Former ‘Top Model’ contestant Whitney Cunningham defends plus size models, celebrates the “regular woman”

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Once you get a chance to talk to West Palm Beach, Florida native Whitney Cunningham, who placed seventh on the eighth cycle of the popular reality TV series America’s Next Top Model, you begin to understand what host Tyra Banks meant when she described her as the “full package.”

First of all, she is confident and headstrong, which is a must on these kinds of shows, almost as much as it is to take a beautiful modelesque picture. Second, she turns that confidence into drive. She has been receiving steady work as a model since leaving the show, and still believes that her goal of being the first woman to wear a size ten dress on the cover of Vogue is in reach. Third, and probably most important to television viewers, she obliterates the age-old model stereotype that to be pretty and photograph well, one must also be vapid and without a thought. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Cunningham also dreams of becoming a writer, and is working toward dual goals: a model who can express herself like no other model before her.

Cunningham recently sat down with Wikinews reporter Mike Halterman in an impassioned interview, taking hours to field questions from the reporter as well as from fans of America’s Next Top Model. Always in high spirits, Cunningham shows that she is a distinct personality who has carved her own niche in the Top Model history books. At the same time, she exhibits a joie de vivre that is oddly reminiscent of earlier Top Model fan favorite Toccara Jones, who showed America just how to be “big, black, beautiful and loving it.” However, Cunningham is quick to remind everyone that she isn’t big at all; she is simply a regular woman.

This is the first in a series of interviews with America’s Next Top Model contestants. Interviews will be published sporadically.

A Fence Company In St Paul Helps Property Owners Keep Animals Out Of Gardens

byAlma Abell

A Fence Company in St Paul can help property owners who need to secure their vegetable gardens against intruders. Those intruders aren’t of the human variety, but rather critters like squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, raccoons, and even deer. The neighbor’s dog might even have an ongoing craving for tomatoes. All these animals can be tenacious vegetable hounds, and only a fence will keep them out.

Even though St. Paul and the surrounding municipalities are urban, a wide variety of wildlife roams through the area and takes up residence there. The many lakes are appealing to these animals, and they can easily travel through green spaces and larger lots. Deer and other wild animals thrive in the kind of sprawling land and waterways that characterize the Twin Cities. Considering that many area residents even feed these critters intentionally, the problem has become remarkable.

People generally like to have gardens fenced with metal since that material holds up well against wildlife and pets and doesn’t create a visibly blocked-off portion of the property. A chain-link fence installed by a Fence Company in St Paul is a possibility, or a more decorative structure can be built. Chain-link fencing doesn’t have to look stark and cold, however. It’s available with coatings in various colors, and gardeners have the option of adding vines or shrubbery to brighten it up. Any garden-protecting fence in this region must be sturdy enough so deer or dogs won’t be able to knock it over. Deer, in particular, may be inclined to try this if they are hungry and having any trouble finding food. Fortunately for gardeners, that doesn’t tend to happen during the gardening season.

Fences, as installed by a contractor such as Dakota Unlimited, can even have a roof of the same material. Obviously, it’s essential not to block the sunshine, so a metal grid pattern is beneficial. This blocks animals that can jump from trees or easily climb a chain-link structure. It also keeps birds out. At the other end of the fence, the material can be installed far enough underground to prevent critters from tunneling underneath. Raccoons, possums, and chipmunks may be motivated to try this. Get a FREE Estimate today.

Computer professionals celebrate 10th birthday of A.L.I.C.E.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005File:Turing1.jpg

More than 50 programmers, scientists, students, hobbyists and fans of the A.L.I.C.E. chat robot gathered in Guildford, U.K. on Friday to celebrate the tenth birthday of the award winning A.I. On hand was the founder the Loebner Prize, an annual Turing Test, designed to pick out the world’s most human computer according to an experiment laid out by the famous British mathematician Alan Turing more then 50 years ago. Along with A.L.I.C.E.’s chief programmer Dr. Richard S. Wallace, two other Loebner prize winners, Robby Garner and this year’s winner, Rollo Carpenter, also gave presentations, as did other finalists.

