Pro-Foreclosure Bondholders Square Off Against Pro-Loan Mod Ocwen
There is a nasty, public fight going on that pits struggling homeowners, many in low income and minority communities who need mortgage modifications to help them avoid foreclosure, against some big Wall Street investors who own the bonds backed by those mortgages who want speedier foreclosures.
Caught in the middle is Ocwen Financial Corp., the largest servicer of sub-prime mortgage loans and the trustee on the bond issues. Ocwen says granting loan modifications, including principal reductions, to borrowers is the best way to keep families in their homes—and paying their mortgages—as well to the benefit of all of its bondholders. It is also good public policy, it says.
On the other side, some big bondholders—including BlackRock, PIMCO, Kore Advisors, MetLife, Neuberger Berman and others—accuse Ocwen of not doing its job and granting loan modifications at their expense. They want the trustee of these bonds to alter how Ocwen services the loans.
This argument is not new from Larry Fink’s BlackRock. In an October 2010 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal titled, “Why a Foreclosure Moratorium Is a Bad Idea,” BlackRock came out against the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). In June 2012, BlackRock wrote a letter to Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), to voice its “concerns with the Home Affordable Modification Program and the AG Settlement and their resultant impact on the availability of private capital in the mortgage-backed securities markets.”
Ocwen maintains that HAMP furthers the U.S. Treasury Department's public policy to help struggling borrowers remain in their homes by encouraging and guiding servicers to pursue profitable loan modifications rather than rushing to foreclosure.
So many points are ironic about this fight, including that Ocwen has been accused multiple times over the years by regulators, politicians and consumer protection groups of preying on sub-prime borrowers. Now it’s being accused of granting overly liberal terms to those same borrowers in order to help them stay in their homes and communities. And Larry Fink has been “hoping” to be the next U.S. Treasury Secretary if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency in 2016.
In late 2013, Ocwen agreed to a $2.1 billion settlement and fine with federal and state regulators to settle charges of alleged misconduct. Last December it reached a settlement with New York State regulators that required the company to change its practices and provide $150 million to help struggling homeowners in the state.
Now it’s got bondholders angry.
On Jan. 23, 2015, the Houston law firm of Gibbs & Bruns LLP, which represents holders of 25 percent of $82 billion of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), alleges Ocwen had “material failures” in complying with the covenants that govern the bond issues.
The letter claims that Ocwen engaged in “imprudent and wholly improper loan modification, advancing, and advance recovery practices.” It accuses Ocwen of improperly using trust funds to pay its borrower relief obligations in the regulatory settlements, essentially “shifting the costs of the settlement to the Trusts and enriching Ocwen unjustly.”
In a January 26 reply, Ocwen’s outside counsel, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (Orrick), said the investors’ “ultimate objective” is “to stop servicers from modifying loans and force them to foreclose on and evict as many struggling homeowners as quickly as possible. While knee-jerk foreclosures may redound to the special economic interests of your clients, they are not in the best interests of the Trusts as a whole, not consistent with industry practice, and therefore prohibited under the servicing agreements.”
Orrick also accused the bondholders of trying to “push foreclosures and stop principal reduction” as “part of their ongoing industry-wide pro-foreclosure campaign, which has been roundly criticized by numerous national housing, consumer protection and civil rights groups as anti-consumer and contrary to good public policy.”
Ocwen, which says it is a leading provider of loan modifications under HAMP, followed that up with a 30-page “rebuttal letter” dated March 23, in which it asserted that it is servicing loans “in the best interest of all investors.” It said “each modification Ocwen performs is designed to yield a higher anticipated recovery to investors than foreclosure.”
The bondholders counter that their tranches have “performed materially worse than Trusts serviced by other servicers” due to Ocwen’s alleged “imprudent and improper servicing practices.”
Ocwen pushed back by stating “these investors' pro-foreclosure, anti-modification agenda is driven by their desire to increase their own financial returns on their specific tranche-level holdings in RMBS Trusts, at the expense of long-term gains to the Trusts as a whole, through sustainable modifications.”
On Feb. 25, Morgan Stanley issued an independent report on Ocwen’s servicing operations that said the company does a better job of keeping struggling borrowers in their homes and reducing the amount of money they owe on their loans compared to other servicers.
“Since the beginning of 2011, they have been far more likely to give a borrower a principal modification than the market as a whole,” the report said. “Ocwen has been far more generous to borrowers than the overall sub-prime market.”
Morgan Stanley noted that some of Ocwen’s pro-borrower strategies could be “potentially disadvantageous” to bondholders, since they take a loss when borrowers get their principal reduced. However, it says, “there are other forces at play,” such as keeping borrowers in their homes as a matter of public policy.
It advises bondholders to stick with Ocwen. “It doesn’t appear in investors’ best interest to replace Ocwen as servicer,” it concluded.
George Yacik is a special correspondent to National Mortgage Professional Magazine. He has been covering the residential mortgage business for more than 20 years and writes frequently for industry publications. He is a former vice president of SMR Research Corporation, where he was the lead research analyst on residential and sub-prime mortgage loans.


text:
Your location can have a huge impact on your insurance premium. Like many industries in the US, car insurance is regulated at the state level and is dictated by each state’s regulations. If you live in an area prone to floods, hurricanes, or wildfires, your rate will be elevated, as insurance companies compensate for these risks. Dive into the data below to find check out your expected costs with our list of car insurance rates by city.
Auto insurance is financial protection, and not just for the investment you made when you bought your car. After a really serious accident, bills for damage and injuries can easily reach into hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you happen to cause such a wreck, the victims could sue you. In the worst case scenario, assets such as your savings and home could be seized.
State Farm: State Farm is the third-best car insurance company, though its overall score is very close to second-place Travelers. State Farm gets high marks from its customers for ease of filing a claim, and many State Farm customers say they're likely to renew their policy with the company. State Farm customers report being satisfied with the value they get from the company, and it’s no wonder they say that: State Farm rates are, on average, lower than most of the competition.
USAA only sells policies to current and former members of the military and their families and is consistently rated at the top of its class by A.M. Best with an A++ financial strength rating. It doesn’t have an official customer service rating with J.D. Power, but USAA is noted by J.D. as providing “claims satisfaction and shopping satisfaction”. A perk of USAA is if your uniform is damaged or stolen in an event your policy covers and you are on active duty or deployed, USAA will reimburse you without you having to pay a deductible.
Want to know how much a particular model car costs to insure in your state? The car insurance comparison by vehicle tool will tell you. It provides average car insurance quotes for approximately 3,000 models. This tool is a great way to compare insurance quotes on various vehicles before making a decision on which one to buy. Knowing the cost of insurance is a vital part of the car-buying process because it affects your overall car budget.
State Farm has many satisfied customers in Texas, judging by its 15% market share — the largest in the state. State Farm outperformed almost every company on our list in customer service scoring by J.D. Power and Consumer Reports. It also has a stellar website, which helps you understand which coverages best fit your specific needs. We would’ve liked a Live Chat feature, but there are plenty of contact alternatives, including a mobile app.
Collision coverage is limited to the actual cash value of the vehicle, and requires a deductible, which is the amount you'll need to pay before receiving benefits. Higher deductibles lower your premium but increase the amount you must pay out of your own pocket if a loss occurs. Ask yourself how much you would be willing to pay on short notice in order to save on your premium, or talk to your agent.
Texas is one of four states that have seen the highest increase in auto insurance premiums over the last seven years, according to Consumer Reports. While part of that jump is due to increased repair costs for the added technology in new cars, extreme weather also plays a role, with Hurricane Harvey a recent glaring example. Over half a million vehicles flooded in Texas during that storm, significantly raising insurers’ annual losses for 2017, and in turn causing around an 8% jump in premiums this year. Add the fact that Texas is No. 1 in the nation for hail damage losses, and its position at the top of the rate hike leaderboard is no surprise.
Your auto insurance rate depends on who you are as a driver, as well as your age, your credit, your vehicle, and your location. How insurance companies weigh these attributes is reflected in your premium. For example, having a limited driving history or a poor credit score can raise your rates dramatically. Our analysis of major rating factors shows how premiums shift from company to company.
To calculate the added cost in purchasing comprehensive and/or collision coverage we looked at annual insurance quotes for a 30 year old male from New York across four different insurance companies, and the ten best-selling vehicles in the US. We look at the range of rates you could pay from basic liability to policy plans with comprehensive and collision coverage. Collision typically costs more than comprehensive, although some companies require you to carry both rather than just one. Comparing quotes across at least three companies can get you lower car insurance rates.
Shopping for auto insurance is a very personalized experience; car insurance companies will consider your driving history, credit score, age and more when generating your quote. Some things to consider when shopping for auto insurance are relevant discounts, the claims process, and the coverage you want in addition to your state’s minimum required coverage. Use this guide to compare the top car insurance companies and find the best rates available.

