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Source: The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.迷你倉Sept. 07--SALIDA -- It won't be a star-studded affair, but stunt drivers will rev their engines and cameras will roll as "Fast & Furious 7" filming takes to Monarch Pass this month.Although the films stars like Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham won't be present, the filming will be a boon to Chaffee County, said Greg Ralph, Monarch Mountain director of marketing. Set up for filming started Thursday."It's going to be filming of action scenes in the forest and its not much to see -- a lot of standing around and setting up shots and the whole area is secured," Ralph said. "It is a pretty good economic boon with (film crews using) 150 hotel rooms, so it's going to put some money in Salida coffers -- a little bit of action at a slow time of year."U.S. Forest Service director Ben Lara said the forest service has issued a permit for commercial filming on Old Monarch Pass and within the Monarch Mountain ski area boundaries. The permit requires a "nominal" fee, he said."My staff will monitor the process and the impacts will be nominal and minimal. It is amazing what they can do with special effects and computer generation," Lara said.Lara and Ralph said staging for the film crew will take place at the paved parking lot at Monarch Mountain where all the equipment trucks and meals will be stationed."They will be shooting stuff on Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs and at Monarch depending on where the weather isfrom page 5A ________________________________________________ more suitable. They will be in the state for abou儲存倉 a month," Ralph said.Heart of the Rockies Chamber Executive Director Lori Roberts said she was told about 275 people will be involved in the filming."It will be an obvious boost -- a plus for the hotels, the restaurants and the gas stations," Roberts said. "I think the hotels are going to be filled, which is unexpected this time of year."Chaffee County Visitors Bureau Director April Prout-Ralph said the boost to the economy is welcome even as the county is coming off a good summer with a 6 percent increase in lodging tax revenue."It is exciting to get this kind of business as it slows down and anything to help put us on the map is welcome," Prout-Ralph said. "It will be fun to be part of the Hollywood scene for a few weeks."Colorado Film Commission Chair Donald Zuckerman said the state Economic Development Commission voted to give the Fast and Furious franchise $700,000 worth of incentives to film in Colorado. In turn the movie producers will drop quite a bit of cash in Southern Colorado."We are talking over $5 million in direct expenditures in Colorado," Zuckerman said. They intend to use 4,000 hotel room nights each in Salida and Colorado Springs over the month.""They also have pledged to give us footage, at the appropriate time, which we could use to promote Colorado," Zuckerman said.The film is scheduled for a July 11 release, according to the IMDb website. tharmon@chieftain.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.) Visit The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.) at .chieftain.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉價錢

Source: The Philadelphia InquirerSept.文件倉 07--Insanity was contagious at Ajax, the madness by the experimental Attis Theatre from Greece, which adapted in maddening fashion Sophocles' play about the bewitched warrior who slaughters animals, believing they're his human enemies.Such delusions are induced by the gods, making Ajax a manipulated fighting machine.Director Theodoros Terzopoulos zeroed in on the play's violent kernel, the slaughter scenes, with purposeful repetition guided by minimalist aesthetics -- taking a sliver of material and mining it relentlessly.Ajax isn't meant to be enjoyable, but this version was time best spent by theater professionals in the audience, some of whom had attended acting workshops Attis held this week at the Wilma Theater, which copresented the production.During the prologue, one admired the physical stamina of the three shirtless actors -- Tasos Dimas, Savvas Stroumpos, and Meletis Ilias -- who maintained laughter (from giggles to maniacal cackles) throughout the utterly static first 15 minutes. But to what end? We know Ajax is mad. The laughter suggested the actors were unhinged. And the audience could have felt similarly crazy by the end.The story was related存倉rather than enacted, the same section told three times by each of the actors, one with knives, one with meat cleavers, and the third with red stiletto heels. In effect, the play's moments of maximum action unfolded with minimum movement.Nothing was casual here. Even the rips in the actors' trousers revealed a blood-red lining. The performance ended with the Pink Floyd song "Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert," a protest of modern military invasion only roughly analogous to the Ajax section played here.By that time, the production had failed to create the cumulative tension it seemed to be after. As in the similarly repetitive stage works of composer Salvatore Sciarrino, this seemed more about obsession than artistic vision. I was left desensitized to the horrors of Ajax in ways that made the state of the world seem more hopeless, and my own role in it even more ineffective. Thanks a lot, guys.Contact David Patrick Stearns at dstearns@phillynews.com.8 p.m. Saturday at the Wilma Theater, 266 S. Broad St. Tickets: $20-$35. 215-413-1318 or fringearts.com.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Philadelphia Inquirer Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at .philly.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉

Now 83, renowned calligrapher Li Duo has chronicled life, history and society, Yang Feiyue reportsIn the autumn of 2011, famed calligrapher Li Duo held a poetry and calligraphy exhibition at the military museum in Beijing and created quite a sensation in China’s art circles.儲存倉The exhibition featured more than 140 works of poetry and calligraphy by Li, the fruit of his 70 years in the art business.It attracted an audience of more than 300,000 and hundreds of leaders and senior officials from the Central Military Commission and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. All spoke highly of his work. The exhibition also received a letter of congratulations from Liu Yunshan, a member of the Party’s top leadership body.In the letter, Liu said the prosperity and progress of calligraphy depends on both heritage and innovation. Li achieved both and made extraordinary contributions to the art form, he wrote.Li received a lifetime achievement award at the second Chinese Calligraphy Lanting Pavilion Awards in 2006, the most prestigious honor in Chinese calligraphy. He also won a special award in 2001 for his contributions to calligraphy.