Nokia: Open at own risk

Open at own risk

August 17, 2008

This is being billed on YouTube as the weirdest clip ever made. For those of us who are video aficionados – it is wonderful…

… from http://www.openatownrisk.com

"Within this box lies one of the greatest secrets of our times. A clip of grande weirdness"

This is what you will see if you break one of the four seals on the openatownrisk website from Nokia

If you break all four seals you will also be able to see the "Behind the scenes" clip

First watch the behind the scenes video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw_39xKc9_Q


Then watch the video… This is what you will see if you are able to break all four seals on the openatownrisk website from Nokia. Also, if you are one of the first 500 to break all four seals you will also get a special T-shirt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALBu-2FhToc

20080731 Nokia: Open at own risk

Ad for Norwegian Automobile Federation

Ad for Norwegian Automobile Federation

August 17, 2008

What's more worse? Having trouble with your car or help from a few nudists?!

An interesting ad for the Norwegian Automobile Federation

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6fhbf_norwegian-automobile-federation-nud_fun

Norwegian Automobile Federation: Nudists
by hourigan

Or find it here on YouTube:

Helpers NAF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdgmFoKIr10

Norges Automobil-Forbund is a member of the FIA.La Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. To the general public, the FIA is mostly known as the governing body for many motor racing events.

20080813 Ad for Norwegian Automobile Federation

I'm American by Stuck Mojo

I'm American by Stuck Mojo

Posted on KevinDayhoffNet Soundtrack August 17, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD-t6tcBji4




"I'm American" Lyrics:

I'm an American related to all colors of brethren, Priests and Pastors and Prophets and Reverends, Divided we fall united we stand together man, In this cultural melting pot there's nothing better than, This land of the free and the home of the brave, Populated by ancestors of immigrants and slaves who met early graves, So we could see brighter days and we could proudly praise and raise the stars and stripes as Americans

Hate me
Blame me
You can't shame me
Come and stand with me
I'm American

I'm an American born in these states united, Where racial discrimination keeps us so divided, Well we've got free speech so I won't be quiet, We got a lot of problems here man I won't deny it, But ain't another place that I'd rather be, Than in this land of great opportunity, Where we can be anything that we wanna be, So until the day I D-I-E, I stand tall as an American

*****

With "I'm American," the second video from the new album "Southern Born Killers," Stuck Mojo once again takes a stand for pride in country, self-respect and self-reliance. These themes have been a constant throughout the band's career. Following in the footsteps of the wildly successful video for "Open Season," Mojo once again takes a politically incorrect position by not being ashamed of the qualities that have made America great.

You may download the entire "Southern Born Killers" album, for free, at the band's web site StuckMojo . us.

20070629 I'm American by Stuck Mojo

I'm American by Stuck Mojo

The Daily Record - On the Record: At MACo, wastewater’s on the table

20080815 The Daily Record - On the Record: At MACo, wastewater’s on the table

It’s an idea whose time has come. It is still a little expensive…

At MACo, wastewater’s on the table

August 15, 2008

Perhaps you’ve heard of some western U.S. municipalities that are recycling water, or purifying their own wastewater for reuse in the community. Sounds a little nauseating, but it’s been an apparent success in many communities.

[…]

Maryland Environment Secretary Shari Wilson said Thursday that Maryland is not working on any regulations for water reuse, but will be interested to discuss the concept with local governments.

ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer

Posted by The Daily Record Filed Under business, government

Read the entire post here At MACo, wastewater’s on the table – and follow the links in the post:

http://blogs.mddailyrecord.com/ontherecord/2008/08/15/at-maco-wastewaters-on-the-table/

Water Sewer, Water Sewer Maryland, Water Sewer recycled water, Water Sewer Westminster, Water Sewer Wster Wastewater Treat Plant

Patrick J Buchanan: Blowback From Bear Baiting

Patrick J Buchanan: Blowback From Bear Baiting

August 16, 2008

One of the wonders of the internet is the ability and opportunity to gather more than one point of view about current events. If one were to take the time to read accounts of the Russo-Georgian conflict from non-Western news sourses, you get a point of view that is not being reported in the U. S. media.

Pat Buchanan’s version and take on the events appear to be much closer to what really happened in a series of events that began August 7, 2008 – when Georgia foolishly started military actions that were obviously arrogantly oblivious of the possible consequences.

And then when Georgia’s efforts began to go awry, they wanted to cry foul…

See also: 20080812 Stratfor: The Russo Georgian War and the Balance of Power

20080807 Russo-Georgian War, Military Intel Watch - Stratfor, Military National Security Intel Watch, World Middle East Georgia, World Russia

_____

Patrick J. Buchanan: Blowback From Bear-Baiting

08/15/2008

Mikheil Saakashvili's decision to use the opening of the Olympic Games to cover Georgia's invasion of its breakaway province of South Ossetia must rank in stupidity with Gamal Abdel-Nasser's decision to close the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships.

Nasser's blunder cost him the Sinai in the Six-Day War. Saakashvili's blunder probably means permanent loss of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

After shelling and attacking what he claims is his own country, killing scores of his own Ossetian citizens and sending tens of thousands fleeing into Russia, Saakashvili's army was whipped back into Georgia in 48 hours.

Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to kick the Georgian army out of Abkhazia, as well, to bomb Tbilisi and to seize Gori, birthplace of Stalin.

Reveling in his status as an intimate of George Bush, Dick Cheney and John McCain, and America's lone democratic ally in the Caucasus, Saakashvili thought he could get away with a lightning coup and present the world with a fait accompli.

Mikheil did not reckon on the rage or resolve of the Bear.

American charges of Russian aggression ring hollow. Georgia started this fight -- Russia finished it. People who start wars don't get to decide how and when they end.

Russia's response was "disproportionate" and "brutal," wailed Bush.

True. But did we not authorize Israel to bomb Lebanon for 35 days in response to a border skirmish where several Israel soldiers were killed and two captured? Was that not many times more "disproportionate"?

