text:
« Teachers Step In to Save Congress? | Main | How the Shutdown Is Affecting Teachers »
Study Finds Teachers Enthusiastic About Common Core
Nearly every teacher in the U.S. now knows about the Common Core State Standards, and 73 percent of math, English, science, and social studies teachers in states that have adopted them say they are enthusiastic about their implementation, according to a new survey.
Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, joint sponsors of the study, have released only a preview of the findings from "Primary Sources: America's Teachers on Teaching in an Era of Change." The full report is based on a national online survey of 20,000 pre-K-12th grade public school teachers conducted in July. (Education Week receives support from the Gates Foundation for coverage of business and innovation topics.)
Some notable findings highlighted by the preview include:
• 97 percent of all teachers and 100 percent of teachers in states implementing the common core are aware of the standards.
• 57 percent of teachers in common-core states said the standards will be positive for students, 35 percent said they will make "not much of a difference for most students," and 8 percent said they will be negative for students.
• 77 percent of math and/or English language arts teachers in common-core states said the standards will have a "positive" or "very positive" impact on students' critical thinking and reasoning skills. 12 percent said the impact would be "neither positive or negative," 10 percent "don't know enough to say," and 1 percent said the impact would be negative.
• Half of math and English language arts teachers in common-core states said implementation "is fully complete or mostly complete in at least one of these areas." Forty-two percent said implementation is "in its early stages." Six percent said it has not yet begun.
• In schools where implementation has begun, just 62 percent of core-subject teachers said it is "going well."
• While nearly three-quarters of core-subject teachers in common-core states say they're enthusiastic about the standards' implementation, elementary teachers are most likely to feel this way (81 percent) and high school teachers are least likely (57 percent).
• 73 percent of math, English, science, and social studies teachers agree "strongly" or "somewhat" that implementation of the standards "is or will be challenging." Seven percent "don't know enough to say."
• Nearly three-quarters of teachers in common-core states say the new standards will require them to change their teaching practices. Eight percent were not sure and 18 percent said they would not require changes.
According to Anne Sparkman, spokesperson for Scholastic, the common-core-related data released in the preview "is reflective of the attitude we are seeing in the full set of data of the representative sample of 20,000 teachers. On each point, we see an encouraging positive outlook but, as the preview pointed out, an awareness of the challenges and a need for resources."
The survey also asked teachers about their job satisfaction. According to the preview, 38 percent of teachers said they are "very satisfied" and 51 percent said they are "satisfied" with their jobs. This is in line with the results from the most recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, which found that 39 percent of teachers were "very satisfied" and 43 percent "somewhat satisfied."
Sparkman said Scholastic and the Gates Foundation are aiming to publish the full report, which will include a more detailed analysis of the common-core findings, "before the end of the year."
(Primary Sources 2013: A project of Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)


text:
Solaleya's Pearl house takes on the counter-intuitive task of maximizing its energy efficiency by limiting the amount of solar energy it absorbs throughout the year. This tactic allows the structure to delegate energy-intensive tasks to the elements.
The house has integrated photovoltaic panels on the white steel roof to collect sunlight and supply energy, but it also incorporates "passive solar" energy-saving principles, like always facing the front bay windows toward the equator, which provides natural light and warmth while also protecting the house from polar wind drafts. Additionally, the roof is insulated with a layer of air and cork beads, external walls are made of 12 inch-thick compressed straw, and rainwater is collected at the rear of the house. [Solaleya via Inhabitat]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ticket Down is a reputable source of Adele tickets at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Adele is currently touring North America in conjunction with her "Adele Live 2016" tour. Her North American leg of her 2016 tour began in the beginning of July in St. Paul, Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center. This beloved performer has already performed in front of sold out crowds in cities such as Los Angeles, Denver, Vancouver and Chicago.
Adele has six concerts scheduled at the home of the Knicks and Rangers which will give her fans in the tri-state region multiple opportunities to see her depending on their schedule.
Adele Schedule @ Madison Square Garden:
Monday, September 19, 2016 – Adele @ Madison Square Garden (9/19/16)
Tuesday, September 20, 2016 – Adele @ Madison Square Garden (9/20/16)
Thursday, September 22, 2016 – Adele @ Madison Square Garden (9/22/16)
Friday, September 23, 2016 – Adele @ Madison Square Garden (9/23/16)
Sunday, September 25, 2016 – Adele @ Madison Square Garden (9/25/16)
Monday, September 26, 2016 – Adele @ Madison Square Garden (9/26/16)
Some of her most popular songs include: "Hello," "Chasing Pavement," "Make You Feel My Love," and "Hometown Glory." Her fans in the New York City metro region can't wait to hear her live in concert this week.
