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3 documents from 5 agencies
1 Rule
updated on 8:45 AM on Thursday, July 18, 2019
117 documents from 45 agencies
102 Notices
Florida Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Proposed Changes in FERC Gas Tariff
A Notice by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on 12/02/2004
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Docket No. RP05-81-000
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E4-3424 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E4-3424
Start Preamble November 24, 2004.
Take notice that on November 19, 2004, Florida Gas Transmission Company (FGT) tendered for filing to Start Printed Page 70130become part of its FERC Gas Tariff, Third Revised Volume No. 1, the following tariff sheets, effective December 1, 2004:
Sixty-Eighth Revised Sheet No. 8A
Sixtieth Revised Sheet No. 8A.01
Twentieth Revised Sheet No. 8A.04
Sixty-Third Revised Sheet No. 8B
Fifty-Sixth Revised Sheet No. 8B.01
Twelfth Revised Sheet No. 8B.02
FGT states that the tariff sheets listed above are being filed pursuant to section 27.A.2.b of the General Terms and Conditions of FGT's Tariff, which provides for flex adjustments to the Base FRCP.
Any person desiring to intervene or to protest this filing must file in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 385.214). Protests will be considered by the Commission in determining the appropriate action to be taken, but will not serve to make protestants parties to the proceeding. Any person wishing to become a party must file a notice of intervention or motion to intervene, as appropriate. Such notices, motions, or protests must be filed in accordance with the provisions of Section 154.210 of the Commission's regulations (18 CFR 154.210). Anyone filing an intervention or protest must serve a copy of that document on the Applicant. Anyone filing an intervention or protest on or before the intervention or protest date need not serve motions to intervene or protests on persons other than the Applicant.
The Commission encourages electronic submission of protests and interventions in lieu of paper using the "eFiling" link at http://www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically should submit an original and 14 copies of the protest or intervention to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at http://www.ferc.gov, using the "eLibrary" link and is available for review in the Commission's Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. There is an "eSubscription" link on the Web site that enables subscribers to receive e-mail notification when a document is added to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance with any FERC Online service, please e-mail FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call (866) 208-3676 (toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502-8659.
Magalie R. Salas,
[FR Doc. E4-3424 Filed 12-1-04; 8:45 am]


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Xin (Chin State) és un estat de Myanmar amb 36.000 km² i un milió i mig d'habitants.

Està poblat per la nació dels Xin o Mizo, que també habita Mizoram a l'Índia. El 60% dels xin són cristians i la resta budistes o adherents de la religió tradicional. Són mongols originaris de la Xina i el Tibet que van arribar a la regió al  i van viure independents sota caps tradicionals. La llengua Xin pertany al grup sinotibetà.

El seu símbol nacional és l'ocell (conegut com el Horn Bill) i la flor nacional és el Rododèndron (fins al punt que poèticament es diu al país dels Xin la Terra del Rododèndron).

Tribus
Els Xin o Mizo es divideixen en les següents tribus:

 Xin
 Zarhtaung
 Makan
 Maihtai(Ka-the)
 Zohton
 Matu
 Salai
 Zopay
 Miram o Mara
 Linkaw (Lushai)
 Zo
 Mitai
 Khami
 Zanhnyat(Zanniyam)
 Mwin
 Auwakhami
 Tapaung
 Lushai (Lushay)
 Khawno
 Tidim (Tedim)
 Laymyo
 Khaungkho
 Tayzan
 Linte
 Kaungsaingxin
 Taichun

 Lauktu
 Khwarlim
 Tadoe
 Lai
 Khunli (Sim)
 Htawyi
 Laizo
 Gante
 Dim
 Parkim (Mro)
 Gwayte
 Dai (Yindu)
 Hwarlngo
 Ngun
 Naga
 Ahnu
 Hsizan
 Tandu
 Ahnan
 Hsinhtan
 Maryin
 Ahshoxin (Myaypyan)
 Saingzan
 Lanam
 Raungtu

Història
Cada llogaret del territori Xin era independent amb el seu propi govern i el cap era l'administrador del llogaret; el càrrec de cap era sovint hereditari, i alguns caps van arribar a dominar més d'un llogaret, inclòs zones grans. A Tlaisun (a l'actual districte de Falam) es practicava un sistema de govern democràtic amb l'elecció cada tres anys del cap per l'assemblea del poble, podent ésser elegit cap fins i tot un esclau o un sotmès (encara que normalment era elegit un membre de l'aristocràcia).

Els Xin s'enfrontaren als britànics per primer cop el 1826, a Paletwa, al Sud del país Xin. La primera invasió britànica va tenir lloc el 1872, la segona el 1888 i la tercera el 1895, després de la qual el país Xin fou incorporat l'Imperi de l'Índia Britànica. Els caps tradicionals van seguir als seus llocs després de la promulgació de la "Chin Hills Regulations" el 1896. L'elecció democràtica dels caps, allà on es feia, fou suprimida i els caps hereditaris van passar a ser la norma.

Com a resultat de la separació de Birmània de l'Índia Britànica el 1937, el país Xin fou dividit en dues parts: l'oest va romandre sota el govern de l'Índia; i l'est va quedar sota el govern de la Birmània britànica. Quan el 1947 l'Índia va accedir a la independència, el territori Xin sota el seu control fou encara dividit en dues parts: el territori anomenat Chittagong Hill Tracts va quedar dins del Pakistan (i després Bangladesh) i la resta dins de l'Índia (convertint-se més tard en l'estat de Mizoram). Llogarets poblats per Xin es troben, a més de l'Estat Xin de Myanmar i de l'Estat de Mizoram a l'Índia, a algunes províncies de Myanmar, a l'estat d'Arakan o Rakhine, a Tripura, Assam, Manipur i Nagaland.

La primera organització Xin a Myanmar fou la Unió Nacional Xin (Chin National Union), formada el 28 de febrer de 1928 a Hlih Yung, prop de Mindat, al sud de l'estat, sota la direcció del jove patriota xin Pu Vumthu Maung. El 1934 la Conferència del partit va demanar la independència dels Xins al govern britànic.

Representants britànics es van reunir amb els de la Unió Nacional Xin a Kanpalet el 29 de febrer de 1938, però van rebutjar la petició xin. Llavors els britànics foren expulsats de la ciutat. Trenta-sis líders locals xin (designats pels mateixos britànics) es van unir a la petició. 79 líders xin foren detinguts incloent Phu Vumthu Maung, empresonat a Ganggaw i més tard a Falam i a Tedim. Com que els presos xin rebien les simpaties del poble en aquestes presons dins del territori xin, van ser traslladats a Katha, al país Katxin. Foren alliberats amb la invasió japonesa però van mantenir la seva lluita política per la independència del país Xin.

A la Conferència de Panglong de 1947, en què les nacionalitats de la frontera birmana havien de decidir sobre una unió Birmana, els xin van acceptar entrar a la unió en igualtat amb les altres ètnies del país (inclosos els birmans) d'acord amb el tractat signat el 12 de febrer de 1947 per representants dels birmans, Xin, Katxin, Shan, Karen, Mon, Karenni, etc.

A la independència de Birmània el 4 de gener de 1948, d'acord amb la constitució, el País Xin (Chinland) es va convertir en la Divisió Especial Xin (Chin Hills Special Division). Pu Vumthu Maung fou elegit Ministre d'afers xin. Es van crear organismes democràtics i la "Chin Hills Inquiry", encarregada d'investigar els desitjos del poble, i per això es va celebrar la conferència de Falam on el 20 de febrer de 1948 el sistema feudal fou abolit (5000 vots contra 17) i es va establir el sistema democràtic. El 20 de febrer fou designat dia nacional Xin.

La mort del general Aung San va fer que les clàusules del tractat no s'acomplissin i el 1962 els militars birmans encapçalats per Ne Win van prendre el poder i es va posar de fet fi a la unió acabant jurídicament l'acord. La nova constitució del 4 de gener de 1974 va apujar l'estatus de la divisió especial del país Xin que es va convertir en Estat Xin amb capital a Haka (la capital fins llavors era Falam). La lluita armada fou dirigida pel Front Nacional Xin. La bandera del Front Nacional Xin fou adoptada el juny de 1993 i és vermella, blanca i blava horitzontal amb l'emblema al mig. El Front Nacional Xin té com a branca militar l'Exèrcit Nacional Xin (Chin National Army), la bandera de la qual ja s'utilitzava abans del 1993, que té els mateixos colors i un estel de sis puntes daurat al centre.

Vegeu també
 Zogam.
 Kaladan.
 Nat Ma Taung.

