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Windex contains a whole cocktail of useful ingredients for acrylic painting. It is a detergent, surfectant and... dammit, here is the cocktail recipe- get yourself a glass and drink up whilst we discuss mini painting...
Okay, so we good now? Right... now the windex you *shouldn't* drink.
Spray some Windex cleaner into your paint water. It will dissolve acrylic on your brushes, stopping them clogging and keeping them clean. Secondly, it will act as a flow aid- making your paint slide off the brush and onto your model- great for fine detailing.
Windex in your wet palette will help keep mould at bay- especially if paired with bottled demineralized water rather than tap water. Less stinky and again, flow aid properties added.
Windex will clean your brushes and bring life back to your dead ones. Dilute about fifty fifty and rub the brush in the palm of your hand- et voila. Better than brush CPR- which just gets your lips dirty.
Windex can be used to speed up layered glazes (aka juicing). The isopropyl evaporates quickly, and the blue dye too- leaving a streak free glaze. By the time you have glazed all around your model, the front is dry - so you can use thin glazes and build up gradually but quickly.
The effect windex has on acrylic is that it dilutes it, weakening the bonds, which rebond again apparently just as strongly as it evaporates. Airbrush artists have used windex as a dilutant for years- it has the same active ingredients as professional air brush thinner- and smells the same. I am told it does eventually gnaw your airbrush out- but meh, I am a brush kinda gal anyway.
(Sips Windex Martini)
However, all this means no brush licking for you. I would also make sure your hobby area is well ventilated anyway, but imma gonna waggle my finger at you if it isn't already. I bet your the kinda dumb ass that sands resin or applies static grass without a mask, or votes Trump right? Dumb ass.
(Sips Windex Martini again)
If you use tube paints, windex water will turn them from a gel into something you are more familliar with quickly, without over diluting. You don't want too much water added as it will make the paint translucent. Translucent and pastey is not a great mix- outside of Nurgle minis. Windex water will make it smooth and even with only a small amount.
Back when I had a studio, I kept a Reaper dropper bottle full of 1:3 windex-demineralized water on my desk. Handy little bastard. I called it Windy. Windy Handybastard. Maybe you should too.
Drink responsibility you salty sea dogs. See you next episode.


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Emergency Dentist in Santa Monica
We recognize that dental emergencies can be unsettling for both patients and parents. For that reason, our doctors are available during business hours and after hours to ensure you get your questions answered and any treatment needs addressed.
Many times, these problems can be discussed over the phone, and the doctor can give you advice to get your child comfortable. If the emergency prompts immediate attention, we will make the necessary arrangements to see your child as soon as possible.
Below are some common dental emergencies.
If your child has an emergency that requires urgent medical attention, seek medical care first. Once stabilized, we will be available to address any dental needs.
Tooth Knocked Out (Avulsion)
Knocking out a permanent tooth is a true emergency, and the patient should be treated as soon as possible.
Often times, a knocked out permanent tooth can be re-implanted and stabilized. If you can, place the (relatively clean) tooth back into the socket and hold it in place with a piece of gauze.
If this is not possible, store the tooth in milk (preferably not water) while you call your dentist. It is critical to not leave the tooth out to dry. Contact our office and we will make arrangements to see your child as soon as possible.
When a baby tooth is knocked out, we generally do not recommend re-implanting it, as it can potentially damage the developing permanent tooth.
Tooth Knocked and Out of Place (Displacement)
If a permanent tooth is injured and displaced from its normal position, the tooth can often be repositioned and stabilized by the dentist with early treatment. Contact our office and we will make arrangements to see your child as soon as possible.
Broken Tooth (Fracture)
Hits to the mouth from falling or sports activities can fracture a tooth. If your child's permanent tooth breaks, try to find the broken piece. Place it a container of water for safekeeping. We may be able to reattach the broken piece.
Call our office to discuss the situation with one of our doctors. The severity of the break will determine whether this needs to be treated immediately or it can wait until the following morning.
Injuries to Baby Teeth
Young children are known to be adventurous, which can make them prone to falls and injuries. Injuries to baby teeth are not as urgent as those to permanent teeth, but we are available to answer any questions or concerns and to see your child if needed.
Often times, injuries to baby teeth require little to no intervention. However, if your child is in discomfort or you have concerns, please do not hesitate to call our office.
Head/Facial Injuries
If your child suffers a serious injury that involves the head or other facial structures extending beyond the mouth, this is considered a medical emergency.
Depending on the severity of the injury, you should call your child's pediatrician, take your child to the emergency room, or call 911 for help.
Once stabilized, we will be available to address any dental needs.
Toothache, Gum Swelling, or Abscess
Large cavities or unhealthy nerves can cause infection. The child may or may not feel pain, and prompt dental care can help determine the appropriate treatment.
If your child is in significant pain or the swelling extends into the face (for example, if your child's cheek is swollen), pain-killing medications (like Tylenol or ibuprofen) or antibiotics may be indicated.
Contact Our Santa Monica Dental Clinic
Please feel free to contact our offices so that we can discuss the situation and make arrangements to see your child.

subset: commoncrawl


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Finland wants to make it easier for women to enter peacekeeping forces, but this could mean loosening physical fitness requirements.
Most Finnish peacekeepers carried out their military service as members of an elite crisis preparedness group. Last year 600 conscripts sought a spot on the team. Not a single woman made the cut. The test involves running 2,600 metres in 12 minutes.
But the Defence Ministry is looking to tone down these physical requirements, as the United Nations wants more female recruits in its peacekeeping family. The international body says women should have the same opportunities to serve in peacekeeping missions as men.
In Finland, plans are now in the works to favour women for certain peacekeeping jobs, such as interacting with women in societies where they are prohibited from speaking to men. According to the UN, women peacekeepers can also help to reduce conflict and confrontation and empower women in local communities.
The Finnish Defence Forces are expected to hand down new guidelines this year. Some 400 Finnish peacekeepers currently serve in a dozen missions around the world. Finnish women make up just three percent of the Blue Berets.


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First understand your
You have to know where you've been and where you are to get where you're going. Understanding yourself, the good and bad, allows you to realistically plan for the future from a place of accuracy and truth. This knowledge base sets you up for success from the very beginning.
analyze it all using
This type of analysis is fundamental to extracting the core of your company. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and successes (don't forget those!) outline the moves and options that lay ahead of you in the coming six months,
year, and three years. Capitalize on SO, minimize WT, and plan strategically to
build upon the momentum of success.
create YOUR UNIQUE
What is your definition of success?
It should be as unique as you are. So many things in business - and in life - become clearer when you can actually see where you are going, and more importantly,
WHY you are on this journey.
focus on your top
We can't be all things to all clients. It's time to focus and define the big picture into actual effort with a desired result. How do we get from here to there, and by when?
It's also extremely important to create evaluation criteria and prioritize the targets. Goals drive your business development plans. Keep them SMART: Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, tangible.
Show off what you are made of! Utilize the best of your specific resources, including time, talent, team, creativity, capacity, energy, and capital. Tactics fulfill your marketing plans and individual action plans. By assigning accountability and authority, tactics show people where to go, what to look for, and what to do.
measure the right
Metrics are crucial, giving you the tools to evaluate your strategy, vision, goals, and tactics. The key is to collect accurate information, record it, share it with the right people on your team, and take the next action step as soon as possible. You must track what matters to determine success and proactively correct actions if results aren't being achieved. It's all about the data!
We believe you have to be authentic to who you are now to get to where you want to be. What are you known for and what do you want to be known for? This is your signature trademark - what you have to offer - and it is valuable. This is a leadership requirement, non-negotiable. Know your brand. Own it wholeheartedly.
The secret is out. JAM is in. And we are officially obsessed.


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A simple business plan to begin your freelance writing career
The freelance writing lifestyle is attractive for many reasons. More flexibility, the opportunity to earn passive income and the freedom to live and work from home are all great benefits. These appealing lifestyle benefits also feed a growing number of web-based micro-businesses that offer new writers guidance on how to establish themselves and develop a freelance writing career. The courses and ebooks available to help you become a high-earning writer are certainly useful, but don't replace a solid business plan. The freelance writing life may be flexible but successful writers understand that they are running a business nonetheless.
A businesses plan doesn't have to be formatted traditionally. It can simply be a well articulated plan of action to work by. Here's a hint: if you've been meaning to put together a business plan for a while but the very sound of it is intimidating or sounds like what you left your day job to avoid doing, simply think of it as a very detailed plan of action; a catch-all for your day-to-day executions and success. A good business plan will be your map, your motivation and a great organization tool.
Here are some of the essential elements that a freelance writer's business plan should include:
Describe your services: this is as much about deciding what you don't want to offer as it is about what you do want to offer. Setting limits, understanding your niche and deciding on a specialty will make life far easier than trying to cover everything. This section can be created by simply making a list with items such as "SEO writing for small B2B projects," "web copy for alternative health and nutrition companies," or "SEO-optimized article writing for emerging start ups," etc. The key here is to detail what this does and does not include, so that you can clearly plan how to develop your business and accurately communicate to clients what your services include. In this section of your businesses plan you should also include how your skills and approach benefit clients. For example, your ten years of experience as an archeologist makes you an ideal ghost blogger for museums, non-profits and charities you specialize in archeology and preserving world heritage.
Next, you need to describe the clients that you will be targeting. What industries will you focus on? What size of company? Will you be helping clients communicate to their own staff? Other businesses? Their customers? All require a different approach – what's your specialty?
Describe your financial objectives, and how you plan to meet them. If you plan to earn $100,000 per year, you need to make on average $400 per day. If you are currently earning $100 per day, how will you quadruple your income? Does your plan include earning money from passive income, and if so, how? What return do you expect to gain on any investments that you will be making? What are the key expenditures you will face, and how will that leave your budget balanced? You can also make a note of short, mid and long-term objectives.
You now need to describe how you will operate your business. This will be the biggest section of all:
It should include a detailed section for your marketing plan, which should describe in detail how you plan to market you services. This needs to include how you will describe your services, what you will use, and what your rationale is behind your approach. For example, you may decide that you will target small, emerging business in your local area by cold calling them to benefit from direct contact to make maximum impact and let them know that you're local, because you already know of several local business who prefer to work with local service providers.
This section also needs a description of your workflow. Depending on preferences and how you will be working day to day, it can be very helpful to create a workflow diagram for yourself that you can reference later. This can be complex or a simple doodle of what happens when. When a client shows interest in taking you on as a contractor, what are you next steps? What tasks will you always perform and in what order? For example, will you always send your clients a brief questionnaire at the end of the project for any feedback they can offer you?
This section also needs a communication plan. How will you ensure that you fully understand each client's requirements? Will you have a standard template for yourself with a list of questions? How frequently will you check in with the client? What steps can you take to make sure that you communicate well and avoid misunderstandings?
Include a description of how you will set your rates, and how you will negotiate. Also make a note here of all points that you must check for on each contract that you consider. How will you bill clients, and how many days will you give them to pay you?
Include a brief quality assurance plan. Make a note of things you must always do, say and check before accepting and signing off on a writing project. What quality standards will you always hold yourself to?
Describe your work environment. What do you need every day to run your business? This is an important step for a person working from home for the first time, as it helps to formalize and reaffirm that you are running a business with real goals and objectives. You can also include your schedule here. When will you be available to take phone calls? How many hours per day can you dedicate to writing? How many days a week will you work?
If you have all of these steps clearly mapped out in your mind, you are in a good place to begin!


