T-SPLOST defeat among year’s top local business stories

Change may be coming in how Georgia leaders expect to grow business in the coming years. A state that has built its base of jobs and headquarters in part on companies lured from other states seems to be focusing more on organic expansion.Interlocking security cable ties with 250 pound strength makes this ideal for restraining criminals.

There’s no way to ignore the spoils that came in 2012 from bringing operations of big companies South,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale turquoise beads from china, however. Think: Caterpillar, Baxter International and General Motors

CAT came first. In February the Illinois manufacturer confirmed it would build a $200 million heavy equipment plant and distribution center near Athens that would eventually employ 1,400. What’s more,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. CAT figured its suppliers would in time relocate 2,800 more jobs down South, many to Georgia. Ultimately, the facility will mean nearly 5,000 total jobs, economists said.Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability.

Baxter, an Illinois maker of vaccines and medical devices, said in April it would build a manufacturing plant in Stanton Springs, about an hour east of Atlanta where 1,500 employees could end up working when the $1 billion facility becomes fully operational in 2018.

Voters in July rejected a transportation sales tax proposal called T-SPLOST designed to alleviate traffic woes that have vexed business people worried about the impact on future development.

The 10-year, 1-percent sales tax would have funded various improvements, and business leaders supported the idea. About $6 billion in revenue would have paid for 157 projects in the 10-county metro area, with additional funding for smaller local projects. The business community warned that without the improvements it would be hard to attract employers to the region in the future.

One site selection consultant termed transportation Atlanta’s “Achilles heel,” and business leaders initially put a positive spin on the ballot box thumping. But a Metro Atlanta Chamber strategy unveiled last month emphasized internal growth, an indication, perhaps, that the area’s ongoing transportation issues won’t be any help in attracting jobs from outside the state.

It had to be music to the ears of Falcons owner Arthur Blank when the Georgia World Congress Center Authority began to sing from the same page this month to the tune of a $1 billion (give or take) play palace. A deal was roughed out under which the club would pay the bulk of the construction costs and keep most of the revenue from the new stadium, while the public would pick up a third of the building cost, funding it through an extension of the bed tax. Details have to be cobbled together that would allow state legislators to make it happen.

Opponents said Blank and his team didn’t need financial assistance, and that the Georgia Dome (which would be leveled) is hardly an antique at 20 years old. Too, there was concern that the economic development potential was overrated, and that the spinoff business from a new stadium wouldn’t be much more than that of the old one.

An updated Cape-style house that sits in a quiet, close-knit neighborhood within walking distance to downtown Westport represents the affordable housing options that exist within the borders of the largely affluent community.

The brown cedar-shingle house with white shutters at 6 Willowbrook Drive in the Coleytown section of Westport is ideal for families with young children because it is a safe place for them to play and ride bicycles.

Willowbrook is a cul-de-sac, and the road it feeds into is a one-way street. The current homeowner, who grew up there in the house her father built in 1960, said some families from other parts of Westport actually visit her neighborhood for Halloween because there is little traffic, and therefore it is a safe place to walk around.Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products.

This house packs a lot into a modest 1,872 square feet of living space. On the first floor, there are four rooms, including the master bedroom and a flexible room that can serve as an office or bedroom. Upstairs, there are two large rooms, as well as a kitchenette, which would lend this space to serve as an in-law suite.

The house is situated on a plot of land that is 0.15 of an acre in size. The house is set back from the road on a slight incline with slate stairs that lead from the street level to the front door. Inside, the foyer, right hallway and kitchen share the same terra cotta colored Mexican tile flooring with hand-painted tile inserts.

The same painted tiles comprise the backsplash in the kitchen, which could use some updating; however, it is certainly adequate and the owner said her mother managed to cook easily there for a family of six.

Also included in the kitchen is an L-shaped counter, a second counter area, GE ceramic cook top, a Kenmore wall-mounted oven, and a door that leads to the wood deck and the fenced-in backyard.

The living room has a yellow brick fireplace with a raised hearth topped with a slate slab. The living and dining rooms have crown molding.

Swedish Retreat

Patti Howell recalls visiting a place outside of Copenhagen where she saw an image so striking, she relives it today. She walked through a restaurant with five rooms, each paneled by different colors. She looked out of the window,Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing, at a white mare standing in a field of yellow mustard flowers with a thatched-roof cottage in the background.

The whole area was so natural. That country is so beautiful, the interior designer says.

To Howell, that moment was part of her inspiration to design a retreat in Wilmington, harkening back to the Swedish style. She teamed up with local builder Jimmy Doster to create one of the first custom homes in Autumn Hall.

Their idea of bringing light inside appealed to me because I love a light
interior, Howell says. The homes are so light and bright inside, it made the cold weather nonexistent.

In designing her new home, Howell says she incorporated Swedish design elements. While the Swedish style is dominant in
her home, she says it also leans toward a San Francisco style and includes some
St. Augustine architectural elements as well. These include balconies, large overhangs and the use of louvers.

Howell worked with the architect to add personal choices, including the louvered portion of the loggia, the trellis around the garage window, the large overhang and the shape of the feature windows in the living room and the kitchen.

The curved front door,Installers and distributors of solar panel, arched foyer, textured walls and paneled wainscoting are all characteristic of the Gustavian style. The paneled board, she says, is always painted, always light. Theres a character to it that allows the light to come in.

Rounding the corner into the living room, Howells love of light is evident. The room is brightened from the painted beams on the ceiling to the light floors underfoot. The beams are painted white, but because of the treatment, the grain is revealed.

Howell carefully selected her pickled oak hardwood floors. She had seen a sample she loved in Florida, but the timing didnt work, so she carried the sample to a local shop that is no longer in business. The shop was able to produce the floor boards in house. Through the process of racking dry laying the boards in a desired pattern she was able to achieve the look she wanted.

When they were through, it looked like a million bucks, she says.

The limestone mantel and surround was shipped in three pieces. Howell vetted several masons to find one that was able to assemble it. Large glass doors flank the fireplace,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. allowing light to pour inside.

The secretary in the living room is an antique inherited from Howells mother. It showcases Howells collection of blue and white porcelain and china. The house was actually designed with her mother in mind, as Howell planned for her to live there. But she passed away at age 92, just before the house was completed.

For me, the artwork came first all the time, Howell says. The dining room showcases a Claude Howell landscape an unusual style for a beloved local painter.
As a friend of the late Howell, she jokingly referred to him as cousin. Living in Toronto in the 1970s and 1980s, she acquired many pieces of art, most notably a Pierre Bonnard sketch, which became a study for the c. 1935 Bather series.

Howell mixed her paint tints onsite. The kitchen is bright and fresh, with tones of sand, white and sea glass. The cabinet doors were inspired by trips to the islands.

I had seen some doors on a Bahamian cottage and took a picture. It was tucked away,The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. and I pulled it out and took it to the shop, Howell says. Hollingsworth Cabinetry built doors reminiscent of the Bahamian doors, which she painted a color called sea glass.

The center island and some countertops are Italian marble, while the countertop surrounding the sink is a rare piece of chocolate brown limestone. Over the limestone is a custom wall covered in coquille stone from the southern islands of Florida. The room is polished off with Italian floor tile in a variety of sand tones.

A cozy nook between the kitchen and the hall to the laundry room and guest bath has built-in benches looking across the terrace.

The side yard is a truly unique space, achieved by Howell working with Josh Mihaly of Mihaly Land Design. It features a multi-leveled terrace running along the side of the house, incorporating oversized stone pavers separated by mondo grass.

They built the wall along the sidewalk and filled in the side yard to raise the terrace to the floor elevation.

Its a seamless grade between the house elevation and the courtyard, Mihaly says. Its a long lineal garden that goes from the driveway to the finished floor elevation. Its a classic example of how to get the most out of a really tight space,High quality stone mosaic tiles. he says.

Because the terrace is up high, it offers an unobstructed view of a nearby pond, essentially blocking the view of the sidewalk and street.

It creates a seamless view using the grade and the surrounding landscape, Mihaly says.

The yard is made up of all plants no grass including classic southern plants and formal hedges. The materials and design work are an extension of the home, Mihaly says.

Downstairs are two bedrooms, each with its own bath, which Howell had planned for her mother, as well as a live-in caregiver.

A home office sits at the top of the stairs, which houses design books and files for her business, Howell Interiors. Just around the corner is her haven the master suite.

This room happened as a result of two watercolors my mother had, Howell says. One was Dufys At the Races. The other is a large green and blue reproduction of a French fabric design, Lillies, by Paule Marrot acquired at Paysage, which hangs over the nailhead-trimmed white headboard. French doors open to a Juliet balcony.

The wood clad tray ceiling is Bermudian in style.

I dont think a room is ever well-decorated until its well-trimmed. I do love good trim work, she says. With trim work, its important to know what works historically, she says. Trim gives character without lots of accessories.

The bath is serene in white, highlighted by the Carrara marble countertops. Howell
had the shower door and the bath custom made.

Design hunting is in Howells bloodline. Her father was an architect in Gross Pointe, Michigan, building for auto industry executives.

