Creativity and art

Another Whistleblower — is Anyone Listening?

The plight of whistleblowers – those employees who sound the alarm about anything from dangerous conditions in the workplace to missed or ignored intelligence regarding our nation’s security – is a story that seems to grow stronger and with more frequency every day. My guess is that those stories have always been there; I suspect I am just paying closer attention to them now.

You see, I joined the “ranks” of whistleblowers more than one year ago when, on December 2, 2003, a major newspaper printed a story in which I confirmed for them what many of us already knew – we, the members of the United States Park Police, could no longer provide the level of service that citizens and visitors had grown to expect in our parks and on our parkways in Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco. The world changed for all of us on September 11, 2001, and the expectations of police agencies across the country grew exponentially overnight. As the Chief of the United States Park Police, an organization responsible for some of America’s most valued and тренажер для пресса Запорожье recognizable symbols of freedom, I knew it was my duty, as chiefs of police across the country do every day, to inform the community of the realities of the situation.

For being candid — for being “honest” — while still being supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my law enforcement authority, badge, and firearm, and escorted from the Department of Nokia 6500 Slide the Interior by armed special agents of another Federal law logan utah homes enforcement entity in December of 2003. Seven months later, the Department of the Interior terminated me.

Frighteningly, the issues I brought to light about our citizens’ and visitors’ safety and security and the future of these American icons have not been addressed — other than to silence me. In fact, there are fewer United States Park Police Officers today than there were Аксессуар к мбт купить more than one year ago when I was sent home for daring to say that we weren’t able to properly meet our commitments with existing resources. Other security concerns I raised internally have also gone un-addressed.

Imagine the outcry if I had previously stayed silent and if one of those symbolic monuments or memorials had been destroyed or the loss of life had occurred to someone visiting one of those locations. I did not want to be standing with my superiors among the ruins of one of these icons or in front of a Nokia 7900 Congressional committee trying to explain why we hadn’t asked for help.

Despite the serious First Amendment and security implications of my case for each American, there has been no Congressional intervention, no
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Romancing San Francisco [Chapters 9 & 10: Paranoia]

Paranoia

I was getting excited about the Christmas Party, and so the folks in my department at work assigned me to make the greeting handout, and so I drew a picture of a drunken fat man with his hair standing up; –everyone liked it. In the mean time, Dan was having a number of parties at his house. One evening, a few days before the Christmas Party, I was in his apartment, he and his brother were smoking some pot, some stuff from Mexico. I got too high too quickly off the pot I think; I had a few beers before hand also. I had not really smoked pot much before, other than maybe a drag here or there, but nothing like this. I mean I took some heavy drags, smoking a whole автомобильные навигаторы joint with Dan. I hadn’t done that before.

I sat back then, in a sofa chair and tried to get my senses back. Dan knew I was struggling a bit.

“You all right Chick?” He asked.

“Not sure, boy I feel something…not sure if I like it either,” Dan kind of chuckled, and sat back, lit another joint up, –his brother then came in, seen me, said hello, I gave him a smiling-smirk, and he joined his brother to help finish off the joint he was smoking.

Said Jack to Dan, his brother, “Chick keeps staring…matter of fact, he’s staring at me right now, look?”

Said Dan,

“Pay no attention, I think he’s going into a bad trip, leave him alone, he’ll come back to us.”

“F*ck no, he’s staring at me,” said Jack. I was staring, but not for reasons he was thinking, that is to fight or provoke, I was paranoid. He was then talking to Dan saying he was going to punch me, I moved my head a little looked at Sony Cybershot DSC-W120 Dan and Jack, I seemed almost frozen, and told myself, if he did, I’m not sure what I could do, but I’d have to jump quick, even though I was under some kind of panic I didn’t understand. Jack stood up from sitting by Dan on the floor, moved over by me thinking he was going to do something, but didn’t get too close. Dan knew I’d defend myself if I had to, and it wouldn’t be pretty, yet neither one knew how frozen I was in this limbo state. Could I move out of the way quickly enough? And was Jack getting paranoid also. Dan jumped up, grabbed Jack, “Back off Jack, I don’t want any trouble. If you want to talk to him after he comes out of if fine, but not like this.”

Jack stepped back, he seen me follow each of his movements, I felt I’d try to do what I had to do, but if not, I was playing poker, and Dan knew it would never end here, and I’d have to put Dan down also, and I would.

Two hours passed, I came about, and out of this trance like stage.

“You ok, Chick,” микроволновые печи Toshiba Dan said.

“Yaw, I’m fine, how about your brother?” Dan knew now it was time to sort things out.

“Listen,” he commented, as his brother sat on the floor smoking another joint, “He didn’t understand how you were, he’s young, you know.

Jack jumped up, “I’m not afraid of him.”

“Jack,” I said, “I’m not subdued anymore, the best you can do is sit back down and let your brother talk, or go out side with me, and I’ll kick your ass down, you’re no match for me, not now anyway.”

“Chick, if you take him on you got to take me also,” Dan said, adding, “I know he did wrong, but I stopped him, and I apologize for him.”