Russia has invaded a sovereign country, railed Bush. But did not the United States bomb Serbia for 78 days and invade to force it to surrender a province, Kosovo, to which Serbia had a far greater historic claim than Georgia had to Abkhazia or South Ossetia, both of which prefer Moscow to Tbilisi?

Is not Western hypocrisy astonishing?

When the Soviet Union broke into 15 nations, we celebrated…

[…]

Read the rest here: Blowback From Bear-Baiting

20080815 Patrick J Buchanan: Blowback From Bear Baiting

Stratfor: The Russo-Georgian War and the Balance of Power

Stratfor: The Russo-Georgian War and the Balance of Power

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/russo_georgian_war_and_balance_power

August 12, 2008 1508 GMT

By George Friedman

Related Special Topic Pages

Crisis in South Ossetia
U.S. Weakness and Russia’s Window of Opportunity
The Russian Resurgence
Kosovo, Russia and the West

The Russian invasion of Georgia has not changed the balance of power in Eurasia. It simply announced that the balance of power had already shifted.

The United States has been absorbed in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as potential conflict with Iran and a destabilizing situation in Pakistan. It has no strategic ground forces in reserve and is in no position to intervene on the Russian periphery.

This, as we have argued, has opened a window of opportunity for the Russians to reassert their influence in the former Soviet sphere. Moscow did not have to concern itself with the potential response of the United States or Europe; hence, the invasion did not shift the balance of power.

The balance of power had already shifted, and it was up to the Russians when to make this public.

They did that Aug. 8.

Let’s begin simply by reviewing the last few days.

On the night of Thursday, Aug. 7, forces of the Republic of Georgia drove across the border of South Ossetia, a secessionist region of Georgia that has functioned as an independent entity since the fall of the Soviet Union. The forces drove on to the capital, Tskhinvali, which is close to the border. Georgian forces got bogged down while trying to take the city. In spite of heavy fighting, they never fully secured the city, nor the rest of South Ossetia.

On the morning of Aug. 8, Russian forces entered South Ossetia, using armored and motorized infantry forces along with air power. South Ossetia was informally aligned with Russia, and Russia acted to prevent the region’s absorption by Georgia. Given the speed with which the Russians responded — within hours of the Georgian attack — the Russians were expecting the Georgian attack and were themselves at their jumping-off points. The counterattack was carefully planned and competently executed, and over the next 48 hours, the Russians succeeded in defeating the main Georgian force and forcing a retreat. By Sunday, Aug. 10, the Russians had consolidated their position in South Ossetia.





(click image to enlarge)

On Monday, the Russians extended their offensive into Georgia proper, attacking on two axes. One was south from South Ossetia to the Georgian city of Gori. The other drive was from Abkhazia, another secessionist region of Georgia aligned with the Russians. This drive was designed to cut the road between the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and its ports. By this point, the Russians had bombed the military airfields at Marneuli and Vaziani and appeared to have disabled radars at the international airport in Tbilisi. These moves brought Russian forces to within 40 miles of the Georgian capital, while making outside reinforcement and resupply of Georgian forces extremely difficult should anyone wish to undertake it.

The Mystery Behind the Georgian Invasion

In this simple chronicle, there is something quite mysterious: Why did the Georgians choose to invade South Ossetia on Thursday night? There had been a great deal of shelling by the South Ossetians of Georgian villages for the previous three nights, but while possibly more intense than usual, artillery exchanges were routine. The Georgians might not have fought well, but they committed fairly substantial forces that must have taken at the very least several days to deploy and supply. Georgia’s move was deliberate.

The United States is Georgia’s closest ally. It maintained about 130 military advisers in Georgia, along with civilian advisers, contractors involved in all aspects of the Georgian government and people doing business in Georgia. It is inconceivable that the Americans were unaware of Georgia’s mobilization and intentions. It is also inconceivable that the Americans were unaware that the Russians had deployed substantial forces on the South Ossetian frontier. U.S. technical intelligence, from satellite imagery and signals intelligence to unmanned aerial vehicles, could not miss the fact that thousands of Russian troops were moving to forward positions. The Russians clearly knew the Georgians were ready to move. How could the United States not be aware of the Russians? Indeed, given the posture of Russian troops, how could intelligence analysts have missed the possibility that the Russians had laid a trap, hoping for a Georgian invasion to justify its own counterattack?

It is very difficult to imagine that the Georgians launched their attack against U.S. wishes. The Georgians rely on the United States, and they were in no position to defy it. This leaves two possibilities. The first is a massive breakdown in intelligence, in which the United States either was unaware of the existence of Russian forces, or knew of the Russian forces but — along with the Georgians — miscalculated Russia’s intentions. The second is that the United States, along with other countries, has viewed Russia through the prism of the 1990s, when the Russian military was in shambles and the Russian government was paralyzed. The United States has not seen Russia make a decisive military move beyond its borders since the Afghan war of the 1970s-1980s. The Russians had systematically avoided such moves for years. The United States had assumed that the Russians would not risk the consequences of an invasion.

If this was the case, then it points to the central reality of this situation: The Russians had changed dramatically, along with the balance of power in the region. They welcomed the opportunity to drive home the new reality, which was that they could invade Georgia and the United States and Europe could not respond. As for risk, they did not view the invasion as risky. Militarily, there was no counter. Economically, Russia is an energy exporter doing quite well — indeed, the Europeans need Russian energy even more than the Russians need to sell it to them. Politically, as we shall see, the Americans needed the Russians more than the Russians needed the Americans. Moscow’s calculus was that this was the moment to strike. The Russians had been building up to it for months, as we have discussed, and they struck.

The Western Encirclement of Russia

To understand Russian thinking, we need to look at two events. The first is the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. From the U.S. and European point of view, the Orange Revolution represented a triumph of democracy and Western influence. From the Russian point of view, as Moscow made clear, the Orange Revolution was a CIA-funded intrusion into the internal affairs of Ukraine, designed to draw Ukraine into NATO and add to the encirclement of Russia. U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton had promised the Russians that NATO would not expand into the former Soviet Union empire.