Madison Square Garden is the home arena for the Knicks from the NBA and the Rangers from the NHL. Additionally, it serves as the host arena for the New York Liberty women's professional basketball team, Big East men's basketball tournament and the St. John's Red Storm college basketball team.
In addition to being a mecca for a plethora of various sporting events, this busy venue has also hosted countless A-List music artists over the years such as: Elton John, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Billy Joel.
About TicketDown.com:
Ticket Down delivers tickets to sold out concerts and events worldwide when no one else can, and they do so at discounted prices. This popular ticket exchange also has Adele tickets at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Find Adele floor seats, VIP seating, general admission (GA), front row seats, VIP seating, parking passes and more. Add promo/coupon code ADELE for added savings on any ticket order.
Note: Ticket Down is not associated with any of the artists or venues mentioned in this release. The names that are used in this release are purely for descriptive purposes. We are not affiliated with or do we endorse any artists or venues in this release. Ticket Down and JP Media, LLC are not responsible for any errors or omissions in this release.
Media Contact
Company Name: JP Media
Contact Person: Ticket Down
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 1-877-870-3653
Country: United States
Website: www.ticketdown.com


text:
To get into the spirit of R.I.P. IV (and as my first read for Fall into Reading 2009), I settled down under my toasty comforter in a cold room with only my lamp on and this book. A good way to get spooky-filled thoughts while reading. The first few pages hit my creepy cravings spot and soon I was on my own towards horrorville.
Author : Graham Masterton
Date of Publication: April 29, 2008
Publisher : Lesiure Books (mass market paperback)
No. of pages : 325
The Story :
Three Los Angeles crime lords have allied themselves with black magic through four powerful witches imported from voodoo-practicing countries. These witches wreak gruesome havoc on the Los Angeles Police Department, undermining its leaders and violently neutralizing law enforcement with regard to their cabal.
Only Detective Dan comes to wholeheartedly believe in witchcraft and seeks to fight fire with fire. He turns to his neighbour, good Witch Annie, to combat this evil nemesis. Both have to face hell to save the whole city from this unstoppable evil.
My Review:
At the start, Masterton strongly wields his mighty horror pen, and I think, "Ooooh…yeah!…Finally, something deliciously shivery…" The first few chapters are riveting, nauseating grippers that dish up scenes like this one:
"Cusack's stomach churned again, even more violently. He felt a tickling right at the back of his throat, and he couldn't stop himself from letting out a cackling retch. He spat into his hand and spat again, and when he opened it three live cockroaches ran across his fingers and dropped onto the floor…but Cusack was gripped by another hideous spasm, and this time…with his eyes bulging as a huge gush of cockroaches poured out of his mouth and into his lap…"
Just as I'm really into the whole thing, frantically turning page after page, Masterton's pen starts to gradually peter out of horrific ideas. It isn't abrupt but it's a slow descent toward a lame end so that I am left with just a cold room without the chills. Then I wonder where had that gut-churning terror— the kind that inspired me to keep to the story til 3 a.m.— gone to?
Sigh. It was kind of a letdown; I was all so revved up by the voodoo and visceral violence.
Later on it also struck me that if these hideously powerful women had all that magic at their fingertips, why couldn't they just dispense with the crime lords and be the ruling gang instead? That's one angle in the story I felt the author didn't quite think through.
But hey, it wasn't all that bad. There are definitely worse out there. It's good enough though to get you through a long plane ride, being the fast easy read that it is.
In A Nutshell :
Masterton is a multi-awarded author of the horror genre. But since even multi-awarded authors have their duds; I guess "The 5th Witch" has to be one of those efforts that just didn't work out. He starts out strong but loses steam along the way so that the novel begins reading like a "B" movie. Still, some of you may enjoy it especially if you love yucky stuff and gore. As for me, disgusting and gruesome is ok as long as it's got a great ending.
My Mark : Mediocre
The conclusion also left me in a puzzle. What was that about the cat? Didn't get it….If you do, I would appreciate your two bits on this.


text:
In today's competitive global economy, prioritizing the digital employee experience is critical to attracting and retaining skilled employees, fostering innovation, and driving productivity, profit, and strong customer experience. However, technological problems are inevitable, and the same digital tools that empower employees one minute can be a roadblock the next. Download this white paper to see why the right IT service management (ITSM) tool enables IT and help desk staff to remove these roadblocks and digitally transform the employee experience through remote support technology.
Creating a consumer-like experience for remote workers, outside the corporate office, has become more and more complex for organizations that continue to use multiple disconnected tools to manage various rugged deployments. To address these challenges, enterprise IT is shifting towards a unified endpoint management (UEM) approach. This approach for purpose-built deployments gives IT greater visibility, simplified management, increased security, and improved operational efficiency through combined management tools and processes.
This whitepaper will delve into the evolution of rugged devices, the management challenges associated with such deployments, and how a UEM solution can address these challenges to enable a fully connected environment that is both manageable and secure.