domain: finance


text:
A place for gamers to talk about games and stuff.
Free forum : A forum for all to share awesome stories, novels, roleplaying games, and more!
Free forum : Here you can role play as your favorite characters as well as your own from the Assassin's Creed series! All games and time periods are included in this forum, it is not secluded to a sin
Revelation Roleplay is a friendly gaming community that spans across many Xbox and PC games
Free Forum: A little fun community of general sillies who just wanted a place to hang out and have some fun. Anyone is welcome!
Wisteria is a forum specifically for forum games and posting!
Free forum : Discuss Lost Saga and other online games freely, and with free hot-pockets too!
Just some random rp based on different video games and anime. Strange, huh?
Free forum : A Bungie.net Halo Roleplay
treasure valley airsoft is a airsoft team in Boise Idaho. players can get together to have a good time, play milsim games get help with there gear and most of all have fun. FREE TOO!
Your source for hot topics and video games.
A forum based fantasy RPG, with similarities to Dungeons and Dragons, and many other fantasy based games, along with ideas from other forum based games.
Magical Gamers: A forum for games, stories and much more!
We are a forum of people who mainly talk about ROBLOX.We also happen to talk about other things besides ROBLOX such as TF2 and other fun games
Welcome to Fandom Village! Make new friends, talk about fandoms, play games, and mostly have fun! Log in or register to join in!
Free forum : ^ Forum Diskusi Tentang Perkembangan Games Masa Kini ^
The home of all things geeky. With a focus on comics, movies, tv shows, and roleplay games.
Please feel free to join and take part in the many rps that have been posted up! The site is currently trying to bring in new people, so please! Bring your Magic! ! ! ! : )
A fan forum dedicated to Humongous Entertainment, covering all games from the early 90's to present.
SAK clan is a stunters and deathmatchers clan, whose members mix those activities into one original and unique gameplay style.
Zeus player Corporation (corp) website for The Infinite Black (TIB) online MMO mobile game for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android. New player guide (Recruit) and recruitment.
A place for PC gamers to discuss games and share opinions
Come talk about anime and video games!
Covering the newest iphone/ipod games with reviews, photos, and more. Get a look into todays hottest games and peek into the future games. Mingle with developers, get latest info, and conversate with fellow gamers.
We talk about Newgrounds, Flash, Music, Video Games, and pretty much everything else.
Free forum : This is a fan made forum for all things related to Battle Systems terrain. From the quest for the golden hot tub, to the slaying of the purple pants.
At American Dream Gaming our goal is to create a roleplay environment for games like GTA IV, Mine Craft and many more where members can chase their virtual dreams while interacting with others and having fun along the way.
Revive A Game : A laid back 21 and up gaming community for the random blogger and gamer. We have a passion for playing older games and reviving them from co-op to multi-player RAG get togethe

domain: game


text:
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601250585 SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL TYPE: Movie review SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
IT'S THE WINK that makes the difference.
There is a great deal of both sense and sensibility in Emma Thompson's screen adaptation of Jane Austen's first novel (published in 1811, although written in 1795). There is an abundance of tea and talk in this ``Sense and Sensibility,'' but there also is an effective dose of satire. The manners of the period are steadfastly maintained, yet the game is still the same as in 1996 - marriage and money.
Behind it all is humor, the saving grace that will make this the most popular, mainstream Austen adaptation since MGM's Greer Garson-Laurence Olivier ``Pride and Prejudice'' (which remains, even today, one of the funniest movies ever).
Screenwriter Thompson and director Ang Lee maintain a rare balance. The actors, as well as the writer and director, constantly let us know that they know better than these characters.
Satire and romance seldom mix. Satirists tend to be too brittle and cold to also convey romance. Here, the mixture is both warming and cajoling while never insulting our intelligence.
The story is no more than high-class soap opera (which, after all, is all it ever pretended to be). In an age when women cannot inherit, the Dashwood sisters stand to be left rather penniless. There is a real need to find a well-placed husband. Elinor, the older sister, is the sensible one, yet she falls in love rather easily. She falls for Edward Ferrars, whose family steers him in another direction.
The younger sister, Marianne, is more impulsive. She rejects the courtship of the faithful Col. Brandon in favor of a dashing scoundrel, John Willoughby.
In less facile hands, it might have been stuffy. Here, it's occasionally hilarious and occasionally heart-wrenching.
Thompson, who in addition to writing the script also plays Elinor, is too old for the part, if you consider the book. She, however, brings such levity and amiability to the part that we readily accept her. Hugh Grant is Edward, the subject of her romance.
Kate Winslet is a major bit of miscasting in a generally excellent cast. As Marianne, she is too modern in look and demeanor. Besides, she is not the ravishing beauty the part called for. Winslet was wonderful last year in ``Heavenly Creatures,'' a part that should have brought her all the honors she's getting for this film.
Alan Rickman (the villain in ``Robin Hood'' and ``Die Hard'') is fine as the dependable, reliable Col. Brandon. In his suit of Marianne, we're on his side immediately. Her infatuation, though, with Willoughby, played by Greg Wise, will be shared by most women in the audience. He's a dashing rounder.
The supporting cast is uniformly superb. Harriet Walter is a thing of pure avarice and evil as Fanny Dashwood. Elizabeth Spriggs is a joy as the flighty Mrs. Jennings, who adopts the girls and brings them to London society. Even little Emilie Francois, as the young Margaret Dashwood, manages not to seem like a child actress.
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese director who would seem an unlikely choice for this material, but his other films, including ``The Wedding Banquet'' and ``Eat Drink Man Woman,'' well displayed his knack for handling domestic problems, comedies and trauma with common sense. Here, he goes for the pathos, while Thompson's script goes for the comedy. It is a quite irresistible combination.
This is an entertainment, not a history lesson. Go to see it because you'll have a good time. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
``Sense and Sensibility''
Cast: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Greg
Director: Ang Lee
Screenplay: Emma Thompson, adapted from the novel by Jane Austen
Music: Patrick Doyle
MPAA rating: PG (mild language, the quite proper way to play the
sex game, corsets abound)
Mal's rating: Four stars
Locations: Greenbrier 13 in Chesapeake; Lynnhaven Mall and
Pembroke in Virginia Beach