“I have long heard of Li’s talent in poetry, but I was still deeply impressed by his exquisite exhibition,” said Sun Jiazheng, chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.The strokes of Li’s calligraphy perfectly blend with the content of his poetry, which reflects well on his vast learning and perfectly defines a cultural atmosphere, said Sun.When the 81-year-old calligrapher showed up at the exhibition, introducing the background and details of his creations in his booming voice, everyone was absorbed, Sun recalls.Li also has profound attainment in classic poetry. His verses are brisk, like a breath of fresh air, with every single word a reflection of the light of his wisdom, said Sun.His works are filled with love and compliments to China’s magnificent landscapes, as well as to the social community and life, Sun added.“His poetry is filled with revolutionary heroism and romantic color, and reading them broadens my outlook,” said Sun.“We have to look at Li’s poetry when studying his calligraphy, which will give us a clear view of the trajectory of his artistic development,” said Sun.His 377-word Long Live the Motherland depicts a senior Party member’s patriotism and dedication to his country, said Sun.Since 2011, Li has been very responsive to the Chinese government’s campaign to get in touch with grassroots people, and improve work ethics and writing. He went to classrooms, rural areas and military bases to talk with students, farmers and soldiers and to share his work and enrich their cultural activities.A collection of his poetry Qinghuaiyincao that came out in the summer attracted wide attention from other poets and calligraphers.The compendium published 263 of more than his 500 works created from 1973 to 2012 and covers his military life. His poetry gives full expr迷你倉價錢ssion to his love of China, his interest in the country’s grand landscapes and his refined cultural temperament.Born in 1930, Li enlisted the army in 1949. He now works as a consultant at the Chinese Calligraphers Association and a professor at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution.“Li’s poetry collection has set an example for calligraphy art circles in the future and will be a perfect teaching material for the younger generations,” said Kong Lingyi, curator of the military museum.The collection fully showcases the charm of classic Chinese poetry, according to Zhang Daocheng, president of the Beijing Century Celebrity International Painting and Calligraphy Institute.Works composed after Li turned 70 comprise a majority of the collection, including more than 40 works from 2004 when the poet expressed his ambition for greater achievements in his late years.“Li’s poetry is a true reflection of his character. He has paid special attention to the healthy growth of young people, and often does charity work for society, especially for people at the grassroots level,” said Zhang, who also expressed his gratitude for Li’s painstaking efforts in the development of the institute.Li loves traditional culture and has an acute artistic perception, and his approach to creativity is full of life and very popular with the public, said Zhang Kunshan, member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association.Some of his works recount major historical events such as the return of Hong Kong and the Launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. Some were created as he traveled around the country, such as at the Longmen Grottoes and the Lijiang River.Li also created many works on landscapes, bird-and-flower paintings and figure paintings using concise language in harmony with the scenes, said Zhang.In 1995, Li finished his rendering of Sun Tze’s The Art of War. Stretching more than 220 meters, the manuscript went on display at the military museum the same year, receiving very good reviews from the State leaders of the time including Jiang Zemin.InnovationIn recent years, Li has focused on innovations in the art of calligraphy, working on the development of theories in the art and education.Studying various works by famous calligraphers in China’s history since he was in his youth, Li maintained a critical eye for magnum opuses and gradually developed his own style.His works are widely regarded as unassuming and aesthetic, delicate yet in touch with life, and are very popular in China and abroad.Some have made their way to the United Nations, other places in the United States and Europe.On the home front, many of his works can be found in newspapers and magazines, and many are enshrined in noted museums or inscribed at tourist attractions for visitors to enjoy and appreciate.Li has also been invited to Japan and Southeast Asian countries on many occasions for exhibitions and lectures on calligraphy.Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn迷你倉

Source: The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis.儲存Sept. 07--Revived negotiations this week could signal that a resolution of the six-week dispute between Time Warner Cable and Journal Broadcast Group is near.Or not.By Friday night, retransmission fee issues had not been resolved and the switch had not yet been flipped to return the WGBA-TV Channel 26 signal to cable subscribers.But the end could be near.The good news: The dispute doesn't affect Sunday's Green Bay Packers opener against the San Francisco 49ers, which is broadcast at 3:25 p.m. on Fox.The bad news: NBC's "Sunday Night Football," pitting the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, is blacked out for Time Warner Cable subscribers unless an agreement is reached.Both sides said negotiations took on a new tone this week."The negotiations are much more active than they have been," said Joe Poss, general manager of WGBA, the NBC station in Green Bay. "Our goal is to get this resolved as soon as possible. This is a football town an新蒲崗迷你倉 we want it done. There's a potential that this will be done, but there's no guarantee I can give you."Time Warner Cable's Midwest spokesman Mike Hogan also commented on changes in negotiations this week."We are in active discussions with Journal, and we're working hard to reach a fair agreement to restore its stations to our lineups," he said in a midday email Friday to Post-Crescent Media."In fact, we met for the very first time this week with actual Journal employees, instead of only their third-party consultants."Subscribers by this point are familiar with their alternatives to watch NBC, including installing a high-definition digital antenna or seeking out the station on satellite or other cable systems.-- Maureen Wallenfang: 920-993-1000, ext. 287, or mwallenfang@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @wallenfangCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.) Visit The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.) at .postcrescent.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage

Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteSept.迷你倉 07--"We providing a service to the community. We ain't just giving rides to people. We providing a service."-- August Wilson's "Jitney," 1979Pittsburgh has a unique attachment to its illicit transportation system. While other cities stamped out jitneys 100 years ago or saw the emergence of illegal "dollar vans" for immigrant populations, the Pittsburgh area still has nearly the same system of unregulated private cars servicing low-income neighborhoods that playwright August Wilson dramatized in his first major work three decades ago.It has persisted because residents of such neighborhoods say they cannot depend on authorized taxi services. Such neighborhoods also have low auto-ownership rates, making them especially dependent and hurt by cuts to mass transit. So jitneys persist as a cheap and convenient transportation alternative, despite being dangerous.On Wednesday morning, two men pulled up next to jitney driver Cornelius Swinton in Homewood on the day after his 92nd birthday and shot him in the neck, shoulder and hand while targeting his back-seat passenger. In April, two men in Wilkinsburg called a jitney in order to rob it, police charged, and fatally shot driver Monica Proviano in the head and stole her car. In May, 59-year-old jitney driver John Haas was fatally shot in the head at a McKeesport housing complex when police said the shooter misidentified him as a rival gang member. The same month, a jitney passenger told police a driver robbed him at knife point in Banksville.Drivers think about crime "constantly. You have a world where war is prevalent," said a young jitney driver on the North Side, who took up the trade three years ago after working for a licensed limousine service. "You try your best to be careful."Another North Side driver, who is 82, said the key for both jitney drivers and passengers in staying safe is to develop ties to people you trust. He has a customer list developed over five decades on the job while the younger driver -- who is in his 30s -- is just collecting his."You have to know what you're doing, or you get caught in the web," the older man said.The jitney industry emerged in cities nationwide in the 1910s as an alternative to streetcars but was largely wiped out within the decade by government regulation and subsidies for authorized providers. Through the rest of the century jitney services were kept alive by underserved populations: from blacks getting restricted access to buses in the pre-Civil Rights Era South to immigrants today in such cities as New York and Miami piling into vans (called "immi" vans or "camionetas") to get to work or the store.There are good reasons to take cheap -- if illegal -- transit. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, transportation accounted for 17 percent of spending by the average American family in 2011, the second largest expense after housing. That spending increased by 8 percent over the previous year, the biggest jump in any category.An estimated 120,000 people use jitneys every day in New York, which if legitimate would make them among the nation's top 25 transit providers. There, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority briefly regulated jitneys after bus routes were reduced in 2010, and residents elsewhere have leaned on the illicit cab systems after cuts in their cities.In St. Louis, the Metro Transit system cut its routes by a third in 2009, before voters approved a new transit tax the next year. In the meantime, bus rides from low-income communities to work centers increased to two to three hours -- but jitneys got workers to the same centers in 45 minutes to an hour, one study showed.In Allegheny County, the Port Authority eliminated 29 bus routes and trimmed 80 in 2011. It has warned another 35 percent in cuts is looming without increased state funding.In Pittsburgh, jitney drivers congregate at grocery stores and the Downtown Greyhound station, or at jitney stations sprinkled around the city and suburbs. They are usually storefronts or garages where drivers pay dues to take calls for jitney pickup, just as they do in the late Wilson's play -- the stati儲存n he dramatized is still on Wylie Avenue in the Hill District, relocated a couple of blocks away. Some drivers are trustworthy and safe, though some others use their cars to sell or transport drugs.In the city, residents of the Hill, Homewood, Garfield and other neighborhoods without supermarkets depend on jitneys to get to Giant Eagle stores on the North Side, South Side and in East Liberty. Store managers rarely send them away."The store needs us as much as we need them," said one driver, who like others would not identify himself.Local law enforcement knows that, too. There are areas in the city and county, said Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., where "cab companies quite frankly have said, 'We're not going to go there.' So there is a need for jitneys."His office is more concerned about a spike lately in fake cab drivers picking up intoxicated women on the city's South Side, and plans to install license plate recognition technology in the entertainment district to track them and other lawbreakers.Comparatively, "to run a jitney is not that serious of a crime," Mr. Zappala said. "... There's a niche and people have filled that niche. I don't know that it's a good thing, but people have to get around."Realizing jitneys fill a transit gap, government agencies around the country have tried to regulate them but almost always fail. Jitneys service specific markets so when government agencies begin treating them like regular transportation providers -- requiring them to service designated routes, obtain licences and so on -- ridership decreases and so does interest by drivers.Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Miami have all tried over the past few decades to create regulated jitney markets and failed, according to research by Columbia University's David King. He said Miami has had the most success largely by licensing its private van operators but then leaving them alone.Cities are wrestling with regulating a new wave of Web services -- such as Uber.com -- that coordinate shared rides over social media, while also studying how to rein in some old-fashioned jitneys and buses. In the greater New York area, calls have increased this summer for regulation of illicit "dollar bus" services after one struck and killed an infant July 30 in northern New Jersey."Taken together, what we have is a tremendous interest in what is a very old but very newly visible type of transit. The regulatory environment is unclear," said Mr. King, an assistant professor of urban planning."The regulatory calls you're hearing now are the same regulatory calls we've been hearing for a hundred years."Cab services in Pennsylvania (except in Philadelphia) are overseen by the Public Utility Commission. To be licensed, drivers have to pay a $350 fee and submit to a background check and drug testing, have their trips and calls