State Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, (Andy Cross, The Denver Post file)
The year was 2003, and the debate raging in the Colorado House was over a bill allowing illegal immigrants to attend public colleges at the in-state tuition rate.
"We don't need to continue to provide taxpayer subsidies to people who are here illegally," state Rep. Greg Brophy, a Wray Republican, said at the time about the bill, which didn't pass.
Now a state senator serving his final term, Brophy, who's previously proposed blocking state-funded criminal defense attorneys for illegal immigrants and denying them worker's compensation insurance, is having second thoughts on immigration issues.
Brophy is one of a handful of Republicans who acknowledge they may support Senate Bill 33, this year's measure that would grant the in-state tuition rate to any high school graduate who has attended a Colorado high school for three years, regardless of immigration status.
"I have cause to think about it more deeply than I have in the past," Brophy said. "It's partly personal ? just where I live and people I know.
"I fell for the siren song years ago that people who are here illegally should just be encouraged to go back home," he said. "That sounds great if you say it fast, but the reality is if you look at the families that live here, that's a ridiculous thing."
Brophy's potential defection could cause the same kind of shock waves that freshman state Sen. Owen Hill provoked last week when he voted for Senate Bill 33 in committee. Hill, a Colorado Springs Republican, was savaged by members of his own party in El Paso County, including former state Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, who said he never would have endorsed Hill had he known his stance on the issue.
Hill invokes the Statue of Liberty when he talks about the bill.
"That was the vision for America: We can't offer you anything but the rule of law and the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," he said. "This is a difficult issue for a lot of people. Unfortunately, there's still this protectionist mentality."
One Republican who's never hidden his support is state Sen. Larry Crowder, a freshman Republican from Alamosa.
"I'm a fifth-generation Coloradan from southern Colorado," Crowder said. "I was raised with both legals and illegals, so were my forefathers. We do not look at this the same way people north of Pueblo do.
"What I do believe, and I believe this very firmly: This is a conservative issue. What we want in this country is legalized citizens. What I see here is a path to citizenship through this bill."
Republicans aren't the only ones who have changed their positions on the issue. Previous bills to grant in-state tuition several years ago died at the hands of Democrats, enough of whom joined Republicans in killing the proposals.
But there now appear to be no Democrats who still oppose the idea.
Senate Bill 33 still awaits debate on the Senate floor, where it is expected to pass. It's also expected to pass in the House now that Democrats hold the chamber again.
This year, though, they might get some help from a few Republicans.
"As far as doing something about undocumented students, absolutely, we need to do something," said state Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen. "We're basically wasting the futures of some really bright people, and we can't afford to do that."
Gerou acknowledged she has been having conversations with Senate Bill 33 supporters.
"Right now, I'm on the fence, but I can certainly lean toward it depending on what happens in the Senate," she said.
Gerou favors a version of the bill that would prevent undocumented students from getting the College Opportunity Fund subsidy the state provides for every college student. The past two years, Democrats offered compromise versions that eliminated the subsidy for such students, but even those efforts failed in a Republican-led House.
However, in a year when Democrats no longer need Republican votes, the College Opportunity Fund subsidy is back in the bill, and it's unlikely to come out.
Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, is also considering supporting the bill.
"I've been leaning toward it, especially with what's been coming down federally," Priola said, referring to major immigration reforms being discussed in Washington. "I think it's time to address that issue for a lot of kids in Colorado."
Priola, who said he speaks Spanish and grew up around Latinos, argues that his views are in keeping with Ronald Reagan's beliefs.
"The United States is the land of opportunity, and we shouldn't get in the way of folks who are trying to better their lives and be productive citizens," he said.
Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626, thoover@denverpost.com or twitter.com/timhoover
Jan. 31, 2013 ? What came first: the bipedal human ancestor or the grassland encroaching on the forest? A new analysis of the past 12 million years' of vegetation change in the cradle of humanity is challenging long-held beliefs about the world in which our ancestors took shape -- and, by extension, the impact it had on them.
The research combines sediment core studies of the waxy molecules from plant leaves with pollen analysis, yielding data of unprecedented scope and detail on what types of vegetation dominated the landscape surrounding the African Rift Valley (including present-day Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia), where early hominin fossils trace the history of human evolution.
"It is the combination of evidence both molecular and pollen evidence that allows us to say just how long we've seen Serengeti-type open grasslands," said Sarah J. Feakins, assistant professor of Earth sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and lead author of the study, which was published online in Geology on Jan. 17.
Feakins worked with USC graduate student Hannah M. Liddy, USC undergraduate student Alexa Sieracki, Naomi E. Levin of Johns Hopkins University, Timothy I. Eglinton of the Eidgen?ssische Technische Hochschule and Raymonde Bonnefille of the Universit? d'Aix-Marseille.
The role that the environment played in the evolution of hominins -- the tribe of human and ape ancestors whose family tree split from the ancestors of chimpanzees and bonobos about 6 million years ago -- has been the subject of a century-long debate.
Among other things, one theory dating back to 1925 posits that early human ancestors developed bipedalism as a response to savannas encroaching on shrinking forests in northeast Africa. With fewer trees to swing from, human ancestors began walking to get around.
