By Kevin Schweers

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) today filed an amendment to the health care reform bill that would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a Medicaid cost of dispensing survey. It’s been more than a decade since the feds last examined this issue in detail. Since that previous study there have been a variety of federal and state pushes to cut pharmacy reimbursement again and again without government data to fully know the impact of such reductions.

NCPA strongly supports such a study. Right now Congress is in the midst of determining the fix it will apply to the court-delayed, average manufacturer price based reimbursement. If reimbursements are set too low they would force many community pharmacies out of the Medicaid program or to close altogether. While NCPA believes the current Senate language of “no less than 175%” is preferable to the lower House level, it still may not be sufficient to recover from low state dispensing fees.

NCPA wrote to Sen. Bennet thanking him for requesting the study.  Excerpts of that letter follow below. We’re urging all Senators to support the amendment:

“We strongly support passage of your provision requiring the GAO to conduct a state-specific Medicaid pharmacy cost of dispensing study as part of health care reform. This study can help determine the true costs to pharmacies to provide needed Medicaid prescription drugs and pharmacy services to their patients.

“It is important for GAO to study and determine an appropriate level of state-specific dispensing fees under Medicaid because there is a significant discrepancy between average state dispensing fees and recent measures of the actual cost to dispense. For example, the 2009 NCPA Digest [sponsored by Cardinal Health] found that the cost of dispensing in 2008 was $11.01 per prescription. Similarly, the 2007 Grant Thorton study found that figure to be $10.50 in 2006. In contrast, the aggregate average dispensing fee paid by the states under Medicaid has been estimated to be between $4.75 and $5.02 per prescription.

“The proposed study is particularly important for rural states like Colorado, where a pharmacy may be the only accessible health care provider for many miles. In fact, over half of all pharmacies that serve rural areas of America are independent pharmacies. We appreciate your recognition of the importance of rural pharmacies to the nation’s health care infrastructure. A GAO study could give Congress and the States needed information by which to measure the adequacy of the dispensing fees they pay and the impact upon patient access to pharmacy services. We appreciate your leadership on this issue and look forward to working with you on this important study.”

yesterday, the New York Times posted an article saying that the vinyl records are back. they say that the IPOD GENERATION start to buy vinyl records and even turn tables.

The new york times is a serious newspaper, so they even got some numbers from Nielsen Soundscan showing that vinyl records been climbing steadily for some years now and bla bla bla….

i guess its true, but i dont find any surprise in that. i sold all my vinyl records years ago. oh, and i trashed my record player. but i put on my wall some record covers i like such as THE BEATLES Sgt. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and SEPULTURAS’ BENETH THE REMAINS. i did it cos i love the art work.

i knew that nothing can replace a record cover. it’s just the right size u know? being a metalhead i love the art work of so many record covers, and a cd cover is too small. but i had so much available space in my flat without all those records!!

the best thing about cd covers is that u can sit and read all the lyrics of your favorite songs, and it’s pretty small and not huge like those found in vinyl records. but i trashed all my cd’s with their plastic covers (that gets broken all the time) too. i did it cos i got all my music as DATA and not physical form such as a vinyl record or a cd. i have so much giga of music but it aint taking any space, now that i store my data on small devices i can carry wherever i go.

that was a revolution. and its great! and if i want some art work or lyrics i get them in a sec on the internet.

so why i dont find the increase of vinyl records a surprise? cos i knew it will happen someday.

first of all, there are so many DJs nowadays and as someone who djing i must say nothing is like an analog turn table. i hate djing with the computer or the new digital cd turn tables or dj software. it’s not the same. u cant scratch like u should and with all these new shit, the dj work is too easy.

in addition, for all those kids of the ipod generation, a vinyl record is something new. they dont know what it is. they were born to the internet, they use data that they can get very fast.

so those kids want something new. they want what they can’t have. it’s like hot rods cars and restoration of great cars from the 1950’s.

before there was internet, u needed to use your legs and go to find your favorite music. now the kids have to do the same in order to find a vinyl record of LED ZEPPELIN so they can listen to the warm sound of a vinyl and look at the great art work, and holding it not the mouse.

as a guitar player, i love and have analog amp from the early 80’s, guitar from the 70’s and effects from the early 90’s. nothing sounds better than that. that is why there are all those plug-ins of tube amps for computer recordings. but it’s not the same as a real tube amp recordings. 

so this is not a surprise for me, just as it will not be a surprise if in the future kids will be more puritans than we r now, they will want to meet with real friends and not cyber friends they have never meet.

