HAHAHAH So supposively Sammy Sosa is undergoing skin treatment for all the sun exposure he had from playing baseball....HMMM Looks a little crazy to me!!!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Seguin.org
So as I was riding to downtown Chicago this past weekend I saw an ad for this company...Seguin...hahah REALLY!?!?
Details taken from : https://seguin.org
About Seguin Services
Seguin Services is a not-for-profit agency that offers programs that enable children and adults with disabilities from around the country to fulfill their dreams of happiness, productivity and independence. Children with severe emotional, behavioral and medical challenges are living with Seguin trained foster parents through Seguin's foster care program. Educational services coordination helps children reach their highest potential. Supports are available for those who want to adopt a child in need of a permanent home.
Seguin's job developers work with local employers to find adults with disabilities employment in the community. Job Coaches support each participant at the job site.
SeguinWorks is a group of enterprises founded to provide jobs for people with disabilities while securing revenue for essential social services. Participants can hone their skills in preparation for seeking employment in the community.
Classes are provided that are designed to help people with disabilities reach greater independence and confidence in their everyday lives.
Community Integrated Living Arrangement homes that Seguin supports represent a secure future for adults with disabilities. They can enjoy life enriched with family, neighbors and friends in beautiful, fully wheelchair accessible homes in welcoming neighborhoods. Seguin owns 62 residential facilities in 21 communities throughout Chicago's south and western suburbs.
Our headquarters are located in Cicero, Illinois, at 3100 S. Central Avenues on the corner of Central and 31st Street near Ogden Avenue. Seguin has an annual budget of approximately $20 million and provides daily services to approximately 300 adults and 161 children (people under 19 years of age). Seguin employs over 600 people, of whom nearly 500 (83%) are direct care workers serving Seguin clients.
Friday, November 6, 2009
A little Naval History
Bull Ensign (also Boot or George Ensign)
The Bull Ensign is the senior ensign of a Navy command (ship, squadron, or shore activity). In addition to normal duties, the Bull Ensign assumes various additional responsibilities such as teaching less-experienced ensigns about life at sea, planning and coordinating wardroom social activities, making sure that the officers’ mess runs smoothly, and serving as an officer (such as treasurer) for Navy-related social organizations. The Bull Ensign is responsible for preventing junior ensigns in his command from embarrassing themselves and the Navy. Though the position often has little formal authority, the Bull Ensign serves as the focal point for the unit’s expression of spirit and pride. A Bull Ensign will often be recognized by his uniform’s oversized gold ensign collar device engraved with the word “Bull.”
The origin of the term Bull Ensign is uncertain, though the combination of the words “bull” and “ensign” likely occurred in the mid-20th century.
The first published use of the word “ensign” indicating the lowest rank of commissioned naval officer dates to 1708 when it was used in the London Gazette. The US Navy adopted the rank in 1862 as a replacement for the rank of passed midshipman (a Naval Academy graduate).
“Bull” has a wide variety of meanings ranging from a male bovine (circa 1200), or other large animal (1615), to an ecclesiastical (1297) or civil edict (1696), and even a falsehood or nonsense (1630). Bull is slang for a Royal Navy ship and an English person (1835); a railway locomotive (1859); a police officer/prison guard/detective (1893); something large and powerful (1889); and a logging foreman or boss (1942).
Terms possibly related to Bull Ensign are: Bulldog, a watchman or police officer (1828); Bulldozer, a bully/thug (1876); Bull-eater, an aggressive soldier (1918); Bull gang, a labor crew (1918); Bull nurse, a cowboy accompanying cattle on train destined for the slaughterhouse (1922); Bull camp, a labor camp (1931); and Bull Chief, a US Navy chief petty officer (1961).
Although the term “Bull Ensign” may signify an ensign behaving in a dominant manner, like a bull toward a herd of ensigns, it has also been suggested that the Bull Ensign’s actions can be seen as “bullish” (optimistic and hard working), seeking promotion to Lieutenant (junior grade).