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The B-Team
Orange Alert: It's Persimmon Time!
October 10, 2018 | Posted by The B-Team
Gorgeously vibrant, orange-hued persimmons are the perfect color for a fall tablescape. But what do to with these autumnal beauties beyond piling them in a bowl for a centerpiece? We've devised a handful of ways to easily enjoy these underappreciated fall fruits (and not just as eye candy).
There are two varieties of persimmons readily available: Fuyu and Hachiya. Both are round-ish and, well, persimmon-colored, but that is where the similarities end. They're worlds apart in texture and flavor.
Fuyu is mellower in color and flavor, with crisp skin and a firm texture. It can be eaten like an apple – skin and all. Try them thinly sliced in a chicory salad with hazelnuts and blue cheese...
...wrapped in prosciutto, or even roasted along with root vegetables.
You can also find Fuyu persimmons sliced and dried. Add the dried fruit to granola, or just keep it stowed away as a midday snack. Another trick: dice the dried fruit and simmer it with a little water, honey and a vanilla bean. Muddle the compote with a few dashes of Angostura bitters, top it with few ounces of rye whiskey, and voila -- you have your new signature fall cocktail! The compote is also a great addition to cheese plate.
The more oblong and brilliantly colored Hachiya persimmon is astringent and unpalatable if not left to fully ripen. It is said that a perfectly ripened Hachiya feels like a water balloon, which is an odd and totally spot-on in description. When fully ripe, the flesh becomes spoonable and creamy in texture. I have taken to spreading it on buttered toast to start the morning...
...and stirring into yogurt for breakfast or a simple dessert. If you're looking to add a vibrant twist to your Thanksgiving traditions, puree the flesh and a make a pie (see ya, pumpkin!), or fold it into cranberry sauce. Go forth and persimmon!


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Garrettsville, OH
In Conjunction with Garrettsville SummerFest
The 2017 Friends of Melana 5K and 1 Mile fun run/walk is an all road race to benefit children's glioma cancer research. Enjoy a scenic route, great food, and great race atmosphere!
Friends of Melana was named after Melana Matson who was a young girl from Garrettsville who in 2009, was diagnosed with Glioma Cancer. Melana lost her battle just 10 months after being diagnosed at the age of 9. In Melana's memory, and for others affected by this disease, Friends of Melana is dedicated to helping fund the fight for Childhood Glioma Cancer. All proceeds from this race will benefit children's glioma cancer research.
This race is in memory of Melana.
Questions about this race, or want to become a sponsor? Please Contact Diana Morris:
[email protected] (330)931-1660 or Douglas Paroff: [email protected] (330)351-3507.


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Mathieu Poncet is the initiator of the brand and co-owner with Greg Artisi and Celian Cordt-Moller.
Mathieu is a skateboarder from Geneva, and also a film maker.
He has filmed and edited most of the Thanks videos since 2011; You are welcome, on dirait le sud, coucou, and many other clips wich you can watch in the Videos section.
You can watch You are welcome , his last full video here:


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Catfish, wrongly disliked due to its ugly looks and totally unfounded reputation is above all, one of the best freshwater sports species that deserves total respect. In order to help you discover this awesome warrior, I can think of no better way to do so than to tell you about one of my last sessions. It took place with a good friend, a novice at catfishing, South of France in the Arles region where we fished for them with worms and a clonk. It is a technique that I really appreciate as, contrary to popular belief; you do not only catch small cats fishing like this!
MONSTER CAT Clonk an essential piece of gear.
After a short ride, we got to the spot or rather the drift. I anchored the boat with the electric motor and began to prepare all the necessary gear at the same time explaining to my friend what he would need to do if all went as planned! As he would be fishing with the rod holding the rod, he would be using the TITAN BOXING DIRECT which is perfect for fishing vertically with worms. I chose the TITAN BOXING INLINE which, as its name implies, is an inline rod, ideal when fishing holding the braid and clonking at the same time since there is no risk of getting the line tangled. Fishing like this you really need a clonk to get the fish to react and raise to take the bait. To do so I use the Pezon et Michel CLONK MONSTER CAT.
MONSTER CAT CLONK in action.
Once all readied and the last advice given, we started our 8 km long drift. During the drift, we had many bites and caught 5 average size cats, that after a quick photo, all went back to get bigger! As we neared the end of the drift, as I clonked, I saw a big fish rise from the bottom on the screen of the sonar. It came straight up and grabbed my rig, I set the hook with a really hard strike and install hell broke loose. As soon as possible, I passed my rod over to my friend so that he could experience what it was like to fight a real river monster!
The TITAN BOXING INLINE in action.
For 10 long minutes he bent the TITAN BOXING INLINE, not once letting the fish take control. As it finally broke the surface the 2 meters of grey muscle looked enormous. Not without difficulty, I managed to slide it into the boat. After a short photo session, we returned the incredible fighter back to its home.
A really fit 2 m plus cat.
The TITAN BOXING INLINE is an awesome rod to fish holding the braid as the absence of guides totally eliminates any risk of tangling. Its impressive backbone is essential to be able to counter the ultra powerful rushes of the underwater giants. The MONSTER CAT CLONK is really an important part of the gear as it is thanks to the noise that it produces that the fish will rise to take the worms. One thing for sure, this season, I will not leave home without these two 100% reliant and top notch pieces of equipment. Another thing is for sure, my friend will remember for a long time his first big cat and extreme sensations from the Camargue region!
I hope I have convinced you to give this rod and clonk a try and in any case, if you catch a nice fish with our gear and share it on the Facebook Gunki Group and Pages. If you have any questions, just contact us via Facebook : www.facebook.com
François Robin


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Highest rated Adventure games
Sleepless Knight
Follow Knight Lucy in her dangerous quest to rescue a kidnapped princess in this platforming adventure game.
Blue Rabbits Climate Chaos
The Super Flash Bros present a 3D adventure from the world of Another Day. Featuring original music by Dustball and voice acting by Egoraptor!
Gretel and Hansel
Mom and Dad decide that you're too expensive to keep, so they plan to abandon you in the woods. If this wasn't enough, your brother is as dumb as a...
Colour My Dreams
In a black and white world, it becomes harder and harder to follow your dreams... and soon... they become nightmares... In an abstract world where...
Return to Halloween Escape
Trapped in the Halloween house again? It`s even more haunted than last time. Escape or join the ghouls in the house!
Fancy Pants Adventure: World 2 demo
These pants really are fancy. Learn to fly, slide your way through spiders, and grip this beautifully penciled in world by the balls.
Stickman Sam Part 4
Stickman is the funniest secret agent in the world and likely the skinniest. Do you best at keeping him alive, will you? And would it kill him to...
How to Raise a Dragon
The dragon: a majestic and complex beast. How is it born? How does it live and die? Magus X. R. Quilliam`s definitive work, "How to Raise a...


