World's Coolest opportunity to shine on stage | Your online ...

By Stew Slater, Staff reporter

According to the organizer of London?s popular annual RibFest music and food extravaganza, when he hears 15 year-old Hillairy Beard sing, ?you swear that she must be a 50-year-old soul sister.? Sitting in the basement of her St. Marys home giving a preview performance of Love is a Battlefield to a Journal Argus reporter (and her Mom, Lorelei), however, it becomes immediately clear Beard can also channel ?80s pop singer Pat Benatar with startling ease.

?She has an incredibly powerful voice,? agrees Lorelei Beard.

This hasn?t always been something mom and dad (Chris Beard) have been aware of. ?The first time I heard her really sing, I remember thinking, ?wow, where did that come from? Is that really my daughter???

But over the past two years, as Hillairy progressed from taking up lessons at The World?s Coolest Music Store in St. Marys, to spending an increasing amount of time participating in an innovative rock band program offered by the London Music Conservatory, to being offered some choice performance slots by RibFest organizer Doug Hillier, it has become clear she really can sing. And play guitar. And play drums. And . . . well, you get the picture.

Last week, Hillairy?s image and name (minus her last name; she?s just ?Hillairy? in this case) went up on billboards in London, promoting Kids Expo 2012, an annual event organized by Hillier?s Family Shows Canada at London?s Victoria Park on June 15-17. Kids Expo is a weekend of entertainment geared towards children, or performed by young people.

Beard is this year?s feature performer. She?ll give a concert Saturday, June 16 at 3 p.m., first performing several songs solo, then joining her London Music Conservatory counterpart Donovan Maudsley for more songs as a duo.

In addition, throughout the weekend, Beard will act as on-stage host, introducing the various entertainers.

The story behind Beard?s invitation to headline Kids Expo stems from the fact she never goes anywhere without her guitar. ?Hillairy sings and plays all the time,? her mom explains. ?Even when we went to Cuba on a family vacation, she took her guitar with her and sang and played in the lobby of the hotel.?

Last summer, Chris Beard was volunteering at RibFest. So Hillairy had the chance to hang around backstage after one of the concerts. She started playing her guitar and singing, and Hillier immediately took notice.

First he asked her to perform at Kids Expo. Then he encouraged a fellow RibFest organizer to come see her at one of the London Music Conservatory band program?s regular showcase nights at Norma Jean?s, a London bar. As a member of two bands performing that night ? one called Weard Beard and the other called Gopher Killers ? she impressed the RibFest folks sufficiently that they offered one band an opening slot for this August?s RibFest.

?This is all really new for us,? Lorelei admits, as she lists off the opportunities that have opened up for her daughter ? last year?s winner of the inaugural Grade 8 Music Award at the new Elementary campus of St. Marys DCVI ? since she first took up music lessons just over two years ago.

As a kid, Hillairy took part in the Acting Out summer camp in Stratford, which provided opportunities for all types of performance arts pursuits. But when she wanted to sign up for the teenage version of Acting Out, there was a requirement to audition. She remembers singing ?I Had a Dream? from Momma Mia. And she also remembers realizing at the time that maybe singing in the shower just wasn?t going to be enough to satisfy her creative needs.

So she signed up for World?s Coolest Music Store lessons. First it was voice. Then ?I found my dad?s old guitar . . . and I picked it up and tried to teach myself. And that didn?t go too well.? So she added guitar lessons to her schedule. Then came drums.

Eventually, she was hired by the store to teach other aspiring musicians. And she decided she needed to broaden her own horizons beyond what could be provided in St. Marys, so she enrolled in the London Music Conservatory program.

There, she interacts with a wide mix of aspiring rockers, ranging from pre-teen guitar players to drummers attending the University of Western Ontario. All are on equal footing in the program; they perform and write songs with each other on an interchangeable basis.

?Hillairy has definitely found her passion,? Lorelei says proudly of her musical daughter.

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Analysis: Investors may be stoking the volatility they fear

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Walker says feds approve higher Wis. job numbers

MADISON, Wis. (AP) ? Republican Gov. Scott Walker's administration said Wednesday that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has finalized higher job numbers for Wisconsin for 2011, which would blunt one of his opponents' biggest arguments against him just six days before he stands for recall.

However, Walker's Democratic opponent in the recall, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, told reporters that he doesn't believe Walker's administration and he wants to see official confirmation.

"Anybody has a right to be suspicious," Barrett said.

Walker's Department of Workforce Development provided an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday from the bureau's staff that shows it gave final approval to the numbers. The email did not say what number the bureau approved, but Workforce Development spokesman John Dipko said it was 23,608, which would be dramatically better job creation in the state than figures based on a different survey of businesses.

Dipko said the numbers would be provided to the AP on Thursday and published on the state's website Friday.

Though Tuesday's recall was sparked by Walker's proposal effectively ending collective bargaining rights for most state workers, much of the truncated campaign has focused on Walker's performance related to the economy. In an unusual move, Walker released the fresh job creation numbers two weeks ago, before the federal bureau had approved them.

Barrett has accused Walker of "cooking the books" and trying to spin the numbers to his advantage.

The labor bureau isn't scheduled to publish the new numbers until three weeks after the election. No one at the agency's regional office in Chicago answered the phone after hours Wednesday.

However, according to Walker's administration, the final figures confirmed by the bureau show the state gained 23,608 jobs in 2011, rather than losing 33,900 jobs, which was the worst in the nation. That figure would also be 287 higher than the estimate Walker released early.