The opposite of a Bull Ensign is the Boot or George Ensign - the officer with the least seniority in the wardroom. The term “Boot Ensign” likely originated in the first half of the 20th century. A “Boot” is an inexperienced/ignorant Navy or Marine Corps recruit in basic training (1911), or a junior officer, as mentioned in Martin Dibner’s World War II novel, The Deep Six, published in 1953. The origin of the term “George Ensign” is uncertain. George is slang for letting someone else [George] do a task (1910), someone who is knowledgeable and wise (1917), and a low-status Pullman railroad porter (1939). Saint George’s Ensign, traditionally flown by the Royal Navy, is a flag with a red cross on a white field. It was first mentioned in 1611, and subsequently described in Naval Tracts (1704) as being flown by admirals from the head of the top mast of warships.
The Bull Ensign is the senior ensign of a Navy command (ship, squadron, or shore activity). In addition to normal duties, the Bull Ensign assumes various additional responsibilities such as teaching less-experienced ensigns about life at sea, planning and coordinating wardroom social activities, making sure that the officers’ mess runs smoothly, and serving as an officer (such as treasurer) for Navy-related social organizations. The Bull Ensign is responsible for preventing junior ensigns in his command from embarrassing themselves and the Navy. Though the position often has little formal authority, the Bull Ensign serves as the focal point for the unit’s expression of spirit and pride. A Bull Ensign will often be recognized by his uniform’s oversized gold ensign collar device engraved with the word “Bull.”
The origin of the term Bull Ensign is uncertain, though the combination of the words “bull” and “ensign” likely occurred in the mid-20th century.
The first published use of the word “ensign” indicating the lowest rank of commissioned naval officer dates to 1708 when it was used in the London Gazette. The US Navy adopted the rank in 1862 as a replacement for the rank of passed midshipman (a Naval Academy graduate).
“Bull” has a wide variety of meanings ranging from a male bovine (circa 1200), or other large animal (1615), to an ecclesiastical (1297) or civil edict (1696), and even a falsehood or nonsense (1630). Bull is slang for a Royal Navy ship and an English person (1835); a railway locomotive (1859); a police officer/prison guard/detective (1893); something large and powerful (1889); and a logging foreman or boss (1942).
Terms possibly related to Bull Ensign are: Bulldog, a watchman or police officer (1828); Bulldozer, a bully/thug (1876); Bull-eater, an aggressive soldier (1918); Bull gang, a labor crew (1918); Bull nurse, a cowboy accompanying cattle on train destined for the slaughterhouse (1922); Bull camp, a labor camp (1931); and Bull Chief, a US Navy chief petty officer (1961).
Although the term “Bull Ensign” may signify an ensign behaving in a dominant manner, like a bull toward a herd of ensigns, it has also been suggested that the Bull Ensign’s actions can be seen as “bullish” (optimistic and hard working), seeking promotion to Lieutenant (junior grade).
The opposite of a Bull Ensign is the Boot or George Ensign - the officer with the least seniority in the wardroom. The term “Boot Ensign” likely originated in the first half of the 20th century. A “Boot” is an inexperienced/ignorant Navy or Marine Corps recruit in basic training (1911), or a junior officer, as mentioned in Martin Dibner’s World War II novel, The Deep Six, published in 1953. The origin of the term “George Ensign” is uncertain. George is slang for letting someone else [George] do a task (1910), someone who is knowledgeable and wise (1917), and a low-status Pullman railroad porter (1939). Saint George’s Ensign, traditionally flown by the Royal Navy, is a flag with a red cross on a white field. It was first mentioned in 1611, and subsequently described in Naval Tracts (1704) as being flown by admirals from the head of the top mast of warships.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
I so want to stay at this CASTLE!!!
So when I finally make it to France I am totally going to stay here. Its a castle south of Paris. Below is the article I found taken from the website: http://www.hidden-worlds.com/alogny/alogny_location.htm and http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-30268557
Castle in France
If your aspirations are a little grander, perhaps a castle in France is more your speed. The 900-year-old Chateau d'Alogny has been spruced up since its earliest days, and now boasts a modern kitchen, satellite TV, and under-floor central heating. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the castle sleeps 10 people comfortably. Located just south of the Loire Valley between the cities of Tours and Poitiers, there's plenty to do nearby. Split between 10 people staying for a week, the nightly rate comes out to $44 to $75 per person, depending on the season.