Pennsylvania’s Banking Modernization Package

H.We mainly supply professional craftspeople with crys talbeads wholesale shamballa Bracele ,B. 2369 amended the DOBS Code to grant the Department the authority to impose a civil money penalty of up to $25,000 per violation against an institution, or any of its officers, employees, directors, or trustees for: violations of any law or Department order,engaging in any unsafe or unsound practice, or breaches of a fiduciary duty in conducting the institution’s business.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. This is a significant enforcement tool that the Department can use against institutions that violate Pennsylvania law.

Another very significant amendment to the DOBS Code is the repeal of the requirement that the Department issue prior warning to an institution, or its officers, employees, directors or trustees, before initiating an enforcement action. Thus, the Department can issue an order against an officer, employee, director, or trustee of an institution for a violation of law, engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice, or breaching a fiduciary duty. In addition, the Department can immediately suspend those individuals if the Department believes that the institution, its shareholders, or depositors have suffered or may suffer significant financial harm or other prejudice from that individual’s continued involvement with the institution. Should the Department prevail at a post-removal due process hearing, the individual could be disqualified from working not only for the institution he or she was removed from, but from working for any Pennsylvania institution, credit union or licensee, for a period of time to be determined by the Department. While the initial removal order will remain confidential, any final order issued will likely be published on the Department’s website.

Third, the amendments to the DOBS Code clarify the Department’s authority to issue "orders" such as cease-and-desist orders, orders to show cause, consent agreements and orders, and notices of fines pursuant to five of the 12 statutes under the Department’s jurisdiction, which, as codified, do not provide the Department with the ability to "order" corrective action or money penalties for violations of those acts. See the Check Casher Licensing Act, 63 P.S. 2304; the Consumer Discount Company Act, 7 P.S. 6212; the Credit Services Act, 73 P.S. 2190; the Money Transmitter Act, 7 P.S. 6110, and the Pawnbroker License Act, 63 P.S. 281-8. New section 202.D provides the Department with "order" authority so that it can better enforce the laws under its jurisdiction and no longer has to rely on the attorney general, district attorneys or other law enforcement authorities to initiate enforcement actions to enforce those statutes.

Fourth, the DOBS Code was amended to permit the release of certain information with the public regarding institutions and credit unions similar to the 2008 amendment to the DOBS Code, which permitted the Department and its employees to share certain information to the public without violating the confidentiality provisions of section 302. In addition,One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. the institutions themselves will be permitted to disclose formal enforcement actions similar to orders issued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Federal Reserve Board without making a prior written request to the Department.

The DOBS Code amendments expand state "visitorial powers" over national banks to comply with Dodd-Frank’s codification of the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Cuomo v. Clearing House Association, 129 S.Ct. 2710. The Supreme Court held that the New York attorney general’s law enforcement power – for example, the power to enforce non-preempted laws such as New York’s fair lending law – is distinguishable from the supervisory power over national banks, which is a power exclusive to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency . Dodd-Frank codified the Cuomo opinion and provides that state attorneys general may initiate civil actions against national banks and federal savings associations in order to enforce regulations of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB"), certain other applicable federal laws, and state laws not preempted by federal law. However, such power does not extend to enforcing Dodd-Frank in general, except as noted.

Accordingly, Pennsylvania’s attorney general can initiate civil actions against national banks, federal savings banks, and state-chartered institutions with respect to Pennsylvania’s non-preempted laws, as well as to enforce Title X of Dodd-Frank and regulations promulgated by the CFPB. It will be interesting to see if the attorney general attempts to initiate such actions against national banks, especially when Pennsylvania’s Democratic attorney general is sworn into office in January 2013.

The attorney general’s ability to initiate civil actions against financial institutions, credit unions, licensees, foreign financial institutions, national banks, federal savings associates or their subsidiaries will be subject to approval of, or brought at the request of, the Department. If the attorney general refuses to initiate an action at the request of the Department, new section 506 of the DOBS Code provides that the Office of General Counsel ("OGC") may initiate an action on behalf of the Commonwealth. However, Dodd-Frank only authorizes an attorney general or the attorney general’s equivalent to initiate actions against national banks or federal savings associations. It is questionable whether the OGC, as the attorneys representing the governor and agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction, is the equivalent of the Office of Attorney General, which is an independent agency with the authority to represent the governor or administrative agencies in civil action in Pennsylvania pursuant to the Commonwealth Attorneys Act. 71 P.S. 　732-201, 732-301.This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from.

The DOBS Code has further been amended in light of Dodd-Frank to clarify that the Department can examine subsidiaries of national banks and their employees in order to enforce state consumer financial laws to the extent not otherwise preempted by federal law. Subsidiaries of national banks and federal savings associations doing business in Pennsylvania should anticipate examinations by the Department for compliance with state and local laws and regulations as if such laws and regulations apply to Pennsylvania state-chartered institutions and their subsidiaries. In addition, the DOBS Code has been amended to grant the Department the authority to share information with the CFPB, such as reports of examination.

New section 506.I of the DOBS Code provides that Pennsylvania’s consumer financial laws not otherwise preempted by federal law apply to national banks and federal savings associations and their subsidiaries as though they are state-chartered institutions. Dodd-Frank provides that state consumer financial laws are preempted only if:the state consumer financial law would have a "discriminatory effect" on national banks; the state consumer financial law "prevents or significantly interferes with the exercise by the national bank of its powers" in accordance with the Supreme Court decision in Barnett Bank of Marion County, N.A. v.Trade platform for China crystal mosaic manufacturers Nelson, Florida Insurance Commissioner, et al.the "State consumer financial law is preempted by a provision of Federal law other than." See section 1044 of Dodd-Frank. In addition, section 1044 of Dodd-Frank codified the Barnett holding by providing that a reviewing court shall assess the determinations of the OCC, the reasoning, the consistency with other determinations, and any other relevant factors for the court. Finally, the amendments clarify that state consumer financial laws also apply to foreign financial institutions, which include institutions regulated by other states and other countries.

Lastly, the provisions of new section 506 of the DOBS Code make it clear that no other Pennsylvania agency or political subdivision may exercise the Department’s powers and responsibilities without express authorization by the Department. Such agencies would be permitted to enforce any other permitted power so long as enforcement is not related to or incidental to the banking or financial activities, or operations or conditions of such entities. The restrictions on initiating enforcement actions in no way impact the Pennsylvania attorney general or municipal and law enforcement agencies’ ability to commence criminal proceedings against financial institutions.

The next generation local stores

With growing retail space and changing consumer behaviour, the retail market in India is poised for a strong growth. The sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13%, and according to the Investment Commission of India, it is likely to grow three fold from its current size to $660 bn by 2015. Organised retail is growing at a rate of 15-20%. Irrespective of the phenomenal growth in organised retail in recent years,Load the precious minerals into your mining truck and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot. local kiranas and traditional family-run stores in the unorganised sector still account for about 93% to 95% of Indian retail market. According to a recent report by consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), there are over 12 mn mom-and-pop stores in India’s unorganised sector. While mall-based shopping formats are gaining popularity in most cities, kirana stores offer credit and apply flexible conditions for product returns and exchange. Apart from these factors, neighbourhood locations, personal services etc are among the strengths of the unorganised retail sector.

That said, the unorganised sector lacks access to modern technology to run the business and adoption of information technology is still at a nascent stage in the sector. Traditionally, the sector has not adopted IT due to reluctance of the retail store owners to automate operations. According to a survey conducted by the Indian Council for Research, fewer than 10% of the unorganised sector retail outlets use billing software. Fewer still. have access to Internet and network connectivity. And less than 7% use a card-payment device.

However, rising competition is prompting the unorganised stores to change and go techy to tap the new opportunities. With the government amending rules to make way for foreign direct investment in the multi-brand retail, local retail shop owners now need a paradigm shift towards technology and process implementation. To compete in urban markets and middle-class neighbourhood, kirana owners must adopt at least basic automation, say experts.

According to Sachin Sharangpani, Vice President of Sales and Markets Manufacturing, Retail & Services, Atos India, there is a huge need for unorganised retailers to build processes and use technology to support their business processes. However, there is no specific one-size-fits-all technology package for retailers. Multiple factors -starting from basic technology knowledge and expertise to store location, products, size and online operations make the needs unique.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles.

“Although a PC-running point-of-sale (PoS) software, barcode scanner and billing printer are basic requirements for a retail shop,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from.” said S M Ramprasad, Deputy General Manager, Consumer Product Group, Epson India. “They also need to adopt a solid retail platform and back-office functionality. This will help them retrieve data on what is selling, what is contributing and what is not working,” he said. Most of these are offered by managed service providers and the cost of entry is negligible. Next, a reliable Internet connection and a low-end computer opens up a world of possibilities for the small merchant where a host of Cloud-based solutions can help manage assortments,Quickparts builds injection molds using aluminum or steel to meet your program. inventory and replenishment as well as distribution, logistics and accounting.