"You have my personal assurance that is not a made-up number," said Georgia Maxwell, the department's executive assistant.

Walker was jubilant when told of the news after a campaign stop in Janesville.

"More than good news for me, it's good news for the state," a smiling Walker said.

Walker also said Barrett owed people an apology.

Todd Schober, a financial planner and Walker supporter from Racine, said he's always skeptical about what competing campaigns claim but that the positive numbers resonated more with him based on what he's seeing anecdotally.

"I just think we're heading in the right direction," he said.

Even with the improved numbers for 2011, Walker is far from meeting his campaign promise to create 250,000 jobs. He's on pace to create just over 94,000.

A Marquette University Law School released Wednesday poll showed Walker with a narrow 7-point lead over Barrett, 52 percent to 45 percent. The poll's margin of error was 4.1 percentage points. In the same poll two weeks ago Walker held a 6-point lead, 50 percent to 44 percent.

The latest random telephone poll of 600 likely voters was done between May 23 and Thursday.

The poll also showed that more respondents ? 50 percent to 43 percent ? believed Walker would do a better job with the economy than Barrett. That is similar to two weeks ago, when Walker held a 48-41 edge on that question. That question polled 720 registered voters and had a smaller 3.7 percentage point margin of error.

Meanwhile, out-of-state donors kept pumping cash into Walker's campaign last month.

Reports filed with state elections officials Tuesday show Walker, aided by a quirk in state law that eliminates contribution limits for recall targets, collected $5.9 million between April 24 and Wednesday. Almost two-thirds of that money ? $3.7 million ? came from contributors who listed an address outside Wisconsin.

Barrett, meanwhile, raised $3.4 million between April 24 and Wednesday, with 70 percent of his money coming from donors with Wisconsin addresses, the reports showed.

Barrett has raised a total of $4.2 million since he jumped into the recall race in late March, while Walker has raised $31 million since winning office.

___

Associated Press writers Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee, Dinesh Ramde in Racine, Wis., and Todd Richmond in Madison, Wis., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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What to appear For In Business Travel Accommodation | pixel-ads ...

Conferences and business conferences are a vital a part of company enlargement. With video calls, email and Skype it is simple to remain connected, however meeting face to face to debate long-term methods and to make relationships is crucial to creating deals and finalising negotiations. the larger your business becomes the a lot of you will be traveling and sending staff to fulfill with purchasers and potential partners.

Business travel accommodation

It?s an expense that you simply are probably to become terribly aware of. whether or not you are hosting international guests or sending staff round the country, your company goes to be gazing paying the value of business travel accommodation to properly house your own employees and potential business partners.

Accommodation choices

As they?re continually top-of-mind, hotels are the travel accommodation choice commonly selected. whereas they?re a wonderfully appropriate answer, frequent hotel use is extraordinarily expensive and one amongst the smallest amount cost-effective ways in which to deal with staff who you wish to be on the road. Self-contained apartment accommodation may be a fashionable answer that exists in most cities. several apartment house owners rely heavily on those travelling for business as an integral a part of their client-base. Apartment accommodation firms are fantastic to make relationships with, providing ideal access to central locations with the functionality and facilities to create any keep feel less like time away and a lot of like time spent during a second home.

What to appear for in business travel accommodation

Extended periods of your time removed from home will build any employee grow irritated and homesick. Self-contained residences aim to produce the independence that different accommodation choices cannot supply. Having the right facilities is extraordinarily vital. having the ability to cook and do your own laundry creates a way of routine that?s lost at hotels and motels, and having a living space and your own house to entertain guests or simply relax and unwind once a day?s work will facilitate build long periods spent removed from home easier to affect. non-public parking areas and garages are a good addition if you or your staff set up on renting a automobile throughout your keep. Location is another issue that ought to be thought of with care before choosing accommodation. Access to public transport, the centre town, outlets and amenities can build reaching to and from conferences and navigation plenty easier.

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Home Improvement Advice That You Can Use | Los Angeles Xtreme ...

If you want to make changes to your home, start with your kitchen. Washing your walls to remove grease stains is important before you apply any new paint in the kitchen. This solution will remove the grease, and also most of the paint. Use tan colors in your kitchen and you will see a drastic difference in the appearance of the room.

Things like gutters and chimneys are forgotten about when most people are making home improvements. It is important that these areas of your home are maintained so they function properly. Chimneys are fire hazards if they are neglected. Downspouts and gutters can become useless due to debris, which in turn, can cause water damage.

A home with a nice view is usually slightly more valuable. The thing you have to remember is that not all potential buyers see a view in the same way; some might consider it an expensive indulgence. Other buyers might not like the view as much as you, and don?t want to pay more for it.

Light green, light blue, and other light colors can give your rooms a peaceful effect. Choose soft material such as cotton or linen to make a room more welcoming. You can also place a scented candle or potpourri in the room for a nice, tranquil scent.

When remodeling your bedroom, think about freestanding furniture. Furniture that is fitted may save you space and look clean, but you won?t be able to take it with you if you move. Also, frees standing units are easily mobile and can be moved to various rooms, or sold when you wish to redecorate.

Use a pressure washer to clean your home?s exterior, making sure to use the appropriate type of detergent for the materials involved. Pressure washers are inexpensive to rent, and they do a great job of removing dirt and grunge from your home?s exterior. You need to take care, however, around any windows and the roof line. You want to avoid knocking things loose.

