Albany, NY – Bronx Senator Ruben Diaz ‘Hitler Was Pro-Choice’‎

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(AP Photo/Hans Pennink) Windows 7 product key free

Albany, NY – State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. released a lengthy thousand word statement today outlining his views on abortion. Mr. Diaz explained why he believes abortion amounts to the “killing of unborn babies” and why he thinks it’s time to “forget about being politically correct by being Pro-Choice.”

“Hitler was pro-choice. He chose to send the Jews to Auschwitz. That was not their choice that was Hitler’s choice,” Mr. Diaz said. “Murderers Microsoft Windows 7 Key, assassins and criminals are pro-choice. They choose to put a gun to your head and take your life. That is not your choice. That is their choice.”

Mr. Diaz’s statement on abortion, which was part of his regular “What You Should Know” email newsletter series Office 2011 MAC Key, was inspired by Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature considering the Reproductive Health Act, which would change state law to treat abortion as a public health issue rather than a criminal one and would guarantee women the right to have access to contraception or abortion care. According to Mr. Diaz, if the Reproductive Health Act became law, it “will make abortion on demand a reality in the State of New York.”

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Mr. Diaz said his stance on abortion is based on the fact “there is no doubt in my mind that life starts at the time of conception.” He also points out the Bible has penalties for “killing or harming life in the womb of the mother.”

Baldwin attorneys stand to collect $1.39 million in BP settlement

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BAY MINETTE, Alabama — An $11.565 million settlement with BP for financial damages to Baldwin County will pay attorneys an estimated $1.397 million in fees with expenses continuing to add to the total until the deal is “consummated,” officials said today. 
“The settlement is not yet consummated,” said County Attorney David Conner replica watches, who is among those lawyers who will receive some of the fees. “There are some expenses still ongoing that will come from the proceeds of the settlement.” 
County Administrator David Brewer said officials anticipate paying the contingency fee of $1.358 million plus related expenses that total $38 replica watches,793 and counting.

Commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter asking Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange to oppose a court ordered withholding of $462 replica watches,600 from Baldwin’s settlement total for plaintiff attorneys in the state’s case against the oil company. Both lawsuits stem from BP PLC’s Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in 2010 that fouled much of the local coastline and snuffed out what started as a banner tourism year. 
Baldwin officials claim they should not owe anything to plaintiffs’ attorneys in the state case because they pursued their own case independently, never benefited from the work of those attorneys and never agreed to pay the fee. 
Meanwhile, the county will be dolling out 16 percent of its take in the settlement to a team of attorneys from 4 different lawfirms hired in Feb. 2011. Firms hired include Riley and Jackson of Birmingham, Frederick Kuykendall III of Fairhope, Johnston Druhan of Mobile and Blackburn and Conner of Bay Minette, which also serves as Baldwin County Attorney. Representatives from the Bay Minette firm said their hours would be independently billed from other county work. Then Commissioner Bob James voted against hiring the firms last year saying he believed the county would be better represented by in-county attorneys.

The Paradox of High-Potential Employees

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To retain high-potential employees, the conventional wisdom is deceptively simple: identify, develop, and nurture them. By paying special attention to the very best people, they will stay with the firm and eventually emerge as key leaders.

But translating this into action is much more difficult. As the former head of executive development at GE used to tell me, “There’s a difference between doing it and really doing it.” Many firms have trouble keeping their best people, despite their investments in talent management. In fact, a study last year by the Corporate Executive Board indicated that “25 percent of employer-identified, high-potential employees plan to leave their current companies within the year, as compared to only 10 percent in 2006.”The study also found that 40% of the internal job moves for high potentials ended in failure.

So despite the focus on high potentials and the importance of effectively managing them Best Tattoo Ink, why do so many organizations struggle to do it well? Let me suggest two reasons.

Discomfort with Differentiation: In order to focus on high potentials, some employees need to be singled out. And, truth be told, most managers hate to differentiate. They would prefer to treat everyone the same, avoiding the uncomfortable process of sorting people by levels of performance. As a result, managers will identify certain employees as “high-potential” simply because they don’t want to tell them that they’re outperformed by their colleagues. And others Professional Tattoo Machine, who are appropriately selected, are not told because it would create an uncomfortable two-class system. In other words, managers avoid declaring who the high potentials are, for fear of upsetting people who were not selected.