As the title suggests, I need a guitar amp! I’ve been borrowing a band member’s Marshall stack for a long time now, but some time ago the original owner came and finally picked it up – he had somehow forgotten he had lent it for about a year or two. So the time has come to go out and purchase a guitar amp of my own, and I have my sights locked on one particular amp head.

Doesn’t it look beautiful?

The best parts of a vintage tweed Fender Champ are the vacuum tubes.  State of the art technology when my Fender Champ  amp was built in 1959, they were in every electronics device at the time.  One of the coolest things about these big vacuum tubes is that you can see and feel them working.  They glow.  They get hot.  They get REALLY hot.

It is pretty common on these old Fender Champs to see that the power cord has been replaced.  More often than not, it is because the power cord was wrapped up after use, tucked inside the cabinet, came in contact with the still hot tubes and melted through.

Safety considerations of the time not being up to what we expect today, the tubes are mounted pointing down from the rear of the metal chassis and are completely exposed.  There is plenty of clearance between the hot tubes and the wood of the cabinet on all but one side – the rear.  Having hot vacuum tubes too close to nice and combustable pine wood panels could be quite problematic.  So, what was the best material available at the time to deal with this issue?   Asbestos of course!  The video below gives a comprehensive overview of asbestos (minus all the health problems associated with it).  It is called Asbestos – A Matter of Time. It was produced in 1959 by the US Bureau of Mines.  I thought it was too sweet that it was made in the same year as my amp!

From these videos, it looks like everything had asbestos in it at one point.  So what does this have to do with my Fender Champ?  Asbestos fabric is what was used to keep the wood of rear panel from catching fire due to the heat of the tubes.

Tweed Fender Champ Rear Panel

You can see that on the inside of the rear panel there is a white, cottony cloth like material, about 1/16th of an inch thick, covering most of the panel.  This is the side that is closest to the hot vacuum tubes and was most likely to catch fire if not adequately protected from the heat.  Sometimes you will see scorching on this fabric , but it usually stays in pretty good condition.  So, just how heat resistant is asbestos fabric?  One more old time video clip demonstrates this quite dramatically.  The clever wordplay is kind of cute.

When Fender made the transition from the tweed covering to black Tolex on the Champ in 1964, they also changed the orientation of the controls from rear facing/top mounted (popular with early lap steel/Hawaiian guitar players who performed sitting down behind their amps) to a front facing control layout popularized by players who liked to show off their state of the art Stratocasters by standing in front of their amps.  This front facing design also allowed players to move amps to the rear of the stage, creating more room on stage to ROCK!

What Fender neglected though (most likely due to the notoriously poor records that were kept), was a nice pile of rear facing/top mounted control cabinets that someone found in a warehouse.  Rather than wasting money by throwing away the old style cabinets (which of course would be an instant loss of dollars) Leo decided to use the new style black Tolex on the old style tweed cabinet and sell them.  The result?  A transition model Fender Champ.  A great example is shown below.  It is serial number C 22845 which points to the end of 1964 as a manufacture date.  The tube chart code is NH which means it was made in August of 1964.  It recently sold for $952.

Transition Fender Champ C 22845 Front

Transition Fender Champ C 22845 Rear

Transition Fender Champ C 22845 Controls

Transition Fender Champ C 22845 Cord

You can see the later style sparkle grill cloth and tolex, coupled with the earlier style tweed cabinet.  Cool stuff and a great little Fender history quirk.

Some people say playing the guitar is easy, others not. I’m probably one of those others — I’ve just started getting used to the guitar (and yes I own noob equipment). Damn I should’ve bought an Epiphone Les Paul but I fell for this one cause it just looked so’ sexy!  So far I can only play chords and a few scales; recently I learned John Mayer’s Clarity, Santana’s Smooth, and Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. Awesome.

Hopefully I’ll update more frequently.

But for now,
I’m out.

Wedding invitations are one of the first tasks that you need to complete when planning a wedding. These invitations are important because they not only let people know when and where your wedding will take place, but they also collect information that you will need to have in order to complete your wedding planning. Since you are investing a lot of money in your wedding invitations you will want to put some thought into each component of your invitation. If you want to add a little whimsy to your wedding invitations then consider these creative ideas for stuffing wedding invitations.

Option #1 – Poetic Bookmarks

One creative item that you can add to your wedding invitations is a poetic bookmark. This bookmark can be designed around a romantic poem that reflects the theme of your wedding. You will want to laminate the bookmark and add a decorative ribbon to one end. On one side you will print the poem and on the other side you can print information about your wedding, such as when and where it will be held.

