At the ITS World Congress 2012 in Vienna a full session was devoted to GNSS-based RUC for commercial vehicles, discussing already implemented projects and the related pros and cons.
Here are the top 5 reasons why GNSS-based Road User Charging is the ideal solution.
Flexibility. Once you have developed a GNSS-based tolling system, supported by DSRC beacons in difficult environmental conditions (only 10 were required over 15.000 km in France, says Mr Giacalone by AutostradeTech) you can easily adapt it to specific needs and conditions: you can easily both add or take out new roads and new type of roads. As physical infrastructures are reduced to the minimum, the system is completely flexible
Time of implementation. Due to the same reasons mentioned above, the implementation can be quick and smooth and is far more linked to the time needed to make the OBUs available to charged users (the Ecotaxe project in France has included the creation of OBUs? vending machines that allow users to purchase the OBUs 24/7 using whatever payment option). The whole process can be measured in terms of weeks rather than the usual months says Mr Miroslav from Skytoll
Cost effectiveness. Again linked to the reduced need for physical infrastructure is cost effectiveness: GNSS-based systems show the lower cost per km. In comparison to DSRC:
OBUs are more expensive
number of DSRC entries is much lower
back office costs are the same
No queues. This benefit is 100% enjoyed by the final users: no more need to stop or slow down when getting to the entries/exits, GNSS-based systems would bring to a continuous flow of vehicles in and out of tolled roads
Fairness. The idea that you pay based on what you truly use is widely accepted and perceived as fair by final users and GNSS-based systems would make it very easy for Authorities to implement differential schemes based on time of trip, road or type of road, congestion of road, etc
Mr Giacalone, from AutostradeTech, estimates that only if you are planning to involve in your tolling plan less than 1.000 km DSRC is an effective solution, in all other cases GNSS is the best option, supported by DSRC beacons when needed.
In addition to the above if RUC becomes one of several bundled ITS applications, OBUs capital cost will be close to zero and GNSS-based system will be even more cost effective and flexible, states Mr Sage from Helios.
When looking at the possibility to extend Road User Charging to private cars, the issue of too expensive OBUs becomes relevant, however after 2 days spent at the ITS World Congress I ? and many others ? would bet on smartphones as the OBU of the future for most B2C ITS applications.
Remember that time you really wanted to "get it on," but your partner was thousands of miles away? Well, there's an app for that.
A startup called Vibease recently started taking pre-orders for a new long-distance vibrator operated by bluetooth technology. The full bundle includes the free Vibease app (only for Android at the time of publication, with an iOS version expected soon), as well as what the company calls a "massager," available in both pink and purple for the early bird special of $69.99.
So how do users reach that climactic moment when absence isn't making the heart grow any fonder?
By connecting the vibrator through bluetooth, women's partners are able to control the type of massage received through a series of functions on their smartphone. Women can also fly solo, creating their "own sexy moments" with ambient sounds and personalized vibration patterns, as seen on the Vibease's website. The app also allows couples to chat, send pics or (let's call it what it is) sext through a secure messaging service that requires a security pin for access.
"The idea started when I was in Boston, and my wife was in Singapore," said co-founder and CEO Dema Tio in the one of company's promotional videos. "Although we were connected through Skype, we were missing our intimate moment."
This isn't the first piece of technology to enter the long-distance dating scene. Apps like Pair, Avocado and Pocket Kamasutra are geared toward couples who rely on the mobile world to stay in touch, while "internet-connected pleasure machine" LovePalz is a device meant to simulate full on coitus. Vibease fits neatly into this digital space, since it's more than an app but slightly less expensive than WiFi sex toys like LovePalz.
Of course, Vibease is aimed at giving women pleasure. So what's a man to do? Well? we're sure you'll figure something out.
What are your thoughts on mobile technology that keeps couples intimate from afar? Would you ever use a service like Vibease? Sound off in the comments section below, or tweet us at [@HuffPostTech]. Then read through our list of apps for long-distance couples (here), or check out more information on the LovePalz gadget for parted partners (here).
What is heli skiing? You might probably be amazed at how many different kinds of skiing there are.
In general, skiing as a whole can always be dangerous and challenging. There is the snow skiing, the water skiing, and now another form and type of skiing? the heli skiing.
Heli skiing comes from the word skiing and helicopter. The literal analysis of the word would come up with the literal and practical definition for this recreational or sports acivity.
Heli skiing is a term used to denote the practice or action of Alpine skiing with the use of the helicopter. Why the helicopter? You might ask.
The helicopter
Helicopter is used in heli skiing so the skier can be able to gain extreme altitude that would be impossible to be gained or attained by any person without the help of the helicopter.
Heli skiing enables the skier to ski coming off from different and various starting points. Skiing in very remote areas can also be made possible by heli skiing.
As such, heli skiing can be safely and appropriately classified as a very extreme sports. Because heli skiing is mainly done in remote and unlikely places or areas for skiing, the dangers of avalanches is very evident.
Heli skiing is also never free of the dangers posed by the existence of rocks and trees.
The helicopter used for helis skiing is also not the ordinary helicopter used in the modern times. They are specially designed and are used to carrying out the task of helping heli skiers lift up and ski at great heights.
A short history
Heli skiing is an extreme sport developed and introduced in April 1965 in Canada by Hans Gmoser.