While the shift to bipedalism appears to have occurred somewhere between 6 and 4 million years ago, Feakins' study finds that thick rainforests had already disappeared by that point -- replaced by grasslands and seasonally dry forests some time before 12 million years ago.
In addition, the tropical C4-type grasses and shrubs of the modern African savannah began to dominate the landscape earlier than thought, replacing C3-type grasses that were better suited to a wetter environment. (The classification of C4 versus C3 refers to the manner of photosynthesis each type of plant utilizes.)
While earlier studies on vegetation change through this period relied on the analysis of individual sites throughout the Rift Valley -- offering narrow snapshots -- Feakins took a look at the whole picture by using a sediment core taken in the Gulf of Aden, where winds funnel and deposit sediment from the entire region. She then cross-referenced her findings with Levin who compiled data from ancient soil samples collected throughout eastern Africa.
"The combination of marine and terrestrial data enable us to link the environmental record at specific fossil sites to regional ecological and climate change," Levin said.
In addition to informing scientists about the environment that our ancestors took shape in, Feakins' study provides insights into the landscape that herbivores (horses, hippos and antelopes) grazed, as well as how plants across the landscape reacted to periods of global and regional environmental change.
"The types of grasses appear to be sensitive to global carbon dioxide levels," said Liddy, who is currently working to refine the data pertaining to the Pliocene, to provide an even clearer picture of a period that experienced similar atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to present day. "There might be lessons in here for the future viability of our C4-grain crops," says Feakins.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Southern California. The original article was written by Robert Perkins.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
S. J. Feakins, N. E. Levin, H. M. Liddy, A. Sieracki, T. I. Eglinton, R. Bonnefille. Northeast African vegetation change over 12 m.y.. Geology, 2013; DOI: 10.1130/G33845.1
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
When the iPhone launched in 2007, Jobs proclaimed when it came to phones, Apple was likely, at that time, five years ahead of the competition. Well, those five years are up, and all of a sudden, as if on cue, many of the Valley?s smartest technology minds and observers have begun to slowly split up their attention between their primary mobile devices (iPhones) and the most recent Samsung lines of Android phones. How will the growth of Android affect the priorities of developers, which mobile platforms they chose to launch on, and the monetization formula for hardware (with Samsung's ability to capture value) and software (apps) in a state of flux?
...to find life in places that they hadn't previously considered that they'd find it.
Yet, on the other hand, a lot of science fiction has covered such topics. Even HG Wells' War of the Worlds concludes with the deaths of the Martians, all of them, because of bacterial contamination and the lack of immunity. For all to have died, simply getting into contact with flora and fauna wouldn't be enough, it'd have to be airborne.
Amusingly enough, there's probably life on Mars right now. If it wasn't ther
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Thousands of people, many holding signs with names of gun violence victims and messages such as "Ban Assault Weapons Now," joined a rally for gun control on Saturday, marching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument.
Leading the crowd were marchers with "We Are Sandy Hook" signs, paying tribute to victims of the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Washington Mayor Vincent Gray and other city officials marched alongside them. The crowd stretched for at least two blocks along Constitution Avenue.
Participants held signs reading "Gun Control Now," ''Stop NRA" and "What Would Jesus Pack?" among other messages. Other signs were simple and white, with the names of victims of gun violence.
About 100 residents from Newtown, where a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six teachers, traveled to Washington together, organizers said.
Participant Kara Baekey from nearby Norwalk, Conn., said that when she heard about the Newtown shooting, she immediately thought of her two young children. She said she decided she must take action, and that's why she traveled to Washington for the march.
"I wanted to make sure this never happens at my kids' school or any other school," Baekey said. "It just can't happen again."
Once the crowd arrived at the monument, speakers called for a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition and for universal background checks on gun sales.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the crowd it's not about taking away Second Amendment gun rights, but about gun safety and saving lives. He said he and President Barack Obama would do everything they could to enact gun control policies.
"This is about trying to create a climate in which our children can grow up free of fear," Duncan said. "This march is a starting point; it is not an ending point ... We must act, we must act, we must act."
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s non-voting representative in Congress, said the gun lobby can be stopped, and the crowd chanted back, "Yes, we can."
"We are all culpable if we do nothing now," Norton said
James Agenbroad, 78, of Garrett Park, Md., carried a handwritten sign on cardboard that read "Repeal the 2nd Amendment." He called it the only way to stop mass killings because he thinks the Supreme Court will strike down any other restrictions on guns.
"You can repeal it," he said. "We repealed prohibition."
Molly Smith, the artistic director of Washington's Arena Stage, and her partner organized the march. Organizers said that in addition to the 100 people from Newtown, buses of participants traveled from New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. Others flew in from Seattle, San Francisco and Alaska, they said.
While she's never organized a political march before, Smith said she was compelled to press for a change in the law. The march organizers support Obama's call for gun control measures. They also want lawmakers to require gun safety training for all buyers of firearms.
"With the drum roll, the consistency of the mass murders and the shock of it, it is always something that is moving and devastating to me. And then, it's as if I move on," Smith said. "And in this moment, I can't move on. I can't move on.
"I think it's because it was children, babies," she said. "I was horrified by it."