domain: artistic


text:
My reading during the first five months of the year falls pretty neatly into two columns: Pre-COVID and COVID Phase 1, with vastly different types of books in each. I will keep my comments brief.
Pre- COVID (Jan. 1 to ~ mid March)
Highly Recommended Fiction:
Inland, by Téa Obreht (2019): Obreht’s second novel (after The Tiger’s Wife in 2011) weaves together two stories set in 1893 Arizona Territory, one taking place over 24 hours, the other over decades. Both eventually collide. The novel is spell-binding yet rooted in the reality of the Western expansion and the time that the post-Civil War military tried to use camels as pack animals in the Southwest. (The attempt was ultimately unsuccessful.)
Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson (2019): Wilson, a favorite writer of Ann Patchett’s, broke through to critical acclaim with his fourth novel, The Family Fang, in 2012. This one is even better. Down-on-her-luck Lillian takes on the job of babysitter to the stepchildren of former school friend Madison, now married to a wealthy politician. The catch is that the children have a tendency to spontaneously combust under certain circumstances. The book is laugh out loud funny while also deftly exploring issues of class, friendship, accountability, and just what makes a family.
Dept. of Speculation, by Jenny Offill (2014): When Jenny Offill’s third novel Weather came out in February of this year, the book reviewers were ecstatic. And I felt pretty dumb, as I had never heard of her. So I decided to start with this novel, her second. A prosaic description of its subject would be “an exploration of the marriage of two 30-something academics with a young child who are going through a rough patch.” But it is so much more, and the writing is so original and entrancing that I have to yield to the Boston Globe for a more articulate description than I can give it: “ Slender, quietly smashing…A book so radiant with sunlight and sorrow that it almost makes a person gasp.”
Highly Recommended Nonfiction:
Boom Town, by Sam Anderson (2018): In December of last year, I read Sam Anderson’s piece in the New York Times Magazine (12.8.19 issue) about his experience regularly watching Jeopardy with his father as his father was fighting a losing battle with cancer. At a key point in the story, Anderson’s first book, Boom Town, actually shows up as one of the “answers” in the Daily Double. The piece was written with charm and love and wonder, and I had to get a tissue at the end. So I decided to read Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis. I had no interest at all in Oklahoma City or basketball, but Anderson’s writing is so engaging, so wry, so much fun that it was one of the most entertaining books I have read. I couldn’t put it down. (If you’re not willing to risk the book, at least read the “Jeopardy” story here.)
There There, a novel by Tommy Orange (2018): This is an important work, and it certainly took me into the gritty world of urban Native Americans. I found, though, that the voices of the twelve characters were not distinct, and they became just figures being moved around on a big game board.
Live a Little, a novel by Howard Jacobson (2019): British author Jacobson is primarily known for comic novels, and I’ve enjoyed a couple earlier ones. This one is more poignant than comic, as the cast members are quite advanced in years and spend the novel working through a lifetime of difficult memories. My complaint, though, is that Jacobson doesn’t bring the two main characters, Beryl Dusinbery (90 something) and Shimi Carmelli (80 something), together until the last 60 of nearly 300 pages. At that point the story takes off and is a delight. I just didn’t think the run-up was worth the effort.
Ordinary Light, a memoir by Tracy K. Smith (2015): Tracy Smith has published four collections of poetry, served two terms as Poet Laureate, has won a Pulitzer, and is the chair of Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts. This memoir was a finalist for the National Book Award. So I was expecting the prose of Ordinary Light to be lyrical, extraordinary. But it wasn’t. It was just…ordinary.
COVID – PHASE 1 (mid March to the end of May)
As soon as it was clear we were in for a terrible mess, my brain decided to check out. I know I was not the only one in that state, but it was still maddening that during more than two months, with no editing projects and with my calendar cleared of appointments, lunches, and concerts as though they had been written in disappearing ink, I couldn’t read anything that was even mildly challenging. I started books by Julian Barnes, Lydia Davis, Hilary Mantel, Jeanette Winterson, Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith – and they all still sit on the table behind me with their yellow Post-It bookmarks sticking up around page 25. Here are the novels I read instead:
The Cazalet Chronicles, by Elizabeth Jane Howard: Howard, a popular English novelist who was the second wife of Kingsley Amis (for almost twenty years), wrote twelve novels, including the five (!) volumes of the Chronicles (four published between 1990 and 1995, with the fifth one tacked on in 2013, a year before Howard’s death). The Chronicles follow generations of the wealthy Cazalet family from the late 1930s and the height of their good fortune (which was in the lumber business) to the mid 1950s. And in a 2016 Guardian article, Hilary Mantel had described Howard as undervalued and Austen-esque. So it all sounded promising as a distraction. I found them, though, more Forsyte Saga than Austen. The first two volumes were entertaining, but as each successive book got longer, the writing got more pedestrian and repetitive. Howard’s efforts to make sure that details of daily life placed each book in its time period were workmanlike, and many of the characters grew tiresome. The 400-page fifth volume was 100 pages too long and dragged as the family falls apart in various ways, some quite forced, with the swinging ’60s on the horizon.
Writers & Lovers, by Lily King (2020)
Red Head by the Side of the Road, by Anne Tyler (2020)
Both books were a lovely change from the Howard novels and made a good transition into more normal reading patterns starting in June.
Writers & Lovers is a smart romantic comedy with a sympathetic 31-year-old protagonist who is trying to get her first novel written and published while she is also dealing with a nearly overwhelming number of changes in her life. I also appreciated all the literary jokes and allusions, and liked that King assumed her readers were intelligent. Far closer to Austen than the Howard was.
Red Head… is just a classic Anne Tyler, a familiar comfort in strange, jarring times. This protagonist (Micah) is one of Tyler’s stock Baltimore residents, a befuddled male who ultimately is set straight by a perfectly ordinary woman. Yet at 180 pages it is a small gem of character study. I marveled at Tyler’s ability to capture each of the individuals, even the more minor players, through distinctive dialogue and setting. When I finished the book, I felt as though I would recognize each one if I ran into them on the street.
2 thoughts on “Month(s) of Books: January to May 2020”
Hi! Thanks for sending. I’ve printed it out for the To Read clipboard. Looking forward to reading it. I tried to comment on Word but you’ve got to jump through too many hoops to post a comment. Roz email@example.com https://muckrack.com/roz-warren *Want to be a patron of the arts? Buy me a cup of coffee! https://ko-fi.com/rozwarren *
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved this! Ordered Nothing to See Here! D
Daniela Gitlin firstname.lastname@example.org
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.
LikeLiked by 1 person