Since Blackberry's decision to end-of-life Good for Enterprise, customers of that legacy platform have to make a very difficult choice: migrate to the new Good Work email app and the Good Dynamics platform, or select a more productive, lower TCO and identity-integrated solution designed for the long term.
Download this Tech Target white paper to learn how your organization can realize the benefits of financial cost savings, increased organizational productivity, and comprehensive security capabilities by using VMware AirWatch as your EMM solution.
IT organizations are largely siloed between the desktop and mobile management worlds. IT has addressed management of mobile devices with modern enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions. However, Windows desktops have been managed separately using older PC lifecycle management (PCLM) technologies, which have fallen short of basic IT and end user expectations of today's evolved, mobile-cloud workforce.
The VMware AirWatch® Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution is a single, platform-independent approach for managing every device and every operating system across any organizational use case. The solution combines traditional client management requirements with modern EMM efficiencies enabling IT to deliver OS policies, patches, and apps over-the-air. Cloud-first management with instant push technologies and self-service capabilities ensure lower cost management, better security, and peak user experience regardless of the device being used to access the corporate environment.
Read this IDG whitepaper to learn how VMware AirWatch® UEM supports a modern approach to Windows 10 management and security.
Workspace ONE is VMware's digital workspace solution, designed to provide access to any app from any device. VMware was one of the first adopters of Workspace ONE, successfully deploying the solution across our full user population in 2016. Download this white paper to learn about the objectives that drove the decisions for how and when to deploy, in addition to an overview of the business value we've achieved so far.
As organizations explore Windows 10, IT departments are being tasked to show the potential return on investment they could realize with enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions for Windows 10 coupled with other productivity and collaboration solutions. VMware commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact (TEI) study to uncover the advantages of this approach. Read the full story to see how one global airline benefited from their implementation of VMware AirWatch.
Apple began aligning management profiles in Mac and iOS software years ago so that Macs could be managed alongside iOS devices with mobile device management (MDM). Each macOS update has delivered additional MDM controls, enabling IT to manage more endpoints together. Unified endpoint management brings together traditional client management with a modern enterprise mobility management framework to simplify the management process for IT. This whitepaper summarizes the key challenges of Mac management and outlines considerations and product features to help ensure a successful deployment.
Smart card authentication has been the de facto standard within the US Federal Government since the early 2000's, speci cally with the issuance of FIPS 201 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Both the Department of Defense (DoD) as well as all Federal Civilian agencies must utilize smart cards for physical, logical, and network access. The DoD utilizes a Common Access Card where as their civilian counterparts utilize a Personal Identi cation Veri cation (PIV) card.
In today's workplace, employees and businesses deal with a vast variety of devices with different operating systems and form factors, from PCs and laptops, to tablets and smartphones, and now, increasingly wearables and Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints. IT has to integrate this heterogeneous mix of devices into critical business operations, secure them from unauthorized use, and manage them so end users enjoy a consistent, productive experience no matter how or where they access the digital workspace. The answer is unified endpoint management (UEM), which enables organizations to take a consistent approach to manage and secure every endpoint, any app and content, and across deployment use cases from a single holistic platform.
VMware AirWatch follows the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) FIPS-recommended procedures for utilizing FIPS Validated Modules also known as FIPS 140-2 Inside Validated. This signed attestation letter from Booz Allen Hamilton validates AirWatch properly uses FIPS 140-2 validated modules for all its cryptographic functionality. This includes the core AirWatch platform architecture for data at rest and data in transit, AirWatch Apple iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Software Development Kits (SDKs).
Businesses are finally committing to hybrid cloud strategies on a large scale, partly because CIOs and CEOs are convinced of their benefits, and partly because they have become a business imperative, especially with the consumerization of IT. Today's employees no longer consume information on one company-issued device, but instead they do so from a variety of endpoint devices. Additionally, a wide range of application delivery models have evolved—including software-as-a-service (SaaS), Web-based, Windows, and mobile applications—largely because of their convenience, flexibility, and ability to scale on demand.
Retailers need a comprehensive integrated mobile security strategy. Data and transactions must be secure given increased threats to mobile devices. By integrating enterprise mobility management with threat security and network security retailers can deliver an optimal secure digital experience. This IDC infographic summarizes key challenges and considerations for retailers developing an integrated enterprise strategy for secure mobile deployments in retail.
Employees increasingly use smartphones and tablets to access their work data. While this practice is easy and convenient for them, IT managers fear insufficient security puts corporate data at risk. Download this infographic to learn how AirWatch Content Locker meets the requirements of both employees and IT managers by providing seamless access to corporate data on the go while also ensuring sensitive information and documents are secured at all times.