Option #2 – Mini-Movie Posters

If you are having a movie themed wedding or wedding reception then consider slipping in a mini-movie poster into your wedding invitation envelope. The posters that you select should reflect the theme of your wedding and wedding reception and it should also reflect the personality of the wedding couple.

Option #3 – Candy

Today you can get a number of different candies imprinted with your own message. For example, you can have chocolate bars wrapped in labels that deliver a specific message, such as information about when and where your wedding will be held. You can also have smaller candies like M&Ms and candy hearts imprinted with short messages such as the couple's names, wedding date and so on.

Option #4 – Mini-Puzzle Pieces

Another fun insert for wedding invitations are mini-puzzle pieces. You can make a mini puzzle by overlaying a puzzle template over a picture of the couple or over a graphic of your wedding invitation. Then you will print out the mini puzzle on photograph paper or cardstock. Then you will cut the pieces apart and insert them into the envelope. If you include a mini-puzzle in your wedding invitations make sure you also include instructions that explains what the pieces are and why they need to be assembled.

Option #5 – Promotional Items

Another option that you have is to include promotional items like pens, notebooks, keychains or even a calendar with your wedding information imprinted on them. This is a fun way to announce your wedding and a great way to give each person you invite a special gift to remember your special day.

Left with Hope
By Umer A. Chaudhry
January 19, 2009

More than 125 years after his death and 150 years after he wrote his most famous piece of work, Karl Marx seems to have managed his return from Highgate Cemetery of London. His specter is no longer haunting merely Europe, rather it has expanded its reach to every corner of the world. All this when only a few years back it was declared and uncritically accepted that there can be no alternative to new-liberal capitalism, history was stated to have ended, and even the human capacity to observe and understand the world was questioned based on, amongst other things, the limitations of language. On the other hand, the world also saw, with the alleged ‘death of Communism,’ a sharp revival of the politics and militancy in the name of religion. Set against this backdrop, even the modest re-emergence of Karl Marx in the political and social discourse is highly remarkable. After all, the modern capitalist class structure, upon whose criticism Marxism proudly stands, did not collapse along with the Berlin Wall.

The return of Marxist discourse is not unaccompanied by a noticeable global upsurge in the political presence of the Left. The victory of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) in the Himalayas early in 2008 gave a major boost to the Leftist political activists around the world. The history and strategy of the Nepali Maoists were critically discussed and appreciated with reference to all accessible records and statements of the Party via various Internet forums and meetings around the globe. The out-pouring of Chinese students in opposition to Free-Tibet protests in many parts of the world just before the Beijing Olympics compelled many to have their first look at the history of China and the Chinese revolution. The mounting strength of Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales added by their increasing confrontations with U.S. Imperialism in Latin America became another source of inspiration for the world’s Left. The communist parties in India entered into a major struggle with the Congress Party, conducting mass demonstrations against the Indo-U.S. nuclear deals. Even in Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation has maintained itself as the country’s second largest party and its largest opposition party. All in all, the global recovery of the Left, though not at a very grand scale, is apparent to every perceptive eye.

In Pakistan, the Left has also made a modest yet a noteworthy reappearance. It was mostly due to the movement against the unconstitutional and illegal imposition of emergency that the Left has been able to gain visibility at a larger scale. Many journalists expressed their surprise at activists robustly raising the traditional slogans of the Left during major rallies of the lawyers’ movement. Many lawyers, who had any past association with the Left, were instantly attracted towards the sight of the red flag and the octagonal Mao caps. Young students, out of curiosity, inquired about the new crimson element on the streets and got to know about the strong tradition of resistance and struggle that Left carries forward. They were even more astonished to know that Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib, whose poetry also returned and was received with great appreciation, were also leading figures of the Left in their times.

Many people, however, are still not clear regarding why the Left engaged with the lawyers’ movement in the first place. It was not a knee-jerk reaction and obviously not an ignorance of the fact that the lawyers’ movement hosts a whole lot of forces, including the staunch right-wing elements of mainstream political parties- traditional foes of the Left. On the other hand, the Left participated in the lawyers’ movement to connect it with other anti-dictatorship movements that occurred in the past eight years, in order to help in building a larger movement for democracy, secularism, social justice, and rule of law – something running contrary to the goals of the religious right-wing. The Left made attempts within its capacity to build a movement that could address the basic question of the Pakistani State and society, and efforts were made to invite groups like Anjumen-e-Mazareen Punjab (AMP), Railway Workers’ Union (RWU), and the striking PTCL workers to the lawyers’ processions. However, it can be a criticism of the Left at the lawyers’ movement that it did not build any bridges with mass working class organizations, as was done during the anti-Ayub movement of the 60’s, though heavy focus was laid on traders’ organizations. The Left may not have succeeded in giving a more progressive and inclusive shape to the lawyers’ movement, despite all out efforts to do so. Notwithstanding, the Left stood staunch as to its goal and, at the very least, floated the right idea.

