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The Milwaukee Admirals lost 5-4 in a shootout against the San Antonio Rampage at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Wednesday night.
For the first time this season the Admirals have lost a shootout. They entered the night having won all six shootouts that they had participated in and had the likes of Justin Kirkland scoring on all five attempts. Yet, Kirkland and so many more would miss. Brendan Ranford would be the lone man to score in the final run of Round 5 in tonight’s shootout to get the Rampage the win. The Admirals do earn a point on the evening to extend their point streak to five-games.
Things would start off chippy between Derek Army and Andrew Agozzino. The two would tussle in the Admirals attacking zone but Army would get called for an additional minor penalty that put the Admirals penalty kill to work.
With that opening penalty kill for the Admirals they would get an attacking zone face-off, win it, and see Petter Granberg flutter a wrister from the right point that knuckled down on Spencer Martin’s glove and into the net. The shorthander for the Admirals was their Western Conference leading ninth of the season. The tally by Granberg was only his third goal on the 2017-18 campaign.
The Rampage was equalize early in the second period with a power-play that came under bizarre circumstances. Anders Lindbäck was making a double pad stack effort on a shot that would ultimately get blocked down by a stick check. On his sliding save attempt the net was kicked loose but the officials called the Swede out for delay of game as if to say that was intentionally done to deny a scoring chance.
The Rampage would follow up on that power-play opportunity with a howitzer of a slap shot by Nicolas Meloche from atop the left wing circle for his fourth goal of the season making it a 1-1 game.
The Rampage would follow up from that power-play goal by scoring their second goal of the second period just their second shot. Félix Girard played a puck up ice and Brendan Ranford and Reid Petryk worked a one-two from between the hashmarks. One final wing-to-wing feed backpost on the left wing side gave Petryk an open stick-side for his fourth goal of the season and making it a 2-1 Rampage lead.
The Rampage would quite literally continue in the second period. A shot on target by Julien Nantel was kicked aside by the pads of Lindbäck but right into the path of Shawn Ouellette-St. Amant for a rebound goal and his third of the season to extend the lead to 3-1 Rampage.
Frédérick Gaudreau would mercifully end the run by the Rampage in the second period with a breakaway goal. Gaudreau entered the zone with speed, squared up Martin, went forehand-backhand, and roofed the backhanded shot for his tenth goal of the season.
The similarities between Saturday’s meeting between these two and tonight’s game were rather striking. The Rampage scored three times in the second period in both games and both occasions saw the Rampage take a 3-2 lead into the start of the third period. And the similarities continued into who scored first in the third period.
The Admirals had a power-play that carried over to begin the final frame of regulation. With that they managed to get a one-timer setup for Gaudreau to blast on home from the left wing circle that beat Martin low stick-side for his second goal of the night and eleventh on the season.
The Admirals had tied it up at 3-3. Where the similarities stopped between Saturday night and tonight would be the seventh goal scored came off an Admirals stick. Fred Allard glided down the right wing and on net but dished off perfectly for Anthony Richard in the slot. All Richard needed to do was tap it in and giving it a little tappy made it a 4-3 Admirals lead from Richard’s twelfth goal of the season.
Similar again to Saturday night’s clash this game would get tied at 4-4. A beautiful series of passes for the Rampage saw Petryk net his second of the night. Jean-Christophe Beaudin had a terrific pass from the right wing wall to pick out Petryk and he took the shot first-time and beat Lindbäck to the stick-side for his fifth goal of the season.
With 23.7 seconds remaining in regulation Andrei Mironov was called for holding and gave the Admirals a power-play late. The Rampage quickly used their timeout to get their penalty kill on the same page. They did enough to make sure they earned a point as the game would push into overtime.
Tonight’s game needed a shootout. And it wouldn’t even see a goal scored until the final inning of Round 5 of the shootout. Ranford was able to shift back to a backhand late and score on a sprawling Lindbäck. The shootout loss for the Admirals was their first this season and came in their seventh run of shootout contests.
The Admirals will be finishing off this four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM CST against the Texas Stars. They will then head North where they will see the Manitoba Moose on Monday and Wednesday which starts a four-game road trip.
Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals played on Sunday the lone roster move made saw defenseman Rick Pinkston returned on loan to the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL. Tonight’s line combinations and defensive pairings were: Zolnierczyk-Zengerle-McNeill, Richard-Pettersson-Gaudreau, Kirkland-Smith-Mingoia, Labrie-Army-Moy, Oligny-Dougherty, Lyytinen-Granberg, Allard-Carrier. Tonight’s scratches were: Cody Bass (upper-body), Trevor Murphy (upper-body), and Yakov Trenin (undisclosed).
What is your reaction to tonight’s game? How about these last two games played between the Milwaukee Admirals and San Antonio Rampage? What could the Admirals have done differently tonight to sway this result back to a win within regulation?


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A Most Peculiar Council meeting in Liverpool! | But what does Richard Kemp think?
← What is Education For?
Yesterday a most peculiar thing didn’t happen in Liverpool. Labour speaker after Labour speaker did not stand up to attack the Liberal Democrats for what we were doing in Parliament. Well they couldn’t really could they? There was an attack on duplicitous MPs who failed to support the needs of the people of Liverpool. Obviously though this was an attack by a principled Labour councillor on the 5 Labour MPs in Liverpool about them sitting on their hands on the welfare bill. Coincidentally one of them had just entered the public gallery two minutes before and was able to hear the onslaught.
Erica and I did not say a word on this issue. The failure of Labour MPs to vote against the Benefit Cuts is a canker which is working its way through the Labour Party and through the community. I have just been out delivering our Focus in the ward and two people stopped me with, “we now know what you stopped happening”, type conversations.
Council notes the clear view from the Conservative Government that power will be given to city and county regions subject to them accepting elected city region mayors.
It believes that the prizes on offer of greater control over large amounts of resources should take precedence over concerns of people about the detailed form of constitutional change or their concerns about who might emerge as the ‘leader’ of the new body.
It therefore believes it vital that there should be an attempt to break the impasse amongst Council leaders by developing a discussion amongst all political parties in the City Region and amongst other players in the community including churches, community groups, think tanks and amenity groups about the form and function of a city wide administration.
It also recognises that constitutional change should not solely be the preserve of the Liverpool City Region cabinet.
• Minimise the concerns expressed by many over the details of change being imposed by the Government.
I made it clear that the Liberal Democrats do not approve of elected mayors at any level but I also accepted the reality that this is the only option to us under the Devolution Bill currently going through Parliament. I was delighted that an amendment was passed in the Lords allowing local choice in the form of Government but the reality is that this will be reversed in the House of Commons stages where the Tories have a big English majority.
All the other 5 major English Conurbations have now agreed a way forward and Liverpool must not miss this bus which is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take powers from Whitehall and Westminster. I would prefer to see an elected city region mayor than miss up the chance of devolution.
The current level of devolution allowed in Manchester is control of national budgets of about £6.5 billion.Proportionately that would mean about £4.5 billion for the smaller city region. If we only spent that 1% better that would be the equivalent of £45 million across the city region. If we could only spend it 1% better we should all resign. Good estimates are that proper local decision making and enhanced service integration can lead to gains of 5% or more.
But it is not only the money. Enhanced freedoms would allow the Liverpool City Region to be much more imaginative, innovative and outward looking. Too much of our time and effort is spent seeking permission from or reporting to Whitehall and Westminster. That time and effort could be far, far better used.
Not every Lib Dem approved of our motion although it was discussed with the Liverpool Party and the other Lib Dem council group leaders in the City Region. But in Liverpool we believe it is the only way forward.
The other thing that is becoming increasingly evident and was on display in the Council yesterday is just how useless the Greens are. At one time they could not make up their mind how to vote on the devolution issue. Hardly surprising as the amendment they had moved would have had the effect, although they didn’t mean it, of stopping devolution in the City Region in its tracks.
I mentioned that they would be very good at a TV programme I had seen whilst on holiday where apparently you get points for being pointless. On that basis after moving two pointless amendments yesterday they could become UK champions of pointlessness!
This entry was posted in Liverpool City Region, Politics and tagged Devolution, Green Party, Labour Party, Lib Dem, Liverpool. Bookmark the permalink.
1 Response to A Most Peculiar Council meeting in Liverpool!

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


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I have also read that coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of liver cancer. That has got to be a plus for those of us who love coffee!
To protect him self from cancer you have to regularly check up from the specialist doctor..
This is a very interesting article. I have never heard this about coffee. I stopped drinking coffee everyday a couple of years ago because I have severe adrenal problems and the caffeine stresses the adrenals. Amazing how it can be good for one thing and bad for another. Maybe if it was ALWAYS done in moderation then it would be healthy all the time. Interesting that the article says that people should still use their sunscreen. I have hard info that says it can actually be the chemicals in the sunscreen that cause skin cancer. Who knows! Thanks for posting the article. I think I'll have a cup of coffee tomorrow!