If you want to clean out your cabinets, vacuum them first. This allows you to eliminate loose dirt and debris from the interior. Use a gentle mixture of soap and water to clean your shelves. Start at the top, working your way down and avoiding drips. After cleaning, replace the cabinet liners and work on repairing any sagging shelves.

Make sure any shrubs or trees are not too close to your house. Their roots can burrow into your foundation, causing cracks and leaks. If there is a tree or shrub too close, transplant it.

Waste disposal is an important part of any home improvement project. Make arrangements in advance for storing and removing the debris that your next project is going to create. You?ll find that trying to handle waste disposal on the fly is both frustrating and expensive; you can save yourself money and headaches by making arrangements ahead of time.

Prior to starting an interior painting project, be sure and run a damp cloth on all walls and baseboards to get rid of dirt, grime and dust. This allows the paint to adhere to the wall and might even spare you the hassle of applying an additional coat of paint or frequent touch-ups.

When residing, look at different kinds of insulation. There are many types such as permeable house wrap and rigid foam. Find out the costs for each option, and decide how much you want to spend.

Many people enjoy manual labor such as carpentry, but if you need a simpler project, interior decorating can be done by anyone. Changing out colors and adding in new fabrics can really change the look and feel of a room. Refer to these tips as you add beauty and value to your home.

Tackling home improvement projects might be a frustrating and drawn-out approach; but when done appropriate it might completely alter the appear and really feel of the property. Undertaking the remodeling yourself could be almost impossible in the event you don?t have the time or know-how to acquire it completed, so if you can afford to, I always recommend just hiring a pro to manage it for you personally. The pros at Xtreme Remodeling have already been helping residence owners with their remodeling projects for years, and get the job done quickly without having charging an arm as well as a leg. They do kitchen remodeling in Los Angeles, together with all other sorts of residence improvement projects, and they take pride in offering exceptional value to their clients. Give them a contact these days and let them turn your dream house into a reality!

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Selling The Condo : Tips To Help it become Look Attracting Potential ...

Posted on Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Marketing a condo doesn?t have to be difficult, you just need to take the proper approach and prepare. Marketing a condo is actually like marketing any other product. Selling the loft house is a strategic procedure, not really a weekend yard sale. Selling under the circumstances of experiencing too much product unsold in the marketplace, combined with market staying slower than usual creates a concern. Selling an apartment is different from selling real estate. Selling the loft house comes with its problems.

Condominiums can include just residential units or commercial units or even a mixture of the two. These qualities are well-liked and may remain therefore and rise in popularity as time goes on. Selling the loft property is not like marketing a non commercial home, this means you will be done with out a real estate agent. A large number of condominium entrepreneurs might not comprehend it, but their capacity to sell or even refinance their condominium could possibly be compromised by way of a coming series of government due dates. You also have to pay for monthly costs administered by condo links which exist in every single condo complicated. These organizations set advice that every resident must adhere to, regardless of whether they?re a short-term or even long- term resident. Most audience looking to purchase the loft will need to understand all the specifics which are in the purchase. Your main aim is to promote your home or house for the greatest cost possible, and in the very least amount of time. An ad can easily focus on an extra room with state-of-the-art internet connection together with any other functions.

You can evaluation properties and apartments for sale online. Condo properties are providing a challenging competition to many motels, little hired apartments and also other living regions because of the many perks that they provide. Condos accomplish turn out to be available for rent for a lot of reasons. Condo properties attract a number of buyers.They?re also harder to advertise they need a lot more paperwork, and they?ve a variety of different problems. Check out the present housing sector situation and check if nowadays is the best time for you to sell qualities. Many lofts are generally appealing for their location. Quite a few owners of condominiums are verifying issues when attemping to sell. These complications occur in the event the purchaser efforts to get a Mortgage loans mortgage loan to buy the property in order to be turned down because the home is not on your FHA?s approved listing.

Market study verifies the benefit that condominium staging provides, separate from industry conditions. Current market reports are certainly not the most satisfying thing to read, however they accomplish include details that serious buyers & dealers should be aware of. Picking out the correct realtor to market and then sell your condominium could be the big difference between a very good sale and an expensive defeated opportunity. Everyone should know that the housing market is in a significant decline. Practically nothing appears to help to make that harsh point much more real when a person needs a quick drive-thru any local community. It is have a look at see it about, covering the front yards associated with so many qualities, a great number of for sale signs.Take into account the present housing market in your place and decide whether it?s a convenient time for you to sell.

Noah Cooper is a experienced psychologist for 19 years & have been learning masterful improvements with Long Beach Island Condos as part of his involvement from New Industries Group ,a new creative team for developing people. Read more about his Long Beach Island Real Estate website to read more about his Harvey Cedars homes ideas over the years.

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What's The Cost Of Custom Kitchen Cabinets? ? Shrock Premier ...

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the home in both functionality and its ability to add value to a home. Installing new kitchen cabinets will add value and beauty to your home, which is why many people today are choosing to install custom kitchen cabinets.

These kitchens are more expensive than prefabricated cabinets that can be purchased in any home improvement store. The custom cabinets are superior in beauty and utility; and the value of the home goes much higher. Most new homebuilders are going for the custom cabinets because they know the overall value of the home will go up.

The cost of installing custom kitchen cabinets will differ depending on a number of factors. These include the type of materials used, and the installation cost. Different regions will have different average prices, because some construction companies tend to charge much more than others for the installation. The overall cost of the cabinets can range anywhere between $4000 and over $10,000.