The University of Surrey venue was chosen, according to Dr. Wallace, not only because it was outside the U.S. (A.L.I.C.E.’s birthday fell on the Thanksgiving Day weekend holiday there, so he expected few people would attend a conference in America), but also because of its recently erected statue of Alan Turing, who posed the famous A. I. experiment which inspired much of the work on bots like A.L.I.C.E. University of Surrey Digital World Research Centre organizers Lynn and David Hamill were pleased to host the event because it encourages multi-disciplinary interaction, and because of the Centre’s interest in interaction between humans and computers.File:ALICE Birthday Cake.jpg

Dr. Wallace gave a keynote address outlining the history of A.L.I.C.E. and AIML. Many people commented on the fact the he seemed to have moved around a lot in the last ten years, having lived in New York, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, Maine, Amsterdam and Philadelphia, while working on the Alicebot project. The A.L.I.C.E. and AIML software is popular among chat robot enthusiats primarily because of its distribution under the GNU free software license. One of Dr. Wallace’s PowerPoint slides asked the question, “How do you make money from free software?” His answer: memberships, subscriptions, books, directories, syndicated ads, consulting, teaching, and something called the Superbot.

Rollo Carpenter gave a fascinating presentation on his learning bot Jabberwacky, reading from several sample conversations wherein the bot seemed amazingly humanlike. Unlike the free A.L.I.C.E. software, Carpenter uses a proprietary learning approach so that the bot actually mimics the personality of each individual chatter. The more people who chat with Jabberwacky, the better it becomes at this kind of mimicry.

In another interesting presentation, Dr. Hamill related present-day research on chat robots to earlier work on dialog analysis in telephone conversations. Phone calls have many similarities to the one-on-one chats that bots encounter on the web and in IM. Dr. Hamill also related our social expectations of bots to social class structure and how servants were expected to behave in Victorian England. He cited the famous Microsoft paperclip as the most egregius example of a bot that violated all the rules of a good servant’s behavior.

Bots have advanced a long way since philanthropist Hugh Loebner launched his controversial contest 15 years ago. His Turing Test contest, which offers an award of $100,000 for the first program to pass an “audio-visual” version of the game, also awards a bronze medal and $2000 every year for the “most human computer” according to a panel of judges. Huma Shah of the University of Westminster presented examples of bots used by large corporations to help sell furniture, provide the latest information about automotive products, and help customers open bank accounts. Several companies in the U.S. and Europe offer customized bot personalities for corporate web sites.

Even though Turing’s Test remains controversial, this group of enthusiastic developers seems determined to carry on the tradition and try to develop more and more human like chat bots.Hugh Loebner is dedicated to carry on his contest for the rest of his life, in spite of his critics. He hopes that a large enough constituency of winners will exist to keep the competition going well beyond his own lifetime. Dr. Wallace says, “Nobody has gotten rich from chat robots yet, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. There is such a thing as ‘bot fever’. For some people who meet a bot for the first time, it can pass the Turing Test for them, and they get very excited.”

Termites Removal In Folsom, Ca, Should Be Handled By Professionals

byadmin

Whenever a home is threatened by natural events or pests, homeowners should take quick action to protect their property. While many environmental concerns can damage a home, pest infestation is one of the most damaging and severe. Termites are especially threatening and are capable of causing extreme damage to a home in a short period of time. Any homeowner who feels termites may be present on their property should immediately seek the help of an experienced exterminating service. Termites Removal in Folsom CA, requires specific products and treatments to regain control of the home and rid the area of these pests.

Termites will eat all types of natural building materials, but they greatly prefer to eat wood. Those with wood frame homes, dead trees, or other wooden structures on their property should regularly check for the presence of termites. If left untreated, termite infestations can quickly cause massive issues to homes. Termite colonies of thousands can appear from only a few initial bugs and, as the colonies grow, they require more food. This can be devastating to homes as the insects continue to eat more and more of the building. The structural damage that requires massive repair work and expensive reer Termite & Pest Control should be called for help as soon as possible.

Termites Removal in Folsom CA, is possible by using several different methods. The home can be tented and fumigating using toxic gases that kill all of the insects inside. For this type of treatment, people will have to leave their homes for a period of a few days, as the gases are also harmful to humans and pets. Fumigation is very effective at removing all of the present insects, but it does not protect against future infestations. Another option is to use pesticide spikes that will be inserted into the foundation, siding, and ground around the home. This option takes longer to work, but it does keep termites from developing in the future.

Termites are capable of causing a large amount of damage to a home. When termites are suspected near a home, it is best to get help from a qualified exterminator. By using either fumigation or poison spikes, termite colonies can be eradicated.

Bitmover ends free Bitkeeper, replacement sought for managing Linux kernel code

April 7, 2005

Bitmover, the company producing a management program for computer source code named Bitkeeper (BK), announced on April 5 that it will no longer be providing a free version of its product.

