Amazona Foundation seeks inclusive societies where global standards of gender equality has been achieved and people of all genders and sexual diversities live with dignity and autonomy.
Amazona Foundation works on deconstructing harmful traditional gender roles attributed to men, women and people of gender and sexual diversities in society. It focuses on building and engaging community to take action for gender equity.
•Social Justice • Equity •Diversity
At an early age, founder and chair, Betty Gabriela Rodriguez (Gaby) understood that we need to support each other in order to end injustice and discrimination.
At the age of 19, Gaby met a professor at her University who soon became her mentor and friend. This professor was not only an accomplished lawyer, an outstanding LGBTI activist, but also a transgender woman. She was deeply concerned to see the discrimination some people around her had to face each day.
That's when Gaby's concern transformed into a dream of creating a foundation that would address these problems head-on. The lessons she learned through them combined with her personal experiences shaped her view of how gender prejudices play a key role in discrimination and violence.
Gaby created Amazona Foundation in 2018 as a way to embrace tolerance and diversity in order to ensure an inclusive environment for women and people of gender and sexual diversities.
Amazona Foundation works to promote diversity, to ensure equal opportunities, and to prevent violence by engaging all members of society in the conversation. The Amazona Foundation's programs, campaigns, and advocacy efforts are designed to tackle all forms of discrimination and intolerance, especially when based on gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and sexual characteristics.
We are an independent, nonprofit organization, committed to empowering women and people of gender and sexual diversities (GSD) by promoting resilience, social entrepreneurship and mentoring. To deepen our impact and achieve equal opportunities, we work as a networked nonprofit seeking the full enjoyment of their human rights.
For Inquiries & Press, Please Contact Us
SIGN UP FOR ALL UPDATES,
© 2022 by Amazona Foundation


text:
United States: LA Galaxy select Farai Mutatu in 2022 MLS Draft
13th January 2022 Football, Sport
The LA Galaxy entered the 2022 MLS SuperDraft with four draft picks, and with their first selection, No. 21 overall in the first round, they selected forward Farai Mutatu out of Michigan State on Tuesday.
Mutatu was a standout for the Spartans during his college career, and he's split his time between Michigan and his native Zimbabwe. His father attended Michigan State as a PhD student (full disclosure, I also attended Michigan State and small world, knew Mutatu's father) and moved his family with him in 2006.
Farai grew up in the United States, but his parents had to return to Zimbabwe a decade later. The soccer player then went on to his dad's alma mater and basically hometown school, to play soccer.
The Galaxy will likely offer Mutatu a spot in training camp and potentially a contract somewhere in the organization. He's a player who's been well-regarded in the Big Ten and may get a first-team look, or he may start out with LA Galaxy II. Time will tell.
Welcome to the club, @FaraiMutatu 💙🤍💛
Greg Vanney announces our first pick of the 2022 @MLS #SuperDraft pic.twitter.com/DqWuuiumcq
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) January 11, 2022


text:
Stella Stevens
Stevens in 2009
Estelle Eggleston
(1938-10-01) October 1, 1938
Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S.
Actress, director
Noble Herman Stephens (m. 1954–57)
Partner(s)
Bob Kulick (1983-)
Andrew Stevens
stellastevens.biz
Stella Stevens (born Estelle Eggleston; October 1, 1938)[1][2][3] is an American film, television, and stage actress. She began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), The Nutty Professor (1963), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), The Silencers (1966), Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), and The Poseidon Adventure (1972).
Stevens also appeared in numerous television series, miniseries, and movies, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960, 1988), Bonanza (1960), The Love Boat (1977, 1983), Hart to Hart (1979), Newhart (1983), Murder, She Wrote (1985), Magnum, P.I. (1986), Highlander: The Series (1995), and Twenty Good Years (2006). In 1960 she won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress.[4] Stevens has also worked as a film producer, director, and writer.[5] She appeared in three Playboy pictorials, and was Playmate of the Month for January 1960.