domain: literature


text:
A flag is said to represent many things, but the tattered pennant-sized flags that adorn the dining room walls in the basement at 310 S. Michigan Ave. speak only of adventure.
This is the Adventurers Club. It`s 75 years old. Teddy Roosevelt, then an ex-President and a big game hunter, was a charter member. One of the flags represents one of Roosevelt`s post-White House safaris into Africa.
That`s the idea of the flags. Each one commemorates an unusual adventure experienced by a club member.
Roosevelt . . . Sir Edmund Hillary . . . Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd . . . Roald Amundsen . . . Marlin Perkins . . . Thor Heyerdahl. The names on the flags and the deeds they represent are enough to stir the Walter Mitty in each of us and start us fantasizing about our own ultimate adventure.
Name your fantasy. Chances are some flag-earning member of the club has beaten you to it.
Hillary, conquerer of Mt. Everest, teamed with Perkins to share one flag for an adventure that would start Mitty going, ''Ta-pockata, ta-pockata, ta-pockata . . .'' They tracked the Abominable Snowman on their Yeti
Investigation in the Himalayas.
Perkins carried his flag to and from his 1955 Zoocade Safari to the Dark Continent. One tattered flag accompanied Amundsen on his North Pole expedition in 1922. Another was part of Byrd`s third expedition to Little America in Antarctica in 1940.
Ted Erickson swam the English Channel for his flag. Neil King took a three-week solo ''hike'' through the Himalayas. Heyerdahl is famed for his Kon Tiki odyssey. One flag commemorates the adventurers who witnessed the awesome and awful 1947 atom bomb experimental explosion at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
So it was only natural then, that when Patrick O`Bryan joined the Adventurers Club three years ago, he too yearned to join in a unique adventure that he could return to describe to fellow members and have his flag placed among the others.
But golf? Since when does golf qualify as an adventure?
Judge for yourself. O`Bryan, 35, a native Chicagoan, Notre Dame graduate and former social worker, chucked the 9-to-5 lifestyle six years ago. He decided he would travel the world, play and photograph its most famous golf courses and romance the most beautiful and exotic women on Earth.
O`Bryan succeeded to the point where he`s now making his living by conducting globe-trotting golf tours. His latest idea, called ''The Great Trek of Golf 1985,'' is so novel and adventuresome that the club has approved it for Pat`s Flag expedition.
In two weeks next September, O`Bryan, joined by an international, interracial threesome of instructors and a group of globetrotting adventurers, will travel the following itinerary and play the following six courses:
-- The northernmost golf course on Earth, Akureyri, 30 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Iceland.
-- The world`s southernmost course, Invercargill on the southern tip of New Zealand`s South Island.
-- Royal Samoa, the westernmost golf course on the planet.
-- Fiji Golf Club, the easternmost course on Earth, though it`s just across the International Date Line, only 150 miles from Royal Samoa.
-- The highest course on Earth, La Paz, more than 12,000 feet above sea level near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia.
-- The lowest course, Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Its fifth hole is 205 feet below sea level.
The Trek will present O`Bryan`s golfing companions with varying conditions. For example, they may be able to drive 300 yards off the tee at La Paz, because of the thin air. But the course may measure 10,000 yards. Conversely, the course in Death Valley measures just 5,800 yards. But it will play like 7,500 because of the dense air.
To help his tourists, O`Bryan has assembled a unique trio of teachers:
Arnost Kopta, the amateur champion of Czechoslovakia; Vincent Tshabalala, a black professional from Soweto, South Africa; and Peter Tang, head pro at Chung Shan, Red China`s only golf course and one designed, believe it or not, by Arnold Palmer.
''I lined up Peter Tang when I was in Hong Kong two or three weeks ago,'' O`Bryan said. ''He had to clear it with his federation because he`s also coach of the Red China national golf team.''
O`Bryan, taking a few days off from his globetrotting, was explaining his uncommon life. The interview, appropriately enough, took place beside the flag-bedecked walls in the Adventurers Club.
When and how had O`Bryan hit upon the idea that will lead to his flag expedition?
''I can`t pinpoint it exactly,'' he said. ''It was sometime between my visiting seven European countries and Morocco, then going to Italy on Feb. 16 and then right on to Hong Kong. I thought to myself, `What can I do next?` I have a good imagination.''
O`Bryan`s active imagination probably reached its zenith six years ago when he decided to leave social work and try to make a living out of golf, a sport he had re-embraced after a seven-year absence.
''I was working at Christopher House in Chicago,'' O`Bryan recalled. ''I had come from a more upper middle-class background than the others. They called me `the golfing social worker.` I thought: `What can I do? I`m almost 30. I`m independent. I`m single.`
''I had always loved to travel, and I loved golf. I decided to golf my way around the world. I looked up courses in my golf library.''
From September, 1981, to April, 1982, O`Bryan visited 20 countries, played 67 golf courses, took 2,000 color slides and fell in love with a beautiful Czech woman.
''There`s a saint-sinner conflict in all us Irish,'' he said. ''One purpose of my trip was to visit the Holy Land and Greece and make it a cultural, spiritual experience--a classic pilgrimage.
''On the other hand,'' he said, ''I wanted to see women of every country . . . to throw away all my mores.''
Ideally, O`Bryan said, he hoped to pick from among a harem of international beauties ''a woman golfer, a partner with whom I could walk down life`s fairways.'' Instead, he found Ludmila, a Czech beauty who knew nothing of golf or golfers.
''When I told her that the Western Open at Butler National drew 100,000 spectators,'' O`Bryan said, ''she told me, `Golf is a game for 100,000 idiots, and you are the king of the idiots.` But she couldn`t be expected to know much about it. Czechoslovakia has only two golf courses.''
When O`Bryan returned from his around-the-world trek, he was unemployed and hopelessly hooked on golf and travel.
''In desperation, I was looking through the Yellow Pages under `I` for
`International,` '' he said. ''I found `International Sportsman Adventures`
and called Paul Merzig. He asked what I did. I said: `I play golf around the world. What do you do?` ''
That call led to Merzig and O`Bryan going into business together. Their company is called Golf Adventures Ltd. O`Bryan works on the golf aspects. Merzig, a 37-year-old native of St. Charles and a veteran of more than 20 big- game safaris, organizes hunting tours. Merzig, a past president of the Adventurers Club, put O`Bryan up for membership.
O`Bryan first turned to golf as a 10-year-old who realized he would be hard-pressed to match the academic and athletic achievements of four elder brothers.
''Two of my brothers made all-city in basketball. The others played football at Loyola Academy,'' O`Bryan recalled. ''I was the youngest boy, wondering how I was going to be able to beat my brothers. Then, when I was 10, my dad handed me my sister`s clubs and we played together.''
Playing frequently at the 9-hole Billy Caldwell Forest Preserve course near his home in Sauganash, O`Bryan developed a good enough game to make the Loyola Academy varsity--for one match.
''We had a qualifying round when I was a sophomore,'' he said. ''I shot the low round. So that made me our No. 1 man when we played Marquette High School of Milwaukee. Their No. 1 player was the Wisconsin state champion and I choked. I shot 54 in the 9-hole course near I-94 in Deerfield. I was off the team.''
In the half dozen years since he embarked on his first international trek, O`Bryan has played on 120 courses in 30 countries. The top two on O`Bryan`s ''most beautiful list'' are Ballybunion G.C. in Ireland and Banff Springs Golf Club in Calgary, Canada.
''Ballybunion is heroic,'' he said. ''You can smell the peat. The beach is 60 or 70 feet below you. It`s as though a great masochist had built it for 20-foot giants and you`re a mere mortal. Yet it`s subtle. It transcends golf. You finish and have a pint of Guinness with some Irishmen. You can shoot 130 and still have a good time.
''Banff Springs lies between the Bow River and Mt. Rundle,'' O`Bryan said. ''It looks like the Alps. Huge firs. The eighth hole is called `Devil`s Cauldron.` It`s set right into the base of Mt. Rundle. The steam comes off the glacial lake. It`s like coming into a cathedral. You stand in awe.''
O`Bryan has shot one hole-in-one in his life. ''At Bangkok Navatanee,''
he said, ''where they played the World Cup in `75. The second hole. It was 203 yards, and I hit a 4-iron. At first, we couldn`t find the ball. When we found it in the hole, six Japanese businessmen on the next tee bowed to me. My two girl caddies kissed me. I was so flustered, I shot a 9 on the next hole.''
O`Bryan recalled that on the third hole at the Royal Calcutta course,
''from 200 to 300 persons, some from the untouchable caste, were fishing or washing clothes in the lake that cuts across the fairway. I felt real funny about playing that shot, like saying, `Will you people please quit doing what you have to do to survive, and duck your heads while I hit this little white ball over your heads?` ''
Neither fishermen nor clothes-washers distract golfers at the Bombay Presidency, O`Bryan said. But ravens do.
''The club`s logo has a raven on it,'' he said. ''They like to pick up golf balls in their mouths. They think they`re eggs. Fore-caddies have to cover up balls with red hankies so the ravens won`t eat them. It`s not so much a problem now, because they switched from the smaller British ball to the American ball. The larger ball is a little too big for the ravens to eat.''
Golfers the world over argue which are the 50 or 100 best courses. O`Bryan, who serves on a panel that rates courses for a golf magazine, ranks three Chicagoland courses in this category.
''Medinah No. 3, Butler National and Chicago Golf in Wheaton,'' he said.
''My favorite is Chicago Golf, the first 18-hole course in the U.S. It`s in the British style. I`d sell my soul to be a member.''
O`Bryan disagrees with several prominent golf people who say that a fourth Chicagoland course, Cog Hill`s No. 4 ''Dubsdread,'' belongs on such lists.
''Cog Hill is too punishing,'' O`Bryan said. ''It has those traps that eat into the green. To me Dubsdread is unfair.''
The fiercest traps he has encountered, O`Bryan said, are those at the Royal Melbourne course. ''It`s fair,'' he said. ''There`s space to miss them, but if you get in, they`re very deep and have deep overhangs.''
On his ''toughest, yet fair,'' list, O`Bryan includes two famed courses of the British Isles, Carnoustie (''the wind, the elements'') and St. Anne`s
(''the turf, no roll; and trapped mercilessly'').
Such decisions are tough. You don`t want to omit worthy courses. O`Bryan said he wanted to be sure to add to his ''most beautiful'' list the Czechoslovakian club called Karlovy Vary by Czechs and Carlsbad by Germans.
''Henry Cotton, the great British golfer, called it the most beautiful course on the continent,'' said O`Bryan. ''It`s like being in New England or in Wisconsin in the fall. It`s a Bohemian spa town, set in the 14th Century, and they serve the best beer in the world.''
GETTING ON THE GREAT GOLF TREK
For more information on the Great Trek of Golf 1985, write to Golf Adventures Ltd., 3 First National Plaza, Suite 747, Chicago, Ill. 60602, or phone 312-782-4757.