Windows 10 is Microsoft's first truly mobile operating system designed to work seamlessly across the unified desktop and mobile devices' platform. This mobile first, cloud first platform redefines how organizations treat desktop and device management by allowing IT to take full advantage of the new enterprise mobility management (EMM) capabilities. Download the infographic to learn how VMware(r) AirWatch(r) provides the most comprehensive solution to get your organization Windows 10 ready.
Microsoft Office 365 apps available on desktops, mobile, web are opening up new collaboration and productivity use cases. Yet for all its promise of anytime-anywhere collaboration, Office 365 poses meaningful adoption and security challenges for any IT organization. This IDC infographic summarizes key challenges and considerations to deploying and securing Office 365 across your organization.
The VMware® WorkspaceTM ONETM apps suite empowers mobile productivity by engaging business apps to solve for mobile micro-moments and drive digital transformation. As part of the Workspace ONE suite of apps, VMware Boxer combines consumer simplicity with enterprise security. The app provides frictionless access to enterprise email, calendar and contacts across both corporate-owned and employee-owned devices. The containerization of business data from personal data enables IT organizations to exceed their enterprise security, compliance, data leakage prevention (DLP) and user privacy requirements.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs are as popular as ever. Companies are seeing a marked increase in productivity and reduction in costs by allowing employees to use their own personal devices to access company resources. However, keeping company data secure while maintaining employee privacy is challenging, and there are many policy requirements, for both the company and the end user.
Is your organization ready to take advantage of BYOD, but aren't sure where to start? This simple 3-part strategy guide will walk you through specific device- and user-based policy considerations, outline critical areas for content access, security practices, and compliance rules, and provide suggestions for how to design a comprehensive rollout schedule.
With Windows 10, Microsoft introduces a consolidated operating system (OS) platform that changes how organizations treat the management of End-User Computing (EUC) environments. This new way of managing Windows is more closely aligned to the enterprise mobile management (EMM) based approaches found in mobile management tools today.
This whitepaper provides an overview of how Windows management evolved from a rigid and disruptive PC-centric approach to one offering a flexible and light-touch model. It will also delve into the specific management technologies that Windows 10 introduces, as well as leveraging conventional Windows management tools that are in use today.
As enterprises embrace adoption of Microsoft Office 365 to drive business and alleviate the complexity and costs associated with on-premise Exchange environments, achieving a balance between identity management and user experience is often difficult. In this white paper discover how AirWatch® Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) easily integrates with both Office 365 APIs and VMware Identity Manager or an enterprise's existing cloud or on-premise identity management solution to optimize user experience and ensure data is secure across all devices and platforms.
Cloud datacenter security is becoming imperative in the new age of malware attacks. To stay competitive and secure, organizations are turning to smart networking in an effort to close the datacenter security gap. The combination of VMware NSX, AirWatch Tunnel and Horizon View helps close this gap and simplifies security management for IT professionals. With the upcoming prevalence of authentication and identity management in an organization's infrastructure, the need to delegate and define network access continues to highlight the important role of hybrid cloud security that addresses all end-user devices.
Leverage the greatest potential gains of your device while providing security and protecting corporate assets. In lieu of having your own specific set of mobile policy settings, AirWatch provides the recommended settings in this document and incorporates the most common controls implemented by the aviation industry. In addition to security controls, AirWatch also takes into consideration best practices that concern the use of the device in the corporate environment.
Mobility is changing every aspect of retail, from the corporate office to the field; from warehouse operations to customer engagement. Most large chain retailers now rely on mobile devices, which are used for everything from inventory count and ordering in the back office to checking out customers and printing receipts in the cash wrap. But these traditional uses only scratch the surface of mobility's potential in retail. By harnessing the latest mobile capabilities in stores, retailers can create a customer experience that is as information-rich as online shopping, but with all the benefits of brick and mortar.
Working closely with stakeholders across departments, the Adventist Health System IT department is deploying a variety of mobile technologies that make it easier for caregivers to access clinical data, while ensuring the organization maintains compliance. These efforts ultimately result in improved workflows that facilitate better patient care. Read more about Adventist Health System's mobility best practices in this white paper.
Download this white paper to learn how universities can leverage mobility to empower students and faculty with remote access to educational content and university resources, creating a limitless learning environment and transforming today's campus experience.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140 Publication Series to provide federal organizations with standards for protecting sensitive electronic data. The series specifies the requirements and standards for cryptography modules for both hardware and software components that house data in federal organizations, providing minimum requirements for protecting sensitive electronic data. FIPS 140-2 provides security requirements for cryptographic modules specifically in mobile devices. NIST provides a list of approved cryptographic modules and certifies specific implementations of those modules within various platforms and solutions. This white paper addresses how AirWatch leverages existing approved cryptographic modules when integrated with security systems and platforms.