Estats de Myanmar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Click Here for More Articles on ART & MUSEUMS
Artist Michael Becker Presents One-Man Show, HAVANA, at Gallerie Sparta, Now thru 2/1
BroadwayWorld.com Jan. 9, 2014
LOS ANGELES -- Artist Michael Becker brings culture-rich Cuba into our back yard with his one-man show HAVANA from today, January 9 to February 1 at Gallerie Sparta in West Hollywood.
Michael and his camera traveled to Havana, Cuba with the Los Angeles Music Center to attend the Ballet Festival in 2010. During an exclusive Havana tour and private audience with the National Ballet of Cuba, Michael was given permission to photograph dancers rehearsing for the ballet festival to be performed before Castro later that week.
"We were a small group of art patrons in Havana there to attend the festival," Michael said. "Americans have a certain perception of the country. It's not very clear and it's mysterious because of that. It's a beautiful city with lovely people and I wanted to capture that in my work."
Michael Becker has made an energetic colorful survey of a mostly dreary world still lost in yesteryear. This show captures a rare glimpse of Havana's exotic side and includes the lively dancers of the famous nightclub Tropicana, a visit to author Ernest Hemingway's home and examples of the neo-baroque architecture style of the buildings. These are bright and colorful images bringing a cheerful view of Havana.
Michael selected fourteen photos to showcase in this exhibition. As part of his inimitable photo styling, he has enlarged each one to 48 by 71 inches and then face mounted them behind acrylic panels. This gives even more life to Michael's vibrant images. Artist's proceeds will support Inner-City Arts.
Since its opening in the summer of 2013, Gallerie Sparta has become a popular International French Gallery representing painting, photography and sculpture.
The gallery is hosting an artist's reception for Michael on January 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. Please RSVP to galleriesparta@gmail.com.
Gallerie Sparta, at 8641 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and also by special appointment. There is free parking behind all shops on Sunset Plaza.
More information, 646-228-6171 or www.galleriesparta.com.
Michael is a self-taught photographer who turns his shutterbug sacraments into art through manipulation. He does very little with Photoshop and relies only on cropping, some saturation of color and his artistic flair. Michael has held several exhibitions in the Los Angeles area to both critical and commercial success. To learn more, please visit www.michaelbecker.me.
SOURCE Michael Becker
Andrew Lloyd Webber Reveals Broadway Plans for His Modern CINDERELLA
Photo Flash: Tom Hiddleston Gets Ready for Broadway Debut in BETRAYAL!
Everything You Need to Know About the Upcoming Broadway Season!
Stagedoor Manor Unveils New Massive, State-of-the-Art Costume Shop

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"The reason people fin it so hard to be happy is because they seen the past better then it was, and the present worse then it is."
My beautiful dog, Lakotah James. He is the sweetest dog an owner could have.


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3 quick hits on Friars' win over New Hampshire
December 2, 2017 December 2, 2017 / rinksiderhodeisland
PROVIDENCE — Cowbells were clanging at Schneider Arena on Friday night as No. 9 Providence College beat No. 13 New Hampshire, 5-2.
Here are three quick hits on the game.
ERIK FOLEY
The junior winger and Winnipeg draft pick, who scored two goals and an assist, is hard for opponents to contain when he's on his game, which he has been for the past month.
"Offensively, he's a horse. When he attacks the net and makes strong plays he gets good scoring opportunities," Friar coach Nate Leaman said after the game.
"The play he made on Vimal Sukumaran's goal at the end of the second was the exact same play as earlier in the second, where he walked up the wall and made a soft backhand play and it was a turnover. Instead, he went to his forehand side and made a strong play to Sukumaran. If he makes strong plays, good things happen."
Foley — now tied for second in scoring in Hockey East with 9-9-18 in 13 games — is coming into his own as one of the best forwards in Hockey East.
"He's a terrific player. He can do it all," UNH coach Dick Umile said.
THE FOURTH LINE
The Friars got a terrific game from the junkyard dog line of Robbie Hennessey (1 assist), Sukumaran (2 goals) and Shane Kavanagh (1 assist).
"Vimal just has a knack for getting to the net. He scored 8 goals last year getting to the net. The puck seems to find him when he gets there. He struggled early on faceoffs. He got better as the game wore on, but I thought he had a pretty good game tonight," said Leaman.
"Since those three have been together, they've had an identity. It's the first time we've seen our fourth line have a real identify. When they play to their identity, they give us energy and they finish hits and they work. Our team needs that desperately right now."
JACOB BRYSON
PC's best defenseman bounced back strong after being an uncharacteristic minus-3 in last Saturday's loss to Clarkson.
On Friday, Bryson was plus-5 with two assists. He is among the top-scoring D-men in Hockey East with 1-11-12 in 15 games.
"Bryson had a really good game, but I think (plus-5 is) kind of fluky in some ways because some of those were forechecking goals. He's a heck of a player, without a doubt," said Leaman.
No doubt, plus-minus is just one stat among many. But when you are on the ice for all five of your team's goals in a game and none of the other team's goals, well, that's a decent night's work.
Not to be overlooked, Tommy Davis, Bryson's partner, was plus-4 on Friday. He is second in Hockey East with plus-10.
← P-Bruins Gameday — A visit from the Devils
P-Bruins Gameday — Dealing with the Devils one last time →


Last week I took photos for the Northwest Asian Weekly newspaper. The Chinese American Citizens Alliance had a conference in Seattle and the group was schedule to tour the newspaper office, so I hung out around the ID to snap some photos. It felt good to have an assignment again. This whole post-grad situation is weird, and some days are better than others. Having something like this to do added a little excitement to the monotony of finding actual employment..


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Report: Why did Cavaliers sign Scotty Hopson? Trade bait.
By Kurt HelinApr 1, 2014, 11:39 AM EDT
Yesterday we told you that the Cavaliers signed Scotty Hopson, a 6'7" two guard who wasn't drafted out of Tennessee and was last seen playing in Turkey. He's the kind of player who gets a tryout with a team on a 10-day contract this time of year, and with Kyrie Irving still out (at least another day) another guard on the roster can't hurt. The Cavaliers like Hopson.
Except Hopson didn't get a 10-day deal, he got a two-year, $3.8 million contract, reports Brian Windhorst at ESPN. That's far more than the minimum most of these kinds of deals are offered at.
It's not about Hopson, it's about the June DBA draft and the Cavaliers wanting to have trade chips, Windhorst explains.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to put themselves in position to make a major trade around June's NBA draft, sources told ESPN.com…
The second year of Hopson's deal, worth $1.45 million, is nonguaranteed. The Cavs now have a stockpile of nonguaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts that could be attractive in trades around June's draft.
Combined with the contracts of Alonzo Gee, Matthew Dellavedova and Anderson Varejao, the Cavs have a trove of options to use as trade bait for a team that wants to clear salary-cap space. In addition to their all their own draft picks, the Cavs also own future first-rounders from the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat.
That's a lot of assets the Cavaliers can try to move to bring in a star player to go next to Kyrie Irving.
Problem is, it takes two to do the trade tango. They need to find another team ready and willing to move an elite player for some cap relief, picks and whatever else the Cavs would throw in (any player not named Kyrie is available). Those guys do come up as available, although Cleveland likely doesn't want a guy with an expiring deal.
Under former GM Chris Grant the Cavs tried to draft the star to go next to Irving, but they swung and missed a lot. Now they want to go get someone established. Ideally they do it on draft day.
Then come July 1, when they show Irving the max contract extension they will offer him, they can say "and you will be playing next to…"
At least that seems to be the hope.


While the majority of cruise ship travelers have a pleasant experience, some passengers may fall victim to cruise ship accidents. Unfortunately, cruise ship passengers can be susceptible to a variety of injuries from slippery decks, malfunctioning equipment or questionable off-shore excursions. To learn more about cruise ship accidents, follow the links below.