Seeing the rising opportunity in this space, service providers and solution vendors have started offering solutions that integrate the value chain for kirana operators, connecting wholesalers and vendors. These solutions, which are often free to small merchants, help manage sales and inventory and replenishment. In exchange, service providers monetise their solutions by offering consolidation of kirana business volumes for wholesalers. Additionally, thanks to proliferation of consumer channels such as mobile and social applications, unorganised retailers have a unique opportunity to modernise their operations and engage their customer at a new level.

A retailer can start his IT journey with a simple PoS system. Karthik Shivasankaran, Proprietor of Chennai-based Ravi Pharmacy, felt that a PC-based PoS solution with bar-coding system will help retailers like him to improve stock management and control, and to get more in-depth cash and financial reporting. Understanding the specific problems of unorganised players, vendors have started to make tailour-made PoS solutions for the unorganised sector. “There are various new billing solutions used by retailers that benefit the unorganised sector. The customised computer-based billing solution is fast gaining importance for industry verticals such as retail,” said Narang. Low cost, easy to use, flexible solutions which can be installed easily are now available in the market.

For the store owners, Cloud computing is addressing two important barriers -making technology more affordable and eliminating the need to commit to ongoing maintenance and upkeep of these assets. “Relative ease of entry and widespread adoption of Cloud has unleashed innovation and enabled technology startups develop and deploy software solutions in record time with little capital investment. Computing resources are offered by services providers in shared hosted environment, which create economies of scale for users of technology. Software applications running in Cloud are typically available through web browsers running on inexpensive computers, mobile devices or tablets,” said Natasha Giannopoulos, Associate Vice President, International Operations, LoyaltyOne.

Another technology that is fast catching up in the retailing space is mobility. Mobile penetration is predicted to reach most of the population by 2015. At the same time according to IDC’s latest mobile phone tracker data, smart phone penetration has increased by 68% last year and will continue this trajectory for the next few years. These factors, together with low set up costs and little additional infrastructure investment create a natural opportunity for the retail operators to use mobile as the medium to communicate with customers. “Low-cost tablets are becoming available for unorganised retail sector along with accessories such as scanners and printers which can also be used as PoS.Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. Many of the apparel stores are already adopting the same which also help the sales person in detailing the product, capturing the order and billing,” explained Sharangpani of Atos.


Although the use of IT is increasing in the unorganised retail sector, there are still certain challenges faced by the sector because the IT systems are widely dispersed in nature. For many players, computer literacy remains to be an obstacle. How does a player select, install, integrate and maintain the technology he/she needs? How will you train employees to operate it? How do you manage the online presence? Such queries remain a concern for many. Also, most shopkeepers are scared of ongoing costs of operating and upgrading technology. Resistance to change is another big trouble. “At the heart of the challenge facing the retail industry in India is a lack of effective mechanisms to maintain visibility of product flow from sourPortsmouth prepares for annual First Night eventsce to consumer.

MINUSTAH and the Overthrow of Jean-Bertrand Aristide

A former French colony called Saint-Domingue in the Western side of the Spanish Island of Hispaniola erupted into a Slave revolt against France. The revolt cost the lives of over 100,000 blacks and over 20,000 whites not including innocent civilians caught in the crosshairs of the revolution. The new Haitian Republic was born and won its independence from France in 1804.High quality stone mosaic tiles. It became a free Republic that abolished slavery and became a center of inspiration for many African slaves across the world.

But since the Haitian Revolution and it’s resistance to slavery, Western nations has managed to keep Haiti enslaved.High quality stone mosaic tiles. From Internal conflicts that divided Haiti to successive dictatorships and a constant fear against a French invasion in the decades that followed, Haiti has always experienced a struggle for freedom. When President Theodore Roosevelt introduced “The Roosevelt Corollary” in a 1904 address to the US congress in relation to the Monroe Doctrine, he mentioned the fact that the US will intervene on the side of Europe who was in constant war against their former colonial possessions in Latin America if any new conflict were to arise from that point on. In 1915, the US Marines lead by Major General Smedley Butler, occupied Haiti under the orders of US President Woodrow Wilson to protect US Corporations and to prevent a people’s revolution. The occupation lasted until 1934.Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. Then after the US occupation ended, Haitians chose a national assembly and elected Stenio Joseph Vincent as President of Haiti with US approval turned out to be an Authoritarian President.

And of course, the United States was its’ number one trading partner. Then followed President elie Lescot who was ousted in a 1950 Coup by Army General Paul Eugene Magloire, another US approved presidency since he was anti-Communist. In 1957 Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier became President-For-Life, of course with US approval until 1971. Then his son Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier became his successor until a popular revolt of the Haitian people in 1986 removed him from power. Under the Duvalier Dynasty, over 60,000 Haitians were killed and tortured by the Tonton Macoutes, a death squad created by “Papa Doc” who routinely used machetes and guns to murder his political opponents and anyone who spoke negatively against his regime. Many people were burned alive and hung in public.

Top Members of the Tonton Macoutes were leaders of Voodoo which did earn them unlimited authority and the respect of the Haitian people. After Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was removed from power, the Tonton Macoutes were still active in other death squads for years to come, many eventually ended up in the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Ha?ti (FRAPH), A creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Haiti’s relationship with the United States, France and Canada in the past decades is a contributing factor to the Haitian government’s failed political and economic policies that has had a negative impact on its people.

Then Jean-Bertrand Aristide came on the national stage. An educated former priest who was born into poverty, managed to inspire the people to participate in building a new democracy in Haiti. Aristide’s influence among the Haitian people concerned Western nations especially the United States. It was also a concern for the Haitian elites. As a Priest, Aristide began to recruit youths to attend church, so he organized weekly youth masses. He founded an orphanage for urban street children in 1986 called “Lafanmi Selavi” or “Family is Life”, a program that was a model of participatory democracy for children who participated. Aristide became a leading voice for Haiti’s poor majority, but he became a target for assassination as they attempted to murder him on numerous occasions. Aristide announced his candidacy for the presidency in 1990 and in a six-week campaign with his supporters formed a political party called the “Front National pour le Changement et la Democratie” or the “National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD). Aristide was successful and was elected President with 67% of the Haitian vote defeating US-approved candidate Marc Bazin, a former World Bank official. Haiti’s first Democratic president was elected by the people. Democracy was finally becoming a reality,Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, but the United States and its’ Western Allies were not keen on the new President’s policies concerning his politics of change, economics or his war on drugs. His ideas for Democratic change enabled him to become a leading figure among the Haitian people. This was clearly not in Washington’s best interest.

On September 29th, 1991 a Coup d’etat took place under then US President George H.W. Bush that toppled Aristide by Army General Raoul Cedras, Army Chief of Staff Phillipe Biamby and Chief of the National Police Michel Fran?ois with support from the CIA.Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing, He was replaced by Superior Court Justice Joseph Nerette for a short period of time until a new president took place with US approval. The coup was condemned by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the Organization of American States (OAS) in October of that same year. The new Haitian regime that replaced Aristide was only recognized by the Vatican City where the head of the Roman Catholic Church “the Pope” exercises legislative, executive, and judicial powers. Vatican City believed that Aristide’s “incitement to hatred and violence” was not in line with the principles with the Catholic Church. Talk about “truth is stranger than fiction”. The irony is that Aristide was a former Catholic priest who was appointed to St. Jean Bosco church to help the poor. It was located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. However, with Vatican City condemning Aristide’s actions gave Washington ‘Carte Blanche’ to proceed with the Coup d’etat since the church Aristide was associated with condemned him.

But what was the main reason behind the Coup against Aristide a short time after he assumed the presidency? It was evident that his strong opposition to drug smuggling on Haiti’s territory was the main reason why he was forced out of public office. General Raoul Cedras and Police Chief Michel Fran?ois, a graduate of U.S. Army’s School of the Americas (SOA) now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) were accused of drug smuggling under CIA supervision.

As reported by Dennis Bernstein of the Pacific News Service October 20th, 1993 that American Representative and Democrat John Conyers of Michigan was quoted as saying “I’ve been amazed that our government has never talked about the drug trafficking…even though it is obviously one of the major reasons why these people drove their president out of the country and why they are determined not to let him back in. We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars of illegal profits that are having disastrous consequences for the American people”. Aristide’s anti-drug crusade put him at odds with the Washington, the Haitian Military, and the political and business elites who opposed his policies. In an interview conducted by WBAI, 99.5 FM Radio News Program in New York City with Patrick Elie, former head of Haiti’s Anti-Narcotics Unit discussed who was behind the September 30, 1991 coup d’etat against Aristide.

Chiang Rai grows its art

Chiang Rai is finding various clever ways to toss off perceptions of it as a northern backwater, not least by becoming a role model for art communities. Early this month ceramist Somluk Pantiboon led a hundred Chiang Rai-based artists in launching the Khua Silapa (Art Bridge) Project.

They'll begin welcoming fellow artists and other interested folks, including tourists, to their "art hub" starting in February.

Khua means "bridge" in the northern dialect, and for this project it refers to connecting art to society as a whole. It had its origins in the Chiang Rai Artist Fund, established with the inspiring help of National Artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, who donated 500,000 baht (US$16,000) to get it going. The fund supports those who toil for little pay and educates youth about art's necessity in life.