She was born Estelle Eggleston in Yazoo City, Mississippi,[6] the only child of Thomas Ellett Eggleston and his wife Dovey Estelle (née Caro).[7] One of her great-grandfathers was Henry Clay Tyler, an early settler from Boston and a jeweler who gave the Yazoo City courthouse cupola its clock.[1]
When Stevens was 4, her parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where they lived on Carrington Road near Highland Street.[8] Her father was an insurance salesman, and her mother was a nurse.[1][8] Stevens attended St. Anne's Catholic School on Highland Street and Sacred Heart School on Jefferson Avenue, finishing her final year of high school in 1955 at the Memphis Evening School at Memphis Tech High School.[8][9]
At the age of 18, she married electrician Noble Herman Stephens on December 1, 1954, probably in Memphis. They had one child, Herman Andrew Stephens, who would later be known as actor/producer Andrew Stevens. He is Stella's only child. The couple divorced in 1957 but Stella and her son retained a variation of her ex-husband's surname as their own professional surnames. While studying at Memphis State College, she became interested in acting and modeling. According to her official biography, "Her schooling in Memphis, included a couple of years at Memphis State University, where she was noticed in the school play Bus Stop. The [Memphis] Press-Scimitar review of that performance in Memphis sparked her career."[10]
Film career
Playboy centerfold appearance
Ellen Stratton
Susie Scott
5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
118 lb (54 kg; 8.4 st)
Stevens made her film debut in Say One for Me (1959), a modest musical produced by and starring Bing Crosby, appearing in the minor role of a chorus girl. Stevens' contract with 20th Century-Fox was dropped after six months. After winning the role of Appassionata Von Climax in the musical Li'l Abner (1959), she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures (1959-1963). In 1960, she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance in Say One for Me,[4] sharing the distinction with fellow up-and-comers Tuesday Weld, Angie Dickinson, and Janet Munro.[4]
Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s Stevens achieved success as a model. When high-speed Ektachrome film was introduced in 1959, Stevens was the first person ever photographed for a formal portrait by the light of a single candle and several reflectors for the cover of a photography magazine. In January 1960 she was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month, and was also featured in Playboy pictorials in 1965 and 1968. She was included in Playboy magazine's 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century, appeared at number 27. During the 1960s she was one of the most photographed women in the world.[1]
In 1962, Stevens starred opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls!. The following year she appeared in two successful comedy films: Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor (1963), as his student and love interest Stella Purdy, and in Vincente Minnelli's The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) playing the would-be "Miss Montana" beauty queen. In 1964, she signed a contract with Columbia Pictures (1964–1968). Following appearances in Synanon (1965) and The Secret of My Success (1965), Stevens starred as a sexy but clumsy government agent opposite Dean Martin in the Matt Helm spy spoof The Silencers (1966). Her final film for Columbia was Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968) in which she played "Sister George".
In 1970, Stevens starred opposite Jason Robards in Sam Peckinpah's The Ballad of Cable Hogue, for which she received positive reviews. In his review in The New York Times, Roger Greenspun wrote, "But it is Stella Stevens, at last in a role good enough for her, who most wonderfully sustains and enlightens the action."[11] In 1972 she starred in Irwin Allen's hugely successful disaster film The Poseidon Adventure with Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Roddy McDowall, and Shelley Winters. Stevens played the role of Linda Rogo, the "refreshingly outspoken" ex-prostitute wife of Borgnine's character.[12]
Although she continued to appear in feature films for the next four decades, Stevens shifted the focus of her career to television series, miniseries, and movies.
Television career
Stella Stevens and Hugh O'Brian, General Electric Theater, 1961
Stevens appeared in several top television shows in the 1960s, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960), General Electric Theater (1960, 1961), and Ben Casey (1964). One of her earliest television appearances was in a 1960 episode of Bonanza, "Silent Thunder", playing a deaf mute. In the early 1970s she began working regularly in television series, miniseries, and movies. She appeared in episodes of such popular series as Banacek (1973) and Police Story (1975), as well as the pilot films for Wonder Woman (1975), The Love Boat (1977) and Hart to Hart (1979). In 1979, she appeared along with son Andrew Stevens in the The Oregon Trail (1977) episode "Hannah's Girl".
In the 1980s, she continued to work regularly in series such as Newhart (1983), The Love Boat (1983), Fantasy Island (1983), Highway to Heaven (1984), Murder, She Wrote (1985), Magnum, P.I. (1986), and Father Dowling Mysteries (1987). Stevens appears in 34 episodes of the prime-time soap opera Flamingo Road (1981–82), as Lute-Mae Sanders, the former madam of a brothel. From 1989 to 1990, she had a role on Santa Barbara as Phyllis Blake. Her string of appearances in popular television series continued into the 1990s with The Commish (1993), Burke's Law (1994), Highlander: The Series (1995), Silk Stalkings (1996), and General Hospital (1996, 1999). She also appeared in the critically acclaimed miniseries, In Cold Blood (1996). Her television career continued into the 2000s when she appeared in an episode of Twenty Good Years (2006).