After the Connecticut shootings, Smith began organizing on Facebook. The group One Million Moms for Gun Control, the Washington National Cathedral and two other churches eventually signed on to co-sponsor the march. Organizers have raised more than $50,000 online to pay for equipment and fees to stage the rally, Smith said.
Lawmakers from the District of Columbia and Maryland rallied the crowd, along with Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund and Colin Goddard, a survivor from the Virginia Tech massacre.
Goddard said he was shot four times at Virginia Tech and is motivated to keep fighting for gun control because what happened to him keeps happening ? and nothing's been done to stop it.
"We are Americans," he said, drawing big cheers. "We have overcome difficulties when we realize we are better than this."
Smith said she supports a comprehensive look at mental health and violence in video games and films. But she said the mass killings at Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., all began with guns.
"The issue is guns. The Second Amendment gives us the right to own guns, but it's not the right to own any gun," she said. "These are assault weapons, made for killing people."
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March on Washington for Gun Control: http://www.guncontrolmarch.com/
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Follow Brett Zongker at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat
About the Author: Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.
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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than half the Senate on Wednesday urged quick approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, ramping up pressure on President Barack Obama to move ahead with the project just days after he promised in his inaugural address to respond vigorously to the threat of climate change.
A letter signed by 53 senators said Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman's approval of a revised route for the puts the long-delayed project squarely in the president's hands.
"We urge you to choose jobs, economic development and American energy security," the letter said, adding that the pipeline "has gone through the most exhaustive environmental scrutiny of any pipeline" in U.S. history. The $7 billion project would carry oil from Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.
"There is no reason to deny or further delay this long-studied project," said the letter, which was initiated by Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Max Baucus, D-Mont., and signed by 44 Republicans and nine Democrats. Another Democrat, Jon Tester of Montana, supports the pipeline but did not sign the letter.
At a news conference Wednesday, senators said the pipeline should be a key part of Obama's "all of the above" energy policy, in which he has expressed support for a range of energy sources from oil and natural gas to wind, solar and coal.
The Obama administration has twice thwarted the 1,700-mile pipeline, which Calgary-based TransCanada first proposed in late 2008. The State Department delayed the project in late 2011 after environmental groups and others raised concerns about a proposed route through environmentally sensitive land in Nebraska.
Under pressure from congressional Republicans to make a decision on the pipeline, President Barack Obama blocked it in January 2012, saying his concerns about the Nebraska route had not been resolved. TransCanada submitted a new application last spring.
The State Department said Tuesday it does not expect to complete a review of the project before the end of March. The State Department has jurisdiction over the pipeline because it crosses a U.S. border.
The renewed focus on the pipeline comes as Obama pledged during his inaugural address to respond to the threat of global warming. Environmental groups and some Democratic lawmakers argue that approving the pipeline would directly contradict that promise.
"If we are going to get serious about climate change, opening the spigot to a pipeline that will export up to 830,000 barrels of the dirtiest oil on the planet to foreign markets stands as a bad idea," said Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The pipeline would carry heavy oil derived from tar sands in western Canada. The heat-intensive process uses more energy than traditional oil, producing more heat-trapping gases that contribute to global warming.
Environmental groups have been pressuring Obama to reject the pipeline, citing the oil's high "carbon footprint." They also worry about a possible spill.
At a news conference Wednesday, senators from both parties said the Nebraska decision leaves Obama with no other choice but to approve the pipeline, which would carry up to 800,000 barrels of oil a day from tar sands in western Canada to refineries in Houston and other Texas ports. The pipeline also would travel though Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
"No more excuses. It's time to put people to work," Baucus said.
"Back home, we call this a no-brainer," added Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.
Hoeven, of North Dakota, said the tar sands oil will be produced whether or not the U.S. approves the project. "Our choice is, the oil comes to us or it's going to China," he said.
Nebraska's approval of the pipeline means all six states along the proposed route now support the project, said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Majorities in the House and Senate also have endorsed the pipeline. National polls repeatedly show a majority of Americans back the pipeline.
Boehner said he recognizes the political pressure Obama faces from environmental groups and other opponents, but said "with our energy security at stake and many jobs in limbo, he should find a way to say yes."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday that the State Department was reviewing the project and he did not want to "get ahead of that process."
Once that review is completed, "we'll obviously address that issue," Carney said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State nominee John Kerry said he plans to divest holdings in dozens of companies in his family's vast financial portfolio to avoid conflicts of interest if he is confirmed by the Senate.
Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he would not take part in any decisions that could affect the companies he has holdings in until those investments are sold off. Among the investments are holdings in two Canadian companies, Suncor and Cenovus Energy Inc., both of which have publicly supported the Keystone XL pipeline. Kerry's investments are in family trusts.
___
Associated Press writer Stephen Braun contributed to this story.
Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC
Jan. 20, 2013 ? Warmer temperatures due to climate change could cause soils to release additional carbon into the atmosphere, thereby enhancing climate change - but that effect diminishes over the long term, finds a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study, from UNH professor Serita Frey and co-authors from the University of California-Davis and the Marine Biological Laboratory, sheds new light on how soil microorganisms respond to temperature and could improve predictions of how climate warming will affect the carbon dioxide flux from soils.