Somluk realised a wholly sustainable community of friends helping friends was needed in the long term. The Khua Silapa Project will be housed in a pavilion with artwork on view for visitors. Non-artists will be able to just hang around in the friendly atmosphere and soak up the creative vibes.

For financing, apart from the sale of art and snacks, they're offering shares in the project, priced at 1,000 baht to 10,000 baht.

"Chiang Rai seems like a seed that's growing, but it's dependent on its surroundings," says Somluk. "We have to build a sustainable community, and the Khua Silapa Project will give young artists a space to display their work.

"Art museums and galleries struggle to make ends meet, so we envision Khua Silapa as an easy-going hangout for local people and tourists, a perfect place to have a meal with friends and shop for creative goods.High quality stone mosaic tiles.

"We believe it will also attract more artists, collectors and curators to move to Chiang Rai."

"This is a social enterprise, but we're hoping to compel the government to support an arts community here by starting it ourselves," says artist Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, another co-founder. "We're letting everyone join in by buying shares.

"Chiang Rai is growing, and we have information on all the artists working here, which we'll use to further develop the art centre in the future."

The 500-square-metre pavilion is in fact a two-storey former Chinese learning centre, refurbished by Somluk for Bt5 million. There'll be a gallery, art school, restaurant, cafe, library and souvenir shop.

Somluk drew on the decor of his own Doi Din Daeng studio, outfitting the building in a modern style that still reflects rural life. Friendly to the environment and inexpensive to maintain,The oreck XL professional air purifier, it has no air conditioners and is cooled instead by breezes. The furniture is old wood and a giant wooden entrance door is adorned with a mosaic made from floral tiles.

The ground floor has the gallery for temporary exhibitions of works by young and veteran artists around town. Native Chiang Rai artists will display bamboo sculptures in animal shapes and other forms that evoke nature.

And when the Asean Economic Community comes into being in 2015, display space will be available for work by artists from Vietnam, Laos, Burma and south China.

The souvenir shop will stock handicrafts such as textiles woven by artisans in Sob Moei district in Mae Hong Son, and herbal and handmade goods from publisher Suan Ngen Mee Ma.

"This should be an inspiration for improving the skills of local craftsmen," says Angkrit. "They can learn about which products sell best and what the quality should be so they can sell at a higher price."

The open-air restaurant promises to be a delight in the evenings, with delectable local dishes and beverages offered by veteran chefs and a beautiful river vista. Doi Chang will have its own cafe on the premises.

The art school on the second floor will train anyone who's interested in the basics of watercolour painting and art history. Future plans also call for overnight accommodations for artists there.

"I did some research on artists' homes in Chiang Rai and I noticed how hard it is for them to set up their own studios," says Mae Fah Luang University instructor Pollavat Prapattong.We mainly supply professional craftspeople with crys talbeads wholesale shamballa Bracele ,

"The Khua Silapa Project will be another place for artists to show their work and another way to keep the town beautiful and pleasant. It will make people understand that being an artist is an honourable career.

"The artists in Chiang Rai have passed on their inspirations from generation to generation, and that explains why we had no trouble putting together a joint project like this."

Today,One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. the TeachHigh quality stone mosaic tiles.ers’ House, as it is known, provides an intriguing contrast to the modest, low-rise architecture of Athenians’ prized suburbia. Hardly beautiful as a structure, the unimpeded sea view from the tallest tower’s 15th floor, standing 56 meters above street level, is enough to send Greece’s skyscraper lovers, who have few such buildings to admire, into paroxysms of joy – or, at least, touch those who are moved by the qualities imbued in a massive concrete edifice.

If every home has a story to tell, then these modernist high rises use a language rarely observed in Greek abodes.

A decorative motif of rose, peach and tan tiles – possibly a failed effort at whimsy – and a series of gray ellipses girdle the apartment block from its flat roof to its base, emphasizing its horizontal axis almost as if embarrassed by its towering size. At least it can take pride in its generously wide balconies, a rare sight in the high rises of the West.

Sitting in his beige easy chair, Mr Leonidas, a pensioner and for years Block C’s superintendent, yarns about his home’s beginnings, back when they were just a spark in one dreamy literature teacher’s eyes. In the late 60s, Nikolaos Stamatopoulos, who taught at the private Leontios School, traveled to Italy. “He was so impressed by the rows of apartment blocks designed for workers that he decided to get together with some of his colleagues to build a similar apartment building, just for teachers,” says Mr Leonidas. It remains a mystery whether his desire was also fueled by the ideals of a modern academic utopia.

The Teachers’ House was designed by architects Stavros and Angelos Vaseiliou under the junta-era development statute “Law ΑΝ 395/68 on the Heights of Buildings and Free Construction,” which allowed for the construction of tall buildings with up to 28 inhabitable levels. After myriad technical challenges and one bankruptcy, the block was completed in 1973, albeit without the roof garden and ground-level shops foreseen in the original plans.

Along with the “Twin Towers” at its northern end, the Teachers’ House is still considered a landmark, a recognizable anomaly, by commuters who drive along the otherwise monotonous Mesogeion Avenue.

As the years passed, however, the block’s academic character was diluted. “There were fewer teachers per se and more of their spouses, and cousins and children,” says Mr Leonidas. However, the buildings retain the triumvirate of superintendents, a residents’ council and the porter.

The cracks that appeared after the 1981 earthquake were covered over by an outer shell of concrete and the whole exterior was spruced up with a generous Olympic Games-era grant, but inside the shabby hallways, the passage of time cannot be disguised.

Abundant offerings

Jordan Faye Contemporary has stuffed the walls of its new space in an old Mount Vernon mansion on Park Avenue with so many pictures that one might be forgiven for imagining that Gertrude Stein has miraculously arisen from the dead and come back to her old hometown. Every inch of wall space—including the bathroom—is crammed with paintings from two simultaneous shows and sculptural pieces occupy every surface.

The first and far more populated of the shows, Small Wonders and Spectaculars, is an annual show that began six years ago as a way for people to begin collections with smaller works from a wide variety of artists. The pieces on display this year are generally small, but they are neither thrown-together nor slight. Unlike so many of the city’s shows, the rhetoric surrounding the works doesn’t stand in as an excuse for poor execution. The strange wood, leather, and metal half-sex toy, half-weapon pieces by David Page function as a seductive introduction to the artist’s oeuvre, whose shapes and textures straddle the violent line between natural and fetish. Kate MacKinnon’s large (Jordan Faye Block added “Spectacular” to the “Small Wonders” tagline to allow for larger works), highly worked-over “Grey” paintings, hung above the stairs, with their super-gloss, also act as an introduction to her work as whole. There is something austere about the works of both these artists, but they are also generous—neither artist is condescending or overly hip—and highly crafted.

The same holds for some of the smallest works on display. Jim Doran’s miniature cutouts in small tins (think antique versions of Altoids) are meticulous in their Edward Gorey-like scenes of the macabre. “The Ghouls and the Grackles” is only a couple inches high, but its scene—a red skeletal figure standing over a casket in front of three bird-faced men in suits, in a finely appointed Edwardian parlor—packs more punch than many larger works. It’s the best use of artistic real estate in town.

Edie Nadelhaft’s “Better Living thru Chemistry” series consists of a number of oversized pill capsules marked with internet acronyms like LMAO, WTF, or OMG. The joke doesn’t last very long—the works wouldn’t hold up in a solo show. But amidst such an abundance, they are charming,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory. eliciting a smile and perhaps a chuckle, even if they don’t cause one’s ass to fall off. Donald Edwards’ series of “junk warriors” are as immediately arresting, but their sly humor also lasts longer. Rabbit-like figures sculpted with found junk, twine, metal, beads, wire, and hardware manage to come across as both creepy and endearingly cute. Their multilayered construction also turns them into a sort of puzzle that can sustain longer contemplation as one teases them apart. Nadelhaft and Edwards manage to be whimsical, without using it as an excuse to be lackadaisical.

As with any show featuring so many artists, some pieces fall flat. There is a certain comic-book charm to Lawrence Cromwell’s oil and wax paintings, but without the profusion of other works surrounding them, they may seem merely spazzy. As it is, they add to the overall tone without having to carry too much weight.

Lori Larusso’s work—her solo show, Particulate Matter, which occupies one wall in the gallery, and other, related works throughout the space—also benefits from the company of other artists’ creations. In fact, Larusso’s 17 acrylic paintings of cakes and pies seem like filler (or, more charitably, dessert). They are all surface—surface is not as finely worked as one may hope, however. There is an appealing gloss to the monochromatic backgrounds, but the sweets themselves lack both definition and perspective. They are neither enticing nor disgusting: They are simply there.

It may be that the dessert comes across as unappealing because Larusso’s main course is so substantial. The series of eight paintings engage the eyes and the mind as they use the wall space around them to create perceptual puzzles. “Dirt and Glitter,” for instance, consists of several shaped panels painted with acrylic. At eye level, it’s a cutout painting of a hot tub with three black trash bags lying against its side. A few feet below that, a life-size painting of a trash bag on a panel of the same shape rests on the ground. Here, Larusso’s deft touch with a paint-brush is evident. She creates exactly the sort of sheen one would find on the plastic surface of a real trash bag, stuffed full of unevenly sized debris.

