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Senior Finance Manager - Network and Technology
This job posting is no longer active
- Branchburg, NJ, United States
- Full-Time Technology
- Job # 521973
- Date posted - 2019-06-24
This job posting is no longer active
What you'll be doing...
The Finance Organization
At Verizon, we are building a world-class Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) organization. We have begun a comprehensive program to streamline processes, enhance systems, realign the organization and add opportunities for personal skill-building and professional growth. We're finding new ways to add value and provide strategic support. This is the kind of work we do. We want to build leading FP&A practices within Verizon, setting the stage to become the place any FP&A professional wants to work. You can become a catalyst for change.
Global Network & Technology FP&A Team
Move beyond compiling data and help tell the story behind the numbers. The Global Network & Technology Team position offer opportunities to drive better business partnering and insights, while growing your FP&A leadership and interpersonal skills. You are considered a business partner and your contributions will make a difference. You'll become involved in, but not limited to, capital management and related system design and administration, investment analysis, business case development, monthly capital reporting and analysis.
What we're looking for...
You'll need to have:
Even better if you have:
When you join Verizon...
You'll be doing work that matters alongside other talented people, transforming the way people, businesses and things connect with each other. Beyond powering America's fastest and most reliable network, we're leading the way in broadband, cloud and security solutions, Internet of Things and innovating in areas such as, video entertainment. Of course, we will offer you great pay and benefits, but we're about more than that. Verizon is a place where you can craft your own path to greatness. Whether you think in code, words, pictures or numbers, find your future at Verizon.
Equal Employment Opportunity
We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer- and celebrate our employees' differences,including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, and Veteran status. Different makes us better.


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I loaded a roll of black and white Kodak TMax 400 film into my Sprocket Rocket lomo camera about 2 months ago when I was in Bandung. Didn't finish it until last week when I brought it to Geylang Serai at night. In between I shot few images in Bugis and City Hall areas. I love the panoramic format of this plastic camera, but watch out for the lighting though. It needs a lot of light. I only got few keepers from this roll.
The above was shot in Bandung from outside of Texas Fried Chicken restaurant through its glass window, hence you can see some reflections in the photo. The one below was shot somewhere along the Waterloo Street. It was a hot and bright day, hence the better exposure as you can see.
Cathedral of Good Shepherds.
And only one from Geylang Serai last week.

subset: commoncrawl


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Guy Ritchie and Madonna split in 2008 and in a new interview, the "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" director admitted it was a rollercoaster ride.
"I stepped into a soap opera, and I lived in it for quite a long period of my life," Guy told Details magazine's December issue. "I'll probably be more eloquent on it 10 years from now."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Top 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces
U.S. & World
Guy and Madonna met in 1998 at a dinner party, held by Sting's wife, Trudie Styler, who set them up.
The two married two years later in December 2000 at Skibo Castle in Scotland, and the director said he has no regrets about their union.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Madonna - Music's Royal Madgesty!
"I enjoyed my first marriage. It's definitely not something I regret. The experience was ultimately very positive," he said. "I love the kids that came out of it, and I could see no other route to take. But you move on, don't you?"
The split between the couple resulted in a reported cost – for Madonna – of between $76 million and $92 million.
When asked what he learned from their marriage, Guy mentioned money.
"When you end up with a lot of the things you set out to chase and find that you've stumbled into all sorts of hollow victories, then you become deeply philosophical. I'm quite happy that that experience was accelerated for me. I'm glad I made money, in other words," he said. "And I'm glad I got married."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Madonna's Men
"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" opens on December 16.
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Divorce! Break-Ups! Hollywood's Most Famous Former Couples
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Comic-Con 2009: Robert Downey Jr. Talks 'Sherlock Holmes'
PLAY IT NOW: Access Extended: Lourdes & Kelly Osbourne Celebrate Material Girl's 1st Birthday
More from Access: [ Guy Ritchie Madonna Divorces ]


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model(redirected from implant model)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia.
Any mathematical formula or other structure that economists use to explain or predict occurrences. Economists test their models with real world facts before they gain wide acceptance, but, even then, there is no guarantee that a model will always be a correct predictor. See also: Model risk.
An abstraction of reality, generally referring in investments to a mathematical formula designed to determine security values. Economists also use models to project trends in economic variables such as interest rates, economic activity, and inflation rates.


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Click inside for New Year's content separate from our "best-of" package, from cartoons to columns to pages. If your paper has something that would work on a national scale, please Zope it to us or e-mail it to email@example.com.
Click the links below for New Year's content, from cartoons to columns to pages. If your paper has something that would work on a national scale, please Zope it to us or e-mail it to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Lori Kilchermann: Unleash your creativity in 2010
Julia Spitz: America's New Year spirits
Liccar cartoon: New Year's and the Obama administration
Elizabeth Davies: A decade's worth of resolutions
Editorial: Make sure to ring in the New Year safely
Granlund cartoon: Passing the debt to 2010
Necole Sims: Why not resolve to learn from your mistakes of 2009?
Charita Goshay: New year ... same ol' stuff
John Ford: Predictions for the upcoming yearAmanda Jacobs: Done with a decade
Kenneth Knepper: New Year's resolutions gone awry
A safe New Year's: Getting drunk, sick can happen before you know it
Gary Brown: In search of New Year's resolutions I might be able to keep
Meredith O'Brien: My anti-resolution list
Gary Brown: Those pesky Mayans on my mind as 2009 ends
Loretta LaRoche: Resolve to be grateful in 2010
Shoestring Living: Here's to a frugal fresh start in 2010
Conroy cartoon: Looking ahead and looking behind
Connie Goff: I'm resolving to change my New Year's resolutions
Julie Kaiser: With help, here's to better days ahead
Checkout Lane: Finding an affordable bubbly beverage for New Year's Eve
Granlund cartoon: Still hungover from 2008
Kitchen Call: Paella makes for a colorful New Year
Lori Kilchermann: Have no fear, bring on the New Year
Lloyd Garver: My wish list for 2010
Best of 2009 content
Year in Review page