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LOS ANGELES (CBS) — NBC News was under fire Thursday for airing an interview with Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.
A documentary is scheduled to air later this week on MSNBC that contains extensive interviews with Murray conducted by an independent filmmaker. NBC News bought the rights to air the documentary.
In exchange, they were granted an exclusive interview with Murray, conducted just days before the verdict was announced.
Portions of NBC's interview aired Thursday on NBC's "Today Show."
Jackson's family members are furious.
"He had is chance in court," said Jackson's brother Jermaine. "And he didn't stand up, which makes him a coward."
Jermaine believes Murray's interview was motivated by money. "He must have been paid handsomely to do this," says Jermaine. "And that says a lot about MSNBC."
Jackson's sister LaToya wrote a letter to the president of MSNBC saying, "I feel it morally reprehensible to cloak a murderer and convicted felon with celebrity status, which the airing of Dr. Murray's views will undoubtedly accomplish."
NBC denied requests by CBS for an on-camera interview, but did admit the connection between the purchase of the documentary rights and the granting of an interview by Murray.
"NBC Universal licensed the documentary from Zodiak Rights," NBC representatives said in a written statement. "In connection with the documentary, NBC Universal had the opportunity to conduct a promotional interview with Dr. Murray. Neither Dr. Murray nor his legal defense were compensated in any way."
Matt Belloni, news director for The Hollywood Reporter, says the deal raises questions.
"You can't turn a blind eye to one thing and say we don't pay," says Belloni. "When you're paying for the access to the video, and along with that comes this free of charge extra thing, which is the interview."
Lawyers for Jackson's estate sent a letter to NBC saying, "We demand that you exercise proper judgment and refrain from airing this program."
At this time MSNBC still plans to air the documentary as scheduled.
Conrad was blinded by money and was responsible for this dead for acting against the best medical practices.
MJ was heavily addicted to demerol and was suffering acute opioid withdrawal at the time of death. He knew that he had to overcome addiction if there was any chance of successfully staging concerts. A sensible approach would have been to check into rehab. However such a move would have guaranteed AEG pulling plug on tour and losing credibility with fans. He therefore chose a more risky alternative route to help him with withdrawal. On the days he saw Dr Klein he probably slept like a baby and did not require propofol. In the final analysis both he and Dr Murray made huge mistakes. MJ paid with his life while Murray landed himself in jail and potential loss of his livelihood. There are no winners in this tragedy. The fans who really care about MJ are really blind to the reality of his life in the months and years leading to his death. PS there are winners in this tragedy – go figure.


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Biofuels facility Shoalhaven One in Nowra, Australia. (Photo: Algae.Tec)
Algae.Tec starts commissioning for biofuels facility
Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 22:30 (GMT + 9)
Algae.Tec, an advanced algae to biofuels company with a high-yield enclosed algae growth and harvesting system, has announced commissioning for its showcase biofuels facility Shoalhaven One in Nowra Australia started this week.
Algae.Tec Executive Chairman Roger Stroud said the commissioning process was on track for production of algae biomass in early June, ramping up to capacity by the end of June.
The Shoalhaven One showcase facility team has the bioreactor technology and associated racks, piping, and separation tanks in place, and full testing and final validation is now underway.
"The Algae.Tec facility is positioned to take a carbon dioxide feed from the Manildra Groups manufacturing facility," Stroud said.
Algae.Tec's US-based Technical Director, Earl McConchie is currently in Australia overseeing the commissioning team.
Algae.Tec has carbon capture biofuels projects underway in Sri Lanka with cement giant Holcim, and in China. An arrangement is in place with Lufthansa for aviation fuel studies.
The Shoalhaven One initial bioreactors were assembled and shipped from The Algae Manufacturing and Development Centre in Atlanta.
Algae.Tec Ltd, founded in 2007, is an Australian advanced renewable oil from algae company that has developed a high-yield enclosed algae growth and harvesting system, the McConchie-Stroud System. The company has offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Perth, Western Australia.
The Algae.Tec enclosed modular engineered technology is designed to grow non-GMO algae on an industrial scale, and produce biofuels that replace predominantly imported fossil fuels.
The technology has demonstrated exceptional performance in productivity, product yield, carbon dioxide sequestration, and production unit footprint requirements versus agricultural crops and other competitive algae processes in the industry.
Algae.Tec offers a profitable solution for carbon emitting companies and industries seeking carbon dioxide reduction technologies. The algae growth system is an alternative to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
The Algae.Tec solution is less than one tenth the land footprint of pond growth options, while its enclosed module system is designed to deliver the highest yield of algae per hectare, and solves the problem of food-producing land being turned over for biofuel production.
[email protected]


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Sherman, Texas: Cowboy Muffler ManFiberglass giant stands on a rural road in front of sandblasting operation. Owned by same family as the one in Gainesville.
- Address:
- 2774 Plainview Rd, Sherman, TX
- Directions:
- Northwest of town on Plainview Rd, one-tenth mile west of FM 1417. Plainview Rd parallels and is 1.5 miles north of US 82. Just southeast of the Grayson County Airport.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
The Muffler Men MapMuffler Men: Find more like this in our roadside roundup map of The Muffler Men
Results 1 to 5 of 5...
Visitor Tips and News About Cowboy Muffler Man
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
Cowboy Muffler Man
The Cowboy Muffler Man is still there.[Kelli, 07/12/2020]
He's the eternal friendly waver of northeastern Texas.
Cowboy Muffler Man
The Cowboy Muffler Man is still alive and kicking in Sherman, Texas.[Scotty Jones, 02/18/2018]
This Muffler Man was modified by the late Glenn Goode and features non-standard arms and creased pants.
Cowboy Muffler Man
We just visited our big cowboy and he is still standin' tall! He was easy to find and a sight to see![Evans, 09/01/2013]
Cowboy Muffler Man
The Sherman Cowboy Muffler Man is still standing next to the sandblasting business.[Jim, 06/12/2010]
This lonely cowpoke is some miles east of Glenn Goode's Big People cluster in Gainesville.
Big Tex variation located in rural area in front of sandblasting operation. Owned by same family as the one in Gainesville.[Tom Rose, 02/10/2000]
Nearby Offbeat Places
Latest Tips Across Roadside America
Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.
Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!
Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.


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Case Study: Cross-Border Child Custody and the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction
by June Lim
A cross-border custody battle
This case involved a German husband and a Singaporean wife who met over the Internet in 2007. It was the first time that the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction ("Hague Convention") and the International Child Abduction Act ("ICAA") had been litigated before the Singapore courts.
On the Singaporean wife's first trip to Germany to meet the German husband in 2009, she became pregnant and the couple married in Denmark soon thereafter. The couple's first child was born in Germany in 2010 and they then moved in to live with the husband's parents.
The wife found life difficult in Germany as she could not speak the language. She also could not cope with the cultural differences between her and her mother-in-law.
In 2012, the family travelled back to Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year with the wife's relatives. However, only the husband returned to Germany as scheduled. The wife refused to return to Germany with their first child. At that time, the wife was also pregnant with the couple's second child.
After the husband returned to Germany, he obtained an interim order from a German court for the wife to return the child to Germany. Despite the interim order, the wife still refused to return the child to Germany and instead commenced proceedings for the sole custody and care and control of the child in Singapore.
The Hague Convention on International Child Abduction
Singapore became a signatory to the Hague Convention on 28 December 2010. Under the Hague Convention, which has been implemented in Singapore through the ICAA, signatory nations generally agree that the courts of the country of "habitual residence" of the child should be the forum to decide all issues relating to the custody and care of the child.
In this case, as the child had lived in Germany since his birth and the family had been settled in Germany for all intents and purposes before their trip to Singapore, the husband argued that the Germany should be deemed the "habitual residence" of the child.
The husband eventually made an application under the ICAA for the return of the child to Germany.
The mother resisted the application before the Singapore courts, arguing that there was a grave risk that the child's return would expose him to physical or psychological harm, or otherwise place the child in an intolerable situation. She argued that there would be psychological harm to the child due to his separation from his mother, since the wife claimed to be unable to return to Germany for medical reasons. By contrast, the husband claimed that the wife's medical reasons were mostly psychological and that she was unwilling (and not unable) to return to Germany with the child.
The case eventually came up for hearing before the Court of Appeal. In order to assess the wife's mental condition, the Court of Appeal appointed an independent medical expert who eventually found that the wife suffered from mental illnesses that required extensive treatment.
The Court of Appeal took the expert's opinion on the wife's mental condition into consideration in its decision. It upheld the order for the child's return to Germany, with undertakings on the part of both the husband and the wife to ensure the wife's prompt return to Germany with both the couple's children, separate accommodation for the wife and children, maintenance for the wife and children, and facilities for the wife's medical treatment for her mental condition.
(The above is a summary of the case BDU v BDT [2014] SGCA 12)
June Lim acted for the successful German husband in BDU v. BDT [2014] SGCA 12. Her principal area of practice is in matrimonial law, and she is currently the managing director of Eden Law Corporation.
- Process for Getting Divorced in Singapore (With Diagram)
- How Can I Divorce Overseas?
- Mandatory Parenting Programme Guide for Divorcing Parents
- Online Divorce in Singapore: How It Works and Should You Get One?
- Getting a Divorce Due to "Irreconcilable Differences" in Singapore
- Judicial or Legal Separation in Singapore: When and How to File
- Should You Make a Post-Nuptial Agreement in Singapore?
- How to Divorce Within 3 Years of Marriage in Singapore
- Guide to Personal Protection Orders in Singapore
- Prenuptial Agreements in Singapore
- What are the Legal Grounds for Getting a Divorce?
- Separation in Singapore
- Annulling a Singapore Marriage: Requirements and Process
- Practical Preparations for a Divorce
- 3 Finance Questions To Ask Before a Divorce
- Procedure for Ancillary Matters
- What Happens to Gifts Between Spouses During a Divorce?
- What Happens to Property and Assets Located Overseas Upon a Divorce in Singapore?
- Getting Divorced: Child Maintenance in Singapore
- Singapore Divorcee's Guide to Relocating Your Child Overseas
- Filling in a Matrimonial Property Plan for a Singapore Divorce
- Maintenance of Spouse in a Singapore Divorce
- Guide to Child Custody, Care and Control, and Access in Singapore
- How the Court Divides Matrimonial Assets in a Singapore Divorce
- What Happens to Your HDB Flat after Divorce?
- Variation of Maintenance Orders in Singapore
- Division of CPF Assets (Monies, House, Investments) After a Divorce
- Divorce Certs in Singapore: How to Get a Copy and Other FAQs
- Transfer of Matrimonial Home to Ex-Spouse After Divorce
- How to Appeal Your Divorce Case in Singapore
- Can Divorcees Buy or Rent HDB Flats, and How?
- What to Do If Your Ex-Spouse Denies You Access to Your Child
- What to Do If Your Ex-Spouse Does Not Provide Maintenance
- Can Foreigners Divorce in Singapore?
- Expat or Foreigner Divorce in Singapore: 10 Legal Issues to Consider
- Should British Expats Divorce in Singapore or England?
- Divorce for British Expats: How the English Courts Deal with Financial Matters
- Immigration Issues for Divorcing Expatriates
- Hague Convention: Overseas Child Abduction in Singapore Divorce
- Case Study: Cross-Border Child Custody and the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction


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Law360 (September 16, 2020, 3:02 PM EDT) --
|Jessica Staiger
|Alec Solotorovsky
Under the rules of most jurisdictions, the defending lawyer can do little more than object to form and privilege on the record and, in many jurisdictions, lawyers are prohibited from discussing the substance of the deposition with the witness during breaks.
In a remote setting, the witness is even more isolated from the lawyer. That makes careful planning and witness preparation critical to defending the deposition and avoiding damaging admissions.
This article discusses how to prepare witnesses for, and effectively defend them in, remote depositions. The advice below is based on our experience preparing and defending witnesses in dozens of recent remote depositions.
Building Confidence
The most important, but perhaps least appreciated, part of deposition preparation is building the witness's confidence so that he can push back on argumentative leading questions, ask for clarification of confusing questions, and resist opposing counsel's attempts to change his answers through aggressive, repetitive follow-up questions.
To a certain extent, a remote deposition is less intimidating than an in-person deposition because the witness will be in a familiar setting and opposing counsel will be a face on a computer screen. Still, except for professional experts and senior executives accustomed to adversarial situations, most witnesses are nervous about giving a deposition in any setting.
Confidence building is accomplished by (1) explaining and demystifying the deposition process; and (2) explaining the witness's role in the case and giving him a thorough understanding of the material likely to be covered, including through practice cross-examination. By doing steps (1) and (2) in a careful, unhurried process, the lawyer will also demonstrate her own confidence and allow the witness to share in it.
Preparation sessions for remote depositions should therefore be at least as long, and cover at least as much material, as preparation sessions for in-person depositions. For witnesses who are current or former employees of the client, having in-house counsel present for at least part of the process further builds confidence by removing doubts about whether the game plan proposed by outside counsel is consistent with the client's interests and sensitivities.
Scheduling and Logistics
As a general guideline, preparation should take at least as long as the deposition is expected to take. For a full-day deposition requiring a full-day preparation session, consider splitting the preparation into two or three shorter sessions over a period of a week or more. This avoids the "Zoom fatigue" that sets in after several hours of remote meetings and gives the witness a chance to reflect on lessons learned and ask questions of the lawyer in subsequent meetings.
The possibility of splitting a full day's preparation into multiple shorter sessions where counsel and the witness can both be more effective is an advantage of the remote setting over the in-person setting. But make sure to do several long, uninterrupted stretches of practice cross-examination, especially later in the process, so the witness gets used to focusing for long periods and performing without the lawyer's help.
Try to schedule one of the preparation sessions on the day prior to the deposition, so the practice cross-examinations and corresponding feedback are fresh in the witness's mind. In-house counsel should also offer an opportunity for the witness to speak with her outside of the formal preparation sessions in order to replace informal interactions that would normally occur in the office and to make sure the witness is comfortable with outside counsel's advice.
Conduct preparation sessions via video, ideally using the same platform as will be used for the deposition itself. Where possible, present documents in the same way as they will be presented during the deposition itself, but also provide the witness a full set of documents in electronic format or a hard-copy binder for easy reference.
Insist that the witness turn on his camera so you can see each other. Use the preparation sessions as a chance to familiarize the witness with the technology and identify problems — e.g., a slow internet connection, a microphone causing feedback, settings that prevent the witness from downloading exhibits — that can be fixed in advance, avoiding distraction and delay during the deposition.
If the witness lacks reliable computer equipment, consider providing it either from the client — if the witness is an employee of your client — or a rental service. Some court reporting services that offer a remote platform will ship a complete computer setup to the witness for a modest rental fee.
Ask opposing counsel to agree in advance whether the deposition will be recorded on video. In some jurisdictions, the notice of deposition must specify whether the deposition will be video recorded. If the deposition will be recorded, make sure the witness appears in a pleasant, professional setting and dresses appropriately.
Most lawyers do not go to the trouble of preparing video clips for impeachment during a trial cross-examination, but some do, and in that event the jury will be able to observe the witness's appearance and surroundings during the deposition.
If the deposition will not be recorded, then the setup should be driven by the witness's comfort, minimizing distractions and the reliability of the internet connection. If the witness lives in a remote area with a weak or unreliable internet connection, consider giving him access to a conference room in the client's office or a hotel for the day.
Also ask opposing counsel to confirm how exhibits will be presented to the witness during the deposition. There are several methods, including web-based platforms provided by court reporting services, emailing exhibits in advance, emailing exhibits during the deposition, and shipping hard copies in advance. Any method is workable, provided that both the witness and defending counsel can review the entire document at will and defending counsel retains a copy of the document for her own reference.
The one method that is not acceptable is for opposing counsel to present exhibits through a screen-sharing feature in which the witness and defending counsel are unable to independently review and retain the document. Screen-sharing features should be used only in conjunction with providing the entire exhibit to the witness and counsel through one of the other methods mentioned above.
Opposing counsel should agree to share complete exhibits with the witness and defending counsel because that is how a regular, in-person deposition would be conducted, although they can reasonably refuse to provide the exhibits in advance such that defending counsel and the witness get a preview of the questioning.
If you expect to conduct redirect examination, make sure you know how to present exhibits to the witness and opposing counsel, and discuss the possibility of redirect examination with the witness during preparation.
Substance of Preparation
Every preparation session should begin with a thorough discussion of the rules of the road, beginning with a literal explanation of the setting and the participants. The witness should be told that opposing counsel's objective is primarily to get admissions that can be repeated in front of the jury at trial and, secondarily, to learn facts that the witness knows relevant to the case.
In answering leading questions, the witness should be taught to distinguish between those that contain an argument or a characterization, which the witness must resist agreeing to, and those that simply ask the witness to admit a true fact without any argument or characterization, which the witness can safely do.
The easiest way to avoid signing on to an argument or a mischaracterization embedded in a leading question is to answer, "I disagree," or "I wouldn't characterize it that way." The remote setting makes the aggressive, bullying tactics of "bad cop" lawyers less effective than they would be in person, but witnesses will still make damaging admissions unless they are taught how to recognize and neutralize dangerous questions.
Senior lawyers should bring a mid-level or capable junior-level associate to conduct practice cross-examination. If the client is reluctant to pay for two lawyers, consider writing off the time of the second lawyer.
The senior lawyer and the associate can take turns cross-examining the witness, which gives the witness exposure to different cross-examination styles. It also gives the senior lawyer a chance to observe the witness and give suggestions for improvement without being distracted by the need to simultaneously conduct the questioning.
When the senior lawyer is asking the questions, the junior lawyer can present the exhibits on screen like opposing counsel may do during the deposition. Ask a client in-house lawyer to attend the preparation session, at least for part of the time, to introduce outside counsel, sooth a nervous witness, and give her blessing to judgment calls about how to answer sensitive questions.
The ability to bring more lawyers at no travel cost is another advantage of the remote setting and can provide more varied and thorough preparation.
During the Deposition
Have the witness log on no more than five minutes before the scheduled start time and, if the deposition starts late, tell the witness to take a walk and return in 10 minutes. Remote depositions are often delayed by technical problems and defending counsel should not add to a long day by making the witness log in before the scheduled start time or sit through technical delays experienced by others.
Once the deposition begins, on at least an hourly basis, observe the witness for signs of fatigue. One advantage of the remote setting is that defending counsel can look at the witness without distracting him or making opposing counsel suspicious.
Defending counsel should also observe the court reporter for signs of confusion, whether due to technical problems or parties talking over one another. Remind the witness not to talk over opposing counsel and vice versa — this is not coaching and it is important for making an accurate transcript.
Never communicate privately with the witness on the record, e.g. via email or text, but plan a way to communicate during breaks in the deposition. Many remote platforms include a "breakout room" feature where the parties are separated into private videoconferences during breaks. These generally work well and are worth using, even at an additional cost.
At minimum, exchange phone numbers with the witness in advance and plan to call him during each break. Even in jurisdictions where the defending lawyer is not allowed to discuss the substance of the testimony with the witness during the deposition, generic expressions of approval and encouragement, followed by small talk about sports, pets, trips, kids and the weather, will help maintain confidence and rapport over a long day.
If lawyers for co-parties or staff supporting expert witnesses will attend the deposition, include them in the breakout arrangements as appropriate and make sure they know not to communicate privately with the witness on the record.
Finally, if all parties agree, consider conducting a partly remote deposition in which the witness and the defending lawyer are together in person — with appropriate COVID-19 protocols — while opposing counsel is remote. The court reporter can either be in-person or remote, depending on the preferences and COVID-19 sensitivities of all parties.
We have conducted numerous partly remote depositions over the last six months and found that they resolve most of the witness nervousness and communication problems of fully remote depositions while reducing, though not eliminating, technical problems.
Opposing counsel may perceive a disadvantage in being remote from the witness while defending counsel is present in person, so be prepared to agree to a similar arrangement for conducting your depositions of the opposing party's witnesses.
After the Deposition
Always reserve signature on the record and review the transcript carefully before sending it to the witness for review and signature. Transcripts of remote depositions can be affected by technical problems on all sides that may go unnoticed during the deposition or may be impossible to quickly and fully correct.
Moreover, many court reporters rely on lip reading to supplement their real-time understanding of the dialogue, which can be difficult in a remote setting, e.g., if the witness's camera is positioned at an angle or his mouth is obscured by a headset. Sometimes, these problems can be fixed before the deposition begins, but be cautious about asking your witness to adjust a home office setup he is comfortable with. A careful post-deposition review of the transcript may be better.
Although the remote setting presents unique challenges for defending depositions, it also can provide opportunities to better engage with the witness over multiple, shorter preparation sessions, to include more lawyers in the preparation process at little or no extra cost, and to better monitor the witness and the court reporter during the deposition itself. Through careful preparation, defending counsel can take advantage of the benefits of remote depositions while avoiding the pitfalls.
Jessica Staiger is associate general counsel for litigation at Archer Daniels Midland Co.
Alec Solotorovsky is a partner at Eimer Stahl LLP.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the firms, their clients or Portfolio Media Inc., or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
For a reprint of this article, please contact email@example.com.