That promise had already been broken in 1998 by NATO’s expansion to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic — and again in the 2004 expansion, which absorbed not only the rest of the former Soviet satellites in what is now Central Europe, but also the three Baltic states, which had been components of the Soviet Union.

The Russians had tolerated all that, but the discussion of including Ukraine in NATO represented a fundamental threat to Russia’s national security. It would have rendered Russia indefensible and threatened to destabilize the Russian Federation itself. When the United States went so far as to suggest that Georgia be included as well, bringing NATO deeper into the Caucasus, the Russian conclusion — publicly stated — was that the United States in particular intended to encircle and break Russia.

The second and lesser event was the decision by Europe and the United States to back Kosovo’s separation from Serbia. The Russians were friendly with Serbia, but the deeper issue for Russia was this: The principle of Europe since World War II was that, to prevent conflict, national borders would not be changed. If that principle were violated in Kosovo, other border shifts — including demands by various regions for independence from Russia — might follow. The Russians publicly and privately asked that Kosovo not be given formal independence, but instead continue its informal autonomy, which was the same thing in practical terms. Russia’s requests were ignored.

From the Ukrainian experience, the Russians became convinced that the United States was engaged in a plan of strategic encirclement and strangulation of Russia. From the Kosovo experience, they concluded that the United States and Europe were not prepared to consider Russian wishes even in fairly minor affairs. That was the breaking point. If Russian desires could not be accommodated even in a minor matter like this, then clearly Russia and the West were in conflict. For the Russians, as we said, the question was how to respond. Having declined to respond in Kosovo, the Russians decided to respond where they had all the cards: in South Ossetia.

Moscow had two motives, the lesser of which was as a tit-for-tat over Kosovo. If Kosovo could be declared independent under Western sponsorship, then South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two breakaway regions of Georgia, could be declared independent under Russian sponsorship. Any objections from the United States and Europe would simply confirm their hypocrisy. This was important for internal Russian political reasons, but the second motive was far more important.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin once said that the fall of the Soviet Union was a geopolitical disaster. This didn’t mean that he wanted to retain the Soviet state; rather, it meant that the disintegration of the Soviet Union had created a situation in which Russian national security was threatened by Western interests. As an example, consider that during the Cold War, St. Petersburg was about 1,200 miles away from a NATO country. Today it is about 60 miles away from Estonia, a NATO member. The disintegration of the Soviet Union had left Russia surrounded by a group of countries hostile to Russian interests in various degrees and heavily influenced by the United States, Europe and, in some cases, China.

Resurrecting the Russian Sphere

Putin did not want to re-establish the Soviet Union, but he did want to re-establish the Russian sphere of influence in the former Soviet Union region. To accomplish that, he had to do two things. First, he had to re-establish the credibility of the Russian army as a fighting force, at least in the context of its region. Second, he had to establish that Western guarantees, including NATO membership, meant nothing in the face of Russian power. He did not want to confront NATO directly, but he did want to confront and defeat a power that was closely aligned with the United States, had U.S. support, aid and advisers and was widely seen as being under American protection. Georgia was the perfect choice.

By invading Georgia as Russia did (competently if not brilliantly), Putin re-established the credibility of the Russian army. But far more importantly, by doing this Putin revealed an open secret: While the United States is tied down in the Middle East, American guarantees have no value. This lesson is not for American consumption. It is something that, from the Russian point of view, the Ukrainians, the Balts and the Central Asians need to digest. Indeed, it is a lesson Putin wants to transmit to Poland and the Czech Republic as well. The United States wants to place ballistic missile defense installations in those countries, and the Russians want them to understand that allowing this to happen increases their risk, not their security.

The Russians knew the United States would denounce their attack. This actually plays into Russian hands. The more vocal senior leaders are, the greater the contrast with their inaction, and the Russians wanted to drive home the idea that American guarantees are empty talk.

The Russians also know something else that is of vital importance: For the United States, the Middle East is far more important than the Caucasus, and Iran is particularly important. The United States wants the Russians to participate in sanctions against Iran. Even more importantly, they do not want the Russians to sell weapons to Iran, particularly the highly effective S-300 air defense system. Georgia is a marginal issue to the United States; Iran is a central issue. The Russians are in a position to pose serious problems for the United States not only in Iran, but also with weapons sales to other countries, like Syria.

Therefore, the United States has a problem — it either must reorient its strategy away from the Middle East and toward the Caucasus, or it has to seriously limit its response to Georgia to avoid a Russian counter in Iran. Even if the United States had an appetite for another war in Georgia at this time, it would have to calculate the Russian response in Iran — and possibly in Afghanistan (even though Moscow’s interests there are currently aligned with those of Washington).

In other words, the Russians have backed the Americans into a corner. The Europeans, who for the most part lack expeditionary militaries and are dependent upon Russian energy exports, have even fewer options. If nothing else happens, the Russians will have demonstrated that they have resumed their role as a regional power. Russia is not a global power by any means, but a significant regional power with lots of nuclear weapons and an economy that isn’t all too shabby at the moment. It has also compelled every state on the Russian periphery to re-evaluate its position relative to Moscow. As for Georgia, the Russians appear ready to demand the resignation of President Mikhail Saakashvili. Militarily, that is their option. That is all they wanted to demonstrate, and they have demonstrated it.

The war in Georgia, therefore, is Russia’s public return to great power status. This is not something that just happened — it has been unfolding ever since Putin took power, and with growing intensity in the past five years. Part of it has to do with the increase of Russian power, but a great deal of it has to do with the fact that the Middle Eastern wars have left the United States off-balance and short on resources. As we have written, this conflict created a window of opportunity. The Russian goal is to use that window to assert a new reality throughout the region while the Americans are tied down elsewhere and dependent on the Russians. The war was far from a surprise; it has been building for months. But the geopolitical foundations of the war have been building since 1992. Russia has been an empire for centuries. The last 15 years or so were not the new reality, but simply an aberration that would be rectified. And now it is being rectified.