Hans Gmoser is an Austrian who migrated to Canada in the 1950s to pursue and chase after greener pastures. Ironically, the man found whiter pasture, because the Canadian state where he got into turned out to be covered with thick snow.
By that time, there are a number of Austrians who went up and posed on top of Mt Everest in the Himalayas. The thrill and excitement aroused the national pride in the extreme sports fanatic, Mr Gmoser.
To have his own participation in the emerging Austrian pride for the heights, Mr Gmoser devised and designed an extreme recreation or sports to lift snow skiers in the Bugaboo Mountains.
Because no one has ever tried it before, he introduced skiing using helicopters to lift up the skier to greater altitudes.
The result was an extreme fun and thrilling exercise. Hel skiing was born.
The modern times
The modern times is characterized by extreme recreation and sports. That is because most people are earning their living through the corporate scene.
Most people are engaged in seats and in front of computers in general to earn their living. That is why the opportunity of going out and sweating it all out through extreme activities in the great otdoors thrill most people.
Heli skiing has it all and more. It can also be too risky and deadly. Experts and less-gutsy people stay away from it because the activity is truly not one to keep your visceral parts at peace.
Clearwire's figures show that the network it isn't cool to love will be making placating faces at its bank manager for yet another quarter. It pulled in revenues of $313.9 million for the three month period, but with business costs (and depreciation) clocking in at $646.7 million, the company posted an operating loss of $332 million and a net loss of $41.3 million. If that wasn't bad enough, it's also hacked back a target to add TD-LTE to 5,000 sites before mid-2013 to just 2,000. A similar problem has occurred over at newly-minted majority ownerSprint, which has found itself a quarter behind its own LTE timetable thanks to parts shortages -- so let's hope the folks over at Softbank can help both companies improve their estimating skills.
When an employee takes FMLA leave because her physician says she?s too sick to work and needs to stay home, it?s natural to assume she?ll follow the doctor?s orders.
But what if you discover that she isn?t?and is instead working for someone else during her leave? Can you terminate her? Of course.
As long as you have a reasonable belief that she?s using FMLA leave for something other than its intended purpose, a court is unlikely to second-guess your disciplinary decision.
Recent case: Jadwiga was a physician in a municipal agency. When she developed ulcers and clinical depression, her doctor certified that she needed FMLA leave and couldn?t do her job.
The certification restricted her to her home and stated that she could ?not work/attend school.?
That didn?t stop Jadwiga from doing work for another city, telecommuting from her home. She was terminated for abusing FMLA leave.
She sued, alleging interference with her FMLA leave rights.
The court threw out her case. It reasoned that she was fired because her employer reasonably believed she was abusing FMLA leave. After all, if she had been ordered to stay home and do no work, working for another city certainly constituted FMLA leave abuse. (Warwas v. City of Plainfield, No. 11-1736, 3rd Cir., 2012)
Final note: Be sure that you investigate all suspected leave abusers, not just employees who take FMLA leave.
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Third baseman Pablo Sandoval (aka ?Kung Fu Panda?) made the history books with three homers in the World Series. Sandoval takes his place alongside the ?Say Hey Kid? as a player and name sure to be long remembered.
By Ross Atkin,?Staff writer / October 25, 2012
San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval reacts after hitting a home run against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning of Game 1 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, in San Francisco.
(AP Photo/The Sacramento Bee, Jose Luis Villegas)
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Game 1 of the 2012 World Series was not only a big night for Pablo Sandoval but for player nicknames as well. The roly-poly San Francisco Giants third baseman, whose nickname is Kung Fu Panda, became the first player in history to homer in his first three at-bats in a World Series game, propelling the Giants to a 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.?
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The moniker of the lovable Venezuelan, whose three-homer game is matched only in Series play by Babe Ruth (twice), Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols, has helped to engrave Sandoval?s persona into San Francisco?s baseball lore as much as the nicknames of the four former Giants who took the field Wednesday night. Participating in ceremonial first-pitch duties were Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, and Gaylord Perry. ?
As players, they had memorable nicknames of their own. Mays was known as ?The Say Hey Kid,? stemming from his tendency to greet people with the words ?say hey.?? Cepeda, who hails from Puerto Rico, answered to ?Cha Cha.?? McCovey, who was honored by having the bay waters beyond AT&T Park?s right-field bleachers named McCovey Cove, was called ?Stretch? for his reaches for throws at first base. Perry, who spent the first 10 years of his 22 years in the big leagues with the Giants, gained his ?Ancient Mariner? nickname playing for Seattle late in his career ( ?The Rime of the Ancient Mariner? is a famous British poem).
As for how Sandoval came to be called the Kung Fu Panda, well, that was the inspiration of his Giants teammate Barry Zito, who several years ago made the connection with the cuddly hero of a 2008 DreamWorks computer-animated action comedy of the same name ?Kung Fu Panda.?
According to Sandoval's website, "On September 19, 2008, he received the nickname "Kung Fu Panda" from teammate Barry Zito, after a play on where Sandoval scored a run against the Dodgers by jumping over the tag of catcher Danny Ardoin."
Zito, who has resurrected his career, was the winning pitcher in Game 1, so it was fitting that he?s played a role in popularizing his 240-lb. teammate, who also has achieved a personal comeback. When San Francisco won the 2010 World Series over Texas, the slumping Sandoval had ridden the pine, sitting on the bench for four of the five games.