The size of the kitchen will also determine the size or number of cabinets used, and this affects the overall cost. You will be able to save on cost if you find a highly qualified carpenter who can do the work efficiently and at a lower cost than established kitchen construction companies can.

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Must See HDTV (May 28th - June 3rd)

Game of Thrones
HBO's premiere series wraps up season two this weekend, and while we're not going to spoil things (yeah we read ahead via wiki summaries, we're weak) we're pretty sure that someone will die in this episode. Just like pretty much every other episode. Someone else will do something honorable, someone will be betrayed, and... dragons. Game of Thrones, ladies and gentlemen.
(June 3rd, HBO, 9PM)

Workaholics
Comedy Central's series makes its return this week, and the story of three slackers just trying to get by has really grown on us. Trying to explain the interactions between Blake, Adam and 'Ders would probably make us look crazy, so we'll just advise you to tune in and hope for another Double Dare cameo by Marc Summers. If the words "let's get weird" don't mean anything to you, check out the trailer embedded after the break.
(May 29th, Comedy Central, 10:30PM)

Stanley Cup Finals
The NHL Playoffs are finally down to just two teams: the LA Kings and the New Jersey Devils. Hockey's biggest prize is up for grabs, however the games are pretty spaced out so we've only got two of them on the schedule this week. We're sure you can make time to tune in.
(May 30th & June 2nd, NBC, 8PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (May 28th - June 3rd)

Must See HDTV (May 28th - June 3rd) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AP Photos: Americans honor troops for Memorial Day

AAA??May. 27, 2012?8:58 AM ET
AP Photos: Americans honor troops for Memorial Day
By The Associated Press??By The Associated Press

American Robert Dryfoos, left, from Conn., with Khalil Diallo walks around layers of tombs after attending Memorial Day rites at the American Cemetery in suburban Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday May 27, 2012. The cemetery site contains the largest number of U.S. military dead of World War II. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

American Robert Dryfoos, left, from Conn., with Khalil Diallo walks around layers of tombs after attending Memorial Day rites at the American Cemetery in suburban Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday May 27, 2012. The cemetery site contains the largest number of U.S. military dead of World War II. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A Marine Corps carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Cpl. Keaton G. Coffey during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Saturday, May 26, 2012. According to the Department of Defense, Coffey, of Boring, Ore., died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

A Marine Corps carry team lifts a transfer case containing the remains of Cpl. Keaton G. Coffey during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Saturday, May 26, 2012. According to the Department of Defense, Coffey, of Boring, Ore., died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

Senior Airman Sirintra Fisher closes the door of a transfer vehicle that holds a transfer case containing the remains of Cpl. Keaton G. Coffey during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Saturday, May 26, 2012. According to the Department of Defense, Coffey, of Boring, Ore., died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

Stevon Spears, 17 and members of Boy Scout Troop 445 salute the American flag during the Memorial Day observance ceremony at the Memphis National Cemetery in Memphis, Tenn. Saturday, May 26, 2012. For 29 years members of the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and American Heritage Girls have placed flags on the 42,000 graves at the Memphis National Cemetery during a ceremony honoring veterans for the Memorial Day Celebration. (AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Chris Desmond)

Boy Scouts carry a large American flag through the Memphis National Cemetery in Tennessee, where scouts also placed flags on 42,000 graves. In Little Rock, Ark., a 4-year-old girl fills her arms with flags to place on graves.

Across the U.S. this weekend, Americans are honoring the fallen, veterans and military personnel in ceremonies and private remembrances.

Here's a gallery of AP photos from Memorial Day weekend.

Associated Press

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GOP Lawmaker: Being Gay ?Cuts About 20 Years Off Your Life?

Virginia House Republican?lawmaker,?Del. Robert G. Marshall,?told a Tea Party audience on Thursday that being gay ?cuts your life by about 20 years,? which absolutely is a false statement. Marshall, who has a long history of attacks on gay and women?s rights,?told CNN just last week that ?[s]odomy is not a civil right,? offering that false statement as his defense for blocking the judicial nomination of an openly-gay veteran, Tracy Thorne-Begland.?Sodomy was made legal by the Supreme Court in?Lawrence v. Texas?in 2003.

Marshall is currently battling former Virginia Governor George ?Macaca? Allen for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate, to run against Tim Kaine.

Reiterating his attacks, Marshall said:

?If sodomy is a civil right, do we have to protect it? Do we have to fund it? Do we have to teach it? Do we have to encourage it? Do we have to facilitate it?? Marshall said in an interview Thursday after an appearance at a meeting of the Jefferson Area Tea Party. ?? It is not a civil right.?

Del. Marshall also twists the truth to defend his obvious anti-gay animus.

?Did you ever see water fountains in Virginia that say heterosexuals only? I didn?t. Did you ever see statements that all the homosexuals are going to ride on one bus and heterosexuals on the other? No ?,? Marshall said, according to a report by Inside NoVA:

?It is an insult to suggest that the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks are in any way parallel to the efforts to do things that have been criminal for most of this nation?s history.?

Marshall also was asked whether he believes consensual gay sex is protected by the U.S. Constitution.

?The court says it is in certain limited circumstances. But you know what that behavior does? It cuts your life by about 20 years,? Marshall answered. ?It causes increased health problems. It doesn?t serve the common good to promote this.?

For decades, Marshall has taken extreme positions on gay rights and women?s rights.