text: Rosie Allabarton is an English short story writer and poet who lives in Berlin. A postgraduate of the Birkbeck Creative Writing MA, her work has been published in a variety of literary magazines and anthologies. When she's not writing Rosie likes to run along the towpaths of the Landwehrkanal and swim in the lakes that surround the city, rain or shine.


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London Manifestation of Rwandans For Cessation of RPF Harassment in Rwanda
LONDON – On Wednesday 10th February 2010, a group of Rwandans and Congolese from DRC convened from 2.00 pm at the High Commission of Rwanda in UK to protest against the regime of Kigali for harassing Rwandan political opponents.
The manifestation took place in front of the Rwanda House located at 120 – 122 Seymour Place, London W1H.
Slogans on the displayed banners included the following messages: 'Democracy for Rwanda Now, Stop Harassing Opposition, Free Joseph Ntawangundi Now.' On some of the banners were pictures showing Joseph's scars after the beating by RPF militia in Kigali on 3rd February 2010.
The protesters find that people have been patient enough about the crimes and abuses of human rights by the RPF regime against Rwandans.
They are very much inspired by the courageous determination of Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, Chair of United Democratic Forces UDF-Inkingi, to politically and pacifically challenge the Kagame regime in Rwanda. They told news reporters that what Victoire Ingabire has started won't stop until Rwandans have democracy, justice and respect of the basic human rights they have been denied for the last 20 years because of RPF. They expect the world to know more about their suffering and help them make pressure on Paul Kagame to change his policies towards the Rwandan population.
Congolese who joined the protest are fed up by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Great Lakes region where occur recurring wars sponsored by international interests in the mineral resources of DRC. All recognize that RPF is the source of all the tragedies in the whole region and agree that re-instauring democracy in Rwanda will greatly ease the suffering of so many millions in the region.
3 comments
- 1 William Forbes { 03.06.10 at 1:15 pm }
Can you please channel your energy in something more positive? Rwanda is doing very well under Kagame and its very sad that you have chose to ignore all the good governance effort the country has put in place. Many African follows envy you and Rwanda. Please it's time you wake up and smell the coffee. Stop this non sense complains. Thank you
- 2 Chief Editor { 03.08.10 at 11:01 am }
Hi William,
Can you, please, be more specific about Kagame's good governance? Which African countries envy Rwanda? I will be more than happy to hear more about you.
Also, remember that nothing gives you the right to treat other people's opinion as "non sense complains". So, as you say: "channel your energy in something more positive".
I hope to read more from you, if you ally believe in what you write!
- 3 MI5 warn Rwandan official attending Royal Wedding to stop harassing dissidents | African Dictator { 05.02.11 at 5:49 am }
Leave a Comment


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Dr. Haney is the first board-certified veterinary radiation oncologist to practice in Chester County, PA. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a VMD in 2004. She received a BS from The George Washington University. She attended Rutgers University in Camden, NJ for the completion of an MS in Biology, and in 2014 she obtained a masters degree after completing the Executive MBA program at the Pennsylvania State University. After completing a medical and surgical internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, she completed a residency in Radiation Oncology at Tufts University and became board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Radiology (Radiation Oncology) in 2008. She has been practicing Radiation Oncology at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital since 2007, joined Hope VS in the spring of 2013. She's been with VC3 since day one.
Dr. Haney has lectured both nationally and internationally on various radiation oncology subjects and has more experience treating pets with stereotactic radiation therapy than most other veterinarians in the United States. She has authored/ coauthored several scientific studies in multiple peer-reviewed journals, serves on review committees for newly written studies and actively participates in ongoing multi-institutional clinical trials. She has presented scientific research at the annual Veterinary Cancer Society meeting and is an active member of the Veterinary Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Her professional interests include palliative care/ quality of life for cancer patients and novel/ emerging treatments in stereotactic radiotherapy.
Professional Memberships and Associations
American College of Veterinary Radiology (ACVR)
A native of southern California, Dr. Cassie Wilcox graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. She then completed a rotating medical & surgical internship at VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital and a residency in Radiation Oncology at the University of California, Davis. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology, certified in Radiation Oncology.
Her professional interests include improving patient comfort and palliative care.
Treatment of a Facial Myxoma in a Goldfish (Carassius auratus) With Intralesional Bleomycin Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, Volume 26, Issue 4, October 2017, Pages 283-289.
Evaluation of a brass based bolus material for use in radiation therapy [abstract]. Proceedings of Annual Veterinary Cancer Society, 2016.
We are honored to include Dr. Sandie Perkowski in the VC3 family. Dr. Perkowski is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and is certified in veterinary medical acupuncture. Her special interests include anesthesia in patients with cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as pain management before, during, and after surgery, including the effects of acupuncture analgesia. After receiving her PhD studying the role of prostaglandins and other arachidonic acid metabolites in the development of inflammatory lung injury, she pursued further veterinary training, including both internship and residency, at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, and served for several years as Chief of the Anesthesia Service in the Section of Surgery and Anesthesia at the Matthew J Ryan Veterinary Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Perkowski has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, including 'Anesthesia of the Patient with Respiratory Disease,' Textbook of Respiratory Diseases of the Dog and Cat, 2004, 'Anesthesia – Respiratory System,' Textbook of Small Animal Surgery, 2003, 'Physiologic and Antinociceptive Effects of Intrathecal Resiniferatoxin in a Canine Bone Cancer Model,' Anesthesia, 2005, and 'Postoperative Hypoxemia and Hypercarbia in Healthy Dogs Undergoing Routine Ovariohysterectomy or Castration and Receiving Butorphanol or Hydromorphone for Analgesia,' JAVMA, 2003. She has also served on the review boards of six veterinary journals.
Dr. Perkowski's research in subjects such as changes in brain activity of dogs receiving acupuncture therapy has earned her a number of awards including a National Institute of Health-NHLBI Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, which includes a 5-year grant of over $650,000. As a lecturer, Dr. Perkowski has conducted numerous presentations around the world, as well as the United States.
She has served as head of both the Examination Committee and Residency Committee for the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and is currently liaison between that College and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. She is also a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Jun Yang, PhD
Dr. Jun Yang is one of the most experienced CyberKnife physicists in the country and has spearheaded numerous studies on radiation dosage safety for patients receiving stereotactic body radiation therapy.
Dr. Yang serves as chairman of the physics committee and on the board of directors of the Radiosurgery Society. He was also lead author of a chapter dedicated to CyberKnife in the recently published "Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy."


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Home > RCI > Center for International Stabilization and Recovery > The Journal > Vol. 7 > Iss. 2 (2003)
Article Title
The author presents an overview of Test and Evaluation (T&E) projects within the International Test and Evaluation Program for Humanitarian Demining (ITEP). ITEP is involved in testing and evaluating equipment, systems and methods.
Recommended Citation
Garotta, Marta
"ITEP Work Plan,"
Journal of Mine Action
: Vol. 7
, Article 41.
Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol7/iss2/41
Included in
Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons


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Being 30 now, I think it's fair to say that I've had my good share of Christmas Day's in my time. From being a little kid living at home, to now living solo with the cat, it is a little bit concerning that I'm a fully functioning adult but can still look forward to THE BIG DAY. I must admit, for a few years I really wasn't bothered about Christmas at all. I worked a number of years in retail, which as anybody working in retail will tell you, provides you with a distinct lack of festive social life and a distinct hatred of Christmas songs. Luckily I escaped retail hell a few years ago and went through a few cushty office jobs where we went on lock down during the festive period, but now I'm marketing in e-commerce – which NEVER SLEEPS. I've managed to rope myself in to not only Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, but I'm also on email cover for Christmas Day, fun huh? It's not too bad really though, when you have a job you enjoy and that.
Christmas traditions for our family are probably going to change a little bit over the next few years now anyway, with the addition of my bouncing baby niece joining the family fun. Last year she was a fresh baby which barely even blinked for entertainment. This year she's just turned one and is almost like a proper little human. I've promised myself I wouldn't buy her too many things, but I've just bought *another* gift and it's safe to say this little lady is going to end up bankrupting me at some point. Why are all baby related items just SO CUTE??
Usually I don't bother even decorating my house when it comes to Christmas either. With being out of the house most of the time due to work, it's only the cat here to enjoy the festive decorations! But with the help of White Stuff I've actually hung this rather lovely 'Ho Ho Ho' garland above my new bed headboard… However, in retrospect I'm not 100% sure that 'ho' hung above my bed is sending the right message out there, but hey, all in the spirit of Christmas (actually again, no, that sounds SO wrong!). White Stuff also sent me the lovely knitted colour block tunic I'm wearing in the above picture too, which is perfect for snuggling up in this Christmas, and I love the contrast between the teal sleeves and the mustard yellow. Perfect.
So this year the new traditions are going to be mainly revolving around the baby, because we've not had a baby around at Christmas before and making kids smile is what it's all about really isn't it. What Christmas Traditions will you partake in this year, old or new?


text: I will be displaying my work at the local festival Art on the Green this August. It occurs on August 3rd, 4th, and 5th (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) on the grounds of North Idaho College. My work will be displayed at the Clothesline, Juried Art Show, and the North Idaho College Aspiring Artist's Club booth. At the Clothesline, you will be able to purchase my smaller, matted originals for a much lower cost than my more recent originals. If you want a piece of art by me but don't want to spend over $100, the clothesline is the way to go! I will also be selling prints at the Artist's Club booth, which is another great way to purchase art from me for a lower price. Two of my original pieces in the Juried Art Show will also be for sale. Unfortunately, I will not be selling any originals through the Art Club booth. I need to keep those to build up my portfolio! But as I mentioned, prints will be available. I hope to see you there!