Early in 2011, the Giants actually publicized their "Operation Panda," an effort to get Sandoval into better shape in the off season. It worked. Sandoval shed more than 30 pounds, and his playing improved.
Now, however, maybe it?s time for a new nickname. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ann Killion has suggested ?Se?or Octubre,? a play on Reggie Jackson?s reputation as ?Mr. October,? for his World Series clouts for the Yankees in the late 1970s.
The icing on the cake? Well, Sandoval hit the first two of his Game 1 homers off Detroit ace Justin Verlander (the third came off reliever Al Albuquerque). For a team that finished with fewer home runs than any team in the majors this season (103), the Panda?s power surge was a most welcome aberration.
Since taking over Motorola Mobility, Google has started to rein in some of the manufacturer's legal adventures. First, it struck a licensing deal with Apple in Germany, then it withdrew an ITC complaint against the company in early October. Now Microsoft is benefiting from its new, seemingly less lawsuit-happy adversary. Moto has decided to pull its WiFi-related patent claims from a complaint against the Xbox 360. That still leaves its H.264 patents on the docket, though, we wouldn't be surprised to see the case disappear completely before the two companies go to trial in December. Microsoft claims it's entitled to a reciprocal license from Google due to an existing agreement between Mountain View and MPEG LA. German courts have already ruled that Motorola's claims regarding its H.264 patents are strong enough to issue injunctions against the Xbox 360 and Windows 7, however the company has been unable to enforce those sales bans due to ongoing investigations in the US.
ON THE 9TH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, ABC FAMILY WILL BRING "THE MISTLE-TONES," A NEW ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS MUSICAL STARRING TORI SPELLING AND TIA MOWRY ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9
"The Mistle-Tones" Soundtrack to be Released November 18th
Burbank, CA (October 25, 2012) - ABC Family will premiere "The Mistle-Tones," an all new original musical starring Tori Spelling ("Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood") and Tia Mowry ("The Game") on Sunday, December 9 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The movie will air as part of the network's annual "25 Days of Christmas" programming event.
In "The Mistle-Tones," Holly (Tia Mowry), blessed with an amazing singing voice, is all set to audition for the newly vacated spot in a legendary local Christmas group which was founded by her late mother years ago. Shocked and upset when the slot goes to the barely talented best friend of the group's leader, Marci (Tori Spelling), Holly sets out to create her own musical group, The Mistle-Tones. After challenging their rivals to a sing-off on Christmas Eve, Holly finds herself on a journey to the real meaning of Christmas--with some new friends and a new love thrown in for good measure. The film also stars Jonathan Patrick Moore, Reginald VelJohnson, Tammy Townsend, Andy Gala, Megan Kathleen Duffy, and Jason Rogel. "The Mistle-Tones" is executive produced by Maggie Malina ("Single Ladies"), from a script by Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas ("My Super Psycho Sweet 16"), and directed by Paul Hoen ("Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam").
To make the holiday a little brighter, ABC Family will release an accompanying "The Mistle-Tones" movie soundtrack on Sunday, November 18. Featuring nine songs from the movie sung by the cast, the soundtrack will be available exclusively on Itunes.
Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today's relationships - told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy(R) Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and community features, from rich, fan-centric programming - including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network's hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.
College life helps to prepare students for their future careers and provides students with the ability to grow and develop their passion for specific degree majors. So, if you want to earn a bachelor of business or a bachelor of forensic sciences, then you should not let your finances stop you from achieving your dream. There are a number of ways to pay for college. Below are some things that you can do to finance your education:
Apply for Scholarships
Thousands of scholarships go unclaimed each year. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be an athlete or have a 4.0 GPA to get a scholarship. There are scholarships available for everyone, and if you search online, then you will probably find that you are eligible for quite a few scholarships.
Apply for Grants
If you are a dependent who comes from a low-income family, then you will probably be eligible for a grant. A grant is a form of financial aid that will not have to be paid back after you graduate. If you are a working adult, then you will still probably be eligible for a grant. You will need to check with the financial aid advisers at your school to apply for a grant.
Use Your Savings
Many people start saving up money early to pay for college. If you have been saving money for several years, then you should put some of that money towards your college education. This is perhaps one of the simplest things that you can do to pay for your education.
Apply for Loans
If your scholarships, savings and grants do not cover the cost of your education, then you should consider applying for a loan. Unlike a grant, a loan will have to be paid back after you graduate. Before you apply for a loan, you should speak with a financial aid adviser.
Many people are reluctant to apply for a loan. However, it is important to remember that education is a worthwhile investment. Additionally, you can increase your chances of finding a high-paying job if you attend college. If you have a high-paying job, then you will probably be able to pay the loan back within a reasonable amount of time.
Again, you should not let your finances stop you from earning your college degree. Scholarships, savings and grants are just three ways that you can pay for college. You can also apply for a loan if you are still lacking funds.
This article was brought to you by Bond Corporate, feel free to visit our website if you want to learn more about the best bachelor of forensic science courses.
A futurist world were Vampires are in control and humans serve the other races.
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Game Masters:
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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup. This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "The Marked"
You may edit this first post as you see fit.
We all have a story to tell!
cosmopolitanlove
Member for 0 years
This seems interesting, I might consider joining if a few others do.. It seems like it has potential, but... I'm debating. Besides, I would probably make two characters
I'm not mad, my reality is just different than yours.
Many long for immortality but haven't a clue what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Plot Twist:
We all get off tumblr, go to bed at a decent hour, socialize and spend time with our respected friends and families
ChaosxChild13
Member for 1 years
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RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.