The activities of soil microorganisms release 10 times the carbon dioxide that human activities do on a yearly basis. Historically, this release of carbon dioxide has been kept in check by plants' uptake of the gas from the atmosphere. However, human activities are potentially upsetting this balance.
Frey and co-authors Johan Six and Juhwan Lee of UC-Davis and Jerry Melillo of the Marine Biological Laboratory were curious how increased temperatures due to climate change might alter the amount of carbon released from soils. "While they're low on the charisma scale, soil microorganisms are so critically important to the carbon balance of the atmosphere," Frey says.
"If we warm the soil due to climate warming, are we going to fundamentally alter the flux of carbon into the atmosphere in a way that is going to feed back to enhance climate change?"
Yes, the researchers found. And no.
The study examined the efficiency of soil organisms - how completely they utilize food sources to maintain their cellular machinery - depending upon the food source and the temperature under two different scenarios. In the first short-term scenario, these researchers found that warming temperatures had little effect on soils' ability to use glucose, a simple food source released from the roots of plants. For phenol, a more complex food source common in decomposing wood or leaves, soils showed a 60 percent drop in efficiency at higher temperatures.
"As you increase temperature, you decrease the efficiency - soil microorganisms release more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere - but only for the more complex food sources," Frey explains. "You could infer that as the soil warms, more carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere, exacerbating the climate problem."
That effect diminishes, however, in the second scenario, in which soils were warmed to 5 degrees Celsius above the ambient temperature for 18 years. "When the soil was heated to simulate climate warming, we saw a change in the community to be more efficient in the longer term," Frey says, lessening the amount of carbon dioxide the soils release into the atmosphere and, in turn, their impact on the climate. "The positive feedback response may not be as strong as we originally predicted."
The research team also examined how changes in soil microorganism efficiency might influence long term storage of carbon in soils as predicted by a commonly used ecosystem model. Models of this type are used to simulate ecosystem carbon dynamics in response to different perturbations, such as land-use change and climate warming. These models generally assume that efficiency is fixed and that it does not change with temperature or other environmental conditions. The team found a large effect on long-term soil carbon storage as predicted by the model when they varied carbon use efficiency in a fashion comparable to what they observed in their experiments. "There is clearly a need for new models that incorporate an efficiency parameter that is allowed to fluctuate in response to temperature and other environmental variables," Six says.
The researchers hypothesize that long-term warming may change the community of soil microorganisms so that it becomes more efficient. Organism adaptation, change in the species that comprise the soils, and/or changes in the availability of various nutrients could result in this increased efficiency.
This study was based on work done at the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research site in Petersham, Mass., where Frey and Melillo have been warming two sites - one 9 meters square, the other 36 meters square -- with underground cables for two versus 18 years. "It's like having a heating blanket under the forest floor," Frey says, "allowing us to examine how this particular environmental change -- long-term soil warming -- is altering how the soil functions."
This work was supported by an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award, the NSF Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, a DOE National Institute for Climatic Change Research (NICCR) grant, and a Harvard Forest Bullard Fellowship to Frey.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of New Hampshire. The original article was written by Beth Potier.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Serita D. Frey, Juhwan Lee, Jerry M. Melillo, Johan Six. The temperature response of soil microbial efficiency and its feedback to climate. Nature Climate Change, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1796
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
More and more businesses in Australia are closing their doors ? with research indicating an increase of 23% in business failures in 2010.
But why are so many firms failing?
In many instances, poor cash flow management was the fatal blow ? with many firms unable to survive the gap between outlaying capital to fulfil orders and eventual payment.?? And whilst there?s no substitute for sound cash flow, credit risk and receivables management ? one solution for businesses that face cash flow issues could be short term finance.
Short term finance is used in many different scenarios ranging from working capital creditor payments, releasing equity prior to sale or refinancing of existing debt, buying out a shareholder or a partner, bridging the gap between expenditure on assets/inventory/equipment etc and income, commercial property development and completion of construction.
But the traditional banking system doesn?t always make it easy to access short term finance, and many businesses have to look elsewhere for assistance with their cash flow issues.
Specialised commercial short-term lenders are often the better bet, as they can make quick decisions on short term finance and negotiate flexible terms.
As Quantum Capital, a niche operator specialising in mortgage-backed short term finance in Australia says : ?All of our lending opportunities arise out of the need that our clients have to access quick credit decisions and alternative finance solutions?.? When it comes to cash flow ? perhaps it should be survival of the fastest (short term loans!)
Clearly, short-term loans aren?t a sustainable solution over the long-term, they can be a crucial element of business success.
Bit of a laugh yesterday, the team from Netmums sent around a film crew. ?They?re starting a parenting channel on youtube and would like to highlight food for all the family.? They asked if I could knock up a few Slow Cooker recipes that kids would eat. ?In the end, I did Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs, Mince and Macaroni Soup, Sausages with Chutney Gravy and a Banana Bread.? It was really food fun.
I do public speaking everyday and am a fairly confident character and genuinely thought I?d be comfortable in front of the camera but I wasn?t.? Once I see the final version, if it?s not to cringe worthy I?ll pass on the link.