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WEDDING GUEST #BUMPSTYLE. As you get older you start to notice how filled your calendar gets with weddings! I attended the most weddings in the past 2 years and the majority of my friends are now married – we're all growing up! Last weekend I attended my final wedding for this year. I came across this ultra comfy emerald maternity dress with a high waist just in time for the wedding that flattered and flowed nicely over my bump!
Dress: Seraphine (I listed a couple other maternity friendly options below!)
Clutch: Brahmin
[show_shopthepost_widget id="396899″]


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Obamacare plans bring hefty fees for certain drugs
MIAMI — Breast cancer survivor Ginny Mason was thrilled to get health coverage under the Affordable Care Act despite her pre-existing condition. But when she realized her arthritis medication fell under a particularly costly tier of her plan, she was forced to switch to another brand.
Under the plan, her Celebrex would have cost $648 a month until she met her $1,500 prescription deductible, followed by an $85 monthly co-pay.
Mason is one of the many Americans with serious illnesses — including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis — who are indeed finding relatively low monthly premiums under President Barack Obama's law. But some have been shocked at how much their prescriptions are costing as insurers are sorting drug prices into a complex tier system and in some cases charging co-insurance rates as high as 50 percent. That can leave patients on the hook for thousands.
"I was grateful for the Affordable Care Act because it didn't turn me down but ... it's like, where's the affordable on this one," said Mason, a 61-year-old from West Lafayette, Ind., who currently pays an $800 monthly premium.
Avalere Health, a market research and consulting firm, estimates some consumers will pay half the cost of their specialty drugs under health overhaul-related plans, while customers in the private market typically pay no more than a third. Patient advocates worry that insurers may be trying to discourage chronically ill patients from enrolling by putting high-cost drugs onto specialty tiers.
Brian Rosen, senior vice president for public policy for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, said the group studied premiums and benefits for patients with blood cancer in seven states, including Florida, California, Texas and New York. They found 50 percent co-insurance rates for specialty drugs on several plans in Florida and Texas, while the highest co-insurance rates on California plans were 30 percent and in New York, co-pays were typically $70.
Under the law, insurers can't charge an individual more than $6,350 in out-of pocket costs a year and no more than $12,700 for a family policy. But patients advocates warn those with serious illnesses could pay their entire out-of-pocket cap before their insurance kicks in.
"The challenge is for the sickest patients, the ones that need access to these specialty drugs, the costs are going to come in most cases from that out-of-pocket cap ... they are likely to hit that $6,350 ceiling and in some cases quickly," said Rosen.
Insurers say prescription drugs are a main reason health care costs are rising.
"Spending on specialty drugs is growing rapidly. It's unsustainable," said Clare Krusing, spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group that represents the private insurance industry.
Only 1 percent of prescriptions written in 2012 were for specialty drugs, but they accounted for 25 percent of the total cost of prescription drugs, according to a study by America's Health Insurance Plans.
Even before the Affordable Care Act took effect, insurers had increasingly begun requiring patients to pay a percentage of the drug costs instead of a flat co-pay, but experts say patients often spend more for their prescriptions in plans offered under the health law because of the co-insurance.
"There's a significant percentage of plans who are using co-insurance of 50 percent or higher," said Caroline Pearson, who tracks the health care overhaul for Avalere Health, which studied plans in 19 states. "It is generally a lot higher than what we see in private insurance."


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I'm looking to start a new band to play locally and further afield if demand requires.
I play acoustic myself normally but want to get a drummer Bass and Lead guitar or violin/fiddle.
I'm keen to play a range of songs on a folk rock style so if you are interested please email me or call/text


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Diez Años Después (Ten Years After)
Diez Años Después (English: Ten Years After) is set on an ordinary day. One woman pulls out a cigarette to smoke, and a man almost immediately offers her a light. After a few minutes of silence, the two finally face each other and talk about how they've been smoking together for a long, long time. Continue Reading


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Directions from the M4 motorway
Exit at junction 18 and take the A46 towards Bath. Shortly after it turns into a dual carriageway, exit onto a large roundabout, following signs for Bath town centre along the A4.
Continue along the A4 for about one mile, then follow signs for through traffic, turning left at a set of traffic lights onto Bathwick Street (see map above). Pass over the river and the fire station on your left.
Drive straight on until you meet a roundabout. Turn right.
At the next roundabout drive straight-on.
At the traffic lights, carry straight-on and pass under the railway bridge.
Follow this road (A36 Pulteney Road) around the edge of Bath, until you meet an elongated roundabout where the train line runs across to your right. Turn left up the hill signposted towards Shepton Mallet on the A367.
Drive for one minute up the hill. Upper Oldfield Park is the first on the right. (Oldfield Road means you have gone one road too far!). Dorian House is the third building on the left.
|Points of Interest
|Dorian House
One, Upper Oldfield Park, Bath, Scotland


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…first Zumba Girlsâ Night Out party is coming up this weekend! On May 18 or 19, bring friends and family and get ready to party like itâ s 1983 with 60 minutes of hip-shaking Zumba plus prizes, giveaways. Remember to dress in your best 80s gear! Check your Group X Schedule for exact date/times.…
At participating 24 Hour Fitness clubs, we're hosting the Get Groovinâ Zumba Night Out on May 3 or 4. Check your favorite gym's Group X class schedule for details. Bring friends and share a workout that's sure to be outta sight and groovy. RSVP at the front desk.
…with Zumba® to support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure fund. Wear pink and bring your friends to a special Zumba class! Space is limited so check your favorite's club Group X schedule at http://bit.ly/GrpXclsch, and contact or stop by the club's front desk to RSVP for this fun event today!
Expand your search to see results that contain some of your words
Search Suggestions: Online Classes | Free Zumba | Exercise Routines | Online Workouts | Tv | Free Classes | Zumba Live | Zumba Fitness


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One thing my mom and I like to do when we get together is show off our newest jewelry acquisitions. My mom has quite the impressive ring collection, and I like to go through her jewelry box and try everything on during my visits. I've inherited quite a few stunning pieces of jewelry this way! On my last visit, she showed me a new ring she had recently picked up and thought I would love. She said it was a pink amethyst. Now, amethyst is my birthstone and I have a couple pieces already (and I love to drool over and try on the stunning amethyst jewelry we have here at the shop) – but I'd never seen or heard of pink amethyst before.
By definition, amethyst is a variety of quartz, found in shades of light lilac to deep purple. When the average person thinks of amethyst, it's usually a color like the pendant below that comes to mind. So, wouldn't "pink" amethyst be rose quartz? I decided to do some research on this "pink amethyst" to find out if it was a jeweler's marketing trick, or if it was in fact true amethyst.
The first thing I discovered along my quest for gemstone knowledge was that there is an actual difference between "pink" quartz and "rose" quartz. Pink quartz, evidently, is more valuable than rose quartz. Pink quartz is the name given to quartz of this shade when found in crystal form, while rose quartz is never found in crystal form and is much less transparent than pink quartz. Also, pink quartz and rose quartz are found in different environments and have different care recommendations. For example, pink quartz is sensitive to light, while rose quartz is not. I knew after a few quick minutes of research that my mom's ring was more than likely not rose quartz, as it is vary rarely found in facet grade material. In fact, rose quartz is usually sold in bead form.
The second thing I learned was that there is also a stone commonly called "green amethyst." Green amethyst is, in fact, a misnomer for prasiolite. Prasiolite is a greenish color variety of quartz. Certain deposits of amethyst can be heat treated to achieve this color, and on rare occasions amethyst can become heated naturally within the earth's surface, creating natural prasiolite deposits. However, most prasiolite is created by manipulating amethyst.
I began to wonder if pink amethyst, like green amethyst, was also a misnomer. While researching this possibility, I learned of a popular amethyst variety called "Rose de France." Rose de France is the name given to the palest of amethyst, often a pastel lavender in color. It is mined in certain regions in Brazil and may contain lower iron deposits than deeper amethyst stones. Rose de France can sometimes appear pink. I wondered if this was the answer I was looking for!
While I was able to find many online jewelry retailers selling "pink amethyst," my search for actual information on the stone was turning up dry. So, I decided to go to the expert – our own Master Jeweler Jim Stradley. He confirmed my suspicion that my mom's stone was not rose quartz, backing up the research I did with his own knowledge. "Pink amethyst" is marketing terminology, but not necessarily a misnomer. Turns out, the Rose de France stones that appear more on the pink side are often sold as "pink amethyst." I read some reviews on retail sites selling pink amethyst jewelry and learned that many of the customers that purchased online were disappointed to receive their jewelry and see that the stone was more lavender and less of a true pink. Turns out a few lucky customers (my mom would fall into this category) received jewelry that was definitely pink, though it seems that those are pretty rare. Now, I don't want you to think I'm writing this to point fingers or call these jewelers dishonest (or even to discourage you from buying a pink amethyst, if that's what your heart desires.)
This, to me, serves as a reminder to know what you're looking for and not to be swept away by catchy marketing phrases. You should always try to find a jeweler you can trust, and be assured that if you're buying jewelry online that you can return or exchange it if it doesn't live up to your expectations. At Pearls International, we offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and One-Year Warranty on all of our items so that you can always shop with confidence. And, if it's a pink stone you want, you should probably look for pink diamonds, pink tourmaline, or pink sapphire, which (while they may be a little more pricey than pink amethyst) are going to be more true to color.
Pictured above: a Pearls International Pink Tourmaline Pendant.
Pink Gemstones in Jewelry
The Quartz Page
The Bead Traders