Kathy DiFiore, Founder of Several Sources Shelters received her Undergraduate Degree in Psychology from the University of Rochester in 1969. In 1979, she received her MBA from NYU and is currently studying for her doctorate in Education at the University of Phoenix online. From 1970 to 1978 she was a member of the NY State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Committee. Her business career included holding the position of Personnel Director, American Express, Credit Card Division and Personnel Director at Degussa Chemicals Corporation.
In 1981 Kathy decided to turn her own New Jersey home into a Shelter for mothers and their babies. As the demand for her help for pregnant women grew, Kathy made a decision to leave the corporate world and devote full time to helping mothers and babies in need. She is now operating four residential shelters in New Jersey, a 24-hour national hotline 1-800-662-2678 for pregnant women and five informative websites which receive about a million visitors a year.
Several Sources also has a fifth shelter called "Ladies Rest" in Newark, NJ for women who are homeless and in need of daytime help to get back on their feet.
Kathy has met with Mother Teresa on several occasions and has many spiritual letters of guidance from her. In 1984 Kathy's work was threatened by a $10,000 fine from the State of NJ for operating an unlicensed boarding house, Mother Teresa wrote the governor which eventually helped to rescind the fine and change the NJ laws so Kathy's work for the preborn and their mothers would become legal.
Kathy's work was honored by President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1988, and soon after, her work was honored by the US Congress. In 1989, Kathy received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Felician College.
In 1998, Kathy was honored by being invested as a Dame of Malta and received at St. Bonaventure University, the Gaudete Award for her continuing work on behalf of our mothers and their babies. In June 1999, Several Sources became a Non Governmental Organization of the United Nations and Kathy is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the United Nations Women's Guild. Other Awards include the N.J. State Council of the Columbiettes "Humanitarian of the Year" Award in 1989, St. Elizabeth's College Catholic Woman of Achievement in 1995, and the Pax Christi N. J. Dorothy Day Award in 2001. In March of 2005, Kathy received the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the United Methodist Church of Newark, N.J. for her work in the inner city of Newark for women and children in need. In 2007 Kathy won the Abstinence Clearing House Impact Award and had her first research article published in the California Journal of Health Promotion. In 2008 she received the Mother Seton Award from SOAR.
In 2011, The New Jersey assembly passed a resolution honoring Kathy's work with mothers and infants throughout New Jersey and poor inner city children who are "at risk" and children who are afflicted with AIDS (in Newark, NJ). Kathy was honored by the United Nations Women's Guild in Sept. 2013 for her loyalty and dedication to the service of mother-child care programs.
Kathy's most recent project is "Our Gift of Hope" Sonogram & Crisis Pregnancy Center in Englewood, NJ, where women with unplanned pregnancies can receive FREE sonograms to find out if they have a viable pregnancy and receive FREE shelter, baby supplies and help to parent their child.
In January of 2014 a full length feature film was released based on the inspiring true events at Kathy's Several Sources Shelters. GIMME SHELTER centers on the courageous story of Agnes "Apple" Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens of the High School Musical franchise) and her incredible path to motherhood as a pregnant, homeless teenager. Forced to flee her abusive mother (Rosario Dawson, Sin City, Trance), and turned away by her Wall Street father (Brendan Fraser, Crash, The Mummy), Apple finds herself on a desperate and isolated journey of survival. In the depths of despair, she meets a compassionate stranger (James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope, Star Wars franchise), who ultimately leads her to salvation and unprecedented support in Kathy's Several Sources Shelter for homeless teenagers. Kathy's role was played by Anne Dowd (Compliance, Side Effects). With gained confidence, and the warmth of her new home, Apple breaks from her inhibiting past, embracing the future with clarity and hope. Also appearing in the film are several real life shelter mothers, their babies and a cameo of Kathy DiFiore.
In 2014 Kathy received the Pope John Paul II Gravitas Award from the Re: Image Film festival to recognize the virtue of Gravitas in her efforts to communicate God's love through the use of the film Gimme Shelter. Also in 2014 Kathy was received a Christopher Award which "affirms the highest values of the human spirit" for her role as Producer and one of the key individuals portrayed in the full length feature film Gimme Shelter which chronicled the story of her shelters .Gimme Shelter distributed in the U.S. in January 2014 and by Sony International worldwide later in 2014. On September 4, 2014 Gimme Shelter will be shown at the United Nations in the Dag Hammarskjold Theater sponsored by the United Nations Women's Guild. Kathy's was honored by the Guild in 2013 and been a member for 25 years. Every diplomat and his wife will be invited.
Kathy now has a book entitled Gimme Love, Gimme Hope, Gimme Shelter is the spiritual and real-life story behind the film Gimme Shelter, in which she shares the events and experiences that led her to take great risks for others to ensure that she could provide shelter for the young women who came to her door. Through her relationship with Mother Teresa, Kathy found the support and courage to take on bureaucratic mountains so she could assist young girls facing life-altering decisions, women abandoned lost in hopelessness, and babies who deserve the chance to be born. In Gimme Love, Gimme Hope, Gimme Shelter, Kathy will take readers deeper into the struggles she encountered and the life-changing results that became a reality. Readers will be inspired by her tenacity, compassion and dedication to the purpose God has for her life. She will soon be releasing a second book which is the Study Guide for the Gimme Shelter movie. The guide walks through the major themes addressed in the film and poses questions for deeper spiritual exploration.
Through God's Grace, we save babies lives and shelter their young mothers while providing education and ongoing compassionate support services including our Pregnancy Sonogram Center. We further educate young people to make healthy life choices. We also shelter women who are homeless, sick and elderly as we help them to restore their dignity.
My visit to the White House on February 18, 1988, at the invitation of President Reagen was given to honor my work with mothers and children in need. Words fail to describe the feelings of patriotism and wonder I experienced, as we were guided through parts of the White House seldom seen by visitors. I remember a set of back stairs that were quite old and narrow. To think those very stairs upon which we were traveling were often used by Abraham Lincoln!
I remember being taught how to give a proper hello and handshake with the President. Then we were lead into the Oval Office and all the cameras started to flash.
President Reagen quoted from a poem that was found on a young Russian Soldier killed in action in 1944. The letter told of a young man who had never been taught about God, but who had come to believe in Him through the struggles and hardships of the war he was experiencing. The poem was sent to Reagen by a Wisconsin couple. The poem was written as the soldier lay looking up at the night sky and it ended with a poignant verse expressing the soldier's new found faith in God. President Reagen cited the Founding Fathers' faith in God and their desires for all Americans to have the right to pursue "life, liberty and happiness."
Kathy DiFiore's friendship with Mother Teresa began in 1985 when the two women worked together to change the law in New Jersey so that Kathy could continue to shelter pregnant teens and their children in her home.
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Kathy DiFiore, of Ramsey, New Jersey, for the work she is doing on behalf of unwed mothers. Kathy is a dedicated and compassionate leader who lends support to young women at a trying period in their lives. Her work is well known across our state and has been supported by figures as prominent as former Gov. Tom Kean and the late Mother Teresa. We need more people like Kathy DiFiore to help with the issue of teen pregnancy.
More than a decade ago, Kathy opened a shelter for unwed mothers in her own, six - bedroom home. Today, she operates Several Sources Shelters, which has five homes for unwed mothers - two in Ramsey plus one each in Mendham, Newark and Washington Township. Kathy, a former Wall Street executive, has given thousands of women the moral and tangible support needed to bring their children into the world.
Even an effort as admirable as a shelter for unwed mothers does not succeed without overcoming obstacles. In 1984, state officials levied a $10,000 fine against Kathy, claming that her home - at that point a shelter - was being operated as an illegal boardinghouse. Similarly, Ramsey officials said it was unlikely she could be granted a zoning variance necessary to continue operating. The shelter's future was uncertain. Undaunted, Kathy convinced the State Legislature to pass a bill allowing her to remain in operation, Then Governor Kean, however, was hesitant to sign the measure.
It was at that point that Kathy contacted Mother Teresa and asked her help. Mother Teresa responded and, in turn, contacted Governor Kean and urged him to sign the law.
The Several Sources Foundation provides extensive counseling and information for pregnant women seeking an alternative to abortion and ultimately provides free shelter for expectant mothers and their children. The Foundation has found that many young women, particularly teenagers, have no place to stay while pregnant. It is, tragically, not uncommon for angry parents to "kick out" their daughters upon learning that they are pregnant. The Shelters allow mothers to stay during pregnancy and up to one year after the birth of a child. Each of the five shelters can house up to six mothers and their infants, supervised by an adult housemother.
Women who stay at the shelters are trained in the practical aspects of motherhood, including pre-natal care and homemaking. School-age mothers attend high school and are tutored at the shelter during the last weeks of pregnancy. Women who have dropped out of school are assisted in passing their GED and are given classes in practical, employment-related skills such as typing. Some go on to college.
Several Sources is a pro-life organization that offers a national telephone hotline for pregnant women. More than 200 women call the hotline each month and Kathy estimates that 15,000 abortions have been avoided since she founded the organization. The group also offers information through a World Wide Web site on the Internet.
None of this could be done without help, of course. Kathy is assisted by a number of caring and dedicated volunteers, such as Donna Jacoby of Ridgewood. Others help the non-profit, non-sectarian organization through tax-deductible private donations and offerings at area churches.
Mr. Speaker, Kathy DiFiore is a deeply religious woman who has followed through on her Christian convictions. She communicated frequently with Mother Teresa, who served as her religious role model. She likes to say that it's necessary to "pray the work." Her efforts might be described as "working the prayer."
We need more people of deep conviction and conscience who do more than preach their morality and practice Christian charity in its truest form. Kathy DiFiore has transformed her convictions into action to help these women and children who are in greatest need, not only in daily care but also in educating and inspiring them to improve their lives and provide a promising, hopeful future for their newborn babies.
We all wish her renewed strength and inspiration so that many more might find life through her dedicated and devoted ministry."


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        Name = 'Multiscale blobs with ellipse';
        ellipseobj; % handle to an ellipsefeature object
        blobsobj; % handle to a blobfeatures object
        FeatureDimensions; % how many dimensions in each feature vector
        EventsStruct;
    end

    methods
        function obj = EllipseBlobFeatures(eventsd, NumBlobs, ...
                UsePosition, UseScale,UseEigenvalues,UseEigenvectors,...
                UseMeanIntensity,UseFeatureStrength,filterfun,Onsetinsteadofpeak,matsubdir)

            % passthrough events directory to abstract class

            obj = obj@AbstractFeatures(eventsd);

            % passthrough blobs settings to a blobfeature object
            obj.blobsobj = BlobFeatures(eventsd,NumBlobs, ...
                UsePosition, UseScale,UseEigenvalues,UseEigenvectors,...
                UseMeanIntensity,UseFeatureStrength,filterfun,Onsetinsteadofpeak,matsubdir);

            % create ellipse object as well - no need to pass options at
            % the moment
            obj.ellipseobj = EllipseFeature(eventsd,1);

        end

        function [] = loadFeatures(obj)
           % pass through to children
           blobfeatures = obj.blobsobj.getFeatures();
           ellipsefeature = obj.ellipseobj.getFeatures();

           % workout the dimensions
           numdimsblobs = obj.blobsobj.FeatureDimensions;
           numdimsellipse = obj.ellipseobj.FeatureDimensions;
           totaldims = numdimsblobs + numdimsellipse;
           obj.FeatureDimensions = totaldims;

           obj.Features = zeros(obj.NumEvents,obj.FeatureDimensions);
           obj.EventsStruct = []; %cell(obj.NumEvents,1);

           if size(ellipsefeature,1) ~= size(blobfeatures,1)
               error('ellipse and blob features different length');
           end

           obj.Features = [blobfeatures,ellipsefeature];
%            obj.EventsStruct
        end

        function h = plotEventFeatures(obj, eventid)
            % function to plot the blobs and the ellipse on the same figure
            disp('plotting event');
            if nargout > 0
                h = figure();
            end
            obj.ellipseobj.plotEventFeatures(eventid);
            hold on
            obj.blobsobj.plotEventFeatures(eventid,1);
            hold off

        end

        function h = plotGenericFeatures(obj, featurevec, zerocentred, image)
            if nargout > 0
                h = figure();
            end
            % first plot blobs
            blobsfeature = featurevec(1:obj.blobsobj.FeatureDimensions);
            obj.blobsobj.plotGenericFeatures(blobsfeature,zerocentred)
            hold on

