четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

Tupper, Earl Silas

Tupper, Earl Silas

(1907-1983)
Tupperware

Overview

The story of Earl Tupper is an American ingenuity story, in which a young man with a basic high school education, an inventive genius, and a commercial eye was able to transform an ugly hunk of oil refinery waste known as "slag" into a form of plastic that could be made cheaply into many useful things. Tupper's new plastic and his methods of forming the plastic changed the shape and design of household objects, as well as commercial objects in the last half of the twentieth century. His marketing technique of hosting product demonstration parties in the home became extremely successful and has been imitated by other companies selling such items as underwear, home decorations, gardening supplies, and cooking utensils. Earl Tupper's Tupperware is one of the most recognized names in home furnishings in the world.

Personal Life

Earl Tupper was born on July 28, 1907, in Berlin, New Hampshire, and was the only child of Ernest and Lulu Tupper. His father, Ernest Leslie Tupper, ran a family farm and greenhouses. His mother, Lulu Clark Tupper, took in laundry to wash for neighbors and ran a boarding home. Earl's father was a person who loved to build and tinker, and created several labor-saving gadgets. He was granted a patent for a device to facilitate the cleaning of chickens. Perhaps Earl Tupper developed his talent for inventing things by watching his father.

Earl was energetic as a youngster, interested in business, and in making money. He discovered hecould sell a lot of the family's farm produce if he went door-to-door rather than selling it at the farmer's market. By age 10, Earl learned that bringing the product to the customer was lucrative as well as enjoyable. He would use this method years later in the form of the Tupperware party.

Earl graduated from high school in New Hampshire in …

Revolution and Resistance in Eastern Europe: Challenges to Communist Rule

Kevin McDermott and Matthew Stibbe, eds. Revolution and Resistance in Eastern Europe: Challenges to Communist Rule. Oxford and New York: Berg, 2006. xiv, 210 pp. List of Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms. Index. $37.95, paper.

During the Cold War it was good to be a political scientist-concepts such as deterrence held sway over international relations, and Kremlinologists studied who stood next to whom in May Day parades. Now, we must pass the torch to the historians. As this important recent collection demonstrates, recently accessible archival materials, combined with new and challenging post-communist historiographies, have allowed historians to reshape many of our received …

US hedge fund terminates $2.55B investment agreement with auto parts supplier Delphi

A private equity group said Friday it has terminated its agreement to invest $2.55 billion (euro1.62 billion) in auto parts supplier Delphi Corp., which has been trying to emerge from bankruptcy protection.

The hedge fund Appaloosa Management LP made the announcement as Delphi, a major parts supplier to General Motors Corp., faced a Friday deadline to raise $6.1 billion (euro3.88 billion) in loans to help it out of bankruptcy.

Appaloosa said Delphi has breached an agreement it had with the investor group.

The Appaloosa-led investment was an essential pillar in Delphi's reorganization, which has been held up because of a …

Max-coin play still baffles slot/video fans

payback percentages is deeply ingrained in many slot players--somuch so that some players think of betting the max as something theyHAVE to do.

So when I've written that most video slots don't reward max-coinplay in the same way that reel-spinners do, I've gotten mixedreactions. Many readers' comments have expressed relief. Forty-five,90 or more coins per spin make for mighty expensive wagering, even onnickel games. Others aren't sure what to make of it all, as with awoman who approached me recently at Harrah's East Chicago.

"My friend told me that on the video slots, you don't have to playthe maximum coins, like you do on the reels. Is that right?"

I started …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

ABA videotape highlights Y2K for business customers

A videotape designed for banks to use with customers to ward off Year 2000 (Y2K) computer problems has been released by the American Bankers Association (ABA).

The videotape is being jointly offered by ABA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS).

The video is packaged with a resource manual including a Year 2000 Workbook and Checklist that business owners can use to tackle their own internal Y2K concerns.