Discomfort with Developmental Dialogue: Even if high potentials are identified properly, bringing them to the next level requires a continual, complex dialogue. Managers need to stretch, challenge, and coach their high-potential employees and make sure their assignments push them beyond their comfort zones. To do so, they have to work with senior business leaders and HR to clarify assessments, identify opportunities, and coordinate possible moves. Without multi-dimensional dialogue about these issues, managers tend to hold on to their high-potential people instead of helping them along an intentional developmental pathway. High-potentials then may interpret this as a lack of company support and will be inclined to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, engaging in this kind of developmental dialogue is foreign to many managers and can cause just as much anxiety as the need to differentiate. In fact most managers avoid coaching discussions, particularly with employees who have more potential in their careers than they do.

Taken together, the twin discomforts of differentiation and dialogue hinder high-potential programs, even when senior line and HR executives do a good job of centrally structuring assessments, rotations, and training. This may at least partly explain why so many company-identified high potentials don’t remain with their firms.

To increase the odds of success, senior executives need to focus not just on the high-potential programs, but the underlying anxieties of managers who have to execute them. One way to do this Tattoo accessories, for example, is to require managers to mentor one of their high-potential direct reports. Not only will this approach be good for the chosen employees in the short-term, but also it will force managers to get more comfortable with performance differentiation and developmental dialogues. As anyone who has done it can attest, mentoring benefits the mentor as much (if not more) than the mentee.

How well does your company retain and develop its top talent?

Cross-posted from Harvard Business Online.

Al Jazeera shuts English bureau after China visa denial

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BEIJING (Reuters) – Al Jazeera has closed the China bureau for its English channel after Chinese authorities refused to renew its correspondent’s visa, marking the first time an accredited foreign correspondent has been forced to leave the country in over a decade.

Melissa Chan had reported from Beijing for Al Jazeera’s English language channel since 2007, as well as maintaining a Twitter feed with more than 15,000 followers.

“China addressed this problem in accordance with laws and regulations. The media concerned know in their heart what they did wrong,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a regular briefing on Tuesday. He did not provide further details about the case.

“Our laws and policies are extremely clear. When you came to China, our relevant laws and regulations were explained to you.”

Chan declined to comment.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC), which Beijing does not recognize, said the decision to allow Chan’s accreditation to lapse came after they expressed dissatisfaction about some of Al Jazeera’s content, including a documentary produced overseas.

Al Jazeera has produced a number of critical programs about China in recent years, including one examining the alleged use of prison labor to make products sold in Western markets.

The FCCC quoted Chinese authorities as saying that Chan, a U.S. citizen, had violated unspecified rules and regulations.

“This is the most extreme example of a recent pattern of using journalist visas in an attempt to censor and intimidate foreign correspondents in China,” FCCC said. Chan was a member of the FCCC board.

The Qatar-based news broadcaster said it would continue to cover China and hoped to work with Beijing to reopen its bureau.

“We are committed to our coverage of China. Just as China news services cover the world freely, we would expect that same freedom in China for any Al Jazeera journalist,” the channel said in an emailed statement.

Al Jazeera’s Arabic language channel will continue to have a correspondent in Beijing.

In Washington Tattooing Machines, the U.S. State Department voiced dismay at China’s handling of the case.

“We are disappointed … in how the Chinese government decided not to renew her accreditation. To our knowledge, she operated and reported in accordance with Chinese law, including regulations that permit foreign journalists to operate freely in China,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.

He later said that the United States had raised the matter with Chinese officials.

In 1998, China expelled a Japanese and a German journalist, both accredited, in unrelated cases What Is The Best Tattoo Ink, accusing them of possessing state secrets. In 1995, authorities did not renew a German reporter’s accreditation Piercing Machine, citing “aggressive, biased” reporting.

Unaccredited foreign reporters have been expelled more recently.

China requires all foreign journalists to renew their accreditation annually, while other business visas are typically multiple-year visas.