Tell Stratfor What You Think

This report may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to http://www.stratfor.com/

20080812 Stratfor: The Russo Georgian War and the Balance of Power

Kevin Dayhoff Sunday Carroll Eagle and Westminster Eagle columns and articles from June 25, 2008 through August 3, 2008

Kevin Dayhoff Sunday Carroll Eagle and Westminster Eagle columns and articles from June 25, 2008 through August 3, 2008

Future of police protection delayed, but crime doesn't rest
Published August 13, 2008 by Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
On Thursday, Aug. 7, the Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 to not move forward with a plan to form a county police department...

Turkeys, fires and failed presidents were the stuff of old newspapers
Published August 10, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
As today's newspapers race into the Internet age, many folks might be fascinated with the look and feel of newspapers from the 1800s and early...

Carroll rides tall at the Chincoteague Pony auction
Published August 6, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
With pen in hand, Carroll County author Lois Szymanski looked up from a copy of one of her latest books, "Out of the Sea: Today's...

Fire and water have been volatile mix in Sykesville
Published August 3, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
It was 85 years ago, in the late afternoon of Monday, July 30, 1923, that an historic and terrible rainstorm hit Sykesville and other areas...

Destructive behavior from those contentious combines
Published July 30, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
On Saturday evening, the air was hot, thick and muggy, flavored with anticipation and seasoned with a hint of petroleum fumes. More than 5,000 fans...

20080813 Kevin Dayhoff Sunday Carroll Eagle and Westminster Eagle columns and articles from July 30, 2008 through August 13, 2008

Julia Child part of WWII era spy ring

Julia Child part of WWII era spy ring

Photo caption: It is not known as to whether or not Carrie Ann Knauer, pictured above interviewing Ms. Child in an undated photograph, followed in Ms. Child’s footsteps. She is indeed not only an excellent writer and cook - - but was she also once a secret agent? Kevin Dayhoff - File photo circa 2000.

Julia Child part of WWII era spy ring. Reports unsubstantiated that Carrie Ann Knauer was also once a secret agent

August 13, 2008

As many folks who follow the news are aware, it was recently revealed that Julia Child was part of a WWII-era spy ring

As you can read in the Associated Press story: “Other notables identified in the files include John Hemingway, son of author Ernest Hemingway; Quentin and Kermit Roosevelt, sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, and Miles Copeland, father of Stewart Copeland, drummer for the band The Police.”

However it has not been confirmed as to whether or not Carroll County’s very own “Rachael Ray” was ever a spy. We all know Carrie Ann Knauer’s work; she’s the prolific writer with the Carroll County Times who well known for her excellent coverage of Carroll County’s number one industry, agriculture, the environment and Carroll County’s number one love – food.

Did indeed, Ms. Knauer, pictured above interviewing Ms. Child in an undated photograph, follow in Ms. Child’s footsteps – and is indeed not only an excellent writer and cook - - but was also a secret agent.

Perhaps we’ll never know.

What is known is that Ms. Knauer first burst into the news media when she came to the Carroll County Times in February 2002. Of course this coincides well with fact that Ms. Childs moved to a retirement community in Santa Barbara, California, in 2001…

We are also aware that Ms. Knauer has been known to disappear for periods of time in which her locational whereabouts are not disclosed…

Hmmm, makes you wonder, now doesn’t it.

####

Documents: Julia Child part of WWII-era spy ring

Related Searches:
CIA Director William Casey
Office of Strategic Services
Kermit Roosevelt
military plans
Slideshow: International spy ring revealed

By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE and RANDY HERSCHAFT, Associated Press Writers Wed Aug 13, 11:10 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Famed chef Julia Child shared a secret with Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg and Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg at a time when the Nazis threatened the world.

They served in an international spy ring managed by the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA created in World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt.

The full secret comes out Thursday, all of the names and previously classified files identifying nearly 24,000 spies who formed the first centralized intelligence effort by the United States. The National Archives, which this week released a list of the names found in the records, will make available for the first time all 750,000 pages identifying the vast spy network of military and civilian operatives.

They were soldiers, actors, historians, lawyers, athletes, professors, reporters. But for several years during World War II, they were known simply as the OSS. They studied military plans, created propaganda, infiltrated enemy ranks and stirred resistance among foreign troops.

[…]

Other notables identified in the files include John Hemingway, son of author Ernest Hemingway; Quentin and Kermit Roosevelt, sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, and Miles Copeland, father of Stewart Copeland, drummer for the band The Police.

Read the entire article here: Julia Child part of WWII-era spy ring

20080813 Julia Child part of WWII era spy ring

EAGLE EXTRA: Slots Constitutional Amendment

EAGLE EXTRA: Slots Constitutional Amendment

http://www.explorecarroll.com/news/529/eagle%20extra:%20slots/

Posted 8/13/08

Explore Carroll – The website for the Westminster, Eldersburg, and Sunday Carroll Eagle has published the text of the legislation approved to create referendum on Slot Machines in Maryland

The following is the text of the legislation that was approved to create the referendum on Slot Machines in Maryland.

The measure is an Amendment to the State Constitution, and will face voters on the November ballot.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
By: Administration

AN ACT concerning

Video Lottery Terminals Authorization and Limitations

FOR the purpose of adding a new article to the Maryland Constitution to authorize video lottery terminal gaming in the State for the primary purpose of providing funds for public education; limiting the number of licenses that the State may issue to operate video lottery terminals; limiting the number of locations at which video lottery terminal facilities may be located; limiting the number of video lottery terminals that may be authorized in the State; providing that the statutory addition or expansion of forms of commercial gaming by the General Assembly is prohibited except as provided by this Act; defining a certain term; and submitting this amendment to the qualified voters of the State of Maryland for their adoption or rejection.