As a result of Bitmover’s announcement, the programmer who wrote the original Linux kernel, Linus Torvalds, stated on a mailing list that he “decided to not use BK mainly because [he] need[s] to figure out the alternatives”. As to an alternative to Bitkeeper, Torvalds hinted that he is considering Monotone but that Subversion, a recent replacement for CVS, is out of the running. Bitkeeper was originally developed to allow Torvalds to manage code contributions more easily, according to Jeremy Andrews at Kerneltrap.org, and was previously provided to kernel developers free of charge, though it was restricted in its use.

Bitkeeper is the software that Torvalds and hundreds of other Linux developers use to manage submissions of code to the Linux kernel, the heart of the computer operating systems referred to as “Linux” or “GNU/Linux”. Linux is distributed in many different forms, bundled with other software by companies such as Red Hat, Novell, and Linspire.

While the details are not clear, it appears from Andrews’ article that Bitmover’s decision to stop releasing the free version of Bitkeeper is related to a dispute with Torvalds’ employer, Open Source Development Labs (OSDL).

According to Kerneltrap, an OSDL contractor had been reverse engineering the free version of Bitkeeper in order to make an open source replacement, which is prohibited by the license under which the free version of Bitkeeper is released. Nevertheless, Torvalds notes in his post that he is “personally very happy with BK, and with Larry [McVoy, the CEO of Bitmover].”

Edmund White on writing, incest, life and Larry Kramer

Thursday, November 8, 2007

What you are about to read is an American life as lived by renowned author Edmund White. His life has been a crossroads, the fulcrum of high-brow Classicism and low-brow Brett Easton Ellisism. It is not for the faint. He has been the toast of the literary elite in New York, London and Paris, befriending artistic luminaries such as Salman Rushdie and Sir Ian McKellen while writing about a family where he was jealous his sister was having sex with his father as he fought off his mother’s amorous pursuit.

The fact is, Edmund White exists. His life exists. To the casual reader, they may find it disquieting that someone like his father existed in 1950’s America and that White’s work is the progeny of his intimate effort to understand his own experience.

Wikinews reporter David Shankbone understood that an interview with Edmund White, who is professor of creative writing at Princeton University, who wrote the seminal biography of Jean Genet, and who no longer can keep track of how many sex partners he has encountered, meant nothing would be off limits. Nothing was. Late in the interview they were joined by his partner Michael Caroll, who discussed White’s enduring feud with influential writer and activist Larry Kramer.

Second Party Work Injury Lawyer: Don’t Leave Millions Of Dollars On The Table

Second Party Work Injury Lawyer: Don’t Leave Millions of Dollars On The Table

by

William Turley

When you suffer a serious work injury, your lawyers job is to maximize your recovery or compensation for your injuries. While this sounds like a simple concept, what we see is time and again lawyers not understanding how and when to take different measures to accomplish these goals.

Under California work injury law, and the law of most states, you can not sue your employer under most circumstances. Instead, your sole remedy or recovery from your employer is workers compensation benefits.

Don’t Leave It On The Table

Under California law, you can not recover tort damages in a workers compensation case. Meaning you can not recover pain and suffering, past wage loss, future wage loss, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring and disfigurement, and/or emotional distress damges in a California workers compensation case. What we see is California workers compensation lawyers not understanding third party work injury law and second party work injury law.

When this happens injured workers are literally leaving hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in compensation “on the table.” Quite obviously, you don’t want this to happen to you. We explain why you need to consult with a seasoned California Second Party Lawyer, even if you already have a California Workers Compensation Lawyer.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=romLh9ymy8k[/youtube]

The Program (You Can’t Tell the Players Without a Program)

In a nutshell, you can’t tell the players without a program. If someone is injured while working, they are termed the “first party”. The employer is the “second party”.

Name: Role

First Party: You (the injured worker).

Second Party: Your Employer.

Third Party: Any other person/entity who is legally responsible for your injuries.

Second Party Cases

A second party work injury case is a civil lawsuit against your employer. Usually, California law does not allow you to sue your employer. An example of a second party case would be if your employer doesn’t have workers’ compensation insurance. When a California employer fails to get workers compensation coverage, you can sue your employer.

Another example of a second party case is if your employer intentionally injured you. Or they remove a guard from a power press. There are only limited reasons where the law allows you to sue your employer for a work injury.