Stevens appeared in several stage productions, including a touring production of an all-female version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple opposite Sandy Dennis. Stevens played the Oscar Madison character. She produced and directed two films, The Ranch (1989) and The American Heroine (1979). In 1999, she co-wrote a novel titled, Razzle Dazzle, about a Memphis-born singer named Johnny Gault.[5]
In late 1976 Stevens purchased a ranch in Methow Valley near Carlton, Washington, on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains.[13] She also opened an art gallery and bakery in the nearby small town of Twisp, Washington.[13]
In 1983 Stevens began a long-term relationship with rock guitarist Bob Kulick; through at least 1990, they shared Stevens' Beverly Hills home.[3] In 2005, Stevens received the Reel Cowboys Silver Spur Award for her contributions to the Western genre.
Say One for Me (1959)
The Blue Angel (1959) (uncredited)
Li'l Abner (1959), as Appassionata Von Climax
Man-Trap (1961)
Too Late Blues (1961)
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
Advance to the Rear (1964)
Synanon (1965)
The Secret of My Success (1965)
The Silencers (1966)
Rage (1966)
How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968)
Sol Madrid (1968)
Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968)
The Mad Room (1969)
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
A Town Called Bastard (1971)
Stand Up and Be Counted (1972)
Slaughter (1972)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972), as Linda Rogo
Arnold (1973)
Las Vegas Lady (1975)
Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975)
Nickelodeon (1976)
Mister Deathman (1977)
The Night They Took Miss Beautiful (1977)
The Manitou (1978)
Wacko (1982)
Ladies Night (1983)
Chained Heat (1983)
A Masterpiece of Murder (1986)
The Longshot (1986)
Monster in the Closet (1987)
Exiled in America (1990)
Down the Drain (1990)
The Terror Within II (1990)
Last Call (1991)
South Beach (1992)
The Nutt House (1992)
Eye of the Stranger (1993)
Little Devils: The Birth (1993)
Hard Drive (1994)
Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1994)
Molly & Gina (1994)
Star Hunter (1995) (V)
Illicit Dreams (1995)
The Granny (1995)
Body Chemistry 4: Full Exposure (1995)
Virtual Combat (1996)
Invisible Mom (1996)
Bikini Hotel (1997)
Size 'Em Up (2001)
The Long Ride Home (2003)
Blessed (2004)
Glass Trap (2005)
Hell to Pay (2005)
Popstar (2005)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960), "Craig's Will"
Johnny Ringo (1960), "Uncertain Vengeance"
Hawaiian Eye (1960), "Kakua Woman"
Bonanza (1960), "Silent Thunder"
Riverboat (1960), "Zigzag"
General Electric Theater (1960), "The Graduation Dress"
General Electric Theater (1961), "The Great Alberti"
Follow the Sun (1961), "Conspiracy of Silence"
Frontier Circus (1962), "The Balloon Girl"
Ben Casey (1964), 2 episodes
In Broad Daylight (1971), TV movie
Ghost Story (1972), "The Dead We Leave Behind"
Hec Ramsey (1972), "Hangman's Wages"
Climb an Angry Mountain (1972), TV movie
Linda (1973), TV movie
Banacek (1973), "Ten Thousand Dollars a Page"
The Day the Earth Moved (1974), TV movie
Honky Tonk (1974), TV movie
Police Story (1975), "The Losing Game"
Wonder Woman (1975), "The New Original Wonder Woman"
Kiss Me, Kill Me (1976), TV movie
Wanted: The Sundance Woman (1976), TV movie
The New Love Boat (1977), TV movie, The Love Boat pilot
Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging (1977), TV movie
Murder in Peyton Place (1977), TV movie
The Night They Took Miss Beautiful (1977), TV movie
The Oregon Trail (1977), "Hannah's Girl" (appears with her son, Andrew Stevens)
The Jordan Chance (1978), TV movie
The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978), 1 episode
Express to Terror (1979), TV movie
Hart to Hart (1979), TV movie, Hart to Hart pilot
The French Atlantic Affair (1979), miniseries
Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979), TV movie
Make Me an Offer (1980), TV movie
Flamingo Road (1980), TV movie, pilot
Children of Divorce (1980), TV movie
Twirl (1981), TV movie
Flamingo Road (1981–1982), 34 episodes
Matt Houston (1983), "Whose Party Is It Anyway?"