I wasn?t going to post a recipe yet, but, the cooking marathon has resulted in a huge amount of food in the house.? We went sledging today and it was so nice to come home to some hearty soup that helped us unthaw! ?So, I thought I?d share it.
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Slow Cooker Sunday: Mince and Macaroni Soup
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Total time
?
Author: Mediocre Mum
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Slow Cooking
Serves: 6
1TBSP of oil
400g of minced beef
1 large onion
1 clove of garlic
450ml of beef stock or water
1 500g carton of passata
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 TBSP of soy sauce
2 tsp of dried Italian herbs
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
200g of uncooked macaroni
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Brown the mince for approx 5 minutes, add the onion and garlic, saut? for a further 3 minutes.
Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the stock, passata, tomatoes, soy sauce, dried herbs, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Fifteen minutes prior to serving cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions. Stir into the soup. Ladle into large bowls and serve with crusty bread.
3.2.1337
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This is the perfect weather for slow cooking.? So what have you been cooking?? Do add your recipes to the link below.
I will also be adding your recipes to our Pinterest board which is growing rapidly.
Enjoy the snow!
About Chrissie Saunders
A slightly older mum of one, who drinks far too much red wine and has an unhealthy obsession with her slow cooker. During the day she's an ICT Trainer, Social Media/Online Marketing consultant and does a bit of public speaking.
I'd love to hear your thoughts? Please leave a comment, share using the nifty buttons or subscribe to have future posts delivered to your inbox.
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - January15, 2013 - Franchise Services is pleased to announce that two of their brands, Sir Speedy and PIP Printing and Marketing Services, recently ranked high among printing and franchise brands in leading industry publications Printing Impressions and Entrepreneur. Sir Speedy was also ranked in the Franchise Times Top 200.
Sir Speedy?s rankings are: #19 on Printing Impressions 400; #320 on Entrepreneur Franchise 500; #156 on Franchise Times Top 200.
PIP Printing and Marketing Services? rankings are: #48 on Printing Impressions 400 and #457 on Entrepreneur Franchise 500.
?Several years ago, our PIP and Sir Speedy franchises transitioned from being traditional print providers to being printing and marketing services providers,? said Richard Lowe, President of Sir Speedy and PIP. ?Our dedicated network took the challenge, embraced the change and adopted innovative ideas and technologies. They are now leaders in the expanding printing and marketing services industry. The character of our franchisee family is second to none.?
About Sir Speedy and PIP Printing and Marketing Services
Sir Speedy and PIP provide printing and marketing services designed to help companies grow. Products and services include traditional printing, copying and mailing services as well as value-added offerings such as web to print solutions, integrated direct marketing tools and promotional products. Sir Speedy and PIP help companies reach their business growth objectives by leveraging expertise in lead generation, customer retention and reactivation, brand management and more.
Sir Speedy and PIP are locally owned and operated and are part of a worldwide network of franchise brands and affiliates with nearly 500 locations in 13 countries. They have received numerous awards and recognitions in addition to those contained in this release, including the Quick Printing Top 100, an AllStar Top 300 Award, a Franchise 50 Award and a Franchisee Satisfaction Award from Franchise Business Review.
About Franchise Services
Franchise Services, Inc., (FSI) is a franchise management company that owns the franchise brands Sir Speedy, PIP Printing and Marketing Services, Signal Graphics, MultiCopy and TeamLogic IT and Copies Now. Franchise Services has a 40-year history managing award-winning brands that support small- to medium-sized businesses. The company?s brands and worldwide affiliates encompass nearly 600 locations in 13 countries.
Contact:
Denise Denton Director of Marketing Communications Franchise Services, Inc. P: 949/348-5400 F: 949/348-5066 ddenton@franserv.com.
This is such a sweet & petite sign! Perfect for a small gift along with a box of chocolates, for a Valentine's Day wedding or favors for guests for a Valentine Wedding, etc! (message me if needed in quantity for favors for a wedding)
As pictured is in a shabby lightly distressed white w/black lettering & red hearts.I can change the heart color ... just let me know in the check out message.
Measures approx 5x7 Sawtooth hanger
Please be aware that I use pine wood that is approx 1" thick. They are not mass produced, cookie cutter type signs but each unique. It may have knots, small dinks, varied roughness and imperfections as to be expected of wood. I do sand each piece with an electric sander, but I do not attempt to completely cover all of these imperfections. I think they add warmth, charm & character to the sign. Each sign will vary depending on those characteristics, grain of the wood and distressing. For painted, shabby distressed signs, each will vary according to the distressing as well.
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Real estate is a property business in which the transactions of money are conducted on a daily basis thus the chances of making fraud is higher. During the past few years, the growth of real estate business has been increased tremendously at the same the crime status has also increased with it. There are many people in the real estate business including lender, investor, etc who are making frauds by borrowing money to buy homes in good faith thus there is a need to be aware about these people. In the property business Mortgage fraud, Foreclosure fraud, Home equity fraud are some of the types of frauds which generally occurs, so there is a need to aware about them. Ignoring the frauds in the real estate business may cause you loss of money or property.