If your aspirations are a little grander, perhaps a castle in France is more your speed. The 900-year-old Chateau d'Alogny has been spruced up since its earliest days, and now boasts a modern kitchen, satellite TV, and under-floor central heating. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the castle sleeps 10 people comfortably. Located just south of the Loire Valley between the cities of Tours and Poitiers, there's plenty to do nearby. Split between 10 people staying for a week, the nightly rate comes out to $44 to $75 per person, depending on the season.
The Château d'Alogny is a hilltop castle, small and romantic, lying south of the Loire valley. A private home, it is located midway between the historic cities of Tours and Poitiers. It is surrounded by intriguing gardens and terraces. The large, private swimming pool commands outstanding views over the surrounding countryside.
Begun in the time of William The Conqueror (XIth Cent) Alogny's buildings today date mainly from the XIVth Century. While fully preserving its medieval ambience, it is both welcoming and comfortable, with all modern amenities.
Begun in the time of William The Conqueror (XIth Cent) Alogny's buildings today date mainly from the XIVth Century. While fully preserving its medieval ambience, it is both welcoming and comfortable, with all modern amenities.
For almost a thousand years the Château d’Alogny has dominated the valley of the Creuse, where the historic Touraine and Poitou regions meet. Standing on a wooded bluff overlooking the river, it enjoys breathtaking panoramic views across the surrounding countryside.
On the lawn in front of the château, a great megalithic standing stone or menhir provides mute testimony to the fact that this has been revered as a sacred site for over ten thousand years.
Alogny is located near the attractive spa town of La Roche Posay, which has been famous since Roman times for the healing properties of its medicinal waters. These waters are still valued today and our visitors too can enjoy luxurious massages, facials, and other therapeutic treatments. La Roche Posay skin care products are highly regarded and are sold around the world.
On the lawn in front of the château, a great megalithic standing stone or menhir provides mute testimony to the fact that this has been revered as a sacred site for over ten thousand years.
Alogny is located near the attractive spa town of La Roche Posay, which has been famous since Roman times for the healing properties of its medicinal waters. These waters are still valued today and our visitors too can enjoy luxurious massages, facials, and other therapeutic treatments. La Roche Posay skin care products are highly regarded and are sold around the world.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
A new Ocean...really???
Sweet...hahah
Story taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/giantcrackinafricawillcreateanewocean
A 35-mile rift in the desert of Ethiopia will likely become a new ocean eventually, researchers now confirm.
The crack, 20 feet wide in spots, opened in 2005 and some geologists believed then that it would spawn a new ocean. But that view was controversial, and the rift had not been well studied.
A new study involving an international team of scientists and reported in the journal Geophysical Research Letters finds the processes creating the rift are nearly identical to what goes on at the bottom of oceans, further indication a sea is in the region's future.
The same rift activity is slowly parting the Red Sea, too.
Using newly gathered seismic data from 2005, researchers reconstructed the event to show the rift tore open along its entire 35-mile length in just days. Dabbahu, a volcano at the northern end of the rift, erupted first, then magma pushed up through the middle of the rift area and began "unzipping" the rift in both directions, the researchers explained in a statement today.
"We know that seafloor ridges are created by a similar intrusion of magma into a rift, but we never knew that a huge length of the ridge could break open at once like this," said Cindy Ebinger, professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Rochester and co-author of the study.
The result shows that highly active volcanic boundaries along the edges of tectonic ocean plates may suddenly break apart in large sections, instead of in bits, as the leading theory held. And such sudden large-scale events on land pose a much more serious hazard to populations living near the rift than would several smaller events, Ebinger said.
"The whole point of this study is to learn whether what is happening in Ethiopia is like what is happening at the bottom of the ocean where it's almost impossible for us to go," says Ebinger. "We knew that if we could establish that, then Ethiopia would essentially be a unique and superb ocean-ridge laboratory for us. Because of the unprecedented cross-border collaboration behind this research, we now know that the answer is yes, it is analogous."