domain: geography


text:
Date of Birth
May 4, 1984
Place of Birth
Since leaving WWE earlier in the year, CM Punk has remained relatively quiet, making sporadic appearances at NHL and MLB games. The former world heavyweight champion is going to be making a higher profile appearance later on this month. Punk will be the co-host of the kickoff show for the Alternative Press Music Awards, which is being held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
July 9, 2014
When news initially broke out that Jeff Jarrett was starting a new wrestling promotion, all fingers pointed to Toby Keith as his financial backer. The country music singer is a big fan of wrestling and good friend of Jarrett. However, reports are surfacing now that Keith is not involved with Global Force Wrestling. There are rumors that the financial backer is someone that Jarrett knows through his NASCAR connections.
June 29, 2014
Country music singer George Strait held his last concert ever this weekend in Dallas, and drew in an incredible amount of people to the show. Among the 105,000 fans at the concert were Undertaker, Michelle McCool and Steve Austin. No word yet on whether or not the former WWE stars were at the event together or just happen to be there at the same time.
June 9, 2014
Now that she has successfully defend the WWE Divas Championship against Alicia Fox, it looks like Paige is moving on to another challenger. Based on a press conference video, it appears that the next challenger is Cameron. The move could be designed to help promote her new music. It could also be WWE filming footage for the upcoming season of Total Divas as well.
June 3, 2014
While she continues to fulfill her weekly duties as the announcer for WWE, Lilian Garcia is still finding time in her busy schedule to focus on her singing career. She noted on Twitter that she is back in Los Angeles this week and shooting a new music video. She formed a new band a couple of months back, and they have been performing frequently in Las Vegas.
April 18, 2014
Through Twitter, Chris Jericho posted this message to let fans know that he and Fozzy will be releasing a brand new single called Lights Go Out on April 29. It is a teaser for the full album coming out in June. The former undisputed heavyweight champion is still rumored to return to WWE after he is done with his music stuff this summer.
April 2, 2014
Earlier this month, Lilian Garcia and her band were in Las Vegas, performing concerts for NASCAR fans. It looks like they did well enough to where they were invited back to the city to do their music for people who are in town for March Madness, the annual college basketball tournament by the NCAA that draws in millions of people across the country.
March 21, 2014
Since he is no longer on the road for WWE every single week, CM Punk has found himself with some free time. The former world heavyweight champion was recently spotted in the studios, recording guest vocals for a band called Madball. The belief is that this is just a favor to his friends, as opposed to Punk seriously pursuing a career in music.
March 20, 2014
Even though she recently signed a contract extension with WWE, Lilian Garcia will continue to focus on her music career. She and her band have recently revealed that they will be doing a performance at a huge NASCAR event in Las Vegas during the month of of March. The event normally draws more than 100,000 people from around the country.
February 27, 2014
While it has not received as much publicity, Mickie James is still continuing with her music career. The former TNA star performed a concert over the weekend at a venue called 227 Lounge in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. She still has an interest in returning to one of the major wrestling promotions, but she is also content with just doing music as well.
February 24, 2014
Since Hulk Hogan has been heavily involved in negotiations to make his return with WWE, there have been rumors springing up that Brooke Hogan could be a part of that package. The belief is that she needs more mainstream exposure to help propel her music career. However, it does not appear that Vince McMahon is interested in doing a deal.
February 9, 2014
While she is not in the national spotlight as much since leaving WWE and TNA, Mickie James is still working hard on becoming famous for her music. She revealed through an interview with the Baltimore Sun newspaper that she was currently working on a third album. It's at the very early stages, though, so no release date is known yet.
February 9, 2014
One of the most appealing things for MVP about signing with TNA instead of making a WWE return was the fact that Dixie Carter and company are more supportive of their performers doing outside projects. MVP specifically cited how management enabled Jeff Hardy and Mickie James to work on their music career while also wrestling.
February 7, 2014
When WWE did a story line where Brad Maddox was fired from Monday Night Raw, many were under the impression that management had a plan in place to turn him into an in ring performer, something that he has been wanting to be for quite some time now. However, it appears that WWE does not have plans in place for Maddox to make his return any time soon.
June 11, 2014
Now that Brad Maddox has been fired as the general manager of Monday Night Raw, WWE decided to gauge the interest of their fans by setting up a poll to see who they wanted as the new GM of the show. As of right now, Hulk Hogan has a commanding lead. The former world heavyweight champion has nearly half of the votes thus far.
May 27, 2014
On Monday Night Raw this week, Brad Maddox was called out by Stephanie McMahon, Kane and Triple H. He was attacked and fired as the general manager of Monday Night Raw. That has led to plenty of rumors and speculations about his future with the company. As of right now, Maddox is still employed by WWE and this is simply just a story line.
May 26, 2014
A video from Smackdown of the Shield attacking Brad Maddox backstage. WWE has been pushing Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns even more so recently, in order to get them ready for their big match against Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista at Extreme Rules 2014.
April 27, 2014
As management is still trying to finalize the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, there were rumors backstage that Ricardo Rodriguez was a candidate to work the match at Wrestlemania 30. However, it appears that WWE has moved away from that. Not only is Rodriguez being utilized as a commentator instead, the company also added Brad Maddox, an on screen character, to the match.
April 4, 2014
When the announcement was first made that Brad Maddox was going to be wrestling at Wrestlemania 30, it raised some eyebrows with fans, but those backstage in WWE are aware that management was simply looking to reward Maddox for being patient and doing whatever the company has asked of him. He has been yearning to wrestle for quite some time now.
April 4, 2014
In a move that was not expected whatsoever, Brad Maddox announced on the Monday Night Raw kickoff show that he will be wrestling at Wrestlemania 30. The on screen character, who was actually trained as an in ring performer, will be one of the contestants in the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal on the pay per view.
March 31, 2014
There are speculations that Brad Maddox could be leaving WWE when his contract expires, as the company really does not have a strong interest in utilizing him in a big role. He occasionally plays a bit role on Monday Night Raw and is utilized as an extra during live events, but management has been downplaying his role tremendously as of late.
March 22, 2014
Despite spending a couple of years as a developmental wrestler, Byron Saxton is not expected to wrestle at all for WWE. The company plans on only using him as an on screen and backstage asset. Many compare his situation to that of Brad Maddox, another trained in ring performer who is only being utilized in a speaking role.
March 3, 2014
Jim Ross recently compared Brad Maddox to the late Eddie Gilbert, and that more than likely is the highest praise that Maddox has ever received from anyone in the business. Longtime fans know that Gilbert was one of the best talkers that the industry has ever seen despite not having the requisite size typical of a professional wrestler.
February 20, 2014
While he has gone out and done his job enthusiastically and professionally, it is being said backstage that Brad Maddox still has a strong yearning to be a wrestler. WWE currently only has sporadic plans for him as an on screen character, and there does not appear to be a rush in utilizing him as an in ring performer.
February 8, 2014

domain: celebrity


text:
Tulsa debt consolidating Hinde sexy women
Conservatives have blasted the department for decades, claiming it is intrusive and detrimental to the education of children.Liberals, while not always happy with the work of the department, have consistently defended the ED in the face of attempts by Republican administrations to weaken, if not outright disband the department. Bush used the department to implement a controversial education reform measure, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which has been the source of much criticism and debate.Just like the DMP, this debt relief option provides you with access to comprehensive debt counseling and superior customer service, online account access, and a payment structure which guarantees that you don't pay us until you receive benefits. Our hope is that after we review your situation, we can find an alternative to bankruptcy.If bankruptcy appears to be an option that you may want to consider, you will want to talk through that process with an attorney.Freedom Debt Relief is a credit advocacy company founded in 2002 by Stanford Business School graduates.
salary statistics is not exclusive and is for reference only. Compensation depends on work experience, job location, bonus, benefits and other factors.
Those are bad numbers and there's no reason to expect the company to reverse those fortunes in Q4.
CEO Eddie Lampert, whose hedge fund loaned the company 0 million in August, has pushed the idea that the company can stabilize by closing unprofitable stores and focusing on its Shop Your Way digital platform.
There are two types of bankruptcy cases designed for consumers: Chapter 7, which erases most of your debts and is filed if you have insufficient income or property to pay your debts, with no prospect of creating additional income.
The US Bankruptcy Code was revamped in 2005 to make it more difficult to qualify for Chapter 7 relief.
The debt consolidation industry offers solutions to combine multiple debts, such as credit card bills, home loans, or other loans into one monthly payment.