If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.
?????SACRAMENTO (CN) - Cities across California have sued the state twice, accusing it of raiding local coffers in an unending, and unconstitutional, effort to balance its budget. ?????Both Superior Court lawsuits have roots in recent legislative history. ?????In 2011, California lawmakers passed AB1X26, banning city redevelopment agencies. The redevelopment agencies (RDAs) were created to fight urban decay and revitalize blighted neighborhoods. And, as revitalization projects are wont to do, they racked up hefty bills. ?????Before AB1X26, the RDAs issued tax allocation bonds to finance redevelopment projects. The bonds are secured by the promise of tax increment revenue - the expected tax increases generated by redevelopment - and are senior to all other potential uses of the money. ?????California in 1952 became the first state in the nation to use tax increment financing. ?????By 2008, more than 400 California redevelopment agencies had an aggregate of more than $10 billion per year in revenue, $28 billion in long-term debt and $674 billion of assessed land values. ?????And according to one of the recent complaints, from 13 cities from across California, the Legislature "eliminated redevelopment agencies so that it could capture the revenue such agencies generate." ?????AB1X26 dissolved the RDAs, pushing their projects and expenditures onto the cities, unless the cities opted out. ?????(The City of Bellflower, as successor of its dissolved RDA, is the lead plaintiff in that complaint. The lead defendants in both cases are state Finance Director Ana Matosantos, and the State Board of Equalization. The lead plaintiff in the second complaint is the California League of Cities.) ?????This year, the Legislature passed AB 1484, amending AB1X26. According to Bellflower's complaint, the Legislature designated AB 1484 as a budget trailer bill, meaning it took effect the instant Gov. Jerry Brown signed it, "even though it did not attain the 2/3 vote in each chamber of the Legislature required by California Constitution, Article IV, section 8 for urgency legislation." ?????"[T]he State fashioned AB 1484 as a mechanism inconsistent with the California Constitution and several established legal doctrines whereby it could unilaterally decide to withhold tax proceeds due local agencies based on the State's unilateral decisions without judicial review or any of the checks and balances fundamental to fair administrative practice and to the checks and balances fundamental to our democracy," Bellflower claims. ?????The cities, as successor agencies for the RDAs, send two reports per year to their county's auditor-controller, the State Controller and California's Department of Finance, detailing the former RDAs' repayment obligations for that time period. These reports are approved and signed off by seven-member oversight boards in each city that had RDAs. ?????Bellflower calls AB 1484 an "unprecedented grant of power to the Department of Finance to eliminate or modify an enforceable obligation otherwise approved by the oversight board for a successor agency to a former redevelopment agency and to simply help itself to the successor agency's or affected city's (a legal stranger to the redevelopment agency, the successor agency and the oversight board) shares of the general sales and use tax, as well as the property tax which Proposition 13 ... guarantees to local governments." ?????Bellflower claims that AB 1484 granted California's Department of Finance the power to order the Board of Equalization to suspend sales tax payments to the cities if they miss the obligation repayment report deadline - even if the delay is caused by the state. ?????In fact, Vallejo, along with the California League of Cities in the second lawsuit, claim that multiple errors by state finance officers meant cities could not comply with reporting rules and were punished with huge fines. ?????"Successor agencies were required to create a Redevelopment Obligation Retirement Fund into which the revenue from the RPTTF [Real Property Tax Trust Fund] is deposited. However, successor agencies did not exist before Feb. 1, 2012. RDAs received the Dec. 2011 or early Jan. 2012 tax increment distribution and, as was the then-common practice, identified the revenues as 'reserves.' As a result, the first [Redevelopment Obligation Payments, or ROPs] prepared by successor agencies correctly identified 'Reserves' as the source of payment for certain 'enforceable obligations' rather than the RPTTF because the RPTTF was not then operative," the League of Cities say in their complaint. ?????But the California Supreme Court stayed AB1X26 pending its ruling after cities - desperate to keep the revenue from their own redevelopment agencies - filed California Redevelopment Association v. Matosantos. ?????Though the court upheld most of AB1X26, the delays meant county auditor-controllers couldn't make property tax payments to the successor agencies so that they, in turn, could meet their bond obligations for the second half of 2012. ?????So the Department of Finance instituted a "True-Up" payment scheme with AB 1484, requiring county auditor-controllers to determine residual amounts due, based on the city's first repayment obligation report, which identified the amount of property tax needed to pay the successor agency's bond obligations. ?????Unfortunately, the department failed to recognize that cities across California identified their funding source as "Reserves" in the first report, resulting in "erroneous requirements for unwarranted True-Up payments by successor agencies" for the second half of 2012, the League of Cities claims. ?????To make matters worse, Vallejo - fresh out of the nation's first-ever city bankruptcy - and the League of Cities say that in several cases the Department of Finance rejected without meaningful explanation reports approved by successor-agency oversight boards. ?????"In some instances, DOF first rejected the obligations and then reversed itself once a lawsuit was filed," according to the League of Cities complaint. ?????Then, the League claims, the department changed the numbers in an online exhibit that county auditor-controllers used to assess the True-Up demands several times up to July 9, 2012 - after the county assessors were required to send out the demands. The cities were then given three days to make their payments. ?????"The brief time between the July 9th demand and the July 12th mandated payment prevented any meaningful opportunity for cities or successor agencies to communicate with auditor-controllers and responsible individuals at DOF to resolve issues of fact or law relating to the amount and components of the demand, the calculations supporting the demand or similar concerns," the League of Cities says. ?????When questioned about the changing numbers and unexplained rejections, Vallejo and the League of Cities claim, county officials and the Department of Finance passed the buck - to each other. ?????"Before True-Up payments were due and thereafter, various auditor-controllers and individuals purporting to speak for DOF each took