There are about 700 overseas or Hong Kong journalists working in Beijing.

(Reporting By Lucy Hornby and Michael Martina; Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee, Brian Rhoads and Vicki Allen)

World China

China factories bottoming out, HSBC PMI signals

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BEIJING, May 2, 2012 (Reuters) — China’s manufacturing sector showed fresh signs of bottoming out in April Herve leger strapless sale, with export orders ticking up, but activity still contracted for a sixth consecutive month, according to a private sector survey on Wednesday. Employees work at a factory in the Shanghai Lingang Industrial Park in Shanghai, April 20, 2012. China’s factories stabilised in April as output ticked higher, new business rose from multi-month lows and export orders perked up, though not sufficiently for a private sector survey of purchasing managers to flag a return to expansionary territory. Picture taken April 20, 2012. REUTERS/Aly Song

“The seasonal rebound this year was much weaker than that in the past, suggesting growth momentum remains soft,” Barclay’s Capital analyst Yiping Huang said in a note to clients.

The HSBC China Purchasing Managers’ Index, geared to smaller firms, improved to 49.3 in April from 48.3 in March, but remained below the threshold of 50 that divides expansion from contraction. It was slightly better than a preliminary estimate of 49.1 in late April.

The weaker reading from the HSBC index contrasted with strong official PMI numbers released on Tuesday, highlighting the continued divergence between China’s larger, predominantly state-owned enterprises and smaller, private firms which are struggling to get credit.

Still, it showed that the rate of deterioration had slowed following a difficult first quarter when economic growth hit its slowest pace in nearly three years.

The government’s official manufacturing PMI, largely indicative of bigger firms, rose to a 13-month high of 53.3 in April, thanks to stronger output and more new export orders. The March reading was 53.1.

“Anecdotal evidence provided by survey respondents suggested that reduced production reflected lower levels of incoming new business. There were also reports of a general deterioration in market conditions,” Markit Economics, which compiled the HSBC index, wrote in its report.

TURNING POINT

The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, which compiles the official index, also urged caution on Tuesday.

“Influenced by the change in demand, there is the possibility of a waning in future economic growth,” one of the federation’s analysts, Zhang Liqun, said.

Many analysts view the first quarter of this year as the bottom of the down cycle for the Chinese economy. Growth eased to a near three-year low of 8.1 percent in Q1 versus a year earlier, the fifth straight quarter of slowing growth.

But they disagree over how quickly the economy will regain momentum.

With some softness persisting into the second quarter, and sluggish export markets, particularly in recession-hit Europe, few expect a sharp rebound for the rest of the year.

A Reuters poll in mid-April showed that economists expect growth to slowly tick up to 8.4 percent this year and 8.7 percent annual growth by the second quarter of next year.

As important as the rate of growth is the quality of growth.

China racked up world-beating GDP growth rates in the aftermath of the global financial crisis but at the cost of over-reliance on loans and a tilt towards the state-owned sector that is still rippling through the economy.

The federation noted that while its sub-index for large firms was at 53.7 in April, or firmly in growth territory, its smaller firms sub-index was below the growth threshold at 49.1.

Chinese manufacturers must also contend with the pressures of too much capacity and lackluster demand.

“The longer the two indicators straddle either side of the 50-line Herve Leger sale, … the less useful they become as indicators at all,” wrote Alastair Thornton of IHS Global Insight in Beijing.

Both surveys agreed that new export orders rose, albeit marginally, in April, while overall new orders fell, implying that domestic demand was relatively weak.

“The disparity is a little irrelevant – everyone is used to it now. We just look at the two indexes separately. That both show an improvement reflects the more supportive monetary policy,” said Hao Zhou, of ANZ Bank in Shanghai.

HSBC said some respondents were cutting prices to “stimulate fragile demand,” which will pressure profit margins.

That backs up recent comments made by the chief executive of Caterpillar Inc, the world’s largest maker of construction machinery. He said the company was trying to work with dealers after sales fell sharply in the first quarter.

While input costs rose, albeit moderately, factory gate prices were unchanged in April, the HSBC survey found. The inability to pass on rising raw materials or labor costs is a sign of overcapacity.