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Although I don't think I look like a jihadi, or like a man pretending not to be one, I do not mean to suggest that a person like me should be exempt from scrutiny. But other travelers fit the profile far less than I do. One glance at these innocents reveals that they are no more likely to be terrorists than walruses in disguise.
A pair of TSA screeners stepped forward to prevent this dangerous breach of security—removing what appeared to be orthopedic footwear from both the woman in the wheelchair and the man now staggering at her side.
Needless to say, a devout Muslim should be free to show up at the airport dressed like Osama bin Laden, and his wives should be free to wear burqas. But if their goal is simply to travel safely and efficiently, wouldn't they, too, want a system that notices people like themselves? At a minimum, wouldn't they want a system that anti-profiles—applying the minimum of attention to people who obviously pose no threat?
I am not sure how you'd recommend that the TSA go about identifying Muslims. Unless all Muslims are forced to don a star and crescent on their clothing, I am assuming that you are advocating for the profiling of people who appear to be from the Middle East and other Muslim countries, i.e. identifying them by their race.


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It isnt that fighting on its own is dying out though there has been a massive 45 per cent decline in fighting majors over the past decade. Players who play a rough and tumble style of play and get into physical altercations arent being forced out of the game. There just isnt any room left in the league for a skater whose sole role is to intimidate opponents physically from the bench while he skates for maybe five or 10 minutes in the entire game, providing minimal value to the on-ice performance of his team.
Much of this is also likely due to teams realizing the imbalance carrying such a player on the game day roster entails. If you play that player 5-10 minutes less than average, it means youre playing your stars more. This may sound beneficial, but a team with a more balanced lineup should have fresher stars later in games and during the playoffs.
If you carry a one-dimensional enforcer, youre also carrying a skater who is amazingly unlikely to produce any offence for himself or his teammates, even if he is defensively adequate. Believe it or not, NHL enforcers on average are actually fairly typical of NHL skaters in terms of defensive ability (perhaps yet another indictment of the ability of NHL teams to filter defensive performance).
In the past two years we have seen many of the leading enforcers from the past decade wind up on waivers before heading down to the AHL. This season for example, in addition to the John Scott story, weve seen Brandon Prust waived by Vancouver and Brian McGrattan spend most of his season in the AHL after signing in the off-season with Anaheim. Only three skaters in the entire NHL with more than 1.0 fights per 60 minutes on the year have played 300 or more minutes. The way the game is trending there may be none in that group a year from now.
Based on the number of transactions on the waiver wire this season, it appears NHL teams are in a bit of a holding pattern for the time being. They will likely continue to carry skaters with the ability to fight at a moments notice so they can insert them into the lineup for games where they think it is necessary. This would most likely be against teams who boast physical skaters that have a wider role in the game than just dropping the gloves, but will quickly do so if called upon.
Now that fighters and the fights they exist for have become a rarity with less than one bout every three games played in the NHL this season, the necessity of carrying fighters on an NHL roster is limited. Theoretically, this should open up roster spots for useful players with other specialized skill sets, such as power play specialists something the NHL could use more of in its current era of excruciatingly limited scoring.
Stephen Burtch February 14, 2016, 12:27 PM
A look at the decline of fighting and extinction of the NHL enforcer - Sportsnet.ca


text: Belkin makes a lot of great products. Belkin also makes a lot of questionable products. The Mouse Trap is a perfect example of the latter. Maybe it's because I haven't used a mouse pad in years, but I don't see the point of having a special pouch to transport your mouse in when there's a huge crease after you've unzipped it. Whatever, though, I'm sure someone out there wants it and will buy it. It's only $12 and comes in other colors.