the position that neither one had any authority to revise the specific True-Up payment or correct even clerical errors. Alternatively, each took the position that only the other one could make a correction," the League of Cities says. ?????Vallejo claims its experience with Solano County auditor-controller Simona Padilla-Scholtens, who is a defendant, underscores the madness and lack of accountability caused by California lawmakers' money grab. ?????"As an example of errors that occurred, defendant Padilla-Scholtens based the initial True-Up payment calculation for petitioner Successor Agency on the figures initially shown on DOF's Exhibit 12 as of July 6, 2012 and sent Successor Agency a bill for $331,790. Based on further information, defendant Padilla-Scholtens revised the bill to $308,867. A few days later, DOF changed the numbers on DOF Exhibit 12 with respect to petitioner Successor Agency, so defendant Padilla-Scholtens revised the True-Up bill to Successor Agency to $192,747, which Successor Agency paid on July 12. Although the revised True-Up billing was based on DOF's own revision to DOF Exhibit 12, DOF sent Successor Agency a letter demanding an explanation why the original billed amount had not been paid and threatening to impose penalties. Even now, DOF states that it may be unable to issue a Finding of Completion to petitioner Successor Agency. DOF has not offered any explanation why it cannot correct the numbers that were initially incorrect so that the correct numbers govern," Vallejo and the League of Cities say. ?????Screw-ups aside, the cities that are now successor agencies to their former RDAs claim that lawmakers' intentions are clear: to plug holes in California's budget. ?????"Save for satisfying existing enforceable obligations (as defined by statute), redevelopment activities by RDAs throughout the state were suspended and, indeed, prohibited. The Successor Agency was to preserve all assets of the former RDA for ultimate distribution to affected taxing entities. The purpose for so doing was to enable the state to take control of the RDA assets not needed to satisfy enforceable obligations and to redistribute such assets to other local taxing entities and thereby reduce the state's own funding obligations. For example, as property tax revenues increase over time because the Enforceable Obligations are retired, the increased revenue available to fund K-14 education will, in turn, reduce the state's own Prop. 98 obligation to guarantee education funding from the General Fund," the cities say in the RDA complaint. ?????Proposition 98, passed by voters in 1988, requires a percentage of California's overall budget to be spent on K-12 education. The amount required varies depending on economic growth, and is accomplished by shifting specified amounts of property tax revenue from cities, counties and redevelopment agencies to "educational revenue augmentation funds." ?????The successor agency/cities note that AB 1484 was "available in print only one day before its passage, and city officials and representatives were excluded from the drafting process. Indeed, legislators entered letters in the record of the adoption of the measure stating their concern that local views had gone unheard and encouraging DOF to work with local agencies to ensure their reasonable concerns were heard," according to the Bellflower complaint. ?????In both complaints, the plaintiffs claim they are being penalized for Department of Finance mistakes, because under AB 1484, successor agencies are subject to a $10,000 fine for each day an approved report of obligation payments is not in the hands of the department. Many cities have opted to pay their alleged True-Up bills - whether they owe them or not - to avoid the penalties or have their cut of property and sales taxes withheld. ?????"Petitioner Successor Agency of the Dissolved Redevelopment Agency of the City of ?????Bellflower received a demand from the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller to pay $102,500.25. To avoid the penalties and the threatened withholding of taxes, on or about July 12, 2012, Successor Agency of the Dissolved Redevelopment Agency of the City of Bellflower paid the full amount although it disputes that it owes such amount. Petitioner Cerritos Redevelopment Agency Successor Agency received a demand from the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller to pay $5,979,281.58. To avoid the penalties and the threatened withholding of taxes, on or about July 12, 2012, Cerritos Redevelopment Agency Successor Agency paid the full amount although it disputes that it owes such amount. Petitioner Chula Vista Redevelopment Agency Successor Agency received a demand from the San Diego Auditor-Controller to pay $5,529,373.37. To avoid the penalties and the threatened withholding of taxes, on or about July 12, 2012, Chula Vista Redevelopment Agency Successor Agency paid the full amount although it disputes that it owes such amount. Petitioner El Centro Redevelopment Agency Successor Agency received a demand from the Imperial County Auditor-Controller to pay $1,014,675.00. To avoid the penalties and the threatened withholding of taxes, on or about July 12, 2012, El Centro Redevelopment Agency Successor Agency paid the full amount although it disputes that it owes such amount," according to the Bellflower complaint. ?????Other cities say they paid $71,000 to $2.5 million to avoid penalties and withholding of taxes, and dispute that they actually owe what they paid. ?????Lawmakers contend that AB 1484 "is constitutional and lawful and entitles them to withhold, or order the withholding of tax proceeds from successor agency petitioners before any judicial review of the amount respondents contend successor agency petitioners owe," the cities say. But the cities say the law violates voter-approved Propositions 1A and 22, which protect local property and sales tax from the grabbing hands of the Legislature. ?????Lawmakers also "violate the separation of powers clause [of the California Constitution] and the judicial powers clause [of the California Constitution] by purporting to empower the DOF to act as prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner because it may order sales and property tax withheld from affected cities and successor agencies without the benefit of a prior judicial decision on any disputed amounts. They violate the common-law fair hearing requirement and the requirement of due process that administrative decisions be made by a decisionmaker with no stake in the outcome of the dispute," Bellflower says. ?????Plaintiffs in both complaints seek a writ of mandate barring enforcement of AB 1484. Specifically, the successor agencies seek a ruling that the "self-help" provision of the bill, which entitles California to withhold property and sales taxes until repayment obligation reports are accepted by the Department of Finance, is unconstitutional. ?????The successor agency cities are represented by Michael Colantuono, with Colantuono & Levin in Los Angeles. ?????The League of Cities and Vallejo are represented by Iris Yang, with Best Best & Krieger, of Sacramento.?