The quantity of purchases sub-index ticked above the 50 mark for the first time since October 2011, HSBC said, although it noted that subdued demand reined in buying.

Almost four-fifths of the HSBC survey respondents said export orders were unchanged.

(Editing by Neil Fullick & Kim Coghill)

Frankenstein’s GarageMaybach coupe isn’t Xenatech’s first conversion

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Xenatech conversions – Click above for image gallery
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Wonder where this firm Xenatech came from? The German company made headlines a couple of weeks ago with sketches of a Maybach coupe it intends to bring to market, but as you may well have guessed, the luxo-Merc isn’t the first chop job the company has undertaken.

Swing by the company’s website and you’ll find photochops of all manner of vehicles – most of them German, natch – that have been turned from sedan into coupe, coupe into sedan Tattoo Supplies, and much more. The first few look like simple stretch jobs of sport-utes and sedans like the Audi Q7, Mercedes G-Class and Bentley Continental Flying Spur. But delve a little deeper and you’ll find an Aston Vanquish shooting brake, Lexus LS460 coupe and pickup versions of the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg. A few of them are even a little prophetic: a Mercedes CLS wagon and four-door versions of the Porsche 911 and BMW 6 Series.

The best part is that Xenatech claims some of these have actually been made, though it isn’t saying which. Our fingers are crossed for that 7 Series with the extra headroom. Check out some of our favorites in the gallery below.

Related GalleryXenatech conversions
[Source: Xenatech via PistonHeads]

Sith PickupToyota Tundra Warrior

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Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder Buy White Herve leger, and we can all admit that this Toyota Tundra “Warrior” prototype has a sinister presence in its shiniest, blackest finery. That silly fake intake is still there in the grille surround, but the rest of the look is successful. It’s too bad Toyota didn’t pay attention to the TRD Off Road concept’s schnoz; thankfully that 2007 show-goer was free of faux scoopery. The Warrior appeared at the Chicago Auto Show to gauge public reaction to the SR5-based upgrade package. We like it. In fact Replica Karen Millen Dresses, we think it’s the best looking Tundra we’ve seen. The “none more black” exterior is complemented by various touches of brushed metal on the side mirrors, door handles Cheap Chloe Dresses, and fuel door, the latter of which you’ll be seeing a lot of if Toyota builds a 5.7-liter 4×4 version. There’s also tinted taillight lenses and handsomely contrasting 17-inch TRD wheels, and can we get a “hell yeah” for the revised lower fascia out front?

We haven’t seen any interior shots Missoni Dresses sale, but it reportedly banishes some of the Gladware feel of the cabin we experienced when the Tundra visted the Autoblog garage. Mirroring the outside’s carbonite treatment, the interior is also decked out in inky hues with brushed metal brightwork. If and when the Warrior hits showrooms Replica Bandage dresses, it could be available as an upgrade on 4×2 and 4×4 models with the 4.7- and 5.7-liter V8s Discount BCBG Dresses, so no V6 Warrior for you.

[Source: PickupTruck.com, photo: PickupTruck.com]

Sarah Palin Election Predictions, Annoying NPR Listeners, and the Birth of Jewish Humor

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Did you miss a day of Slate? Here is a look back at the most interesting stories of the week.

“Sudan Cracks Up” by Dan Morrison. Insurrections, human rights abuses, and fraudulent economic policies wrack the African nation, on the verge of separating in July, but its  problems continue to slip under most Americans’ radar.

” ‘We Listen to NPR Precisely To Avoid This Sort of Stupidity’: The tedious, annoying complaints of public radio listeners,” by Farhad Manjoo. Manjoo loves NPR, but his fellow listeners? Not so much. ”Oh, I hate them Bandage dresses sale, hate them, hate them Buy Herve Leger gown,” he writes. “Every time one of their narrow-minded, classist letters makes it on the air, I contemplate burning my tote bag in protest.”

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“The Sunny, Cloudy, Warm, Freezing Jobs News: The latest jobs reports is good news, even if the overall jobs environments is still pretty bad,” by Annie Lowrey. As unemployment rates fall amid talk of more layoffs Cheap DKNY Clothes, the American labor market looks rosier but still bleak. Here are the important trends, prognoses Herve Leger v neck sale, and weather metaphors.