Via Wikipedia:

Following?Congress??repeal?of the military?s ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell? policy in December 2010, Marshall proposed a bill to ?ban?gays?from openly serving in the?Virginia National Guard?because he is worried about service members catching?sexually transmitted diseases?from gay troops.??According to the?Washington Post, Marshall justified the legislation by saying: ?If I needed a?blood transfusion?and the guy next to me had committed?sodomy?14 times in the last month, I?d be worried,? and ?It?s a distraction when I?m on the battlefield and have to concentrate on the enemy 600 yards away and I?m worried about this guy who?s got eyes on me.?

?

Marshall sponsored the?Marshall-Newman Amendment?to the state constitution that prohibited?same-sex marriage?as well as?civil unions,?domestic partnerships, and ?other?legal status?to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage.? It also prohibits the recognition of other states? such legal arrangements. It was approved in a 2006 referendum by 57% to 43%.

?

In 1989, when Marshall was working as the research director of the?American Life League, he told the?Boston Globe?that he opposes all forms of?abortion?and?birth control?that take effect after conception. ?We?re against the?IUD?and?pills, too. They don?t prevent?ovulation?and?conception, they prevent?implantation, which is abortion.?

According to the Globe, Marshall also ?railed? against?Norplant, a?contraceptive?not-yet-marketed at the time that is implanted under the skin and works for up to five years. ?It?s a real tribute to women?s intelligence,? Marshall told the reporter. ?They feel so irresponsible they can?t do something once a day????Norplant?was eventually removed from the U.S. market for ?business reasons?. Because of health concerns, the?U.S. Food and Drug Administration?(FDA) recommended that women consider other forms of?birth control.

When asked about abortion in the case of?incest, Marshall replied that sometimes?incest?is voluntary. In response to abortions in the case of?rape, Marshall said, ?Your origins should not be held against you [referring to the victim's?unborn child]. The woman becomes a?sin-bearer of the crime, because the right of a child predominates over the embarrassment of the woman.?

?

Marshall was the subject of controversy in February 2010, when he made a statement regarding disabled children at a press conference to oppose state funding of?Planned Parenthood:

The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children? In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There?s a special punishment Christians would suggest.

Del. Marshall is on Twitter and?Facebook.

Image: Del. Marshall with Ronald Reagan?s former Attorney General Edwin Meese, who resigned amid the WedTech scandal of the 1980s.

Tagged as: 20 years, being gay, Cutting, Gay, Gay Rights, gay sex, GOP, homophobia, lawmakers, lawrence v. texas, lgbt history, lgbt social movements, marshall, norplant, robert g. marshall, social issues, Supreme Court, Tea Party, tell

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Where to buy residential lifts and elevators in New York City

by Jai Gaitonde
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elevators and lifts More Details about elevators and lifts here.

Knowing where to buy residential lifts and elevators in New York City is important as there are numerous dealers serving the region. This is especially important for architects, builders and designers as they need to purchase quality products that meet the specific requirements of their clients. Even homeowners have to be discerning about where they purchase a lift or elevator.

Locating an NYC Dealer for Elevators and Lifts -- Points to Consider

Going by some important considerations can help in the selection of a reliable dealer of lifts and residential elevators. Browse the Web and check out the Yellow Pages. Explore the websites of established dealers to get an idea about the products and services they offer and shortlist a few leading dealers. Considering the following points can help choose the right dealer:

• Experience: Choosing a New York elevator and lift company with vast experience is important. An established supplier would have a good idea about the type of home elevators and lifts that customers in the area require. Their inventory would include different types of models to suit varying requirements.
• High quality products and support service: Whether elevator or stairlift, quality is crucial as safety is paramount. It's therefore important to find an authorized dealer of branded residential lifts and elevators. A competent supplier would provide hassle-free installation to meet NYC building rules and regulations. The right company would also offer site inspection as well as professional advice on stair chair lift and residential elevator choice. These value added services are a great boon for builders, architects and designers.
• Comprehensive post-sales support: It is necessary that the dealer offers prompt and reliable post-sales support. This should include comprehensive support to cover maintenance, inspection, testing and repair by certified and experienced personnel. A reliable professional elevator company will ensure that inspections of the elevator cab and system are performed every six months. Also indispensable: on-call customer service to deal with emergencies.

With NYC dealers that offer brands of accessibility equipment such as ThysssenKrupp Access, Savaria, Federal Elevator, and Bruno, customers are assured of products that come with proper warranty.

Competitive Pricing on a Wide Range of Models

When purchasing residential lifts and elevators in New York City, customers should make sure the dealer they partner with offers competitive pricing on the elevators they supply. While elevators and lifts are expensive, an established dealer would be in a position to offer them at the most competitive prices. Therefore commercial buyers should always compare prices before they choose a dealer. Some dealers offer special prices for home elevators installed for medical reasons.

About the Author
DAY Elevator & Lift offers a wide range of attractive indoor and outdoor lifts and elevators for use in residential and commercial environments.

DAY Elevator & Lift is a trusted resource for consultation, design and installation of accessibility equipment for homeowners, builders, developers and architects.

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Jai Gaitonde

jaigaitonde@gmail.com
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?Going green? in real estate ? More Government control? | ABI Real ...

Just what do your local government officials think up to control your life and charge fees for that control in the name of ?going green??? I can see the day where it may be mandatory for you to convert all plumbing fixtures into low flow;? HVAC & H2O systems into high efficiency; and/or windows into double panes before you can sell your home.? It?s only a matter of your time and energy fighting against government control.