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The Religious History of the German-Russians in the USA
To properly assess the religious history of the Protestant German Russians in the USA, it is appropriate to start with the immigration of Germans into Russia during the middle 18th Century. Coincidental with the settlement of the German colonies along the Volga, the Moravian Brethren of Basel, Switzerland, under support of the Count Von Zinzendorf of Saxony, established the mission Sarepta, in 1765 at the bend of the Volga near Tzaritzin, present-day Volgograd. The mission was created as an installation for the Christianizing of the nomadic Khirgis and Kalmuk Moslem tribes, who inhabited the region and posed a serious and constant threat to the new German settlements.
At that point in time, adherents of the Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinistic) persuasions who were being settled in communities ranging from north of Saratov and south to Kamyschin, were experiencing a meager degree of spiritual leadership. The small number of pastors accompanying the immigrating groups were physically hard put to serve the scattered clusters of settlements, leaving many of them essentially un-churched. Having limited success with their efforts in connection with the indigenous tribes, the Moravian missionaries discovered a veritable field of religious opportunity immediately to the north within the Volga German colonies and were soon able to introduce their pietistic influence. Ultimately, the movement had its positive effect on the established Lutheran and Reformed churches to the extent that it was not only supported by some of the pastors such as Bonwetsch and Stärkel, but also brought about the creation of separatist groups known as the Stundenbrüder and Brüderschaft, or "Brotherhood." These movements were further augmented during the 1850s by the advent of the Mennonite settlements east of the Volga who were of the Anabaptist, pietistic belief.
The pietistic-separatist movements also spread southward into the Black Sea area. Under the influence of the Pastor Bonekemper and the defrocked Catholic priest, Ignaz Lindl, who inspired the so-called Landau Baptist movement and brought about a similar condition within his pietistic community at Sarata in Bessarabia, the new beliefs continued to expand. Adding to this milieu of religious revisions in Russia was the migration of a body of the earlier-established Lutherans of the Chernigov along the Dneper River north of Kiev in the 1760s to the Black Sea area in the 1820s where they came under the Molotschna Mennonite influence, with a number of this group continuing into the Crimea Peninsula in the 1850s. Also worthy of mention are the Hutterites, who had migrated eastward from Switzerland to the Czech-Slovak region during the 1500s and 1600s, and from there to the Black Sea region of Russia adjacent to the Mennonite Colonies.
All of these movements, beginning in the 1870s, managed to bring along their individual as well as new and revealing assortment of religious thoughts upon their arrival in the USA. At that time, itinerant missionaries representing principally the Congregational, the Presbyterian or Reformed and the Seventh-day Adventist religious faiths were operating in the Dakotas where farmsteads were scattered and townships only beginning to be formed. The Adventist (SDA) preachers succeeded in gaining converts from among the new arrivals out of the Crimea in South Dakota, moving on into North Dakota and Canada. Several of those converts actually revisited South Russia to spread their newfound faith in that region. Others traveled south into Kansas where another new faith, the Seventh-day Church of God, was created among Volga Germans who had been adherents of the "Brotherhood" in Russia and had since become Mennonites.
While the Reformed missionaries were enjoying relatively minor successes in South Dakota, that faith became prominent in the Sutton Nebraska region. On the other hand, the Congregationalists, by offering total autonomy to the new arrivals, were ultimately successful. This came about for two major reasons. Some Lutheran congregations established by Scandinavians were of the highly liturgical order that did not appeal to the Lutherans from Russia who had been accustomed to the less formal or Slow church order. Secondly, certain of the Lutheran Churches established by people who had come directly from Germany provided a less-than-comfortable environment for the new arrivals from Russia. It must, however, be acknowledged that many Lutheran churches in the Mid-west and Western USA did serve extensive German-Russian congregations.
Thus, as the Seventh-day Adventists were enjoying great success with their movement, many of the German Russians, choosing to keep Sunday as the day of worship, became Congregationalists. As previously stated, the very strong influence in this matter was the total autonomy afforded them by the Congregational Church in the USA. While German Congregationalism had initially been established in Illinois with pastors coming from the Chicago Seminary, the Germans from Russia readily adopted this opportunity of religious freedom and soon created their own German seminary at Redfield, South Dakota, which was later moved to Yankton, South Dakota, where it remained until that group of believers in 1964 became a part of the United Church of Christ, or in some cases chose to become non-denominational churches. It is interesting to note that where a given town contained both English and German Congregational churches, they were essentially as different as two distinct denominations. Characteristically, the Germans' observance of the Sacraments, as well as Confirmation, was carried on in the same tradition as it had been performed in Russia.
Of the newly created denominations, the Seventh-day Adventist and German Congregational Churches became the dominant German Protestant sects in the Western United States, reaching into Western Canada and from North and South Dakota southward through Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado into Oklahoma and westward through Montana and Idaho to Washington, Oregon and south throughout California. Some communities boasted two or more churches of either faith which retained use of the German language in their services until World War II. Of lesser prominence, but certainly important in many communities, were the Evangelical, Nazarene, Pentecostal and Reformed congregations. Wherever they settled, the Mennonites and Hutterites did carry on their separate cultures in clearly defined communities more consistently than the other denominations. While today, the "German" Adventists, Baptists, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Reformed, Hutterites, Mennonites, et al, may reflect universal diversities in their religious affiliations, the history and culture these groups brought from Russia and developed in the United States has produced a heritage that will truly remain unique and significant.
Arthur E. Flegel, Golden State Chapter, 5 July 2003
CALIFORNIA CHURCHES followed the developmental course Arthur Flegel describes. In the Fresno area, for example, the Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church (established 1892), Zion Congregational Church (1900), and the Biola Congregational Church (1921) all affiliated with the German Congregational Church, but after 1964 Zion and Biola followed the merger toward the United Church of Christ; while the Cross Church became non-denominational.
The Central California Chapter Library possesses a substantial amount of information regarding these and other Fresno-area German-Russian churches, including St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Wartburg Church, Third Congregational Church and Salem Congregational Church in Sanger.
Regarding the architecture: if you compared the image of the church in the Volga German village of Hussenbach (below, right) with some Fresno area churches, you probably identified some common architectural features. Please note the photos, below, of the Biola Congregational Church from 1921 (left) and the Cross Church from 1914 (center). While neither completely expresses the Russian neo-classic style of our example, the traces of this style are evident, especially in the colonnaded porch at the front and elements in the tower and cupola.
Are these the only two examples in California? on the West Coast? Reader: let us hear from you!
Both these buildings are functioning churches: the United Church of Christ in Biola, and the Cross Church, with a Church of Christ congregation at the corner of Los Angeles and E Streets. You can catch a glimpse of the Cross Church tower to the east of State Highway 99 as you transverse the southern end of Fresno.
Diana Bell, Joan Kincade and Marge Zahl Williford contributed to these notes.
Our appreciation is extended to the California District Council Report for permission to print this article.


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Last night, Katy Perry and President Barack Obama took to the stage in Las Vegas, Nevada, for an unforgettable show. This is one trip to Vegas President Obama hopes will not stay in Vegas but will spread throughout the battleground state.
After being tapped by the Obama campaign to rally support for the President, Perry took the stage to get the crowd of nearly 13,000 pumped up for the November 6th election.
The "Waking Up In Vegas" singer was dressed in a white latex dress that was painted to look like a ballot with the field for Obama/Biden checked and the Romney/Ryan field left empty.
Perry told the crowd to not wait to vote and take advantage of the state's early voting by voting tomorrow. She also singled out the 18-year-old "virgin" voters, prompting them to get out their vote ASAP. Perry jokingly told the crowd she already had her voting outfit picked out, promising she'd wear red, white and blue when she voted for "you know who."
President Obama himself eventually took to the stage thanking Perry for her support and proclaiming to the crowd that she's a "wonderful young lady."
Perry's 90-year-old grandmother even showed her love for the President by the means of a kiss on the cheek. Obama then joked to the crowd that "someone wiped it off before Michelle saw it."
Immediately following last night's show, President Obama flew to Tampa where he will be speaking at a rally in Ybor City on Thursday morning.
Perry took to Twitter to share her excitement of the show and her 28th birthday.
So tonight was a great night! The PRESIDENT gave grandma and I unforgettable shout outs & now I am officially 28! Best. birthday. ever.
— Katy Perry (@katyperry) October 25, 2012
-CJ Robinson MIX 105.1/Orlando–
Reblogged this on Campaigning for College and commented:
Will this help the President?
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June as demand faltered, a preliminary survey showed, heightening the risk of a sharper second quarter slowdown and increasing the heat on the central bank to loosen policy.
China's economy grew at its slowest pace for 13 years in 2012 and so far this year data has been weaker than expected, bringing warnings the country could miss its growth target of 7.5 percent for this year, though possibly not by much.
And as the economy shows signs of faltering, a squeeze in Chinese money markets over the past two weeks has sharply tightened monetary conditions, adding to the pressure on the People's Bank of China to take steps to ease policy.
"Headline activity indicators such as industrial production and fixed asset investment are weak but are not collapsing, while labor market conditions remain tight," said Zhang Zhiwei, economist at Nomura International in Hong Kong.
"We believe the government is committed to tolerating short-term pain to achieve its policy objectives - containing financial risks and secure sustainable growth in the long term."
Nomura sees a 30 percent chance that growth in the second half of this year could be below 7 percent.
The flash HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 48.3 in June from May's final reading of 49.2, drifting further away from the 50-point level demarcating expansion from contraction. It was the weakest level since September.
The Australian dollar hit a fresh 33-month low after Thursday's data, which fuelled worries about a slowdown in Australia's single biggest export market.
Most of Asia's share markets were down more than 1 percent, with the China data adding to raw nerves struck when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke confirmed it would begin reducing its stimulus spending later this year.
The broad Asia ex-Japan index was down 2.8 percent.
In the PMI survey, compiled by British-based Markit Group Ltd, a sub-index measuring overall new orders dropped to 47.1 in June, the lowest reading in 10 months, suggesting demand is weakening both at home and abroad.
New export orders also weakened further in June, pointing to persistent global headwinds as the U.S. recovery remains patchy, while Europe's economy remains shackled by the debt crisis.
An employment sub-index also eased in June - broadly in line with signs of softening demand for migrant workers in Chinese cities - even though the overall job market is holding up as the government tries to improve social safety nets.
"Manufacturing sectors are weighed down by deteriorating external demand, moderating domestic demand and rising destocking pressures," said Qu Hongbin, chief China economist at HSBC.
"Beijing prefers to use reforms rather than stimulus to sustain growth. While reforms can boost long-term growth prospects, they will have a limited impact in the short-term. As such we expect slightly weaker growth in 2Q."
Many analysts have cut their forecasts for 2013 growth, with Barclays Capital seeing growth of 7.4 percent from 7.9 percent, and HSBC 7.4 percent from 8.2 percent in 2013 and 2014 at 7.4 percent from 8.4 percent.
The chances of a hard landing are small, however.
"The chance of economic growth slipping below 7 percent is quite low, because existing measures are still effective in helping stabilize the economy," said Wang Jin, analyst at Guotai Junan Securities in Shanghai.
"Figures for infrastructure and property investment show the overall demand of the economy is not declining sharply. Under such circumstances, a reform-oriented policy setting will not exacerbate hard-landing risks."
Nevertheless, there are a growing number of voices expecting policy action by the central bank, particularly as monetary conditions tighten. Interbank funding costs surged again on Thursday, with the two shortest-term rates hitting record highs.
"We expect the People's Bank of China to ease monetary conditions shortly," said Dariusz Kowalczyk, senior economist/strategist for Asia ex-Japan at Credit Agricole CIB, in a note.
"We see either an RRR (reserve ratio requirement) cut or large-scale liquidity-boosting open market operations."
But the central bank, which last cut rates in July 2012, is facing a dilemma as it balances the need to support the economy while dealing with property prices rising their fastest pace this year in May and looking increasingly like a bubble.
In addition, the chances of fresh stimulus appear slim given that China's new leaders have adopted a greater tolerance for a slowing economy as they focus on economic reforms.
Government economists have told Reuters that the new leadership of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang would tolerate quarterly growth slipping as far as 7 percent year-on-year before looking to jumpstart the economy.
Li was quoted by state media as saying on Tuesday that the economy remains generally stable and the pace of expansion is still within "the reasonable range".
The Financial News, which is run by the central bank, said in a commentary on Wednesday that the chances of a near-term interest-rate cut remain low amid fears over capital outflows.
The HSBC flash PMI comes ahead of the final reading due on July 1 along with the Chinese government's official PMI.
Editing by Alex Richardson