BY proposing an addition to the Maryland Constitution

New Article XIX Video Lottery Terminals

Find the entire text here: Slots Constitutional Amendment

20080813 EAGLE EXTRA Slots Constitutional Amendment

Recent articles in the Carroll County Times by Staci L. George

Recent articles in the Carroll County Times by Staci L. George

August 15, 2008

County to hold first information session for veterans
Carroll County will host its first veterans muster Saturday to give Maryland veterans a chance to learn more about benefits and services offered by federal, state and nonprofit agencies. “They may not know they have certain benefits or know whe...Aug. 15, 2008

Fundraiser to be held for memorial
Organizers are hoping a consignment fundraiser Saturday in Eldersburg will help fund the state’s first Angel of Hope garden. The JOSH Foundation, short for Joining Others Seeking Healing, will hold its Children’s Consignment Charity Fundr...Aug. 15, 2008

Three-day walk to honor mothers, help fight cancer
Kristi Bozzell lost her mother to breast cancer. So did Sue Conklin. So when Heather Davidson asked them, along with her sister-in-law Krista Davidson, to be on her team for the three-day walk benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the decision requ...Aug. 8, 2008

20080815 Recent articles in the Carroll County Times by Staci L George

Gannett Blog: Gannett said laying off 600 newspaper employees

20080813 Gannett Blog: Gannett said laying off 600 newspaper employees

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

According to Gannett Blog, “An Independent Journal about Gannett Co. Inc., Gannett said laying off 600 newspaper employees; pub's memo discloses total 1,000 jobs getting axed

Updated at 11:44 a.m. ET on Aug. 14: The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., is among the first newspapers reporting layoffs on Thursday.

Earlier: A Maryland publisher told employees late Wednesday afternoon that Gannett is eliminating 1,000 newspaper jobs, or about 3% of the troubled newspaper division's workforce -- and that about 600 employees are being laid off, a Gannett Blog reader says.

The reader provided a copy of a memo that Daily Times Publisher Rick Jensen e-mailed about 4 p.m. today at the paper in Salisbury. "Across Gannett’s Community Publishing division, about 1,000 positions will be eliminated -- about 3% of the workforce,'' the memo says. "Of the 1,000 positions, about 600 employees will be laid off."

Jensen would be the first Gannett executive to publicly confirm recent speculation that GCI is cutting jobs across the company -- and the first executive to disclose details of such cuts. A broad downsizing would come as the nation's top newspaper publisher reels from its surprisingly weak second-quarter earnings. That report sent Gannett shares plunging to new lows, further raising investor pressure on CEO Craig Dubow and his senior team.

No timetable given

I've asked chief Gannett flak Tara Connell for comment. I've e-mailed Jensen, and Daily Times Executive Editor Greg Bassett as well. Moments ago, Bassett e-mailed this reply, saying only: "Jim Hopkins is in my in box? All the way from Europe? I must be big time! Cheers!"

[…]

Earlier: Blogger says Corporate's silence on layoffs is telling

Read the rest of the post here: Gannett said laying off 600 newspaper employees; pub's memo discloses total 1,000 jobs getting axed

Gannett Blog Labels: Buyouts, Earnings, Layoffs, Louisville, Salisbury, This Just In, USA Today

http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/memo-gci-laying-off-600-newspaper.html

20080813 Gannett Blog: Gannett said laying off 600 newspaper employees

Kevin is wondering...

August 14, 2008

Kevin is wondering ...

what happens when you stick a kitchen knife in an electric socket?

The Adventures of Mr. Moose on Facebook

20080814 KED Knife in socket

This week in The Tentacle August 13 2008

This week in The Tentacle August 13 2008

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
They shoot dogs, don’t they?
Kevin E. Dayhoff
In Prince Georges County on the evening of July 30, the home of the Berwyn Heights’ Mayor Cheye Calvo was the scene of a home invasion.


Beer Olympics
Tom McLaughlin
They’re back! After watching the March Past during the opening of the games in Peking (old spelling), I settled in to watch some of the sports. And wonders of wonders who did I see? Those two great representatives of American dirty old men, Misty May and Kerri Walsh. They were playing the great American sport – beach volleyball.


Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Media Furies
Roy Meachum
The Bruce Ivins tragedy starkly revealed the trashy shape of America's media. Print and electronic alike, they have become modern versions of Greek playwright Aeschylus's Eumenides; the Furies of ancient Rome, they resound still in the Yiddish phrase: Kein eine horah. "Not one listening" is a prayerful cautionary against the 40,000 beasties that always hover waiting to strike all those who earn praise.


Perception Often Worse Than Truth
Farrell Keough
Perceptions are a tricky thing. There are times in life when a person can feel so strongly about a situation they are willing to suffer the consequences of people believing they are either wrong or have some nefarious intent.


Monday, August 11, 2008
Hanging it up…
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
…a stethoscope, that is. On August 8, Dr. Wayne Allgaier snapped the closure on his leather medical kit for the last time. Last Friday, he hung the stethoscope up for the last time.


T. Boone & Slim Pickens
Steven R. Berryman
What does a famous Texas oil baron do to ensure some personal legacy at age 80? He becomes an alternative energy activist, and starts a web site with a link to his own MySpace page, of course!


They’re Not Just Athletes…
Derek Shackelford
Last Friday the 2008 Summer Olympics games opened in Beijing, China, where the government has come under scrutiny because of proclaimed human rights violations. The air quality – to some degree – has been deemed unhealthy. The government has been criticized for neglect of some of its citizens and the economic disparity is widely known. And its capital punishment policy has been questioned.


Friday, August 8, 2008
Greasepaint Missing
Roy Meachum
Not only the greasepaint was missing Wednesday from the justice department's dog-and-pony show. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's crew left behind their costumes. U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor lacked the red bulb on his nose. The performance would have been hilarious except a Frederick man wound up dead.


Thursday, August 7, 2008
Breaching Our Security
Tony Soltero
"To protect and to serve." The venerable slogan of police forces nationwide. And, for the most part, law enforcement performs its duties professionally, effectively and within the constitutional bounds that distinguish America from repressive, totalitarian societies, such as the country currently hosting a major world sports event.