“Dan,” I calmly said, “I’ll walk away, but if he gets in my way, if I have to put you both down, I’ll do it.”

“He’s not going to get in your way, nor am I, we’re all friends here, both of you shake hands.” Jack hesitated, didn’t want to, but for some reason didn’t want to walk around wondering I suppose if and when I’d get drunk some night, and out of control, in short, then go looking for him.

“Ok, maybe I was a little pushy, I like Chick, I just didn’t like the staring. Ok, let’s shake,” and he extended his hand, and that was that.

The Party

Well finally the party day was here. I quickly washed up at work, and joined everyone in the backroom at Lilli Ann’s; Adolph Shuman was present himself, along with Mr. Green, Dan, Mr. Rosenberg the Manager, my boss the London designer, Dan’s Spanish girlfriend, and the fifty other folks. I guess when he first started the company; they said he gave out money, and expensive gifts. I guess it was a long road for him, he first started selling dresses in the windows on consignment in downtown San Francisco, stores, then one thing lead to another, and he became rich. Not sure how that all worked out. He must have had a head on his shoulders, and public relation skills. Nobody gets far without that in this world.

He started handing out bottles of expensive Scotch, “Here,” he said to me, handing it to me personally. As if he forgot who I was—again. He had gotten so mad at me one day he told the
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Myrtle Beach Golf Packages - What to Know Before You Go

There is a lot of money киа соренто с пробегом in the Myrtle Beach golf package market. Unfortunately, like any other opportunity, this can bring out scam artists and bad business practices.

Don’t get stuck with hidden charges on your golf packages. Myrtle Beach discount golf package resellers don’t always have your best interest in mind. Here are five things to be aware of before booking your next golf package to Myrtle Beach.

The first two items come in the form of hidden fees. Myrtle Beach is getting a bad reputation among visiting golfers because of these hidden fees and surcharges. This was one of the biggest complaints noted in a recent local newspaper’s article.

1) Cart Fees – The golf courses require them. Most golf packages leave them out. Hidden golf cart fees top the list of complaints for most golfers visiting the Grand Strand. Many Myrtle Beach golf package resellers keep the $20 or Sattley homes $30 dollars and pass along the fees to vacationing golfers. Ask up front whether or not cart fees are included. If not, demand it or do your business elsewhere.

2) Course Surcharges – Many golf packages allow golfers to “upgrade” to better courses. This fee is normal in the Myrtle Beach golf market. However, many golf packages up sell visitors on better golf courses. Then, after paying more, the vacationing golfer plays a
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Using Home Equity Loans for Debt Consolidation

Many people choose to use home equity loans Fred Lynn for debt consolidation. This is because there are several benefits to have debt consolidated, and there are few large consolidation loans that can be made without collateral. Many people who run into problems with debts have few assets that can serve Овощерезка Полтава as security against the debt consolidation loan. The equity in one’s home, however, is one of those things that it usually large enough to secure a loan that can help you consolidate your debts.

Advantages of debt consolidation

Consolidation is when you take all of your smaller loans and pay them off with the money you borrow in the form of one big loan. There are several advantages when Стиральная машина купить it comes ноутбуки MSI to debt consolidation:

· Only have
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Motorcycle Sun Glasses: More than Just an Accessory, Riders See Them as a Necessity

Whether you are a motorcycle owner or an occasional rider, one of the most important accessories you need is a pair of motorcycle sun glasses.

Many avid motorcycle riders prefer to wear motorcycle sun glasses underneath their visors and goggles to help with glare, UV light protection, light reflection, and depth perception. Although Acer AS7520G-402G32 the law in most U.S. states does not require motorcycle riders to wear visors or goggles, state laws do require that riders have their visors and goggles tinted below a certain percentage. By law, 50% is the darkest tint allowed. If a visor or pair of goggles is автоколонки Mac Audio too dark or mirrored in кофемолки Scarlett any way, it is not legal. Because of this, many riders choose to wear motorcycle sun glasses beneath their visors and goggles to enhance vision and make riding more comfortable.

If you are a motorcycle rider, you must consider a few points when deciding which motorcycle sun glasses to purchase. First, you must make sure that your motorcycle sun glasses have straight arms. This feature is often referred to as a
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Guidelines and Tips to Form a LLC

As a small business owner you will want to form a legal entity structure to obtain limited liability protection. A popular way to obtain limited liability protection is to form a LLC to protect your personal assets from creditors, debtors, and legal claims. One of the foremost reasons for you to form an LLC is the benefit of having limited liability protection. Limited liability protection is afforded to all members of an LLC. An LLC should be operated with a complete separation of personal and business assets. One advantage of forming an LLC is that of pass through taxation status, or income flowing through the entity to the members or owners. In order to maintain the privilege of limited liability protection, the company must adhere to all local, federal, and state laws. The company must also do everything that is required to maintain a good corporate status, pay all required taxes, and file all necessary paperwork.

Before you decide if filing an LLC is right for your specific situation, you will need to learn about some of the advantages, risks, and requirements that will affect you and your business. Here are some of the advantages of forming an LLC.