Fremont California near Oakland?is considering making energy improvements and water saving features in houses mandatory before you can sell your property.? Source:? http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_19844726

The unicorporated (non city) area of Dekalb County Georgia has a similar provision in which you can?t connect to the municipal water supply or start a new account unless a licensed plumber has certified that you have installed low flow water fixtures in your home.? This stems from an EPA regulation in 1994 that new homes must be fitted with toilets that use a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water per flush.? With the older 1.6 gallon flush toilets, that meant that you flushed twice to get the same impact and disposing of waste, which resulted in more water usage.

Sure, the extra water usage from growing populations probably taxed the watershed system of each municipality, but isn?t that what the Government planners are supposed to keep in mind when approving residential/commercial real estate development?? Aren?t you glad we?ve elected smart people in Government to make those decisions for us?

And don?t get me on green building?that?s a whole new boondoggle to sell you stuff untested over time!? It?s just like pharmaceutical medications, a solution to one problem creates side effect symptoms of others.

References to products and services are not a specific endorsement, but the user must perform their due diligence and investigate whether the product or service is right for them. I welcome any or all comments that would help others.

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A Meat Mea Culpa: What Went Wrong With 'Pink Slime'

Enlarge courtesy Meatingplace

May cover of Meatingplace, the meat processing industry trade magazine

courtesy Meatingplace

May cover of Meatingplace, the meat processing industry trade magazine

It came as no surprise to us when outrage over "pink slime," the catchy nickname given to lean finely textured beef (LFTB), went viral a couple of months ago.

Murky government rules, off-limits meatpacking floors, and a "gotcha" media mentality have created a fear and mistrust that's left the public highly opinionated but often woefully misinformed about where our food comes from.

What is surprising is that the "pink slime" debacle has forced the meat industry to admit it needs to open up.

Enter Meatingplace, the meat processing industry's trade magazine. This month's striking cover is simply black with a neon pink all-caps headline: "SLIMED," followed by the subhead: "what the hell happened."

?

The article, co-authored by four of the magazine's editors, shows how negative stories on Beef Products Inc.'s LFTB (and Cargill's similar FTB) exploded "like spontaneous combustion" on social media this spring.What was odd, they say, is that there was no recall or big announcement to prompt the frenzy. The term "pink slime" was coined by a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee years ago, and it returned with a vengeance months after major beef buyers like McDonald's announced they would stop using it.

Here's what went wrong, according to Meatingplace:

1. Social media has made the bully pulpit much bigger. The distinctions between journalists and the "guy down the street" are blurred on the web, the magazine notes, allowing non-experts to spread half-truths quickly and easily. "It's like putting a gun in the hands of a 6-year old," says Lisa M. Keefe, Meatingplace editor and one of the article's authors tells The Salt.

2. That gross name. Consumers thought "slime doesn't sound like something I want to eat," Barry Carpenter, CEO of the National Meat Association and a former depute administrator at USDA, tells Meatingplace.

3. We are visual animals. The pictures of pink slime popping up everywhere ? some of which were not actually beef, according to the editors ? made it hard for people to look away, Keefe says.

4. Government dithering. USDA's response was "late and bipolar," Meatingplace says. The agency affirmed the safety of LFTB "a full 10 days" after the first wave of web-based articles appeared in March. But later, the agency said schools could make their own decisions about whether to order it.

"The silence was deafening to consumers," the article says. Supermarkets dropped the product and BPI eventually had to lay off thousands of people. Worth noting ? the beef industry was already in trouble over soft beef demand, but "pink slime" seemed to have tipped the scales for some.

5. The perception of deception. Many of us have no idea where food comes from. And, in the wake of bank foreclosures, Bernie Madoff, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae scandals, "consumers are loaded for corporate bear and have the means to make their anger heard," Meatingplace says.

"Add that to the meat industry's long-standing aversion to inviting the public to witness the nitty-gritty process of making sausage ... and consumers think the meat companies are hiding something," the authors say.

(For the whole Meatingplace timeline on the "pink slime" story click here.)

So what's next?

Improve consumer education and make "some of the industry's more controversial operations, like slaughter," more transparent, the article says.

In fact, within days of the social media explosion, BPI did just that. They went on YouTube to respond to concerns about using ammonia in its beef production and created the site pinkslimeisamyth.com (now beefisbeef.com) with safety endorsements from scientists. But even though science was on the company's side, it didn't seem to change public opinion much.

BPI execs did not respond to Meatingplace's requests for interviews for their article.

The bottom line? The meat industry as a whole needs to change how it communicates before a crisis, Keefe says. "If you're playing defense, forget it."

Rational people can argue over whether we should be raising and processing livestock in a way that makes them more susceptible to pathogens like E. coli and requires the use of agents like ammonia to kill those bugs. But the fact is, we are, and we do.

We can also debate whether LFTB should have been labeled from the start, or whether it should be now.

So if a little more sunshine comes of this pink slime thing, that can't be bad.

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Gaza fleet leashed by Israel, starved for fuel

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli gunboats and an Egyptian clampdown on fuel smuggling into the Gaza Strip are strangling the Palestinian enclave's little fishing fleet, slowly turning a generation of fishermen into fishmongers.

Since 2009, they have been unable to sail out beyond three miles because of Israel's strictly enforced blockade. This year they can hardly afford to go out at all because diesel has nearly tripled in price.

There are about 3,700 full-time fishermen in the Gaza Strip ready to serve a market of 1.7 million Palestinians. They used to export to Israel. Now Gaza imports about 80 percent of its needs from the Egyptians and the Israelis.