            % then plot ellipse
            ellipsefeature = featurevec(obj.blobsobj.FeatureDimensions+1:end);
            size(ellipsefeature)
            % convert features back to unnormalised value
            x = obj.ellipseobj.deNormaliseFeature(ellipsefeature,zerocentred);
            % 2. plot the ellipse
            ellipse = calculateEllipse(x(1),x(2),x(3),x(4),x(5));
            plot(ellipse(:,1),ellipse(:,2),'r-','LineWidth',1);
            hold off

        end

    end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Iran Sentences Iranian-American Father And Son To 10 Years In Prison : The Two-Way The State Department is calling for the immediate release of Siamak and Baquer Namazi and said they are "unjustly detained." Siamak is a business consultant and Baquer is a retired UNICEF official.
Iran Sentences Iranian-American Father And Son To 10 Years In Prison
October 18, 20165:42 PM ET
An Iranian-American father and son have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran, according to the Iranian state-run judicial news agency. The State Department is calling for their immediate release and says they are "unjustly detained."
Siamak and Baquer Namazi were convicted of "cooperating with the U.S government against Iran," NPR's Michele Kelemen tells All Things Considered.
A statement by family member Babak Namazi expressed "utter shock and dismay" at the news. He said that the 10 years handed to Baquer, 80, a former UNICEF official, is "tantamount to a life sentence."
"This follows one court session of a few hours for each of them," the statement reads. "The details of the charges are unknown to us as of yet."
As Michele reports, "Baquer Namazi had gone to Iran earlier this year to visit his son, Siamak, who was already in jail for several months." Karim Sadjadpour, a friend of the family, tells Michele that "Siamak Namazi is a business consultant who wanted to improve ties between the U.S. and Iran."
In a statement, UNICEF said that it is "deeply concerned for his health and well-being." Baquer worked as the organization's representative in Somalia, Kenya and Egypt. "He worked tirelessly on behalf of children in all those positions, often in highly difficult circumstances. He deserves a peaceful retirement."
Namazi, his son, was arrested a few months after his return to the country in 2015, says Sadjadpour, who is an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He tells Michele that he believes "Iranian hardliners are just trying to 'delegitimize' President Rouhani, whose government negotiated the nuclear deal" reached last year.
"Increasingly what the Iranian Revolutionary Guards do is they paint people like Siamak and his father — who are trying to be bridges between America and Iran — as Trojan horses who are trying to undermine and unseat the Iranian regime," Sadjadpour adds.
Five Americans were released earlier this year, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Iran. A $400 million cash payment to Iran happened at approximately the same time as the prisoner handoff. Many observers had hoped Siamak would be part of that exchange.
Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, The Associated Press explains, "meaning those detained cannot receive consular assistance. In most cases, dual nationals have faced secret charges in closed-door hearings in Iran's Revolutionary Court, which handles cases involving alleged attempts to overthrow the government."
Michele reports that a Lebanese citizen who holds a U.S. green card was also sentenced to 10 years in prison today, and at least one other Iranian American is also in jail in Iran.
And as State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner noted in his statement, U.S. citizen Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent, has been missing in Iran since 2007.
iranian american


If you wanna try our service before you buy, sign up for the free portfolio plan. With the free plan you'll be able to upload up to 10 artworks and the available disk space is limited to 10MB. Your visitors can rate your works and leave comments. Top rated artworks and portfolios will be listed on the Portfoliopen's home page regardless of the pricing plan. Also, your free portfolio can be easily localized into any language and you can change every text fragment to whatever you like more. No credit card required to sign up and you can upgrade to another plan at any time you find yourself needing additional features or more works to upload.
Our Basic plan is only $4.99/month, which is less than two Starbucks Lattes. It will provide you with up to 50 works to upload and 500MB available disk space for your files and images. In addition to features of the Free plan listed above, you can use your own domain name instead of portfoliopen.com, upload your custom logo, enable automatic RSS feed, put in Google Analytics to track your portfolio visitors. Auto-generated sitemap file will help to get your online portfolio indexed faster in Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines. With the Basic plan you'll be able to choose from existing design themes and then fine tune the chosen theme settings such as fonts and colors.
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text:
Recollections of student activists donated to La Trobe University archives
La Trobe University has been gifted an intriguing piece of student history – in a collection of audio recordings – to preserve for future generations.
Ten former La Trobe students have shared their recollections of marches protesting the American war in Vietnam with oral historian and alumnus Dr Barry York OAM.
Barry donated the collection of audio interviews to the University's Archives. The self-funded project documents the experiences of student protesters, and marked the 50th anniversary of the marches last year.
The Waterdale Road marches in September 1970 became infamous due to police violence against students who claimed a 'victory for free speech'.
Interviewees include Denis O'Donnell, who was jailed as a draft resister, and also Peter Cochrane, a La Trobe history alumnus who went on to co-win the Prime Minister's Award for History in 2007.
"The marches are historically significant – the first and only time that police drew guns on protesters during the Vietnam solidarity period. The brutality was shocking but the students refused to be cowed. There's a lesson there about standing up for democratic rights," Barry says.
"The interviews provided an opportunity for recollection and subjective reflection while allowing each of the interviewees to explain how and why they joined the militant campus left."
Barry York is an experienced oral history interviewer who was awarded the Order of Australia for his work in 2005.
If you would like to discuss making a donation to La Trobe University's Archives, please get in touch with the Archives team on records@latrobe.edu.au.
La Trobe extends Optus partnership
La Trobe and Optus continue innovative partnership
La Trobe PhD students embed in schools
La Trobe makes offers to thousands
Law students supporting the community
La Trobe in world's top 250 universities


Presidential or Parliamentary - Does it Make a Difference?
This entry was posted in External Article, Feature, Parliamentary System and tagged form, government, Linz, Parliamentarism, Parliamentary, Presidential, Presidentialism, System by Borrowed from Outside. Bookmark the permalink.


Kylie Jenner realized something after the Jordyn Woods cheating scandal dramatically altered her and Woods's best friendship, People is reporting: Maybe having just one close friend isn't the best idea. A rep for Jenner had no comment.
Let the gossip site tell it, Jordyn is on her way to London with her and manger and mother Elizabeth Woods at the end of the month to sign "several new deals" that includes her designer line of eyelashes. Kylie reportedly has some "serious trust issues" with Travis, and the two haven't been able to sit down and work things out. "They spend very little time together", the source told PEOPLE.
Travis says his family is his top priority, but Kylie doesn't want him to cancel shows or skip any commitments.
"She feels like she has finally got her groove back after all the drama she has endured recently, and is happy to have nights out with her friends", another insider said of the Kylie Cosmetics founder. "They are letting Kylie figure things out for herself". "She is still upset about the Jordyn situation, although she seems to be doing much better". "He will soon be off for a few weeks and keeps saying he can't wait to spend time with Kylie and Stormi".


text:
title: "Melbourne"
bg: green
color: black
fa-icon: users
---

## Melbourne

The Melbourne group meets on the last Tuesday of the month, starting at 6pm.

Join the meetup group at [http://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-ALT-NET/](http://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-ALT-NET/) to see what's cooking this month.

You can also check their videos of past meetings on the [Melbourne Alt.Net Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2YK33iF0vffqtIgbVd9KnA)


text:
San Diego, Mexico officials lead effort to end human trafficking
By: Jeff Lasky
Leaders from Mexico and San Diego led a conference on the effort to end human trafficking Tuesday at Liberty Station.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Leaders from Mexico and San Diego led a conference on the effort to end human trafficking Tuesday at Liberty Station.
Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, who recently took over as Mexico's Consul General in San Diego, was the first speaker, followed by San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan.
An estimate by the United Nations reveals that millions of people are living in modern day slavery worldwide. In San Diego, the most common form of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation. The District Attorney's office told 10News that between 3,000 and 7,000 women are sex trafficked through the county each year, with the average age of the victim's being just 16.
RELATED: Two teens arrested in San Diego for possible sex trafficking of 12-year-old girl
"We have to watch the borders, but we also have to watch in the privacy of the bedrooms of our kids," Stephan said during an interview with 10News.
The forum came just a few days after 18 Camp Pendleton Marines and one Navy sailor were arrested, accused of taking part in human trafficking and drug smuggling from Mexico. At least one marine allegedly accepted a $1,000 payment to transport undocumented immigrants after they made their way into the United States.
"It isn't surprising that they would use persons that would appear trustworthy like our military in order to transport either humans or drugs," Stephan said.


text:
An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games
U. Faigle, Walter Kern
Discrete Mathematics and Mathematical Programming
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic
An algebraic model generalizing submodular polytopes is presented, where modular functions on partially ordered sets take over the role of vectors in Rn. This model unifies various generalizations of combinatorial models in which the greedy algorithm and the Monge algorithm are successful and generalizations of the notions of core and Weber set in cooperative game theory. As a further application, we show that an earlier model of ours as well as the algorithmic model of Queyranne, Spieksma and Tardella for the Monge algorithm can be treated within the framework of usual matroid theory (on unordered ground-sets), which permits also the efficient algorithmic solution of the intersection problem within this model.
Faigle, U., & Kern, W. (2000). An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games. Order, 17(4), 353-375. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006406424957
Faigle, U. ; Kern, Walter. / An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games. In: Order. 2000 ; Vol. 17, No. 4. pp. 353-375.
@article{0d540e5b18d4471f9e3d9c4f22dc296b,
title = "An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games",
abstract = "An algebraic model generalizing submodular polytopes is presented, where modular functions on partially ordered sets take over the role of vectors in Rn. This model unifies various generalizations of combinatorial models in which the greedy algorithm and the Monge algorithm are successful and generalizations of the notions of core and Weber set in cooperative game theory. As a further application, we show that an earlier model of ours as well as the algorithmic model of Queyranne, Spieksma and Tardella for the Monge algorithm can be treated within the framework of usual matroid theory (on unordered ground-sets), which permits also the efficient algorithmic solution of the intersection problem within this model.",
keywords = "IR-85187",
author = "U. Faigle and Walter Kern",
doi = "10.1023/A:1006406424957",
journal = "Order",
Faigle, U & Kern, W 2000, 'An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games', Order, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 353-375. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006406424957
An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games. / Faigle, U.; Kern, Walter.
In: Order, Vol. 17, No. 4, 2000, p. 353-375.
T1 - An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games
AU - Faigle, U.
AU - Kern, Walter
N2 - An algebraic model generalizing submodular polytopes is presented, where modular functions on partially ordered sets take over the role of vectors in Rn. This model unifies various generalizations of combinatorial models in which the greedy algorithm and the Monge algorithm are successful and generalizations of the notions of core and Weber set in cooperative game theory. As a further application, we show that an earlier model of ours as well as the algorithmic model of Queyranne, Spieksma and Tardella for the Monge algorithm can be treated within the framework of usual matroid theory (on unordered ground-sets), which permits also the efficient algorithmic solution of the intersection problem within this model.
AB - An algebraic model generalizing submodular polytopes is presented, where modular functions on partially ordered sets take over the role of vectors in Rn. This model unifies various generalizations of combinatorial models in which the greedy algorithm and the Monge algorithm are successful and generalizations of the notions of core and Weber set in cooperative game theory. As a further application, we show that an earlier model of ours as well as the algorithmic model of Queyranne, Spieksma and Tardella for the Monge algorithm can be treated within the framework of usual matroid theory (on unordered ground-sets), which permits also the efficient algorithmic solution of the intersection problem within this model.
U2 - 10.1023/A:1006406424957
DO - 10.1023/A:1006406424957
JO - Order
JF - Order
Faigle U, Kern W. An order-theoretic framework for the greedy algorithm with applications to the core and Weber Set of cooperative games. Order. 2000;17(4):353-375. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006406424957


