UPDATE: 2/24/09---SMALLVILLE RENEWED FOR SEASON 9!
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird--it's a plane--it's...Well, it's not Superman, at least not in this television version of the mythic hero. The cool thing about Smallville is that it gives us Clark Kent trying to figure out who he is and what he is supposed to do. Nobody's ever done that with the Man of Steel before. This article is for those who are tired of elections, bad economies, need a little escape and for those who have never seen the show or who watched it once a long time ago. It's hard to believe, but it premiered the week after 9/11 and has gone on strong for 8 seasons. Check it out on the CW network, Thursdays at 7 PM.
For the first four and a half seasons, Smallville (hereafter SV) was about a high school kid growing up, trying to find his destiny. Wrapped in the well-known story of the Superman myth, the episodes struck a chord with a lot of people. Family, friends, small town values all played a part in making SV feel like every viewer grew up in that town. Sure Clark has these powers, but the writers turned the wierd into wisdom as an important truth about humanity was constantly stressed: everybody can change the world, the question is whether you will change it for the better or worse.
CHRISTOCENTRIC. The Superman myth has always borrowed heavily from the story of Jesus Christ. Don't believe me? How about the secret identity? How about the foster father doing basic blue collar work, i.e., farmer/carpenter? How about powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men? How about being sent by his real father to be a savior to the world? And on and on. The first two Superman movies, in the 1970's, had clear Christocentric references, so says the original director Richard Donner. The last movie, Superman Returns, has even bolder nods to the Jesus story, so says director Bryan Singer. SV draws on the same comparisons, even having Jor-El, Clark's real father, tell him he walks the earth as a god. By the way, Clark's real name is Kal-El. Schuster and Siegel, the original creators of the character, were Jewish. El is the Jewish word for God.
GOOD VS. EVIL. All good stories have to deal with the clash of light over darkness. In Clark's developing horror over his once-friend Lex Luthor's descent into evil takes hold, we are faced with a myriad of great morality tales. SV doesn't take refuge in a Kantian "I get to determine what is good or bad" attitude. Clark's got rock solid morals based on absolute truths.
FAMILY VALUES. Watch SV for a few episodes and you'll be able to smell the apple pie in Martha Kent's kitchen. The Kent Farm, always brightly colored and warmly lit, represents America at its best and values that truly matter. Clark's earth parents, Jonathan and Martha are believable characters who mentor their adopted son. Most enjoyable is the relationship between Clark and Jonathan Kent. Sounds real, looks real, conveys a feeling of truth. In a world where families are constantly being shattered, this is a vision that seems worth recovering.
DEATH. The best episode in the entire series is #100, the one that deals with the death of Jonathan Kent. SV does not shy away from the power of death and its ability to rob people of their loved ones. But always in the deaths of major characters in the show, SV has the hope of afterlife. Clark discovers that he will not die--at least, so it seems. So he has to wrestle with the question of losing all those who care for him. Though not handled perfectly, this theme is treated with more respect and intellience than in much of modern media.
DESTINY. Lastly, SV focuses on destiny. Though we look at Clark and his powers, all the supporting characters have destinies too and the show continually focuses on the importance of human beings finding their purpose in life. (ironically, Clark, an alien, most fulfills his destiny when he acts like a human). People are important and have the power to change the world.
This last point is also why SV succeeds where HEROES fails. The convoluted plot line of this other program rests on chaos theory without much moral direction or hope. One thing about SV, you are never confused about what a human's true destiny is; namely, to be on the side of good, to right wrongs, bring justice, and fight evil. Here's a great article that compares these two shows which you might find interesting: 5 Reasons Why Smallville is better than Heroes.
Smallville is not your highschool kid's show anymore. In it's eighth season, it has morphed into an adult drama with new themes and concerns. It's title should be changed to METROPOLIS, but whether or not that happens, congratulations are due to writers, directors, actors and producers for a quality show that matters.
Season One: Introduction to the characters and mythos. Frequent critique of this season is that writers relied too much on the meteor freak of the weak story line. But it wasn't a strong criticism. Audiences and critics responded strongly to the show, particularly to the budding friendship between Lex Luthor and Clark Kent.
Season Two: An even stronger year in which Clark continues to develop his powers and discover whether he is to save or destroy humanity. Best friend Pete Ross discovers Clark's secret, and the romance between Clark and Lana Lang grows stronger.
Season Three: Tripping on the dark side, the skyline of Smallville grows darker as Jor-El's plans for Clark become clearer. This is a big change to the mythos--Jor-El is an enigma and we wonder whether or not he is truly a friend of earth. He doesn't seem to be much of a father and the role of Joanathan Kent comes to the fore.
Season Four: The weakest of the eight seasons because of an unconvincing plot involving medieval witches, magic stones, etc. However, Lois Lane is introduced and Clark's in the state football championship for senior year.
Season Five: The best of all the seasons with the possible exception of season eight. Clark goes to college, meets an alien BRANIAC, struggles with Lex's descent into evil and supposed love of Lana, and---in the best episode of the series--says farewell to Jonathan Kent.
Season Six: The break is permanent between Lex and Clark as Lex marries Lana. Introduction of Green Arrow and other members of the Justice League. Lana flees the manipulations and Machievallian plots of Lex.
Season Seven: Martha Kent is gone to Washington; Clark manages the farm and tries to re-form a friendship with Lana dead set on revenge against Lex. Introduction of Kara, aka Supergirl, who comes to live in Smallville. Climactic battle between Lex and Clark at the Fortress of Solitude caps off the season.
Season Eight: So far it deserves the best rating possible but this is the year the series changes radically in looks and characters. Much more brooding, almost film noir, and set in Metropolis, fans have especially enjoyed the Lois and Clark interaction at the Daily Planet and the familiar look of all the Superman stuff we've come to know and love.