Here is the bottom line, you will find few workers’ compensation attorneys have the knowledge, expertise, and resources to properly handle these special types of work injury cases. First, they don’t recognize viable third party and second party cases. Second, if they do recognize them, they seriously undervalue the cases. Third, they don’t have the skills necessary to take on and beat the company’s high powered lawyers. Here is the best advice you are going to get if you are a seriously injured worker in California: Even if you have a workers compensation lawyer, consult with a seasoned California third party lawyer and California second party work injury lawyer.

Disclaimer:

This article is not legal advice. I am simplistic in order to achieve clarity. Your case or circumstances may vary from those described herein. Always tell the truth. When you are asking for money in court your credibility is always at issue. The other side hopes you will lie so they can discredit you in front of the jury. Don’t give gifts to the company lawyer. If you get caught lying, you will have lost your case. Always tell the truth. Be sure to hire an honest lawyer.

Bill Turley is a

California Second Party Work Injury Lawyer

and a

San Diego Second Party Attorney

. Bill is the highest rated San Diego Workers Compensation Lawyer by Avvo.com.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

UK bank gets emergency support

Friday, September 14, 2007

British bank Northern Rock received emergency loans from the Bank of England yesterday, as it felt the effects of the financial crisis originating in the U.S. subprime mortgage market. Queues formed outside branches as many customers sought to withdraw their savings, and shares fell heavily.

Northern Rock, based in Newcastle, is one of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders, with total assets and loans of £113 billion. Pressure has grown on the bank as other institutions have become less willing to buy mortgage debt, following the American subprime crisis.

The support from the central bank was authorised by the Government and the Financial Services Authority, following assurances that the problems were temporary and the bank remained solvent. Some current mortgages are being used as collateral. The lending is an “unlimited” facility, at an interest rate higher than the base rate. Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, encouraged customers to carry on as normal, stating that “Northern Rock will be able to carry on its business”.

Northern Rock chief executive Adam Applegarth also called for calm, but customers were seen queuing outside branches across the country to withdraw money. It is reported that the company website also crashed under the demand.

Shares in the bank fell 31.5% on Friday, down almost 60% from their highest value this year. Applegarth admitted that profits would be hit, but stated that the bank would adapt to the changes. Shares in other lenders also fell, with Paragon being the most extreme, dropping almost 17%. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.17% (74 points) following a recovery in the afternoon.

The last time the Bank of England acted as “lender of last resort” in this way was in 1973, after the collapse of Cedar Holdings.

Colleges offering admission to displaced New Orleans graduate students

See the discussion page for instructions on adding schools to this list.Tuesday, September 13, 2005

NAICU has created a list of colleges and universities accepting and/or offering assistance to displace faculty members. [1]Wednesday, September 7, 2005

This list is taken from Colleges offering admission to displaced New Orleans students, and is intended to make searching easier for faculty, graduate, and professional students.

In addition to the list below, the Association of American Law Schools has compiled a list of law schools offering assistance to displaced students. [2] As conditions vary by college, interested parties should contact the Office of Admissions at the school in question for specific requirements and up-to-date details.

The Association of American Medical Colleges is coordinating alternatives for medical students and residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. [3]

ResCross.net is acting as a central interactive hub for establishing research support in times of emergency. With so many scientists affected by Hurricane Katrina, ResCross is currently focused on providing information to identify sources of emergency support as quickly as possible. [4]

With so many scientists affected by Hurricane Katrina, ResCross is currently focused on providing information to identify sources of emergency support as quickly as possible.

Physics undergraduates, grad students, faculty and high school teachers can be matched up with housing and jobs at universities, schools and industry. [5] From the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Society of Physics Students, the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society.

If you are seeking or providing assistance, please use this site to find information on research support, available lab space/supplies, resources, guidelines and most importantly to communicate with fellow researchers.

The following is a partial list, sorted by location.

Alabama |Alaska |Arizona |Arkansas |California |Colorado |Connecticut |Delaware |District of Columbia |Florida |Georgia |Hawaii |Idaho |Illinois |Indiana |Iowa |Kansas |Kentucky |Louisiana |Maine |Maryland |Massachusetts |Michigan |Minnesota |Mississippi |Missouri |Montana |Nebraska |Nevada |New Hampshire |New Jersey |New Mexico |New York |North Carolina |North Dakota |Ohio |Oklahoma |Oregon |Pennsylvania |Rhode Island |South Carolina |South Dakota |Tennessee |Texas |Utah |Vermont |Virginia |Washington |West Virginia |Wisconsin |Wyoming |Canada