The African and Arabian plates meet in the remote Afar desert of Northern Ethiopia and have been spreading apart in a rifting process - at a speed of less than 1 inch per year - for the past 30 million years. This rifting formed the 186-mile Afar depression and the Red Sea. The thinking is that the Red Sea will eventually pour into the new sea in a million years or so. The new ocean would connect to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, an arm of the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia in eastern Africa.
Atalay Ayele, professor at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, led the investigation, gathering seismic data with help from neighboring Eritrea and Ghebrebrhan Ogubazghi, professor at the Eritrea Institute of Technology, and from Yemen with the help of Jamal Sholan of the National Yemen Seismological Observatory Center.
Story taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/giantcrackinafricawillcreateanewocean
A 35-mile rift in the desert of Ethiopia will likely become a new ocean eventually, researchers now confirm.
The crack, 20 feet wide in spots, opened in 2005 and some geologists believed then that it would spawn a new ocean. But that view was controversial, and the rift had not been well studied.
A new study involving an international team of scientists and reported in the journal Geophysical Research Letters finds the processes creating the rift are nearly identical to what goes on at the bottom of oceans, further indication a sea is in the region's future.
The same rift activity is slowly parting the Red Sea, too.
Using newly gathered seismic data from 2005, researchers reconstructed the event to show the rift tore open along its entire 35-mile length in just days. Dabbahu, a volcano at the northern end of the rift, erupted first, then magma pushed up through the middle of the rift area and began "unzipping" the rift in both directions, the researchers explained in a statement today.
"We know that seafloor ridges are created by a similar intrusion of magma into a rift, but we never knew that a huge length of the ridge could break open at once like this," said Cindy Ebinger, professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Rochester and co-author of the study.
The result shows that highly active volcanic boundaries along the edges of tectonic ocean plates may suddenly break apart in large sections, instead of in bits, as the leading theory held. And such sudden large-scale events on land pose a much more serious hazard to populations living near the rift than would several smaller events, Ebinger said.
"The whole point of this study is to learn whether what is happening in Ethiopia is like what is happening at the bottom of the ocean where it's almost impossible for us to go," says Ebinger. "We knew that if we could establish that, then Ethiopia would essentially be a unique and superb ocean-ridge laboratory for us. Because of the unprecedented cross-border collaboration behind this research, we now know that the answer is yes, it is analogous."
The African and Arabian plates meet in the remote Afar desert of Northern Ethiopia and have been spreading apart in a rifting process - at a speed of less than 1 inch per year - for the past 30 million years. This rifting formed the 186-mile Afar depression and the Red Sea. The thinking is that the Red Sea will eventually pour into the new sea in a million years or so. The new ocean would connect to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, an arm of the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia in eastern Africa.
Atalay Ayele, professor at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, led the investigation, gathering seismic data with help from neighboring Eritrea and Ghebrebrhan Ogubazghi, professor at the Eritrea Institute of Technology, and from Yemen with the help of Jamal Sholan of the National Yemen Seismological Observatory Center.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Ford Motor Compnay reports $1B in profits
This story gave me a little smile, showing that the recsiion is taking a round turn. Detroit is getting back to what they do, make cars and profit from it. This industry affects so many people in Michigan in some way or another. Even more focused it affects my family because my dad works almost directly for the vehicle industry and faced many months of layoffs. With Ford making a turn towards profiting it makes me feel better that my dad will stay within work now, at least for awhile. As the common vehicle makes advances with technology I hope Michigan continues to be the center stage for development, and the auto industry.
Below is a story on this roundturn Ford Motor Company has taken, story taken from: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ford-surprises-with-1B-profit-apf-3471782507.html?x=0
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Ford, the only Detroit automaker to dodge direct government aid and bankruptcy court, surprised investors with net income of nearly $1 billion in the third quarter and forecast a "solidly profitable" 2011. The automaker said Monday earnings were fueled by U.S. market share gains, cost cuts and the Cash for Clunkers program, which drew flocks of buyers to showrooms this summer. Ford's shares rose 53 cents, or 7.6 percent, to $7.53 in afternoon trading.