Advantages of Forming an LLC

• Only 1 member of a business is required to form LLC
• LLC can be taxed similar to sole-proprietorship, partnership, or corporation (IRS form 8832)
• LLC can have more than 75 members
• Nonresidents of US can be members of LLC
• Pass thru taxation for LLC similar to sole-proprietorship or partnership
• A Corporation can be the owner of an LLC

Should you Form an LLC to write off business expenses?
When deciding to form a LLC you тренажер leg magic will need to look at all of the options that are available to you. First is the understanding that all businesses, whether they are corporations, LLCs, sole-proprietorships, or partnerships can deduct their business expenses. You do not need to form an entity to have the benefit of deducting your expenses. Having the status of LLC or Corporation may limit your exposure to audit, but it does not provide more tax deductions compared to a sole proprietorship. For example, a sole proprietorship can deduct any legitimate business expense; such as cell phone, car miles, gas used for business travel, plane fare for business travel, etc. Check with your CPA to confirm that this is true for your specific situation.

With either a LLC or an школьницы он-лайн S Corporation, all of тестостерон пониженный the business profits and losses will pass-thru to the owners of the business each year. When you file your personal taxes, your accountant should provide you with a K1 for your business and include the profit or Tibbie homes loss statement within your personal income tax
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The Most Important Things to Know When Choosing a Treadmill

If you ever had the desire to buy a treadmill, you were probably hit by all sorts of questions: “What treadmill should I buy?”, “Where will I put it?”, “When will I have the time to use it?”, “What are the most important things to take into consideration when choosing a treadmill?” , Whirlpool AFG 8150 WP “Which treadmills will help me look fit?” and so forth. This article will try to answer these questions and give you an insight of the most important factors that are to be taken into consideration when choosing a treadmill or jogging machine.

First thing you should do before choosing a treadmill is figure out how much free space you have inside your home, because treadmills come in different sizes and designs. Once you know approximately how much space you can free up, you can go look for a treadmill of that exact specific size. Don’t put yourself in privately owned villa swimming pool golden mile marbella the unnecessary, awkward position where you come home with your newly purchased treadmill and are forced to put it in the closet because of the lack of room.

When choosing a treadmill, apart from size and design, another important factor you should take into consideration will be its quality. A quality treadmill can last for years, while poor quality ones can break apart in Saks homes a matter of weeks or months. What gives quality and longevity to a treadmill is its motor. The ones Таможня Новости
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Looking for a Great Valentine’s Day Gift?

The rush is on! Valentine’s Day is less than a month away, and I автоколонки Eton have a bet with some of my friends as to just which one of us will come up with the most creative gift for their significant other on the big day.

Here are are few great gift ideas for those of you who might need a nudge in the right direction:

For her:

1. Spa Package - give her a day of pampering. A pedicure, manicure, facial, etc. goes a long way after a long day.

2. Cookie Bouquet - For the lady with a sweet tooth. Always a big surprise!

3. Dinner - Any dude can take his favorite girl to a restaurant for dinner. But you’re different! Make dinner for her…you know, candles, flowers, Panasonic DMC-TZ2EE-S soft music, great conversation. Throw in something special, and make her favorite dish, or
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Is There A Way Out Of Your Debt Problems?

Do you have multiple debts? Do you have just one large debt which you could afford, but your circumstances have since changed? Are you finding it harder each month to meet the payments on your debts?

You know Тренажер Лег Мэджик debt is a problem, but maybe do not have any idea what the best way out is. Financial problems rarely just go away, so a solution of some beneficial sort is needed. Otherwise the problems just keep piling up and eventually overwhelm you.

While Благотворительность there may not be any instant debt solution, there are a number of things that can be done. Some of those things that can help you, apply across all methods of improving your debt situation, so let us have a look at those first:

1. Change Your Attitude Towards Debt And Spending

While debt is almost contagious these days, it is possible to be different from the crowd. Once you are determined not to follow social trends just because they are there, your mind can become a powerful ally in finding and achieving a solution to your debt problems.

This part of the debt solution is a long term aid, but one that will act like an immunisation does with disease. You will build up an immunity to the debt traps in the future, and for your existing debt you will be far more inclined to plan and budget your way to a debt free future.

2. Plan And Budget As Part Of Your Debt Solution

Another essential debt solution element is for you to budget and plan your financial future.
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Dating Tips - Use Your Friends

Having friends is a valuable gift that must холодильники Nardi be cherished on a daily basis. I’m not talking only about your best friends, the ones you call when you’re in trouble, or when you need to share your deepest thoughts and fears, I’m talking also about your buddies, your colleagues, your acquaintances, and all these people you might enjoy hanging out with once in a while.

How does this relate to dating? Well, once you are out in the singles market, these people become an important asset, you should start looking at them not only as your friends but also as your free dating services. Not only that one of them may be single and suitable for your exact desires, but also each and every one of them have their own circle of friends in which there are certainly копиры Sharp other singles who are looking for someone like you to have a relationship with.

There are two ways of accomplishing this – the first way is the direct way, which means literally asking your friends to be the matchmakers and set you up on a date with one of their friends.

The second option is starting to hang out with these friends and hopefully through their group hangouts (birthdays,
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