Nevertheless, a degree of confusion did exist during the course of the lawyers’ movement when many parties of the Left -including Labor Party of Pakistan (LPP) and National Workers’ Party (NWP)- decided to join the All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) and boycotted the elections early in 2008. One of the parties of the Left that did not join the APDM, a noteworthy exception, was the Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party (CMKP), which held that the Left must unite itself as a secular-democratic force in efforts to distinguish itself as a progressive force in the democratic movement, refraining from partaking in an alliance that has known reactionary right-wingers as its leading faces. The APDM-Left, conversely, either argued that the APDM was not dominated by the right wing, or that the alliance helped them in expanding the scope of their political activity. Be that as it may, the Left managed to make unified calls for the struggle against the Army dictatorship and its political cronies during the vital days of the February elections; only to have been responded by threats by elements of the State as a witness to their efficacy.

Another debate that was waged with passion in the circles of the Left, which are accessible to intellectuals and students through Internet forums, was the position regarding the conflict in the tribal areas of Pakistan. The Left that mingled with APDM called for an immediate stoppage of the military operation for the reasons that it targeted civilians, lacked efficiency due to double-dealings of the ISI and was conducted under the directions of the U.S. Imperialism. The CMKP, finding itself alone here as well, took a different stance. Vehemently opposing the civilian casualties, the double-dealings of the ISI, and the U.S. drone attacks, the CMKP argued that history and circumstances have led Pakistan to such a stage where extremism cannot be rooted out through peaceful dialogues and negotiations. Such means, it is believed, have a negative outcome as they allow the militants to get back on the offensive. Hence, it is essential to use force to deal with the threat of religious fanaticism. There are many other arguments, with varying degrees of sophistication, made for or against the afore-mentioned positions; what was most awe-inspiring was the level of thoroughness of some of the debates.

The aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks has appeared as a great challenge for Pakistan’s Leftists. To understand the predicament faced by them, it must be understood that the Left has always directed its efforts against the Military-Mullah alliance: the elements of quintessential mainstream politics in Pakistan. These two institutions have always stood in the path of even the smallest transition of our country towards democracy- both feed on jingoism and excessively anti-Indian hate-mongering, in order to conceal their retrogressive and narrow political stance.

The distressing tragedy of Mumbai was followed by astute chauvinist nationalism, employing the electronic and print media to further its cause. The image of retrogressive forces is being resurrected, in a planned manner, and zealous calls of “unity” are being given. This is responded to with indifference and total underestimation of the unjust and negative politics of the Army and religious fundamentalists. Television channels are opened for people like Hameed Gul to beat their jingoistic drums in the name of religion and false patriotism. The Left, in these circumstances, is left with no option but to end its year by placing a struggle on the cards against the politics of hate-mongering and jingoism. In this, so far with some formal engagement, the Left appears to stand united.

All in all, the politics of the Left has generated great interest fresh circles. The youth and the oppressed, thoroughly disgusted with military dictatorship, religious extremism and the mainstream parties of Pakistan, are eagerly seeking a new alternative on the political scenario. The Left appears as a major hope. The Left must maintain clarity with regards to its political position while becoming as accessible as possible towards those who are willing to struggle for the solution that guarantees democracy, progress, and social justice. The Left must stand steadfastly with its commitment towards peoples’ democracy, secularism, land-reforms, independence from Imperialism, equal rights and opportunities for women, minorities, oppressed nations, and most notably, the emancipation of the workers and peasants.

hey this is cool

With the recent popularity of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I can only assume that there will be quite a few people hitting the stores for an electric guitar, this holiday shopping season.

A couple things to consider…

Budget

Music intending to play

Experience level

1. Buying an Amp

If you do chose to purchase a electric guitar you will also need to buy a guitar amp.  One thing i have learned over the years is a nice amp can make a crappy guitar sound good but a crappy amp will make a good guitar sound bad. However this isn’t the final word on budget allocation, only a something to consider. I plan on contradicting my lesson learned by recommending the opposite.