LTE – Long Term Evolution
Standardized in 3GPP Release 8, LTE introduces a network which is based purely on IP as the transport mechanism. That is, all traffic, including voice, will be passed across the E-UTRAN as an IP datagram. Moreover, all of the network nodes within LTE use IP to carry signalling between one another. Termed the EPS (Evolved Packet System), the end to end LTE network is comprised of the E-UTRAN (Evolved – Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) and the EPC (Evolved Packet Core).
Enhance your knowledge further with our OnlineAnytime Training.
We have package options designed for individuals, teams and organisations. Our packages include:


Wheel Loader Caterpillar.
Model: IT 14 G.
S / N: 1WN00742.
Additional year: 1998.
Implement bracket: Large BM.
Oil leakage engine and less diesel leakage.
General play, nothing bigger.
Normal condition with regard to age and hours of operation.
Continuously serviced after intervals.
Tires about 35-40%.
Seat cover in poor condition.
Through holes in screens for wheel housings.
Starts easily and goes well in engine and hydraulics during easier test driving.
A good farm machine!
Sold without gear.


A more human, human being than Anthony Bourdain is rarely seen on television. Pretense? No. An air of superiority? None. Need to show us a perfect life? Not a chance.
The caricature of executives depicts them as heartless; people who fire others without a second thought. The reality is a far cry from this. Especially with unemployment at historic lows, leaders are acutely aware that talented people who are a good fit are not only uncommon, they are probably employed. For this, and other reasons, people who aren’t working out
The share price of JCPenney (JCP) fell 6% today on the news that its CEO, Marvin Ellison, is departing to take the reins at Lowes. Ellison was working on a turnaround plan that he initiated after joining the retailer in 2014, following 12 years at The Home Depot. While some improvements have been seen at JCP, the brand is laboring
While some leaders look through microscopes, those with a Global Leadership Mindset™ are adept at using a variety of cognitive tools to ensure they see and utilize both detail and concept. This mindset is a particular way of perceiving, making decisions and forming relationships. A global mindset rejects simplistic and deterministic ways of thinking that range from biological (brain structure
This is a guest post from Kevin Eikenberry, co-author of The Long Distance Leader. Organizations around the world are trying to come to grips with the way we work today. How does work get done effectively when people aren’t in the same place at the same time? Telework, even part-time telework, alters team dynamics in unexpected ways. Can you really prepare
I just returned from the Million Dollar Consulting® Convention in Boston where consultants, doing fascinating work all over the world, gathered to learn. Alan Weiss, author of Million Dollar Consulting, brought outstanding speakers to the stage. This year, Chip Bell, author of 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service, as well as Noah Fleming, Dorie Clark, and Kevin Berchelmann were among them.
Saks pays a lot of attention to the look of their stores and the merchandise they choose, but so do their competitors. My preference for Saks has to do with Susan Bregman, who works in designer clothing at the store in Atlanta. Nonetheless, when I had some free time, I headed to Saks to pick up a specific item. I
On March 25th, Pope Francis delivered his traditional Palm Sunday address. His message has deep resonance for leaders at any level, of any age or circumstance.
It has been months since The Today Show removed and quickly replaced well-known and longtime host, Matt Lauer. Soon after, NBC named Hoda Kotb to co-host with Savannah Guthrie. Good for NBC for moving quickly. In January, CNN reported that viewership has increased and ad revenue of $500 million has been secured. What should we learn from this?
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that McDonald’s is “taking aim” at Chick-fil-A by improving their chicken offerings. It’s no wonder as the trend toward consumption of chicken and away from beef is clear and compelling. The Department of Agriculture estimates that Americans consume 92 pounds of chicken per year and 57 pounds of beef.


text:
Written by Frank Tucker
I had a recent birthday and it got me to thinking…what is aging? Don’t get me wrong, I feel as young as ever. I don’t get carded anymore but people always say I look too young to be retired from the Military. With that said, there are aches and pains, it takes me longer to recover from a workout, it’s tough to keep the weight off and I’m getting chronic illness typical of my age group. The truth is, we all get old. It is an inevitable part of life. The process of aging is a complex one, though it may appear straightforward to many. Many consider the aging process to consist of wrinkling of the skin, greying of the hair and even muscle weakness. Let’s take a look at what really happens with aging.
What is aging?
Aging is an inevitable part of life. Every human that is born on this planet will start to age immediately all the way till the end of their lives. Ageing can slow us down, and affect our heart and mind and can make us weaker. Our faculties and vital sensations change. Changes in personality are common.
Is it genetic?
Well, that is a slightly difficult question to answer. We all age – that is a fact. But some people may age a lot sooner than the others. For example, some people who are young may start to notice greying of their hair a lot sooner than individuals of the same age. To some extent, this is genetic, though studies have not clearly identified which genes are involved in this process, and whether anything can be done to prevent it. Scientific research has made attempts to find this out, but so far there is nothing concrete that will determine how long we live and how quickly we will age.
What are the changes with aging?
The brain is prone to changes as we get older. The loss of memory is fairly common, and is called senile dementia. However, adults can also get affected early with memory loss with certain clinical conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease variants. The size of the brain gets smaller, and scans have shown that certain parts of the brains are atrophied in older people. Memory can be kept sharp through constant mental activity, a healthy diet and regular exercise.
The heart is the core of our well being. It beats non-stop, 7 days a week, 365 days a year from the moment we are born till the moment we die. It is a resilient organ that can unfortunately be affected by the aging process. Changes that can be seen include thickening of the heart muscle, calcification of the heart valves, narrowing of the heart arteries (that causes a heart attack), enlargement of the heart and alteration in heart rhythms. Of course, not every individual is affected as described, and changes can be minimal and not affect the patient’s quality of life. Our heart can be kept healthy through regular exercise and a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat and salt.
Our skin is the largest organ of our body. It exhibits constant growth and rejuvenation throughout our lifetime, but is subject to a great deal of change as we age. Stretch marks, fine lines, wrinkles etc. are age related changes that are common in many. The skin also becomes more prone to tearing and injury as it gets thinner due to a reduction in the amount of collagen and elastin content within it. Keeping the skin healthy required lifestyle modifications, along with the use of natural products that maintain skin tone and elasticity.
The skeletal structure of our body is maintained by the constant replenishment of the bones with minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. As we get older, it is natural for the amount of calcium and other minerals in the bones to reduce. In women, this is often seen after menopause, but as a general rule thinning of the bones is a phenomenon of aging. The increased brittleness of the bones that is due to thinning is called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis increases the propensity of the bones to fracture after experiencing minimal trauma. Having a good diet and performing regular exercise can keep the bones healthy. However, despite best efforts, it is common for bones to become weaker as we age.
Muscle weakness is a well recognized phenomenon of aging. In addition, the loss of muscle tone and muscle mass is also seen. A decrease in overall muscle strength means that patients will be unable to exercise them as hard as they used to when they were younger, and this naturally leads to weakness. In fact, muscle weakness can lead to loss of balance and even falls, and in patients with osteoporosis this can ultimately cause fractures.
As we get older, the ability of the body to ward of infections and illnesses reduce. Older patients are prone to infections such as chest infections and urinary tract infections, primarily because their immune system is not as strong as it used to be many years ago. Inflammation forms part and parcel of our immune response, and constantly elevated levels of inflammation can be seen in older individuals. This can predispose them to developing heart disease and stroke amongst other conditions.
The above are just some of the common changes that are seen in our bodies as we get older. Literally every system and cell in the body will be affected by aging, demonstrating changes that reduce its function to varying degrees.
The effect of stress
There is a widespread concern amongst the general public that stress levels have a direct impact on how quickly we age. But the question is whether this is really true? To an extent it actually is.
Stress can cause the release of a variety of different mediators in the body. These are involved in the breakdown of foods to release energy and nutrients that maintain the integrity of cells and tissues within the body, and help maintain the normal functioning of vital organs. Normal processes can produce toxic free radicals within the body, and elevated stress levels can have an impact on this. Stress can also bring with it certain vices as a response to help relieve it. For example, some people may take up smoking as an escape from stress; some may take up drinking. These habits are well recognized for the damage they cause tissues, and this can indirectly impact aging. In a nutshell, stress can directly and indirectly impact overall aging.
Aging is a complex phenomenon that is unfortunately an inevitable part of life. It can affect literally every vital system in the body, reducing their function and overall capacity. Steps can be taken to help slow down aging, amongst which diet and exercise are on top of the list.