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Miles Collier
rosalind resnick
Why is an eclectic tycoon with a passion for pyramids soiling his suits in the real estate trenches of southern Florida? Miles Collier, managing partner of development firm Collier Enterprises, reckons it's a matter of perfecting the concept of business as art.
"To succeed, you have to get the aesthetics right," he says.
Pretentious? Perhaps. But indeed, Collier's heated battle with environmentalists in his hometown of Naples, FL, centers on opposing concepts of beauty. In the eye of one beholder-Collier-the $600 million waterfront golf community he wants to build is beautiful. By contrast, the conservation-minded Naples City Council finds untouched acreage far more appealing than another Floridian playground for the rich.
As environmental concerns heat up in the "green" decade of the 90s, the showdown between Collier and his Naples opponents is emblematic of disputes nationwide between other real estate developers and state and local governments.
Nonetheless, Collier, 45, doesn't see himself as a robber baron from out of state. Scion of a family judged by Forbes magazine to be worth more than $400 million, he is the grandson of a New York advertising magnate who, in the 1920s, owned 1.3 million acres of prime property along Florida's southwest coast-where Naples and surrounding Collier County stand today.
The younger Collier says he has offered to compromise on the Sabal Bay project, leaving more than 1,000 acres untouched.
But for now, he and his foes are at a standstill. Twice, the Naples City Council voted unanimously to deny Collier a permit to dredge a pair of channels to the marina he wants to build near his proposed residential community. In 1990, Naples residents voted in a slate of four city council members based solely on their opposition to Collier and his project.
But Collier shows no signs of giving up the fight. Instead, he has painstakingly assembled a team of high-priced lawyers to appeal the city's rejection to the state. He expects, before long, to take the battle to court.
Collier was working as a venture capitalist in New York in the 1970s when he decided that his relatives were mismanaging the Florida land holdings. In 1980, Collier, his mother, and two brothers split off from the rest of the family and formed Collier Enterprises. The diversified company has built skyscrapers and other buildings, shopping centers, and housing developments. It also manages a $100 million investment portfolio.
At a time when many of the nation's high-flying real estate developers have run into considerable financial trouble, observers say that Collier and his company remain solid. The reason: Collier Enterprises often builds on its own land rather than leveraging its assets by taking out bank loans, says Richard Myers, president of the Naples Chamber of Commerce.
"He's doing the right things and making the right moves," Myers says. "He's an extremely high quality developer."
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How To Turn A Performance Dashboard Into A Crystal Ball

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The web is overflowing with the sites which are not indexed on search engines. The reason for this is their website structure, back-end programming and non search-friendly design mistakes. Here are some of the search engine optimisation mistakes that are made.
The biggest mistake is designing the website first and then optimising it. In fact search engine optimisation should be the main component of the design process. It could cost a lot of money and time if we do search optimisation as an afterthought. So it is recommended to have a search optimisation specialist involved in the early stage of the design process.
Once the optimisation process has been started the big mistake many people make is choosing the keywords. In most cases people choose keywords which are in their mind and are descriptive of their website but an average user just may not use them. Google tools can be used to find which keywords are good for your website.
Leaving the title tag empty is also very common. Don?t forget that the title tag is very important for on-page optimisation. And it's an important place to have a keyword.
Flash is attractive but it's not search engine friendly. If you really want to use it and you want to make your website search engine friendly then provide an html version of your website.
Images look better than text but again they are not search engine friendly. Header tags should be used instead of images. But if you are afraid that they will make your site look horrible then try to modify them with a style sheet.
Backlinks are important to get a good ranking on search engines but remember that you should always go for quality rather than quantity.