The video, Your Business, Your Bank, and the Year 2000-A Business Outreach Videotape, illustrates how banks and business customers can work together to conduct a Y2K assessment and identifies other …

Dobrev warns of gut-wrenching 'Vampire' finale

NEW YORK (AP) — "Vampire Diaries" fans note: Nina Dobrev warns of a "gut-wrenching" season finale in which "people will die." Dobrev is not giving hints about who will go but predicts that "there will be a lot of tears" among the cast, crew and viewers of the CW hit.

The actress, who says the cast knows little more than the audience about writers' plans, says she was as surprised as anyone the key plotline involving a "sun and moon curse" turned out to be a ruse for character Klaus, who is scheming to become a vampire/werewolf hybrid.

"Trust me, when I read that script and looked at those pages and saw that everything that they've all been doing for the last two seasons really …

Analysis: US may shift on gays in military

A cultural shift in the 17 years since Congress passed a legal ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military had changed the debate even before it was reopened by President Barack Obama.

Colin Powell, for example, who as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 was part of the opposition, said Wednesday that for the past two years he has favored reviewing the current ban.

"Attitudes and circumstances have changed," he said.

For many younger members of the military _ those doing the bulk of the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq _ it is hardly a debate at all. Polls suggest they care little about sexual orientation in their …

Whose theater? // Control of Auditorium now up to judge

Closing arguments were presented Wednesday afternoon in CookCounty Circuit Court in a bitterly fought case that will determinethe future relationship between Roosevelt University and theAuditorium Theatre Council, the body that has operated, restored andraised funds for the Auditorium Theatre since 1960.

The arguments before Judge Aaron Jaffe came at the end of anoften-acrimonious 10-week trial. At issue is who controls theAuditorium Theatre, a Chicago cultural landmark that is owned byRoosevelt, and who has principal access to its assets. The assetsinclude funds raised for the restoration and operation of the theaterthrough the Auditorium Theatre Council, as well as …

Kodak gets 2013 deadline to reorganize

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Eastman Kodak Co. has obtained a bankruptcy judge's approval to borrow an initial $650 million from Citigroup Inc. to keep operations running while it peddles a trove of digital-imaging patents.

The ailing photography pioneer filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday, and is required under the financing terms to produce a reorganization plan by Feb. 15, 2013.

U.S. …

LeBron leads free-agent crop ready to change NBA

The NBA's free agency period has opened, with LeBron James leading perhaps the deepest group of players to ever hit the open market.

Teams could begin making their pitches at 0400 GMT Thursday, and some were getting started quickly.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson was expecting early visits in Los Angeles from the Hawks and New York Knicks, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting that the Hawks were prepared to offer the All-Star shooting guard a maximum salary contract.

Things get interesting later Thursday, when the New Jersey Nets and Knicks are scheduled for visits to Ohio to meet with James, the two-time MVP who heads the class.

It …

THE WEB-SAVVY DIRECTOR

Do you have an hour or two before this month's board meeting? Go surfing. On the Web, that is.

We've done this before, but the Web is constantly changing, and with it the value of various banking websites. These are the sites that the Web-savvy director should bookmark for general reference, or for a quick update when you need information related to your duties as a director:

www.fdic.gov

This is my first stop for current information on the state of the industry. Broken down into categories-bankers, consumers, analysts, and investors-this is the site that can keep you up on industry news, statistics, and regulatory changes, and it should be the starting point for …

Tamil rebels want to continue 2002 cease-fire after Sri Lankan government withdraws

Separatist Tamil Tigers rebels said Thursday they want to continue a 2002 cease-fire with the Sri Lankan government, a week after Colombo officially withdrew from the truce.

"We are shocked and disappointed that the government of Sri Lanka has unilaterally abrogated the cease-fire agreement signed in 2002," B. Nadesan, the group's political head, said in a statement _ the first public reaction to the government's decision.

The Tigers were "ready to implement every clause" of the Norway-brokered truce and respect it "100 percent," he said.