Mortgage fraud- Mortgage fraud is a criminal activity which deals with mortgage loans. It is a type of fraud which can take place on a regular basis in real estate business. This fraud has become more rampant during the period of economic uncertainty and a decline in the housing market. It is a fraud which refers to a number of actions, that are deliberately done to maliciously acquired loans or if already eligible in order to acquire higher one. Given below are some of the points which will surely assist in protecting from mortgage frauds they are avoiding paying upfront fees, avoiding relinquishing of title to the home, checking with the State?s Attorney General, avoiding paying the mortgage through a third party.
Foreclosure fraud- This fraud is generally operated by an individual who are responsible for paddling predatory loans during the time of boom. It is vital to keep an eye on the foreclosure fraud in order to avoid undergoing it which bring negative impact to the security and success of your future. Foreclosure fraud and a resulting home foreclosure may cause heavy damage to your credit report. The following are some points which assist you in protecting from these frauds they are, do not pay the mortgage payment to any company other than mortgage holder, do not sign any documents without an attorney review, if you are struggling to pay mortgage stay in touch with the mortgage holder. Thus, If you are possessing the right information and data you will be able to defend your property and protect your family.
Security Issue- Protecting personal information is extremely essential so that others cannot make the misuse of it. Remember that you have read all mails do not leave a mail in the mailbox and, also make sure that your mail should not be stolen or redirected. Using a strong password on all protected electronic accounts is the smartest way to secure your data from hackers or theft. Always check out that you have not thrown any document containing personal details. After reading the above information, you will find that the real estate fraud has been increased exceptionally rapidly in the past few years. Anyone can deal with this fraud thus having proper knowledge will surely assist you in protecting from suspicious and fake dealings.
Denis is a experienced real estate blogger and writes for Pallspera which is one of the best real estate company in Vermont.
If Apple?s (AAPL) recent 25% dive in share price taught us anything, it?s that investor sentiment can sour at the drop of a hat with little more to go on than a few questionable rumors from analysts. With Apple on the ropes, attention may soon turn to Samsung (005930) as the company?s meteoric rise finally begins to slow.
[More from BGR: HTC One SV review]
Yonhap News Agency on Monday reported that Samsung?s staggering momentum may finally begin hit a seasonal speed bump. According to Korean financial firm?FnGuide Inc., Samsung is expected to post a first-quarter operating profit of $7.84 billion, down nearly 6% sequentially.?Samsung?s net profit is expected to sink 4.58% to $6.44 billion in the first quarter according to?FnGuide, and revenue is projected to slide nearly 5% to $50.3 billion.
[More from BGR: Extensive BlackBerry Z10 demo video posted by German website [video]]
Samsung had previously reported three consecutive quarters of record profits culminating in a huge holiday quarter; the company expects to report $8.3 billion in operating profit on sales of $53.6 billion when it posts its fourth-quarter results later this month.
Several other firms agree that Samsung?s record run will end in the current quarter, and the market may respond negatively. Taking seasonality into account, however, FnGuide?s projections suggest Samsung?s post-holiday performance will take less of a hit than many of the company?s rivals are likely to see.
The results would also represent a huge jump from Samsung?s results in the first quarter last year, when the company posted an?operating profit of $5.54 on $42.85 billion in revenue.
Samsung shares sank 2.58% on the Korea Stock Exchange during Tuesday?s session.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton has signed on to help promote President Barack Obama's inaugural kick-off event to get Americans across the country engaged in serving their communities.
Inaugural planners announced Tuesday that Clinton will be honorary chair of the National Day of Service, the president's call for Americans to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday weekend celebrating his birthday. They said Clinton would headline a service summit on the National Mall Saturday, with other participants including actresses Eva Longoria and Angela Bassett, singers Ben Folds and Yolanda Adams, television personality Star Jones and Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the vice president's son.
It's a new inaugural role for the 32-year-old Clinton who participated in the festivities as an adolescent, standing next to her father, Bill Clinton, as he was sworn into office in 1993 and 1997.
Clinton was often seen but not heard as a youth growing up in the White House, but increasingly has made her public voice heard in recent years. She campaigned for her mom, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's, 2008 presidential primary campaign against Obama and now is an NBC News special correspondent. Last fall she traveled to Nigeria on behalf of her father's charitable foundation, meeting with the country's president and promoting the Clinton Health Access Initiative's efforts to reduce child mortality there.
A week after Election Day, she appeared at the Glamour Women of the Year awards in New York with a stage full of women who had been involved in races across the country, noting that gender progress was made in 2012 although there still is a long way to go. She has promoted efforts to allow gay marriage and assisted in raising money for victims of Hurricane Sandy.
"When I was growing up, both my parents and grandparents instilled a commitment to service in me," Clinton said in a statement provided to The Associated Press by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "They taught me that helping our neighbors and serving our community were essential parts of being a good citizen and a good person."
Inauguration planners are asking people across the country to sign up for the effort and have staff in all 50 states to coordinate activities across the nation. Obama, a one-time community organizer, began the tradition four years ago, expanded it this time and hopes to make it an inaugural tradition, planners say.