Where Can I Get My Down Payment For A Las Vegas FHA Mortgage?
With only a 3.5% minimum down payment requirement, FHA Mortgage programs are being used by more Las Vegas First-Time Home Buyers.
Some people easily get down payment and equity confused, especially in a market like Las Vegas which has a significant number of undervalued bank owned and foreclosure deals.
However, on a purchase transaction, the FHA clearly defines that the minimum down payment needs to be 3.5% of the lesser of the appraised value or the sales price.
Keep in mind that the down payment does not include borrower-paid closing costs, pre-paid taxes, insurance, title, appraisal, and home inspection fees.
To be approved for an FHA loan, all sources of funds have to be properly documented and verified by an underwriter who will be looking to see if there were any undocumented debts incurred by the borrower to obtain the FHA down payment cash investment.
Q: How is the Earnest Money Deposit verified?
The EMD is the initial deposit submitted with an accepted purchase contract offer which is held in an escrow account. These funds count towards the borrower's down payment and/or closing costs.
The EMD is verified by a cancelled check, certification from the deposit-holder acknowledging receipt of funds, or separate evidence of the source of funds.
*If the EMD exceeds 2% of the sales price or appears to be excessive based on the borrower's history of savings, there may be more documentation required to source and document the money trail.
Q: How are Savings and Checking Accounts verified?
A verification of deposit (VOD), along with the most recent bank statement is one way a lender may request to verify these funds. If there is a significant increase in an account, or the account was recently opened, a written letter of explanation may be required as well.
Q: What if I have been saving money in a jar or under the mattress?
The borrower will need to provide a written letter of explanation and evidence of the ability to accumulate the cash. This can include analyzing a borrower's income stream, the time period which the funds were saved, spending habits, documented expenses, and a history of using financial institutions.
Q: How is a down payment documented from a 401 (k) or IRA?
While liquidation of the account is not required, underwriters will only use up to 60% of the value of the assets, unless the borrower can prove that a higher percentage an be withdrawn after subtracting any Federal income tax and penalties.
Q: Do I have to show liquidation of funds from Stocks or Bonds?
No, you may not have to show actual liquidation of funds from a Stock or Bond, but the accounts will be verified by providing monthly or quarterly statements.
Q: Who can give a Gift Fund?
A gift fund can be considered as an acceptable source of down payment as long as there is no expected of implied terms of repayment to the donor by the borrower.
As a general rule, the FHA is not concerned with how the donor obtained the Gift Funds, as long as the funds are not associated with the sales transaction.
Q: Can real estate agents use their commissions as part of the down payment?
Yes, a family member who is a licensed real estate agent may also donate their commission.
There are many more down payment options that can be considered by an FHA underwriter as acceptable funds to close.
It is important to be completely transparent with your loan officer at the time of the initial application and financial strategy session so that we can put a game plan together for your individual scenario and goals.


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Smart nominated as CSR company of the year
DIGITAL AID TO EDUCATION. Children from a remote community in Rizal see a laptop and other digital tools for the first time, after Smart donated a School-in-a-Bag to their school.
PLDT mobile unit Smart Communications is shortlisted by the prestigious Asia CEO Awards for the Corporate Social Responsibility Company of the Year.
The Asia CEO Awards recognizes outstanding leadership achievements by individuals and organizations in the Philippines. The CSR award is for the company with the best projects on environmental protection and awareness, livelihood, and youth development.
Winners will be announced in a ceremony on October 18 at the Marriott Hotel Manila.
Smart CSR's 5 pillars
Smart's CSR program draws its strength from partnerships with communities, and aims to use technology for development. It has five pillars, namely education, disaster preparedness and response, health, environment, and livelihood.
Among its programs is the Smart TechnoCart, which aims to improve the literacy of kindergarten students in public elementary schools through online and mobile educational resources.
Each donated TechnoCart is 2ftx2ft tall and contains 20 tablets for students as well as a laptop, projector, tablet, and pocket WiFi for the teacher. The tablets are preloaded with the Batibot mobile application, the country's first app for kids in Filipino aligned with the kindergarten curriculum of the Department of Education.
Improved students' performance
Since June 2015, the TechnoCart has reached 30 schools with 246 classes and 6,173 students. Independent evaluation showed that the TechnoCart has helped improve students' academic performance in various competencies.
Smart together with its employee volunteers have also been conducting tree-planting activities nationwide since 2003. Smart employees have planted more than 2 million seedlings and propagules for mangroves with the help of community stakeholders and volunteers from partner organizations.
Other activities aligned with Smart's environmental pillar include reducing electricity consumption, recycling batteries, and exploring environmentally sound solutions like marketing materials made from stone and recycled paper.
Smart has also partnered with the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group, and USAID-ECOFISH for DALOY, an SMS hotline enabling concerned citizens to inform the police about maritime violations. It has generated 95,468 broadcast messages, and has resulted in 25 arrests and the seizure of more than 4,000 pieces of contraband worth nearly $135,000. (Press release)
Published October 6, 2016 By Press Release
Categorized as Community Tagged Asia CEO Awards, Smart Communications
MyCebu.ph works with the top brands in the country to reach out to the Cebu market. For inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]
View all of Press Release's posts.
Cebu City to punish trash violators; Tomas turns down teachers' allowance on Teachers' Day; Davide urges CPPO director to stop EJKs–Cebu News Digest for October 6, 2016.
Cebu province declares dengue outbreak; Ex-policeman links de Lima to Jaguar; member sues charity group over P7 million–Cebu News Digest for October 7, 2016.


A Six Sigma white belt performs an important role in the Six Sigma projects. Hence, one should go through their LSS training before they are allowed to contribute to these projects. A Six Sigma online white belt program is highly convenient because it allows you to learn at your own pace. You may have a lot on your plate at work and the mode of the online program is thus, highly useful for you.
The white belt provides you with the entry to the world of Six Sigma. This program covers the fundamentals of the Six Sigma methodology that will be in use when you start working on projects. As you gain more experience and knowledge, you can opt for the higher level belts and become a sought-after professional in this domain.
The white belt program can be attended online at your own convenience. The program delivers important insights into the concept of Lean Six Sigma. Some of the topics covered during the program include notions of changeability and the concept of variance that adversely impacts business processes. The program also details the role that a white belt (and other belt holders) plays in a Six Sigma team. Broadly, your training plan will include topics like overview of Lean Six Sigma, how roles within Lean Six Sigma are deployed and the introduction to variability.
Thankfully, there is no prior experience required by you to attend a white belt LSS training. When your company nominates you for the program, it is certain that you are being looked upon as someone who will support the various business process improvements in your organization.
• Understand why it is important to improve business processes for higher customer satisfaction.
The big question is whether online training is enough for someone like you to understand the Six Sigma concept. There are some that are more comfortable in a classroom mode of training, but in this world where everything passes by in a whirlwind manner, not everyone has the luxury of time for training. The online programs are delivered by the Six Sigma experts (black belts and master black belts) in the form of webinars. This means that the knowledge is not imparted as a one-way traffic. You can use the webinar application to interact with the trainer and ask questions. A Six Sigma online white belt program has a duration of four hours, enough for you to grasp the concept.
There is a detailed online calendar of such webinars across the USA. Search Google and you can find out about them. If your company nominates you for this program, then you don't even need to search online. You will be told when to attend the program and all you will need to do is log in and learn.
White belt LSS training ( https://sixsigmatraining.us/ ) is where you enter the world of Six Sigma. The Six Sigma online white belt ( https://sixsigmatraining.us/six-sigma-white-belt ) is designed in such a way that you can learn at your own pace.