Obama vs. McCain
Patricia A. Kelly
I read and I listen. Answers are elusive, dandelion fluff on a summer breeze. One says the other said…the other says he didn’t, but that the other did….There are funny ads, outrageous ads. Always, politics, when something closer to the truth is so needed.


Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Insufficient Funds
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Recently the Carroll County Chapter of the Maryland Municipal League has been the focus of some unwanted and undesirable attention.


Voting White
Tom McLaughlin
Race is – and will continue to be – a very big factor in the presidential election. Sen. Barack Obama has called for change; however, his skin color will be too much of a change for many. White, not John McCain, will win the election.


Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Guilty or Not?
Roy Meachum
The apparent suicide of a Fort Detrick scientist was the weekend's conversational rage. Everyone knows someone who knows someone – that’s how it went.


One’s Inexperience and Immaturity
Joan McIntyre
Those aspiring to elected office need to learn before applying that it's a tough job and requires an equally tough skin. Do you question why I use the phase "applying?"


Monday, August 4, 2008
Who's watching the watchers?
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
Picture a rally against the death penalty or a gathering of anti-war protesters. Peace signs, Grateful Dead music, chanting, tie-dyed clothing, and soap-box speeches about injustice, inequality, and corrupt abuse of power.


“Mega Trends” Become Non-Sequiturs
Steven R. Berryman
Seems like chaos rules anymore when analyzing the changing trends in world happenings and trying to make things make sense. Much of it just doesn’t follow, as in non-sequiturs. There are just too many data points now for old method.

20080813 This week in The Tentacle August 13 2008

Monday August 11 2008 Interview of the President by Bob Costas NBC Sports

Monday August 11 2008 Interview of the President by Bob Costas NBC Sports

August 14, 2008 - I enjoyed the Monday, August 11, 2008 interview of President George W. Bush by NBC sports reporter Bob Costas. I was happy to find the following transcript on the White House web site:

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 11, 2008

Interview of the President by Bob Costas, NBC Sports

International Broadcasting Center
Beijing, The People's Republic of China

White House News
Photos
In Focus: Summer Olympics 2008

Photo caption: President George W. Bush speaks with Bob Costas of NBC Sports during an interview Monday, Aug. 11, 2008, while attending the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. White House photo by Eric Draper

8:55 A.M. (Local)

Q All right, Al, we thank you. In a few minutes we'll have more of the women's team qualifying from Sunday afternoon here in Beijing. But now, live, we're joined by President George W. Bush, who has been at these games since the Opening Ceremony. You say the Opening Ceremony. You've seen Michael Phelps and company at the pool. You went to beach volleyball, the USA's win over China in basketball last night. What are your impressions so far?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I think the Chinese are being great hosts. The venues are fantastic. And our team is fired up -- and so am I. I'm excited to be here. It's -- it's such a thrill to watch our men and women compete.

Q You met with the ballplayers before the basketball game last night.

THE PRESIDENT: I did. (Laughter.)

Q What was their response to you?

THE PRESIDENT: Their response was -- well, first of all, obviously these are great stars. And their response was, thanks for coming; we are really, really honored to represent America. And I was impressed by them. And of course they go out and put on a great performance.

Q And winning 101 to 70. Our time here is limited. We'll get to as much as we can. The Opening Ceremonies were glorious. There's much to admire about China's people, China's culture, and its present accomplishments. But this remains an authoritarian state –

THE PRESIDENT: That's true.

Q -- with an abysmal human rights record. In the long run, is China's rise irreconcilable with America's interests?

THE PRESIDENT: No. In the long run, America better remain engaged with China, and understand that we can have a cooperative and constructive, yet candid relationship. It's really important for future Presidents to understand the relationship between China and the region, and it's important to make sure that America is engaged with China -- even though we may have some disagreements.

Q You met with President Hu Jintao not just at the Opening Ceremony, but privately since then. Did you press him on the full array of American concerns -- human rights, press freedom, Tibet, China's support of rogue regimes like Sudan and Myanmar?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes -- and North Korea, and Iran.

Q It was all on the table?

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, absolutely, every time -- every time. And you got to understand something, Bob, I don't need the Olympics to advance America's agenda. I've met with Hu Jintao a lot since I have been the President. And, yes, I had a full range -- listen, we agree with them on a lot of things. And we disagree with them on things. And that's the way the relationship is going to be. It needs to be, as I mentioned, constructive and cooperative.

Q This past week you restated America's fundamental differences with China.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q But given China's growing strength and America's own problems, realistically how much leverage and influence does the U.S. have here?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I don't see America having problems. I see America as a nation that is a world leader, that has got great values. And leverage is -- I don't think you should look at the relationship as one of leverage. I think you ought to look at the relationship of one of constructive engagement where you can find common areas, like North Korea and Iran, but also be in a position where they respect you enough to listen to your views on religious freedom and political liberty.

Q If these Olympics are as successful as they are shaping up to be, most people believe this only further legitimizes the ruling party in the minds on most Chinese citizens. And even absent true liberty as we understand it, the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese people are much better than they once were. Therefore, what's the party's incentive to reform?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, if you're a religious person, you understand that once religion takes hold in a society it can't be stopped. And secondly, I think the Olympics are going to serve as a chance for people to come and see China the way it is, and let the Chinese see the world and interface and have the opportunity to converse with people from around the world. This is a very positive development, in my view, for peace.

And who knows how China is going to progress? They've been through some very difficult political times -- the Cultural Revolution, for one, where the leadership actually created violent anarchy and society turned on itself. All I can tell you is, is that it's important for the United States to be active in this part of the world with all countries, and to stay engaged with China.

Q Moving away from China for just a second. During the Opening Ceremony we saw you conferring with Vladimir Putin.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q We now know you were talking about the conflict that had erupted that day –

THE PRESIDENT: That's true.