The Love Boat (1983)
Women of San Quentin (1983), TV movie
Newhart (1983), 2 episodes
Fantasy Island (1983), 2 episodes
Amazons (1984), TV movie
No Man's Land (1984), TV movie
Hotel (1984), "Flesh and Blood"
Highway to Heaven (1984), "Help Wanted: Angel"
Night Court (1984), "Harry and the Madam"
Murder, She Wrote (1985), "Funeral at Fifty-Mile"
The History of White People in America: Volume II (1986), TV movie
A Masterpiece of Murder (1986), TV movie
Magnum, P.I. (1986), "Find Me a Rainbow"
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987), TV movie
Adventures Beyond Belief (1987), TV movie
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's (1987), TV movie
A Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (1987), TV movie
Father Dowling Mysteries (1987), "Fatal Confession"
Man Against the Mob (1988), TV movie
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1988), "Twist"
Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989), TV movie
Santa Barbara (1989–1990)
Dream On (1990), "Over Your Dead Body"
In the Heat of the Night (1991), "A Woman Much Admired"
Dangerous Curves (1992), "In the Name of Love"
The Commish (1993), "Eastbridge Boulevard"
Burke's Law (1994), "Who Killed the Romance?"
Attack of the 5 Ft. 2 In. Women (1994), TV movie
Highlander: The Series (1995), "Vendetta"
Dave's World (1995), "The Mommies"
Subliminal Seduction (1996), TV movie
Renegade (1996), "Love Hurts"
Arli$$ (1996), "What About the Fans?"
Silk Stalkings (1996), "When She Was Bad"
In Cold Blood (1996), miniseries
General Hospital (1996, 1999)
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997), TV movie
Nash Bridges (1997), "Deliverance"
The Christmas List (1997), TV movie
Viper (1998), "The Getaway"
By Dawn's Early Light (2000), TV movie
Strip Mall (2001)
Twenty Good Years (2006), "The Crying Game"
The American Heroine (1979)
The Ranch (1989)
List of people in Playboy 1960–1969
1 2 3 4 Nicholas, Teresa. "Stella Stevens: From the Yazoo hills to Beverly Hills". Delta Magazine. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
↑ Estelle Eggleston, "Female Age	1, Ward 1, Yazoo City, Beat 3, Yazoo [County], Mississippi, United States" at United States Census, 1940, via FamilySearch.org.
1 2 Sanz, Cynthia (October 22, 1990). "'Ear Ye, 'Ear Ye: Ribald Sex Bomb Stella Stevens, 52, and Wry, Bald Rocker Bob Kulick, 37, Find True Love". People. 34 (16). Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2012. ...a 52-year-old onetime Playboy centerfold...
1 2 3 "Stella Stevens profile at". Golden Globes. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
1 2 Stevens, Stella; Hegner, William (1999). Razzle Dazzle. New York: Forge. ISBN 978-0312853792.
↑ Some sources cite her birthplace as Hot Coffee, Mississippi, a nickname for Meridian, Mississippi. Stevens confirms Yazoo City in Macklin, Tony (July 31, 2004). "The Ballad of Stella Stevens: An Interview". Bright Lights Film Journal. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016. [I am from] Yazoo City. Hot Coffee is Meridian — it's on the way to Gulfport and Biloxi. We would stop at this place that had a sign that said 'Hot Coffee', so everybody nicknamed it 'Hot Coffee.'
↑ Pylant, James. "The Deep Southern Roots of Stella Stevens". GenealogyMagazine.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
1 2 3 Lauderdale, Vance (December 2011). "Stella!". Memphis Magazine. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
↑ Lauderdale, Vance (January 12, 2012). "Meet Stella Stevens Before She Became 'Stella Stevens'". Memphis Magazine. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
↑ "Biography". Stella Stevens official site. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
↑ Greenspun, Roger (May 14, 1970). "Sam Peckinpah's 'Ballad of Cable Hogue'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
↑ Weiler, A.H. (December 13, 1972). "'Poseidon Adventure' Arrives". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
1 2 "Twisp Looks Good After Beverly Hills". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. May 9, 1978. Retrieved May 5, 2012. ...says the 39-year-old actress.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stella Stevens.