domain: biology


text:
The U.S. International Trade Commission has released a new web-based interface that allows the public to more easily monitor changes in U.S. imports.
Worldwide Flight Services appoints new CEO, while CSafe names director of strategic life science sales.
Allan Dow, president of Logility, said the acquisition extends Logility’s ability to deploy innovative supply chain and retail optimization solutions faster and at a lower total cost of ownership.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The Obama Administration indicated Friday that within 30 days, it plans to send to Congress the bill that would implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement negotiated and signed by a dozen countries earlier this year.
APM Terminals has been unwittingly entangled in a bribery scandal surrounding Guatemala’s former president Otto Perez Molina as a result of its purchase of Spanish port operator Grup TCB, according to a report from Danish news outlet Fagbladet 3F.
The voyage data recorder from the El Faro, the cargo ship that sank during Hurricane Joaquin on Oct. 1, 2015, has officially been retrieved.

domain: news


text:
Advancing Community-Driven Mental Health
The Advancing Community-Driven Mental Health grant program will fund community-based organizations to improve access to community-based mental health services for adults experiencing mild to moderate mental health distress and practical problems of daily living. The grant program will equip staff members of community-based organizations to deliver mental health support in the community focusing on teaching basic concepts and skills that enable individuals to address and deal with issues of immediate concern to them. This grant program will utilize a community-based low-intensity psychological intervention known as Problem Management Plus (PM+). The intervention was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to address mental health treatment gaps in low- and middle-income countries. In addition to grant funding, the program will provide training, technical assistance, coaching, implementation and evaluation support to organizations that are interested in developing and implementing Problem Management Plus (PM+) services within their organizations.

domain: psychology


Downloading Sonic the Hedgehog 3D Free
Thank you for using our Mac software portal. We cannot guarantee the safety of the software downloaded from external sites. Unfortunately, there is no direct download for the Mac version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3D. To download the product, proceed to the developer's site via the link below.
Download from gamejolt.comDOWNLOAD
Often downloaded with
- The Hedgehogs The Hedgehogs lets you enjoy the fun variation of the popular 15 slider-puzzle.... DOWNLOAD
- Project Hedgehog This is a lightweight personal task-tracking application. By using this program... DOWNLOAD
- Pocket Adventures “It’s like Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Castlevania, Sly Cooper, Megaman, & Sonic... DOWNLOAD


text:
Thursday, February 27, 2020
The University of Pittsburgh continues to monitor the spread of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, and is taking steps to respond to community needs.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
For new students, faculty and staff members, getting acclimated to campus life can be challenging. Here’s a guide to help.
Friday, June 22, 2018
Pitt is taking a leading role in tackling the public health crisis by strengthening its prevention, treatment and recovery programs to bring meaningful change to the lives of students.

domain: medical


text:
Sriwijaya B738 at Dili on Dec 15th 2018, compressor stalls on departure
Last Update: January 8, 2019 / 22:03:37 GMT/Zulu time
East Timor's Civil Aviation Authority (AACTL) reported they received a preliminary report from the airline suggesting there was a problem with the airflow in the compressor. The crew worked the related checklists and recovered the engine. The aircraft continued to destination. The AACTL asked the airline to not use the aircraft on flights to Dili until the report, all inspections and checks are completed.
Two passengers reported independently that there were three bangs from the right hand engine in intervals of about 10 seconds each associated with flames from the engine exhaust, shouts of "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" occurred (one passenger believed this to be an automatic fire alarm, the other reported a flight attendant was shouting), flight attendants were rushing through the aisles carrying fire extinguishers, announcements were made the passengers should retrieve and put on their life jackets. The aircraft stopped climbing for some time. About 45 minutes later the passengers were instructed to remove the life jackets and the flight continued to Denpasar. No explanation but "engine problem" was provided.
The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Denpasar for about 30 hours before returning to service.
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
On Jan 13th 2022 the KNKT released their first interim statement adding information about the CVR (quoted in full):On 30 March 2021, the Cockpit…
A Sriwijaya Boeing 737-800, registration PK-CRI performing flight SJ-591 from Makassar to Jakarta (Indonesia), was climbing through about 17,000 feet…
A Sriwijaya Boeing 737-800, registration PK-CLT performing flight SJ-270 from Denpasar (Indonesia) to Dili (East Timor) with 110 people on board, was…
A Sriwijaya Boeing 737-300, registration PK-CJC performing flight SJ-570 from Sorong to Manokwari (Indonesia) with 146 passengers and 6 crew, landed…
A Sriwijaya Boeing 737-800, registration PK-CMT performing flight SJ-1159 from Guangzhou (China) to Denpasar Bali (Indonesia) with 180 passengers and…
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZOP performing flight U2-1877 from Manchester,EN (UK) to Bilbao,SP (Spain), was climbing out of…
A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration F-HUYI performing flight TO-7606 from Paris Orly (France) to Porto (Portugal), was enroute at FL370 over the…
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.Pick your plan and subscribe
A new way to document and demonstrate airworthiness compliance and aircraft value. Find out more.
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
Never miss an article from AeroInside. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and join 5279 existing subscribers.
Popular aircraftAirbus A320
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlinesAmerican Airlines

domain: travel


text:
A Kajang Ammatoa tribe weaves a distinctive black cloth with a traditional process in Bulukumba District, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Kajang tribe has characteristics of all-black clothes that stain kainya using plant substances. In general, women in this tribe fill the busy with weaving cloth and the men work with farming and raising.
|Photo Location:||Makassar, Indonesia|
|Camera:||Canon EOS 70D|
|Copyright:||© ismail amin|


text:
Above are the possible play states of a turn. Click on each for a description. Note: the main phases of a turn are DEPLOY, ASSAULT, REINFORCE - other phases occur as they are relevant.
Play By Clickable Map
Deploy: Click on territory to deploy, choose number to deploy and click again to make deployment Assault: Click on a territory to Assault from, then on a territory to Assault (right click to Auto Assault) Advance: Click on conquered territory to choose to advance, choose number to advance, then click again to advance. Click on conquering territory to advance zero. Reinforce: Click on a territory to Reinforce from, then on a territory to Reinforce to. Click again to confirm.
Play By Keyboard and Mouse
N Key: Skip to next game, Jump to next game B Key: Begin Turn E Key: End Deployment, End Assaults, End Reinforcement L Key: Later (decline to play spoils) W,S Keys: Increase/decrease troop quantity (slow) Q,A Keys: Increase/decrease troop quantity (fast) Mouse Wheel: Change troop quantity by scrolling over the selected region. CTRL Key + Click: You can always use CTRL-click instead of the right mouse button. Middle Click: To advance to next stage (Begin Turn, End Assaults, etc.) click the middle mouse button anywhere on the map.
Slots Per Player
Fog of War
In a Triples game, trios of three team up against other teams. The last team alive wins
Regions are randomly distributed at the start of the game and each region starts with three troops.
A player is selected at random to go first and then subsequent players follow in turn. During a team game the play order alternates between the teams.
There are no 'spoils' in this game.
At the end of your turn you can reinforce as many times as you like between regions that are connected.
Fog of War
Fog of War masks enemy positions that are not adjacent to your forces (or your team's forces). It also masks region and zone names in the log
You can only assault from regions held since the start of your turn. If you conquer a region during your turn you cannot assault from it until your next turn.
Each player has up to 24 hours to complete a turn. You will get an email notification when it is your turn to play.
Regular leaderboard scoring is in place for this game
Toggles change the setting temporarily, other settings are saved on a per map basis. For site-wide settings see our Game Settings page.
2009-11-24 21:30:19 - Game has been initialized 2009-11-26 14:31:31 - killer dealer eliminated endar1077 from the game 2009-11-28 19:33:52 - killer dealer eliminated Lubawski from the game 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - Goomer eliminated Chuuuuck from the game 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - Slaylark, killer dealer, Goomer won the game 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - Chuuuuck lost 28 points 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - Lubawski lost 28 points 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - endar1077 lost 28 points 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - Slaylark gained 28 points 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - killer dealer gained 28 points 2009-11-28 20:20:54 - Goomer gained 28 points
2009-11-24 21:35:07 - Goomer: Good luck everyone!
2009-11-24 21:43:07 - Chuuuuck: thanks, gl
2009-11-25 03:13:49 - Slaylark: Happy hunting pros, we are little fish :) go easy lol
2009-11-25 04:47:07 - killer dealer: hi all
2009-11-25 11:59:21 - Lubawski: lol. You lost 9 taking out 20 Slaylark...maybe we should be asking you to take it easy on us. Good luck here guys...and in the challenge as a whole.
2009-11-26 03:19:10 - Slaylark: CJ in for SLAY - bastard is taking time off for the Holiday's with my folks...I staying home :)
2009-11-27 23:58:03 - Slaylark: eyestone sitting for slay.
2009-11-28 00:04:08 - Slaylark: so much for attackers advantage... lost over 40 on the first attack against 20.
2009-11-28 19:51:06 - killer dealer: gg all
2009-11-28 20:21:17 - Goomer: gg everyone!