The benefits of a mobile-enabled workforce are undeniable and far-reaching. For business owners, increasing operational and business velocity is no longer tethered by time and place. The untethering benefits of mobility extend to employees in their personal productivity and in balancing their personal and work lives. For IT, however, equitably facilitating workforce mobility across all of an organization's factions is challenging. In this paper, we discuss why a BYOD approach to workforce mobility can be a compromise-free reality.
It's common today for law enforcement officers in the field to receive dispatch calls or access a subject's arrest record via mobile technology. But to leverage mobility's full potential, law enforcement officials must adhere to a strict set of standards. To keep Criminal Justice Information (CJI) safe and adhere with federal information and criminal protection laws, officers accessing CJI on mobile devices must comply with the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy. This whitepaper outlines the latest CJIS Policy, released in August 2014.
In today's mobile world, the classroom is no longer an environment where students sit and listen to the sage on the stage. With mobility, education becomes an interactive experience. Books and lectures are no longer the sole means to an effective education. A student with a mobile device in hand has access to an endless supply of information. However, for all of mobility's benefits, introducing mobile devices into the classroom also presents risks. With AirWatch®, IT administrators can track and manage mobile devices, configure security policies, distribute apps and content, secure access to networks and equip teachers with enhanced device controls, so educators can focus on teaching and students can focus on learning.
Mobility is changing every aspect of hospitality, from improving customer service to streamlining back-end operations. A mobile device management (MDM) platform such as AirWatch® by VMware® is central to the mobility strategy of many hospitality organizations, enabling IT administrators track assets and ensure organizations maintain compliance with industry regulations, streamline processes such as training, updating materials, managing workflows and ensuring guests enjoy their stays. The following whitepaper outlines best practices for mobile device implementation in a hospitality environment, from the board room to the guest room.
Today's savviest enterprises are leveraging BYOD as a tool to drive mobile accessibility, increase IT oversight and enable employees to complete a business task at a moment's notice, on whichever device is nearby. This whitepaper will outline the basic measures business leaders and IT professionals are taking to turn their BYOD programs into major productivity gains.
In healthcare, mobility initiatives must strike a delicate balance of security, access and ease of use. In fast paced clinical environments, caregivers need a simple way to access data at the point of care. Mobile access to data has the power to provide caregivers with the information they need sooner and change patient outcomes for the better. IT departments, on the other hand, must adhere to healthcare's strict regulatory environment when designing a mobility strategy. This whitepaper outlines best practices for designing and implementing a mobility strategy that facilitates mobile access to real-time clinical data while ensuring compliance, efficiency and productivity.
In the strictly regulated healthcare industry, it is necessary to take a proactive approach. Today's healthcare IT departments are charged with identifying breach risks and plugging potential data leaks before they occur. Implementing basic security measures, such as installing and enabling encryption, is a good first line of defense. But securing mobile devices that touch electronic protected health information (ePHI) requires more than basic security, according to the HIPAA Security Rule's mobile device privacy and security recommendations. This whitepaper is designed to explain how AirWatch can help healthcare organizations meet these recommendations, remain HIPAA compliant and ensure patient information is protected.
Instead of having the MDM vs. containerization debate, enterprises should define device use cases and security requirements within the organization, and then decide which solutions best suit their needs. Organizations with all kinds of deployments – corporate-owned devices, BYOD or a combination of the two – are finding that MDM and containerization together provide flexibility, user enablement and enhanced security. Many organizations are choosing to deploy MDM and containerization together on the same devices, for a layered approach to security. In this whitepaper, we discuss common enterprise use cases and define the advantages of MDM, containerization and the layered approach to security that both can provide.
BlackBerry's uncertain future has highlighted a fundamental challenge that all IT professionals must eventually face: becoming integrators, rather than people who roll out and manage a single technology for everyone in their organization. Companies should begin mapping out how to implement a multi-OS strategy as soon as possible. The following migration guide is designed to aid planning for business leaders and IT professionals who are considering transitioning corporate users from BlackBerry to a secure, multi-OS environment with AirWatch. Create a migration strategy that will guide a smooth transition for users with a minimal burden on IT, follow these 6 steps.
The mobile office is a reality in today's world. According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, telecommuting has increased more than 73 percent since 2005, meaning a burgeoning number of employees are accessing corporate documents and data on their mobile devices. In a recent IDG Enterprise survey, 82 percent of respondents reported that at least some colleagues have completed tasks from mobile devices, whether those devices are managed or not.
Creating complex, highly functional apps can take a number of highly skilled developers, hundreds of hours and/or thousands of dollars. AirWatch provides a solution to organizations looking to quickly create and deploy highly-functional, custom applications to managed devices with the AirWatch Software Development Kit.