Stella Stevens at the Internet Movie Database
Official website for Stella Stevens
"Stella Stevens biography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
Stella Stevens at Playboy Online
Playboy Playmates of 1960
Stella Stevens Susie Scott Sally Sarell Linda Gamble Ginger Young Delores Wells
Teddi Smith Elaine Paul Ann Davis Kathy Douglas Joni Mattis Carol Eden
Playmates of
Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress
Lois Maxwell (1948)
Mercedes McCambridge (1950)
Pier Angeli (1952)
Colette Marchand (1953)
Pat Crowley, Bella Darvi, Barbara Rush (1954)
Karen Sharpe, Kim Novak, Shirley MacLaine (1955)
Anita Ekberg, Victoria Shaw, Dana Wynter (1956)
Carroll Baker, Jayne Mansfield, Natalie Wood (1957)
Carolyn Jones, Diane Varsi, Sandra Dee (1958)
Linda Cristal, Susan Kohner, Tina Louise (1959)
Janet Munro, Tuesday Weld, Angie Dickinson, Stella Stevens (1960)
Ina Balin, Hayley Mills, Nancy Kwan (1961)
Ann-Margret, Jane Fonda, Christine Kaufmann (1962)
Sue Lyon, Patty Duke, Rita Tushingham (1963)
Tippi Hedren, Elke Sommer, Ursula Andress (1964)
Mia Farrow, Mary Ann Mobley, Celia Kaye (1965)
Elizabeth Hartman (1966)
Jessica Walter (1967)
Katharine Ross (1968)
Olivia Hussey, Marianne McAndrew (1969)
Ali MacGraw (1970)
Carrie Snodgress (1971)
Twiggy (1972)
Diana Ross (1973)
Tatum O'Neal (1974)
Susan Flannery (1975)
Marilyn Hassett (1976)
Irene Miracle (1979)
Bette Midler (1980)
Nastassja Kinski (1981)
Pia Zadora (1982)
Sandahl Bergman (1983)
MusicBrainz: d9cf850e-8cda-4905-8f6e-b1dd52237b7a


Prime Minister David Cameron will visit Jallianwala Bagh on Wednesday, becoming the first British premier to make a trip to the site in Amritsar where an estimated one thousand people protesting peacefully were massacred in 1919 on the orders of a British army officer.
The Indian Express has learnt that Cameron will fly to Amritsar in a special aircraft around forenoon and return to Delhi by midday before flying out of the country in the afternoon.
South Block and Scotland Yard were closely coordinating the visit and have kept it under wraps because of security concerns.
Cameron's trip will take place 16 years after Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip visited Amritsar in 1997. Philip had angered many when he had described the massacre as "vastly exaggerated" during the visit. Police had to cane protesters who carried black flags and raised slogans against the Queen in Amritsar.
In recent years, there have been a flurry of visits to Amritsar by British government personalities. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw went there twice and British minister Baroness Sayeeda Hussain Warsi also made a trip recently.
While it is not known whether Cameron will tender an apology for the massacre when he signs the visitor's book at Jallianwala Bagh - as demanded by Sikh leaders in Amritsar - British visitors in the past have condoled the deaths in the shooting.
Analysts see an apology, if it is made, as Britain's attempt to get over its post-colonial guilt. But some top British leaders, including former PM Gordon Brown, have opposed the idea.
Cameron will also visit the Golden Temple and meet officials of SGPC, the Sikhs' highest body on religious affairs.


text:
Infosys opens tech hub in North Carolina, hired 4,700 Americans since 2017
By Debasis Mohapatra | Bengaluru | Last Updated at August 23 2018 22:57 IST
File Photo: The logo of Infosys is pictured inside the company's headquarters in Bengaluru | Photo: Reuters
The country's second largest IT services company, Infosys, has opened a new technology and innovation hub at Raleigh in North Carolina in the United States as part of its effort to boost innovation in this key market apart from driving localisation. The company said it has also hired 4,700 local Americans since March 2017, including nearly 500 in North Carolina, as part of its effort to hire 10,000 locals in the country.
The IT firm had launched its first innovation centre in Indianapolis in March this year as part of its plan to set up four such centres in the US market.
ALSO READ: Ranganath's exit from Infosys can puncture stock's momentum, say analysts
According to Infosys, the technology hub at North Carolina centre will help the firm work more closely with clients to develop cross-functional solutions in areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, big data and cloud solutions. The hub will also be used for training, upskilling and reskilling of employees.
"The inauguration of our Raleigh technology and innovation hub empowers our North Carolina employees by providing them with pioneering technology training that will help American industries revitalise their core businesses," said Salil Parekh, CEO & MD of Infosys. "Supported by academic institutions in North Carolina and around the country, the hub allows us to co-locate, co-innovate and co-create alongside our clients."