logged, and be priced by a meter. Dome lights have to be affixed to the cab's roof and a PUC number to its fender.Jitneys typically have none of those things, and the PUC agents will periodically go undercover and pose as customers to charge drivers with violations. Investigators cited 21 Western Pennsylvania jitney drivers from November 2012 through January 2013, the last period for which data was available.The commission also investigates regulated taxi services -- if they are licensed to cover an entire city, by law they cannot refuse service to any neighborhood in that city. It collects complaints about refusals at its website, .puc.state.pa.us, or toll-free at 1-800-692-7380.The commission "often gets complaints that in neighborhoods such as Homewood you cannot get a taxi," PUC spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher said. "We encourage people to use certified carriers, and if they refuse to come out to a community where they are licensed, to file a complaint with us."Officials from the city's largest taxi company, the Yellow Cab Co., could not be reached for comment.Tim McNulty: tmcnulty@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1581.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at .post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉

Source: Pioneer Press, St.文件倉 Paul, Minn.Sept. 07--A St. Paul police officer was driving up to 70 mph on Grand Avenue, heading to assist fellow officers, when she collided with another car last year.The driver in the other car, which had pulled in front of the squad car, was knocked unconscious and critically injured in the crash. After an internal affairs investigation, St. Paul's police chief issued a 15-day suspension to the officer and ordered her to go through "retraining in police driving protocols," according to her discipline letter.In St. Paul, the police department's Accident Review Board deemed 48 squad car accidents last year "preventable" out of a total of 84. That was the highest number of accidents since at least 2008. On average, there were 36 preventable accidents each year between 2008 and 2011, a Pioneer Press analysis found.Each day, police officers make decisions that balance the need to respond quickly to emergencies with the risks to others on the roads. St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Paul Paulos said officers usually do so without incident -- "99.9 percent of the time, we get from point A to point B safely," he said.That was not the case in Minneapolis in May, when an officer was heading to a deadly shooting with his squad car's lights and siren on. He went through a red light at 16 to 17 mph, and a motorcyclist, Ivan Romero Olivares, struck the rear of the squad car, according to Minneapolis police. Olivares, 24, was killed.On Aug. 21, a 101-year-old pedestrian died after being injured when a St. Paul police squad car backed into her. The officer had responded to a complaint about a juvenile and was slowly backing up when her Ford Explorer SUV hit Roza Sakhina on Aug. 16, police have said. Both that case and the Minneapolis one remain under investigation.In the St. Paul police statistics about squad car accidents, not all crashes resulted in injuries, and some accidents were minor, such as a squad car scraping a fire hydrant or garbage can, Paulos said."Any timeyou see somewhat of an increase (in the number of accidents), it raises a question, but at the same time, our chief is very proactive in looking at how to solve issues, get the officers the best training out there and make everyone as safe as possible," Paulos said.'UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS'In the squad car accident that ended in serious injury on Grand Avenue last year, officer Jennifer Mink told the police department she was trying to provide backup to officers who were stopping a vehicle wanted in a gun-pointing incident, though no police radio transmissions indicated the officers needed help, according to the internal affairs review, which was among public information released by police at the Pioneer Press' request. The department also released video from Mink's squad car that shows the officer's driving behavior before the crash and the accident.During the internal affairs investigation, a sergeant questioned Mink about the speed she was traveling and why she wasn't aware that other officers were providing backup.The sergeant wrote in an internal affairs report: "I asked Officer Mink why she was not able to hear squads responding on the (police) radio as she responded. ... Officer Mink did not have an answer. I asked if maybe the reason she could not hear the (police) radio was because her stereo was on. Officer Mink said no and that it was because she was focused on driving."Mink drove up to 87 mph while responding to the call, the police investigation found. The speed limit at the accident site on Grand Avenue near the Ayd Mill Road exit ramp was 30 mph, though police responding to emergencies are not bound to the posted speed limit.State law says officers have "the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of persons using the street." Prosecutors reviewed the accident involving Mink and found no basis to file criminal charges against her.But Police Chief Thomas Smith suspended Mink for violating department policy, including driving vehicles with "reasonable care."He wrote in Mink's discipline letter: "As a police officer you have a responsibility for the public's safety. This includes making sound decisions and operating an emergency vehicle in accordance with department regulations and training with due regard for the safety of other persons and vehicles operating on the same streets. Your actions in this instance were unsafe and dangerous to others and yourself."CAR PULLS INTO LANEPolice reports and a report about the internal affairs investigation give the following account of what happened in last year's squad car crash:It was Jan. 30, 2012, when Mink was on patrol in a marked cruiser and heading to a call. She was driving south on Snelling Avenue, in the area of Highland Parkway, when she heard over the police radio an officer requesting assistance on another call -- stopping a vehicle involved in an earlier gun-pointing incident.Mink told the police department she recalled reading an alert, which said that "if that car was located to use caution because there could be guns in the car," a police report said.Though Mink said she knew she wasn't near the suspect car (she was 2.4 miles away when the car was stopped near Lexington Parkway and Concordia Avenue), she noted that the call came during a shift change and said "she believed there was an inadequate number of squads responding, because of the nature of the call," according to the report in the internal affairs investigation.Mink turned on her emergency lights and siren and made a U-turn to head north on Snelling Avenue. Mink was alternating different siren sounds along