text:
Published on Apr 29, 2014
CineFix presents The Amazing Spider-Man retold via old-school 8-bit (Okay, and 16 bit) game tech. No quarters or controllers required, just a chance to get a refresher before you see Amazing Spider-Man 2!! Subscribe: http://goo.gl/9AGRm
8-bit Cinema "gamifies" your favorite Hollywood Blockbusters into 80's arcade and NES inspired action!
Today we present The Amazing Spider-Man in the form of an old-school video game!
8 Bit a.k.a. the third generation of gaming started in 1983 with the Japanese release of the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega.
Can you guess what games inspired our 8-bit version of Amazing Spider-Man 2? Comment below and suggest the next movie 8-bit Cinema should "gamify".
Watch more 8-bit Cinema here: http://goo.gl/kOxFJ
Follow CineFix on Facebook and Twitter:

domain: entertainment


text:
With Chelsea ready to sign a striker and potentially ditch three, the transfer window is finally hotting up.
Here’s the latest and greatest tittle tattle.
Real talk 👏
Let the merry-go-round commence! Gonzalo Higuaín missed AC Milan‘s game on Wednesday as he hopes to complete a move to Chelsea. According to Sky Italia, an initial six-month loan deal has been agreed.
That move has delayed Michy Batshuayi‘s loan switch to Monaco, with Sky Italia claiming he could replace Higuaín at San Siro. According to the Telegraph, the Belgian still wants to move to Ligue 1.
Meanwhile, Higuaín’s arrival at Stamford Bridge would pave the way for Álvaro Morata‘s exit. Atlético Madrid are closing in on the Spanish striker, report Sky Sports.
And one last one on Chelsea strikers: Catalan daily Sport say Olivier Giroud is an option as Barcelona look for a back-up forward.
Fake news 😡
It looks like reports that Arsenal had been offered the chance to sign James Rodriguez on loan were a little premature.
“He wants to stay with FC Bayern, as he once said during a fan club visit, ” Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac told reporters on Wednesday. “He is highly motivated and focused.”
Fantasy football ⭐
Goalkeeper David De Gea ‘is making it clear to Manchester United‘ he will sign a new contract, report the Daily Mirror.
West Ham could make a move for Krzysztof Piątek of Genoa or Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez this month.

domain: sports


text:
The first card I used a cupcake from Taylored Expressions Whimsical Wishes set For the Love of Cupcakes . I used Taylor's inspiration challenge (TEBBTV) for the theme and then used Laura'ssketch (TEBBLF)for the layout. I paper toled the cupcake (TEBBDE) and stitched (TEBBJP) my pattern paper from Taylored Expressions For the Love of Cupcakes Key ingredients
For this card a cupcake from Taylored Expressions Doctor's Orders. The image is stamped on Taylor's Choice Snow White cs and coloured with copics. For this card I used Karen's sketch (TEBBKG) and Charmaine'scolour (TEBBCI) challenge except I used Kiwi Kiss for my green. I ended up paper piecing on this card too, you know it's one of my favourite things to do!
I hope you had a chance to play along with the challenges and have a great day!
Love them both! The icing looks good enough to lick :)
Dana, your cards are just DARLING!! I just bookmarked your blog!! Thanks for playing in my challenge!! Now you must get a Janome Sew Mini!! LOL!
Oh my! These are both beautiful! Love your colours for my sketch card and the popped up glittery cupcake is fabulous! Dr.'s Orders is so perfect for Karen's sketch! Great job with all the challenges...so happy you could play along!
Dana, these are absolutely ADORABLE! I just LOVE them! Thanks for playing!
These are so cute, I see you girls have been having a lot of PAPERY fun! Can't wait to see you!
Dana, these are amazing!! What fun designer papers! GREAT looking cupcake too!!! Thanks for playing along with my paper tole challenge!
This is so darling - poor little sick Cuppie. Love the paper-piecing and the fun colors! The border you created adds such a fun touch to your card too. Thanks so much for playing in the birthday bash :)
OMGOSH!!! This is just tooo much cuppie fun and paper piecing heaven!!! SO beautiful!!! you totally rocked these cards!!! Congrats on being a challenge winner!!!
congrats on your win-totally love your cards!
Oh my word, such BEAUTIFUL cards!! CONGRATS on the win!!
both cards are adorable! congratulations on the challenge win!
Congrats Dana! These are amazing!
Post a Comment

domain: design


text:
My personal photographs about my country, Costa Rica.
All the photos are mine, glimpses of our culture, its colors, its weird mess, the lush vegetation, the gray urban language, and well.. hope you enjoy. And, any question you might have, please, feel free to contact me.
Ok, I know its a cliche, but couldn’t help take this pic. Awesome sunset.


text:
City governments are designed to provide some basic services that would be hard to provide in the private sector. Yet, increasingly, cities seem incapable of providing even these basic services, even as their budgets get bigger and as their power grows.
The latest example comes in Santa Ana, which this month signed a $25,000 contract with a Sacramento-based polling organization to gauge whether city residents are willing to pay higher taxes to pave up to 300 miles of streets. Cities use such polls to justify what they always want to do – i.e., raise taxes rather than tighten their belts. Soon, officials will be championing the poll’s results as proof that residents want to pay more taxes, and next thing you know, a tax plan will be proposed by council members. The public, they will say, is demanding taxes to fix the roads, so who are they to argue?
No doubt, the city’s streets are desperate for repair. The city’s motto is “Education First,” but more accurately might be something such as, “The Pothole City.” Fixing roads is a most basic local government task. City officials should be able to handle this from a number of funding sources, first and foremost. But that would mean that it had to spend less money on maintaining their large and well-paid bureaucracy, or on redevelopment projects or on project labor agreements.
The city estimates it will spend a total of $467.4 million in fiscal 2006-07, including $209.8 million of general funds. Upward pressure is coming from the police and firefighters, according to budget documents on the city Web site.
Officials don’t like to stand up to special interest groups defending those spending items, be they public-employee unions or constituents of the Bowers Museum ($1.88 million in 2006-07). So officials spend the public’s money freely, then when it’s all used up, they claim that they don’t have enough money to do the most basic tasks that the public demands, such as paving the streets. Then they give residents a choice: continued wretched street conditions or higher taxes. Such a choice.
This is not just a Santa Ana problem. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office had to press criminal charges against the Huntington Beach City Council in 2001 to force it to repair the city’s decrepit sewers. Out of sight, out mind.
Imagine the fate of a company that spent its money wildly but failed to provide the products it promised to the customer. Unfortunately, cities can continue to operate mainly for the benefit of the permanent bureaucracy. Residents of “The Pothole City” ought to ignore the pollsters and tell the council the truth – fix the damn potholes with money we’ve already turned over to you – at the next public meeting.

domain: sociology