A good choice for a amp regardless of experience or preferred music style is a Vox Valvetronix. The valvetronix comes in a 15w, 30w, 50w and 100w. I recommend either the 15w or 30w for beginners. Know that if you do land on the 15w you might have problems playing over a drum kit.

The cool thing about the Valvetronix is it comes with 22 amp models ranging from the latest high-gain types to hard-to-find boutique and vintage amps. So all music genres are covered with this choice . Another great thing about this amp is that it comes with 12 built in guitar effects.

The new Vox Valvetronix’s run $265 for a 30w and $200 for a 15W

To save even more green, i defiantly recommend going used. I recently bought a 50W used at a Guitar Center for less then what a new 30w costs.

-Mike Robinson

In pt2 i will give you some guitar recommenations. Single coil vs Humbuckers.

]]> http://mekaniks.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/a-sad-malo-kondenzatori/ Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:20:35 +0000 mekani http://mekaniks.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/a-sad-malo-kondenzatori/

Onomad kad sam dobio 200V na izlazu, moguće da je koješta pocrkalo. Treba da zamenim i neke kondenzatore pa da proverim. Biće ovo dugo pravljenje.

I thought we’d take a little break from the onslaught of awesome photos of tweed Fender Champs to learn a little something about how these little amps actually work.   Tubes, man!

Everybody loves vacuum tubes.  My 1959 vintage tweed Fender Champ has three of them.  A 5Y3GT rectifier, a 6V6GT power tube and a 12AX7 preamp.  Have you ever wondered how vacuum tubes actually work?  I found this great film called “Electronics at Work.”  It was made in 1943 by Westinghouse.  It does an incredible job of explaining what various types of vacuum tubes do.

Rectifiers, amplifiers, generators and more.  All are covered with explanations easy enough for a layperson to understand.  I love these old educational videos, I hope you like them too!

“Yes, the electronic tube, in essence, is only a switch.  But WHAT a switch!”

ANZW72AWTCGK

Another great tweed era Fender Champ is featured below.  It is in great condition.  Looking at the tube chart (stamped KE), speaker code and the serial number of C 16247, this looks like a mid- 1961 Fender Champ.  It sold on November 28, 2009 on eBay for $900.

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Front

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Rear

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Left side

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Right side

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Bottom

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Controls

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Cabinet

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Chassis

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Caps

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Tube Chart

Tweed Fender Champ C 16247 - Speaker

We’re currently about to finalize the code for the upcoming VST version of the Vandal plugin and managed to include a couple of new stuff. Here’s a pic of what recently was added to our effect pedal collection:

New modulation effects, dynamics, filter stuff, delays, etc.

These stomps are as thoroughly modelled and programmed as every other part in the plugin, so not just a bunch of cheap off-the-shelf algorithms. Each of them is capable of recreating the naturalness and unique sound texture associated with stomp box fx as usual.

More news coming soon.

Ono od juče jeste jedan od razloga što nije radilo, ali mi trebaju veći otpornici na jednom mestu (2 komada). Nadam se da ću i to danas srediti. Drž’te mi šipke.

This tweed Fender Champ has got mojo to spare!  You can see from the photos below that it is well worn and had a fair amount of work done over the years.  We can see from the serial number of C 19070 and the tube chart code of LH that this amp was made in August of 1962.  The power cord, on/off-volume knob, handle, jewel light and speaker have all been replaced.  The upper rear panel has obviously been recovered.  This sold on November 17, 2009 on eBay for $610.

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Front

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Rear

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Rear 2

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Right side

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Left side

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Logo

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Controls

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Tubes

Tweed Fender Champ C 19070 - Tube chart

Scptx records unproudly presents:
[SCPTXDGT010LP] EMOKILLERS – Various Artists

Listen clip and grab on JunoDownload:
http://www.junodownload.com/ppps/products/1496873-02.htm

Tracklist:
Triamer – “Pes-Da” – (05:51)
Nufojah – “Vacuol” (Proton Kid remix) – (06:16)
Kaiza – “Q (The Limits Of Control)” (feat Try & Error) – (04:49)
Terror(east) & TRN18 – “The Last Day” – (07:15)
Destructo & BlackCode – “Chemical Bleeding” – (05:21)
Beastie Noize’s – “Red Alert” – (07:07)
LSD – “R U Deaf” – (05:52)
Kzss & The Collaboration – “Reality” – (06:39)
Effect – “Pure Energy” – (07:30)
Cyclone – “Empty Space” – (05:55)
Roomoff & Amp – “Kannibal” (feat Fade) – (06:38)
Nufojah – “Second Hand Human Parts” (2009 VIP) – (06:13)
Exiva & Terror(east) – “Extermination” – (05:21)
Dead Phantoms – “Illidan” – (06:04)
Idoleast – “Katastrofa” (Himself remix) – (05:18)

Izgleda sam skontao (ne, nisam, Crnogorac mi je rekao) u čemu je fora. Nadam se da će proraditi. Javljam kad probam.