The rebel group is banned in United States, India, European Union and Canada as …

Clinton hasn't looked into Knox case in Italy

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she hasn't yet looked into the case of the American college student in Italy who was found guilty of murdering her British roommate.

Amanda Knox of Seattle has been sentenced to 26 years in prison after a yearlong trial. Knox's family insists she's innocent and is a victim of character assassination. They plan to appeal.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state, has said she plans to bring her own concerns _ including whether "anti-Americanism" tainted the trial _ to Clinton.

Clinton says she's been tied up with Afghanistan policy and hasn't examined the case. Clinton says she'll meet with anyone who has concerns about the case. She also says she hasn't expressed any concerns to the Italian government.

Clinton spoke on ABC television's "This Week."

Quick cash solutions carry risks

Are you getting desperate for money for the holidays? Thinking about taking out a payday loan, borrowing money at a pawn shop or renting to own?

Don't, say financial counseling experts.

"When we're desperate, we often resort to solutions that actually increase the problem," said Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (nfcc.org).

Stiff fees accompany payday loans, rent-to-own arrangements, and money borrowed at pawn shops when you put up collateral.

The credit-counseling foundation offers financial advice toll-free, (800) 388-2227, and in Spanish, (800) 682-9832.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

Bears, City Must Not Slam Door on Talks

Like a couple mired in a bitter divorce, City Hall and theChicago Bears are risking their long-term well-being for thesatisfaction of getting the best of each other right now.

Negotiations that will decide whether the Bears stay in Chicagoor move to Gary have deteriorated into messy, confrontational animus.All this posturing must be exhausting. We suggest both sides take arest.

In the latest round of dirt-dishing this week, the Bearsboycotted negotiations and both sides vowed not to "negotiate in thepress." Both, then, promptly raced to every newspaper and openmicrophone in town to present their own versions of the truth, whichremained decidedly at odds.

The Bears, for instance, produced well-credentialed experts whoasserted that Mayor Daley's Soldier Field renovation plan cannot beaccomplished for the stated price of $170 million and that the designis fatally flawed.

"Lies!" countered the city's architects of the Soldier Fieldrehab. The Bears, they say, are angling for a no-risk guarantee.

Meanwhile, all of this sniffing about design inadequacies andthe supposed standards of NFL fans only stiffens the mayor's resolveto send the Bears packing if they don't like the city's offer.

A fine mess, indeed. It is impossible for those of us on theoutside to separate fact from fiction in these apparently deadlockednegotiations. But there are a few things we can determine.

One is that Bears owner Michael McCaskey is not running thewhole show. The taxpayers have a stake, too. No public-privatepartnership is ever based on one party assuming no risk and all thebenefits. Hence, Daley's proposal in Cleveland Thursday to requireNFL franchises to repay all public funds spent on a stadium if theteam leaves before the end of its lease.

Also, because public money is involved, the mayor can talk aboutthe negotiations all day and all night if he pleases. The Bears arewelcome to present their figures, too, and talk about them.

We remain supportive of the Soldier Field plan. We would liketo see this national landmark continue to be a vital part of the cityfor a long time to come. This renovation plan offers a way to dothat without shortchanging the city's other funding priorities.

But if the sides are hopelessly deadlocked, every option -including the sidelined McDome stadium proposal - must be reopenedand fully considered before the door closes for the last time and theBears go packing.

Perhaps, like the divorcing couple, the two sides see nothing togain at this point in being conciliatory. Perhaps it would besatisfying to slam the door and storm off.

But down the road, both would find that they'd gained nothing,and compromised the interests of many in the process.

Gais wins 5-1 in opening round in Sweden

Three goals in the space of four minutes helped Gais to a 5-1 victory over crosstown rival Orgryte in Goteborg on Sunday in the opening round of the Swedish league.

Par Eriksson gave Gais an early lead and Brazilian Alvaro Santos, back in Sweden after five years in Denmark and France, leveled for promoted Orgryte in the 17th minute.