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Analysis and Design
|Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java
|Contents | Prev | Next
The object-oriented paradigm is a new and different way of thinking about programming and many folks have trouble at first knowing how to approach a project. Now that you know that everything is supposed to be an object, you can create a "good" design, one that will take advantage of all the benefits that OOP has to offer.
Books on OOP analysis and design are coming out of the woodwork. Most of these books are filled with lots of long words, awkward prose and important-sounding pronouncements. [9] I come away thinking the book would be better as a chapter or at the most a very short book and feeling annoyed that this process couldn't be described simply and directly. (It disturbs me that people who purport to specialize in managing complexity have such trouble writing clear and simple books.) After all, the whole point of OOP is to make the process of software development easier, and although it would seem to threaten the livelihood of those of us who consult because things are complex, why not make it simple? So, hoping I've built a healthy skepticism within you, I shall endeavor to give you my own perspective on analysis and design in as few paragraphs as possible.
Staying on course
While you're going through the development process, the most important issue is this: don't get lost. It's easy to do. Most of these methodologies are designed to solve the largest of problems. (This makes sense; these are the especially difficult projects that justify calling in that author as consultant, and justify the author's large fees.) Remember that most projects don't fit into that category, so you can usually have a successful analysis and design with a relatively small subset of what a methodology recommends. But some sort of process, no matter how limited, will generally get you on your way in a much better fashion than simply beginning to code.
That said, if you're looking at a methodology that contains tremendous detail and suggests many steps and documents, it's still difficult to know when to stop. Keep in mind what you're trying to discover:
- What are the objects? (How do you partition your project into its component parts?)
- What are their interfaces? (What messages do you need to be able to send to each object?)
If you come up with nothing more than the objects and their interfaces then you can write a program. For various reasons you might need more descriptions and documents than this, but you can't really get away with any less.
The process can be undertaken in four phases, and a phase 0 which is just the initial commitment to using some kind of structure.
Phase 0: Let's make a plan
The first step is to decide what steps you're going to have in your process. It sounds simple (in fact, all of this sounds simple) and yet, often, people don't even get around to phase one before they start coding. If your plan is "let's jump in and start coding," fine. (Sometimes that's appropriate when you have a well-understood problem.) At least agree that this is the plan.
You might also decide at this phase that some additional process structure is necessary but not the whole nine yards. Understandably enough, some programmers like to work in "vacation mode" in which no structure is imposed on the process of developing their work: "It will be done when it's done." This can be appealing for awhile, but I've found that having a few milestones along the way helps to focus and galvanize your efforts around those milestones instead of being stuck with the single goal of "finish the project." In addition, it divides the project into more bite-sized pieces and make it seem less threatening.
When I began to study story structure (so that I will someday write a novel) I was initially resistant to the idea, feeling that when I wrote I simply let it flow onto the page. What I found was that when I wrote about computers the structure was simple enough so I didn't need to think much about it, but I was still structuring my work, albeit only semi-consciously in my head. So even if you think that your plan is to just start coding, you still go through the following phases while asking and answering certain questions.
Phase 1: What are we making?
In the previous generation of program design (procedural design), this would be called "creating the requirements analysis and system specification ." These, of course, were places to get lost: intimidatingly-named documents that could become big projects in their own right. Their intention was good, however. The requirements analysis says "Make a list of the guidelines we will use to know when the job is done and the customer is satisfied." The system specification says "Here's a description of what the program will do (not how) to satisfy the requirements." The requirements analysis is really a contract between you and the customer (even if the customer works within your company or is some other object or system). The system specification is a top-level exploration into the problem and in some sense a discovery of whether it can be done and how long it will take. Since both of these will require consensus among people, I think it's best to keep them as bare as possible – ideally, to lists and basic diagrams – to save time. You might have other constraints that require you to expand them into bigger documents.
It's necessary to stay focused on the heart of what you're trying to accomplish in this phase: determine what the system is supposed to do. The most valuable tool for this is a collection of what are called "use-cases." These are essentially descriptive answers to questions that start with "What does the system do if ..." For example, "What does the auto-teller do if a customer has just deposited a check within 24 hours and there's not enough in the account without the check to provide the desired withdrawal?" The use-case then describes what the auto-teller does in that case.
You try to discover a full set of use-cases for your system, and once you've done that you've got the core of what the system is supposed to do. The nice thing about focusing on use-cases is that they always bring you back to the essentials and keep you from drifting off into issues that aren't critical for getting the job done. That is, if you have a full set of use-cases you can describe your system and move onto the next phase. You probably won't get it all figured out perfectly at this phase, but that's OK. Everything will reveal itself in the fullness of time, and if you demand a perfect system specification at this point you'll get stuck.
It helps to kick-start this phase by describing the system in a few paragraphs and then looking for nouns and verbs. The nouns become the objects and the verbs become the methods in the object interfaces. You'll be surprised at how useful a tool this can be; sometimes it will accomplish the lion's share of the work for you.
Although it's a black art, at this point some kind of scheduling can be quite useful. You now have an overview of what you're building so you'll probably be able to get some idea of how long it will take. A lot of factors come into play here: if you estimate a long schedule then the company might not decide to build it, or a manager might have already decided how long the project should take and will try to influence your estimate. But it's best to have an honest schedule from the beginning and deal with the tough decisions early. There have been a lot of attempts to come up with accurate scheduling techniques (like techniques to predict the stock market), but probably the best approach is to rely on your experience and intuition. Get a gut feeling for how long it will really take, then double that and add 10 percent. Your gut feeling is probably correct; you can get something working in that time. The "doubling" will turn that into something decent, and the 10 percent will deal with final polishing and details. However you want to explain it, and regardless of the moans and manipulations that happen when you reveal such a schedule, it just seems to work out that way.
Phase 2: How will we build it?
In this phase you must come up with a design that describes what the classes look like and how they will interact. A useful diagramming tool that has evolved over time is the Unified Modeling Language (UML). You can get the specification for UML at www.rational.com. UML can also be helpful as a descriptive tool during phase 1, and some of the diagrams you create there will probably show up unmodified in phase 2. You don't need to use UML, but it can be helpful, especially if you want to put a diagram up on the wall for everyone to ponder, which is a good idea. An alternative to UML is a textual description of the objects and their interfaces (as I described in Thinking in C++ ), but this can be limiting.
The most successful consulting experiences I've had when coming up with an initial design involves standing in front of a team, who hadn't built an OOP project before, and drawing objects on a whiteboard. We talked about how the objects should communicate with each other, and erased some of them and replaced them with other objects. The team (who knew what the project was supposed to do) actually created the design; they "owned" the design rather than having it given to them. All I was doing was guiding the process by asking the right questions, trying out the assumptions and taking the feedback from the team to modify those assumptions. The true beauty of the process was that the team learned how to do object-oriented design not by reviewing abstract examples, but by working on the one design that was most interesting to them at that moment: theirs.
You'll know you're done with phase 2 when you have described the objects and their interfaces. Well, most of them – there are usually a few that slip through the cracks and don't make themselves known until phase 3. But that's OK. All you are concerned with is that you eventually discover all of your objects. It's nice to discover them early in the process but OOP provides enough structure so that it's not so bad if you discover them later.
Phase 3: Let's build it!
If you're reading this book you're probably a programmer, so now we're at the part you've been trying to get to. By following a plan – no matter how simple and brief – and coming up with design structure before coding, you'll discover that things fall together far more easily than if you dive in and start hacking, and this provides a great deal of satisfaction. Getting code to run and do what you want is fulfilling, even like some kind of drug if you look at the obsessive behavior of some programmers. But it's my experience that coming up with an elegant solution is deeply satisfying at an entirely different level; it feels closer to art than technology. And elegance always pays off; it's not a frivolous pursuit. Not only does it give you a program that's easier to build and debug, but it's also easier to understand and maintain, and that's where the financial value lies.
After you build the system and get it running, it's important to do a reality check, and here's where the requirements analysis and system specification comes in. Go through your program and make sure that all the requirements are checked off, and that all the use-cases work the way they're described. Now you're done. Or are you?
Phase 4: Iteration
This is the point in the development cycle that has traditionally been called "maintenance," a catch-all term that can mean everything from "getting it to work the way it was really supposed to in the first place" to "adding features that the customer forgot to mention before" to the more traditional "fixing the bugs that show up" and "adding new features as the need arises." So many misconceptions have been applied to the term "maintenance" that it has taken on a slightly deceiving quality, partly because it suggests that you've actually built a pristine program and that all you need to do is change parts, oil it and keep it from rusting. Perhaps there's a better term to describe what's going on.
The term is iteration. That is, "You won't get it right the first time, so give yourself the latitude to learn and to go back and make changes." You might need to make a lot of changes as you learn and understand the problem more deeply. The elegance you'll produce if you iterate until you've got it right will pay off, both in the short and the long run.
What it means to "get it right" isn't just that the program works according to the requirements and the use-cases. It also means that the internal structure of the code makes sense to you, and feels like it fits together well, with no awkward syntax, oversized objects or ungainly exposed bits of code. In addition, you must have some sense that the program structure will survive the changes that it will inevitably go through during its lifetime, and that those changes can be made easily and cleanly. This is no small feat. You must not only understand what you're building, but also how the program will evolve (what I call the vector of change ). Fortunately, object-oriented programming languages are particularly adept at supporting this kind of continuing modification – the boundaries created by the objects are what tend to keep the structure from breaking down. They are also what allow you to make changes that would seem drastic in a procedural program without causing earthquakes throughout your code. In fact, support for iteration might be the most important benefit of OOP.
With iteration, you create something that at least approximates what you think you're building, and then you kick the tires, compare it to your requirements and see where it falls short. Then you can go back and fix it by redesigning and re-implementing the portions of the program that didn't work right. [10] You might actually need to solve the problem, or an aspect of the problem, several times before you hit on the right solution. (A study of Design Patterns , described in Chapter 16, is usually helpful here.)
Iteration also occurs when you build a system, see that it matches your requirements and then discover it wasn't actually what you wanted. When you see the system, you realize you want to solve a different problem. If you think this kind of iteration is going to happen, then you owe it to yourself to build your first version as quickly as possible so you can find out if it's what you want.
Iteration is closely tied to incremental development . Incremental development means that you start with the core of your system and implement it as a framework upon which to build the rest of the system piece by piece. Then you start adding features one at a time. The trick to this is in designing a framework that will accommodate all the features you plan to add to it. (See Chapter 16 for more insight into this issue.) The advantage is that once you get the core framework working, each feature you add is like a small project in itself rather than part of a big project. Also, new features that are incorporated later in the development or maintenance phases can be added more easily. OOP supports incremental development because if your program is designed well, your increments will turn out to be discreet objects or groups of objects.
Plans pay off
Of course you wouldn't build a house without a lot of carefully-drawn plans. If you build a deck or a dog house, your plans won't be so elaborate but you'll still probably start with some kind of sketches to guide you on your way. Software development has gone to extremes. For a long time, people didn't have much structure in their development, but then big projects began failing. In reaction, we ended up with methodologies that had an intimidating amount of structure and detail. These were too scary to use – it looked like you'd spend all your time writing documents and no time programming. (This was often the case.) I hope that what I've shown you here suggests a middle path – a sliding scale. Use an approach that fits your needs (and your personality). No matter how minimal you choose to make it, some kind of plan will make a big improvement in your project as opposed to no plan at all. Remember that, by some estimates, over 50 percent of projects fail.
[9] The best introduction is still Grady Booch's Object-Oriented Design with Applications , 2 nd edition, Wiley & Sons 1996. His insights are clear and his prose is straightforward, although his notations are needlessly complex for most designs. (You can easily get by with a subset.)
[10] This is something like "rapid prototyping," where you were supposed to build a quick-and-dirty version so that you could learn about the system, and then throw away your prototype and build it right. The trouble with rapid prototyping is that people didn't throw away the prototype, but instead built upon it. Combined with the lack of structure in procedural programming, this often leads to messy systems that are expensive to maintain.


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Photo Credit: Kevin McCullough
If its central location isn't lure enough after a hard day of work or a round of Union Square shopping, the Clock Bar's seasonal cocktail menu makes the haute watering hole a must stop for libation lovers. Located in San Francisco's Westin St. Francis, just across the lobby from Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak, Clock Bar features changing themes with drinks to match. "1904" highlighted cocktails to celebrate the year the St. Francis opened. The current "1920's" theme features eight Roaring 20's inspired drinks, with ingredients that leave one guessing what the collaborative result might be. Hint: they are all incredibly delicious. Here are a few more reasons to head to Clock Bar now:
1) What's in a name? Who better to mix your drink than a bartender named Abby Martinie? Yes, that's her real name, and while she doesn't mind mixing up a simple namesake drink, her artistry is in her complex creativity. Grilled pear, roasted Kambocha squash, pureed banana – these are not your average cocktail components. After just four months at the Clock Bar helm, Martinie is shaking things up a bit.
2) Next level originality: Why settle for a gin and tonic or a cosmopolitan when you can order a 'Cheeky Charlie' with vanilla bean-infused vodka, yellow chartreuse, banana, anise, lemon and meringue? Martinie uses a tiny lighter to toast the top of the meringue for a final over-the-top touch. The 'Champagne & Caviar' features Pierre Ferrand cognac, apricot liqueur, spiced citrus champagne and small Angostura 'pearls' that rest ethereally in the bottom of the champagne flute. The 'Fitzgerald,' or 'Fall in a Glass' as Martinie dubs it, is made of spiced rum, roasted squash, maple, lemon, ginger beer and orange bitters. These are not just drinks; they are small works of improbably flavorful art.
3) History lessons included: Each cocktail item includes a history 'brief.' Did you know that a 'Bronx Cheer' (Nolet's gin, Douglass Fir, raspberry, egg white cream and Peychaud's bitters) is a slang term denoting a sound of contempt made by blowing through closed lips? The '19th Amendment' (Forteleza Reposado tequila, Ancho Reyes chile bitters, pineapple gomme and chocolate bitters) reminds us that after winning the right to vote, empowered women participated in the burgeoning consumer society by joining the work force. You might leave Clock Bar a little lightheaded after these potent potables, but you'll be a bit smarter.
Clock Bar in the Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell St., San Francisco, is open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. 415-397-7000.
Photography by Kevin McCullough