Apple Configurator, available in the App Store, is provided by Apple and enables bulk provisioning of iOS devices. AirWatch integration with Apple Configurator is a quick and easy, three-step process and allows administrators to easily configure devices before deployment.
Apple Configurator, available in the App Store, is provided by Apple and enables bulk provisioning of iOS devices. AirWatch integration with Apple Configurator is a quick and easy, three-step process and allows administrators to easily configure devices before deployment.


text: For those living in the UK, the BBC iPlayer is a pretty fantastic VOD service with one drawback: you have to watch shows in-browser. Now one philanthropist coder has written a Vista Media Centre interface for the iPlayer. So you can view BBC content on your TV without the PS3 and Wii workarounds, or, at the very least, break free of your browser's annoying viewing restrictions. It's a free download, so all you Doctor Who fanatics should have plenty of cash left over for living-room-destroying merchandise. [Milliesoft via eHomeUpgrade]


text:
Test your FMs here
Skip to content
By accessing "Southquarter Testing" (hereinafter "we", "us", "our", "Southquarter Testing", "http://www.southquarter.com/beta"), you agree to be legally bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be legally bound by all of the following terms then please do not access and/or use "Southquarter Testing". We may change these at any time and we'll do our utmost in informing you, though it would be prudent to review this regularly yourself as your continued usage of "Southquarter Testing" after changes mean you agree to be legally bound by these terms as they are updated and/or amended.
Our forums are powered by phpBB (hereinafter "they", "them", "their", "phpBB software", "www.phpbb.com", "phpBB Group", "phpBB Teams") which is a bulletin board solution released under the "General Public License" (hereinafter "GPL") and can be downloaded from www.phpbb.com. The phpBB software only facilitates internet based discussions, the phpBB Group are not responsible for what we allow and/or disallow as permissible content and/or conduct. For further information about phpBB, please see: http://www.phpbb.com/.
You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated or any other material that may violate any laws be it of your country, the country where "Southquarter Testing" is hosted or International Law. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned, with notification of your Internet Service Provider if deemed required by us. The IP address of all posts are recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that "Southquarter Testing" have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time should we see fit. As a user you agree to any information you have entered to being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent, neither "Southquarter Testing" nor phpBB shall be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to the data being compromised.


text:
Having relocated to the sprawling expanses of Ormeau Park from the old Botanic Gardens site, this year's Tennents Vital (held August 21-22) is quite clearly grasping at grandness; certainly it's the largest outdoor concert in Belfast and Northern Ireland in many a year. Unfortunately the choice of today's headliner, Razorlight, singularly fails to excite. However, there are, by way of consolation, all manner of interesting bands further down the main stage bill, or playing in the Radio1 tent.
Bands like* Steer Clear, full of flair and quixotic ambition, their keyboard bolstered rock proving fiercely dramatic. Songs such as_ 'No, You Hang Up'_ are emotionally high-strung and quickly captivating. For these dapper young pups, sartorial smartness is matched by the intelligence of their music. One act never knowingly overdressed are *The Hold Steady. They may look like car mechanics, but they sure know how to get the crowd motoring, blasting through their main stage set with muscular purpose._ 'Chips Ahoy' is fast-paced, guitars churning like a storm thrashed ocean. At times, most notably during a stirring rendition of _'You Can Make Him Like You', frontman Craig Finn resembles a wildly gesticulating marionette, passion pulling his strings. He is a compelling focal point around which his bandmates rally with gusto and unstoppable intent.
Oppenheimer's performance is as sharp as a pint of snakebite, their songs combining the purity of the finest pop music with the bullishness of rock, keyboard and drums meshing with guitar and delicate, slightly bruised vocals. They enjoy a deservedly rapturous response from a packed Radio1 tent. Alongside the sugar-spun gorgeousness of songs such as 'Saturday Looks Bad To Me' and 'This Is Not A Test' they take the opportunity to give a hometown debut to tracks from their forthcoming second album. Of the new material, the preposterously titled 'I Don't Care What Anyone Says, I Think You're Alright' stands out. It is vehemently forward-charging, hinting at a more abrasive future direction.
The celebratory air is maintained by The Rumble Strips (pictured, left). They play with real zest, their music exhibiting an enviable capacity for love and joy. Saxophone and trumpets create bold, vibrant sounds, perfectly complementing the rattling drums and ragged guitar. Out on the main stage and the* Manic Street Preachers *are plundering their back catalogue to deliver a set that is welcomed for its familiarity as much as the quality of the performance. There are moments of delicious déjà vu - 'From Despair to Where' _and 'Motorcycle Emptiness'_ are as keen and effortlessly affecting as they ever were - but the fact that the polemical punk-rockers must keep casting ever further back, summoning past glories, in order to catch the audience's attention tells its own story.