Q -- between Russia and Georgia. Now, Georgia is a former Soviet republic that is sympathetic to the West –

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q -- and that is attempting to embody many Western values. But just as you need China, you need Russia strategically around the globe. You got to walk a fine line. What did you say to Putin?

THE PRESIDENT: I said this violence is unacceptable -- I not only said it to Vladimir Putin, I've said it to the President of the country, Dmitriy Medvedev. And my administration has been engaged with both sides in this, trying to get a cease-fire, and saying that the status quo ante for all troops should be August 6th. And, look, I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia.

It was just interesting to me that here we are trying to promote peace and harmony and we're witnessing a conflict take place.

Q Right, no Olympic truce in this case.

THE PRESIDENT: There wasn't. And I was very firm with Vladimir Putin -- he and I have got a good relationship -- just like I was firm with the Russian President. And hopefully this will get resolved peacefully. There needs to be a international mediation there for the South Ossetia issue.

Q A couple more quick things.

THE PRESIDENT: Sure.

Q China is a nation that warmly received Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, who has since been indicted by the International Court on charges of genocide.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q Then this past week they revoked the visa of Joey Cheek, an exemplary Olympian who had planned to come here not to directly protest China's government, but to call attention to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q What's your reaction?

THE PRESIDENT: My reaction is I'm sorry Joey Cheek didn't come, he's a good man. Joey Cheek has just got to know that I took the Sudanese message for him. My attitude is, is if you got relations with Mr. Bashir, think about helping to solve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. That was my message to the Chinese government.

Q As you attempt to press these points with them, do you find Hu Jintao not just warm toward you personally, but is he receptive? Do you sense any movement?

THE PRESIDENT: It's hard to tell. I mean, it's -- all I can tell you is, is that it is best to be in the position where a leader will listen to you. I went to church here, and I'm sure the cynics say, well, you know, it was just a state-sponsored church. On the other hand -- and that's true. On the other hand, it gave me a chance to say to the Chinese people, religion won't hurt you, you ought to welcome religious people. And it gave me a chance to say to the government, why don't you register the underground churches and give them a chance to flourish? And he listened politely. I can't read his mind, but I do know that every time I met with him I pressed the point.

Q Your father has longstanding connections to China. He was an envoy here even before we established an official ambassador's position, during the 1970s, and he is here with you on this trip. So there's a connection, a family connection.

THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. Yes, there's a great connection. You know, I can remember riding my bike around Beijing in 1975, and it is –

Q Only bikes then, just about.

THE PRESIDENT: -- unbelievable how far this has changed. I mean, it is -- and he feels the same way. And we were honored yesterday when the President, Hu Jintao, invited my dad and me and Laura and my sister and my daughter, my brother, for dinner. It was a -- lunch. It was just a great gesture of kindness.

Bob, it's very important for the American people to know that coming here gave me a chance, obviously, to root for our team, and you've captured that, but it's also coming here is a sign of respect for the Chinese people. And this is a big, important nation. We'll have our differences, we'll have our agreements. But in order to find common ground and to move the world toward peace, it is important for this country to show respect for the people of the country.

Q Briefly, one more sports question.

THE PRESIDENT: Sure.

Q You have been outspoken -- your past connections to baseball; you used a State of the Union speech to do it, to talk about performance-enhancing drugs in sports. Marion Jones recently petitioned you for clemency.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q She's serving time because of involvement in the BALCO case -- one-time Olympic hero. We know many Olympians and in your favorite sport and mine, baseball, big names -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens. What's your feeling about this and how much do you, as an American, trust the integrity of the sports you watch?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, well, you know, let's just talk about baseball. Obviously one of the great things about baseball is we can compare the records of the players of the '50s to the '60s and the '70s, and obviously the 1990s, and it is very important for there to be a -- for the sport to be clean so that the great continuity and the history of baseball is real. And secondly, we don't want adults sending mixed messages to children, that it's okay to shoot up drugs in order to become a star, because it's not okay.

Q Are you going to go to a few more events before you leave?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm going to swimming here -- if you'd ever let me off this set. (Laughter.)

Q All right. You are dismissed.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir.

Q Thank you, Mr. President.

END 9:04 A.M. (Local)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/08/20080811.html

20080811 Interview of the President by Bob Costas NBC Sports

Carroll County Sheriff’s Department: Commissioner Presentation based on flawed statistics

Carroll County Sheriff’s Department: Commissioner Presentation based on flawed statistics

“Commissioner Presentation based on flawed statistics”

Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, August 13, 2008 ----

Sheriff Ken Tregoning and members of the Sheriff’s Office are concerned that inaccuracies cited by Commissioner Julia W. Gouge during an open session on August 7, presented a false perception to the public about the resolution of criminal investigations. A copy of the presentation, which includes the questionable statistics, is currently available on the county webpage at: http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/ccpd/docs/UCR.pdf

The information, which attempts to show a correlation between the costs of investigating certain crimes among several law enforcement agencies by dividing their operating budgets by crime, ignores the commissioner’s decision to continue transferring all 911police calls to the Maryland State Police. The practice of transferring police calls away from the 911 center where sheriff’s deputies are dispatched significantly reduces the total crimes going to the sheriff’s office. Consequently, the numbers presented by Commissioner Gouge were intended to create the false impression that certain crimes investigated by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office are more costly.

Further, the total numbers of law enforcement officers in each comparison are misrepresented; for example the Resident Trooper Contract funds 45 Troopers, not the number listed. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office budget figures include costs for 14 non-police employees. These oversights were designed to distort the cost of personnel funded under the Sheriff’s Services Operating Budget and the contract for State Police Services.

The study cites only the “Part 1 Crimes”; however, there are 99 incidents police respond to and investigate listed in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program. On the contrary, during the same years cited by Commissioner Gouge, 2005 and 2006, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office led Carroll Law Enforcement in the total number of arrests. In fact, during 2006 sheriff’s deputies made 1388 arrests, and according to the Maryland State Police’s Crime in Maryland Report, achieved the highest local “Part 1 Crimes” closure rate at 41%.