I've been admiring a great many collodion images documenting the civil war and I've noticed a particular lens characteristic that I absolutely love. I am dying to know the type(s) of lens that characterictically exhibits this look.
Does anyone have information on the type or types of lenses that will tend to show this "flaw?"
Generally the swirly bokeh is associated with Petzval Portrait lenses.
I love the swirl too. In my apug add, then there are two links of bokeh pictures I have taken with the advertised lens.
Is Petzval a maker (like Darlot or Zeiss) or a lens design name (like tessar, optar, et cetera)?
Petzval was the lens designer in 1840. Petzval lenses come in lots of shapes sizes and MFR names. Generally they only cover an angle of about 25-30 degrees. For a 4X5 look for one in the 5-6" range. Wollensak made many well into the 20th century. A 7" Wollensak Vesta is a great place to start on 4X5.
This lens would also work on 4x5 and does have some of that swirliness.
A little more on Petzval lenses. The original maker was Voigtlander, but today the ones you see most often are by Darlot, Dallmeyer and Wollensak. In looking at old lenses to see if one might be a Petzval, the first thing to look for is a long length as compared to the diameter. This narrows it down to either a Petzval or a Rapid Rectilinear, which is the same thing as an Aplanat. It's easy to tell the difference because the R.R. is symmetrical while a Petzval rear cell is quite different from the front one. Look at the image of an overhead light to see the difference.
Most of the older Petzvals had focus adjustments, now frequently not working, and Waterhouse stops, most often missing. The flange will probably not be with the lens either. Flanges are expensive to have made and replacing Waterhouse stops is a nuisance, so this should be kept in mind when buying one.
Prices for "brass cannons" have gone up a lot recently. Many, probably most, magic lantern lenses are Petzvals and are much less expensive. They lack diaphragms, of course, so some improvisation is necessary if you don't want to be restricted to using one wide open.
Very few Petzvals have shutters. Wollensak did make some in shutter mount, usually their "Studio" shutter which is a self-diaphragming single speed affair. If I were to buy one of these, I would take it straight to a repair person in the interest of long life.
Hmmn, I dunno. I have a very fast Cooke that has about the same features, but it doesn't swirl as much as the Petzval.
As Jim noted, Petzval lenses are traditionally used at about a 30 degree angle, so a 9" lens was intented to cover a 1/4 plate, 11" lens would cover 1/2 plate, 16" lens for full plate. However, it seems that very few photographers then--as now--follow the manufactures recommendations, and many lenses were "pushed" to about 50 degrees, and 9" lenses were used for 1/2 plate, 11" for full plate, et cetera.
When "pushed", the Petzvals exhibit rather odd abberations, probably due to their extremely uncorrected coma, which result in the swirly bokeh. Other lenses--such as the Tessar advertised above--with poor corrections may well do the same.
Of course, it also helps to have a background which accentuates this "flaw".
i thought i saw a similar effect from my 35mm f1.8 canon lens that came with my VT rangefinder. it was made about the 1950's. look at the trees in the background in the center of the frame.
My Mamiya TLR 135mm lens would exhitibit this to some extent when running wide open at 4.5 or 5.6. I understand it was a Tessar design. Been shooting some positives lately with my 135 Optar on a Speed at 5.6 and will see what that looks like on 4x5 film when I get them processed.
Many fast lenses will show that effect when shot wide open, and especially when used on a format they don't quite cover. Very fast lenses for 35mm cameras tend to not quite cover the format when wide open, giving the "swirl". Even some slower lenses do that too - I've got a good example somewhere shot with a 50mm f:3.5 Industar lens.
Chris, here's (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110041666737&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001) your cake and eat it too. A Wolly Vesta in a real shutter. First I've ever seen and must be a very late production Petzval. Perhaps 100 years newer than the first. Looks like the guy will throw in the handsome Kodak too.