Infosys has partnered with North Carolina State University and Community College System, among others. These collaborations will likely help the firm to scout talent.
ALSO READ: Infosys to spend Rs 7.5 bn in upcoming Noida software development facility
In May 2017, the IT services major had announced the opening of four technology and innovation hubs across the US that would help it work on new digital technologies as well as develop skills among its employees.
Apart from Indianapolis and North Carolina hubs, such centres have been planned in Providence in Rhode Island and Hartford in Connecticut. The company draws 60 per cent of its total revenue from North American region. Indian IT firms have ramped up their local hiring plans after the US administration headed by President Donald Trump imposed strict H1-B visa restrictions.
Read our full coverage on Infosys
First Published: Thu,August 23 2018 22:57 IST
Prev » Reliance Power wins $56-mn arbitration award in Indonesia coal mine dispute
Next » Post-monsoon coal supply may trip power plants facing 175K-Mw daily demand
Trump's H1B visa policy to hit third-party supplier base of Indian IT firms
Infosys unveils technology and innovation hub in Indianapolis for employees
Over 60,000 spouses of Indian H-1B visaholders may soon go jobless; updates
H-1B visa process begins today: Why your move to America might get tougher


I keep seeing stuff for this website in ads online. I meet all the criteria including ratings for moderate-severe hearing loss and tinnitus. Is this legit and is there any downside for me registering?
Nobody knows what's going on. MOAA rep said it wasn't included so I'm inclined to believe them & doubt it made it in.
Anticipating TDRL, could a VARR submission to request PDRL be worth the time and effort?
I called Heller's office this morning to leave a polite message in support of 2394 & 2395 in the conference. The guy answering the phone wrote it all down but I got the impression he had no idea what I was talking about.
So what is Monday? The HOR vote on NDAA? And then the conference? Correct me if I'm wrong, but looks like the HOR passed their version in May. The Senate passed theirs this past week. So the conference to join the two is the next step. Did the HOR version have the ch61 stuff in it?
Found this while googling the 1-800-872-8272 number: HRC Memo As of October 2017 you cannot initiate a request for TEB once you have entered IDES and have it approved unless you are found fit.
Permanent DoD. What happens if I say Piss off to the VA?


text:
Category Archives: GOP Leaders
Brown tells AP he'll sometimes side with Democrats
Interesting article, will Scott Brown be the GOP's 41st vote against Obama or will he side with the liberal leaning people of Massachusetts and support many of the President's priorities ?…Time will tell.
From the ASSOCIATED PRESS –
BOSTON — Scott Brown says he has already told Senate Republican leaders they won't always be able to count on his vote. The man who staged an upset in last week's Massachusetts Senate special election, in part by pledging to be the 41st GOP vote against President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that he staked his claim in early conversations with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Whip Jon Kyl.
"I already told them, you know, `I got here with the help of a close group of friends and very little help from anyone down there, so there'll be issues when I'll be with you and there are issues when I won't be with you,'" Brown said Thursday during the half-hour interview. "So, I just need to look at each vote and then make a proper analysis and then decide."
Asked how McConnell and Kyl responded, Brown said, "They understood. They said, `You can probably do whatever you want, Scott. And, so, just let us know where your head's at, and we'll talk it through, and just keep us posted.'"
The senator-elect did not elaborate on possible breaking points, though the Washington newcomer dismissed any suggestion he will relent once he starts working in the highly partisan capital.
"That's not pressure; pressure is what I'm going through right now," said Brown. He cited his efforts to complete a transition in 2 1/2 weeks, compared with the normal 2 1/2 months for regularly elected senators, while preparing to surrender his responsibilities as a state senator, become a Beltway commuter and resume his triathlon training.
He started Thursday with a one-hour bike ride and 1,500-meter swim.
"I'm trying to do it very well and be balanced and still get my workouts in," said Brown. "There's nothing wrong with having good conversation and debating. We do it here in our own caucus, at a smaller level. … It's just a different building, really."
Brown beat Democrat Martha Coakley to win the seat held for nearly a half-century by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The result rocked both the Democratic Party and the Obama administration, who viewed the seat as safe and Coakley as the pivotal 60th vote to preserve a Democratic supermajority in the Senate.