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Upon receiving our pre-owned 3D Printer we discovered the machine was having a few issues. However, we expected a bit of work to flush out the bugs. When the print head was removed to troubleshoot a clogged extrusion nozzle, we discovered a much larger problem …
The material extrusion nozzle and heating tube appeared to have sprung a leak during the previous ownership. There is quite a large amount of material now extremely hard and carbonized (plasticizers all cooked out). Left unchecked, the material would continue leaking eventually rendering the head unusable and unrepairable.
Without knowing how the print head is constructed, the only option was to disassemble the entire head. We were able to put the partially disassembled head back into the machine to heat the nozzles back up (seen in the picture above). The material was slowly and carefully pulled away from the nozzle while soft. Once the material was pulled from the heat tube, it solidified into a rock-hard substance within a minute.
We pulled out the heating tube causing the problem, removed the foil and fiberglass over-wrap. Most of the leaked material residue came off with the foil exposing a clean heat tube and heating element. It wasn't until now that we identified the source of the problem.
In the picture above, notice the inlet buffer (tanish brown plastic looking disk) is broken leaving a small piece left in the center of the heating tube. Also, note the material residue on the face of the inlet buffer. The material had been leaking between the fractured inlet buffer. This was most likely caused by a clogged extrusion nozzle in combination with a stress fracture in the inlet buffer from the heating and cooling cycle.
How do we fix this? First, let's call Stratasys and see if they have a replacement ….
PRINT HEAD, FDM2000, WATERWORKS ABSi …………………… $5000
Ouch! Now, we're totally dedicated to getting this machine functional as we have a decent bit of money already into its purchase price. However, if we invest another $5k, we're probably better off buying their new machine for $15k. Now it could be suggested that this is Stratasys' planned obsolescence. Maybe, maybe not. The head is so complicated and designed for low production (expensive to manufacture parts) that it actually does cost that much to rebuild every part in quantities of less than say 5 at a time. You'll get a glimpse of this in a second.
Now what?
The part we need is very simple and something we could make in about an hour or less with the right equipment. Pull out the calipers and let's get this done…
Only one question… What type of plastic can hold the tolerances we need (+/- 0.001″) throughout the temperature range of the heating tube (room temperature to 290 degrees C) ? Phenolic? No. ABS? Not a chance. Engineering plastics ? Absolutely now which one?
Cut to the chase… Polyimide is typically sold in very thin sheets or adhesive tape for insulating electrical circuits but is also solid in bars at about $71 per inch. We can't just chuck up just one inch in the lathe and what if we need another one? Wow… the hits keep coming. We found a surplus 5″ bar for about $150 and got it done …
One minor improvement was made where the small boss meets the large disk. We added a radius to reduce the stress caused from the coefficient of thermal expansion differences between aluminum and Polyimide. A chamfer had to be added to the heat tube to clear the new radius.
Heating tube reinstalled into print head (on right).
Because the head was taken apart, the tip offset between the model and support tips must be adjusted.
Back in action…
After replacing the clogged nozzle that started all of this, the machine has worked quite well for us. We've had some minor hiccups and a lot of calibrating to do but all is well now.Read More


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A hallowed rite of American politics ended Tuesday. Every few weeks for the past six years, reporters have speculated hopefully about whether Gen. Colin Powell would deign to run for president or vice president. Countless polls have confirmed the general's astounding popularity—only 7 percent negative! That's better than motherhood! His every refusal has been dissected for a loophole. (What exactly does, "My answer is irrevocably no" mean, anyway?) Even on Monday, when it was obvious that George W. Bush would pick Dick Cheney, Dan Rather was claiming that Bush and his father were still trying to convince the general to grace the ticket. (In this week's " Readme," Michael Kinsley argues that Cheney's selection still may not silence the Powell-for-veep huffing.)
When he declined a presidential run in 1995, Powell declared that running for office was "a calling that I do not yet hear." Now it seems clear he never will. Powell has telegraphed that he would serve as Bush's secretary of state, and he will almost certainly get the job if Dubya wins. But electoral politics is not likely. The general will be 67 by the next presidential election, too old for a first run. He has become the Mario Cuomo of the GOP, the girl who always got away.
So this is the moment to wonder what we missed. What kind of No. 1 or No. 2 would Powell have been? Powell's fairytale biography tends to overwhelm actual thinking about him. His story is too perfect. The son of striving West Indian immigrants, he grew up in the tough, polyglot South Bronx. He was an aimless kid, but he found order and meaning in the Army. He rode military service from Vietnam soldier to national security adviser to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Eventually, he prosecuted the most successful war in U.S. history, then retired to help at-risk kids.
For many, Powell is confirmation of the American dream: A black man from modest circumstances can do anything if he works hard enough. He affirmed idealism about the U.S. military: It is the meritocratic, colorblind institution it claims to be. And he is a role model and champion of hard work, discipline, honesty, loyalty, patriotism, and good humor. But the retelling of his spotless life suppresses cool consideration of the general's fitness for office.
Powell would have been a funny kind of candidate. American voters demand that their politicians be (or pretend to be) mavericks. Every presidential candidate promises to shake things up, claims to be impatient with the ways of Washington, and wants to seize power back from the bureaucrats and return it to the people. Generals have traditionally made compelling candidates because they appear to be warriors who won't be deterred by Beltway opposition. This is not Powell. Despite his military service and apparent outsiderness, he has exactly the qualities Americans say they don't want in a president. He is an organization man, fiercely loyal to bureaucracies, happy with the status quo, at least as comfortable taking orders as giving them.
Powell's military career testifies to his skills as a bureaucratic infighter. He had one year of real combat—a nasty stint as a Vietnam adviser—but mostly he was a staff officer, planning and advising superiors on strategy and logistics. Powell was great at getting along. In a 1968-69 tour of Vietnam, he served as a staff officer in the division that committed the My Lai massacre. He arrived in Vietnam after the massacre occurred but before it was discovered. As Charles Lane chronicled in the New Republic, Powell made no aggressive effort to investigate war crimes when he was asked to look into them, and he brushed off a soldier who had complained. According to Lane, Powell also kept his head down as a White House fellow during Watergate. When Powell worked for Ronald Reagan's National Security Council, he objected quietly to the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages deal but then helped Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger arrange the dubious transfer of missiles to Iran.
As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell confirmed his reputation for caution and bureaucratic chess-playing. He won credit from goo-goos for cutting the Pentagon budget after the Cold War. But military reformers were dismayed by his methods. He did not significantly trim any of the four service arms. More important, he made little effort to reorganize the Pentagon to fight new, less conventional kinds of war.
Powell also preached the Powell doctrine, his gospel—stemming from Vietnam—that American troops should never be committed to battle without overwhelming force and overwhelming popular support. This philosophy, designed to protect the U.S. military from anything that could tarnish its reputation, arguably elevated Pentagon interests over national ones. So when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, Powell opposed driving him out, favoring sanctions instead. When war came, Powell pushed to end it quickly before Saddam fell or the Republican Guard was smashed. Powell, who voiced his objections privately, carried out President Bush's orders superbly and ended up a hero.
But Powell has never absorbed any blame for the U.S. decision not to vanquish Saddam, nor for our failure to intervene in Bosnia, another policy he pushed. In Sunday's Washington Post, Robert Kagan contended that Powell's reluctance to use force, discomfort with the U.S. acting as a global cop, and general caution make him an iffy choice for secretary of state. Under Powell, Kagan hints, the Department of State might retrench into isolationism and inactivity just when the United States must be more engaged in the world than ever.
Since 1997, Powell has devoted much of his time to America's Promise, a group he founded to encourage volunteering that helps kids. It too has been marked by his establishmentarian, bureaucratic style. Powell, a superb recruiter, enlisted corporations, nonprofits, and governments to commit resources to children. (America's Promise pushes mentoring, safe places for kids, and child health among its "five promises.") But despite scads of Powell-centered PR, it's not clear the organization has achieved much. The New York Times, the newspaper Youth Today, and philanthropy scholar Pablo Eisenberg have smacked America's Promise for operating secretively, exaggerating accomplishments, and resisting objective assessments of its programs. Corporations have failed to deliver on some of their commitments. Those that have delivered have made their contributions to big, establishment charities, rather than the grass-roots ones that most help needy kids.
Powell's history, in short, does not suggest that he would have made a great president. That job requires an impatient leader who likes to slice through red tape, not create it, and who wants to shake up the government, not pacify it. But we have missed a superb vice president, someone who would complain mildly in private but follow the president's orders in public, someone who would protect the federal bureaucracy while making it slightly more efficient, someone who wouldn't take risks, someone who would stay out of trouble. Someone a lot like Al Gore.