text:
Back to News & Views
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North Central DS to preach on national radio show
Rev. Sue Haupert-Johnson, superintendent of the North Central District of the Florida Conference, will be the featured preacher for two upcoming Sundays on "Day 1" with host Peter Wallace, a nationally broadcast ecumenical radio program, according to a prepared statement from the program's producers. The sermons also will be accessible online at Day1.org.
Haupert-Johnson's sermons will be geared to the Advent season, starting with Christ the King Sunday on Nov. 23. Her sermon that day is drawn from Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24.
Rev. Sue Haupert-Johnson
"Today's Hebrew Bible lection describes the reign of God without king imagery," Haupert-Johnson said. "God comes as a shepherd. God's shepherds have failed to do their job. God's shepherds have not sought the lost or healed the sick or done what God called them to do… God takes off and joins the search. God has left the building."
Her second sermon on the program, "Waiting in Lag Time," is tailored for the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 30. It is based on Mark 13:24-37, which describes the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory. In it, Haupert-Johnson asks, "What do we do with this in-between time, this lag time? How do we handle the waiting, especially when things seem to be falling apart all around us?"
Haupert-Johnson was appointed to the district by Florida Bishop Ken Carter in 2013 after serving as co-pastor with her husband, Allen, of First UMC, Ocala. She had a career in law before responding to her call to ministry.
Previous pastoral appointments include churches in Tampa, Cape Coral and Lakeland. As district superintendent, she oversees 83 churches in north central Florida, a diverse area of large and small churches that includes urban, suburban and rural communities, as well as a Native American ministry, a large camps and retreat center near Leesburg and a vibrant campus ministry at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
She is a graduate of the University of Florida and its College of Law, as well as Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she serves as chairperson of the Candler Alumni Board.
The radio program will include interviews with Haupert-Johnson conducted by Wallace, who is also executive producer.
Haupert-Johnson told Florida Conference Connection she was excited to be invited to preach on the program.
"I really like the program," she said. "I've listened to it for a long time. I thought it would be a great opportunity."
Recording sermons for radio was a first for the seasoned preacher, who was accustomed to being part of televised worship services at First UMC, Ocala. Those broadcasts were live, whereas the radio presentations were recorded in advance.
"I really appreciated the opportunity for do-overs," Haupert-Johnson quipped.
Knowing her words would be heard without visual cues, however, prompted her to craft her sermons a little differently while taking care to speak in a natural, conversational way.
"You have to think about how your words are going to come across," she said. "It's a different animal."
"Day 1" has been broadcast every week for 69 years, formerly as "The Protestant Hour." Featuring outstanding preachers from the mainline denominations, "Day 1" is currently distributed to more than 200 radio stations across America and overseas. The program is produced by the Alliance for Christian Media, based in Atlanta. For more information, call toll-free at 888-411-Day-1 or check the program's website, http://day1.org.
-- Susan Green, managing editor of Florida Conference Connection, contributed to this report.


text:
Results: "Design Innovation", "K-12 Education"
Four Educational Storage Challenges and How to Address Them
who require lockers, schools should consider how many students truly use or need locker space. One option is to move to a first-come-first-served locker system where students can check out...
Finding Inspiration in Community Architecture: Exploring the Works of I.M. Pei
...city hall came when the city of Dallas became known as the "City of Hate" after the 1963 assignation of President John F. Kennedy. I.M. Pei took the project to...
Walnut Hills High School
Unspoken Trends in Workplace Design
education. K-12 spaces have broken the longstanding "Model-T" era planning model of double-loaded corridors stacked with the exact same classroom spaces on either side, with every kid in a desk...
Time is Money: Five Reasons to Accelerate Your Project Timeline
...not driven slightly higher. In addition, a tight labor market has led to a shortage of skilled workers and tradesmen. Eighty percent of contractors have reported difficulty hiring skilled workers,...
The Meaning and Value of Desks at Work: From Mid-Century to the Turn of the Millennium
of the workplace desk, part two of the series looks at the purpose of the desk at work today. Part three examines the future role of the desk at work....
Small Changes in School Design Make a Huge Difference
After years of change in education, it's widely regarded as fact that when teachers collaborate with one another, everyone benefits. Collaboration provides teachers with an emotional and professional support system...
Building Sustainable Spaces in Schools
...evolve, most recently with an increased focus on the inclusion of building spaces—especially those where we spend large amounts of our daily time, like at work and school—that promote the...
The Meaning and Value of Desks at Work: Pivoting Toward Tomorrow
For a desk to keep pace with the boundless horizons of our technological growth, the desk must be smarter. The future workplace desk will be a networked device integrated with...
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Fr Purpura will lead us in learning to explain our faith to non-Catholics and other Christians. Join us for this four-week series of classes meeting Sundays in August at 10 am in the Rectory. The Rectory is located at 250 Cathedral Place.


If you're looking to discover somewhere new, look no further than Vicq. Whether you're planning to stay for a night or for the week, the area around Vicq has accommodations to fit every need. Search for hotels in Vicq with Hotels.com by checking our online map. Our map displays the areas and neighborhoods around all Vicq hotels so you can see how close you are from landmarks and attractions, and then refine your search within the larger area. The best Vicq hotel deals are here with our lowest price guarantee.
Where are the Best Places to Stay in Vicq?


Today Salon announced the promotion of Kerry Lauerman as editor in chief of Salon.com. Joan Walsh, the editor in chief since 2005, is stepping down from editorial management to write a book. Joan will remain editor at large, and continue to blog for the site on a regular basis and continue with her many television appearances representing Salon. Kerry is an extremely talented editor and I'm very pleased to see him take the reins.
SAN FRANCISCO – November 8, 2010 – Salon Media Group (SLNM.OB) announced today it is promoting Kerry Lauerman to take over as editor in chief of Salon.com. Joan Walsh, the editor in chief since 2005, is stepping down from editorial management to write a book. She will remain editor at large, blogging for the site regularly.
Lauerman first joined Salon in 2000 to become its Washington Bureau Chief, and has run virtually every editorial department at Salon. In 2008 he founded Open Salon, the site's blog network, which garnered a National Magazine Award nomination in its first year, and last year became Salon's executive editor. Before joining Salon, Lauerman was investigative editor at Mother Jones; managing editor at the late Forbes ASAP; and a story editor at the New York Times Magazine.
"It's a huge honor," said Lauerman. "I can't imagine working with a better staff, or with a smarter, more engaged audience."
"Salon has experienced excellent audience growth over the last year, introducing a redesigned website, sharpening its political coverage but also expanding its lifestyle and cultural coverage. Kerry has been an important part of that effort. I have every confidence Salon's growth will continue under his leadership," said Richard Gingras, CEO of the Salon Media Group. "We're also pleased that Joan will continue as one of Salon's most eloquent voices and insightful political commentators."
Walsh took the reins as editor in chief in February 2005, and focused and defined Salon as a leading news and opinion site. Most memorably, in April 2006, Salon.com published a large collection of 279 photographs and 19 videos taken at the Abu Ghraib prison site; the publication was attacked viciously by conservative critics, but lauded by civil liberties experts and academics. Walsh also emerged as Salon's most prominent spokesperson, appearing regularly on cable news shows discussing national politics.
While continuing her political commentary for Salon, Walsh will work on a book, "Indivisible," an indictment of the fear-based politics that splits Americans and holds the country back, illustrated by her own Irish Catholic family's political and economic odyssey, from the election of John F. Kennedy through the backlash against Barack Obama. It will be published by John Wiley and Sons in early 2012.
"This has been the best job I've ever had and it's hard to leave it, but I'm lucky to be able to hand the reins to Kerry," Walsh said. "Right now my heart is in reminding Americans that we grow as a country when we pull together, and we fall behind when we fear one another. I'm watching us give up on our great genius for cultural mixing and optimism about the future, at the time we need it most."
Richard Gingras is the CEO of Salon Media Group.