“If You Can Bake a Cake, You Can Make a Bomb” makes a similarly brilliant use of space and of shadows.Load the precious minerals into your mining truck and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot. A carton of eggs explodes in a jagged array of yolk and running whiteness an inch off the wall, allowing the shadow of each extrusion to set it apart in a heavy outline. Diagonally above it is a KitchenAid mixer, placed just so, as if in an idea-bubble above the mess. Another panel, “Responsible Fun,” hangs in the bathroom and depicts a patio table with a yellow umbrella and a slide that descends into a pale-blue swimming pool out of which an alligator climbs. These works are so successful because of the tension and the harmony between the shapes of the panel and the images painted on them. “Past Your Bedtime” and “Shift” both attempt to create the lonesome disorientation of staircases—in the case of the former, it echoes Proust’s narrator in Swann’s Way, listening to the adults from upstairs; the latter evokes the more Hitchcockian sense of looking down a spiral flight—through disjunctions of space and color. The shaped panels insist that everything in the paintings and even the space between them become foreground, eliminating background altogether. They are both fun and easy to “get” on one hand, and on the other, pay homage to the century-old explorations of space made by, say, Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase.Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products.”

The Melodrama has been a holiday tradition for many years and provides wholesome entertainment for the whole family. Come and Boo the Villain and Cheer for the Hero as they make their way through this traditional comic play. Always great for children of all ages, this is an audience participation event.

In addition to the play, the public may purchase tickets to a drawing as the Grand Arts Council has been the lucky recipient of a beautiful oil painting to help raise money the Council. This piece of art is an original oil painting from a local Colorado Artist. Tickets for the drawing may be purchased for $5 each or five tickets for $20 throughout the Holiday Melodrama. Our winner will be drawn on New Year's Eve.

“Belle of Grand Lake” is, in true melodrama form,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with crys talbeads wholesale shamballa Bracele , a classic tale of good and evil. As the show opens, we learn that Belle Wallaby's little red schoolhouse is going to be auctioned off to satisfy her bank debt. And on the Fourth of July, too. She has been living simply, but poor Tessie hasn't been paid in six months; however, Smelter Joe points out that you get what you pay for. Belle has been educating the illiterate miners and children of Grand Lake for a year, but she also harbors a shameful secret. Amelis Dunk, local artiste, arrives to see if Belle has any gold or diamond tiaras that she wants to sell.

Meanwhile, Tom Good, the best rock miner in Colorado, has devised a plan to save the little red schoolhouse. Tom is in love with Belle, but for some strange reason she refuses to set the date for their wedding. He shares his plan with Ida Mae, one of Belle's students, but swears her to secrecy. Pinkham Mudstone III, a stranger in town, plans to bid on the schoolhouse, but he harbors a dastardly scheme and a vile secret. As the townspeople and students gather for the auction and Grand Lake's Fourth of July celebration,China plastic moulds manufacturers directory. there is much excitement.

Elektrobit Brings Advanced Navigation And Speech Features

Consumers will greatly benefit from EB’s navigation solution for Volkswagen’s new modular infotainment platform. For the first time, drivers will have access to EB’s state-of-the-art navigation offering that includes rich graphics for mapping and convenient speech features.

EB’s technically advanced navigation software offers drivers attractive views, selection of alternative routes and integrated voice control. The infotainment system also features voice control that has been developed with the speech dialogue software EB GUIDE Speech Target Framework and features convenient speech destination entries for more than 50 countries.

“We at EB are proud that Volkswagen Group uses our navigation and speech dialogue technologies,” said Martin Schleicher , vice president for Infotainment Products at EB. “With the new Golf VII, consumers experience a new level of driving. EB software enables Volkswagen to offer the latest technologies in their vehicles fast and efficiently.”

Dr. Gabriel Schwab , technical project lead MIB at Volkswagen Ag explained that “infotainment systems like Volkswagen’s new modular infotainment platform have become a major differentiator for vehicle manufacturers.

“The demands regarding infotainment systems are rising perpetually, not only because more and more functions become available, but also because their design and character are becoming increasingly important for the brand character, no matter if a volume or high-end model. To cover this new diversity and to meet our requirements regarding usability and design, we need navigation solutions and software tools that offer maximum flexibility and quality. We at Volkswagen can always rely on EB’s support,” continued Dr. Schwab.

The small seaside city in northern Spain's Basque region is the world's ultimate foodie destination, with more Michelin stars per capita (currently 16) than anywhere else on Earth.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. Both Arzak and Mugaritz grace the top 10 of S. Pellegrino's World's 50 Best Restaurants. The city's charming Belle-époque-meets-avant-garde architecture is reflected in its cuisine: experimental with an old soul. Through abundant in private gastronomic societies, colorful markets and cooking schools, the greatest culinary adventure in San Sebastian is the pintxos crawl. Twice a day, hundreds of people pour into the streets, moving from bar to bar: tasting,High quality stone mosaic tiles. drinking and socializing over eclectic, artistic Basque-style tapas like anchovies, foie gras, beef cheeks and blood sausage.

The Republic of Georgia is one of the world's most fascinating up-and-coming culinary destinations. The tiny country's cuisine is influenced by its geography, resulting in a remarkable combination of Middle Eastern and Eastern European flavors. In Tbilisi you'll fall in love with khachapuri, a pizza-like flatbread stuffed with molten cheese. Other traditional foods include meaty soup dumplings, cilantro-spiked red beans, thick buffalo yogurt and unleavened bread cooked over hot coals.Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. And then there's the wine; Georgia invented it. According to oeno-historians, Georgia has the oldest recorded history of fermenting grapes to make wine, dating back to 5000 BCE. Today, an ancient technique of making wine underground in clay vessels called qvevri is being revitalized.Best howo concrete mixer manufacturer in China. Attend a supra, or Georgian feast, where food and wine meet traditional music.

A sprawling metropolis and Japan's third largest city, Osaka is Tokyo's bolder, grittier little sister with an affinity for junk food and punk rock. The city is referred to as the culinary capital of Japan, famous for it's foodie philosophy of kuidaore, literally "eat until you drop." Hit the neon-lit action of Dōtonbori Street and indulge in the Osaka's beloved snack foods. Takoyaki vendors dish out steaming hot, octopus-stuffed batter balls topped with sweet ponzu, mayo and bonito flakes. Try okonomiyaki, savory pancakes piled with a wild mix of ingredients, or deep-fried kusikatsu, Osaka's answer to tempura. Other must-eats include yakisoba, udon and the region's famous pressed sushi.

As Peruvian food gains gastronomic recognition worldwide, Lima's culinary scene is exploding. In 2011, restaurant Astrid Y Gastón entered the World's 50 Best list. Considered South America's culinary star, Lima's cuisine shines even at its most modest, from anticuchos, skewered beef hearts grilled street-side to pork-stuffed bodega sandwiches and late-night churros dipped in bitter chocolate. Traditional favorites include ceviche steeped in tangy leche di tigre and the Peruvian-Chinese influenced lomo saltado, stir-fried strips of marinated beef tenderloin. Currently, local chefs strive to break Lima's culinary mold, taking contemporary Peruvian cuisine to the next level, experimenting with haute ceviche and foraging unknown edibles from deep within the Amazonian forest.

Kiev is the food lover's Wild, Wild East with its wide boulevards, gold-domed churches, all-night parties, vodka, caviar and ruby-colored borscht. Get acquainted with Kiev's distinct cuisine at a low-cost cafeteria-style eatery, where dozens of national dishes are offered up daily like beet and herring salad and stuffed cabbage rolls. Embrace the kitsch of peasant garb, wagon wheels and stuffed farm animals at traditional-style restaurants and dig into pork fat, pickles and thick cuts of meat. Don't miss the varanyky, Ukraine's famous stuffed dumplings are boiled or fried, best served with pork cracklings and smothered in sour cream. In Kiev,Purelink's real time location system protect healthcare workers in their daily practices and OMEGA interventions. feast into the wee hours then hit one of the city's outrageous theme bars for a perilous pyrotechnic libation.

This is a city that eats dessert for breakfast -- tall cups of sweet, slushy granita -- in flavors like almond, coffee or lemon, served with a freshly baked brioche for dunking. Sicily's cultural history is reflected in its cuisine, with Italian, Greek and North African influences. Hit Palermo's food stalls for authentic fare from fresh arancini, deep-fried rice balls stuffed with ragu, to panelle, chickpea fritters. Adventurous foodies should sample the city's classic street food: pani ca meusa, an irresistible offal sandwich made with fried beef spleen tucked into soft sesame bread. Palermo restaurants serve up fresh-caught seafood: sliced swordfish crudo, thick tuna steaks and spaghetti con i ricci -- creamy, rich sea urchin roe. Finish off every meal with a sugar-dusted cannoli, Sicily's iconic pastry with a velvety ricotta filling.