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Roman Bioarchaeology Carnival XXIII
All your bioarch news from the Roman world for the month of November. It's been a pretty good month for skeletons, particularly in England...
Roman-era Finds
Rome and Italy
Exhibits, Videos, and Art
Roman-era Finds
Rome and Italy
|Tibiae of the Roman "giant" and a normal
tibia for scale. (Credit: Simona Minozzi, via
National Geographic.)
- 3 November. A new mausoleum has been found in Rome along the ancient via Tiburtina dating to the 1st-4th centuries AD. No mention of skeletons, though.
- 9 November. Published this month is a Roman-era "giant." The man suffered from a pituitary disorder that made him stand about 6ft 8in (202 cm) tall. He was found in a necropolis at Fidenae (just outside Rome) in 1991 and dates back to the 3rd century AD. There's a variety of coverage of this publication, but see the story at National Geographic and a copy of the paper (while it lasts) is at Academia.edu.
- 26 November. Researchers at the Catholic University of Rome have sequenced DNA from the skeleton of a girl found at Cosa (in Tuscany), dating to the 1st century BC. Based on the presence of the HLA gene variants in her genome, as well as the osteological analysis of her skeleton, which revealed surprising evidence of malnutrition given her high-status burial, that she may have had celiac disease. This is a cool disease-ecology-type finding, as celiac disease would have been difficult to deal with in the wheat-heavy Roman world. I haven't read the article yet, which is in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, but I'm surprised this hasn't been picked up more widely. It's a really interesting study, although I can't find the article in the WJG online site.
- 29 November. Several Greco-Roman-era graves were found on the island of Lipari, one of the Aeolian islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Sicily. Lipari has long been a strategically important harbor, from ancient through relatively modern times. These remains seem to be pre-Empire (5th-2nd centuries BC, I think?). There are some interviews with excavators (in Italian) here.
- 4 November. A late Iron Age grave of a supposed warrior and his wife has been found in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia. There are some very interesting grave goods, including a "killed" knife or spearhead. It's thought to be a double cremation burial, although the report doesn't note if there were any human remains found.
- 5 November. The magazine Popular Archaeology carries a piece this month on new excavations at Petra in Jordan. The skeletal material, dating to the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, is being analyzed by my colleague Megan Perry at ECU.
|Roman burial from Somerset, England
(credit: BBC)
- 17 November. Remains dating to the Roman and Iron Ages have been found in Norfolk, England, including some cremation burials and human bones. The remains were found during road construction.
- 17 November. Over 40 burials and four cremations were uncovered at Cirencester, England, dating to the early Roman period. Interestingly, there was a child's inhumation with pottery flagon dating to 70-120 AD. Archaeologists are excited because inhumation burials were not common practice until the later Roman period; yet I thought that children were often a different case, as they were quite often inhumed (in Rome, anyway), even in times when cremation was the norm for adults. These tombs join 46 cremations, 6 burials, and 1 tombstone found at the same site in the 1960s, all dating to the 1st-3rd centuries AD. Very interesting cemetery, and I hope there's a publication soon.
- 18 November. Not to be outdone, Somerset, England, now boasts a Roman cemetery with several human burials, found during water main construction. There was one partially-preserved coffin as well as thousands of shards of pottery, some jewelry, and at least one coin.
- 28 November. A necropolis with over 100 burials was found in northern Bulgaria near the village of Marten. The oldest burials date to the 5th-4th centuries BC, and several of the skeletons have CVM, a sign of nobility. From the Roman times, there were found wooden coffins, ceramics, and glass. Unclear if any of the Roman-era tombs had skeletal remains or not.
- 1 November. Although discovered in 1959, an aberrant burial from 550-700AD England is detailed in new reports this month. The individual had metal spikes through its shoulders, ankles, and chest (near the heart).
- 9 November. The American Academy in Rome hosted the one-day symposium "Nutrition and Well-Being in the Roman World: The Evidence from Human Bones." I blogged about my contribution and the other papers here.
- 10 November. At Edinburgh University, there was a conference on the Roman-era site of Vagnari at the end of October. Current World Archaeology covered some of the highlights, including a mention of the 100+ skeletons that are being studied by my colleague Tracy Prowse at McMaster.
|Excavating a Roman grave at Vagnari. (via CWA)
- 23 November. Mary Beard has an essay in the BBC News Magazine on the human bodies from Pompeii. It's a thought-provoking take on the bodies/plaster casts we tend to stare at in museums and on site at Pompeii, the re-creation of bodies twisted at the moment of death.
- 3 November. Rumor has it that classicist extraordinaire Mary Beard will be back on TV, but as an advisor to a new sitcom set in ancient Rome called Plebs. I'm cheesy excited about it, as it'll be like Rome but focused on the commoners. It'll air in the spring.
- 20 November. I am not the only classicist who watches Bones, apparently, as I spotted this short piece on the blog Eris Quod Sum fact-checking an episode that discusses the process of making steel in ancient Rome.
- 28 November. This image of the Roman Colosseum carved into a (fake) tooth made the rounds on Facebook, Twitter, and G+ in the circles I run in. I have no idea what the Chinese(?) characters at the bottom say, but it appears to be a toothpaste ad. Very cool sculpture (or Photoshop job) regardless.


text: Guten Tag, beautiful Lea in Germany! What a gorgeous lady you are! I like your green eyes and your full, fluffy coat! Your stunning blue-grey fur looks so soft to pet! You are a gentle, intelligent lady - I can imagine what a joy it is to spend time with you! How wonderful that your people and King Leo took such loving, diligent care of you to help you when you first came home. You are amazing! Please have your people give you some petting and hugs for me - I enjoyed meeting you this morning! Happy, happy Cat of the Day to you, Lea, Princess of the Maine Coon Castle!


text: The Country of Rising Sun is not so easy place for a pretty shy girl to leave in. Since females are in lower position comparing to males and sometimes they can be sexually abused and dominated by horny men. However these chicks are completely different from all cute shy girls from Japan that we are used to see.GET ACCESS NOW »


text:
…. Wherein our protaganist awakes to the power of CSS …
CSS is as important to Ajax as Asynchrony and XMLHttpRequest. Which is to say, it's very useful, even though it's not essential. Due to an accident of the English language, JJG's creative mind, and the propensity of certain terms to rise to buzzdom, it doesn't explicitly feature in "A.J.A.X.". However, the original Ajax article certainly spells out the importance of CSS matters – the first of 5 things "Ajax incorporates" is:
standards-based presentation using XHTML and CSS;
And in the FAQ below that:
Why did you feel the need to give this a name? A. I needed something shorter than "Asynchronous JavaScript+CSS+DOM+XMLHttpRequest†to use when discussing this approach with clients.
Myself, I missed the significance of CSS for a long time. I considered it mostly a useful engineering concept – to cut down on markup – and a way to make things prettier. As I've spent more time creating rich web apps, I've come to appreciate how powerful it is, and how important it is. Not just from a layout perspective, but as a key piece of an overall architecture. With CSS, you can change element visibilty, you can create transparent popups, you can load images faster (using backgroundPosition; see Sprite pattern). You can make Flickr-style annotation boxes without a single line of Javascript. You can also support graceful degradation, e.g. keeping an Ajax-related element hidden until the onload script makes it visible (although degrading gracefully for someone not using CSS is another problem altogether). So CSS goes well beyond appearance and even beyond keeping DRY.
Furthermore, scripting with CSS is the best thing since sliced sashimi! At first, I wondered what all the hype was about, but now, I have to say I'd find it hard to go back. I'm using Prototype with the $$ speedup patch and it seems to hold up fine from a performance perspective. It's becoming a standard idiom to loop through each element, using the selector, when the document loads (to do some sort of initialisation).
As one example of selector coolness, here's a library function to clear all input elements, also combining the pleasance of Prototype Rubyish iteration.
- function clearInputs(cssSelector) {
- $$(cssSelector + " input").each(function(el) {
- el.disabled = false;
- if (el.type=="text") { ele.value = ""; }
- if (el.type=="checkbox") { el.checked = false; }
- });
- $$(cssSelector + " textarea").each(function(el) { el.disabled = false; el.value = ""; } );
- }
If I want to clear all inputs under submitForm, I call clearInputs("#submitForm"). If I want to clear all inputs on the page, I call clearInputs("body"). If I want to clear all inputs inside advertising portlets, I call clearInputs(".portlets .advert"). Bruce Eckel once said (something like: "It's syntactic sugar, and syntactic sugar is good." He's also spoken about how the average programmer codes X lines per day (canonically ten, but the number doesn't matter). Any syntactic sugar that reduces lines, will probably let you achieve more. Not to say that the number of lines is really fixed, but there's definitely going to be an impact if you're writing a big block instead of a single line. So, yeah, CSS Selectors + Rubyish Iteration, via Prototype, is a big win if you value concise code.
To sum up, I've found CSS to be a highly valuable skill for modern web development, and for three reasons:
- The obvious reason that knowing CSS helps make your pages pretty, usable, accessible, etc.
- CSS manipulation is important for managing the interaction in rich web apps, including graceful degradation.
- CSS Selector Scripting is the new Dependency Injection!


text:
This September, what are you doing? Game company Konami is releasing two Beatmania IIDX figures. So there.
Umegiri Iroha chocolate & Hinazuki Lilina strawberry are both getting 1/8 scale PVC figurines that are priced at ¥9,870 (US$108). These look familiar, you say? Good eye! The big difference is that these are alternative color editions.
Perfect for those who don't want to shell more for the original figures, but don't mind the color variation.
Beatmania IIDX Umegiri Iroha chocolate & Hinazuki Lilina strawberry 1/8 PVC figure set by Konami [Neko Magic]


text:
Lonnie White, the former Southern California football player who worked as a Los Angeles Times sports writer for two decades, has died. He was 49.
White died Saturday at Glendale Memorial Hospital, his sister Terri told the Times. He'd had a number of health problems in recent years, she said.
White worked for the Times from 1987 to 2008. He covered UCLA and NFL football, USC basketball as well as the LA Clippers and Kings. He wrote the book "UCLA vs. USC: 75 years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports."
White was a receiver and special-teams player at USC, where he played under John Robinson and Ted Tollner from 1982-86. He set a season record in kickoff return yardage that stood until 2010.
USC athletic department spokesman Tim Tessalone called him one of the university's "favorite sons."
White went to training camp with the New Orleans Saints before his football career ended.
He was the subject of a 2010 Discovery Health Channel television show that documented his long struggle with hidradenitis suppurativa, a painful skin disease.
In 2011, White wrote a confessional column for the online publication The Daily admitting that he took $14,000 in illegal payments during his USC career, mostly by selling game tickets allotted to scholarship players.
"To this day, it's something I'm ashamed about," White wrote. "Rent was overdue, and my household bills were delinquent. I needed the money to live. So accepting the $14,000 in different forms of 'benefits' over my college years three decades ago was an act of survival."
White wrote that his older brother, Tim, also a USC football player, introduced him to a wealthy supporter of the Trojans who made the payments without the coaches' knowledge.
"Even though I knew what I was doing was wrong, it seemed like everyone I knew who played college football enjoyed some type of extra benefits as a player," White wrote.
In addition to his brother and two sisters, White is survived by his wife, Kimberly, from whom he was separated, the Times said.