text:
Sexy Snax collection (Book #136)
Alexa believed Nik is her half-brother until she visits California for Russian Orthodox Christmas and learns the truth. Then their relationship becomes wild, hot—and very unorthodox.
Nik's devil-may-care attitude drives Alexa crazy, but because he's her younger half-brother, she has to see him every Russian Orthodox Christmas—even after he kissed her two years ago and made her feel things that just couldn't ever be. This year, the holiday starts with Alexa finding out Nik's not related to her at all, a fact her family has kept from her for decades.
The revelation sends Alexa into a tailspin, and the person who offers her comfort is the last one she expects—Nik. After waking up to find Nik in her bed the next day, that comfort turns into unexpectedly hot sex, which only complicates the burgeoning feelings she has for him.
The last thing Alexa wants is to disrupt her life with a man she can't trust—a man she already knows she cares for far too deeply. But easygoing Nik proves to be much more determined than she'd ever imagined when their fragile, new love is on the line.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of public sex.
General Release Date: 6th September 2016
Alexa had only been home for half an hour and already everything was all wrong.
She was tired from her flight and wanted to lie down in her childhood bedroom, to sleep in the bed that still smelled sweetly of cinnamon gum, her favorite from adolescence. Instead, her stepmother was pestering her with anxious questions. How was her work going? Did she have many close friends where she lived? Wouldn't it be possible for her to do the same work here?
The last question was at least a decade old and Alexa gave the same answer she always had. Yes, she could move back to her hometown. But no, she didn't want to.
Childhood was a nice place to visit but Alexa had no intention of living there again.
But the question was different. More half-hearted. Her stepmother Val's gaze kept drifting to the doorway, as if she were checking for an invisible newcomer.
"Who are you expecting?" Alexa finally asked, sipping tea from Val's grandmother's priceless china set. "And why are you so damned nervous about it?"
Val jumped at least an inch off the sofa, violently clattering her tea cup in its saucer. Alexa flinched. She'd grown up being repeatedly told how valuable the china set was and to see it abused just emphasized how strange everything was that day.
"Oh, it's just Nikky." Val laughed loudly. "That boy will be the death of my peace of mind."
'That boy' was Val's twenty-five-year-old son and Alexa's half-brother. He was also the source of constant grief in Val's life, which was part of the reason Alexa detested him. But that was only part of the reason.
Alexa wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. Why is he coming? Doesn't he know that I'm here?"
Val shot to her feet, walking swiftly over to the sideboard so Alexa couldn't see her face. "Oh, darling, can't you get along with each other? It breaks my heart to see you drift apart. Sometimes I think you don't even try to like Nikky."
"I don't like Nik."
"You did once," Val said, turning back to face her, a small crystal glass now between her fingers. This was the way Alexa knew her, with her favorite tipple always in hand. The tea drinking must be a new ritual, one that didn't match well with the balmy California weather.
"I'm thirteen years older than he is," Alexa pointed out. "We didn't get along because we had nothing in common. Actually, I can't think of a brother and sister who have less in common, even if we are just half-siblings."
Val's expressive face twisted. "Maybe it's because—"
Nik was standing at the door behind his mother, so it was only Alexa who saw the effort the older woman made to smooth out her features before she turned around.
"Nikolai!"
The pure joy in Val's voice when she greeted her son always brought a lump to Alexa's throat. Her own mother had died when she'd been a toddler, and it had been a decade before her father had met and married Valentina. As a stepmother, Val was warm and caring, but the passionate love she showed her son was very different in degree.
Val went over to hug him. "I'm so glad you're here."
He looked—as usual, Alexa noted critically—as though he'd just rolled out of bed. His fair hair was tousled and the jeans and T-shirt he wore were incredibly casual and none too clean, yet he gave off enough energy for five men. She could feel it pouring off him, even from across the room.
Nik used only one arm to return the hug. The other hand was occupied with a partially eaten apple. He was constantly eating—to the point where Alexa could barely picture him without some sort of food in hand—yet she conceded that he must need the calories because his tall, lean frame never seemed to gain any extra weight. Val was the same way, though she was built like an elegant greyhound rather than a Siberian husky, but Alexa had to vigilantly watch what she ate.
Nik grinned at Alexa over his mother's shoulder. "I take it you needed the reinforcements, Mom. What's Lexy been doing to you now?"
There it was in a nutshell, the reason she hated Nik. His casual assumption that the tension in the room he'd walked into was her fault, rather than part of Val's inexplicable mood, his unnecessary levity—did the man take anything seriously?—and the fact that that all of his glaring personality flaws had always worked in his favor.
Of course, Alexa now had a more personal reason to detest her half-brother, as if she needed one. She struggled to stay silent. She really did. Nik stared, an interested and amused witness to her internal battle.
"I'm not doing anything!" Alexa burst out. "I just got here. Val was just harping again on the same old things."
Nik chewed the last of his apple, eating the core and all, which she considered a revolting habit.
"About you and me?"
The linkage was too intimate but she nodded anyway, feeling foolish for defending herself and annoyed that she had once more found the need to do so.
What was it about her younger half-brother? They simply needed to occupy the same city for her to be all anxious and prickly. Part of the reason she'd moved to Chicago years ago was to escape him, yet she was left feeling that her decision had given him more power than he deserved.
Nik walked over and sat down on the couch right next to her—too close. She had to cling to the arm to avoid tumbling into him. His expression stayed mild as she glared at him. His densely blue eyes usually carried a twinkle, even if it was buried deep inside, as it was now. Why did it often seem as though he was laughing at her? And what, exactly, was the joke?
"Shared blood is an accident of fate," Alexa said stiffly. "It doesn't mean that there actually exists a 'you and me'."
Val perched on a chair, her thin hand holding the fragile crystal glass as if it were an extension of her arm.
"Oh, Alexa. Must you be so hard-hearted?"
"Me?" Alexa protested, her hand automatically moving to tap her chest. "I'm hard-hearted? What about him?"
A hundred memories rose to the surface of her mind. All the times he'd been the center of attention while she—older and more reserved—had faded into the background. It never helped that he always seemed to want nothing better than to follow along in her wake like a silly puppy. Then, when they got older, how he never introduced her properly, just saying her name, as if they were no relation at all. Or calling her his stepsister, as if the blood tie disappeared at his command. Those small gestures never stopped hurting, not until she forced herself to ignore them.
"I'm friendly and lovable," Nik said. "The only person who's never loved me is you."
"What is there to love?" Alexa muttered, the memories filling her ears with a terrible insistent buzzing. She got to her feet. "Excuse me, but—"
"Darling, stay," said Val, instantly concerned. "Please."
Alexa stayed poised on her feet, uncertain.
"If you hate me so much," Nik said, "you'll want to stay and hear what she has to say."
"Please," Val said again.
"All right." Alexa sat back down, careful this time to leave as much space as possible between herself and Nik. "I'm listening."
Nik closed in the gap between them, settling his arm along the back of the couch. He wasn't touching her, so she couldn't complain without sounding like a disgruntled child, but the weight of his arm was worse than a physical shackle.
Why did she hate him so much? With an effort, Alexa forced her attention back to her stepmother.
Val was telling the same old story—her favorite—about how she and Alexa's father first met. She'd told it about a thousand times in Alexa's hearing and probably a couple of thousand more at dinner parties and the like. It was as if she was anxious to explain how a well-to-do widower ended up married to a much younger immigrant from newly born and tumultuous Russia.
Alexa already knew why. She loved Val and all, but marrying a man twenty years older then quickly getting pregnant with his child was a path to wealth and security, nothing less. Val had had a hard time in the former Soviet Republic so Alexa didn't blame her. It helped that her father had so obviously been happy with his second wife, right up until his death.
A hand appeared before her face, snapping its fingers several times to gain her attention.
"I'm listening," Alexa said instantly.
"No, you're not," said Nik. "Not that I can blame you. I've heard this story enough times to recite it like the Pledge of Allegiance. Get to the point, Mom."
Val's speech sputtered to a halt. Then she sighed. "I thought I could… But this is so difficult. You tell her, Nikolai."
Nik narrowed his eyes at his parent. "You said I shouldn't."
"Well, I cannot."
The resulting stony silence stretched Alexa's nerves to their limit. Some holiday this was turning out to be. Everyone had gone nuts.
Alexa could sense Nik turning to face her, but she refused to meet him halfway. If he wanted to tell her whatever it was, he would have to do it on her terms.
"Don't call me that!"
"Why not?" he asked, his voice velvety. He moved the hand ranged behind her a scant inch so that the thumb rubbed against the sensitive curve of her nape. "It fits you. Sexy Lexy."
Tears sprang to her eyes, blurring the vision she had of her stepmother staring transfixed at the two of them. He was mocking her again, just like he always did. Paying her compliments that were so far from the truth that they were clearly sarcastic. He seemed to get a perverse pleasure from it.
"I hate you," she whispered, blinking hard against the tears. She'd promised herself long ago that she would never let him see how much he got under her skin but she suspected he knew all the same.
"And I'm crazy about you," Nik said, the words as caressing—and unsettling—as his fingers. "You always give such good reactions. Always."
The hard emphasis on the last word made her turn her head to watch him, warily, as one would a tiger in the jungle. Suddenly it was there in the air between them, that night two years ago, when everything went to hell on a one-way ticket.
"You're disgusting," Alexa told him.
He smiled faintly. "So you keep saying."
When had she…? Oh, that night. Of course she'd called him disgusting. What else did you call a man who tried to make out with his sister?
She'd slapped him. Hard. She thought she would remember that slap forever—the feel of his cheek beneath her palm, the redness in his face afterward. But no, all she remembered now was the taste of his mouth, smoky and sweet, all at once.
Oh no, she was just as awful as he was.
"He's not your brother, Alexa."
The words burst from her stepmother, putting an effective end to Alexa's pained thoughts.
Her reaction was slow, very slow. Nik's hand was still possessively cupping the back of her neck. She couldn't think straight with him so close.
"Of course Nik's not my brother," she finally said, a little shakily. "He's my half-brother."
It was strange that Val would emphasize the point now, when she'd spent Nik's entire life trying to convince Alexa that she should be closer to her little brother.
An odd smile curved the older woman's mouth. "You hated him on sight. Right at the hospital you took one look at him and asked us to send him back. You wanted him to be a girl."
Anything further from the sweet little doll-like sister she'd wanted, Alexa could not imagine. Nik was too much of everything—too tall, too forceful, too energetic. But, most of all, he was too male. He sucked up all the oxygen around him, leaving none for anyone else.
Nik startled her by speaking quietly, almost into her ear. "Aren't you glad now that I was a boy?"
"No." She tried to lean away from him. Tried to push away the memory of how much closer he'd once been, how overwhelmingly masculine he'd felt pressed up against her. "Shut up."
He did lean back a bit, shooting a glance at his mother. "See the abuse I put up with?"
Val shook her head. "I tried to get you two to bond, but you were never interested, Alexa. Sometimes I thought it was because you sensed the truth."
"The truth?" Alexa repeated this tantalizing phrase. "What truth?"
"Tell her," Nik urged. "I can't live like this anymore."
Another fact dawned on Alexa. "Nik knows? How can Nik know and I don't? He's a kid."
The hand at her neck tightened. Restrained as the movement was, it very effectively conveyed the massive strength of him.
"I'm twenty-five," said 'the kid'. "All grown up—or don't you remember?"
Alexa flinched away from the threat inherent in that taunting question. Was he going to tell?
Book Length: NOVELLA
Genres: CHRISTMAS
Reviewed by Crystal Blogs Books
The sexual tension was like no other. Like a voyeur, I didn't want to look away. Such an explosive relationship that one spark and your Kindle will go up in flames. This is the 3rd novella from Nan C...
Brother's Keeper is the newest novella in Totally Bound's Sexy Snax snapshot. I love these quick and spicy reads and this one fit the bill nicely!
Talk about spiciness!! Hot sex...
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Snow Fire