The hip-swaggering Gallic genius that is Justice allows for a devastating conclusion to day one of Vital. Those who've foregone the more pedestrian pleasures of Razorlight and squeezed into the Radio1 tent are amply rewarded for their choice. In the beginning is_ 'Genesis'_ and from here on it's relentlessly grooving fare, served up on a platter of 'fuck you very much' beats and intergalactic samples. Versions of tracks from the duo's debut, most notably a fist-pumping 'Waters of Nazareth' and vamped-up 'D.A.N.C.E.', are brought into riotous collision with cuts from their record collection. It all creates a profanely enjoyable smorgasbord of sound, its creators gazing down like benevolent gods as the audience stomp and thrash. Allez Les Bleus.
_ "Hello cocks and pussies."** Albert Hammond Jr.** (pictured, right) is in impish mood. Cut loose from the confines of The Strokes he seems invigorated, propelling his band through a pulse-pumping garage-rock set. The use of three guitars on a number of songs imbues real grit and dynamism, quite a contrast to the mannered angularity of his full-time outfit. There's a full-throttle cover of The Cars' _'Don't Cha Stop' _and a lovely, whimsical rendition of '101'_. As the first main-stage act of the day, Hammond Jr. succeeds handsomely in getting the old synapses firing.
Maybe it's the unrelenting glare of the early evening sun, but The Shins' performance evaporates into hazy insignificance. They're unfailingly polite to the audience, exuding a certain geeky charm, but the music is all too slender, a dehydrated husk compared to the vivid, heart-embracing loveliness of their records. Only_ 'Phantom Limb' and 'Sleeping Lessons' _caress with any degree of vigour; all else is negligible. Where the Shins were slight and ethereal, so* Mark Ronson *and band are dynamic and full-blooded. The good-time exhortations are altogether too exuberant, but often it's a stirringly enjoyable ride with the large cast of players creating a vibrant sound.
The lager boors, of which there are plenty, surge towards the stage as the bad-tempered beats of 'Shoot The Runner' signal the arrival of* Kasabian* (pictured, main). The man in front of me spends an inordinate amount of time sniffing his armpits, an unusual gesture of appreciation, but I have to agree with the sentiment: Kasabian's live performance warrants our approval. They're a band whose aggressive ego-rattling, general lack of tunes and ludicrous self-righteousness I've always detested. However, it is this same surly swagger that enables them to connect with an audience of over thirty thousand._ 'Reason Is Treason'_ is, yes, quite magnificent whilst_ 'Processed Beats'_ - a dervish of swinging, sledgehammer percussion - delivers a concussive punch. Tom Meighhan stands arms outstretched like a lad-rock lightning rod; Serge Pizzorno, all neat goatee and sharp hat, plays the role of dandy guitarist. It's all a little studied, the gestures undoubtedly grand, but Kasabian's overblown antics succeed in filling the moment.
Not to be outdone in the grandstanding stakes,* The Killers *bring the full industrial light and magic show to Ormeau Park. This small corner of Belfast has become a retina scorching replica of Las Vegas, neon glare lighting and head-spinning visuals spangling the night sky. The performance is wild, overblown and ridiculously riveting. This is not music as art; it's music as sheer dizzying spectacle, entertainment that diverts, even if it leaves us emotionally undernourished. There is much to admire in what is a seamless, spirited show. Certainly Brandon Flowers (pictured, left) is an intriguing frontman, flailing about the stage, throwing himself into all sorts of curiously imploring shapes. Songs such as_ 'Mr Brightside' and 'Somebody Told Me'_ prompt the inevitable, beery sing-alongs, whilst a rendition of Joy Division's 'Shadowplay' is received with sheer incomprehension. They close by reprising 'When You Were Young', it is flamboyant and pleasingly overstated. The Killers may not win our hearts, but for a few hours they've enthralled the senses. For tonight it is enough.


text:
During this era in which manufacturers are plugging crossover and sport-utility vehicles into every possible niche, finding one with a stand-out character is difficult.
Infiniti has a fresh entry into the competitive luxury CUV segment — the 2013 JX35 — which is a three-row, seven-passenger vehicle with something extra in terms of design and passenger-toting utility.
The JX has a starting price of $40,650 for the 2WD model, and AWD bumps the price to $42,050. Spanning the tape at 196.4 inches long, it's about 5 inches longer than an Acura MDX and about 11 inches shorter than a Lincoln MKT.
Carving out practical space for passengers is Infiniti's brag, and key to space utilization is a flat floor and a 60/40-split folding-and-reclining, three-passenger middle seat with 5.5 inches fore-and-aft travel. There's excellent adjustability, so middle-seat passengers have the power to leave adequate legroom for those in the third row or make conditions tight.
With a pull of a latch mounted on the seatback side, the cushion folds to meet the seatback and the seat can easily be slid forward to provide a generous path for access to the 50/50-split folding-and-reclining, two-place third-row seat. The third-row seat can accommodate a couple of adults, but headroom can be lacking for taller passengers.