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


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Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ, TASE: MYL) and Biocon Ltd. (BSE code: 532523, NSE: BIOCON) today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted for review Mylan's Marketing Authorization Applications (MAA) for proposed biosimilar trastuzumab and proposed biosimilar pegfilgrastim. Trastuzumab is used to treat certain HER2-positive breast and gastric cancers. Pegfilgrastim is used to reduce the duration of neutropenia (low count of neutrophils, a type of white blood cells) and the incidence of fever associated with neutropenia in adult patients treated with chemotherapy in certain types of cancer.
EMA acceptance of the submissions follows an earlier withdrawal of both applications in response to an audit conducted by the European inspecting authority of Biocon´s drug product facility. Biocon has completed the Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs) outlined as a result of the audit observations. The CAPAs will be confirmed during reinspection, which will be completed as part of the regulatory review process.
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance certificates for Biocon's two drug substance manufacturing facilities in Bangalore have been issued previously. Approval of these sites is key in the development and approval process as drug substance manufacture is core to the production of the actual biologic product in GMP compliance.
Biocon Limited, publicly listed in 2004, (BSE code: 532523, NSE Id: BIOCON, ISIN Id: INE376G01013) is India's largest and fully-integrated, innovation-led biopharmaceutical company. As an emerging global biopharmaceutical enterprise serving customers in over 120 countries, it is committed to reduce therapy costs of chronic diseases like autoimmune, diabetes, and cancer. Through innovative products and research services it is enabling access to affordable healthcare for patients, partners and healthcare systems across the globe. It has successfully developed and taken a range of Novel Biologics, Biosimilars, differentiated Small Molecules and affordable Recombinant Human Insulin and Analogs from 'Lab to Market'. Some of its key brands are INSUGEN®(rh-insulin), BASALOG® (Glargine), BIOMAb-EGFR™ (Nimotuzumab), CANMAb™ (Trastuzumab), Evertor® (Everolimus) and ALZUMAb™ (Itolizumab), a 'first in class' anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody. It has a rich pipeline of Biosimilars and Novel Biologics at various stages of development including Insulin Tregopil, a high potential oral insulin.
This press release includes statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including with regard to the CAPAs being confirmed during reinspection, which will be completed as part of the regulatory review process; Mylan being even more confident with the strength of our MAAs; the VAI designation we received from FDA giving us further confidence in the readiness of the manufacturing sites; looking forward to moving ahead with the rest of the regulatory review process in Europe and to bringing these important treatment options to cancer patients; and that these developments demonstrate Mylan´s commitment to our partnership with Biocon, the strength of the collaboration´s scientific and manufacturing capabilities, and our relentless approach to increasing access to and affordability of important treatment options in Europe and around the world through the introduction of biosimilars. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: any changes in or difficulties with Mylan's or its partners' ability to develop, manufacture, and commercialize products; any regulatory, legal, or other impediments to Mylan's or its partners' ability to bring products to market; Mylan's and its partners' ability to protect intellectual property and preserve intellectual property rights; the effect of any changes in Mylan's or its partners' customer and supplier relationships and customer purchasing patterns; other changes in third-party relationships; the impact of competition; changes in the economic and financial conditions of the businesses of Mylan or its partners; the scope, timing, and outcome of any ongoing legal proceedings and the impact of any such proceedings on Mylan's or its partners' business; actions and decisions of healthcare and pharmaceutical regulators, and changes in healthcare and pharmaceutical laws and regulations, in the United States and abroad; risks associated with international operations; other uncertainties and matters beyond the control of management; and the other risks detailed in Mylan's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mylan undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.
This press release may include statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements based on management´s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects upon Biocon and its subsidiaries/ associates. These forward-looking statements involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, amongst other: general economic and business conditions in India and overseas, our ability to successfully implement our strategy, our research and development efforts, our growth and expansion plans and technological changes, changes in the value of the Rupee and other currency changes, changes in the Indian and international interest rates, change in laws and regulations that apply to the Indian and global biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries, increasing competition in and the conditions of the Indian and global biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries, changes in political conditions in India and changes in the foreign exchange control regulations in India. Neither Biocon, nor our Directors, or any of our subsidiaries/associates assume any obligation to update any particular forward-looking statement contained in this release.

industry_corpus2: Biopharmaceuticals


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1 What is discount cloggs code?
2 How does a discount cloggs code function?
3 How would you discount cloggs?
In expansive, chain stores – costs are settled, so you can not deal there. Get a discount there on the off chance that you have an exceptional card or discount coupons. A decent method to get a discount is discount cloggs.
What is discount cloggs code?
In web based business and web based shopping a discount cloggs code, or promotion code, is a PC created code, comprising of letters or numbers that customers can go into a limited time box on a websites shopping basket (or checkout page) to acquire a discount on their buy.
How does a discount cloggs code function?
A few retailers call them limited discount cloggs codes, others call them coupon codes. They are both a similar thing – an advanced coupon. Rather than having a printed coupon to hand the retailer, you enter a code in a crate amid checkout on the web. It works simply like a print coupon, helping you set aside some cash off your request.
How would you discount cloggs?
The essential method to compute a discount cloggs is to duplicate the first cost by the decimal type of the rate. To figure the deal cost of a thing, subtract the discountfrom the first cost. You can do this utilizing a mini-computer, or you can round the cost and gauge the discount cloggs in your mind.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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Students aiming to make it in the creative sectors need to be more entrepreneurial, able to manage their own brand identity and challenge established norms according to a panel of experts.
They were speaking at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), where 32 professionals from across the creative industry spectrum shared their thoughts on changes in the industry and how universities should respond to ensure they produce graduates who are equipped with the right knowledge and practical skills. Sectors represented included architecture, design, fashion, journalism, law, publishing and TV and music production.
Attendees included Patrick Grant, judge of the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee and Company Director of Norton and Sons, Etautz and the Community Clothing Company, Ed Walker, Editor (Digital) for Reach Regionals (formerly Trinity Mirror Regionals) and Founder and Editor of Blog Preston and Dr Alex Connock, Managing Director of Missile Digital Studios.
Key points that came out of discussions were that graduates need to be self-starters who, whatever sector they work in, are able to optimise and distribute content through the right channels to the right audience. In industries that are as much about the gig-economy as long-term jobs, people are required more and more to push out their offerings in dynamic and innovative ways to make themselves stand out above the others.
In today’s creative industries, graduates need to have transferable skills and be able to adapt to an ever-changing landscape.
Other suggestions that came out of discussions were that new starters need to be disruptive and challenge the norm to push their industry forward, as well as having a basic grounding of how businesses work from finance to sales in order to fully understand a company.
This new relationship will help UCLan be responsive to those needs and make sure our courses are relevant and up-to-date and that we are encouraging the creative employees and entrepreneurs of the future.
The gathering took place to launch the UCLan Leaders in Residence programme; a network of 54 experienced individuals that are working with the University to inform the curriculum, mentor students and provide work placements.
The Leaders in Residence programme comes at a time when creative industries are growing faster than any other sector in the British economy. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently reported they have smashed through the £100 billion a year mark in delivering to the UK economy, growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy.
Jane Anthony, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Culture and the Creative Industries at UCLan, said: “Creative and digital industries are fast paced by nature, constantly innovating and adopting new technologies, so universities really need to keep their finger on the pulse of what is happening in industry so that our students are ready for the future.
“This network is about engaging industry across all aspects of our provision from curriculum development to student experience so that our graduates our highly employable. It ensures that our graduates have pathways from degree to employment and identifies growing sectors and skills gaps.
More information on the UCLan Leaders in Residence programme is available here.

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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According to the superseding indictment, since at least January 2014, defendants MARVELL VOSHON JEFFERSON, a/k/a “Vo,” a/k/a “Lil Vo,” CARMELO MANUEL MARRERO, a/k/a “Melo,” a/k/a “Mello,” CASEY JEMAR DAVIS, a/k/a “Casey Jermar Davis,” a/k/a “K Chop,” SHELBY DELANE ASHFORD, JR., a/k/a “Two Times,” PHILLIP DWAYNE JACKSON, a/k/a “Go,” a/k/a “Kid Go,” and NAKIA MARQUIRE MARTIN, a/k/a “Nakia Marquette Martin,” a/k/a “Freaky,” a/k/a “Freaky Nick,” have maintained active membership in the street gang known as the HAM Crazy. The main purpose of the HAM Crazy gang is to preserve and protect their territory, power, status, and reputation through the use of violence and intimidation against rival Saint Paul gangs, such as the Hit Squad.
According to the superseding indictment, since at least January 2014, the HAM Crazy gang has been in an ongoing gang war with several rival gangs, including the Hit Squad, that has resulted in gang members on both sides of the rivalry being shot and/or killed. HAM Crazy members and their rival gang members often use social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, as a way to disrespect, intimidate, and threaten rivals by brandishing firearms, displaying money, making gang signs, and publishing rap videos.
According to the superseding indictment, due to the ongoing gang war and the need for firearms to conduct gang-related activity, the defendants conspired to illegally obtain and jointly possess firearms. The defendants and other HAM Crazy members also attempted to buy, sell, trade, and obtain firearms using social media. All six defendants have prior convictions that prohibit them from legally possessing firearms.
According to the superseding indictment, the defendants and other HAM Crazy members conspired to illegally possess at least nine firearms during the timeframe of the superseding indictment.
Five of the defendants, JEFFERSON, DAVIS, ASHFORD, JACKSON, and MARTIN, have made their initial appearances in federal court and have been arraigned on the charges in the superseding indictment. One defendant, MARRERO, remains at large.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Saint Paul Police Department, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


text: Make smart investment decisions with Star Ratings, a stock selection tool, based upon fundamental, technical and analyst recommendations. Star Ratings provides stock trading tips for Paramount Cosmetics (I) Ltd. that will help you decide whether to buy, sell or hold Paramount Cosmetics (I) Ltd. It also provides you with switch proposals on alternative stocks, i.e., which stocks to buy against Paramount Cosmetics (I) Ltd.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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Fielding Dreams 18u college showcase team will be playing in the USABF Holiday Classic December 27th-30th. Sam Voita will be the team's coach and a minimum of 5 games will be played. Players will receive pro training at 4 different college facilities, and a player profile with highlight video will be created for each player. In addition to 4 San Diego college coaches receiving players highlight video, after the tournament the Fielding Dreams Scouting Director, player and parents will select 25 college baseball programs from Fielding Dreams College Coaches Database to send player video profile.
The Holiday Classic Package cost including 3 nights lodging for players is $595 plus tax.