text:
B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: email@example.com
Unofficial DataVolley Statistics * Official Statistics
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 21, 2011) – The U.S. Men's Team ended its World University Games tournament on a winning note with a 25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 25-14 victory over Norway on Sunday in Shenzhen, China.
The U.S. Team finished the World University Games in 13th place with a 5-3 record. Norway finishes 14th at 2-5.
The United States led the match in all scoring categories. It out-attacked Norway 53-49. The U.S. had a hitting efficiency of 0.367 and successfully converted 48.6 percent of its kill attempts into points. Norway's hitting efficiency was 0.221 and its kill percent was 43.4.
The U.S. also led in blocks (8-6) and in service aces (3-0). The U.S. scored 34 points on Norway's errors while only giving up 19 points on errors.
"I thought our team played good volleyball today," U.S. Head Coach Gordon Mayforth (St. Petersburg, Fla.) said. "It would be easy to come out flat but many guys were saying in the locker room that we still play for the USA and they did."
Opposite Carson Clark (Santa Barbara, Calif./UC Irvine) led all scorers with 21 points on a match-high 18 kills (0.424 hitting efficiency), one block and a match-high two aces. Outside hitter Cory Yoder (San Clemente, Calif./UC Irvine) added 11 points on 10 kills (0.476 hitting efficiency) and one block. Outside hitter Tri Bourne (Honolulu, Hawaii/USC) totaled 10 points on nine kills and one ace.
Norway was led by Sigurd Van Dijk Festoy, who had 18 points on 16 kills and two blocks.
Among other U.S. scorers, middle blocker Tom Amberg (Westwood, Calif./UCLA) had a match-high four blocks along with five kills for nine total points.
Middle blocker Weston Dunlap (Westwood, Calif./UCLA) scored six points on five kills (0.667 hitting efficiency) and one block. Outside hitter Brad Lawson (Honolulu, Hawaii/Stanford) added four points on three kills and one block.
Setter Riley McKibbin (Honolulu, Hawaii/USC) finished with two points on one kill and one block and libero Erik Shoji (Honolulu, Hawaii/Stanford) was credited with a point on a kill.
"It was nice to end on two wins and a 5-3 record, with every player playing and contributing to the end result," Mayforth said. "It was not the position we had hoped for, but this was a good learning experience for our players. This was the first tournament for many of them where they were playing guys older with a lot more experience.
"We had chances due to our athletic ability and if we had three more weeks of practice, this team would have turned those few points that changed our where we finished."
Mayforth started Lawson and Yoder at outside hitter, Amberg and Dunlap at middle blocker, McKibbin at setter, Clark at opposite and Erik Shoji at libero.
Bourne started the third and fourth sets for Lawson.
Middle blocker Ryan Meehan (Dana Point, Calif./Long Beach State), outside hitter Jeff Menzel (Santa Barbara, Calif./UC Santa Barbara), opposite Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo./USC) and setter Kawika Shoji (Honolulu, Hawaii/Stanford) all played as substitutes.
2011 World University Games
Aug. 12-23 in Shenzhen, China
U.S. Men's Roster
Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
1 - Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
2 - Thomas Amberg (MB, 6-7, Westwood, Calif., UCLA)
3 - Tri Bourne (OH, 6-5, Honolulu, Hawaii, Southern California)
4 - Carson Clark (Opp, 6-5, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Irvine)
5 - Weston Dunlap (MB, 6-9, Newport Beach, Calif., UCLA)
6 - Brad Lawson (OH, 6-7, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
7 - Riley McKibbin (S, 6-2, Honolulu, Hawaii, Southern California)
8 - Ryan Meehan (MB, 6-8, Dana Point, Calif., Long Beach State)
9 - Jeff Menzel (OH, 6-6, Santa Barbara, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)
10 - Murphy Troy (Opp, 6-8, St. Louis, Mo., Southern California)
11 - Kawika Shoji (S, 6-3, Honolulu, Hawaii, Stanford)
12 - Cory Yoder (OH, 6-3, San Clemente, Calif., UC Irvine)
Head Coach: Gordon Mayforth (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
Assistant Coach /Team Leader: Pete Hanson (Ohio State)
Assistant Coach: JT Wenger (UCLA)
Trainer: Larnie Boquiren
Jim Baughman (Opp, 6-7, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State)
Kyle Caldwell (Opp, 6-9, Newport Beach, Calif., UCLA)
Taylor Hughes (OH, 6-7, Fallbrook, Calif., Pacific)
Matt Pollock (MB, 6-9, Orland Park, Ill., Pepperdine)
Matt Rawson (MB, 6-7, Los Angeles, Calif., Hawaii)
Rob Stowell (Opp, 6-7, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., BYU)
Group D Results
Aug 12: U.S. def. Mexico, 25-17, 25-23, 25-15
Aug 13: USA def. Turkey, 25-18, 25-9, 25-20
Aug 15: Czech Republic def. USA, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-27, 15-13
Aug 16: USA def. United Arab Emirates, 25-21, 25-13, 25-20
Aug 17: Thailand def. USA, 25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23
Group D Rankings
Country / Points / Match record / Set record
Quarterfinals for ninth-16th
Aug. 19: Japan def. USA, 25-20, 23-25, 28-30, 25-21, 15-11
Semifinals for 13th-16th
Aug. 20: USA def. Sweden, 25-21, 24-26, 25-10, 27-25
Finals for 13th-14th
Aug. 21: USA def. Norway, 25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 25-14


text:
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text:
I had several ladies host one of my baby showers. I wanted to give them a token of my appreciation. The only thing I could think to do was to put together a set of cards for them to use. I started with a package of the pre-scored cards and envelopes that you can buy at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. They are a little smaller than a standard A2 card, but it was ok. I copied some of my favorite past card creations as well as played with some new to me stamp sets for the others.
There were four cards in each set. Each card had a different sentiment. I thought about doing a similar style and then changing the sentiments to the cards would "match" but I wanted to do so many different techniques and use different stamp sets that I decided to make them all different.
And here they are all stamped and ready to package up!
And here they are all packaged up and ready to give out. The thank U sentiment is from a very old Stampin' Up! set that I love and could never get rid of. Thanks for looking!! :)


text:
Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
That would be Lily Collins, at least according to Relativity Media. They have cast Collins as Snow White in the upcoming "The Brother's Grimm: Snow White," HitFix.com has confirmed. It is a huge role for Collins, who is best known as Sandra Bullock's daughter in "The Blind Side" and also happens to be the daughter of rocker Phil Collins.
She will be starring alongside "The Social Network" actor-turned Prince Charming Armie Hammer, with Julia Roberts in the role of the murderous queen.
U.S. & World
In a twist, Universal is planning its own, somewhat darker take on the classic tale, also due out next year, starring Kristen Stewart in the title role.
You can see the brunette beauty in the action thriller "Abduction" later this year with Stewart's "Twilight" costar - and Collins's rumored new boyfriend - Taylor Lautner.
Selected Reading: E! Online, Huffington Post