Antigua is a vibrant, former colonial city and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Guatemalan highlands. Mayan culture is at the heart of the cuisine with recipes dating back thousands of years. Slow-cooked, multi-layered stews like the creamy, pepper-based subanik or pepian, a spicy chicken soup, are the cornerstones of Antigua's traditional food. A stroll through the bustling Central Market is an opportunity to sample the city's best street food, from chili-dusted fruits to grilled maize flour pupusas (of Ecuadorian origin) topped with pork cracklings and vinegar slaw. Makeshift eateries are set up in church parking lots where women dish out Guatemalan-style chile rellenos, deep-fried stuffed peppers with hot tortillas. Though Antigua is an hour from the ocean, seafood havens like La Cocina de Marina serve up fresh Guatemalan-style ceviche and savory fish stews.

Israel Says No Proof Poison Gas Used in Syria

Israel voiced doubt on Tuesday about the accuracy of Syrian activists' reports that chemical weapons had been used against rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

"We have seen reports from the opposition. It is not the first time. The opposition has an interest in drawing in international military intervention,'' Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Army Radio.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. "As things stand now, we do not have any confirmation or
proof that [chemical weapons] have already been used, but we are definitely following events with concern,'' he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gathered activist accounts on Sunday of what they said was a poison gas attack in the city of Homs. The reports are difficult to verify,Thank you for visiting! I have been cry stalmosaic since 1998. as the government restricts media access in Syria.

The Observatory, a British-based group with a network of activists across Syria, said those accounts spoke of six rebel fighters who died after inhaling smoke on the front line of Homs's urban battleground. It said it could not confirm that poison gas had been used and called for an investigation.

Asked about images purported to show patients being treated for possible gas poisoning, Yaalon said: ``I'm not sure that what we're seeing in the photos is the result of the use of chemical weapons. ''It could be other things,`` he said, without elaborating.

On Sunday, senior Israeli defence official Amos Gilad said Syria's chemical weapons were still secure despite the fact that Assad had lost control of parts of the country.

NoteCaddy Edge is an add-on tool to your Holdem Manager 2 HUD. It takes your data and provides badges and definitions to advise you on your opponents’ tendencies and how to exploit tHEM. You must own both Holdem Manager 2 and NoteCaddy Premium in order to use the software.

NoteCaddy Edge has released many updates recently, including an update for sit and gos. Its most recent update, however, was its biggest yet. It added 400 new definitions in its latest release for Holdem ring game players to bring the total number up to 640 definitions. There is a document explaining what each old and new definition means and how to react in real-time online poker play. If having all of these new definitions is too overwhelming and you wish to keep things basic but informative,Directory ofchina glass mosaic Tile Manufacturers, NoteCaddy Edge plans to release an Essentials version soon that will have far fewer definitions.

Its ring game Hold’em pack has not gone up in price yet, so you can still buy it for $99, which makes a great holiday present. Once the Essentials version is released, the Hold’em pack will increase to $199 and the Essentials pack will be $99. If you also play Omaha online, you can purchase this pack separately for $99 or buy a combo Hold’em and Omaha pack for $125.

Online sit and go grinders are not left in the dust. There is a reasonably priced $99 sit and go pack that includes 25 badges, 289 definitions, a custom HUD,This document provides a guide to using the ventilation system in your house to provide adequate fresh air to residents.If you have a fondness for china mosaic brimming with romantic roses, a custom HUD pop-up, and specialized NoteCaddy Edge spark graphs. The spark graphs are one of my favorite tools when I multi-table sit and gos since they are very effective in pointing out opponents' leaks in a hurry without needing to worry about definitions and badges.

One of China’s tech regulatory bodies, MIIT, is planning to reach its cold, bony hands into the world of mobile app development and sales. Exactly how that will turn out isn’t yet clear, but MIIT’s regulatory processes are the reason an iPhone takes an extra three months to come out in China. App developers are understandably concerned that they’re going to be slowed down — which can be a death sentence in the fast-paced mobile ecosystem — or censored, or very possibly both. Whatever happens with this round of regulation, I would guess that this won’t be the only time we see MIIT interfering in the mobile space in 2013.

Amidst all the 2012 in review madness, I thought it might be fun to turn our eyes to the future for a moment and make some predictions about what’s coming in 2013. Well, “fun” is a relative term. Call me a pessimist, but I think 2013 is going to be the worst year ever for China’s tech industry. Why?

China’s Great Firewall got an upgrade this month, and the blockage of many popular VPNs has already begun to affect businesses. There’s no reason to expect that will get any better in the new year, with government mouthpiece the People’s Daily calling for stricter internet regulation and reports suggesting the government may implement mandatory real-name registration for anyone who wants to get on the internet at all. All indications are that next year, China’s internet is going to be less free than ever before.

Now, are there some signs of good things, too? Of course. Smartphone and broadband penetration are up and will likely continue climbing rapidly throughout next year. Internet speeds are getting faster, and we might even see China’s first 4G network in 2013 (but probably not). Still, though, speed and access are less meaningful when the number of things you can actually do on China’s internet seems to be dwindling by the day.

The value of true beauty

George and Janet Fox didn’t have children. They were atheists. And due to their own chilly upbringings, they tended to poke fun at feelings they deemed sentimental.

Even though Uncle George and Aunt Janet were liked by friends and family in British Columbia, they regularly disappeared at Christmas, heading to California to be alone over the holidays.

Elaborate tree ornaments. Christmas cards galore. Stacks of holly-covered napkins. Bright red and green candles. And even a tall ruby angel with a golden halo, gently holding in her hand a sparkling star.

In their rather sneaky way, my beloved uncle and aunt had been into Christmas after all; they caught the spirit of the season by embracing things they considered beautiful.

Beauty can have that power. When a person feels transfixed by beauty, through nature, art, music or even the “beautiful” game of soccer, it can evoke a kind of spiritual feeling.

The experience of beauty can offer relief from numbness and despair, says spiritual writer Jay McDaniel, who frequently speaks in Vancouver. As such, he says, beauty often evokes gratitude.

In that way I sense my uncle and aunt’s hidden appreciation of Christmas beauty might point to something universal about this time of year.We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads from china,

Beauty has a way of grabbing hold of almost everyone,High quality stone mosaic tiles. even those who are a bit crusty. Indeed, a case could be made that the Christmas season is, ultimately, a celebration of beauty.

Defying the season’s long nights and melancholy, Metro Vancouverities queue to be bedazzled.

The eyes of the young widen with the magic of “two million twinkling lights” on the Stanley Park miniature train ride. VanDusen Gardens’ Festival of Lights features gnomes and carols in a fantasia.

Thousands immerse themselves in Capilano Canyon’s forest lights while crossing the precarious suspension bridge. Young and old gather in lines at the Hyatt to witness amazing gingerbread houses.

People rush for tickets for everything from school winter concerts to the Marcus Mosely Chorale Christmas.

The West Coast air is filled with splendour, as carols spill out to the streets, from trendy clothing stores and historic churches.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors.

Sanctuaries, bursting with their stained-glass windows, uplifting arches and warm candles, are suddenly packed.

Many who dress in their finest for spiritual services yearn for a realm of wonder and awe.

And millions of objets d’art come out of storage.

Objects like my uncle and aunt’s half-metre-high ruby angel, which seemed, despite their atheism, to convey an almost explicit religiousness.

Along with Santa, reindeer and chocolate trees, such Christmas paraphernalia are beautiful to some, schmaltzy to others. It’s often hard to make the distinction.

A glowing seasonal candle symbolizes the elusive nature of beauty. So does the strange calming trance induced by crackling fireplaces, even those on cable television screens.

The appeal of the Christian manger scene, featuring the guiding stars and baby Jesus, also depends on the eye of the beholder. It is an image of eternal hope, based on one Middle Eastern man’s short life; captured through the centuries in sculptures and icons.

Although beauty has, in recent decades, caught the attention of scientists and experimental psychologists, it has long been the obsession of artists, novelists and poets.

Far-reaching philosophers and theologians, from Aristotle to Hans Urs von Balthasar, also seize on the subject of beauty – injecting the crucial caveat that it has much to do with goodness.

Their important insight helps explains why movies such as A Christmas Carol and A Wonderful Life have become seasonal classics.

They are beautiful stories about troubled characters, Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey, who, through wondrous happenings, overcome greed, cynicism and despair.

Such transformative stories help illustrate why, when most of us talk of “beautiful” people, we are often not speaking of eyes, hips or hair. Sometimes beautiful people look rather ordinary.

And the Bible, from which the Christmas story springs, speaks a great deal of beauty. It describes the beauty of women, men, children, old people, nature, houses, flocks, temples and good actions.

But the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery notes beauty is also put in perspective in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures; they describe beauty as dangerous when used to deceive or seduce.

And, as the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast also spells out, the Bible makes clear that outer beauty does not entail inner beauty.Find detailed product information for howo spareparts and other products. And that physical beauty fades.

Nevertheless, Balthasar,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability. a major Catholic theologian, made beauty a central part of his vision.

“God is one, good, true and beautiful,” said Balthasar, considered the premier theologian of both Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict XVI.