industry_corpus2: Sports


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A wine festival Friday-Saturday, with the Tokaj Hegyalja Market on the Sunday!
Starting Friday 7th September in the neighbouring village of Mád, a settlement rightly proud of its wines, there will be a weekend of festivity with concerts, exhibitions and gastronomy as part of the celebrations of the Furmint grape, the backbone of the Tokaji wines. Of course the wines themselves are in the centre and, as well as wine dinners and tastings, there is also the chance to join guided tours to the vineyards with the winemakers. Join a vineyard tour to explore the terroir where the grapes actually grow before they continue on their journey to the bottle for your delectation.
The harvest is beginning here in Tokaj Hegyalja. Last time at the market it took me a while to realise what one visitor was so outraged about. "But how come there's no grape juice?" he spluttered. I started to explain that Disznókő makes wine, not bottling grape juice, but then I realised from his interjection that he'd just come from the Balaton - a little further south and with earlier ripening grape varieties - and was actually talking about fresh must. But I'm sure there will be fresh juice to taste this weekend in Mád at at least one of the open cellars. The wine festival will give you an insight into this historic wine town, and provide plenty of cultural stimulus too.
Then, on your way home on the Sunday why not stop a while at the Tokaj Hegyalja Market to stock up on some local foods and crafts, have a dance and learn something about the mysterious world of mushrooms. An action-packed weekend in a beautiful place. Look forward to clinking glasses with you.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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A political science class examines the historic role of the nation’s top executive.
Cary Covington points to a simple line on his overhead projector and explains the range of power available to a U.S. president who wants to pass a law through Congress.
Then Covington marks it up with limitations to that power: filibusters and veto overrides and the aptly named “gridlock interval.” Suddenly, the line that represents a president’s range of power has been whittled down to a tiny segment.
Offered every year in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the class proved particularly relevant this past fall for students witnessing one of the most historic presidential elections in American history. Never before had the major parties nominated a woman or a real estate tycoon with no government experience as their presidential candidates.
In the end, Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote to capture the presidency.
The electors met last month and set the president-elect on track for a Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington, DC. All eyes are now trained on what Trump has done up to this point, what he will do, and what his presidency will mean for Americans and the world.
Covington has been teaching the class since the Reagan administration, taking over after beloved professor Don Johnson died in 1981. The class examines the constitutional origins and historical development of the presidency, its powers, and its organizational structure in the federal system of checks and balances.
Covington starts the class during the Constitutional Convention in 1787 as the framers gathered at the State House in Philadelphia to consider revisions to the Articles of Confederation, the country’s first constitution that was written during the Revolutionary War. The Articles quickly proved to be too weak to govern a large country made up of 13 sovereign parts; they provided no executive or judicial branch, so there was no one to execute Congress’ laws and no national court system. The framers quickly realized it was best to scrap the Articles entirely and start from scratch. While they knew the country needed a stronger executive than what was provided, they did not want to create one that would allow a path to tyranny as they’d experienced with King George III. So when they wrote Article II—the section of the document that lays out the powers and responsibilities of the executive branch—they kept it vague. They were more interested in Article I, which lays out the powers and responsibilities of Congress, the branch from which most law and policy would originate.
Student Allison Goldstein, a senior from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, found that lesson especially eye-opening. “I was surprised to learn about how unclear the role of the president is in the Constitution, and that the position’s role is not clearly defined,” she says.
Future presidents, however, used Article II’s lack of definition to justify adding to their powers. None was more adept than Franklin Roosevelt, who significantly strengthened his powers with the New Deal, creating dozens of new federal departments and agencies to protect workers, create jobs, and attempt to end the Great Depression. Some initiatives, like Social Security and the minimum wage, remain today. Others like the Civilian Conservation Corps and Public Works Administration are long gone, but left lasting legacies as big as the Grand Coulee Dam or as small as the murals painted by WPA-funded artists in a project overseen by UI art professor Grant Wood.
By the time FDR died, he had become one of the most powerful leaders in the world. Later presidents added to the powers because they felt it necessary to contain communism, defend civil rights, or fight drugs. Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty created agencies with the hope of helping poor families and reinvigorating economically blighted areas; Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs expanded federal police capabilities and made it easier to imprison people convicted of drug-related offenses; and George W. Bush’s War on Terrorism created the Department of Homeland Security.
Covington notes the framers never meant for the federal government to play the expansive role it does today. State governments were meant to be stronger than the federal, which was expected to focus on narrow duties like defending the country and operating a court system. The framers could not have anticipated a federal government that issues licenses to TV and radio stations, keeps airplanes from flying into each other, feeds poor children, builds and maintains millions of miles of highways, orders car makers to make their vehicles emit fewer pollutants, protects the safety of miners while they’re underground, helps keep ethanol producers in business, promotes U.S.-made products overseas, and keeps nuclear plants from melting down.
The professor also exposes a myth about the Constitution: that its framers had faith in the great mass of humanity to govern themselves democratically. In fact, he says the framers were leery of giving the masses too much political power, building as many walls as possible between voters and leaders. During the Constitutional Convention negotiations of 1787, one of the great tensions arose between small states, which feared being dominated by large states with more voters, and large states, which worried about ceding their power. But over and over again, Covington says well-timed compromises kept the two sides talking.
One of the tensest issues was the election of an executive, and discussions repeatedly failed to settle on a plan for presidential selection until the Electoral College was proposed and approved. Today, though, the college is often criticized as an anti-democratic remnant that doesn’t fit in modern politics.
Throughout America’s history, the hallmark of American politics has been the willingness of people on all sides to compromise. But more recently, Covington notes growing numbers of voters have concluded their representatives have failed to deliver on promises and demand their leaders stand firm on principles. Leaders willing to compromise are seen as weak and willing to sell out their constituents to an elitist establishment.
As a result, the mechanisms designed to force competing interests to settle their differences have produced a sustained period of gridlock. The result has been a declining public trust and confidence in federal government.
This is the exact sort of disillusionment that helped propel Donald Trump to victory, Covington says. Even though he’s fortunate to have Congress controlled by his same party, in this kind of atmosphere he may still face difficult challenges with moving his policies through. Voters often expect miracles, but a president has to balance the needs of a national constituency with the needs of 535 members of Congress who are mostly interested in what’s best for their state or district. Many times, those agendas are fundamentally conflicted.
The next four years will show whether the United States remains in this place of gridlock or whether Trump’s unconventional style marks a change in the powers of the president.
The researcher who revealed the Flint water crisis shares her story with the UI College of Public Health.
A Sioux City physician helps bring healing after a deadly Tanzanian bus crash.
A papermaker reveals the Iowa story behind the Constitution at the Hawkeye Caucus in D.C.
A winter study abroad program takes students to India for an immersive learning experience.


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Upon hearing that Boyce Avenue was doing a concert in Seattle, my friend Nancy and I were stoked! We immediately bought tickets and couldn’t wait for the day to arrive!
It is a Puerto Rican-American rock band formed in Sarasota, Florida, by Alejandro Luis Manzano and his brothers Daniel Enrique Manzano and Fabian Rafael Manzano. Boyce Avenue releases original music as well as covers of popular and classic songs on YouTube.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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When industry watchers reflect on ways procurement has changed over the years, they often miss a critical point--how easy it is now for workers to place orders and receive the goods and services they need to do their jobs, all the while compliant with company procurement policy.
Before the Internet, when office workers needed to purchase, say, stationery, they had to fill out paper forms, which consisted of multiple parts. The chore was tedious and time-consuming, but if the workers wanted to do the right thing and place their orders with procurement’s preferred suppliers and pay preferred prices, they endured the process. If not, they simply took a break from their duties and drove to the nearest retail outlet.
Technology and cloud procurement software make it all so much simpler. A maintenance worker on the roof of a building repairing a compressor learns he or she needs to replace a broken part. Using a mobile device--a smart phone or tablet--the worker can find a new part in a catalog of a preferred supplier, place an order and arrange to have the part delivered to the work site or for pick up at a local distributor branch, all the while in compliance with a contract procurement negotiated that brings maximum value to the company.
While the process has certainly advanced in 30 years, it is hardly new. Consumers order products online every day. What is innovative is how technology has made it simple for users to be compliant with company procurement policy.
In fact, the scenario shows how accustomed workers have become to using technology. It’s second nature. They use the technology when they need it. And, when they don’t, they don’t.
Therein lies the challenge—getting workers to use the technology. Procurement software providers are helping companies to overcome this challenge by providing technology that workers can use straight out of the box, without training or change management. Think of it as getting into a new driverless car and arriving at a destination without having to turn a key or touch a steering wheel.
Easing use is one way technology is heading. Another lies in breaking down barriers in procurement between spend analysis, contract management, savings tracking, supplier management, sourcing, procure-to-pay and others, so that the company uses one platform for these activities. Imagine companies using Salesforce.com for everything customer-related. Take that one step further, with companies using four key platforms, one each for sales, procurement, HR and operations. Like salesforce.com for sales, they view procurement as a platform and are using SMART by GEP.
Visionary? Yes, but possible because of the cloud and mobility. Cloud procurement and mobile devices make it possible for companies to get things done according to policy--sign a contract, approve a purchase order—and reap rewards of procurement’s hard work regardless of connection or device.