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Federer wins Istanbul Open in straight sets
By The Associated Press | Posted - May 3, 2015 at 12:00 p.m.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Top-seeded Roger Federer claimed his 85th title Sunday with a 6-3, 7-6 (11) win over Pablo Cuevas in the final of the Istanbul Open.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner fended off strong resistance from the third-seeded Uruguayan, who saved four match points.
Cuevas, bidding for a fourth career title after impressively defeating second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals, received treatment on his forearm early in the second set but was able to continue.
Federer, who claimed his first title on clay since winning in Madrid in 2012, broke for a 4-3 lead in the second set but dropped his serve immediately after hitting a double fault and missing two forehands.
The Swiss continued to struggle with consistency in the tiebreaker — saving three set points — but a superb backhand volley earned Federer a fifth match point that he converted when Cuevas sent a forehand in the net.
It was Federer's third title this season following victories in Brisbane and Dubai on hard court. He was playing in his 128th final, compared to four for Cuevas — who won a title in Sao Paulo in February.
Veteran safety Eric Weddle rejoining LA Rams for playoffs
Chen wins 6th straight US figure skating championship
1 dead in fiery crash; Bangerter Highway ramps closed at northbound I-15
In change of pace, Jazz's offense the culprit in late-game collapse against Lakers


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South Dakota House votes against guns in Capitol
PIERRE (AP) -- South Dakota public officials will not be allowed to carry guns in the state Capitol. A bill allowing legislators to pack heat in public buildings failed to pass the House with 49 representatives voting against it and 18 in support...
PIERRE (AP) - South Dakota public officials will not be allowed to carry guns in the state Capitol.
A bill allowing legislators to pack heat in public buildings failed to pass the House with 49 representatives voting against it and 18 in support. It would have applied to state and local elected officials with concealed weapons permits.
Prime sponsor Rep. Betty Olson, R-Prairie City, says lawmakers are "sitting ducks" and need to be able to protect themselves.
Many opponents to the bill argued that the bill would give public officials a special privilege and that the status of being a public official was not always easy to demonstrate.
Republican Rep. Anne Hajek, of Sioux Falls, says she doesn't "feel unsafe here." Other legislators echoed that sentiment.


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Athletics Manual
Medical Packet
Meningitis Forms
Futurehawk
Howard College Website
Dorms Page
Clubhouse and field
Big Spring Refinery Ballpark and the Hawks Clubhouse
Foundation Field
Coliseum and locker rooms
Dorothy Garrett Coliseum
Rodeo Arena
Howard coaches react to NJCAA decision to push basketball season back to January
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) have recently announced their plans to push the start time for all fall sports, including basketball, back to January. The move was expected and after a vote on Monday evening, the decision was finalized.
"Our greatest focus is and always has been providing the best opportunities for our student-athletes," NJCAA President & CEO Dr. Christopher Parker said. "Through a unified effort from our Presidential Advisory Council, the Board of Regents, and leadership staff, our most recent plan of action provides a path that keeps our student-athletes competing at the highest level with proper safety measures in place. As we move forward as an association, we will continue to provide opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, and all those involved with the NJCAA to be safe and successful."
Basketball season usually tips off in late October with plenty of out-of-conference games and some early-season tournaments. This year, the Howard men's and women's basketball programs will both play a shortened schedule (NJCAA is allowing 22 games) and will also have a lot more practice time with their new players.
The decision does create an increase in practice time for the programs in the fall. Both teams have a large group of new, incoming players that could benefit from the extended practice time. They will not have to worry about an upcoming game or the recovery from a previous night's contest. Instead, each player will be able to focus on building relationships with their teammates on the court and helping turn the overall team into a well-oiled machine.
While the Howard coaches, like many around the country, would prefer a normal season, they also understand that the health of their athletes is paramount and moving the season is the best possible solution for everyone during these uncertain times.
"We got notified last Thursday that that would be the proposal," Raines said. "When we first got the proposal, I was a little bit surprised, but about two weeks earlier a group of juco coaches had put together a proposal to the NJCAA to move games back to January. And at that time, they seemed very interested. There's a lot of uncertainty going into the next month or two months and January seems like a time where things might be a whole lot clearer."
Lady Hawks assistant coach Meesha Wade added, "I wasn't surprised. I knew that they weren't going to allow us to play in the fall, so it wasn't a big shock to me."
Moving the season back had been rumored for a week or so beforehand and therefore was not a surprising decision.