The 20th century-Swiss thinker, who endured the horror of two world wars, suggested the best way to spiritually appeal to non-religious people is to ask them to ponder their experience of beauty. He called it “the esthetical encounter.”

“Though people may glaze over when one makes claims of truth and goodness, their ears seem to perk up at the mention of beauty: The flash of lightning across the sky, the dramatic auburn colours of a late summer sunset, a sublime snatch of music whether it be Mozart’s Requiem or a David Gilmour guitar solo,” writes Monsignor John Cihak of the Catholic archdiocese of Portland, Ore.

“Since most non-believers like to consider themselves open-minded, Balthasar capitalized on that desire by helping them see the mystery of Being as revealed in beauty.”

Balthasar not only believed churches should be elegant, and the celebration of ritual passionate, but that most of all the lives of Christians must be beautiful, radiating divine love.

For Christians, Balthasar took an extra step. He linked beauty with the incarnation of God in human form, which is what is marked each year at the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.

Which raises a hard question surrounding celebrating a baby who would end up suffering a horrible death: How can beauty be associated with a crucifixion?

Balthasar’s answer was Jesus’s death on the cross was the “supreme moment of transcending beauty, a revelation of love visible in the world, yet pointing to a love beyond this world.”

Parking As Residential Incentive: Where?

Most recently, at the Dec. 19 meeting of the DDA’s operations committee, the discussion focused on location: For which of the six public parking structures would monthly permits be sold? The developer of the 624 Church St. project would prefer that the project be allowed to buy permits in the Forest parking structure.

The Forest facility, a joint venture of the DDA and the University of Michigan, is the structure closest to the proposed residential development. According to the developer’s Nov. 28 submittal to the city, the 13-story project would include more than 80,000 square feet of new floor area with the following configuration of apartments: 11 one-bedroom; 21 two-bedroom; 33 three-bedroom; and 11 four-bedroom units. That’s a total of 76 apartments, with 196 bedrooms.

The developer, Opus Development Corp., has already won approval from the DDA’s board to satisfy the project’s parking requirement without providing onsite spaces – by instead using the contribution in lieu (CIL) program. The CIL provides an option to purchase monthly permits, but the cost is at a rate 20% higher than standard pricing.

Discussion by the DDA operations committee on Dec. 19 centered around the issue of fairness: Would allowing the purchase of permits in the Forest structure give the developer of the 624 Church St. project an unfair competitive advantage in the South University area rental market? Raising the fairness issue was DDA board member Roger Hewitt, who owns Revive + Replenish, which is a tenant in the ground floor of the Zaragon Place on East University. Zaragon is a nine-story apartment building with almost 250 bedrooms, catering to the student rental market.

Other board members did not perceive the issue to be problematic, from the perspective of fairness to already-existing projects. And Susan Pollay, executive director of the DDA, pointed out that the decision to allow a project to purchase monthly parking permits is a tool that’s available to the DDA to help make a private development possible that otherwise would not be. In the case of 624 Church St., building parking spaces on that site isn’t feasible. Hewitt was concerned that the strategy – if the DDA allowed permits to be purchased at a structure very near to projects – might result in an incentive for developers in the future not to build any onsite parking.

The committee’s discussion was inconclusive, but committee members indicated they wanted to develop a formal policy on which parking structures would be chosen for monthly permits sold under the CIL program. The 624 Church St. project is due to come before the city planning commission on Jan. 15, so the developer would prefer to have the issue settled by then. But given the DDA’s desire first to establish a policy that would guide this and future decisions, it’s unlikely it will be finalized as early as mid-January.

Based on the committee’s discussion, capacity in the parking system does not appear currently to be a limiting factor on selling CIL permits. The committee also reviewed the latest monthly parking data, which shows continued increased usage of the new underground garage, Library Lane.

Revenues per space in the Library Lane structure are now beginning to approach those of on-street parking spaces, but are still the lowest of any facility in the system. That’s due in part to a discounted rate offered to induce holders of permits in other structures to move to Library Lane.

Also of interest at the operations committee meeting was a draft policy for holding events on top of the Library Lane structure, including the closure of the mid-block cut-through, Library Lane itself.

Roger Hewitt raised two issues of concern to him – fairness and the unintended consequence of giving an incentive to developers not to provide onsite parking spaces. He also felt there could potentially be a legal liability for the DDA.

On the fairness question, Susan Pollay – executive director of the DDA – indicated that the kind of judgments involved were already being made in the context of the DDA’s regular monthly parking permits program. She wondered what the legal liability could be. Hewitt responded by saying that if a developer spends millions of extra dollars to add parking spaces to a project, and a different developer in the future simply asks the DDA to purchase monthly permits, the project that’s been granted the right to satisfy parking requirements by purchasing permits could become a more profitable project.

Hewitt feared the DDA would be incentivizing developers not to build onsite parking spaces.High quality stone mosaic tiles. So he floated the idea that if N spaces were required, then only some percentage of N would be provided in a structure located close to the project. For example, he said, if the project needs 40 spaces, then perhaps 10% – or four spaces – would be provided in a location close to the project, with the rest provided elsewhere in the system.

Pollay again questioned whether there was any actual legal liability. DDA board member Joan Lowenstein, an attorney,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. indicated she didn’t think there was a legal problem – and the matter of fairness was one that’s to be addressed through an administrative process.

Hewitt reiterated his position – he was worried that in the future, because of the availability of the monthly permit options, “nobody builds parking.” DDA board member John Splitt ventured that it’s not completely clear whether a project that satisfies its parking requirement through the purchase of monthly permits would be more profitable than one that builds onsite spaces. He said the DDA doesn’t know what the return on the investment for a private developer is – one who charges residents for the use of an onsite parking space – to build those spaces. Hewitt ventured that the return is less than building “student dorm space.”

Pollay noted that the DDA was established to encourage new development, to increase TIF (tax increment financing), and that the contribution in lieu (CIL) of parking is specifically designed to encourage residential development. She stated that the only way the 624 Church St. project could be built – due to constraints of the site configuration – is if the CIL program were available.

DDA board member Leah Gunn noted that the only open question is the location of the monthly permits – because the board had already voted to allow 624 Church St. to purchase monthly permits somewhere in the system. She wondered if it were possible to sell some of the permits in the Forest structure and some elsewhere.

The conversation circled back to the question of fairness. Pollay asked if Hewitt was worried about fairness with respect to future projects or current projects? Hewitt seemed to indicate that fairness would dictate that existing projects should also have the option to obtain permits under the CIL program. Pollay stated that projects like Landmark and Zaragon Place are already built – so she didn’t see it as a fairness problem.

Landmark and Zaragon have onsite parking spaces, and those developments are renting the spaces to their tenants, Pollay noted. So Pollay said it seemed to her like those projects built parking spaces onsite because they chose to. Lowenstein ventured that it’s a competitive market, so the availability of onsite parking could be an advantage.

On the issue of fairness, Gunn asked if it was fair for Google’s parking permits to be subsidized initially, but not the parking spaces for Barracuda Networks. She allowed that employees of Barracuda are still getting a deal, because of the discount that the DDA has applied (for anyone, not just for Barracuda) to the cost of permits in the new underground Library Lane structure.

Gunn came back to her point that the DDA had already determined that the public parking system had adequate capacity to sell 40 permits to the 624 Church St.Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. project. The only question is where, she said. Responding to concerns voiced again by Hewitt,Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. Splitt suggested that the question of location could require “a bit more of a deeper dive.” Splitt didn’t want the choice of location for the permits to translate into a disincentive to construct onsite parking spaces.

Pollay suggested putting off a decision and asking city planning staff for their input.Argo Mold limited specialize in Plastic injection mould manufacture, She suggested forming a subcommittee. Gunn wanted clarification: Would the subcommittee focus just on the 40 permits for 624 Church St.? Hewitt stated that the subcommittee should work on a general policy on location, saying, “We need a policy to defend in public.” Splitt wondered if it might not be possible to approve the 40 spaces for 624 Church St. in a particular location without the general policy. Pollay suggested that it might be worth hearing from the DDA’s legal counsel.

Contradictions abound in explosion case

Monserrate Shirley faces the real possibility of spending Christmas Day inside a cell at the Marion County Jail, seperated from her 12-year-old daughter.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors.

If not by planning, her holiday incarceration is an advantageous convenience to investigators probing the explosion that leveled Shirley’s southside house November 10th as they look for a weak link to exploit in building their case in the fatal blast.

Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother Bob Leonard, Jr., face a Christmas Eve morning initial hearing before Judge Shelia Carlisle In Marion Superior Court #3. Each of the accused faces two counts of murder plus conspiracy to commit arson and dozens more arson charges.

Investigators say they have the physical evidence, eyewitness accounts and anecdotal and historical recollections that could send the trio to prison for the rest of their lives.

A confession from one of the three suspects would tie the evidence together and go a long way toward the healing process that is only just now beginning in the Richmond Hill community where two neighbors died,Whether you are installing a floor tiles or a shower wall, 12 were injured, 80 homes were damaged and the losses total $4.4 million.

Home insurance companies will be expected to make up the bulk of that loss.