with the squad's air horn, reports said.She went east on Grand Avenue and, near Kowalski's Market, the officer said, she saw a silver car on Ayd Mill Road halt at the stop sign and then slowly pull onto Grand Ave存倉ue. The Toyota Camry stopped in the middle of Grand Avenue. Mink said she made eye contact with the driver.Mink said she applied her brakes mildly to moderately because she thought the car was going to continue crossing her lane and turn left onto Grand Avenue, but the car didn't move."Officer Mink also indicated seeing a vehicle to her left and wasn't sure if the silver car would have been able to turn onto W/B Grand because of the vehicle that had pulled over," a police report said. "She (Mink) then said she tried to turn her steering wheel to the right to try to go around the car to the right but when the car stopped she crashed." The accident happened about 4:40 p.m.Lidia Pavitova, then 28 and a River Falls, Wis., resident, was knocked unconscious from the impact; St. Paul firefighters had to extricate her from the car.A letter dated April 2012 said that as far as the Ramsey County attorney's office knew at the time, Pavitova was still in Regions Hospital's intensive-care unit. At that point, she'd been put into "a medically-induced coma while doctors waited for swelling to go down to do further assessment and treatment," the letter said.More recently, Pavitova's sister said in a message that her sister is doing well and improving every day, but otherwise didn't respond to Pioneer Press requests for comment.Neither Mink nor the St. Paul police union's president responded to requests seeking comment.NO 'RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR ... SAFETY'Mink told the department that she hadn't looked at her speed while driving because "her attention was focused on the road," a police report said. Mink had reduced her speed as she approached intersections and sped up in between, "reaching speeds of 60, 65, 70, 75, with the top speed of 87 mph," the internal affairs summary said.An internal affairs sergeant questioned Mink about whether "87 mph was a reasonable speed to respond to the traffic stop that possibly had weapons in the vehicle," the internal affairs report said. "Officer Mink said yes." She added that "she needed to get there as quick as she could in case something 'really really bad happened.' "Before the accident, when Mink began braking, she was traveling between 64 and 70 mph, according to the collision analysis and reconstruction report. The maximum speed the squad car "could have been traveling and had sufficient time to perceive, respond, and brake to stop" within the approximately 178 feet between it and the Camry was 44 mph, the investigation said.The Ramsey County attorney's office and Minneapolis city attorney's office, which reviewed the case to avoid a potential conflict of interest for their St. Paul counterparts, declined to file charges.The county attorney's office memo declining charges said "65-70 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone is very fast; however, one cannot ignore the fact that this officer was responding to a serious call using appropriate lights and emergency sounds. Her driving as a whole looked appropriate under the circumstances."The city attorney's memo said Mink's decision to exceed the speed limit "falls within the statutory exception for the use of an emergency vehicle and is not inherently criminal in nature solely because of the tragic consequences of this case. Rather, the proper standard for review is whether Officer Mink exhibited a reckless disregard for the safety of others." The letter concluded, "the evidence does not suggest a reckless disregard for the safety of others by Officer Mink."MORE TRAINING ORDEREDMink, who joined the St. Paul Police Department academy as a police trainee in October 2009 and became an officer in January 2010, had not been disciplined before this case. Her personnel file noted nine thank-you notes for her work.Five days of Mink's 15-day suspension are to be held in abeyance for one year, and the discipline is to be reduced on paper to a 10-day suspension after one year if "there are no same or similar actions," Chief Smith's December letter said.Smith wrote in the letter that Mink had to go through "retraining in police driving protocols."All peace officers in Minnesota are required to complete an eight-hour course in emergency-vehicle operations and police pursuits every five years.The St. Paul Police Department puts its officers through the training every three years, Paulos said. In addition to driving on a closed course, St. Paul added an online component to training this year for all officers. The mandatory computerized training showed officers various driving scenarios that they had to respond to, and they had to pass a written test after each unit of the training, Paulos said.The department added this additional training because, Paulos said, "We're always seeking new ways to train and how to operate our squad cars during emergency situations."Last year, during an arbitration hearing for another officer disciplined for a squad car crash, the union representing St. Paul police officers "submitted evidence purportedly showing that Chief Smith had become concerned with the number of recent costly accidents and had instructed the ARB (Accident Review Board) chair and senior command staff to come up with ideas to reduce the number of accidents and injuries," according to an arbitrator's ruling on the union grievance over the officer's discipline.But Smith testified during the arbitration hearing "that he did not direct the ARB chair to make an example of" the officer in that case "in order to further this objective," the ruling said.MaryJo Webster contributed to this report.Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262. Follow her at twitter.com/MaraGottfried or twitter.com/ppUsualSuspects.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) Visit the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) at .twincities.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉

Source: Tulsa World, Okla.迷你倉Sept. 06--Most are familiar with the insurance company commercial on television that features an attractive young woman who believes that if it's on the Internet, it has to be true.She tells a friend that she has just been swept off her computer screen by a charming Frenchman.And here he comes now, eager and ready for his date powered by the Internet.The obvious question in this scenario is: Is this guy really French?He appears to have stopped on the way to this date to browse through a Dumpster. He seems to be about as French as Paris, Texas.As the eager and attractive young woman strolls off with the alleged Frenchman, most viewers would express concern for the well-being of the female.Here's what I think happens. It's the woman running a con game on the poor slob, and not the other way around. Once out of camera range, she pins him against a fence and mugs him, leaving him roughed up in a pile of leftovers.The Internet is often a field of illusion.Get smart: The technological miracle of the week is the Dick Tracy watch, the smart watch, the world on your wrist for about $300.The smart watch will enable the wearer to get messages, take pictures, and drive through more red lights.Whereas it might seem to some to be technology for technology's儲存sake, the smart watch could improve manners. Instead of somebody rudely looking down at a smartphone during person-to-person conversation, the smart watch screen is so small that the wearer will have to bring it to eye-level and near the nose to see who is asking what's up.Smartphone, smart glasses, smart television, smart pad, smart watch, dumb weekends alone.Convicted in a free trial: The best Internet con ever is the free trial for a short period of time.Free nutritional supplement, free credit check, free trial subscription, simply click here.But opting out is like a game of Where's Waldo's Phone Number?No matter how big-time a website appears, the home office can be in the back of a station wagon in Curacao.The Contact Us phone number is seldom the opt-out phone number.To get out of a free trial, you might have to know a 37-digit account number that you didn't even know you had.In a conversation today, my attempt to cancel a free trial featured this request numerous times, "Please, I beg you, don't hang up."Before you take anything free, chart the road to cancellation.Out there on the Internet, they want your money.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉

LONDON, September 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --UK based SUISSE BANK PLC closes bank guarantee debut with INGTRADE FINANCE specialist SUISSE BANK PLC has entered into a landmark EUR5million trade finance agreement with global financial institution ING.mini storageWorld leader ING joined the SUISSE BANK PLC trade finance network with the acceptance of a multi-million euro bank guarantee instrument.A spokesperson for SUISSE BANK PLC said: "We are very pleased ING accepted our bank guarantee instrument and made the decision to join our trade finance network.""This is a clear demonstration that SUISSE BANK PLC is focused on providing value for our customers and evidence of our interest in properly understanding the needs of the global trade finance market," the spokesperson said.SUISSE BANK PLC supplies comprehensive trade finance instruments from its secure online platform allowing speedy adoption of guarantees (BG), standby letters of credit (SBLC), documentary letters of credit (LC), proofs of funds (POF) and warranties (avals).Through its website .suissebank.com, the bank is focused on facilitating quick data transformation while guaranteeing security, legal certainty, and document oself storageiginality."The considerable amount of financial institutions already linked to SUISSE BANK PLC proves that companies are demanding our technological skills in relation to speed of deployment of our various trade finance instruments," the SUISSE BANK PLC spokesperson said.SUISSE BANK PLC's sister company FARGO BANK LIMITED provides further products and services - not only in the private banking sector such as cash management, capital markets and account management, debit cards and E-Banking - but also in the corporate banking sector such as international payments, leasing and trust services.ABOUT SUISSE BANK PLC: SUISSE BANK PLC is a company incorporated in England with a registered office in London. Its primary competencies are in the fields of trade financing including guarantees, standby-and/or letters of credit and warranties. A lean and efficient organisation with high mobility and absolute confidentiality, SUISSE BANK PLC offers its services only to its shareholders and not to the general public.FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please log on to .suissebank.comand fill in our contact form. In the alternative, you can call us in London on +44-(0)20-3159-5052.SUISSE BANK PLC迷你倉

This story was first published in The Sunday Times on Sept 1, 2013London and Paris just do not cut it anymore: An increasing number of Singaporeans are eschewing traditional European tourist hotspots for the continent's less-visited countries.迷你倉出租Travel agencies are reporting an increase of 30 to 35 per cent in bookings to more exotic European locations so far this year, compared to last year, but the agencies decline to reveal absolute numbers.Such up-and-coming destinations include Portugal, the Vatican City, countries in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, as well as the less-traversed towns of Italy.Ms Alicia Seah, vice-president of CTC Travel, says: "The strong Singapore dollar against the euro now means Singaporeans have more spending power in Europe." The Singapore dollar is $1.69 to the euro.Many Singapore travellers have already been to Central Europe and are now looking for destinations beyond the major cities in countries such as Switzerland and France, she adds.Administrator Mary Lim, 54, returned last month from a 12-day tour of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland with ASA Holidays. The weaker euro influenced her decision to explore Scandinavia, says Ms Lim, who has previously toured Italy, Paris and Switzerland."I've been eyeing the region for a while now," she adds. "Since the exchange rate is favourable, I thought it would be a good time to travel and explore a new place."Similarly motivated by the attractive exchange rate, finance manager Veronica Low, 69, booked a 13-day trip to Eastern Europe with CTC Travel at the recent travel fair organised by the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore or Natas."I had been watching the currency exchange rate for a while and exchanged some of my money for euros even before I had booked my holiday. When I saw the rate fall so much, I decided I had to act immediately," she says.Ms Low, who has visited France, Italy and Switzerland on previous trips, says she was attracted to the tour of Eastern Europe - with stops in Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland - because she had read that it was very different from Central Europe."The cities I saw in Central Europe were more familiar and looked like places I had seen before. The pace of life, culture and architecture of Eastern Europe are completely different and that really attracted me," she says.The currency depreciation has also meant that travellers are keen to get to know a particular country well, says MsEileen Oh of ASA Holidays."Many Singaporeans have been to the usual suspects of Central Europe and are taking advantage of the favourable euro to visit other parts of Europe, or to tour Europe in depth," she says.As an example, she cites how at least 15per cent more of ASA Holidays' customers this year are choosing to spend time in a single European destination - as opposed