Repercussions have continued to come down in the aftermath of the decision. Several programs, such as Odessa's women's team, have made the choice to furlough their basketball program for an entire year. Other schools, such as Angelina College, have shut down every sport for the next year and will not return to athletic competition until 2021-22.
The Howard Lady Hawks are directly affected by Odessa's decision because they will now have to find two more out-of-conference games to schedule. Most schedules are decided on and planned out much farther in advance and so Coach Diddle and Coach Wade will have their work cut out for them. Either way, expectations for the team have not changed and the Lady Hawks are expecting a strong season.
"(This doesn't change expectations) at all," she said. "This just gives us a lot more time to prep and get ready for the season."
Raines also seemed pleased with the practice guidelines that were put in place by the NJCAA. He knows that with the talent he has coming in for this next season, more practice time could mean the Hawks will be that much closer to a Region title and possibly the national tournament.
"Coach Cotten and I have worked really hard and we like our squad," Raines said. "We've got some really good players, some high character people so it's been a good last few months for us."
Raines is still looking to add two more players to his roster for the next season and the NJCAA's decision has been helping in that regard. Since several schools around the nation have made the tough decision to cancel their entire seasons, there is now a pool of talented players without a team to choose from and talk to.
These are unique times that we are living in and the sports world has continued to be impacted by the surge of the coronavirus throughout the country. While the season has been pushed back and the games will not begin until the next calendar year, the hope is that by that time the country will be returning to normal and the season will be able to proceed as usual.
"I was talking with another coach in our league and we're both kind of excited about it," Raines said. "I think change is good."
Shawn Moran is the sports writer at the Big Spring Herald. To contact him, e-mail sports@bigspringherald.com or call 432-263-7331.
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This was a small experiment with an idea I had for my Two Year Novel, a class I'm taking on the Forward Motion website. A sneak peek into what I'm writing for it!
You can read about the Two Year Novel (2YN) course here.
Lord Olstaf wasn't a particularly excellent student. He wasn't a bad one by any means, always achieving grades that were considered 'good' by the University of Evil; the problem was that all of his friends were particularly excellent.He still remembered the conversation they had a week before graduation. The topic of 'what comes next in our lives' was rife in everyone's minds, and Olstaf (not yet issued with his title) proposed the quite controversial topic of being creative with his One True Weakness.
"Nonsense," said the wizard Altek. "If there's one thing I learnt from University, it's that the One True Weakness you select is very important. I'm going down the traditional 'relic that has been lost for a thousand years' route". He died after the heroes discovered it in a long-abandoned ruin they somehow stumbled upon.
"Don't listen to him, Olstaf," said the temptress Lyssia. "Everyone knows the Lost Relic weakness is old and dated. I've been subscribed to Overlords Weekly, and apparently, the world-famous Aged Demon Xyggath utilised a weakness where a single farmhand is 'destined' to slay him. It's all down to that one person, and a farmhand to boot. You'd have no trouble slaying them". If she actually read the more recent issues of Overlords Weekly instead of looking at all the cool cover art, she would have found that Xyggath was slain by the farmhand he dictated, despite Xyggath going out of the way to slay the future hero's parents, grandparents, and dog. Unfortunately for her, history made the nasty habit of repeating itself.
"All codswallop," said the Grand Elementalist Al'kath, the most intelligent person of their class. "All of those things are based on one thing going wrong or right. My plan is to have the weakness split in eight pieces and scattered across the world, hidden in places the heroes will never look. That way, if they fail to get a single piece, my One True Weakness will never be used against me". The plan seemed solid enough, until the band of heroes that was made to fell him showed unnatural amounts of confidence and luck when it came to the pieces. They even went so far as to discover another eight pieces of the artefact which Al'kath didn't even know existed, lengthening the journey to double its planned length for some arbitrary reason.
Lord Olstaf knew he had to continue with his plan. He decided that the One True Weakness had to be something that nobody would dare take. No, he couldn't do that — no matter how many lakes of lava, evil castles and imposing caves the heroes had to go through, they always made it. It had to be something impossible to make, yet at the same time feasible enough to actually exist in this reality. Asking for something impossible within the bounds of this realm only opened up the potentials of heroes from another dimension entirely, and they were always a pain in the arse.
He felt clever when he declared his One True Weakness would be "a book that went into annoyingly accurate detail of all the civilisations of the world, inclusive with top-quality maps and all the picture bits coloured in". It worked, for the most part; most people of Autyre with a brain the right way around checked over their shoulder while getting a loaf of bread, let alone visiting some of the most dangerous people ever to exist. There was no single person out there that could do such a feat.
The problems started when he realised that his enemy had arisen, and that they weren't a single person by any means.