Google is saying "feh" and "bye" to Zagat's cumbersome 30-point scale for restaurant reviews and local businesses.
Now users can?rank eateries with a?much simpler system, using four categories: "Excellent," "Very good," "Good" and "Poor-Fair."
Megan Stevenson explained the changes in a?Google+ post. Google bought Zagat a year ago.
The Zagat system isn't completely gone, however.?Stevenson wrote that "behind the scenes," Google will convert reviewers' ratings into numbers "and factor them into the business' precise 30-point score that shows up in Google+, Search and Maps."
As Matt McGee of?Search?Engine?Land?notes,?while the Zagat scores will still be visible in those places,?"eliminating the numerical scoring from review writing and review displays may be ? and should be ? a step toward eliminating the Zagat scoring system altogether."
Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on?Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.
Money has always been an issue for some category of people. It has always been hard to earn money and to save it. Even now after several hundreds of years later the situation is basically the same. Nothing has changed. Even now people have the same financial problems when they lack money and are not able to find a way-out. A sudden urgency may occur when the person does not obtain a required sum and he/she does not know where to find the required funds.
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PaydayLoans@ belongs to the privileged group of the companies with a friendly and highly professional staff. It suggests its customers the most convenient way to receive the payday loan online in a hassle-free and fast way. There is no need to gather all the personal and financial documentation into one file and drive it or send to the bank. The only thing is required is an Internet connection.
To order a loan till payday at?PaydayLoans@?company is the most simplified way to do this. The usual procedure is about fulfilling a simple online application form, submitting it, waiting for a reply from a lender by phone or via e-mail, receiving money in 24 hours. Money will be automatically sent and withdrawn from the customer?s personal bank account.
Instead of roaming all over the city looking for the appropriate bank which will agree to give a small loan, it is so much easier to find a site of PaydayLoans@ company and fulfill an easy application form online. The entire process takes approximately ten-fifteen minutes of time and is simplified as much as possible. For more information?read this article regarding the service offered on the website.
A lot of people were hesitating at first while applying for the payday loans, but later on they had realized that those loans were the most convenient way-out of the tough financial issue that might occur to anyone.
We see a lot of sleek-lookingtechnology pass through our doors, but it's rare that the inventions could be called beautiful by those who aren't immersed in the gadget world. We'd venture that North Carolina State University might have crossed the divide by creating an energy storage technology that's both practical and genuinely pretty. Its technology vaporizes germanium sulfide and cools it into 20-30 nanometer layers that, as they're combined, turn into nanoflowers: elegant structures that might look like the carnation on a prom dress or tuxedo, but are really energy storage cells with much more capacity than traditional cells occupying the same area. The floral patterns could lead to longer-lived supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries, and the germanium sulfide is both cheap and clean enough that it could lead to very efficient solar cells that are more environmentally responsible. As always, there's no definite timetable for when (and if) NC State's technology might be commercialized -- so call someone's bluff if they promise you a nanoflower bouquet.
So, you possess your eyes about the ideal house for you and your family or even, you might have found the right building to put your new business or store in. Now you?re wanting to know what the next thing within the buying process is. Listed here are tips to help you inside the buying process.
Being familiar with real estate market place in a distinct place needs understanding the number of active property firms there. Following the homes bubble burst open, a lot of real estate firms moved away from organization. If there are actually a couple of real estate agencies remaining within an region, the chance is the community isn?t really worth purchasing. Even so, a few or more of property agencies indicates a successful housing market that you ought to get involved in.
Spot is a big section of the real estate property variety procedure. Investigate the encircling regions up to you do the options of the house. See how a good deal of distance you are going to have to go to function. Get information about store shopping, law enforcement, medical centers and doctor?s offices, day-proper care and universities and the visitors and auto parking to be sure it will likely be hassle-free to your household.
Your final decision to create an offer on a residence must be based on lots of factors. One is the householder Organization (HOA) costs. Sometimes it is really an unimportant sum, but sometimes the exact amount actually reaches the numerous hundred or so money stage. You need to study all the disclosures your real estate agent will give you, and be sure you may nonetheless pay for the monthly instalment on your brand new home.
When thinking about buying a residence, be careful when choosing your real estate broker and inspector. If you are investing in a residence, it is 1 the the main buys that you just can certainly make. You should try to find a realtor and inspector who has very good accreditations, references, as well as a current performance historical past. Have an talk to of some choices prior to actually choosing 1.