Another user submitted set of photos for tweed Fender Champ C 17435.  This is a great looking amp that has had some work done.  It has a new handle, a new speaker (the original was sold with the amp) and has been recapped.  The serial number indicates an amp from 1962, the speaker code indicates that the speaker was made late in 1960.  The tube chart is inconclusive, looks like it is missing the two letter code stamp.  This amp was last known to be in Australia – possibly why the 12AX7 tube was crossed out and replaced with a 7025.  If anyone knows anything about this, we’d love to hear it.

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Front

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Rear

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Bottom

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Controls

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Caps

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Tubes

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Tube Chart

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Transformer

Tweed Fender Champ - C 17435 Speaker

Another great example of a vintage tweed Fender Champ submitted by its owner.  This one was made in June of 1960.  We know this by looking at the tube chart code – JF is June 1960 and the serial number of C 014195 corresponds to this time frame as well.  Its power cord has been replaced and so has the speaker.  It looks like the chicken head knob has been replaced too.  It recently sold for $711.

Tweed Fender Champ - C 14195 Front

Tweed Fender Champ - C 14195 Left side

Tweed Fender Champ - C 14195 Right side

Tweed Fender Champ - C 14195 Rear

Tweed Fender Champ - C 14195 Fuse Cap and Light

Tweed Fender Champ - C 14195 Tube Chart

Tweed Fender Champ - C 14195 Caps

Today for your viewing pleasure we have some photos of a vintage tweed Fender Champ amplifier kindly provided by its owner.  As the title of this post indicates it is serial number C 013143.  From this one piece of information, we can estimate that this amp was made in late 1956 or early 1957.  The handle and cord are not original, but that is fairly common on these vintage amps.

This amp features a resellers tag in the upper right hand front corner.  It reads Thorgadd Anderson Co1630 east lake street  Minneapolis 7 Minn.  It sold on November 29, 2009 on eBay for $810.

Tweed Fender Champ 5F1 - C 03143 Front

Tweed Fender Champ 5F1 - C 03143 Controls

Tweed Fender Champ 5F1 - C 03143 Logo

Tweed Fender Champ 5F1 - C 03143 Rear

Os mais recentes dados Confidencial Imobiliário|LardoceLar.com para a Área Metropolitana do Porto, revelam que, no 2º trimestre de 2009, a oferta habitacional se caracterizou por um crescente número de alojamentos novos, sobretudo devido à saída dos alojamentos usados do stock. Esta é uma tendência mais vincada no concelho do Porto, onde os apartamentos novos nesse período ascenderam a 47,1% da oferta disponível.

Apesar de, no conjunto da Área Metropolitana, a oferta de usados continuar a dominar o stock de habitação disponível, concentrando 57% dos aproximadamente 109 mil fogos em oferta no trimestre, o seu peso no stock baixou ligeiramente face ao trimestre anterior, quando os alojamentos usados representavam 58,5% da oferta disponível na Área Metropolitana do Porto. Entre o 1º e o 2º trimestre, o volume de oferta habitacional na Área Metropolitana do Porto decresceu cerca de 2,5%, numa descida devida, sobretudo, à retirada de alojamentos usados da base de dados, já que o número de fogos novos em oferta se manteve estável, em torno dos 46.4 mil.

No que respeita o preço médio dos alojamentos em oferta na AM Porto, a nota é igualmente de uma ligeira descida trimestral. No 2º trimestre, o preço médio dos alojamentos em oferta nesta região era de 1.250€/m², contra os 1.264€/m² no trimestre anterior. O ritmo de decréscimo foi semelhante quer no segmento de novos quer no de usados, com preços médios de oferta de respectivamente, 1.409€/m² e de 1.133€/m² no 2º trimestre, face a 1.425€/m² e 1.149€/m² no 1º trimestre.