to visiting multiple countries in a "touch and go" fashion - compared to last year.Italy, one of the most popular destinations for Singaporean tourists, is still yielding new-on-the-radar cities and towns. These include the "tranquil and quaint" Orvieto, a city in south-western Umbria, which sits on a rock of solid volcanic ash; and Greve in Chianti, in Tuscany, with its many mediaeval buildings, says Chan Brothers' spokesman Michelle Yin.The Italian hill town of Montepulciano has become popular lately as well, says CTC Travel's Ms Seah, probably because scenes in one of the blockbuster Twilight movies were filmed there.Mr David Chang, 61, decided to spend two weeks last year exploring southern Italy with his wife and three other couples - all seasoned travellers."I didn't want to do one of those trips where you cover the whole of Europe in 14 days. We decided to focus on one country," says the retired owner of a manufacturing company, who has visited more than 10 European countries on multi-city tours. These included Britain, Germany, Holland and France. He had also been to big Italian cities such as Milan and Rome."Even then, two weeks was not enough to get to know the whole country, so we further narrowed it down to the south of Italy," he adds.Their trip last year with Chan's World Holiday, a bespoke travel agency owned by Chan Brothers, included the ancient town of Pompeii and the island of Capri."I much preferred the slower pace of exploring just one region," he concludes.jennanid@sph.com.sgThis story was first published in The Sunday Times on Sept 1, 2013To subscribe to The Straits Times, please go to .sphsubscription.com.sg/eshop/Spitz is one of the historic towns near Vienna.AUSTRIAThis small, landlocked country can often be overlooked as it borders eight other European nations. Its capital Vienna, however, is a cultural and economic hub, and is known for being the home of the father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud.Highlights:Visit Schonbrunn Palace and its gardens (Schonbrunner Schlosstra?e 47 1130 Vienna, tel: +43-1-8111-3239, .schoenbrunn.at/en.html), the former summer residence of the Habsburg imperial family. The rooms are mainly decorated in the 18th-century Rococo style, with white lacquered walls and ceilings, crystal chandeliers and gold leaf ornamentation. In 1772, child prodigy Mozart, then six, gave a concert in the palace's Hall of Mirrors.Visit Sigmund Freud Museum and see the famous shrink's former apartment and office, as well as an exhibition showcasing his life and work. Finish your visit with coffee at Cafe Landtmann (Universitatsring 4, 1010 Vienna, tel: +43-1- 2410-0120, .landtann.at), Freud's preferred coffee house, where a cuppa costs around S$6.Visit the Hofburg Palace (Michaelerkuppel, Hofburg, 1010 Vienna, tel: +43-1-5337-570, .hofburg-wien.at/en.html), the official residence of the Austrian President, which has housed the Habsburg royal family and served as their principal winter residence. Built in 1279, it has been expanded over the centuries, since the 1200s to include museums, the treasury, the national theatre and a riding school.See St Charles' Church (Kreuzherrengasse 1, 1040 Vienna, tel: +43-1-5046-187, .karlskirche.at), an impressive building in the Baroque style erected in the early 1700s. It is one of the city's iconic buildings, with its distinctive dome and bas-relief columns.Best time to visit: May to October when Vienna's gardens and parks get busy as the cold thaws. Street cafes come to life once it is warm enough for outdoor seating.Go with: CTC Travel's 13-day Eastern Europe Spectacular, which covers Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. Prices start from $2,388. To book, call CTC Travel on 6536-3995 or go to .ctc.com.sg.SOUTHERN ITALYThe South of Italy has been gaining popularity with tourists, with its quaint small towns such as Montepulciano and Greve, vibrant landscapes, and rich history.Highlights:Take a cable car ride up to the mediaeval hilltop town of Orvieto. See the Duomo, an elaborate church in the middle of town with a Gothic facade, before exploring the town's underground caverns and cellars.Visit the small town of Greve, known for its wine and olive oil, and try samples of both at La Cantine di Greve.Travel to Cinque Terre, a Unesco World Heritage Site, where five villages run across the coastline above the Gulf of Poets. Explore the villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso via old footpaths that run through the vineyards and olive groves between the villages.Best time to visit: Mid-March to early May, when the weather is mild enough for visitors to walk and cycle around leisurely.Go with: Chan Brothers' 11-day Italia Infinito tour, which covers Siena, Greve, LaSpezia, Bologna and Parma. Prices start from $3,438. To book, call 6438-8880 or go to .ChanBrothers.com.A view of Bratislava city centre from the Danube river.SLOVAKIASlovakia's capital city, Bratislava, has its fair share of ancient and religious history to be explored.Highlights:Stroll through Old Town, where the traffic-free streets and centuries-old buildings, squares and churches seem out of a fairy tale.Visit St Martin's Cathedral (Rudnayovo namestie 4549/1, 811 01 Bratislava - Stare Mesto-Old Town, tel: +421-2-544-313-59), built in a stark Gothic style, where 19 Hungarian kings and queens were coronated.Lose yourself in one of the city's many quirky museums. There is the Museum of Clocks (Zidovska Street 1, tel.:+421-2- 5441-19-40), wh迷你倉ch showcases the history of clock-making and has many unique sun-dials, wall clocks and alarm clocks. The Pharmacy Museum (Michalska Street 26, tel: +421-2-541-31-214) shows the history of pharmacy in the city, as well as the oldest tools for preparing medicine and laboratory ware.See Bratislava castle, which stands on a hill directly above the Danube river (Zamocka, 811 01 Bratislava Old Town, tel: +421-2-544-114-44), from which you can see not just Bratislava, but Austria and Hungary as well.Best time to visit: Late August, when the tourist crowds have thinned and hotels are cheaper. Those who can brave the cold may want to go from late November to December, when a Christmas market opens in Hviezdoslavovo Square, Main Square and Frantiskanske Square.Go with: CTC Travel's 13-day Eastern Europe Spectacular, which covers Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. Prices start from $2,388. To book, call CTC Travel on 6536-3995 or go to .ctc.com.sg.Sistine Chapel.VATICAN CITYThink Singapore is small? Take a trip to the smallest country in the world, with an area of 44ha - compared to more than 70,000ha here - and a population of 840. More than just a place of pilgrimage for Catholics, the Vatican City also boasts impressive Renaissance architecture and delicious food.Highlights:Housed inside St Peter's Basilica (Piazza San Pietro 00120 Citta del Vaticano, tel: +39-06-6988-3731) is Michelangelo's famous Renaissance sculpture Pieta. The