The latest results signal that Ford's turnaround is on more solid ground. The company lost more than $14.6 billion last year and hasn't posted a full-year profit since 2005. While it made a profit in the second quarter, that was mainly due to debt reductions that cut its interest payments.
Ford, based in Dearborn, Mich., reported third-quarter net income of $997 million, or 29 cents per share. Its profit forecast for 2011 was a step above previous guidance of break-even or better for the year.
Ford's key North American car and truck division posted a pretax profit of $357 million, the division's first quarter in the black since early 2005. Ford cited higher pricing, lower material costs and increased market share for the improvement.
Excluding one-time items, Ford earned 26 cents per share, blowing away analysts' expectations of a loss of 12 cents.
The earnings came despite an $800 million revenue drop. But Ford said it cut costs by $1 billion during the quarter, accomplished through layoffs in North America and Europe, reduced pension and retiree health care costs and improvements in productivity and product development.
Chief financial officer Lewis Booth said the company took in $1.3 billion more than it spent in the quarter, an improvement over its $1 billion cash burn in the second quarter.
"That's a huge deal," Booth said.
Ford's plan to create demand and get better prices for its products, coupled with cost cuts, gave the company confidence that it will make money in 2011, Booth said.
But Ford still faces obstacles in its turnaround. On Monday, the United Auto Workers union said its members overwhelmingly rejected a deal that would have brought Ford's labor costs in line with rivals General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC.
Seventy percent of production workers and 75 percent of skilled tradesmen such as electricians and pipefitters voted against it. The union said it would not return to the bargaining table.
Ford said in a statement that it will keep working with the union to make sure it stays competitive so it can keep making commitments to invest in U.S. factories.
Workers objected to clauses limiting their right to strike and freezing entry-level wages, and felt the company was healthy enough and didn't need further concessions. The rejected deal also would have changed rules so skilled tradesmen work in teams and perform more than one task.
Rejection of the deal isn't likely to place Ford at an immediate cost disadvantage to its crosstown rivals because savings from the concessions are longer-term, said Gary Chaison, a professor of labor relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Neither the company nor the UAW has released any cost savings numbers.
The third-quarter profit makes it extremely unlikely that the company will push to head back to the bargaining table before the current UAW contract expires in the fall of 2011, and union leaders also are unlikely to take another deal to the membership, Chaison said.
"I think the company has no credibility asking for concessions now, and I think the leadership is quite embarrased for making a case for concessions," he said.
Chaison said Ford could make some noise about moving new vehicle production to Canada, where unionized workers on Sunday approved a package of concessions, but it's more likely that Ford will live with the current contract until 2011.
The other area where Ford has a cost disadvantage is debt. Ford reported $26.9 billion in debt, up $800 million from the second quarter.
The company avoided the same fate as rivals Chrysler and GM by mortgaging its factories and even the familiar blue oval logo to borrow $23.5 billion before credit markets froze last year.
Ford didn't quantify the impact of Cash for Clunkers, which offered buyers rebates to trade in their vehicles. The program helped Ford cut costly incentives and raise production.
It also won buyers; the fuel-efficient Ford Focus sedan and Ford Escape, a small SUV, were among the top five sellers under clunkers. Ford sales climbed 17 percent in August thanks to the program.
Ford's revenue fell $800 million for the quarter, to $30.9 billion, due mainly to its financial services arm, Ford Motor Credit, making fewer loans.
But the division still posted a pretax profit of $677 million, and revenue from auto operations rose slightly to $27.9 billion.
Ford also has benefited from consumer goodwill after it declined government bailout money and didn't go into bankruptcy over the summer as GM and Chrysler did. Ford grabbed sales from its rivals, posting the largest increase in market share of any automaker in September. Ford expects an overall gain in U.S. market share in 2009, a feat it hasn't accomplished since 1995.