industry_corpus2: Technology & Research


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As a vacation aficionado, I didn't book this cabin hoping for the most luxurious weekend I've ever had. What I was mainly looking for was something cozy, comfortable, and relaxing. The Speckled Trout cabin in Cleveland/Helen meets those needs perfectly. The cabin is nestled comfortably in the woods just off of the beaten path.
The ad boasts of a private waterfall in view of the hot tub which we didn't see. The hot tub did nurture our souls. It held it's temperature, the water was clean, and the jets all worked great. Our private getaway in the woods was equipped with satellite tv, wireless internet, and plenty of other amenities to make our stay more comfortable. However, there were plenty of draw backs as well. I guess it's the simple things that make a big difference to me. For example, there was a very large jetted garden tub that looked just fabulous.
The problem here being that the hot water heater in the cabin was grossly undersized. There was no way to fill the large tub with hot water. The hot water would run out long before the tub had enough water to even reach the jet pump. I tried to fill it with water and then was going to top it off with hot water, in hopes that we could take a relaxing bath. That method didn't result in warm enough water either. I turned on the jets just to see the tub work (since I couldn't actually use it), and the pump/jets didnt seem to work very well. They spit and sputtered and then dumped some black particles into the water. No matter, we just went back out to the hot tub to relax.
After our dip in the hot tub, we decided to try out the "large walk in shower for two". The shower was very large and had a nice design. But, again the water heater failed us. We didnt even have time to shower thoroughly before the water was as cold as ice.
The cabin appeared to have a surround sound system with speakers mounted on the walls, but sadly the speakers weren't connected to anything. Odd, but not a big deal.
The bed made a standard door seem comfortable. With cheap, hard mattresses and terrible pillows, I had a hard time going to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I had a stiff neck and headache that I kept for a good bit of the day.
All in all the experience was pretty good. The cabin served our purpose very well. Our favorite part was the hot tub. It was wonderful to be able to spend some quality time together in this private cabin. Though it rained for most of our stay, that just added to the comfortable cozy feeling of the cabin.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


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AC Fan Guys is available for all your needs regarding Ac Fan in Many, LA. Our team of highly trained experts will provide the support that you require with the most sophisticated technology around. We are going to work with top of the line supplies and affordable techniques to be sure that you have the very best solutions at the best price. Call us today at 888-320-4449 to get started.
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You have to be knowledgeable concerning Ac Fan in Many, LA. We won't let you put together poor judgments, since we understand exactly what we are working on, and we ensure that you understand what to look forward to with the task. That's why we make every attempt to make sure you are familiar with the steps and aren't confronted by any sort of unexpected surprises. You can begin by discussing your project with our customer service representatives once you call 888-320-4449. Within this call, you get your concerns addressed, and we can set up a time to start the work. We consistently appear at the arranged hour, prepared to work with you.
There's plenty of good reasons to pick AC Fan Guys regarding Ac Fan in Many, LA. We offer the top customer satisfaction scores, the very best quality products, and the most practical and successful cash saving practices. We offer the skills you will want to meet your ambitions. If you need Ac Fan in Many, get in touch with AC Fan Guys by dialing 888-320-4449, and we'll be more than happy to help you.

industry_corpus2: Power & Energy


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GREENVILLE, Texas, April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and VEX Robotics are proud to announce the 10th anniversary of the VEX Robotics World Championship. Taking place April 19-25, 2017 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, this week-long event will host the brightest minds from elementary school, middle school, high school and even university students for a massive competition that celebrates STEM education, collaboration, hard work and the dedication of these year-round student-led robotics teams.
Now in its 10th year, the VEX Robotics World Championship is the largest and fastest growing robotics program on earth. The annual championship consists of five individual programs that these student-led teams qualify for and compete in through a series of challenges catered to each program's age and skill level. World Champions will be crowned in the following five programs: the VEX IQ Challenge Elementary School World Championship, the VEX IQ Challenge Middle School World Championship, the VEX Robotics Competition Middle School World Championship, the VEX Robotics Competition High School World Championship, and the VEX U World Championship - the university-level program.
"The VEX Robotics World Championship is a true celebration of the hard work and dedication of these inspiring teams," said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation. "Over the years we've had tremendous success with growing the global student STEM community, from helping solve the workforce development problems many industries face, impacting real change in society through our Girl Powered initiative, to receiving a Guinness World Record title for creating the largest, most inclusive robotics competition in the world. We're incredibly excited to host our 10th World Championship, and we're looking forward to finding new ways to engage educators and spark students' curiosity and life-long passion for STEM."
With 1,400 teams competing in this year's competition, the VEX Robotics World Championship will showcase leading talent from over 30 countries, including teams from Haiti, Spain, China, Canada, the United States and more.
"There is an incredibly powerful shift that you will see in students when it comes to their interest and understanding of STEM subjects, through their involvement in VEX Robotics," said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics. "Not only are these students improving their STEM aptitude and developing computer science skills through programming, but through VEX Competitions, they are learning about different cultures and countries of origin, and they must find ways to problem solve and work together to achieve the greatest possible success. As a result, these students walk away having had a far richer, life-changing experience."
The VEX Robotics World Championship is presented by the REC Foundation and the Northrup Grumman Foundation, and is sponsored by Autodesk, Chevron, Dell EMC, NASA, Google, Texas Instruments, HEXBUG, Robomatter, Rack Solutions and Innovation First International. For more information, please visit RoboticsEducation.org/VEXworlds.


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P1. Creativity Creative “start-up” atmosphere. Everyone can where any hat. Very agile and reactive to client demands. Co-founders motivated by partial ownership.
C1. Leadership Crisis Managers need to begin specializing. New employees not motivated by ownership. Need for process and controls resisted. Co-founders still want to do everything.
P2. Direction Functional organization structure is established. New employee incentives introduced. More formalized communications. First step of separating strategic and functional specialists.
C2. Autonomy Crisis Organizational structure inappropriate. Lower level employees feel “disconnected” from senior management. mid-level managers start taking initiative on their own instead of following the process. Senior managers feel that they are losing power.
P3. Delegation Concept of more autonomous business units. Senior leadership more vision based. Profit centers, bonuses and incentive programs used to stimulate motivation.
C3. Control Crisis Senior management seeks to regain control of autonomous business units. Possible attempts to centralize control.
C4. Red Tape Crisis Programs and process begin to limit business unit’s ability to generate revenue. Innovation is dampened. Organization is now to large for formal programs and rigid systems.
P5. Collaboration More flexibility in management. Skilled managers effective at intrapersonal management. Teams exhibit more self-discipline. Focus on problem solving. Rewards are team based instead of individual based.
C5. Internal Growth Crisis Problem solvers exhausted from intensity of the work. Effectiveness becomes unsustainable and cyclic.
P6. Extra-Organizational Use of mergers, holding companies, networks of companies to sustain growth.
From the above, can you fit the company you are working for into any of the phases? Are you in a crisis? The funny thing is that employees usually seem to know if they are in a growth phase or experiencing a crisis. Depending on the quality of the management team the crisis may be temporary or may last for years. If you are stuck in a crisis for years, you will usually see a high volume of management turnover and hear phrases like “This has worked for us before. It will work for us now!” Then the revenue begins to slide. If senior management sticks to their guns, this is the beginning of the end.
What does the flipside look like? Good leaders embrace the ability to change processes and practices if they are no longer working. (Agile Management) Some, feeling they are only an effective as a Phase 2 manager, may choose to remove themselves from the organization completely. According to Dr. Greiner, organizations should not attempt to bypass phases or their associated crises. Instead he recommends a few tools to managers to help them move to the next step.
Know where you are in the development sequence.
Recognize the limited range of solutions.
Here are a few good books that discuss Dr. Greiner’s concepts as well as strategies to deal with each crisis.

industry_corpus2: Others


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On 17 November 2014, Ai Aso was a guest on Live From Tokyo. Ai Aso has been played on NTS shows including Emotional Landscapes, with Date first played on 6 April 2014.
Ai Aso (朝生愛, Asō Ai) is a Japanese psychedelic pop singer-songwriter whose work has a whisper-thin acid folk quality to it.