“Que Será, Sarah? Is Sarah Palin going to run for president or not? We track her signals so you don’t have to,” by Noreen Malone. Double X launches a Wasilla-or-Washington meter to predict Sarah’s move come election season. Stay current with the most recent post.

“Poem About Heaven,” by David Blair. In his eerie and beautiful contribution to Slate’s weekly poetry column, Blair conjures “That feeling you get/ when somebody is wearing a nightdress/ by the freezer section of the supermarket.” 

“Bring Back the Poison Squad: A hundred years ago, our food-safety regulators were willing to eat formaldehyde on our behalf. What are they doing now?” by Deborah Blum. In the early 20th century Buy Bandage dresses, USDA scientist Harvey Wiley created volunteer poison squads to test the nation’s food. They tried borax, copper sulfate, and formaldehyde. With food-poisoning outbreaks causing 3,000 deaths annually, Blum argues that we need the FDA to stick its neck out like that again.

“Berkeley Prof Pinpoints Exact Birthdate of Jewish Humor,” by Nina Rastogi. A council of 17th century rabbis wrestling with the darkness of persecution may have given rise to today’s caustic, hapless schlemiel. 

“Naughty by Nature: What should we think of people whose addled brains are driving them to nymphomania?” by Jesse Bering. A neurological disorder that transforms patients into sex fiends presents a challenge to traditional morality. Will “my brain made me do it” fly as an excuse?

“Friends in Embarrassing Places: Saif Qaddafi’s connections with the British establishment are typical of the links between wealthy dictators and Western politicians Herve Leger sale,” by Anne Applebaum. It’s past time for Western statesmen to cut their gold and oil-slicked alliances with the baddies of contemporary political history. How long will the post-revolutionary world be willing to wait?    

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Rendered SpeculationJaguar Crossover Concept

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Adrian Hallmark Replica Marc Jacobs Dresses, Jaguar’s Global Brand Director Buy DKNY Dresses, has already said the British-bred, Indian-owned luxury brand needs a crossover. While some may rightly argue that point Replica Karen Millen Dresses, the fact of the matter is that a Land Rover-based ‘ute wearing the classic Leaping Cat seems like a foregone conclusion at this point.

And that means it’s time for some Rendered Speculation. Photo-manipulator extraordinaire Jon Sibal was commissioned by the boys from AutoGuide.com to combine the recently unveiled Range Rover Evoque with the current fascia and styling details exemplified most recently by the Jaguar XJ sedan… and the result is Cheap Hale Bob Dresses, well, pretty much exactly what you’d expect.

As for us? We’re casting a great big ‘No’ in the general direction a Jaguar crossover Replica Christian Audigier Clothing, not that our vote counts for anything. As we see it Buy DKNY Dresses, utility belongs in the Land Rover showroom and classic British luxury with a sporty bent operates from the Jaguar corner…

[Source: Jon Sibal]

VW’s Up! could be coming to the States

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High fuel prices have started to change the way Americans look at transportation, and several automakers are rushing to market smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles onto US roads. Daimler Benz is in the final stages of launching the Smart fortwo city car here in the US, and Volkswagen is looking at entering the fray with their own mini compact, the Up Replica Blancpain Watches!. The stylish Up Replica Rolex Watches for Cheap! was unveiled in Frankfurt on Monday Replica Sarcar Watches, and Adrian Hallmark, head of Volkswagen of America, has already informed Wolfsburg that the US market is interested.

It’s hard to gauge how the fortwo will do here in the States due to its freakishly small size and seating for only two Buy Cheap Replica Piaget Watches, but the VW Up Fake Romain Jerome Watches! concept has a rear-engine, rear drive configuration with room for four. A sedan with roughly the same amount of interior space as a previous generation Golf will likely be available for US consumers if the vehicle goes to production in the next few years. We just hope VW can achieve incredible fuel economy with the good looks of the concept Fake Jaeger LeCoultre Watches, while offering the Up! at the low prices that once made the original Beetle such a smash hit.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]