A Confidencial Imobiliário e o portal www.LardoceLar.com, desenvolvido e gerido pela Caixatec, do universo Caixa Geral de Depósitos, estabeleceram uma parceria, no âmbito da qual a primeira realiza o tratamento estatístico dos imóveis em oferta neste portal, que reunia, em 2008, um total acumulado de 567 mil imóveis e 1.723 empresas de mediação imobiliária. A Ci procede ao seu tratamento estatístico, incluindo procedimentos de validação e eliminação de registos repetidos, apurando resultados que podem ir ao nível da freguesia, sobre o stock em oferta e sobre os fluxos de entradas e saídas da base de dados, por tipologia e estado de uso.

Fonte Confidencial Imobiliário

La opinión del Periodista y Docente Universitario….

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MODESTO  A.  TUÑON

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Secundino Pineda debe esperar en las mañanas a que baje la marea en Bahía Muerto o cualquier estero cercano en el Golfo de Chiriquí para marchar sobre la playa y buscar la fangosidad donde hundir sus manos, sacar algo de almejas, concha prieta u otros moluscos para luego, en algún lugar adecuado, procesar la pesca.

Al rato, el agua hervirá en latas y su ebullición acogerá al animal marino y le obligará a separar los compactos labios para ofrecer su blanda carne que se empacará y terminará en los restaurantes, puestos de venta del área o ventorrillos en la carretera Interamericana.

Esta actividad de extracción del señor Pineda, corresponde a la realidad cotidiana de unas 25 personas en forma permanente, pero donde también se involucran alrededor de unos 140 concheros, almejeros, cangrejeros y afines que justo en el momento de la bajamar recorren la costa, los estuarios, manglares para extraer sus riquezas.

Esos manglares son una zona de producción para las comunidades de, por lo menos, tres distritos chiricanos, Alanje, David y San Lorenzo. Se trata de un amplio ecosistema, que incluye esos bosques insertos en las aguas lodosas, esteros, riachuelos, arenales, playas, islas y un amplio mar, que conjugan una riqueza de especies, tanto en flora como en fauna.

Las poblaciones que desarrollan diferentes actividades productivas en estas comunidades son conscientes de esta riqueza y además del valor que representa por constituir una zona de apareamiento, cría y refugio de peces y otras formas marinas, como se expone en el estudio para establecer una nueva área protegida en este lugar.

Por esa razón y en especial porque sus actividades económicas están ligadas al aprovechamiento de los recursos del manglar, grupos comunitarios solicitaron a las autoridades municipales que se declarara como un área protegida esta zona. De allí se definió crear la nueva área protegida de uso múltiple Manglares de Chiriquí.

Los municipios de David, Alanje y San Lorenzo coordinaron con instituciones como la Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM), la Autoridad de los Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá (ARAP), la Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP) y el Servicio Aeronaval, así como con la Fundación MarViva y la Cámara de Comercio de David, para analizar y considerar las posibilidades de gestión.

Por sus características, los manglares de Chiriquí serán un área protegida donde se promoverá la conservación de su riqueza de recursos y las comunidades que viven en las costas, desembocaduras de ríos y ensenadas, podrán realizar sus actividades productivas, mediante el concepto de desarrollo sostenible, según explicó Harmodio Cerrud, administrador regional de la ANAM en esa provincia.

Los manglares de Chiriquí surgen legalmente como área protegida con el Acuerdo Municipal No. 21 de 6 de junio de 2007, con el sustento normativo contenido en el artículo 66 de la Ley 41 de 1 de julio de 1998, General del Ambiente, y la ANAM es la institución administradora de este territorio de uso múltiple.

Este nuevo sitio de protección está situado entre las áreas protegidas del Refugio de Vida Silvestre de La Barqueta Agrícola y el Parque Nacional Marino Golfo de Chiriquí, localizado, fundamentalmente, en una zona de manglares y ciénagas y tiene una extensión de casi 76 mil hectáreas, que incluye partes marinas y terrestres.

Aquí resulta de importancia que se ha iniciado un proceso de divulgación de esta nueva área protegida entre las autoridades locales municipales de los distritos de Alanje, David y San Lorenzo, instituciones vinculadas a su gestión, así como con finqueros vecinos y las poblaciones de las comunidades involucradas, que desarrollan actividades productivas con los recursos del Golfo de Chiriquí.

Esta nueva área protegida se caracteriza por sus amplias ensenadas, numerosas desembocaduras de ríos que aportan sedimentos con altos contenidos de nutrientes y agua dulce, que permiten el desarrollo de los más importantes ecosistemas de manglar.