Read More >>> Here
Filed under GOP Leaders, Massachusetts, President Obama, Scott Brown, the GOP
MEMO: Does America really want a GOP comeback?
From: Nathan Daschle, Executive Director, Democratic Governors Association
Twenty-four years. That's how long it's been since the party in power won either the New Jersey or Virginia governorships. Even more striking – the last time the party in power won the Virginia governorship was 1973.
And after losing the White House, Congress and every targeted Governors race since 2007, national Republicans desperately need a victory. They're eyeing – and hyping – these two governors' races as the start of their comeback. In their favor: history, political conditions, record-breaking spending and a tough economic climate.
If Republicans can't win both races with the wind at their backs, their top recruits on the ballot, multi-million dollar investments and history in their corner, that will tell us a lot about whether Americans really want a Republican comeback.
In fact, if today's Republicans can't win both of these races, they will be the first opposition party in a generation to break the 2-and-0 winning streak.
So the biggest question for observers of these races is not what these races mean for Democrats but what they tell us about the GOP.
We've known from the beginning of this year that Democrats had an uphill battle to victory. Not only is it a challenge to break a five-cycle winless streak, but Democrats are also defending two seats in the midst of the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Despite all those difficulties and with just days left until Election Day, Democrats are in a stronger than expected position to break the streak. In Virginia, the Democratic nominee remains within striking distance, with more than half a million newly registered Democrats on the table. After months of observers calling it a foregone conclusion that Republicans were bound to win New Jersey, the race is a dead heat.
Below is a briefsummary of DGA activities in 2009, as well as a collection of insights from GOP leaders about what winning Virginia and New Jersey means to their party.
From the moment they lost the Presidential election, Republicans have been hyping the off-year governors' races as the dawn of their comeback. They've poured record-breaking resources into both races, outspending national Democrats because they desperately need a victory to energize their base after years of losses.
Republicans have been trumpeting their prospects in Virginia and New Jersey for a year, with the GOP's leaders making the case that these races will set the stage for a conservative revival. On the eve of Election Day, a few of their statements stand out:
"Governors are again key to our comeback."
— Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, RGA Chairman
RGA Website
"The RGA is helping lead the conservative comeback beginning this year, and its involvement in the East Coast races is significant."
– Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
Facebook, Oct. 27, 2009
New Jersey "is a bellwether in so many ways for the future of our party."
–Michael Steele, RNC Chairman
The Washington Times, 8/23/2009
"We already are seeing the Republican resurgence in this country, but it is going to be affirmed and we are going to get great momentum from the victories we're going to have in New Jersey and Virginia this fall."
— Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, RGA Vice-Chairman
Politico, 8/16/2009
DGA 2009
The DGA began the year understanding the difficulty of the 2009 landscape and made strategic decisions to boost critical election infrastructure and challenge Republicans. While the DGA spent more in Virginia and New Jersey than ever before in the committee's history, the Republican Governors Association still outspent the DGA nearly 2-to-1, spending $13 million.
The global economic downturn hurt New Jersey, but Gov. Jon Corzine is campaigning on his record as a leader who is willing to make the right decisions when it matters most. Gov. Corzine has expanded health care to 100,000 children, invested in new schools and trimmed the size of government.
His opponent, GOP darling Chris Christie, tried to run on an ethics platform but a laundry list of controversies unmasked him as a candidate who had one set of rules for himself and another for everyone else. Christie, a Bush Republican who embraces the failed economic policies of the past, refused to release any specific plan for governing.
To help even the playing the field, the DGA spent $3.3 million in New Jersey – more than ever before in the state – with major contributions to candidates and party committees to help them build an effective, statewide, Get-Out-the-Vote effort that can make the difference in a close election. The DGA also made contributions to independent progressive organizations such as New Jersey Progress and the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Fund that spent $4 million on issue ads about government ethics and Chris Christie's health care plan that allows insurance companies to cut benefits for New Jersey women and children.
For months during the summer and into the fall, pundits all but declared the race over, saying that Christie would win in a walk and give the thirsty GOP base a shot in the arm. After educating voters about his record and Christie's stance on the issues, Gov. Corzine has turned the race into a dead heat. Analysts such as the Cook Political Report have even described his campaign as what appears to be a "remarkable comeback."
Voters in the Commonwealth have long rejected the party in power in the White House when they vote for governor. As a red-tinged purple state where Democrats have only recently had success, the landscape in the Commonwealth is tilted heavily in favor of Republicans.