text:
Stylianos may refer to:

 Stylianos of Paphlagonia (fl. late 6th century), patron saint of children
 Stylianos Zaoutzes (died 899), Byzantine official and father-in-law of emperor Leo VI
 Stylianos Gonatas (1876-1966), Greek general and politician, Prime Minister of Greece 1922-1924
 Stylianos Miliadis (1881-1965), Greek painter
 Stylianos Mavromichalis (1902-1981), Greek politician
 Stylianos Kyriakides (1910-1987), Greek Cypriot runner
 Stylianos Pattakos (1912-2016), Greek Army officer, one of the leaders of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974
 Archbishop Stylianos of Australia (1935–2019)
 Stylianos Lenas (died 1957), Cypriot EOKA fighter
 Stylianos Kalfelis (born 1950), Greek general
 Stylianos Giannakopoulos (born 1974), Greek footballer

See also
 Stelios (disambiguation), the diminutive form of the name

Greek masculine given names

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
HomePolicyG7 Trade in Goods Dependency Chart: Who Needs Who More?
G7 Trade in Goods Dependency Chart: Who Needs Who More?
author: PPD Staff
The U.S.-G7 Trade in Goods Balance Generally Unfavorable to U.S.
Import, Export, Logistics concept – Map global partner connection of Container Cargo freight ship for Logistic Import Export background (Photo: AdobeStock/Elements of this image furnished by NASA)
International trade has taken centerstage at the Group of Seven, or G7 Summit in Biarritz, France. President Donald Trump is using the summit to build support for an alliance against China amid concerns of a tariff-driven trade war.
President Trump's tariff strategy generally seeks to protect U.S. industry, and narrow U.S. trade deficits by increasing domestic exports. While free trade purists note tariffs are truly a tax on U.S. consumers, there are several ways trade deficits hurt the U.S. economy.
A trade deficit is ultimately financed with debt. In theory, the lending countries could decide to ask the U.S. to repay the debt. But national discourse largely focuses on competitiveness.
Relying on trading partners for goods over extended periods of time results in "hollowing out," or the deterioration of the manufacturing sector. Remaining producers opt instead for low-cost facilities overseas. The nation suffers a loss of expertise and needed factories to make those products.
Worst case scenario, it can become a national security issue, as it would've been if the U.S. had no automotive industry during World War II.
Further, goods-producing sectors generally pay higher wages to working class, skills-focused households. That's one of the reasons wages have been rising much faster under President Trump than his predecessor, Barack Obama.
As the dependency chart illustrating the trade in goods balance between G7 nations demonstrates, the U.S. has tremendous economic bargaining power. With the exception of the United Kingdom (UK), the U.S. trade in goods balance with the remaining G7 nations is negative.
U.S.-G7 Trade in Goods Exports Imports Balance
Canada 148,554.3 158,143.0 -9,588.8
France 19,432.9 29,665.5 -10,232.6
Germany 30,376.5 62,267.6 -31,891.1
Italy 11,936.7 28,140.5 -16,203.9
Japan 36,843.8 72,886.0 -36,042.2
United Kingdom 34,118.5 30,997.1 3,121.3
President Trump campaigned on withdrawing the U.S. from the Obama-era Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the renegotiation of the Bush-Clinton-era North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
He argued the U.S. could use economic leverage to obtain lower tariffs on domestic goods by negotiating bilaterally, rather than multilaterally.
Almost immediately after inauguration, President Trump withdrew the U.S. from TPP. NAFTA has been renegotiated and could be replaced by the U.S. Mexico Canada Trade Agreement (USMCTA). The new deal requires congressional approval and is being held up largely by Democrats, though some "moderate" Republicans also oppose it.
Of the G7 nations, Canada is the largest recipient of U.S. exports. Year-to-date, the U.S. has exported $148.6 billion in goods to Canada, but imported $158.1 billion.
Japan is the second largest recipient of U.S. exports behind Canada. Year-to-date, the U.S. has exported $36.8 billion to Japan, though imported $72.9 billion.
On Sunday, President Trump announced a new U.S.-Japan trade deal, which Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe called a "win-win" for both nations.
The trade deal would require Japan lowering tariffs on the U.S. to levels agreed upon in TPP, minus the very unpopular provisions and principles.
What Is the G7?
The Group of Seven (G7) is an international intergovernmental economic organization consisting of the seven largest advanced economies in the world, as defined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The economic organization first met in 1975, and it holds an annual summit to discuss economic policies. Since 1987, the G7 Finance Ministers have met at least semi-annually, though up to four times a year.
Who's In the G7?
It includes — in alphabetical order — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For one year before Canada joined in 1976, it was known as the Group of Six (G6).
From 1997 to 2014, the group was known as the Group of Eight (G8) and included the Russian Federation. The G7 condemned Russia for violating "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" on March 2, 2014. Later that month, the G7 member nations expelled Russia after the annexation of Crimea.
Group of Seven (G7)reform proposalTradeTrade Deficit (US)
Written by PPD Staff
People's Pundit Daily delivers reader-funded data journalism covering the latest news in politics, polls, elections, business, the economy and markets.
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text:
US-backed fighters enter major IS-held town in east Syria
December 6, 2018 at 11:58 AM EST - Updated December 6 at 11:58 AM
BEIRUT (AP) — An opposition activist and a war monitor say U.S.-backed Syrian fighters have broken through the defenses of the last area controlled by the Islamic State group in the country.
Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been trying to take the town of Hajin and nearby villages in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour since Sept. 10 with little luck.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that SDF fighters entered Hajin and now control parts of it.
Omar Abou Leila, who monitors the war in Deir el-Zour from Europe, said SDF fighters broke through the defenses of Hajin.
The Observatory says since the fighting began nearly three months ago, 1,616 people have been killed including 827 IS gunmen, 481 SDF fighters and 308 civilians.
4 people rushed to the hospital after possibly overdosing at Cedar Point, police say
A Sandusky police officer assisting the victims was also treated as a precaution
Julia Tullos
17-year-old boy shot and killed in Cleveland Heights parking lot
Published 11:58 AM at 11:58 AM


Simplay3 is celebrating opening day with a GIVEAWAY.
Giveaway ends Sunday, September 9th at 11:59 PM and the winner will be announced on social media the next day.
Don't forget to share your personal link with friends!
ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal residents of the USA, age 18 or older. Enter until Sunday, September 9th, 2018. The winner will be selected randomly from all eligible entries. Odds of winning are based on the total number of entries received.
GRAND PRIZE: Game Day Push About Helmet of winner's choice (color options limited to stock availability).
Winner will be contacted by email on September 10th, 2018. If Winner does not reply within 5 business days, a new winner will be selected.


We have lots of respect for the numerous Haiti culture groups that are promoting the Haitian culture through their talents.
There are many reputable Haitian cultural groups inside Haiti's borders.
However, we would like to bring attention to the ones that are filling the gap between their national land and the outside world.
Would you like to watch a traditional Haitian folklore dance team?
The Zetwal dance group, based in New York, has probably some of the youngest Haitian dancers out there with magical hip movements and sometimes their traditional Haitian braids that'll take you straight to Haiti's folklore heartland.
Zetwal has been around since 2001, bringing the Haitian rhythm and other styles (the Caribbean Zouk and the African Soukous) to the US East coast.
Check out their website for their next big Haitian Folklore dance event!
the Makandal Haiti dance company has caught the interest of many and brought the country's folklore to the mainstream.