"I wanted service to be a big part of my inauguration because it's played a huge role in my life," Obama said in an email sent to supporters Tuesday, encouraging them to sign up for the National Day of Service. "As a young community organizer starting out in Chicago, I learned that the best ideas, the ones that succeed, take hold at the grassroots. No one needs to wait on politicians or Washington: Change happens when individuals take responsibility for one another and their communities."
The fair that Clinton will be headlining will feature nearly 100 organizations with service opportunities in seven areas ? community resilience, economic development, education, environment, faith, health and veterans and military families. Clinton said in her statement that Saturday is just the beginning ? Obama is asking people to pledge to keep volunteering regularly help their neighbors in the long term.
"Think about how much good we can all do if everyone who pitches in this weekend keeps up that commitment throughout the year," she said. She added that she'll be thinking of her late grandmothers when she takes part because they always found time to volunteer for their churches, communities and kids' schools no matter what else was going on in their lives.
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and members of their families plan to take part in service events Saturday in the Washington area.
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Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nedrapickler .
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, an important time at the beginning of the year when an emphasis is placed on women?s health and cancer awareness.
Cervical cancer most commonly develops in women between the ages of 20 and 50, and according to the American Cancer Society, a low percentage of cases occur in women over the age of 50 and under the age of 65 (approximately 20 percent of cases).
?Each year about 12,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 4,000 women die of it. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among women,? Planned Parenthood Federation of America Director of Medical Standards Karen Shea MSN, WHNP-BC told VOXXI.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a form of cancer which occurs in the cells of the cervix, the narrow, neck-like passage which forms the lower portion of the uterus.
Like other forms of cancer, cervical cancer is the unregulated growth of abnormal cells, and like many other forms of cancer, it can be deadly if untreated.
The majority of cervical cancers are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), an often sexually transmitted virus which is responsible not only for cervical cancer but for genital warts.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate there are over 40 different strains of HPV, including ones which affect the throat and mouth.
While HPV is believed to be responsible for most cervical cancer cases, Shea says there are other ways women develop the disease.
?People with HIV or other immune deficiencies are at increased risk because their immune systems are less able to clear HPV,? she explained. ?Women who smoke are also more likely than non-smokers to get cervical cancer. Latinas have the highest incidence of cervical cancer, and are the third most likely group to die of the disease.?
What are the symptoms of cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is particularly deadly for women because it can remain without symptoms until it progresses into the latest stages. It was not until the development of the Pap test that women saw a 70 percent reduction in the cervical cancer death rate between the years of 1955 and 1992.
?A Pap test does not detect HPV itself, but allows health care providers to find pre-cancerous changes and treat them before cervical cancer develops,? explained Shea. ?Planned Parenthood recommends regular screenings. A laboratory technician uses a microscope to look at a sample of cervical cells for signs of abnormal cell changes that may be caused by HPV. These cell changes may lead to cervical cancer if left untreated.?
Shea adds HPV testing is done in conjunction with Pap testing at the time of a gynecological examination. For women with abnormal cells, a colonoscopy or a cervical biopsy may be indicated to study the cervix more closely.
Symptoms when they occur, may include:
Abnormal vaginal bleeding
Abnormal vaginal discharge
Mucus tinged with blood
Unexplained changes in the menstrual cycle
Bleeding when the cervix is touched or bumped
Pain during sex
Anemia due to vaginal bleeding
Urinary problems
Back pain, leg pain, or pelvic pain
Incontinence of the bladder or bowels
Can cervical cancer be cured?
?When caught early, the five-year survival rate is nearly 100 percent,? Shea told VOXXI, explaining the HPV vaccine is recommended as a particularly useful cervical cancer prevention method. ?The HPV vaccine protects against two types of HPV that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The Centers for Disease Control?s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Family Physicians recommend that boys and girls get the vaccine at age 11 or 12, before they become sexually active, to maximize protection. But even those who have had sex can benefit from the vaccine.?
Even though cervical cancer has an extremely successful treatment rate, some groups are at a higher risk than others, including Latinas, who traditionally are diagnosed with cervical cancer in later stages.
?Access and cost may be the biggest factors,? Shea said, addressing the disparity. ?A greater percentage of Latinas (37 percent) are uninsured than the women of any other racial or ethnic group, and more than a quarter of Latinas live in poverty. Latinas are also more likely to live in areas with poor access to family planning services.?
For women concerned about HPV and cervical cancer, annual Pap tests and health screenings are recommended.
Originally published by VOXXI as Cervical Cancer Awareness: Latinas at greater risk
Green Bay --- After missing nine games with a broken collarbone, safety Charles Woodson was able to jump right back into action against the Minnesota Vikings last weekend and play a key role in containing Adrian Peterson. In this week's Coach Q&A, safeties coach Darren Perry discusses Woodson's first game back, his strong comments about the local media and why it's important for Woodson to stay disciplined at his new position.
Woodson has 38 interceptions and nine touchdowns in nine years with the Packers. And, of course, a big part of Woodson's success has been taking calculated risks. But as Perry explains, the job description changes at safety:
Q: How difficult is it to make the open-field tackles he did after sitting out for so long?