text:
Advanced Search
advanced search
21 contents match your search.
Publish Date: 3 April 2020
The annual week-long meeting of the World Meteorological Organization's Hurricane Committee, which reviews the previous season and prepares for the forthcoming one, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publish Date: 3 September 2019
Hurricane Dorian, the strongest hurricane on record to hit the Bahamas, wreaked massive devastation and loss of life. It intensified rapidly into a top-level Category 5 on 1 September and then remained stationary over the Caribbean nation, with destructive winds, storm surge and rain.
Publish Date: 13 May 2019
The Second Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference has opened at World Meteorological Organization headquarters with calls for more impact-based warnings that reach the most vulnerable as part of wider climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development strategies.
Publish Date: 2 May 2019
Extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani made landfall close to Puri in Odisha on 3 May, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 180-190 km/h. It tracked North-North Eastwards and weaken as it moves towards West Bengal and then on to Bangladesh, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. Accurate advance forecasts and a huge, well-coordinated disaster risk reduction campaign were credited with keeping the death toll to a minimum.
Publish Date: 26 April 2019
A few weeks after IDAI which wreaked havoc on central Mozambique (and eastern Zimbabwe), the country is dealing with another unprecedented event. Tropical Cyclone Kenneth made landfall in northern Mozambique on 25 April, near the border with Tanzania, in an area where no tropical cyclone has been observed since the satellite era. There is no record of two storms of such intensity striking Mozambique in the same season. Torrential rainfall in the days following the cyclone worsened the problem and hampered humanitarian operations.
Publish Date: 20 March 2019
Florence and Michael won't have another chance to wreak havoc in the Atlantic Basin. The names of these two storms, which caused extensive fatalities and damage from Florida north to Virginia last year, have been retired by the World Meteorological Organization's Region IV Hurricane Committee.
Publish Date: 11 December 2018
Switzerland has announced a major contribution to an international initiative to strengthen early warning systems in vulnerable low-income countries to support climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. The announcement of 9 million Swiss francs in new funding came at the United Nations climate change conference in Katowice, Poland (COP24).
Publish Date: 27 November 2018
An initiative to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems in the Caribbean was launched on November 20 during the dry season Caribbean Climate Forum (CariCOF) meeting in Barbados. The Caribbean region is highly exposed to high-impact hydrometeorological hazards such as hurricanes and tropical storms, causing floods, landslides and storm surge. In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused massive destruction in Barbuda resulting in the subsequent full evacuation of the island while Hurricane Maria caused devastation Dominica. Barbados suffered from flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Kirk in...
Publish Date: 19 May 2017
19 May 2017 - Climate change, associated extreme weather and demographic shifts means that record numbers of people are exposed to floods, heatwaves and other hazards. Improved early warning systems and more coordinated disaster risk reduction are therefore more important than ever before. To meet the growing challenges, an international conference will launch a concerted drive to improve warnings for an interlocking range of hazards and to translate these warnings into effective action on the ground.
Publish Date: 26 May 2017
Haiti's National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (UHM) has a new headquarters – an important milestone in the drive to improve weather forecasts and warnings, and build resilience to tropical cyclones, floods and other hazards. The new building was inaugurated at a high-level ceremony on 26 May. It is constructed to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes, enabling operations to continue during extreme events when services are most needed. Solar panels will power daily activities and will provide a back-up against electricity outages.


text:
Loading Map....
Date(s) - 12/11/2020
7:30 pm - 11:00 pm
The Jones House
The weekly Old-Time Jam Sessions provide an opportunity for local and visiting musicians to play together. Open jam sessions take place every Thursday evening from 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm (with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks). Visitors are welcome to bring their instruments and play along or to just sit and enjoy the music.


text:
THE SQUEAKY WHEEL- Look out below: Icy walks make hard landings
Like skydiving without a parachute, walking in Charlottesville after an ice or snowstorm is a treacherous undertaking. Unshoveled sidewalks, crosswalks, and other walkways are often rough and slippery. Your next step can lead to an unexpected descent and a very hard landing.
One concerned Hook reader (who asked not to be identified) raised a concern and submitted photos showing the apparently recurring inadequate snow clearing practice near the Second Street NE entrance to the Downtown Mall. A section of the steps leading toward the Paramount Theater is shoveled, but then snow is plowed into a huge mound that blocks the landing at the base of the only cleared and usable handrail descending the steps. Could this be by design?
Who do you call?
The City parks division is responsible for snow removal on the Downtown Mall, city school properties, and at city parks. The Public Works Department handles other city properties. I telephoned Brian Daly, assistant parks and recreation director, and asked if he was aware of this safety problem. He said he was not aware of the problem and had no record of previous citizen complaints. He was very responsive to this safety issue, and after several exchanged phone messages he assured me that his snow crews had all been briefed to ensure the problem won't happen again.
What can we do?
In this case, City staff is clearly responsive to safety concerns. Contact the parks division or public works department if you have a recurring snow removal problem. But, to improve the safety for everyone, shovel your walk and don't hesitate to shovel a neighbor's walk who may be out of town or unable to shovel. You will get a warm glow from burning some calories and from contributing to the community well-being.


text:
Technical Manual PD2C-IP
Fieldbus: CANopen
|Valid for firmware version FIR-v1650 and higher
|Manual version 1.0.1
|and hardware version W002 and higher
The PD2-C-IP is a brushless motor with integrated controller in protection class IP65. The integrated absolute encoder makes immediate operation possible in closed loop mode without homing.
This manual describes the functions of the controller and the available operating modes. It also shows how you can address and program the controller via the communication interface.
You can find further information on the product on us.nanotec.com.
Version information
|Manual version
|Firmware version
|Hardware version
|First edition
|Additions and error corrections
Copyright, marking and contact
© 2013 – 2018 Nanotec® Electronic GmbH & Co. KG. All rights reserved.
Nanotec® Electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Kapellenstraße 6
D-85622 Feldkirchen/Munich
Phone: +49 (0)89-900 686-0
Fax: +49 (0)89-900 686-50
Internet: us.nanotec.com/en.nanotec.com
Intended use
The PD2-C-IP motor with integrated controller is used as a component of drive systems in a range of industrial applications.
Use the product as intended within the limits defined in the technical data (in particular, see Permissible operating voltage) and the approved Environmental conditions.
Under no circumstances may this Nanotec product be integrated as a safety component in a product or system. All products containing a component manufactured by Nanotec must, upon delivery to the end user, be provided with corresponding warning notices and instructions for safe use and safe operation. All warning notices provided by Nanotec must be passed on directly to the end user.
Target group and qualification
The product and this documentation are directed towards technically trained specialists staff such as:
- Development engineers
- Plant engineers
- Installers/service personnel
- Application engineers
Only specialists may install, program and commission the product. Specialist staff are persons who
- have appropriate training and experience in work with motors and their control,
- are familiar with and understand the content of this technical manual,
- know the applicable regulations.
Warranty and disclaimer
Nanotec assumes no liability for damages and malfunctions resulting from installation errors, failure to observe this manual or improper repairs. The selection and use of Nanotec products is the responsibility of the plant engineer or end user. Nanotec accepts no responsibility for the integration of the product in the end system.
Our general terms and conditions apply: en.nanotec.com/service/general-terms-and-conditions/.
Customers of Nanotec Electronic US Inc. please refer to us.nanotec.com/service/general-terms-and-conditions/.
EU directives for product safety
The following EU directives were observed:
- RoHS directive (2011/65/EU, 2015/863/EU)
- EMC directive (2014/30/EU)
Other applicable regulations
In addition to this technical manual, the following regulations are to be observed:
- Accident-prevention regulations
- Local regulations on occupational safety
Used icons
All notices are in the same format. The degree of the hazard is divided into the following classes.
Emphasis in the text
The following conventions are used in the document:
Underlined text indicates cross references and hyperlinks:
- The following bits in object 6041h (statusword) have a special function:
- A list of available system calls can be found in chapter System calls in a NanoJ program.
Text set in italics marks named objects:
- Read the installation manual.
- Use the Plug & Drive Studio software to perform the auto setup.
- For software: You can find the corresponding information in the Operation tab.
- For hardware: Use the ON/OFF switch to switch the device on.
A text set in
Courier marks a code section or programming command:
- The line with the
od_write(0x6040, 0x00, 5 );command has no effect.
- The NMT message is structured as follows:
A text in "quotation marks" marks user input:
- Start the NanoJ program by writing object 2300h, bit 0 = "1".
- If a holding torque is already needed in this state, the value "1" must be written in 3212h:01h.
Numerical values
Numerical values are generally specified in decimal notation. The use of hexadecimal notation is indicated by a subscript h at the end of the number.
The objects in the object dictionary are written with index and subindex as follows:
Both the index as well as the subindex are specified in hexadecimal notation. If no subindex is listed, the subindex is 00h.
Example: Subindex 5 of object 1003h is addressed with
1003h:05h, subindex 00 of object 6040h with
The numbering of individual bits in an object always begins with the LSB (bit number 0). See the following figure, which uses data type UNSIGNED8 as an example.
Counting direction (arrows)
In figures, the counting direction is always in the direction of an arrow. Objects
60C5h and
60C6h depicted as examples in the following figure are both specified as positive.