sculpture depicts Jesus lying on the lap of his mother Mary after his crucifixion.Visit the Sistine Chapel (Viale Vaticano 00120 Citta del Vaticano, tel: +39-06-6988- 4676), famous worldwide for its iconic ceiling showing nine scenes from the Book of Genesis from the Bible, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512.Chow down at the Pizzarium (Via della Meloria 43, tel: +39-06-3974-5416), a 15-minute walk from St Peter's Basilica. Opened by famed pizza chef Gabriele Bonci, the joint is thought by foodies to serve up the best pizza in the city, with a chewy dough different from the classic thin-crust Italian pizzas.One cannot leave Vatican City without visiting St Peter's Basilica, the burial site of the first Pope, St Peter and many others since. The current Pope, Pope Francis, speaks twice a week at the Basilica, drawing crowds of up to 80,000 people in St Peter's Square. The Pope speaks on Wednesdays and Sundays. To see him on a Sunday , you will have to arrive early in the morning to find a good spot for his noon address.Best time to visit: September, when it is not too cold to stand outdoors in St Peter's Square and the queues are not as bad as in the summer.Go with: Most travel agencies offer trips to Vatican City as part of an Italy tour, including CTC Travel's 13-day Best of Italy, Switzerland and France tour. Prices start from $3,988. To book, call 6536-3995 or go to .ctc.com.sg.Bruges Market Square.BRUGES, BELGIUMCheck out the picturesque Bruges (say "broo-sh") in Belgium. Referred to as the "Venice of the North" because of its many canals, the city almost stole the show in the 2008 crime drama In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as Irish hitmen on an enforced holiday. The city centre is also a Unesco World Heritage Site.Highlights:Visit the Market Square, where you will see eateries, gift shops, horse-drawn carriages and bicycles. In the centre of the square is the 83m-tall Belfry, with a steep, narrow staircase of more than 300 steps.See the Church of Our Lady (Mariastraat, 8000 Brugge, tel: +32-50-34-5314), the tallest structure in the city, which has one of Europe's highest spires at 119m. It houses Michelangelo's 1504 marble sculpture Madonna With Child.Sample two of Belgium's proudest exports, chocolate and beer. Visit Chocolaterie Sukerbuyc, a family-owned chocolate- maker (Katelijnestraat 5, 8000 Brugge, tel: +32-50-33-0887), known for its 90 types of artisanal chocolate; and Belgian brewer De Halve Maan (Walplein 26 8000 Brugge, tel: +32-50-44-4222), for its local brews.Best time to visit: April, around Easter, when the city comes to life with blooming flora. Go in November for the Brugge Chocolate Festival.Go with: Chan Brothers' 10-day Best of Holland, Belgium and Paris tour. Prices start from $2,638. To book, call 6438-8880 or go to .ChanBrothers.com.View from a river cruise along the Douro River in Portugal.PORTUGALSpain's western neighbour is home to one of the biggest Catholic shrines in the world. The country also holds a number of fascinating historical sites.Highlights:Visit the Shrine of Fatima in the town of Fatima, where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared on six occasions in front of three children in 1917. The square that houses the shrine also has a wax museum (Rua Jacinta Marto, tel: +351-249-539-300) recounting the story of the apparitions.See the Jeronimos Monastery (Largo Jeronimos 3, 1400-210 Lisbon, tel: +351-21- 362-0004) and the Belem Tower (Avenida Brasilia, 1400-038 Lisbon, tel: +351-21- 362-0034), both designated as Unesco World Heritage Sites. Both sites, which are close to each other, are built in a distinctive Manueline style of architecture, also known as the Portuguese late-Gothic style.Best time to visit: Between March and May or September and October, as the weather is still warm, but the city is not as crowded as it is in the summer.Go with: CTC Travel's 14-day Splendours of Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar tour. Prices start from $2,538. To book, call CTC Travel on 6536-3995 or go to .ctc.com.sg.Greek islands of Mykonos.GREECEFrom its ancient capital city of Athens, the birthplace of the Olympic Games to the volcanoes of Santorini, Greece is diverse in its offerings. Take time to explore the entire Hellenic Republic at a leisurely pace.Highlights:Take a city tour of Athens, stopping at the Pan-Athenaic Olympic Stadium, where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896. Also visit the Acropolis, an ancient citadel comprising the remains of several old buildings including the iconic Parthenon.Take a boat to the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini, which are a beach lovers' paradise with their deep blue waters and golden stretches of sand.Visit the city of Olympia, the site of the Olympic Games in classical times. See the Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus, where Greek athletes first met two millennia ago to honour the Greek God Zeus.The Games were held here every four years before being moved to Athens in their modern incarnation, and the Olympic flame is still lit in this sanctuary to this day.Best time to visit: Peak holiday seasons are July and August, when the weather is warmest, but travellers can enjoy the beaches without the crowds in June or September.Go with: Chan Brothers' nine-day Mythical Greece tour. Prices start from $2,588. To book, call 6438-8880 or go to .ChanBrothers.com.Northern Lights.FINLANDFinland is said to be the home of Santa Claus, making it an especially popular winter destination for Singaporeans at the recent Natas fair. The Nordic country next to Sweden and Norway has an eclectic mix of wintry attractions - a definite change from tropical Singapore.Highlights:Visit a reindeer farm in the Arctic Circle. The owners of Arctic Circle Reindeer Farm, 7km from the centre of the circle, herd the reindeer on their own farm and introduce guests to reindeer herding culture.Visit one of the many Santa Claus- themed attraction. Santa Claus Village, Santapark and Santa Claus Main Post Office are among the sights dedicated to transporting visitors to the magical world of Father Christmas.See the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, a natural light display in the sky. Scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) of the United States have predicted that this December will be the best time in the next decade to see the Northern Lights, as solar activity is expected to peak.Some hotels in the Lapland area of Finland offer guests the chance to stay overnight in a traditional snow igloo or a glass igloo, where they can see the Northern Lights through the glass ceiling.Best time to visit: December this year, for the Nothern LightsGo with: ASA Holidays' 12-day Spectacular Scandinavia package, which covers Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Prices start from $4,088. To book, call ASA Holidays on 6303-5388 or go to .asaholiday.com.儲存倉