Below is a story on this roundturn Ford Motor Company has taken, story taken from: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ford-surprises-with-1B-profit-apf-3471782507.html?x=0
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Ford, the only Detroit automaker to dodge direct government aid and bankruptcy court, surprised investors with net income of nearly $1 billion in the third quarter and forecast a "solidly profitable" 2011. The automaker said Monday earnings were fueled by U.S. market share gains, cost cuts and the Cash for Clunkers program, which drew flocks of buyers to showrooms this summer. Ford's shares rose 53 cents, or 7.6 percent, to $7.53 in afternoon trading.
The latest results signal that Ford's turnaround is on more solid ground. The company lost more than $14.6 billion last year and hasn't posted a full-year profit since 2005. While it made a profit in the second quarter, that was mainly due to debt reductions that cut its interest payments.
Ford, based in Dearborn, Mich., reported third-quarter net income of $997 million, or 29 cents per share. Its profit forecast for 2011 was a step above previous guidance of break-even or better for the year.
Ford's key North American car and truck division posted a pretax profit of $357 million, the division's first quarter in the black since early 2005. Ford cited higher pricing, lower material costs and increased market share for the improvement.
Excluding one-time items, Ford earned 26 cents per share, blowing away analysts' expectations of a loss of 12 cents.
The earnings came despite an $800 million revenue drop. But Ford said it cut costs by $1 billion during the quarter, accomplished through layoffs in North America and Europe, reduced pension and retiree health care costs and improvements in productivity and product development.
Chief financial officer Lewis Booth said the company took in $1.3 billion more than it spent in the quarter, an improvement over its $1 billion cash burn in the second quarter.
"That's a huge deal," Booth said.
Ford's plan to create demand and get better prices for its products, coupled with cost cuts, gave the company confidence that it will make money in 2011, Booth said.
But Ford still faces obstacles in its turnaround. On Monday, the United Auto Workers union said its members overwhelmingly rejected a deal that would have brought Ford's labor costs in line with rivals General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC.
Seventy percent of production workers and 75 percent of skilled tradesmen such as electricians and pipefitters voted against it. The union said it would not return to the bargaining table.
Ford said in a statement that it will keep working with the union to make sure it stays competitive so it can keep making commitments to invest in U.S. factories.
Workers objected to clauses limiting their right to strike and freezing entry-level wages, and felt the company was healthy enough and didn't need further concessions. The rejected deal also would have changed rules so skilled tradesmen work in teams and perform more than one task.
Rejection of the deal isn't likely to place Ford at an immediate cost disadvantage to its crosstown rivals because savings from the concessions are longer-term, said Gary Chaison, a professor of labor relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Neither the company nor the UAW has released any cost savings numbers.
The third-quarter profit makes it extremely unlikely that the company will push to head back to the bargaining table before the current UAW contract expires in the fall of 2011, and union leaders also are unlikely to take another deal to the membership, Chaison said.
"I think the company has no credibility asking for concessions now, and I think the leadership is quite embarrased for making a case for concessions," he said.
Chaison said Ford could make some noise about moving new vehicle production to Canada, where unionized workers on Sunday approved a package of concessions, but it's more likely that Ford will live with the current contract until 2011.
The other area where Ford has a cost disadvantage is debt. Ford reported $26.9 billion in debt, up $800 million from the second quarter.
The company avoided the same fate as rivals Chrysler and GM by mortgaging its factories and even the familiar blue oval logo to borrow $23.5 billion before credit markets froze last year.
Ford didn't quantify the impact of Cash for Clunkers, which offered buyers rebates to trade in their vehicles. The program helped Ford cut costly incentives and raise production.
It also won buyers; the fuel-efficient Ford Focus sedan and Ford Escape, a small SUV, were among the top five sellers under clunkers. Ford sales climbed 17 percent in August thanks to the program.
Ford's revenue fell $800 million for the quarter, to $30.9 billion, due mainly to its financial services arm, Ford Motor Credit, making fewer loans.
But the division still posted a pretax profit of $677 million, and revenue from auto operations rose slightly to $27.9 billion.
Ford also has benefited from consumer goodwill after it declined government bailout money and didn't go into bankruptcy over the summer as GM and Chrysler did. Ford grabbed sales from its rivals, posting the largest increase in market share of any automaker in September. Ford expects an overall gain in U.S. market share in 2009, a feat it hasn't accomplished since 1995.
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