text:
Mexico escape is latest chapter in a long story
The tabloid-style headline writers in Mexico have deemed them megafugas, megaescapes, and in the past two years, 13 massive prison breaks have occurred, mostly in the country's troubled north.
In the latest megafuga, about 130 people slipped under the walls Monday of a prison across the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass in an escape likely orchestrated by the Zetas drug cartel to replenish its ranks, experts said.
Officials said at least 86 of those who escaped in the tunnel were being held on federal charges, which usually means drug trafficking.
Three of the inmates were found hiding Tuesday in a prison visiting area and didn't make it out.
The massive escape didn't top the record of more than 150 prisoners who broke out of a facility in Nuevo Laredo in 2010. Officials at the time said it was organized by Zetas, who loaded the prisoners into a convoy of vehicles as they walked out of a maintenance door.
Officials are offering a $16,000 reward for information leading to the capture of each of the fugitives, but megafuga escapees rarely are caught.
Echoing his reaction to the Nuevo Laredo prison break, Mexican President Felipe Calderón criticized state officials for the escape.
Calderón, who leaves office in 10 weeks and has made the reform and improvement of state police systems a pillar of his struggling six-year campaign against organized crime, called the Coahuila prison break "deplorable" in a Twitter posting.
But while officials in the state of Tamaulipas, where Nuevo Laredo is located, had blamed Calderón and his cartel war for the escape in 2010, officials in the nearby state of Coahuila seemed caught off guard.
The prison, about two miles from the Rio Grande outside the city of Piedras Negras, was built to hold 1,000, but housed only 735 before the escape.
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Lawless lockups
July 2010: Federal prosecutors announce the warden of a prison in the northern state of Durango gave guns to prisoners, allow them to leave at night, assassinate rivals and return in the morning
Sept. 10, 2010: 85 inmates escape from a jail in the border city of Reynosa
Dec. 16, 2010: More than 150 escape from a prison in Nuevo Laredo
March 14, 2011: The new director of Nuevo Laredo's prison is stabbed to death inside the facility
July 15, 2011: Another 60 prisoners escape from the Nuevo Laredo prison, leaving seven rivals dead in their wake
July 25, 2011: Armed men storm a prison in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, killing 17 including two U.S. citizens
Feb. 18: 44 Gulf Cartel members killed in a Monterrey prison while 30 Zetas escape
Mexico: Prison guards let killers out, lent guns
85 inmates escape from Reynosa jail
140 flee prison in Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo prison director killed
60 tied to Zetas escape prison in Nuevo Laredo
Anguish at Cereso prison: Killings grip families; 2 U.S. inmates among the dead.
The tunnel "was not made today. It had been there for months," Coahuila Attorney General Homero Ramos told the Milenio TV station. "The prison was not overcrowded, none of our prisons are. We have 132 inmates escaping through a tunnel, and it doesn't make sense."
In recent years, Mexican prisons have been the scenes of brutal assassinations and their gates have been revolving doors for cartel killers.
"How do prison authorities not determine that the prisoners are building a 21-foot tunnel from a carpentry shop?" asked Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"So it appears that there's collusion on the part of the prison authorities. It's impossible to be building a tunnel in a carpentry shop and not have some prison guards or some oversight in that area," he said. "Why? Because the carpentry shop is probably one of the most (watched) areas in any prison. Why? Because they have tools there that can be turned into weapons."
Vigil said the Zetas, facing a military offensive and internal dissent, were likely trying to free incarcerated members who can join their forces in Mexico, although there is some concern they might head for the U.S.
In recent weeks, the Mexican military has pressed the Zetas in the Piedras Negras area, arresting a man they said was the regional commander, or plaza boss, on Sept. 7.
In Eagle Pass, police chief Tony Castañeda said his officers are being extra vigilant in areas along the river and in downtown.
"We're sending out messages to the community to report any suspicious activity," Castañeda said. "Our officers are operating on full alert, which means they're more sensitive, more attentive. They're not out there writing tickets."
A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees Border Patrol and the ports of entry, said agents in the Eagle Pass area were on "high alert."
"At this point, CBP has no reports of escapees attempting to cross the border," said Dennis Smith, a CBP spokesman. "We will continue coordinating with our Mexican counterparts as we monitor this situation."
Washington-based intelligence and security consulting firm Grupo Savant said the most likely form of spillover crime resulting from the prison break might be auto thefts.
"Prison breakouts in Mexico adjacent to Texas have the secondary effect of causing an increased threat to U.S. Citizens who live on the Texas-Mexico border," a Grupo Savant analysis says. "Threats from this activity emanate from car jackings in Mexico and car thefts in Texas, the number and frequency of which usually increase in the days and weeks following the escapes as the criminal organizations seek to equip the escapees, turned war-fighters, with vehicles and other equipment."
Houston Chronicle Staff Writer Dudley Althaus in Mexico City and the Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Tagged: Helen Frankenthaler
My Kid Could Paint That
Hello again. It has been an interes ting week from a baseball perspective for me of late. I had back to back outings where I threw the ball very well, yet gave up a few runs. I followed it up with an outing where to my own estimation I threw terribly and had no feel for the strike zone, yet gave up no runs. This is one of the annoying and irritating aspects of baseball and sports in general: sometimes your performance doesn't match the results that you get. However, that is the nature of things and there is no changing it so I'll just be thankful for my last outing and keep plugging along. From a team perspective the home stand that we finished last night was a modest success, if somewhat d isappointing at the end. We won a three game series against Trenton to open up and split a four game series with Binghamton to finish it off. However, our two losses were the final two games and our overall play was somewhat inconsistent so it is hard to really call it a success. That being said, we're still in first place and are nine games ahead of third-place Bowie in the race for the playoffs as we open a five game series with Bowie tonight.
As promised in my previous entry, I made the rounds at the Akron Art Museum over the weekend. I really like art and I would never want to discourage anyone from participating in the arts or visiting art museums, but I profess that I was very disappointed with my experience as at the Akron Art Museum. While there were a few pieces that really struck me, like Robert Arneson's copper sculpture Nuke News, Linda by Chuck Close and Rene Magritte's Les pas perdus (The Wasted Footsteps),
I was disappointed to find that the preponderance of the art was more along the lines of the nonsensical and (in my opinion) meaningless art of Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko. Call me uncultured if you will, but to me things like Dan Flavin's neon light tubes belong in a night club and not an art museum because they say nothing and represent nothing. Many of the movements throughout art history have been reactions to conditions in the art community and world at large and as such have had an impact that is meaningful in the context of its own time that can continue to be powerful long after its creation. I feel like works such as those shown below are less representative of this legacy than they are examples of how many in the art community have completely lost touch with reality as they have become more insulated from mainstream America and as price tags on works of art have spiraled upwards (for an awesome and hilarious parody of this fact, see the movie Art School Confidential). That isn't to say that art has to be masterful or even technically proficient to be beautiful and meaningful (so what if it looks like something your kid painted in art class, unless your kid is Marla Olmstead they didn't, so save it), just that there should be an actual attempt to demonstrably express something to the viewer and beyond a certain level of abstraction that ceases to be possible. Many of the works I saw over the weekend cross this line and then hide behind a pseudo-intellectual wall placard explaining them rather than creating something meaningful in its own right. All that being said, despite the small proportion of worthwhile pieces to be found, the excellent ones were definitively worth seeing so check the museum out if you're ever in Akron (it's right downtown near Canal Park–a great pre-game activity?) Well, that seems like a sufficiently long and rambling rant for today so I'll leave you with some examples of the art of which I speak so you can judge for yourself and with that call it a day.
Image list: Above: Nuke News by Robert Arneson. Below, top to bottom. Les pas perdus (The Wasted Footsteps) by Rene Magritte, The Nominal Three by Dan Flavin, Untitled by Mark Rothko, Wisdom by Helen Frankenthaler.


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Nick Pope seems to come out with amazing statements, but not back them up with anything substantial, or base them on any facts at all.
His latest statement to The sun's article " Google Unearthed" (posted 30th March, 2009) was:
" Yesterday baffled ufologist Nick Pope said he was "very excited" by the image, which he labelled "truly fascinating".
He added: "It appears to show nine objects flying in near perfect formation. About the only thing I know that can do this is the Red Arrows — and it's not them" " (extract from article). Ironically at Above top secret, there is a possibility that they are either jets, (including red arrows) or balloons : see Here and Here . Also they point out that google started mapping London out in 2008. One possibility could be that it was the Queen's birthday flypast see here. Again i say possibilities, and as such should be presented as such.
You can see the google map in question here . I did notice that the next camera to the right, has (looking at the skyline) an aerial dissected half way up, and am unsure how this was caused (unless it was collected at two seperate times, for instance).
Anyway, it soon finds its way into many newspapers and media outlets, but why? Again, i say why is this an amazing image….. to me one answer could be that its an image malfunction. I'm not saying that it should not be discussed, but the way it is being put 'out there ' is getting sad, and there are better cases that should be disscussed/ talked about ina rational way, but i guess it does not sell papers.
I will within the next week or so, put together an article, on why i have come to this conclusion about Nick Pope, and give my reasons with background information.
For example, i wrote about " Is nick Pope being GULLable towards UFO sighting? " in which the image was clearly a seagull (or Unidentified Feathered Object).
Although i'm not saying that you can get everything right, he does not seem to be learning from his mistakes, or even looking at the evidence with a clear head, and reassessing his answers to these questions.
Of course, sometimes all you can give are a series of alternatives (ie what they could be), and leave it at that.
Therefore we have to ask what are his motives in all this? Maybe i'm reacting to strongly to all this, possibly, but i do believe it is more sensationalism again.
The Sun newspaper is also proving to not be interested in the truth about UFOs whatsoever, and sooner the rest of the media realize this the better. For instance, the latest wind Turbine incident is a good example of hype by them.
I would be interested to find out what you think of Nick Pope? is he a reliable source of information on UFOs, and Ufology as a whole.
I only bring this whole subject up, because i wonder why some people are surprised, when they ask " why is ufology not taken seriously".