Citzens Energy Group, with a natural gas product that was allegedly misused and an employee who unwittingly may have provided technical expertise to the accused conspirators, may face exposure to financial damages.

And Moncy Shirley will most likely spend Christmas Eve in the Marion County Jail, her own state of mind described as, “paranoid,” by her boyfriend according to the Affidavit for Probable Cause filed by the Marion County Prosecutor.

Shirley and the Leonard brothers each have their own alleged criminal exposures and histories that will play into decisions to be made by defense attorneys yet to be assigned to the case.

Therein lies the first conflict, which will be addressed Monday morning in court.

Shirley and Mark Leonard are both currently represented by his attorney Randall Cable.

Cable has defended Leonard in the past on a drunk driving charge and currently in Warren Township small claims court on a case regarding a disputed automobile title.

Cable was also served with a judgement against his client by a woman who told Fox 59 News that Leonard stole $71,000 from her in a 2011 scam.

Cable cannot defend both Shirley and Leonard against the Richmond Hill charges. He must pick one client over the other.

Leonard has a history of perpetuating scams on women, according to the probable cause, as well as a reputation as a, “con man,” according to police reports and allegations of past arson and insurance schemes.Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability.

One witness told police that Leonard hoped to profit $100,000 from the insurance settlement expected in the wake of the destruction of the home at 8349 Fieldfare Way. Leonard told that witness he was shopping on-line for a luxury sports car to purchase with the proceeds of the scheme. Leonard is also known to rack up large gambling debts. Leonard and Shirley spent the weekend of November 9th & 10th at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. That’s where they were when they received word that Shirley’s house had blown up.

Leonard has served time in the Indiana Department of Corrections after conviction on charges of intimidation of an ex-girlfriend and said in an unrelated IMPD report that he would kill himself rather than return to prison to be, “punked,” on.

As the boyfriend of Shirley, Leonard is alleged to have failed in attempt to blow up her home the weekend before when he told an acquaintence, “the tsunami winds came down the chimney,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. blew out the fire in the fireplace and the gas kept running and the house blew up.”

Sources tell Fox 59 News that the earlier attempt failed due to an insignificant ignition system and amount of natural gas introduced into the house. Neighbors told Fox 59 News that they spotted Moncy Shirley’s furniture in the driveway before the fatal blast as if it was being moved out of or back into the house. Attorney Cable said the furniture was being steam cleaned. Sources indicate the furniture was being cleaned to remove the natural gas and soot smell from the fabric as a result of the earlier failed attempt.

That furniture, along with other personal items inside the home, have never been discovered leading invesThe howo truck is offered by Shiyan Great Man Automotive Industry,tigators to believe the belongings were removed in an anticipation of the explosion.

The Leonard brothers are alleged to have fine-tuned their plan on November 9th when they struck up a conversation with an employee of Citizens Energy Group. On November 29th, 19 days after the explosion, the employee, referred to as “AK” in the probable cause, told investigators that the Leonards spotted him at a southside business and peppered him with questions such as, “What is the difference between propane and natural gas?”, and, “how much gas would it take to fill a house?” and whether a gas regulator would continue to dispense gas into a house should a coupling be disabled?

In late November Fox 59 News reported that investigators had data from the home’s gas meter indicating an excessive flow of gas into the residence on the afternoon of November 10th, at the same time a neighbor told Fox 59 News that he had observed two men walking away from the house.

On November 21, Citizens Energy Group issued a statement that read, “Several media outlets have inquired about reports suggesting the meter at the home which exploded had a high reading on November 10th. These reports are inaccurate. Citizens’ gas meters do not have the ability to monitor daily usage.”

Said Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry Friday, “The examination of the gas meter at the house determined that there was a large volume of gas that was entering into the home in the six to nine hours prior to the explosion.”

Investigators determined that a metal cylinder was placed inside a microwave oven with a time-delayed start setting. Sources indicate a propane tank was purchased at a nearby camping and hunting retail store and may have been filled with propane to create a small bomb which would have set off the larger bomb that was the home filled with gas. Examination of the damaged tank for evidence of arcing which in of itself would be sufficient to cause an explosion is continuing.

The same neighbor who told Fox 59 News that he spotted two men at the house the day of the blast told investigators he could positively identify one of them as Bob Leonard, Jr., Mark Leonard’s older brother.

RIM in the red again

As expected, Research In Motion recorded another quarter in the red, losing $114 million in its fiscal third quarter ending ended as buyers hold off until the release of the new BlackBerry 10 platform next month.

Revenue was $2.7 billion during the three-month period, down five per cent from the previous quarter and down a whopping 57 per cent from the same period a year ago when revenue was $5.2 billion for the quarter.

During the Q3 quarter RIM shipped 6.9 million BlackBerrys, down from the 7.4 million it shipped in the second quarter of this fiscal year.

On the other hand it shipped about 255,000 Playbook tablets, up from 130,000 the period before -- although many of those tablets were heavily discounted. It also managed to increase cash from the previous quarter to $2.9 billion, which it will need to help market BB10. And the net loss for the quarter of $114 million wasn't as bad as the $142 million it lost in Q2.

Subscribers dropped to 79 million in the quarter from 80 million in Q2. From the point of view of cash, revenue and subscribers, RIM is treading water.

The company said thanks to cost cutting and layoffs, it achieved its target of saving $1 billion in the current fiscal year three months ahead of schedule. But it still expects to have another operating loss in the fourth quarter.

"RIM continued to execute on its product roadmap plans and to deliver on key financial metrics as it gets set for the global launch of BlackBerry 10," CEO Thorsten Heins said in a statement.

"During the third quarter, we continued to demonstrate our strong financial position, generating $950 million in cash flow from operations, and increasing our cash position significantly to more than $2.9 billion. More than 150 carriers are currently completing technical acceptance programs for the first BlackBerry 10 products, and beta trials of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 are underway at more than 120 enterprises including 64 Fortune 500 companies.

“We believe the company has stabilized and will turn the corner in the next year."

Enterprise telecom managers will be grappling with word that came out during a conference call between RIM executives and financial analysts that the company will change the number of services and fees it charges organizations using the upcoming BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, its mobile management platform for BlackBerry and other mobile operating systems. BES 10, run across RIM’s private network, is expected to launch in May.

Heins didn’t offer details, but said a "menu" of offerings will be available, possibly by industry, with fees based on network usage levels as well as new “value-added” services> One goal, he said, is pulling in new revenue for RIM. “We plan to offer a range of security, mobile device and application management services, in addition to communication services," he said. We will position BlackBerry Enterprise Service as the leading cross-platform enterprise mobile decide management service,” he said.

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Andrew (drums, vocals) and Courtney Bryant (bass) and Jordan Sangid (guitar, vocals) — the fiance of Andrew's sister — the project began as a family pastime and an outlet for the group's affinity for local folklore, horror films, cryptozoology and the works of H.P. Lovecraft. In recording its debut release in correspondence with Bill Bridges, current resident of Virginia and longtime friend of Sangid, the band soon adopted Bridges (guitar, samples) as a fourth member. The doom-metal sounds of Wampus Cat are a surprising output for the group, whose members' resumes include previous affiliations with ska and Southern rock/blues acts.

"Playing ska and playing doom metal are completely different, but both are so anti-mainstream,The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. which is what appealed most to me," Sangid explains. "But the reason that I became involved with Andrew and Courtney was that I was dating my fiancée and Andrew's sister Jenny. So it started as a family band — just something to do, just like the Manson Family Band. Bill played saxophone with me in The Hits, and before that he has always been one my best friends, so it seemed appropriate to have him in the band, keeping with the family band theme we started. The only elements that I'd say carried from The Hits to Wampus Cat are the linear song progressions where parts don't repeat and we stay away from the whole verse-chorus-verse-chorus mold. This sets us apart from a lot of doom and stoner metal bands. We are all about riffs and being evil, and that is the most important thing we are trying to get across."

The long-distance songwriting exchange with Bridges has not been detrimental to the sample-heavy act,High quality stone mosaic tiles. which is currently compiling its sophomore release. A la Postal Service, Wampus Cat trades riffs back and forth, digitally layering its tracks for Bridges to ultimately mix and produce. As such, the band anticipates a quick turnaround for its next full-length album, but the distance has delayed the act's live offerings as Wampus Cat can only perform when Bridges is in town.

"The addition of Bill has given the band a thicker,One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. heavier sound and another input for song creation," says Andrew Bryant. "We don't perform without Bill now that he is living Northern Virginia, and we have to make the most out of the rehearsal and performance time that we have.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. It has been refreshing to take more time between live shows, and it really gives us a chance to work on making the performances more unique. I think that some bands that play too much locally can sometimes wear out their welcome. We want to make sure that our crowds continue to come out each and every time we play and for the numbers to increase as the word spreads about what goes on when we take the stage."

"Lately we have been trading riffs over email,Whether you are installing a floor tiles or a shower wall," Sangid adds. "Some immediate benefits of this style have been automatic cataloging of heavy riffs in my inbox. The main disadvantage has been the delay of responses, which slows down the collaboration."