When buying the initial house you should try to consider resale benefit if you are making a choice on where you can are living. Attributes which can be found around private hospitals, colleges, and the downtown area regions ordinarily have probably the most quantity of buyers considering them and so they sell considerably faster than other homes.
Create a list of the items you are searching for along with your real estate property purchase and follow it. Put your most important items on the top of this list and job down in order of what is much less essential. Select the things that could be bargain breakers from the start and you will stop being baffled and disappointed in the future.
When purchasing a property, it?s important to contemplate why the real estate in the area you?re looking in expenses so tiny or more much. If you?re a bachelor without any intends to start up a loved ones, a town with excellent community educational institutions may have greater property beliefs, and better fees, as a result almost certainly isn?t the right place to have.
Know that it must be probable, when discussing, that you could hold the vendor include your shutting down charges. It could be an unsafe maneuver, nevertheless it could help you in terms of what you would need to give the kitchen table during closing. If the fails to work, you might also look into owning your house loan include your shutting down fees.
For best real-estate pay attention to the reputation of the schools in the region. Although you may don?t have kids, universities which are locked in increased esteem normally suggest a much better area. These local communities are generally more secure and a lot more well-off, although they are doing not really cost a fortune to reside in.
As you now understand how this process performs, it is possible to methodically and thoroughly program the first real estate acquire. No matter if you hurriedly go property hunting this weekend, search for flat structures to control or look for store-enterprise complexes, your recently discovered assurance will enable you to have the correct acquiring selections.
If you would like extra facts about vacation home rentals Chicago, drop by Rob S Dubray ?s website right away.
A complex logic circuit made from bacterial genesPublic release date: 12-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Lutz dlutz@wustl.edu 314-935-5272 Washington University in St. Louis
The circuit is designed to act as the controller in synthetic bacteria that monitor and modify their environment
By force of habit we tend to assume computers are made of silicon, but there is actually no necessary connection between the machine and the material. All that an engineer needs to do to make a computer is to find a way to build logic gates the elementary building blocks of digital computers in whatever material is handy.
So logic gates could theoretically be made of pipes of water, channels for billiard balls or even mazes for soldier crabs.
By comparison Tae Seok Moon's ambition, which is to build logic gates out of genes, seems eminently practical. As a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Christopher Voigt, PhD, a synthetic biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he recently made the largest gene (or genetic) circuit yet reported.
Moon, PhD, now an assistant professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis is the lead author of an article describing the project in the Oct. 7 issue of Nature. Voigt is the senior author.
The tiny circuits constructed from these gene gates and others like them may one day be components of engineered cells that will monitor and respond to their environments.
The number of tasks they could undertake is limited only by evolution and human ingenuity. Janitor bacteria might clean up pollutants, chemical-engineer bacteria pump out biofuels and miniature infection-control bacteria might bustle about killing pathogens.
How to make an AND gate out of genes
The basis of modern computers is the logic gate, a device that makes simple comparisons between the bits, the 1s and 0s, in which computers encode information. Each logic gate has multiple inputs and one output. The output of the gate depends on the inputs and the operation the gate performs.
An AND gate, for example, turns on only if all of its inputs are on. An OR gate turns on if any of its inputs are on.
Suggestively, genes are turned on or off when a transcription factor binds to a region of DNA adjacent to the gene called a promotor.
To make an AND gate out of genes, however, Moon had to find a gene whose activation is controlled by at least two molecules, not one. So only if both molecule 1 AND molecule 2 are present will the gene be turned on and translated into protein.
Such a genetic circuit had been identified in Salmonella typhimurium, the bacterium that causes food poisoning. In this circuit, the transcription factor can bind to the promotor of a gene only if a molecule called a chaperone is present. This meant the genetic circuit could form the basis of a two-input AND gate.
The circuit Moon eventually built consisted of four sensors for four different molecules that fed into three two-input AND gates. If all four molecules were present, all three AND gates turned on and the last one produced a reporter protein that fluoresced red, so that the operation of the circuit could be easily monitored.
In the future, Moon says, a synthetic bacterium with this circuit might sense four different cancer indicators and, in the presence of all four, release a tumor-killing factor.
Crosstalk and timing faults
There are huge differences, of course, between the floppy molecules that embody biological logic gates and the diodes and transistors that embody electronic ones.
Engineers designing biological circuits worry a great deal about crosstalk, or interference. If a circuit is to work properly, the molecules that make up one gate cannot bind to molecules that are part of another gate.
This is much more of a problem in a biological circuit than in an electronic circuit because the interior of a cell is a kind of soup where molecules mingle freely.
To ensure that there wouldn't be crosstalk among his AND gates, Moon mined parts for his gates from three different strains of bacteria: Shigella flexneri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as Salmonella.
Although the parts from the three different strains were already quite dissimilar, he made them even more so by subjecting them to error-prone copying cycles and screening the copies for ones that were even less prone to crosstalk (but still functional).
Another problem Moon faced is that biological circuits, unlike electronic ones, don't have internal clocks that keep the bits moving through the logic gates in lockstep. If signals progress through layers of gates at different speeds, the output of the entire circuit may be wrong, a problem called a timing fault.
Experiments designed to detect such faults in the synthetic circuit showed that they didn't occur, probably because the chaperones for one layer of logic gates degrades before the transcription factors for the next layer are generated, and this forces a kind of rhythm on the circuit.