Tommy Lycen started the flurry of goals in the 26th minute, Mattias Lindstrom added another in the 28th and Wanderson do Carmo made it 4-1 one minute later.

Lindstrom completed the rout with his second goal of the game in the 51st minute, watched by a crowd of 17,531 at Gamla Ullevi, one of two new stadiums built for this season.

"I'd rather just go home and break down," said David Stenman, Orgryte's 20-year-old goalkeeper, who usually plays for the reserves.

AIK of Stockholm beat Halmstad 1-0 in Sunday's other game, with Gabriel Ozkan scoring the winner in the 55th minute.

In Saturday's matches, Malmo sealed a 1-0 win over Hacken and Elfsborg drew 1-1 with Hammarby.

Four matches are scheduled for Monday.

Dr. Montealegre, Candidato a la Presidencia de Nicaragua Visita San Francisco, California

El s�bado 28 de Enero, en los elegantes salones del Cocomo's en San Francisco, hubo de celebrarse una muy simp�tica reuni�n de la comunidad nicarag�ense en el Area de la Bah�a, con el Dr. Eduardo Montealegre, quien se ha desempe�ado con brillantez en importantes cargo durante la administraci�n del Ing. Bola�os.

A cuyo acto asistieron destacadas personalidades de la prensa escrita y radiada de San Francisco. Leo Lacayo, Tony Navarro, la se�ora C�nsul que representa a Nicaragua en esta ciudad estuvieron entre los asistentes, adem�s de muchas otras personalidades de la comunidad nicarag�ense radicados en el Area de la Bah�a.

El Dr. Montealegre sostuvo algunas reuniones de importancia, mientras el p�blico esperaba ansioso el momento de compartir y saludar al l�der visitante.

Eduardo Montealegre, nos pareci� locuaz, accesible al tiempo que dial�ctico. Con mucha paciencia atendi� a todas las peticiones y dej� satisfecho todos los deseos. No nos cabe la menor duda que lo mejor que le puede suceder al Nicaragua es que la mano de Eduardo Montealegre sea quien dirija los destinos de ese pa�s hermano en la convulsionada Centro-am�rica.

Si el pueblo nicarag�ense no ha alcanzado metas superiores de prosperidad y beneficios sociales bajo la administraci�n del Ing. Bolanos, se debe justamente a las constantes interferencias y frenos del Frente Sandinistas, lo cual prueba que este partido pol�tico y Daniel Ortega, s�lo les interesan su futuro pol�tico para volver a convertirse en dictador vitalicio al estilo Castro.

Confiamos en la inteligencia del pueblo nicarag�ense demostrada ya en elecciones pasadas, puesta de nuevo a prueba en las pr�ximas elecciones para elegir un nuevo mandatario. En campa�a pol�tica Daniel Ortega ha tratado de borrar las negras manchas de su dictadura, afirmando que no seguir� los destinos de la dictadura cubana. Pero en la pr�ctica mir�nlo junto a qui�n demuestras frente a la Oficina de Intereses de los Estados Unidos en La Habana. Y tambi�n vale la pena se�alar los v�nculos de fraterna amistad entre el ex-dictador nicarag�ense y Evo Morales, Hugo Ch�vez y toda la cofrad�a marxistoide que pretenden escurrir en el reloj de la dictadura los �ltimos vestigios de democracia en nuestro hemisferio.

Alerta pueblo de Nicaragua, no se dejen confundir �Qu� importan las palabras de Ortega, cuando los hechos demuestran otra cosa?

A�n permanece el rastro de dolor que dejaron los Sandinistas cuando pretendieron obligar por la fuerza al pueblo de Nicaragua a abrazar la dictadura de Fidel Castro y la extinguida Uni�n Sovi�tica.

El destino de la patria nicarag�ense est� en la balanza de las ideas y le corresponde a ese acucioso pueblo decidir entre el bien y el mal, al cielo rogamos para que hagan decisiones de las que nunca tengan que arrepentirse.