The DGA set out to accomplish a titanic task – occupy GOP nominee Bob McDonnell during a contested Democratic primary to give the party's nominee the best possible start in the general election. The DGA served as Republican Bob McDonnell's general election opposition during the contested Democratic primary during the spring, earning kudos for "stalking and bedeviling" the unopposed GOP nominee, according to the Associated Press. The DGA contributed $3 million to Common Sense Virginia, an independent Virginia state pac to educate voters about McDonnell's real record on jobs and the economy, tripling voters' negative perceptions of him and forcing him to spend more than $2 million before his uncontested primary in June.
National observers, such as Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post, commented that DGA was "filling a critical role – ensuring that McDonnell isn't allowed to make a positive imprint with the state's voters while its own candidates bash each other relentlessly." Cillizza added on May 29:
DGA Keeps McDonnell Honest: [Common Sense Virginia] has launched a new ad — its third — hammering Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) as a job killer…Says the ad's narrator: "Bob McDonnell: A Jobs Governor? You've got to be kidding." The ad is part of a continuing attempt by the DGA to ensure that McDonnell doesn't get a free pass on introducing himself to Virginia voters while the three Democratic candidates…bash one another…. Polling suggests McDonnell would start the general election with a lead over any of the trio of Democrats.
As Cillizza notes, before the DGA's efforts began, all the Democratic contenders were losing to McDonnell by double digits. When the DGA's successful primary opposition campaign ended, Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds was beating McDonnell by several points in head-to-head polling.
The DGA also contributed more than $1 million directly to Deeds, who has been endorsed by the Washington Post and McDonnell's hometown newspapers for offering realistic, pragmatic leadership, not bogus plans.
Virginians face a stark choice Tuesday between moving the state forward and going backward, especially on issues like creating jobs, strengthening the economy, investing in schools, improving transportation and standing up for women's rights. Deeds remains within striking distance of victory and can still tap into more than half a million new Democratic voters who went to the polls to cast a ballot for President Obama.
The 2010 cycle is the most important election in a generation, as it could reshape the political landscape for decades to come. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans will vote for a Governor, most of whom will have a say in Congressional redistricting. Republicans are targeting these Governors races in the hope of redrawing the district lines and gerrymandering their way into 30 House seats.
To fight back, nearly four years ago the DGA launched Project 2010, a strategic operation to lay the foundation for success in the 37 governors' races this year. Under the disciplined plan, the DGA is breaking our all-time fundraising records so we can spend substantially more per race than ever before in our history. We are recruiting top-tier candidates in key states. We are contributing early and strategically in battleground states.
Although the landscape remains uphill as Democrats prepare to defend 19 governorships in 2010, the DGA is in a better position than ever before to protect our incumbents, expand our ranks and ensure a fair redistricting process.
Filed under Democractic Governors Association (DGA), GOP Leaders, Gov. Jon Corzine, New Jersey, President Obama, the GOP, Virginian
Limbaugh against stimulus because its success could hurt GOP's electoral chances
OH heavens forbid if President Obama's economic stimulus package actually works and 600,000 or more jobs are created while boosting the economy, what would members of the GOP do with themselves?
Think Progress –
On Friday, when President Obama met with congressional leaders from both parties to discuss his economic recovery and reinvestment program, he told GOP leaders, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." Asked for a response by National Review yesterday, Limbaugh said that Obama's "plan is to isolate elected Republicans from their voters." He added that passage of the stimulus bill would hurt Republicans electorally:
Obama's plan would buy votes for the Democrat Party, in the same way FDR's New Deal established majority power for 50 years of Democrat rule, and it would also simultaneously seriously damage any hope of future tax cuts. It would allow a majority of American voters to guarantee no taxes for themselves going forward. It would burden the private sector and put the public sector in permanent and firm control of the economy. Put simply, I believe his stimulus is aimed at re-establishing "eternal" power for the Democrat Party rather than stimulating the economy because anyone with a brain knows this is NOT how you stimulate the economy.
Limbaugh's argument echoes former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's recent claim that Obama's stimulus plan "could create a major electoral advantage for Democrats at taxpayer expense." "Creating 600,000 new jobs might help cement Virginia in the Democrat column, making it harder for Republicans to retake the White House," said Blackwell.
Filed under Democratic Party, Economic Stimulus Package, GOP Leaders, Ken Blackwell, National Review, President Obama, Rush Limbaugh, Think Progress, Virginian
>Limbaugh against stimulus because its success could hurt GOP's electoral chances