"Once we made enough to let us give away fish to the poor and needy people. These days we are begging for aid," said Mahmoud Al-Assi, 66, a fisherman most of his life and currently the chairman of Gaza's non-profit Fishermens' Society, which supports boat owners with tools, ice and fuel.

"Just like the fish, we will die if we're out of the water for too long," said Al-Assi.

Fresh fish from the Mediterranean, grilled or fried, is Gaza's favorite dish. Grouper, bream, bass and snapper are prized. But this year the fleet even missed the usually plentiful season of cheap sardines.

Driving along the coast road by Gaza City you cannot miss the fish market - a covered corridor hosting twelve shops, decorated with images of various kinds of fish. The smell of the fresh catch of shrimp and crab blows ashore on the sea breeze.

Two boys with their father are fascinated by the brightly glistening lizard and blue fish.

"Is this grouper?" asks the man, in surprise. Gazans call grouper the "Royal Meal" but these days it is rare.

"As you see, the waters gave us only two grouper today," says fishmonger Abu Hasseera, displaying a 10-kg fish whose price has rocketed to 80 shekels ($21) a kilo from 50 shekels ($13) a few months ago.

"The sardines are so near yet so far," he says. "We see the spot but we cannot reach it because of the fishing limit.'

Ranged in boxes on a donkey cart, Egyptian-imported sardine sells for $1.2 a kilo. On the few occasions when locally caught sardines were available this season, the price was $6.5 a kilo, unaffordable to most families.

"It has affected our income. I am losing 60 percent of the profits I used to make in past seasons," Abu Hasseera says.

FARMERS TOO

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since Islamist Hamas forces seized control in 2007, ousting those of the rival Fatah forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel says it must maintain the blockade to prevent arms and military materiel reaching Hamas.

An interim Palestinian-Israeli peace accord allows fishermen to sail out for up to 12 miles out from the coast. But since Hamas, sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state, took over Gaza, Israeli naval boats have gradually limited the distance to three miles.

No boats at all dared put to sea when Israel invaded Gaza in December 2008 in a three-week blitz against Hamas and other Islamic militant groups firing rockets into Israeli territory.

The fuel crisis began this February, when Gaza's neighbor Egypt cracked down on industrial-scale fuel smuggling via an under-the-border warren of tunnels that supplies Gazans with everything from cars to cattle.

The smuggling was diverting government-subsidized fuel from Egyptians in Sinai. Hamas rubbed salt in the wound by taxing it.

The price of diesel on the Gaza black market is now about triple what it was a few months ago. Some gasoline and diesel, as well as cooking gas, is being imported from Israel for the private sector, but Israeli diesel and petrol prices are considered prohibitive for commercial users.

Fishing is not the only Gaza industry hurt by the fuel price crisis and Israeli restrictions.

The steep rise in prices jacked up the cost of running irrigation pumps in the growing season, slicing Palestinian farm income in what could have been a good season.

Carnation farmers relying on truck transport had to leave many flowers in refrigerators, with no electricity to keep them fresh. About 2.5 million wilted flowers were sold off cheap.

Gaza exported two million blooms fewer than the 11 million sold in 2011, the international charity Oxfam says, compared with an average of 50 million carnations every year before the blockade was imposed in 2007.

Bumper crops of sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes, by contrast, escaped the worst of the fuel crisis, and exports permitted by Israel soared from 6 and 7 tonnes respectively last year to 44 and 75 tonnes this year, proving Gaza has a viable agricultural industry.

GUNBOATS

Fishermen say the Hamas administration provides them with fuel once a week, forcing them to search for the rest of their requirements on the black market at a rate many cannot afford.

So some days they sit tight on the sand, drinking tea and blowing the smoke of their cigarettes into the wind.

Assi estimated annual losses of fishermen at $11 million.

The industry's daily wage has dropped from 300 shekels ($78) to just 20 shekels ($5), he says.

"I have been a fishermen since I was 17 years old. This is the worst ever fishing season," said Mohammed Abu Al-Sadeq, 66, as he tied up his boat after a night of fishing that brought only a meagre catch.

"When there is no cheap fuel we do not go to sea," said Sadeq's brother, Khamees. "It is a tragic season."

Jihad Salah at the Fish Resource department of the Hamas-run agriculture ministry acknowledged conditions were grave, but blamed Israel.

He admitted that the fuel ration was not enough for a fisherman's working day but said it was all they could afford "to at least help some fishermen earn a living".

"Fishing as a profession is in danger. The (Israeli) occupation is pushing hard to turn fishermen into merchants who leave the job and instead buy fish from Egypt and from them."

Israel withdrew completely from Gaza in 2005. But critics say its blockade has turned the enclave into an open prison, its economy strangled by import and export restrictions and many of its people depending for staples on U.N. food aid.

This month, Sadeq and other fishermen were intercepted by an Israeli navy gunboat within the permitted zone and warned by a sailor with a megaphone to stay within the limits.

Israeli naval forces took action against Gaza boats seven times in the past three months, including firing warning shots and confiscating boats, said Salah.

"Only yesterday we got back eight small fishing boats that had been confiscated over the past two years. They came back with no gear or engines," Salah said.

Fishermen can lose their boats if the Israeli navy finds them with motors whose capacity exceeds 25 horsepower.

So Gaza depends mostly on fish smuggled from Egypt through the network of border tunnels. The fish sometimes decay if Egyptian security is restricting movements. Al-Assi reckons the local fleet now supplies no more than a fifth of the market.

"We used to send eight truckloads to Israel a day. Nowadays Israel closes our sea and exports its fish to us," he said.