Hijacking a bacterium's controller
"We're not trying to build a computer out of biological logic gates," Moon says. "You can't build a computer this way. Instead we're trying to make controllers that will allow us to access all the things biological organisms do in simple, programmable ways."
"I see the cell as a system that consists of a sensor, a controller (the logic circuit), and an actuator," he says. "This paper covers work on the controller, but eventually the controller's output will drive an actuator, something that will do work on the cell's surroundings. "
An synthetic bacterium designed by a friend of Moon's at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore senses signaling molecules released by the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. When the molecules reach a high enough concentration, the bacterium generates a toxin and a protein that causes it to burst, releasing the toxin, and killing nearby P. aeruginosa.
"Silicon cannot do that," Moon says.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
A complex logic circuit made from bacterial genesPublic release date: 12-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Lutz dlutz@wustl.edu 314-935-5272 Washington University in St. Louis
The circuit is designed to act as the controller in synthetic bacteria that monitor and modify their environment
By force of habit we tend to assume computers are made of silicon, but there is actually no necessary connection between the machine and the material. All that an engineer needs to do to make a computer is to find a way to build logic gates the elementary building blocks of digital computers in whatever material is handy.
So logic gates could theoretically be made of pipes of water, channels for billiard balls or even mazes for soldier crabs.
By comparison Tae Seok Moon's ambition, which is to build logic gates out of genes, seems eminently practical. As a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Christopher Voigt, PhD, a synthetic biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he recently made the largest gene (or genetic) circuit yet reported.
Moon, PhD, now an assistant professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis is the lead author of an article describing the project in the Oct. 7 issue of Nature. Voigt is the senior author.
The tiny circuits constructed from these gene gates and others like them may one day be components of engineered cells that will monitor and respond to their environments.
The number of tasks they could undertake is limited only by evolution and human ingenuity. Janitor bacteria might clean up pollutants, chemical-engineer bacteria pump out biofuels and miniature infection-control bacteria might bustle about killing pathogens.
How to make an AND gate out of genes
The basis of modern computers is the logic gate, a device that makes simple comparisons between the bits, the 1s and 0s, in which computers encode information. Each logic gate has multiple inputs and one output. The output of the gate depends on the inputs and the operation the gate performs.
An AND gate, for example, turns on only if all of its inputs are on. An OR gate turns on if any of its inputs are on.
Suggestively, genes are turned on or off when a transcription factor binds to a region of DNA adjacent to the gene called a promotor.
To make an AND gate out of genes, however, Moon had to find a gene whose activation is controlled by at least two molecules, not one. So only if both molecule 1 AND molecule 2 are present will the gene be turned on and translated into protein.
Such a genetic circuit had been identified in Salmonella typhimurium, the bacterium that causes food poisoning. In this circuit, the transcription factor can bind to the promotor of a gene only if a molecule called a chaperone is present. This meant the genetic circuit could form the basis of a two-input AND gate.
The circuit Moon eventually built consisted of four sensors for four different molecules that fed into three two-input AND gates. If all four molecules were present, all three AND gates turned on and the last one produced a reporter protein that fluoresced red, so that the operation of the circuit could be easily monitored.
In the future, Moon says, a synthetic bacterium with this circuit might sense four different cancer indicators and, in the presence of all four, release a tumor-killing factor.
Crosstalk and timing faults
There are huge differences, of course, between the floppy molecules that embody biological logic gates and the diodes and transistors that embody electronic ones.
Engineers designing biological circuits worry a great deal about crosstalk, or interference. If a circuit is to work properly, the molecules that make up one gate cannot bind to molecules that are part of another gate.
This is much more of a problem in a biological circuit than in an electronic circuit because the interior of a cell is a kind of soup where molecules mingle freely.
To ensure that there wouldn't be crosstalk among his AND gates, Moon mined parts for his gates from three different strains of bacteria: Shigella flexneri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as Salmonella.
Although the parts from the three different strains were already quite dissimilar, he made them even more so by subjecting them to error-prone copying cycles and screening the copies for ones that were even less prone to crosstalk (but still functional).
Another problem Moon faced is that biological circuits, unlike electronic ones, don't have internal clocks that keep the bits moving through the logic gates in lockstep. If signals progress through layers of gates at different speeds, the output of the entire circuit may be wrong, a problem called a timing fault.
Experiments designed to detect such faults in the synthetic circuit showed that they didn't occur, probably because the chaperones for one layer of logic gates degrades before the transcription factors for the next layer are generated, and this forces a kind of rhythm on the circuit.
Hijacking a bacterium's controller
"We're not trying to build a computer out of biological logic gates," Moon says. "You can't build a computer this way. Instead we're trying to make controllers that will allow us to access all the things biological organisms do in simple, programmable ways."
"I see the cell as a system that consists of a sensor, a controller (the logic circuit), and an actuator," he says. "This paper covers work on the controller, but eventually the controller's output will drive an actuator, something that will do work on the cell's surroundings. "
An synthetic bacterium designed by a friend of Moon's at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore senses signaling molecules released by the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. When the molecules reach a high enough concentration, the bacterium generates a toxin and a protein that causes it to burst, releasing the toxin, and killing nearby P. aeruginosa.
"Silicon cannot do that," Moon says.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
?????SACRAMENTO (CN) - Cities across California have sued the state twice, accusing it of raiding local coffers in an unending, and unconstitutional, effort to balance its budget.
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Public release date: 12-Oct-2012
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