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In the mid-1990’s, swimming in the Charles River was banned, sewage overflows were common, and rowers who fell into the water routinely received tetanus shots.
Now, the Charles is being honored as one of the world’s cleanest rivers, and was named a top three finalist in the International River Foundation’s 2011 Thiess International Riverprize, an annual environmental contest that recognizes visionary and sustainable river management programs.
Projects from more than 20 countries applied for this year’s Riverprize. Awards will be announced in September at the 14th Annual International Riversymposium in Brisbane, Australia. The winner receives a $250,000 cash award and a $100,000 grant to share with another river.
Once immortalized in the Standell’s rock and roll classic as the epitome of “Dirty Water” here’s a look at how far the Charles has come.

industry_corpus2: Water Resources & Marine


text: liniLED® Forta is encapsulated in a cast polyurethane resin in a 316L stainless steel housing with IP68 connectors, creating diffused light lines which are suitable for pedestrian or drive over. Your choice of two luminous intensities: Forta – 20 lm/ft and 75 lm/ft. Manufactured in the EU/USA. Available in all single colors (2400K, 2700K, 3000K, 4000K and 6500K), Red, Green, Blue and Amber. Standard lengths are 1’4″, 3’4″ and 6’7″, which can be interconnected with the IP68 daisy chain connectors. Special lengths may be available upon request.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


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This relatively small mosaic was commissioned by the PTFA and Head Teacher to make a work of art involving every pupil in the school. The school is located in a rural setting close to the Quantock Hills and the imagery on the mosaic are the class names Barn Owl, Snowy Owl, Tawny Owl and Eagle Owl.
Around the edge of the mosaic are words that the teachers and children felt reflected the ethos of school life. The tiles are textured with local plants and the owls images are formed from impressed stencils, which are highlighted with natural oxides. The glazes reflect the natural colours in the landsacpe.


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Boat riding, fishing and other such water activities can be fun and exciting, especially when such times are spent with loved ones. However, the experience can be even more rewarding when you have the event handled by a trusted and reliable boating company.
There is no doubt that owning a boat has its advantages especially compared to boat rental. However, a boat charter service is usually considered more affordable and convenient, particularly if you do not go for a boat ride too often.


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ANC 5E meeting had been called to order and the very lengthy 5-part agenda was underway.
Kelly Cislo, The Office of Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, presented the Ward 5 FY20 budget with input from residents. Discussions ranged from funding for STEM schools such as McKinley Tech, affordable housing, and funding to ensure each and every DCPS school has adequate mental health support and trauma-informed training for students, teachers, staff, and administration.
The meeting moved to the NEAR Act support resolution. The resolution would support increased funding for “Cure the Streets” adopted from the “Cure the Violence” model. These models use a holistic approach to identifying conflict and engage the community before it escalates. The support for the resolution was unanimous, all in favor.
Commissioner Robert Brannum didn’t want to take up much time introducing a simple resolution to support D.C. acquiring RFK Stadium proposed by Congresswoman Norton. The motion was adopted and moved after clarifying the simple resolution. Commissioner Holliday stated, “I believe frankly, the District doesn’t need to acquire more masses of land until it develops fair and equitable housing.” The Commissioner added how the people are really serious about fair and equitable housing. Commissioner Cheloas was not in a position to support since the details are vague, and RFK Stadium isn’t in the ANC; so he will study some more. Moreover, the resolution failed.
There were a series of 5-minute presentations.
Holy Redeemer College on 7th Street, Northeast D.C. was next up. Arriving in Washington in the 1930s, Holy Redeemer College rented a house near Catholic University. Since that 1930’s arrival, the style of the building hasn’t stood out lately. Residency staff are returning and want to not only maintain the Historic Preservation of the site but beautify it as well. Holy Redeemer is a landmark destination. One resident was interested to learn if the building would be a museum. Whatever the latter vision is, the building and green space will remain protected. The letter of support will be issued by the Commissioners.
Commissioner Holliday introduced the next presenter, Kadida Development who attended the meeting for a letter of support to accompany their application for approval by the Historic Preservation Review Board. Kadida has proposed the development of townhomes. The site was previously occupied by a church and a landmark request was asked. According to Arcadia Design representative Jim Foster, the structure would include brick with bay windows, 3 stories tall with 4 bedrooms including cellar family room. The townhomes would be 15 feet wide. Because the structure is shallow, the design team thought to leave a small footprint by providing townhomes instaed of condos.
The neighbors adjacent to the project are in support. Commissioner Holliday informed Jim that a community concern was having two units in one building.
Commissioner Cheolas provided more concrete guidance of design principles pointing to how the historic district should look referencing DC Cons “How to Analyze DC Construction” with former Mayor Fenty on its cover. Commissioner Holliday wanted to further familiarize the Commissioners to the historic preservation process to ensure the architects resolve any concerns prior to hearings. The motion passed, with the presentation of remarks from the community. A resident in support of the townhomes mentioned some neighbors nearby being mad that a lost on landmark application had taken place.
An ABRA (Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration) matter concerning The Crucible on V Street was next up requesting the support of ANC 5E Commissioners. The presenters have a settlement agreement in hand and are requesting support for a stipulated license, leading into a permanent license. The motion carried with one opposition, and the owner of The Crucible stood up to sign the agreement.
The Department of Transportation- Vision Zero pilot project was next up to present. Emily Dalphy, representative of Vision Zero presented the proposed installation of curb extensions for traffic calming along First Street, NW. The curb extensions are proposed to visually and physically narrow the roadway, slow down drivers, and activate the space adding public art and planters. This will allow placemaking opportunities to engage the community and artist. One Commissioner asked, “who will be keeping the plants up? and where is funding coming from?” According to the Vision Zero representative, funding has procured through DDOT, and the planters are self-watering.
However, DDOT has asked the Bloomingdale Civic Association to sign a maintenance agreement to replace dying plants and water them. Resident Leon wasn’t very satisfied with the installation of curb extensions. He expressed his concern stating “sorry DDOT, a band-aid on a bigger problem.” Another resident said, “This will be a calming effect?” Emily understood the skepticism and reiterated the goal is to change drivers’ mindset, changing the design of roadways, along with changing the drivers’ behavior. The motion failed to move forward for a letter of support from the Commissioners.
The Commissioners did support providing a $2,500 grant to Langley Education Campus Parent Teacher’s Association to acquire a raised bed for their garden which will be for community use also.
Before the meeting was over, The DC Voice took a moment to have a conversation with Izaiah who attends Benjamen Banneker High School.
DCV: What did you think about tonight’s meeting?
Izaiah -Very informative, learn a lot about the area I live in. More of the Caucasians community attends rather than African American community. Not sure if it’s due to lack of presentation or not.
DCV: Would you tell friends to attend ANC meetings?
Izaiah- Yes, definitely recommend friends to attend.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:44 pm, but it felt like 10:44 pm.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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Do you need Apostille Services in NJ? At Bergen Funeral Service, we provide Apostille Services in NJ including documentation, certificates and other funeral related documents. At Bergen Funeral Service, we are here to help you certify the authenticity of the signature of the document when you need authenticating for a foreign country.
An Apostille is a document, issued by the Secretary of State, that is attached to the original document certifying that it is authentic and legitimate. The use of an Apostille is required for countries that are part of The Hague Apostille Convention that was established in 1961.
All 50 states and the Federal Government in the United States can issue an Apostille. Each state’s process is different and we can help you navigate the process.
Some documents will require notarization. We strongly recommend you work with a notary that will obey by the laws of their state. If the notary makes a mistake or provides incorrect information and the documents get rejected, there will be additional fees. We will check the documents as they come in but are not responsible for any mistakes.
Some documents will require an additional certification from the County Clerk before the Apostille can be done. There is an additional fee for this and you will be notified if this is the case.
New Jersey - $215 for the first apostille and each additional apostille is $115. This is for expedited service (3-5 business days).
New York - $275 for the first apostille and each additional apostille is $185. This is for expedited service (1-3 business days). Areas of coverage include Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Ulster.
Connecticut - $215 for the first apostille and $115 for each additional apostille.
Pennsylvania - $215 for the first apostille and $115 for each additional apostille.
Delaware - $265 for the first apostille and each additional apostille is $165 (commercial documents only). This is for expedited service (2-4 business days). Personal documents are the same price but there is no expedited service available.
Please call or email us for pricing on other states not listed above.
*Orders include FedEx overnight service in the price.
Our staff will help guide you through this difficult process with grace and dignity. If you have any questions, or are in immediate need of our Apostille Services in NJ, please don’t hesitate to call Bergen Funeral Service Inc. at (800) 262-7901.


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I’ve heard the old saying, “Never let them see you sweat.” But not, “Never let them see you running or in a hurry.” He went on to say that leaders walk steadily, methodically, and paced toward the goal. The point being, a leader can’t communicate to his team that he is in the panic mode, or that he doesn’t understand what is going on. He can’t become too emotional and distraught.
One of the greatest challenges to leaders is to manage their passion in such a way that their passion doesn’t get mistaken as anger or vindictiveness. How people interpret you is one thing. How you behave is always under your control.
So remember this: leaders don’t run, they walk. They don’t panic, they prepare. They don’t react, they respond 100% of the time. And if you can do that, you can navigate and negotiate any crisis.


text: Footprints Carpentry is a family owned and operated business. The Lord has blessed us with employees who work hard for our company. We offer discounts which include military, senior citizen, and cash.Our billing procedures are as follows; payment due upon acceptance of proposal, payment due upon delivery of material(which will be the day we start your project), labor draw if applicable, and payment due upon completion.