Ali Al-Habeel, a 52-year-old fisherman, said the fuel crisis has also stopped Gazans sailing towards Egyptian waters to buy the fish at sea off Egyptian boats.

The Hamas Gaza government does not try to stop the smuggling of fish via tunnels. Representatives of its agriculture ministry vet the merchandise to ensure it is fit for consumption.

But customers prefer it fresh, said Abu Hasseera, whose family owns a restaurant at Gaza's beach-front.

"We try hard to make our own catch from the Gaza sea to satisfy our customers, and we tell them when it is not our catch," he said. "Egyptian fish is good and varied, but you have to make sure it is fresh."

(Editing by Douglas Hamilton and Sonya Hepinstall)

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Why Do Conservatives Fear Gay Marriage? (Little green footballs)

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Angry Birds racing toward a new game

5 hrs.

Winda Benedetti

Is there nowhere their sharp talons can't reach? The Angry Birds have taken wing on Earth and in outer?space. And now it appears they may be flapping their way to ... a race track?

Rovio has launched a website?teasing what appears to be a new racing-themed game called "Angry Birds Heikki."

Wait ... a new game so soon after the launch of?"Angry Birds Space?" Well, more accurately, it's "an innovative and novel merchandise and webgame partnership."

At least, that's how the website?belonging to?Finnish Formula 1 star Heikki Kovalainen (for whom the game is named) describes the game, which is scheduled to launch June 18.

For its part, Rovio hasn't revealed any details about the new?webgame. But it seems highly unlikely the company is planning to release anything that resembles a truly new Angry Birds title. What seems more likely is that "Angry Birds Heikki" will be a branded spinoff along the lines of "Angry Birds Rio." Same game mechanics. Different packaging. Brand new merchandising opportunities!

Also, Heikki plans to wear an Angry Birds-themed helmet when he's flying around the racetrack.

Speaking of new merchandising opportunities ... Rovio has also partnered with Finnish jewelry company Primesmith to create a line of fancy Angry Birds-themed jewelry.

That's right, for a mere $290, you can have the Mighty Eagle wrapped around your finger.

--?Via The Next Web, Forbes

Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things here on Twitter or join her in the stream here on Google+. And for more video game news and reviews be sure to check out the In-Game Facebook page right here.

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Kate Gordon: Private Sector Leads on Clean Energy

This post was co-authored by Anthony J. Orlando and Kate Gordon

Lately, when we hear bad news about the environment -- like the recent EPA study showing America actually increased our greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 after two decades of decline -- the reaction in Washington seems to be to throw up our hands. With all the talk in the media and the halls of Congress lately about what can't be done on energy and climate this year, though, sometimes we forget that in corporate boardrooms at companies all across America, the private sector has been focused on real solutions.

Last week, the Center for American Progress came out with a "solutions menu" of real options for programs and policies at the federal, state, local and private sector levels that can help produce more clean energy and reduce pollution and waste. What comes through in the report is that the private sector is leading the way toward a cleaner energy future. Across the country, companies are setting internal carbon reduction goals, building more efficient factories, putting up wind and solar panels -- and asking their suppliers to do the same. These actions, especially when they're taken by big companies, are literally changing the energy market in America. They're also making our industries more efficient and more technologically advanced, which is the only way America can compete in a fast-paced global environment.

Covanta Energy, for example, is focusing is on helping other companies turn their trash into energy, through a process called "waste to energy." With facilities in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Lancaster, York and Montgomery counties, Covanta employs more than 300 Pennsylvanians. Nationwide, the company's 40 facilities employ 3,673 Americans and produce enough energy to power over one million homes, while diverting almost 20 million tons of trash from landfills each year. Two-thirds of those homes are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, making Covanta's affordable power a major part of the region's renewable energy mix.

For the companies Covanta works with, turning trash into energy isn't just about good corporate citizenship. Many of these companies do business overseas, including in Europe, where diverting trash from landfills is required by law. Europe cares deeply about trash for a couple reasons: first, landfills in these countries are nearly full, and so there's an immediate need to find other and better ways to deal with trash. But just as important, Europe has greenhouse gas reduction policies in place that require businesses to reduce municipal waste, which gives off high levels of polluting methane gas when it is not repurposed into new energy sources.

If the U.S. were to follow Europe's lead and require high levels of recycling and waste to energy recovery, we could reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 650 million metric tons. We'd also promote a whole new business sector in recycling, waste management, and re-use of materials. That's not nothing. But instead, we have yet to come up with a comprehensive energy strategy that addresses global warming, and our largest export continues to be the trash we ship to China each day.

But all is not lost. As the CAP report points out, even in the absence of U.S. government action, some big companies are starting to take note that they must step up their game in order to do business in a globalized environment where other countries have passed more forward-looking policies. That's why Siemens, a German company that manufactures a host of energy systems in factories across the U.S., has created an entire internal Sustainability Advisory Board that incorporates carbon-emission reductions into every business decision the company makes. It's why Wal-Mart, the country's single largest private employer, has made a commitment to energy efficiency in its stores and across its supply chain.

These business decisions make good economic sense, and they also set a standard for other companies. With luck, they will set a standard for the U.S. government as well. For without a comprehensive national strategy on energy, it will be hard for any but the largest multinational companies to take serious action to reduce emissions and become more sustainable.

Anthony J. Orlando is President and CEO of Covanta Energy. Kate Gordon is Vice President for Energy Policy at the Center for American Progress.

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