The change management process has many layers involved in driving transitional periods for organizations. In practice, it relies on models from organization design, systems thinking, psychology, and much more. There are two major kinds of organizational change; change that is planned and pushed for growth or improvements, and change by circumstance. Each situation applies to individuals and larger enterprises.
While a business can adopt a variety of models based on their organizational needs, it's important to know the change management tools and techniques that help drive change. This article will help uncover some of the general steps and tools needed to help businesses plan and develop for change.
Managers and supervisors play a key role in managing change. Leaders of the change management team can use two devices to help deploy change with other managers.
Project team leaders can compare the buy-in index survey to each assessment, resulting in insight into the challenges and opportunities they may face during the change process. Once assessments are in place, the change management team can assist other department managers throughout the entire process, by developing training requirements to get them properly on board to enforce the change.
The final step involves identifying key problems within the organizational change from collective feedback from employees, and reinforcing solutions at each individual step. In the form of an after-project review, leaders of the change management team view the entire program and evaluate the successes and failures to identify process changes for the next project. Common tools to be used in addition to the review include Q & A Sessions and process/technical walkthroughs.
According to Smartsheet, a SaaS company, businesses must account for eventual conflict from employees and other managers, due to the apparent risks of a change. A project team that has a conflict management system in place can help leaders anticipate and prepare for resistance and better manage individuals who might threaten the success of future projects.
These steps comprise the key components of a change management process and create a system for managing change. Great leaders of change management teams apply these elements effectively to minimize the negative effects of the change and ensure project success. These steps can be an effective starting point for any organization that seeks to move forward in a new direction.
Explore the entire change management process and chat with the BOS team today!
Gratitude in the Workplace How Is Technology Changing The Spaces We Work In?


There are lots of things we need to think about on a daily basis, things like, what we have to accomplish today, what time we need to get the kids to a play-date, the questions we might have for our doctor at an upcoming office visit.
But there are lots of thoughts that really are not worth thinking.
Any thought that helps you indulge in an unhealthy behavior, makes it harder to engage in a healthy behavior, or causes you to fall prey to a stressful emotional state is probably not worth thinking!
Thinking about what you want to do, even if it is unhealthy, makes it more likely that you will do it. Thinking about how much you don't want to do something that would be of benefit to you makes it more likely that you will procrastinate doing it.
Our thoughts impact us emotionally. Some thoughts can cause you to suffer the stress of sorrow, resentment, anxiety, and disappointment. Thoughts like these lower our motivation, our vitality and even our immune system. They rob us of the ability to fully appreciate the present moment and to relate well with the people in our life.
It's important to distinguish between responsible strategizing and pointless worry. Worry about something going wrong has no constructive value. In fact it is destructive. Thinking about what you can do to achieve what you want is constructive.
Thinking about how other people are more fortunate than you are, for example, makes you feel worse off. Without that thought you might feel fine.
Thinking about your goals and imagining achieving them can fill you with motivation, the motivation you need to take action to achieve them.
It's unfortunate that not everyone realizes that they do not have to accept every thought that comes into their heads. You don't have to think about smoking that next cigarette or eating that second piece of pie. You don't have to think about how much you dislike exercise.
When you recognize a thought working counter to your interests, and realize that you do not have to dwell on it, you can let it go, and find yourself feeling so much better and doing so much better.
Make a list of the thoughts that you don't want to think about, thoughts that make it harder for you to do what you know is good for you to do, easier to do what you know is harmful for you, and thoughts that cause you to suffer pointless emotional pain.
To compose this list, observe your thoughts carefully throughout the day. Notice the ones that are not worth thinking. As you recognize these thoughts, write them down.
As you build your list of "thoughts to not think" carry it with you everyday, and periodically glance at it throughout the day. This will help you remember to be on the alert for the habitual thinking that really does not serve your interests.
You can then more quickly and easily avoid and let go of "thoughts to not think" and focus on something else, like your present moment experience, the task at hand or your goals.


Q: how to solve the conflict between the IP address of the telecommunication cable and the Ftth Olt Huawei SmartAX MA5683T 2 PON Port GPON EPON OLT? After handling the Telecom Optical and broadband, when we set up wireless router to access the Internet, we often encounter such a situation: after entering 192.168.1.1 in browser, the setup interface of Telecom Optical cat appears, rather than the setup interface of wireless router.
Answer: in the browser, input 192.168.1.1 appears the telecommunication light cat login interface, is because the light cat and the router's IP address conflict result in; the solution is to modify the router's IP address, after modification, it can login to the router setup interface normally.
1, disconnect the router with the cat, and let the computer connect to any of the LAN (1, 2, 3, 4) ports in the router, as shown in the following figure.
2, at this time, enter the browser in the browser: 192.168.1.1, you can open the Huawei Xghd Gpon 8 Port 10G Board Of Huawei Ma5800 X7 Ma5800 X15 Olt Equipment login interface, and enter the password to login to the setting interface.
3, click the "network parameters" -- >LAN port settings >>the right IP address is changed to: 192.168.2.1 >Click Save, then prompt the router.
Warm hint: when the router is restarted, you need to enter the browser in the browser: 192.168.2.1, to be able to re - login to the router's setting interface.
4. Use a network line to connect the WAN port of the Telecom to the cat and the router, as shown in the following figure. At this time, input in the browser: 192.168.2.1 can successfully open the router's settings interface, can set up the router Internet, wireless WiFi.