According to the International City/County Management Association, interrupting crimes in progress and pursuing fleeing suspects’ accounts for less than twenty percent of law enforcement activity. Historically, most police calls are not criminal incidents but incidents that include landlord/tenant disputes, prowlers, noise complaints, graffiti, disturbances, missing persons, littering, juvenile complaints, nuisance calls, etc. Consequently, the public should have information about total police activities and not just “Part 1 Crimes.”

Therefore, policing in Carroll County and nationally, involves keeping the peace more than enforcing the law. The confusion caused by this information is regrettable and was a disservice to the public and the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office and its employees remain “committed to excellence in delivering comprehensive police services focused on preventing and reducing crime, fear and disorder.” Similar to the sheriff’s offices in 98% of counties nationwide, we are your “County Police Agency”.

20080813 CCSD Commissioner Presentation based on flawed statistics

“Target practice for Prince George's police” By Rob Tornoe for PolitickerMD

“Target practice for Prince George's police” By Rob Tornoe for PolitickerMD

August 11, 2008

You've probably already heard about the incident involving the Prince George's county police department raiding the home of Berwyn Heights mayor Cheye Calvo, shooting and killing his two dogs after he brought in a 32-pound package of marijuana that had been delivered to his doorstep…

[…]

20080811 “Target practice for Prince George's police” By Rob Tornoe for PolitickerMD

The MSM’s Latest Embarrassment by Jennifer Rubin

20080810 The MSM’s Latest Embarrassment by Jennifer Rubin

Did ya notice: “Commentary” – “Contentions” - The MSM’s Latest Embarrassment by Jennifer Rubin - 08.10.2008?

The MSM’s Latest Embarrassment

When John Edwards admitted Friday that he lied about his affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter, a former employee of his campaign, he may have ended his public life but he certainly ratified an end to the era in which traditional media set the agenda for national political journalism.

Read the rest here: The MSM’s Latest Embarrassment

http://www.commentarymagazine.com

“Commentary” – “Contentions” -

20080810 The MSM’s Latest Embarrassment by Jennifer Rubin

20080812 Carroll County Environmental Advisory Council Agenda

20080812 Carroll County Environmental Advisory Council Agenda

Carroll County ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Karen Merkle, Chair

Meeting /Agenda, Tuesday August 12, 2008 @ 3:00 p.m.

Room 003/004, Carroll County
Office Building

Cynthia M. Parr
Chief, Administrative Services
225 N Center Street, Room 300
Westminster, MD 21157-5194
Telephone: 410-386-2232
Fax: 410-386-2485
cparr@ccg.carr.org

All meetings are scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month. If an afternoon meeting, it will be from 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.; if an evening meeting, it will be from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M., in Room 003/004 of the County Office Building unless otherwise noted.

Notice of each meeting will be sent to local media prior to each meeting and will also appear on the website ccgov.carr.org under meetings/agendas.

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of June 10, 2008 Minutes

3. Communications

4. Open Forum
An opportunity for County residents to express concerns or propose issues not already before the Council, as future EAC Agenda items; three (3) minutes per
Presentation.

5. Presentations:

a. Doug Howard, Executive Director, Carroll Area Transit System Transportation Services and Environmental Considerations

b. Dawn Eldridge, Community Health Improvement Area Manager, CCHD Resource Conservation Coalition “ Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County.

6. New Business

a. Nominations and selection of Vice Chair

b. Review of Bylaws and Chapter 16

c. Adoption of the 2009 meeting dates

d. Adoption of EAC Environmental Awards Categories

7. Council Members Issues for future consideration

8. Announcements from the Chair

a. The September EAC meeting, will be an afternoon meeting Tuesday,
September 9, 2008, @ 3:00 p.m. in Room 003/004 of the County Office
Building

9. Adjourn

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to the Carroll County Government and its programs, services, activities, and facilities. If you have questions, suggestions, or complaints, please contact Ms. Jolene Sullivan, the Carroll County Government Americans With Disabilities Act Coordinator, at 410-386-3600/1-888-302-8978 or TTY No. 410-848-9747. The mailing address is 225 North Center Street, Westminster, Maryland 21157.

Environmentalism EAC - Carroll County Environmental Advisory Council

Manic Monday: Massive Attack - Dissolved Girl August 11 2008

20080811 Manic Monday Massive Attack Dissolved Girl

Manic Monday: Massive Attack - Dissolved Girl

August 11, 2008

It’s been Monday all day. Word has it that it will be Monday for quite a few more hours… At least I have two of my three columns due for this week filed. Right now I need a snack and a nap…

Massive Attack Dissolved Girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8QT4BEOTo




David Sylvian - Orpheus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2dgMNm64Mg



More: Art Music electronica Massive Attack

Art Music electronica

Art Music electronica Sylvian – David Sylvian

Westminster Council Meeting agenda for August 11 2008

20080811 Westminster Council Meeting agenda for August 11 2008

City Council

http://www.westgov.com/citygovernment/agenda.asp

City Council Members Minutes of City Council Meetings

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Mayor and Common Council Meeting of August 11, 2008

AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER – 7:00 P.M.

Presentation of Check – Robin Ford

Mayor’s Recognition – Award of Eagle Scout Badge to William Ehmann

2. SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Westminster Skate Park Renovation – Ron Schroers

3. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JULY 28, 2008

4. REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR

5. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES

6. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS:

Resolution No. R08-9 - Main Street Improvement/Maple Street Program

Funding Application – Marge Wolf

7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

a. None as of August 7, 2008

8. NEW BUSINESS:

a. None as of August 7, 2008

9. DEPARTMENT REPORTS

10. CITIZEN COMMENTS

11. ADJOURN

*THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE JOHN STREET QUARTERS OF THE WESTMINSTER FIRE COMPANY. FREE PARKING IS AVAILABLE.