En cuando al Dr. Montealegre, siguiendo sus huellas creemos que lograr� sembrar en alma del nicarag�ense fe en un destino superior. Siendo un gu�a oportuno y acertado al tiempo que conciliador y pragm�tico. Afirmamos sin temor a equivocamos que lo mejor que le pueda pasar a Nicaragua y Centro-am�rica es que la mano de Eduardo Montealegre, sea quien rija los destinos de ese hermano pa�s.

Tuvimos la oportunidad de conversar con candidato a la presidencia de Nicaragua, y as� respondi� a nuestras preguntas:

�C�mo persive Ud. la posibilidad de que Daniel Ortega, sea electo por el pueblo, si consideramos que varios otros pa�-ses han elegido gobiernos de izquierda? El pueblo de Nicaragua sabr� elegir sobre los fracasos del Frente el nuevo Presidente sin importar que ha sucedido en otros pa�ses.

�Cu�les ser�an las bases estructurales de su administraci�n pol�ticamente hablando?. Lograr la estabilidad del toda la naci�n. Y dar�a prioridad al fortalecimiento de la econom�a nacional, empezando por la agricultura, la industria y fortalecer�amos nuestras instituciones democr�ticas al m�ximo como legado al pa�s.

�En qu� ha fallado la democracia en Nicaragua, cuando a�n Daniel Ortega sigue siendo una opci�n como gobernante?. Las administraciones anteriores como la de Alem�n, llena de ambiciones personales y corrupci�n que le dio poder a Ortega sin pasar por alto la contribuci�n de Violeta Chamorro.

�Qu� clase de patente de corzo tiene Daniel Ortega en Nicaragua, que es un ladr�n intocable?. Alem�n le entreg� poderes suficientes y negoci� con Daniel lo necesario para que la justicia en poder de los sandinistas le diera protecci�n legal.

�Har�a Ud. algo para reclamar a Ortega, las entrega de las propiedades robadas?. Durante la administraci�n de Violeta esto qued� convenientemente arreglado, y tambi�n Alem�n, ha contribuido a la protecci�n de Daniel Ortega. Ahora es algo que no puede hacerse, sin embargo har�amos lo posible por lograr algunas recuperaciones.

�Har�a Ud. alg�n tipo de acercamiento con el dictador de Cuba, Fidel Castro? Siempre hemos favorecido relaciones con todos los pa�ses, no obstante Cuba es un gulad de prisioneros que lleva ya 5 d�cadas de dictadura y tenemos ahora mismo relaciones aunque no a nivel de embajadores las cuales se mantendr�an.

El pueblo cubano tiene grandes expectativas en el futuro democr�tico de Nicaragua, �C�mo responde Ud. a esto? Ambos pueblos Cuba y Nicaragua han padecido destinos similares con gobiernos dictatoriales y estar�amos muy complacidos en que Cuba, tenga en el futuro la misma satisfacci�n democr�tica que Nicaragua.

El domingo en conmemoraci�n del 28 de enero, tambi�n en un lucido acto la Comunidad Cubano-Americana de Los Angeles tuvo como invitado especial al distinguido visitante nicarag�ense quien fue el orador principal de dicho evento en honor a la conmemoraci�n del natalicio de Jos� Mart�, este acto celebrado en el Coco- Palm Restaurant, y a la que asistieron distinguidas personalidades de nuestra comunidad as� como la prensa en el Sur del Estado de California, demuestra la solidaridad y confianza de Cuba y Nicaragua en los principios democr�ticos que siempre nos han hermanado.

Article copyright El Bohemio News.

Rome film fest to honor Julianne Moore

ROME (AP) — Julianne Moore will receive an acting award at the Rome Film Festival opening this month, organizers said Thursday, while Keira Knightley, Eva Mendes and Aaron Eckhart will walk the red carpet to present their new movies.