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With Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), publicly pushing to reform the filibuster rules in the 113rd Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the floor of the Senate earlier this week to loudly proclaim that filibuster reform would "poison" party relations and "undermine the very purpose of the Senate." These comments set off an unusually personal feud between Senators Reid and McConnell on the Senate floor that carried over into a second day. But Senator McConnell's complaints about filibuster reform epitomize the term "crocodile tears," as it is the Senate GOP caucus, under McConnell's leadership, that have taken abuse of the filibuster so far that they virtually ground the Senate to a halt. It is beyond time to reform the filibuster so that the U.S. Senate can become a functioning governing body again.
As explained in this informative report on the filibuster from the Congressional Research Service, filibusters stem from the fact that Senate rules place very few limits on the ability of any Senator to speak on an issue. The majority cannot force Senate action on a particular bill to proceed in the face of a Senator's decision to filibuster it. Instead, the only real option is to invoke cloture under Senate Rule XXII. Once cloture is invoked, a 30 hour waiting period is triggered, after which time 60 Senators can vote to end debate on the matter being filibustered. And because current Senate rules allow a filibuster on both a motion to proceed to a floor vote, and on the floor vote itself, the Congressional Research Service has estimated that even legislation that has supermajority support can take 11 session days to get passed if opponents threaten a filibuster on both the motion to proceed and the floor vote.
Realizing that such delay can be useful for keeping the Senate from passing progressive legislation, the GOP has sought to use the lengthy process for halting a filibuster in order to undermine the ability of the Senate to take action on even the most non-controversial matters. Over the past six years of Democratic control of the Senate, 386 cloture motions have had to be filed, which is far higher than in any previous Congress and represents 28% of all cloture motions filed since 1917. As a result of such obstructionism, the 112th Congress had the lowest productivity since World War II, a record low 2.8% of bills submitted in the 112th Congress were passed, and the Senate has taken an average of 188 days to confirm judicial nominees for seats that are currently empty.
Given the serious impact that the GOP's out-of-control abuse of the filibuster has caused, Winning Progressive believes that filibuster reform is an absolute necessity. We believe that such reform should be guided by four principles:
- Mend It, Don't End It: We do think it is appropriate to have a properly-limited super-majority requirement for legislation in the Senate. The 60-vote filibuster requirement helps ensure some long term policy stability, which is an important value for a functioning democracy. Such a super-majority requirement can also be good for protecting progressive gains. Most progressive policy change at the national level has come in short bursts – a few years during the New Deal, a two-year period after JFK's assassination, and the past two years under President Obama – followed by long periods of time in which there are unsuccessful efforts to turn those gains back. In some cases, those efforts to overturn progressive gains have been turned back by relying on the filibuster. Eliminating the filibuster completely would make it much harder to protect our gains over time.
- No Filibustering Presidential Nominations: While a limited super-majority requirement makes sense for legislation, it does not for President appointments. For one thing, a President should have some leeway with who he or she wants to carry out the duties the President was elected to perform, and the filibuster interferes with that. In addition, the Constitution limits the Senate's role over Presidential nominations to "advise and consent," which does suggests that super-majority requirements may not be appropriate. Finally, the ability of the Senate to undermine the ability of our federal judiciary and agencies to operate is effectively is highly detrimental to our country, especially in times of economic crisis like we have had over the past couple years. As such, Senators should not be able to filibuster judicial nominees and nominees by the President for members of his or her Administration.
- Shift the Burden to Those Who Are Filibustering: Currently, any single Senator can invoke and maintain a filibuster by objecting, even secretly. This means that there is little direct political cost for filibustering, and it is the Senators who want to break the filibuster who have to spend their time on the Senator floor trying to break the filibuster. This burden should be shifted to the filibusters, by requiring that they have 40 votes at all times to maintain a filibuster.
- Speed Up the Process: The 30-hour waiting period on cloture votes just encourages the minority to filibuster everything in order to throw sand into the gears of the Senate. The ability to filibuster at two separate points – both on the motion to proceed and during the floor vote – allows for further delays. These steps should be eliminated or significantly limited in order to ensure that filibusters are based on legitimate policy concerns, not just trying to delay everything. Specific reforms could include eliminating the ability to filibuster on motions to proceed, and shortening the 30-hour cloture waiting period.
The incoming Senate has a short window of opportunity to reform the filibuster on the first day of the 113th Congress in January, as the Senators are able to change the rules by a simple majority vote, rather than the 67% vote it takes to change the rules at other times. And Democratic Senators, led by Harry Reid and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), have begun crafting a reform proposal that would likely involve both a provision requiring a filibustering Senator do actually take to the Senate floor and maintain his or her filibuster, and elimination of filibusters on motions to proceed. While those proposals are a good start, as we laid out in the four points made above, more is needed to return the Senate to being a fully functioning political body, and to allow a President to be able to properly staff federal agencies and the judiciary. And, of course, we still have to convince 51 Democratic Senators to vote for reform, despite concerns they might have about changing the Senate rules on a simple majority vote and their worries about what a reformed filibuster would mean if and when there is a Republican Senate majority in the future (that latter concern seems not very significant to us, as experience shows that the GOP would almost certainly weaken the filibuster if they were in the majority regardless of what the Democrats do now).
As such, it is important that we all do three things to make sure that filibuster reform occurs and that the public understands that such reform is the right thing to do:
- Call your Democratic Senators and urge them to reform the filibuster when they are setting the rules for the new Senate.
- Support Fix the Senate Now, a coalition of organizations pushing for filibuster reform. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in favor of filibuster reform that follows the principles laid out above.
- Sign Senator Merkley's petition in favor of filibuster reform, and urge everyone you know to do the same.


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A woman's body was found on the hood of a car at the site of a gas explosion in Ewing Township, N.J., Tuesday evening, several hours after the blast rocked a housing development in the Mercer County community. The explosion injured seven other people, obliterated one home and damaged more than five dozen other units in the condominium complex. At least 10 of those homes were so heavily damaged, they're considered a total loss, according to township police Lt. Ron Lunetta.
Search crews found the woman's body on a car parked outside 28 Crockett Lane, the home where the explosion occurred.
"Because of the condition of the body, we are not able to ID her. We have to wait for the autopsy and go through the autopsy procedure to do that so we're 100 percent sure," Lunetta said.
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The explosion happened about 12:50 p.m. on Tuesday while workers were trying to repair a gas line at 28 Crockett Lane inside the South Fork development. It left a swath of smoldering debris and damage that looked more like what you see after tornadoes -- crumpled metal, tree trunks pierced by the siding off homes, insulation and everyday items hanging in treetops.
"It reminds me of basic training in the infantry," said Josiah Perez who was home, across the street when the explosion blew out two windows in his house. "I heard this loud boom. It just rocketed the house. The china fell, the pictures fell. I looked outside and it's a bunch of flames and it was warm. It was hot."
PSE&G officials say they hired private contractor Henkels & McCoy to replace underground electrical service at the 28 Crockett Lane unit earlier in the day because neighbors in the area were having electrical problems. Officials say it was planned work and the area was surveyed and marked to make sure gas lines were not hit.
However, during the work, officials say a gas line was struck and damaged. PSE&G workers who came out to investigate and repair the damage were standing in front of the house when the explosion occurred.
"The gas main did not explode. We are investigating right now what the source of the ignition was and what ignited," said PSE&G Director Mike Gaffney.
The blast shook the area with such force, some people thought it was a plane crash.
"I was out having my lunch in my car and it shook my car and I looked back at the building because I thought maybe a plane had hit it," said Carolyn Gavila, who works at a law firm about 100 yards from the development.
Five of the injured are public service workers according to Ewing Township Police Lt. Ron Lunetta. The two other victims work for Henkels and McCoy, Lunetta said. None of the injuries are life-threatening. Tuesday night, three of the injured workers were released from the hospital. The remaining four will spend the night for continued treatment.
"We're not sure how it happened," Lunetta said. "It's a pretty horrific scene down there."
Bryan Gentry was in his car outside the post office when he heard and felt the explosion. He saw the smoke and flames as he was heading home and shot some of the first video of the scene with his cell phone. "I was just blown away. I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Gentry said.
"When I got down to the end. I saw this one guy. He was just staggering and people were running towards him." Gentry said he parked his car and got out to see if he could help, but police were trying to secure the area and told him to leave.
"It just looked really dangerous, and nobody was really that eager to get too close to it." Gentry said the heat was so intense he could feel it inside his car.
Matthew Ianni, who lives across the street from the complex, says the explosion was so powerful it knocked him to the ground.
"I fell and tried to brace my fall," he said. "It blew me back and I fell to the ground. I was just in such shock I didn't really know what was happening."
Penny Ray, a journalist for The Trentonian describes walking up on the explosion site in the video below, "This is the house and it's completely gone. Well, this was the house," Ray says.
Power was cut off to the entire development and state and local inspectors were brought in to assess each unit. During an evening news conference, the mayor said it's likely that about 10 units are either destroyed or will have to be torn down.
"We are currently working on getting as many people as we can back into their homes," Ewing Township Mayor Bert Steinmann said.
Power was restored to some of the units Tuesday night. The mayor said dozens of households would remain off limits however at least until they could be inspected again during daylight hours.
On Wednesday morning, 55 units remained off-limits.
Red Cross officials set up a staging area outside the West Trenton Fire House for at least 60 displaced residents. The mayor and PSE&G officials visited some of the evacuees. Steinmann said some of the South Fork residents who may have to wait longer to get home, were worried about their pets.
"If it's safe enough, we will allow them to go in and retrieve their pets tonight," Steinmann said. "We're doing the best we can."
Crews are expected to survey the scene around 8 a.m. Wednesday.
John Sass, a Ewing Township resident, says he and his wife welcomed three displaced families inside their home.
"The people were scared," Sass said. "One of them had probably an 8-year-old who was crying uncontrollably. Their mother was crying also."
Workers will stay at the site throughout the night to secure the area. Another press conference with updated details on the investigation is scheduled to take place on Wednesday around 11 a.m.
Meanwhile, safety officials with OSHA say they plan on launching their own investigation into the explosion. A spokesperson for Henkels & McCoy told NBC10 the company is aware of the incident and cooperating fully with the investigation.