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text:
Posts Tagged 'botulism'
Milk powder scare will cause long term disruption
It may be a statement of the obvious, but the effects of Fonterra's botulism scare will last much longer than originally hoped or imagined. Its impact on New Zealand's international trade reputation gives the impression of being more disastrous than an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, always assumed to be the biggest disaster that could possibly happen. (more…)
Tags:AgResearch, Boston Consulting Group, botulism, China, Danone, Foot and Mouth Disease, infant milk formula, John Key, Russia, Sri Lanka, Theo Spierings, Vladimir Putin
Posted in Agribusiness, Biosecurity, Consumer demand, Dairy, Economy, Export trade, Fonterra, Food safety, Livestock, Meat industry | 1 Comment »
The botulism scare that wasn't
So Fonterra's botulism contamination problem wasn't a problem after all according to the tests conducted by the Ministry for Primary Industries. It is most unfortunate that Fonterra got it so wrong that it felt the need to wear a hair shirt and submit itself, not to mention its own management, the government and the country as a whole, to the worst public relations disaster imaginable.
The original tests were carried out by AgResearch which still stands by its test results, but according to MPI's tests by global experts, the whey protein contained a different gene from the Clostridium botulinum.
MPI took it seriously, the government took it seriously, Gary Romano fell on his sword and two managers have been dismissed. China was completely spooked by the prospect of infant deaths, while Russia and Sri Lanka have discovered an opportunity to place bans, temporary or otherwise, on New Zealand dairy production.
Infant formula manufacturers will have suffered untold damage to their businesses, from image, financial and future sales perspectives.
The damage to our image abroad has been incalculable. When newspapers all over the world take delight in writing headlines such as '100% Manure' and question our right to promote our tourism industry on the back of our clean, green environment, one wonders whether we can ever recover from this single mistake.
The answer is that we will in time, but perhaps nobody will ever really believe the 100% Pure claim again, even if it was never meant to be taken literally.
Having said that, the recent spate of food safety problems, among them the apparent discovery of traces of chemicals which weren't there, is not all that surprising when one thinks about it.
New Zealand's exports are massively weighted towards agriculturally based food products, all of which have the potential to pose more or less serious food safety issues. This is why MPI's inspection regime is so comprehensive, although the dairy production problems may suggest to an outside observer that the systems in place are not as failsafe as they should be.
Only a couple of days ago Greens spokesperson, Stefan Browning, has called for MPI to stop the practice of allowing meat companies to carry out some of their own inspection procedures and revert to all meat inspection having to be performed by AsureQuality's meat inspectors. Browning said the meat industry is potentially a comparable risk to the dairy industry.
Therefore it's a great relief that the systems didn't actually fail in the case of Fonterra's dirty pipes. Someone who ought to know told me more than a week ago that there would be no traces of Clostridium botulinum found in the whey protein, so it all appears to have been a big fuss about nothing very much.
However there is a question as to whether all food safety has suddenly been compromised by a fall in standards caused by devolving responsibility to the companies which produce or process the food products. There is no evidence of a sudden drop in standards in spite of recent events, although conspiracy theorists will assume that independent Government employed inspection has been compromised by companies being allowed to inspect their own products.
In this case it was a test by AgResearch, a Crown Research Institute, that provoked the contamination scare, although presumably the product had already been cleared by Fonterra's in house testing laboratory.
In the dairy industry there are 49 Approved Recognised Agencies including both independent testing agencies and company owned laboratories. This latest chain of events does not necessarily invalidate this testing structure.
There would appear to be potentially a long queue of people and organisations looking for compensation, including dismissed managers, infant formula manufacturers whose businesses have been undermined, Tourism New Zealand whose brand has been dragged through spilt milk powder and all those businesses which depend on our international reputation.
It is ironic that Fonterra has just announced its highest ever payout to farmers which will of course be great for the economy, but that might not be enough to compensate for the damage caused by the company's PR disaster.
Tags:100% Pure, AgResearch, AsureQuality, botulism, China, Clostridium botulinum, Gary Romano, Greens, infant formula, meat inspection, Ministry for Primary Industries, Nutricia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Stefan Browning, Tourism New Zealand
Posted in Agribusiness, Biosecurity, Dairy, Economy, Export trade, Fonterra, Food safety | Leave a Comment »
Fonterra problem highlights danger of being a one trick pony
It's a change for the dairy industry to capture the negative agricultural headlines instead of the meat or kiwifruit sectors. Unfortunately for everybody in New Zealand the dairy industry has become such a critical and large part of our economy that the whey protein botulism scare has already caused, and will continue to cause, major concerns for our global dairy trade.
Only last week Fonterra was again the star of the economy with a $3 billion boost to farmers' earnings because of a 50c lift in the payout. Yet this week the company's very scale has been called into question. People are now asking whether Fonterra can survive its third health scare in five years.
Even if this is unnecessary scaremongering, another question which would have been unthinkable a week ago is being asked. Is Fonterra too big for the country or, to quote the Waikato Times, its gumboots? This ought to make those calling for one mega meat company hesitate for a moment, before they find that they are asking for something which may contain the seeds of its own destruction.
Fonterra is one of New Zealand's few businesses of global scale, if not the only one, so it seems unduly critical to question its size. After all if only we had some more companies like it, it wouldn't stand out as such an exception. Within the dairy industry worldwide, Fonterra is only one of a number of big companies, alongside Nestle, Kraft, Danone and others, but there are some key differences which make its and New Zealand's position more sensitive to problems like this.
In spite of having substantial parts of its business in South America, Australia and China, it remains essentially a New Zealand company, synonymous with this country. The vast majority of the milk it processes comes from its New Zealand farmer shareholders.
Unlike the other major dairy companies listed, Fonterra is not particularly well diversified, deliberately so. It has specialised in being a supplier of ingredients to food manufacturers rather than creating consumer products and brands, apart from its domestic brands like Anchor and Mainland. To the outside observer this has appeared to be both a successful and logical strategy less demanding of scarce resources than trying to match global FMCG companies like Nestle, Kraft and Danone.
Another weakness is the increasing importance of China as a market with its special emphasis on infant formula. Each of the three health scares, Sanlu melamine scandal, DCD residues in milk and the latest possible presence of botulism, is seen as a serious threat to the lives of Chinese children. Each time New Zealand dairy produce and its clean, green image have been compromised.
Fonterra's handling of its public relations has not been as surefooted as it should have been. The melamine problem was not Fonterra's fault, but the last two issues have both suffered from inexplicable delays in fronting up and admitting there is a problem. With DCD the repetition of the phrase 'there is no food safety risk' tended to be swamped by the perception of a cover-up because, between Fonterra and MPI, disclosure was delayed for four months.
But this latest scare has been traced to a problem with a pipe more than a year ago and tests have been going on for several months until the problem was disclosed last Friday. The Chief Executive Theo Spierings has flown post haste to Beijing to manage the Chinese fallout, leaving the Gary Romano, MD of New Zealand Milk Products to handle the constantly moving PR situation.
This may be the most appropriate division of responsibility and, to be fair, Romano has always been available to talk to the media. But there has been contradictory information emerging at various times and MPI's Acting Director General has also been making statements without having all the information he might have wanted.
In addition Fonterra's Chairman John Wilson has been conspicuous by his total silence which has led to calls for his resignation from some dairy leaders.
The overall impression is of a company which is in complete control neither of its production processes nor its public relations. This is not good for New Zealand, quite apart from the damage it will have done to Fonterra and its customers, and raises questions about the appropriateness of one company being allowed to have such a disproportionate impact on the country's global reputation.
Fonterra is by no means the only business to suffer damage to its business or its reputation. Danone subsidiary Nutricia and many other manufacturers of infant milk formula, indeed all New Zealand dairy related businesses, will be adversely affected.
The question has to be asked whether it's good for New Zealand to be so reliant on the dairy industry and also whether Fonterra itself is in danger of becoming a one trick (or product) pony.
Tags:Anchor, botulism, China, Danone, DCD, food safety, Gary Romano, John Wilson, Kraft, Mainland, melamine, Ministry for Primary Industries, Nestle, San Lu, South America, Theo Spierings
Posted in Agribusiness, Consumer demand, Dairy, Economy, Export trade, Fonterra, Meat industry | 1 Comment »


Finally I am back from my weekend trip to Singapore. It was fun albeit tiring. I came back with a new wallet, lack of rest, sore feet and a sense that the weekend was well spent.
I spent a total of 23 hours awake on Saturday for having to wakeup and board Airebus that departs at 7.30 AM sharp. All the passengers of that bus were upgraded to business class seats. However, the air conditioning wasn't functioning properly. Due to some miscommunication between my pals, I had to shop around and lunch by myself for a moment. Fortunately, I chanced upon the jovial Mabel who happened to hang around at Scotts road before heading to gym. What coincidence it is to bumped into her. It was great to catch up and hear her boisterous laughter again.
The rest of the day were spent shopping along Orchard Road and people watching with our Singapore host, Kin Yew, Mavis and the rest of the crew. Headed down to Ministry of Sound as our main event of the trip. Everyone was pretty whacked after supper at McDonalds and doze off in our taxi ride back to home at 4+ AM. Yeah, Singapore's supposed to be safe like that.
Below is my new wallet. Come to think of it, it is the first wallet that I purchased for myself. I have always been using and drop wallets which are gifts from other people.
The magnificent yield now stands at 34.87% YTD. I have accounts in two separate funds with gains of 11.99% and 19.73% in slightly more than 5 months. Have been increasingly feeling uneasy of this vertical hike. Should I sell all and realised the profit? I'll have to come back at a -3.64% rate later.
Update: I was right but I missed the spike by 2 days. In just two days, the NAV has shed 2.75% and 5.44% respectively. Anyhow, I'm betting on a lower entry level in the near future. How low? Well that's the next guess.
Update 2: May not be the spike. Have sold both funds and I hold nothing now. The yields which I've sold at are 10.25% and 14.29%.


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A middle-aged patient at Mount Carmel Hospital died after contracting Legionnaires' disease from the water system, the Times of Malta has learnt.
Although the incident happened several weeks ago, no official statement was issued by the health authorities, and staff members and patients were left in the dark regarding the presence of the bacteria.
Sources said the man, in his 50s, was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital complaining of shortness of breath. He died in the Intensive Therapy Unit after days battling for his life.
Legionella is normally linked to poorly maintained air-conditioning and water systems and humidifiers.
Sources close to the mental health hospital said it was a well-known fact that the water system at Mount Carmel was "primitive" and seemed "like it belonged to the Middle Ages".
An investigation found the patient contracted legionella from the showers
"We all know in what conditions the patients here are kept. Even the staff is at risk," one source said.
The Health Ministry confirmed the discovery of legionella bacteria at the hospital but attempted to minimise alarm by stating that "immediate action had been taken".
A spokeswoman said the patient was transferred from Mount Carmel to Mater Dei Hospital after suffering shortness of breath and that tests for legionella were positive.
Sources said an internal investigation had concluded that the patient contracted the disease from the showers, but this was not confirmed by the ministry.
"The administration at Mount Carmel Hospital conducted a review of the wards concerned and took immediate action to eliminate any possible source," the ministry spokeswoman said.
Last year, sections of the new Parliament building in Valletta had to be closed off after legionella bacteria were found during routine tests on the showers.
Earlier this year, traces of legionella were found in the hand basin of a men's toilet at the President's Palace in Valletta, which hosted the ministerial meetings during Malta's presidency of the EU.
What is Legionnaires' disease?
Legionnaires' disease is caused by exposure to a bacterium that is found in water and soil. It ranges in severity from a mild influenza-like illness to a serious and sometimes fatal form of pneumonia.
Symptoms include fever, headache, lethargy, muscle pain, diarrhoea and sometimes coughing up blood. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.
In most cases, the disease affects people over 50 years of age with weak immune systems or chronic illnesses, smokers and those with a history of heavy drinking. Most people exposed to legionella do not get sick, and the disease does not spread directly between humans.
The public health threat of legionnaires' disease can be reduced by regular maintenance, cleaning and disinfection of water and air-conditioning systems to minimise the growth of legionella bacteria.
There is no vaccine currently available for legionnaires' disease.
Source: WHO


This item is not displayed in any of our retail stores. In addition to buying it online, it can be purchased at a retail store if you provide a sales associate with the item #234771.
What is the floor to seat height?
The seat height of the Iron and Wood Bar Stool is 28''.
Shopping Basics What Is Elements?