Also attending the Oct. 28-Nov.5 festival are John Landis, director of "The Blues Brothers," with his new film "Burke and Hare"; Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan; and French diva Fanny Ardant with a short film on the Roma community — a hot topic in her home country, which has been expelling Gypsies.

Knightley and Mendes will kick off the festival with "Last Night," a marital drama also starring "Avatar" leading man Sam Worthington, who is not expected in Rome. Eckhart will promote "Rabbit Hole," which also stars Nicole Kidman, about a couple grieving over the death of their son.

Both movies are among the 16 films competing for the top prize. Also in competition is "Oranges and Sunshine," the first feature film by Jim Loach, English director Ken Loach's son, and starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving, of "The Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings."

Moore is presenting "The Kids Are All Right," a family comic drama in which she stars opposite Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo. Rome Film Festival artistic director Piera Detassis said the American actress is being awarded for her ability to represent both mainstream Hollywood and indie movies.

The festival will also mark the 100th anniversary of Akira Kurosawa's birth with a screening of "Rashomon" and the 50th anniversary of "La Dolce Vita" with the presentation of the restored version of Federico Fellini's classic.

Now at its fifth edition, the Rome fest is seeking to establish itself in the busy international circuit of movie festivals.

Abyssinian Chronicles

Abyssinian Chronicles

Like the tactile weight of morsels being passed from hand to mouth, Isegawa feeds readers grains of wisdom in the form of well-placed words and deeds. Half a globe away, this gesture resonates and speaks through a diaspora of truth-telling as he delivers a pure philosophy wrapped in the guise of fictive prose. Having come of age within the tightly measured boundaries of a newly independent state, Isegawa's narrator conveys a self-reflective tale of passion and regret that crosses continents and generations. From the conflict-ridden Uganda of Idi Amin and his successors, to the expatriate ghettos of 1980s Amsterdam, the young protagonist, Mugezi is a reluctant witness to the sometimes grisly ties that bind.

The way of rural subsistence and indigenous religion becomes undeniably linked to an internally contentious institution of organized faith and the illusionary trappings of a hand-me-down modernity. The history and politics of postcolonial nationhood are most intimately intertwined with the characters' endangered genealogy, and the clear realities of daily living. Promises are all suspect; love triangles are entangled with the overlapping coordinates of villages turned into battle zones.

The multiple layers of Isegawa's narrative are achieved, and further accentuated, by the careful manner in which he handles the language, shaping gritty images and effective dialogue that blow life into a mundane space. The author moves concisely and adeptly between African idiom and the quick catch phrases of Western popular culture with a deliberate necessity reflective of his own world view. As skillfully, he negotiates the landscape of the human psyche, maneuvering amongst the varied perspectives of several substantive characters who each prove integral to the development of one another. Isegawa's thoughtful storytelling represents an increasingly positive shift in the direction of the written word and a particularly powerful statement on the status of the 21st century African novel.

Photo (Cover of book 'Abyssinian Chronicles')

The GeoCensus option

Postalsoft Inc. of La Crosse, Wis., recently introduced the GeoCensus Option for the company's Address Correction and Encoding (ACE) and ACE Library software products.

This new geo-coding software allows users to assign latitude, longitude and census codes to address data in addition to the postal codes assigned by ACE and ACE Library. The option works simultaneously with the ACE products, so all of the data can be appended in one pass.

The software is Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS)certified for accuracy in postal coding by the U.S. Postal Service.

The GeoCensus Option prepares data for further processing, such as predictive modeling, demographic data overlays and target marketing. Sales and marketing managers can use the data as a decision-making tool for planning and executing programs.

GeoCensus completes the full range of census informationincluding the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), county code, census tract and block group-when used in combination with the ACE products. In addition, it provides Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) codes to address data.

The information generated by GeoCensus Option is based on geographic data from Etak Inc., a company internationally recognized for their geo-positional mapping data.

Organizations that would like more information about GeoCensus Option or other Postalsoft products should call the company toll-free at 800-831-6245 or send an e-mail to prodinfo@postalsoft.com.