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Aesop was established in 1987 by then an owner of a beauty salon, Dennis Paphitis in quest for superlative beauty products. Defying conventional wisdom in marketing and branding, Aesop has been demonstrating solid performance in establishing its own brand by showing its near-stubbornness in maintaining its taste and uniqueness. Thus the Australian cosmetic brand has set itself apart from other competing cosmetic brands in the midst of fierce competition.
B Magazine is an ad-less monthly publication that introduces one well-balanced brand in each issue. Between its covers, B not only shares untold stories behind the brand, but also its sentiment and culture that any reader interested in brand marketing and management can appreciate.


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Fabulous Pair of Antique Hall Chairs in Original Paint.
A wonderful pair of William the Fourth English antique painted pine hall chairs in a bold design. They are both in very good, strong condition and still in the worn cream paint finish. They date from arouynd 1830.


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Bill Text - AB-2338 Talent agencies: education and training.
An act to add Article 4 (commencing with Section 1700.50) to Chapter 4 of Part 6 of Division 2 of the Labor Code, relating to talent agencies.
AB 2338, Levine. Talent agencies: education and training.
Existing law requires talent agencies to be licensed by the Labor Commissioner and to comply with specified employment laws applicable to talent agencies.
This bill would require a talent agency to provide educational materials on sexual harassment prevention, retaliation, and reporting resources and nutrition and eating disorders to its artists, would require those educational materials to be in a language the artist understands, and would require the licensee, as part of the application for license renewal, to confirm with the commissioner that it has and will continue to provide the relevant educational materials.
Existing law regulates the employment of minors in the entertainment industry and requires the written consent of the Labor Commissioner for a minor to take part in certain types of employment.
This bill would require, prior to the issuance of a permit to employ a minor in the entertainment industry, that an age-eligible minor and the minor’s parent or legal guardian receive and complete training in sexual harassment prevention, retaliation, and reporting resources. The bill would further require a talent agency to request and retain a copy of the minor’s entertainment work permit prior to representing or sending a minor artist on an audition, meeting, or interview for engagement of the minor’s services.
This bill would make it a violation of existing laws for a talent agency to fail to comply with the bill’s education and permit retention requirements and would authorize the commissioner to assess civil penalties of $100 for each violation, as prescribed.
(a) A licensee shall make available via electronic transmission, hard copy brochure, or through other reasonable means educational materials regarding sexual harassment prevention, retaliation, and reporting resources to an adult artist within 90 days of agreeing to representation by the licensee or agency procurement of an engagement, meeting, or interview, whichever comes first.
(b) Sexual harassment educational materials shall include, at a minimum, the components specified in the Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s Form 185. Educational materials may be provided electronically, via Internet Web site, or other means.
(c) Educational materials for each artist shall be in the language understood by that artist. The licensee may comply with this language requirement either by making the educational materials available in that language or by having the educational materials presented for the artist in the language that he or she understands.
(d) The licensee shall keep a record for three years confirming that it has made available educational materials regarding sexual harassment prevention, retaliation, and reporting resources to all adult artists who have been signed for representation after the effective date of the act adding this article.
(a) A licensee shall make available educational materials regarding nutrition and eating disorders to an adult model artist within 90 days of the date of agreeing to representation by the licensee or agency procurement of an engagement, meeting, or interview, whichever comes first.
(b) Educational materials regarding nutrition and eating disorders shall include, at a minimum, the components specified in the National Institute of Health’s Eating Disorders Internet Web site at www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/index.shtml or a successor Internet Web site.
(c) Educational materials regarding nutrition and eating disorders for each adult model artist shall be in the language understood by that artist. The licensee may comply with this language requirement either by making the educational materials available in the artist’s native language or by having the educational materials presented for the artist in the language that he or she understands.
(d) The licensee shall keep a record for three years confirming that it has made available educational materials regarding nutrition and eating disorders to all adult model artists who have been signed for representation after the effective date of the act adding this article.
(a) Prior to the issuance of an entertainment work permit to a minor pursuant to Section 1308.5, the parent or legal guardian of a minor between 14 to 17 years of age, inclusive, hereafter “age-eligible minor,” as well as the age-eligible minor, shall receive and complete training in sexual harassment prevention, retaliation, and reporting resources.
(b) Sexual harassment prevention training shall consist of training administered by a third-party vendor, on-site, electronically, via Internet Web site, or other means. Sexual harassment prevention training shall include, at a minimum, the components specified in the Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s Form 185.
(c) Training for each age-eligible minor and his or her parent or legal guardian shall be in the language understood by that person.
(d) A licensee shall request and retain a copy of the minor’s entertainment work permit prior to representing or sending a minor artist on an audition, meeting, or interview for engagement of the minor’s services.
As part of the application for license renewal, in order to establish that the requirements of this article are met, a licensee shall confirm to the Labor Commissioner that it has and will continue to make available educational materials to adult artists in compliance with Sections 1700.50 and 1700.51.
(1) Fail to ensure that educational materials are made available to an adult artist.
(2) Fail to make available educational materials in a language understood by the artist.
(3) Fail to request and retain a minor’s entertainment work permit.
(b) If, upon inspection or investigation, the Labor Commissioner determines that a violation of any of the provisions listed in subdivision (a) has occurred, the Labor Commissioner may assess a civil penalty recoverable by the Labor Commissioner in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100) for each violation. In enforcing this section, the Labor Commissioner shall take into consideration whether the violation was inadvertent, and in his or her discretion, may decide not to penalize the licensee when that violation was due to a clerical error or inadvertent mistake.


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Reaching Cinque Terre is not difficult. It is easy to reach Cinque Terre by car or by train, because Cinque Terre are close to all main italian cities (3h from Milan; 2h and 30 min from Florence; 6h from Rome or Venice). You can reach every town by car, but it is very important to know that having a car in Cinque Terre can be a problem, few parkings and very difficult drives.
The train is the best mean of transport to visit Cinque Terre.
Closest airports are: Pisa (link) and Genova (link) only 1h and 30 minutes far by car or by train. Milano Malpensa (link) is at almost 4h far from Cinque Terre.
Milan 3 h. 2 h. and 50 min.
Genoa 1 h. and 30 min. 1 h. and 15 min.
Florence 2 h. and 30 min. 2 h. and 30 min.
Pisa 1 h. and 30 min. 1 h. and 30 min.
Rome 4 h. and 30 min. 4 h. and 30 min.
Turin 3 h. and 30 min.
Venice 5 h. and 30 min. 6 h.
Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore: five small villages surrounded by a unique landscape that UNESCO has named a World Heritage site.
Gorgeous beaches, crystal-clear water, steep trails winding through lush vineyards and olive groves, lemon trees and pine woods: a perfect spot, whether you enjoy swimming, boating, walking through the historic town, or exploring the pristine nature all around you.
Cinque Terre are in Liguria a region in the north-west part of Italy, very close to Tuscany at 2h and 30 min from Florence and on 1h and 30 min from Pisa and Lucca.
Trains are the best means of transport for coming to the Cinque Terre on vacation. Regional trains stop at every town and they run almost one every 30 minutes. The trip from town to town takes only 4 minutes. It is easy to buy ticktes at every train station or every tourist office and you also have the possibility to buy a day pass.
Many intercities trains stop in some of Cinque Terre towns (mostly Monterosso) and so you can take for example a train straight from Milano to Monterosso or Riomaggiore without switching it.
If you prefere to come by car please be aware that every town can be reached in a different way and drive can be difficult. Inside Cinque Terre you will not need a car. From Monterosso to Vernazza by car it takes 35 minutes, while by train only 4 and 10 by boat.
The Autostrada (freeway/motorway) exit is Carrodano-Levanto on A12 Genova-Livorno. From carrodano folow signs for Levanto and than to Monterosso. From Carrodano-Levanto to Monteroso by car it takes 30 minutes.
Leave Autostrada A12 Genova-Livorno at La Spezia and follow signs for Cinque Terre: You will first find Riomaggiore, than Manarola and than Corniglia. In San Bernardino follow signs for Vernazza. From La Spezia to Vernazza it takes 45 minutes. Very important: due to some landslides the road from Vernazza to Monterosso is closed, so it is not possible at the moment to drive from Monterosso to Vernazza. If you want to reach Monterosso by car from Vernazza you have to drive to La Spezia and take the autostrada again towards Genova and exit at Carrodano-Levanto and follow signs to Monterosso. It takes more than one hour.
Leave Autostrada A12 Genova-Livorno at La Spezia and follow signs for Cinque Terre: You will first find Riomaggiore, than Manarola and than Corniglia. From La Spezia to Corniglia it takes 35 minutes.
Leave Autostrada A12 Genova-Livorno at La Spezia and follow signs for Cinque Terre: You will first find Riomaggiore and than Manarola. From La Spezia to Manarola it takes 25 minutes.
Leave Autostrada A12 Genova-Livorno at La Spezia and follow signs for Cinque Terre: you will arrive in Riomaggiore in 25 minutes.
In any case, to get from one town to another, trains are always the safest, quickest, most affordable means of transport.
In the villages of the Cinque Terre, trains run about every half hour. The stations are named after the towns and it takes only 5 minutes to get from one town to the next, while by car getting from town to town it takes more than 30 minutes on difficult drives.
The train ticket is always cheap and cause you have to pay to hike the path number 2, you can also buy the Cinque Terre Card.
In good weather, the ferry offers an unforgettable panoramic tour.
Scheduled ferry service for the Cinque Terre runs when the sea and weather conditions are favourable, and may be subject to change or suspension due to unpredictable circumstances.