It's August already and the Parks and Neighborhood Committee (PaN) is celebrating this beautiful summer.
Acting Superintendent Williams reported on downtown park issues, the Leschi and Lakewood Moorages public meeting, and the Parks Legacy Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC).
Downtown Park Safety Issues: Last week, DPR convened a meeting with downtown stakeholders, including the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA),the Chamber of Commerce, and Park Board members, to discuss the DSA's concern about street violence, and DPR's response for managing downtown parks. The meeting's focus was to identify useful tactics for addressing public safety issues.
2. Leschi and Lakewood Moorage: DPR is holding another public meeting on Wednesday, August 14th about the Leschi and Lakewood Moorage Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The meeting is a chance for community members and tenants to learn about the process and have a conversation with knowledgeable staff members. Review the details here.
3. Citizen's Advisory Committee: The CAC continues its work on a possible ballot measure for Seattle Parks next fall. The committee has met twice and is continuing to separate the "musts" from the "wants." My goal is to prioritize deferred maintenance and future operations for the parks we already have. The CAC is helping consider the items that will appear in the ballot measure in 2014 and to keep the public well informed along the way. Thanks for all the hard work CAC members! Stay tuned for updates throughout the year.
We had the pleasure of meeting Mazohra Thami and recommended her confirmation to the Park Board of Commissioners. Mazohra is an architecture student at UW with a passion for outside space. She will fill the "Get Engaged" position on the Park Board. This is a program between the City of Seattle and the YMCA that places young (18-29 year-old) leaders on public Boards and Commissions. It is a fabulous opportunity for our emerging leaders and for those who serve on the committees. Learn more about Get Engaged here.
C.F. 313162 Appointment of Mazohra Thami as member, Board of Park Commissioners.
Next, Acting Superintendent Williams responded to two Statements of Legislative Intent (SLI) that arose from last fall's 2013-2014 budget process: A report on the Volunteer Park Conservatory revenue stream and an update on Community Center usage.
During the 2013 budget deliberations, the Council made the tough decision to cut a gardener position at the Conservatory and we asked DPR to track the revenue it generated from admission and rental fees and the standards of maintenance at the Conservatory. In response, DPR has made changes to the Conservatory to make it more attractive to rental parties, and has installed pay stations to collect admission payments to increase revenue. Although the Conservatory has not yet met expectations for revenue, DPR believes that it can work out the kinks with the vendor machines and rent the space more frequently which will help the department meet the revenue goals. Please visit the Volunteer Park Conservatory and tell us what you think about the changes!
Finally, DPR gave the PaN Committee members an update on the People Counters which the department installed during the last year in all the community centers across the city. The purpose was to gather data on how many visits each community center receives to help determine if the geographic model used by DPR is successful in providing useful services to people around the city. DPR presented data from the Summer and Fall of 2012. Check out the progress report here. The final report will appear before committee in September.
Please join us in person or online for the next Parks and Neighborhoods Committee scheduled at a special time this Friday, August 9th at 2:00 p.m.
Please read the agenda of the August 1st PaN Committee meeting here and check out Seattle Channel's video of the meeting here.
Posted: August 6th, 2013 under Councilmember Bagshaw.


text:
La ferrovia Pechino-Baotou (in cinese 京包铁路) è un'importante linea ferroviaria cinese posta al nord della Cina che collega la capitale cinese con Baotou, attraversando la Mongolia Interna.

Storia
La prima sezione della ferrovia, Pechino-Zhangjiakou (allora Kalgan), fu costruita tra il 1906 e il 1909 dalla Imperial Peking–Kalgan railway, fu prolungata nel 1921 a Hohhot e nel 1923 a Baotou.

La linea fu elettrificata a 25 kV/50 Hz ed è a doppio binario tra Pechino e Jining e a quattro binari tra Jining a Baotou.

Percorso

Voci correlate
 Ferrovia Transmongolica
 China Railways

Altri progetti

Pechino-Baotou


King Saul's debut into public service for God's people began with a spiritual revival through a band of traveling musician prophets.
5) "After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, a tambourine, a pipe, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6) Then Yahweh's Spirit will come mightily on you, and you will prophesy with them, and will be turned into another man."
Later, an evil spirit tormented Saul, but he found comfort through the music of his servant David.
When the spirit from God was on Saul, David took the harp, and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Yet sadly, we read that Saul was driven to jealous rage… also by a musical lyric.
"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."
8) Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. What can he have more but the kingdom?" 9) Saul watched David from that day and forward. 10) On the next day, an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. David played with his hand, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; 11) and Saul threw the spear, for he said, "I will pin David to the wall!" David escaped from his presence twice. 12) Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with him, and had departed from Saul.
Unfortunately Saul's love of music did not include a quiet confidence in God's love for him. David's successes revealed a nasty crack in Saul's character and faith. Saul envied David when he should have been rejoicing and thanking God for David. Though we may enjoy our collections of Christian music CDs, we should be reminded that the Christian life is much more than music.
Movies such as The Sound of Music and Sister Act attempt to move us through the redemptive power of music. In fact these movies may actually get the foot tapping of believer and unbeliever alike. But friends, music cannot save us from dread sins such as Saul's jealousy, which resides in all our hearts. Saul himself had an appreciation for music, but music could not save him from jealousy.
Sins of that caliber require the cross of Jesus Christ.