La fauna incluye ocho tipos de mamíferos —entre ellos, monos tití, cariblanco y ardilla, puercoespín y el gato manglatero—, 19 aves —varios tipos de garza, cotinga piquiamarilla, loros, patos, martín pescador, águila pescadora, gavilanes de manglares—, nueve reptiles —ejemplos son los babillos e iguanas— y una especie de anfibio, la rana verdinegra, que debe ser protegida por encontrarse amenazada.

Hay también una rica variedad de peces, entre los que se han observado unas 13 especies de agua dulce (sábalo, lisa), así como también 39 originarias de estuarios y marinos; igual, peces marinos en los esteros y en la zona marino—costera, como pargo, sierra, corvina, robalo, tiburón y otros menores.

Además se pueden mencionar 15 tipos de moluscos, como la almeja (Donax dentifer) y la concha negra o prieta (Anadara tuberculosa).

Existe necesidad de conservar esta riqueza, porque también hay amenazas como la contaminación por desechos, aguas servidas, pesca ilegal y uso de explosivos, sobreexplotación de los recursos marinos, tala indiscriminada del mangle o extracción de su cáscara; además expansión de las zonas de cultivo y ganadería y construcción de urbanizaciones sin control.

Instituciones no gubernamentales, como la Fundación MarViva, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) y Conservación Internacional, apoyan el establecimiento de esta nueva área protegida, sobre todo por las perspectivas de un esquema de desarrollo sostenible que involucre a comunidades como Pedregal, Horconcitos, Chorcha Abajo, Guarumal, Las Pavas de Isla Sevilla, Tres Boquitas del Estero, El Repartidero y otras.

Quizás el aspecto más importante, en cuanto a la gestión de esta área protegida, resulte de la forma como se involucran estas comunidades. Darío Tovar, quien realizó el estudio técnico, resalta esta cualidad y, por tanto, “ la necesidad de involucrar a todos los actores claves vinculados al área de estudio, razón por la que se implementó un riguroso proceso de planificación participativa y consulta permanente ”.

Los manglares desempeñan un papel en la lucha contra el cambio climático, porque la masa boscosa es uno de los sistemas que más fija el carbono y produce oxígeno. Esa es una importante razón para que los chiricanos y organizaciones comunitarias, como los concheros de Secundino Pineda, tengan conciencia de las posibilidades existentes en su territorio.

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Publicado el 25  de noviembre de 2009 en el diario La Estrella de Panamá, a  quien damos, lo mismo que al autor, todo el crédito que le corresponde

OEC and Ohio Environmental Law Center hail AMP decision to halt dirty coal plant

Decision belies myth that dirty power is cheap power

In a statement, AMP revealed it will abandon its plans to build a 960 MW coal plant near Letart Falls in Meigs County. According to the statement, the company said the change in course was the result of an unexpected 37 percent increase in the cost to build the 1,000-megawatt plant, which was last estimated at $3.25 billion.

The Ohio Environmental Council is hailing the announcement today by American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio) that it has cancelled plans to construct a proposed 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant on the Ohio River in Meigs County.

Ever-growing costs doomed the plant, as cost projections grew from $2.5 billion just two years ago to close to $4 billion, today.

Statement by Trent Dougherty, OEC Staff Attorney and Director of Legal Affairs:

“AMP-Ohio’s wise decision belies the myth that coal power is cheap power. Financial institutions, major utilities, government regulators and public power organizations across the nation have come to the conclusion that conventional coal makes little sense economically or environmentally. Today, that realization came to American Municipal Power (AMP) as AMP has abandoned plans to build yet another coal plant.

“We are pleased that AMP-Ohio has concluded that dirty power is bad business. Now, AMP Ohio can get back to the business of doing what it does best — being a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency in this state.
“For years, we and our allies have presented data to AMP executives, to utility and environmental regulators, and to dozens of city governments that would be stuck with the bill for this plant, projecting that this old-fashioned coal plant was burdened with unknown costs to consumers and unsubstantiated risks to our environment. Years ago, AMP-Ohio’s plant and rationale for building it may have made sense, but the regulatory landscape has fundamentally shifted.”

The OEC, along with its partners Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club are in litigation over this plant, appealing air and water pollution permits issued last year by Ohio EPA. The coal plant was slated to burn at least 2.8 million tons of coal and each year release the following air pollution each year: up to 6,820 tons of sulfur dioxide, 3,194 tons of nitrogen oxide, 1,182 tons of particulate matter, 343 tons of sulfuric acid mist, 166.87 tons of volatile organic compounds, 880 pounds of lead, and 192 pounds of mercury.