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We Bought Out Another Seed Company For Very Little and Are Passing the Discounts on to you!
FEATURED SEED(S) OF THE MONTH!
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Posted at 10:04 pm on July 12, 2014 by Brett T.
As TMZ Sports reports, Houston Rocket Dwight Howard on Saturday tweeted and then quickly deleted the hashtag #FreePalestine.
Howard did acknowledge the deleted tweet, apologizing and calling it a mistake.
Followers differed on whether it was a mistake or not.
Pesky hackers at it again? RT @DwightHoward: previous tweet was a mistake. I have never commented on international politics and never will.
@DwightHoward know u gotta play the game, but thank you 4 posting it anyway. Gave some humanity to those who r dehumanised & being murdered.
@DwightHoward We know it wasn't a mistake. We know that you were forced to take it down. And sadly, we understand why you did.
@DwightHoward 7ft n Still can't stand tall. Have some convictions man. 15 min and u back off ur comments already? Ur words are hollow.
. @DwightHoward tweets #FreePalestine, but deletes it 15min later saying it was a mistake.
@DwightHoward Hi Dwight Howard's PR person! Have a nice day.

industry_corpus2: Media & Journalism


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Three Worlds Gone Mad: The Hunter, The Hammer, and Heaven gets back to what RYP does best: storytelling. The book documents Robert Young Pelton’s journeys to three different war-zones (Sierra Leone, Chechnya, and Bougainville) and his attempts to understand the place and its people. Like in DP, Pelton manages to explain the places better than any history text. Where else are you able to see from the eyes of pirate hunting mercs, American ex-CIA jihadists, and hermit rebel leaders? Unconstrained from the limits of a journalism, Pelton shows us firsthand a world outside of our own – a glimpse into war-torn regions of the world – and the ordinary people who inhabit them.
I highly recommend this book to and fans of RYP and, for those who have never read his works, this is a good place to start.
This post was published on 2006-10-14 . It was modified on 2012-12-22 . It was tagged with review, books.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


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Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 61. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 36. North northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Rain, mainly after 10am. Patchy frost before 7am. High near 47. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Rain before 1am, then a slight chance of rain and snow. Low around 35. Breezy, with an east wind 15 to 20 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Sunny, with a high near 52. North northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
A 30 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39.
A chance of showers, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58.
Showers likely, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 44.


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After certain verbs we use the -ing form, and after other verbs we use the to-infinitive. Sometimes we can use either form and there is a change in meaning. Occasionally we can use either form and there is no change in meaning.
Here you will find a different way to study those verbs you “like” so much… 😛 Click on the pic and play the game: just spin the wheel and test your knowledge of irregular verb forms. It’s addictive!
Aquí tenéis un esquema básico de la formación y empleo del Pasado Simple y el Pasado Continuo (y una buena dosis de ejercicios, la mayoría online).


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With Merrida arriving in Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom, in Disney World, it’s time to start mulling over what we know about this new princess.
Obviously. The hair. Rival’s Rapunzel, on a bad hair day.
She has triplet brothers, who may or may not turn into bear cubs?
She is an archer, the likes that not even Robin Hood has seen.
There’s a mysterious blue, wavering fairy-type thing near the stone dance (That’s what you call those mysterious Celtic Druid type stone circles. A dance. I always thought that inspiring name for an eerie place).
I’m working on finding the Brave Font, and I’m sure my friend Laila, at Two Tiny Loves on @Etsy can probably whip up something amazing as far as invitations once she stops gallivanting around the coast. Ha.
In the mean time, pop over to my BRAVE Pinterest Board, and see what ideas we’re cobbling together for the consummate Merrida party.
I love the tapestry…do you think somewhere like OfficeMax would print a large copy of it? (or is that violating copyright laws?)…I think it would make a great decoration for my daughter’s birthday.


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MTI Baths and renowned kitchen and bath design expert Matthew Quinn have partnered to create some uniquely stunning products for the bathroom.
Combining the uncompromising attention to detail of Quinn and the technological innovation of MTI Baths, the MQ designs have captured the imagination of the luxury design community and offer the increased possibilities of customization. The Matthew Quinn additions expand and enhance MTI’s design-savvy Boutique collection.
As one of the leading experts in kitchen, bath and product design, Matthew Quinn has worked around the world providing his clients with original, memorable living spaces. Through residential, commercial multi-unit, and hospitality projects brought to him by the world’s top architects and interior designers, Matthew increases the design and functionality of kitchens and baths. Matthew’s success is largely due to his design philosophy of simplicity as the ultimate sophistication and the expert execution of his design concepts. Visit the Matthew Quinn web site.
The newest addition to the Matthew Quinn-designed MTI products is the Continuum sink. This sink has garnered several design awards and Quinn received a well-deserved ASID design excellence award for the sleek, sophisticated sink that is certain to attract attraction. Its ingenious construction uses the hole cut-out from the counter to cover the drain and create a faux bottom of the sink, creating an illusion of a seamless design that allows the striations of the counter material to visually flow ‘through’ the sink.
The Intarcia freestanding tub models can be specified with either of two pedestal bases or with no pedestal base. What’s more, Intarcia can be prepared at the factory ready for you to have installed the inlay of your choice – metal, glass, wood, stone, or any other material – in the tub, base or both, allowing bathers to personalize their bath environment as never before. Intarcia can also be equipped with an air bath system when specified with either pedestal base.
Combining the cutting-edge design of Matthew Quinn and the manufacturing perfection of MTI, these designs capture admiration and inspire imagination.
MTI’s Boutique Collection products will assuredly flatter and distinguish your bathroom. All products are characterized by strong design and high quality, yielding a work of art that will be the focal point of your bathroom. To browse through the entire selection of beautiful products in the Boutique Collection, click on one of the following links: Boutique tubs; Boutique sinks; Boutique shower bases.


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Reading the Bible with the eyes of the poor is a different thing from reading it with a full belly. If it is read in the light of the experience and hopes of the oppressed, the Bible’s revolutionary themes- promise, exodus, resurrection, and spirit- come alive.
So I reread Luke 16:19-31 and for the first time embraced this parable as a fountain of God’s grace. If I only had the eyes to see and the ears to hear, for the poor and the oppressed one had been liberated from sinful conditions of exploitation, poverty, marginalization, and disease. Lazarus, whose name means “the one whom God has helped,”  had been resurrected from systemic and cultural oppression and received into the kingdom of God. So I wonder, what would the Lazaruses of this world say if they overheard my off-color comments, this text is void of God’s grace. I can only imagine the reaction of those who dwell in and on the streets of my community and beg for the scraps from my table upon hearing me question the viability of teaching or preaching from this parable. Dare I rob Lazarus not only of my discarded leftovers, but also the liberating gospel? It is to that end that Luke 16 has forcefully adjusted my full-belly posture, at least for the time being, in order to see and hear the cries for justice and the hopes for renewal in the faces of people like Lazarus. Yes, this is a parable of judgment; I should be concerned and aware. Yet, it is also a brilliant portrait of grace; I hope to have the audacity to not only preach it, but also extend it to another. As Clark Pinnock once wrote, this parable “ought to explode in our hands when we read it sitting at our well-covered tables while the third world stands outside.”  May such explosion launch all of us to live into the good news of God’s grace with Lazarus, and others just like him, whom we encounter every day- if we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.
 I love that this parable's notion of "hell" has nothing to do with common evangelical assumptions. If we want to talk hell, and who really does, why don't we begin here? My guess is because it is not the illustration we want, rather the one we fear. So instead, we bypass it, spiritualize it, or refuse it altogether.
 Hear the echoes of Luke 15:2 that serves as the preface to the Lukan parables.
 See Ronald J. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 1997. p.55. What better name than Lazarus to point towards God's grace.
 As referenced in Sider, p. 55.


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Version 18.1 of Lepide Active Directory Self Service now enables users to search across the entirety of their Active Directory environment for the desired record. The powerful search function can hone in on any user in your domain simply by searching their email address or name. The search function also works in a multiple domain environment.
Also included within the new release is the ability to generate a list of all disabled users within your domain. This list can be exported in CSV, PSF and HTML formats.