Perry: ?Regardless of how long you?ve been out, tackling in the open field is going to be a challenge for any defensive back, particularly in space against a good running back. When they get to that second and third level, a lot of the backs in this league are all pretty doggone good. They?re taught to make defenders miss, so it?s always going to be a challenge. Some backs are tougher than others. Nonetheless, it?s something we have to do. It?s part of our job description.?
Q: When you looked at the film, how did Woodson play in his first game back?
Perry: ?He was good. I think Charles is probably his toughest critic. So I?m sure he?s not satisfied with it, with the standard of play that he?s set. There?s going to be times when he doesn?t feel he?s playing up to his standard of play. It was good enough for a win and we look at things from a team, from a collective standpoint. When we collectively play well like that, we?ll be tough to beat.?
Q: When he had a chance to sit back and look at his game over the break, was there something specifically he wanted to improve on at safety?
Perry: ?I think more than anything else, just getting comfortable. Communicating. Staying in position. Not playing with as much freedom as you may be afforded if you?re playing the slot position when we go to sub. So a little bit more disciplined and a little bit more patient because you can?t stick your nose where it doesn?t belong. If you do, sometimes you?re putting the whole defense at risk.?
Q: You want to be disciplined at safety, and that?s important. But he?s also made a lot of plays trusting hunches here and there, too. Do you want him to keep some of that freedom with Charles?
Perry: ?You just have to know when you can and when you can?t. Because if you?re the last line, you can?t go sticking your nose in the backfield on a play pass and something gets over the top. That just demoralizes the defense. You have to exercise a little more patience and realize that you may go a few snaps and may not have as much action as you?d like. But you still can?t take (chances) and put the defense at risk.?
Q: Is that a tough balance?
Perry: ?It is, particularly when you?re used to being involved in the action every play. You just have to understand that I have to stick back and I have to read and I have to make sure that I?m doing my job first and foremost. And that?s an unselfish aspect that you have to have on a good defense because everybody has roles.?
Q: He seemed upset after the game about being pigeonholed as a ?locker-room guy? and that whole narrative. Is he being short-changed? How much game does he have left?
Perry: ?I think ?Wood? can still play at a high level. I think he has proven that he can still run. I think the most important thing is that you can run and if you?re healthy. I think sitting out for all those weeks at that age, I mean, naturally people are going to question how much you have left in the tank. The great ones, they don?t worry about that. They keep plugging away and keep going.?
Q: Vernon Davis? numbers are down this season. How are you guys treating him?
Perry: ?He?s a tremendous weapon for them. We?d be foolish to think that he?s not capable of changing the whole dynamic of a football game. So we always have to be aware of where he is and know that he?s very capable of getting the vertical throws. He?s just as big a part of their offense as anyone in terms of making big plays. We?ve got to be aware of him.?
(Journal Sentinel photo by Mike De Sisti)
Past Journal Sentinel Q&A's below...
OLB coach Kevin Greene
RB?coach Alex Van Pelt
CB coach Joe Whitt
WR coach Edgar Bennett
TE?coach Jerry Fontenot
DL coach Mike Trgovac
S coach Darren Perry
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Facebook raised alarm bells among some social networkers when it confirmed that it's experimenting with letting strangers message them for a fee. As we're learning, however, it's keenly aware of the ramifications if that fee is too low. The company has confirmed that it's toying with "extreme price points," such as the $100 Mashable and others have seen, to serve as a passive spam filter. Anyone who really, truly can't wait for a friend request can pay the fee, while others who'd just bombard us with dating site links will have to rely on the traditional ad route instead. Between that and a once-per-week message cap, we're worried less about cluttered inboxes and more about just who would be in dire enough straits to fork over a Benjamin for a burst of text.
The Brabham family has won its legal battle to protect the Brabham name through the German Higher Courts.
Sportscar racer David Brabham, the son of three-time Formula 1 champion and team founder Jack, had sued Michael Trick following his refusal to cancel certain registrations within the European Union involving the Brabham name in Germany.
Trick had been marketing road cars under the Brabham Racing banner.
The Brabham family announced on Wednesday the legal action was entirely successful and that the Brabham trademark registration is now reverted to the family's ownership.
"I'm delighted that this situation has finally come to an end," said David Brabham. "It's been a long and tiring battle, but this was something I felt we needed to do to protect the Brabham name.
"The global brand stands for success and innovation bolstered from 60 years of racing heritage, and deserves to be protected.
"This ruling will not only help future plans for the Brabham brand, but also protect the third generation of drivers, in Sam and Matthew, coming up through the ranks."
Back in 2009, a group set up by Formtech founder Franz Hilmer said that it had lodged an entry for the 2010 F1 world championship using the Brabham Grand Prix moniker. Its application was unsuccessful.
When the iPhone launched in 2007, Jobs proclaimed when it came to phones, Apple was likely, at that time, five years ahead of the competition. Well, those five years are up, and all of a sudden, as if on cue, many of the Valley?s smartest technology minds and observers have begun to slowly split up their attention between their primary mobile devices (iPhones) and the most recent Samsung lines of Android phones. How will the growth of Android affect the priorities of developers, which mobile platforms they chose to launch on, and the monetization formula for hardware (with Samsung's ability to capture value) and software (apps) in a state of flux?
The Brabham family has won its legal battle to protect the Brabham name through the German Higher Courts.