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Last week, I queued up in cyberspace to drop the better part of a week’s pay on tickets to see U2 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. Much like they did 30 years ago, U2 are selling out stadiums and playing songs from The Joshua Tree. For a band so wary of using nostalgia to remain relevant, taking The Joshua Tree on the road represents an unmistakable shift in the band’s thinking. Perhaps. The political and social climate of America that influenced so much of The Joshua Tree seems to have returned in a new guise and the band has expressed a sense of coming full circle with the material. Regardless of the reason, the tour will rake in obscene amounts of money and many music fans will continue to hate U2.
The musically hip have grown tired of U2 and a general disdain for Bono in particular has rendered the band often uncool in conversations. While I’ve found myself sympathetic to this mindset at times, it does not change the fact that U2 has been the biggest band in the world for most of my adult life. As I found exploring their discography for this premier installment of Rank, the catalogue has aged quite well. Furthermore, the band’s altruistic tendencies are seemingly always done for the right reasons – even when the actual execution falters (the iPhone debacle being Exhibit A). I get it. Bono can be preachy and he’s been at it a long, long time but that’s a credit to their ability to continually create music that manages to be challenging, but inclusive. From misfire to classics, here is the U2 discography ranked. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments!
The welcome return of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno isn’t enough to shake U2 out of their shells on No Line on the Horizon. It feels like a careful step towards the ethereal atmosphere of The Unforgettable Fire by a band a little too hesitant to shake up a late-career formula that sells concert tickets by the truck load. “White as Snow” sounds promising at first but quickly dissipates into nothingness. The single “Magnificent” gets the formula right, but who cares? The law of diminishing returns haunts any band when the hunger to create is no longer a matter of life and death. For this record, U2 sounded content to produce a U2 album for the sake of releasing a U2 album.
The problem with this album is that to this day, I cannot remember which singles are on it and which were on All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Opener “Vertigo” sounds like a cut/paste of “Elevation” from the previous album and the rest of Atomic suffers in much the same way. Closer “Yahweh” is a long way from War’s “40” and should have been saved for the obligatory “deluxe” or “expanded” edition that almost every band dangles in front of fans these days.
Adding to the pressure of following up a successful debut album, Bono’s lyrics for the sophomore effort went missing when someone stole his suitcase after a gig in Portland, OR. As a result, the album serves more as a transition record between Boy and War with opener “Gloria” fading in as if a continuation from the debut. “I Threw a Brick through a Window” makes for interesting post-punk, but there aren’t enough of these moments to compare to the album that would follow. It felt incomplete and rushed – which it was. Whatever happened to those stolen lyrics? Funny you should ask.
The most underrated aspect of U2 has always been their sense of humour; and nowhere is that more evident than on Pop. Criticized at the time for trying to be a dance album, it now sounds unexpectedly modern. If you poured bleach all over “Discotheque,” it could fit on a recent Maroon 5 album. The driving “Mofo” sounds like U2 covering the Chemical Brothers, which I think is what they were going for. Where the album falters is in the delivery of the thematic darkness. Pop revels in just how quickly a night at the club can evaporate into loneliness. Closer “Wake Up Dead Man” leaves the listener haunted as the band says goodbye to their most experimental decade with a swing for the fences that isn’t quite a home run (or a strike out).
If you already disliked Bono and U2, the bungled release of Songs of Innocence is certainly damning evidence that the band has lost all touch with reality. Dropping it for free into every iPhone on earth may have sounded like a generous move by a band fully aware that concert tickets, not album sales, pay the mortgages. But what message did that send to consumers who have already come to expect music for free? For a struggling musician, selling a CD for $10 at a show might be the only way they fuel the beat-up van and make it to the next gig. I think the backlash was still overly harsh and at the end of the day, U2 slipped a really good U2 album into my phone while I was asleep. So thanks for that! Of all their work this century, this album holds the most intrigue. The stab at a stadium anthem –“The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” – and the Lanois/Eno vibe of “The Troubles” (with Lykke Li) are reminiscent of all their 2000s material but this album digs a bit deeper. “Volcano” possesses the same post-punk spirit that drove the first three albums; albeit with the tempered fire of guys in their ‘50s. “California (There Is No End to Love)” sparkles on the horizon and makes you want to hit the highway with The Joshua Tree in the speakers.
I loved this album (and the accompanying film) in 1988, maybe more than even The Joshua Tree. As a young high school student, the signposts to Dylan, Beatles, Bo Diddley and B.B. King were a path into music history that I was anxious to explore. For older music fans, this was probably one of the first “roll your eyes at Bono” moments. The band was using a heavy hand to sew themselves into the fabric of music history and that lack of subtlety is far more noticeable now that I’m older. The cover songs are weak approximations of the originals – which may explain why U2 has typically avoided cover songs. A bit messy throughout, closer “All I Want Is You” redeems the entire project and remains one of the most beautiful songs the band has recorded.
I’ll always remember my best friend coming back from Italy with this cassette expecting Bono to be singing in Italian. That stupid moment alone makes me love this EP; which effectively summarizes their first three albums. For many of us in America, this EP – especially the videos from Red Rocks – introduced us to U2 and helped us understand the political fervor boiling over in their work. The “this is not a rebel song” version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” found here is the definitive version and closer “40” captures the sense of community that I’ve experienced seeing them in concert. I’m not sure if the EP has aged well if you found the band later, but it’s a solid example of what the band sounded like before they took over football stadiums.
Released less than two years after War, The Unforgettable Fire marks the first seismic shift in the band’s sound. Employing Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno for the first time, U2 allowed new atmospheres to seep into their songs; giving the music more room to breathe. Having honed their skills on the road, the band doesn’t have to hide behind a forceful urgency. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” is the first of the many stadium anthems in the band’s career but the album is far more nuanced than that. More interesting than essential (serious U2 fans probably hate me for that), The Unforgettable Fire represents a band moving towards something truly great. The live version of “Bad” on 1985’s Wide Awake in America is actually far stronger and that song took on historic importance in the U2 canon when the band played it at Live Aid.
If post-punk had an artistic peak, it was somewhere around 1979/1980 as The Cure, Wire, Gang Of Four and Talking Heads all released seminal works. In walks U2, sounding fully-formed from the first notes of “I Will Follow.” However, this album is firmly rooted in post-punk with Adam Clayton’s bass lines offering melodic counterpunches to The Edge’s urgent guitar work. The band would soon move beyond the post-punk template and as a result the band’s early work gets buried under the weight of their own catalogue. When contemporary tastes again embrace U2’s legacy, songs like “The Ocean” will be treated with the same reverence as early material from The Cure. Until then, Boy merely lives on as an incredibly focused debut.
After pushing into new sonic territory with Achtung Baby, U2 pushes it even further on the eclectic Zooropa. Perplexing at the time, no album has aged more favorably in their catalogue. Zooropa’s spirit of electronic exploration hinted at a future many of us wouldn’t recognize until Radiohead dropped Kid A and it all suddenly made sense. Buried inside the humming wires of Zooropa are classic U2 songs like “Stay (Faraway, So Close)” and “The First Time” draped in the familiar atmosphere of producer Brian Eno. U2 seem to follow-up landmark albums with less focused recreations (October, Rattle & Hum, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), but avoid that pitfall with Zooropa – a quirky, weird piece of pop trash that would be hailed as genius if an indie band released it in 2017.
Fans always love it when the band says they are getting “back to their roots” and All That You Can’t Leave Behind was quickly embraced by even the most casual U2 fans. Interestingly, the opening electronic beats of “Beautiful Day” are more Zooropa than The Joshua Tree but the stadium-shaking chorus quickly reminds everyone why they originally fell in love with U2. “Elevation” adds another anthem to the setlist, while the tender “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” wears its heart on its sleeve. Referencing all periods of their history, All That You Can’t Leave Behind works because U2 sounds happy with simply being the biggest rock and roll band in the world.
The first “classic” in the U2 canon, War realizes the band’s fervent ideals and musical ambitions. “New Year’s Day” combines one of Adam Clayton’s most memorable bass lines with the increasingly atmospheric guitar work of The Edge to form the foundation of the band’s sound. However, it is the album’s political themes that made it sound so revolutionary. Unlike the more academic politics of post-punk heavyweights such as Gang of Four, U2 are stepping off the campus and into the violent streets on songs such as “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” After the bloodshed and tears, War ends in a place of hope with the beloved “40.” Certain records never seem to age and the brittle border between youthful ideals and bleak realism that War embodies will speak to future generations.
The band’s growing obsession with all things Americana is perfectly realized on The Joshua Tree, an album that became a pop cultural event and elevated them to the most important band in the world. After thirty years, the album has lost none of its power (“Bullet the Blue Sky”) or grace (“Running to Stand Still”). Side Two of the record (songs 6-11 if you are streaming) is where the richest rewards are buried. If you’ve ever driven across the Mojave Desert and past all the Joshua trees, this album becomes even more relatable. The band manages to capture the magic of the landscape and uses it as a metaphor for the emptiness of the modern world. Incorporating elements of American roots music without descending into minstrelsy, U2 added new textures to their sound and came away with a masterpiece of popular music.
The Joshua Tree is undeniably the biggest moment in the band’s career, but Achtung Baby remains the band’s finest album and one of the most significant albums in rock history. Like Bowie before them, the band retreated to Germany to escape the insanity of success (both were smart enough to bring Brian Eno along). While Bowie’s Berlin trilogy pushed boundaries further, Achtung Baby feels revolutionary for a band coming down from the Americana wave of The Joshua Tree. New sound, new image and more personal songwriting breathe new life into a band unsure of where they wanted to go at the time. From the naked ache of “One” to the overdriven guitars in “Mysterious Ways,” Achtung Baby is a master class in musical re-invention. Echoes of Bowie’s Berlin work mix with the Madchester sound (Stone Roses) and a small dose of shoegaze (My Bloody Valentine) to create the new template for popular music in the 1990’s and beyond.
Nope, I can’t really agree upon this list. I loved their early work and believe that “Under A Blood Red Sky” was pretty much the best work they ever released. It really captured the natural energy from aspiring young musicians before they became all self-important and pretentious. IMHO, the follow-up “The Unforgettable Fire” was still somewhat OK, but it all went downhill from there.
Thanks for reading! Cannot disagree with your assessment of Under A Blood Red Sky. It definitely captures their youthful energy.