I don't use the third-row seat for passengers, but fold flat them to extend the load floor. Behind the third row is a useful cargo area with about a 19-inch-long floor. Dropping the second-row seatbacks extends the floor to about 3 feet and folding seats in row No. 2 ups floor length to roughly 5 feet.
Leather seats are standard, and front buckets are heated, and provide eight-way power adjustability for the driver and six-way power adjustability for the passenger.
A $2,950 Deluxe Touring Package adds the luxury of climate-controlled front seats and heated outboard second-row seats. The package also provides: a second-and-third-row panoramic moonroof with power rear sunshade; Bose 15-speaker Cabin Surround sound system; maple interior accents; 20-inch split-five-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels; rain-sensing variable intermittent windshield wipers; and Advanced Climate Control System.
The dashboard is elegantly sculpted and instrumentation consists of easy-to-see Fine Vision electroluminescent gauges and a high-resolution Intelligent-View Display that provides the driver with vehicle data and alerts.
The steering wheel is leather wrapped, and power telescoping and tilting.
A $4,950 Premium Packages adds a long list of convenience features, highlighted by an Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation System with an 8-inch color touch-screen display. The package also features Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection — one of the coolest technologies on the market. Four cameras provide a virtual 360-degree bird's-eye view of the vehicle and surroundings on the in-dash monitor. It's great for my driveway, which has tricky drop-offs at the sides. Moving Object Detection alerts you to obstacles in motion.
The test vehicle features rear-seat entertainment with a $1,700 Theater Package, which provides multimedia video playback via dual 7-inch monitors mounted on the backs of the front headrests.
Passengers aboard the JX benefit from excellent ride quality, and a well-insulated, quiet interior. Equipped with vehicle-speed-sensitive power steering, the JX has excellent steering input in low-speed parking maneuvers and on the highway.
Powering the JX is a 3.5-liter V-6 that generates 265 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 248 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm. The transmission mate is a stepless continuously variable transmission that simulates conventional shift points when Sport mode is selected.
Fueled with premium gasoline, the JX FWD's estimated fuel economy is 18 miles per gallon city and 24 mpg highway.
Contributing to its fuel efficiency and interior quietness is a slick body with an excellent 0.34 coefficient of drag and an Infiniti-reported zero lift at the front and rear. Along with its wind-cheating form, the JX's aerodynamics is boosted with a front underbody spoiler, integrated tunnel rear spoiler and rear tire deflectors.
Designers sculpted elegance and distinctiveness into the JX's exterior. The grille is a handsome chrome "double-arch" louvered design and the hood styling is "double wave" with ridges at the sides.
Particularly eye-grabbing are the crescent-cut D-pillars, complemented by a long roofline that tapers to a body-colored rear-roof spoiler.
The body can be painted with seven available colors: Emerald Graphite; Glacial Mist; Diamond Slate; Liquid Platinum; Black Obsidian; Midnight Garnet; and Moonlight White.
With the JX, Infiniti provides consumers demanding luxury and people-moving utility a distinctive, stylish and practical choice among a long list of CUV/SUV offerings.


text:
KC's Boulevard Brewing Company to join forces with Belgian firm
Leaders see deal as way to expand both brands
Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing Company is joining forces with Belgian-based Duvel Moortgat, the companies announced in a news release.
The deal, which was signed this week, is expected to close before the end of the year. Both companies are privately held and terms will not be disclosed.
Boulevard's base of operations will remain in Kansas City. The company said the deal will give Boulevard capital to expand its operations here.
"I think my employees trust me to do the right thing. I think I trust the Duvel people to do the right thing. So, really, I think we're not talking about cutting any jobs. I think we're talking about adding jobs," said founder John McDonald.
Michel Moortgat, who came to Kansas City from Belgium to look at the facilities said he also didn't expect much upheaval.
"To be very clear, we don't want to change anything. This is a winning team, and never change a winning team," he said.
McDonald, 60, will be a key player in the combined companies' American operations. He said he's been working on a deal like this for the past few years as he wanted to put the brewery in a position to grow for decades to come.
"I wanted to find a way to take the business to the next level while retaining its essence, its people, its personality -- all the characteristics that make our beer and our brewery so important to Kansas City and the Midwest. Duvel Moortgat's commitment to quality and independence, and their proven record helping breweries fulfill their potential, made this a perfect fit and an easy decision."
He said he expects Boulevard to have a bright future.
"It's a great time to be a brewer, really. You know, I'm more optimistic about our brewery doing this deal than I would be if we weren't doing it. So, I'm fully committed," he said.
At Ponak's restaurant on Southwest Boulevard, bartender Jesse Panuco said he couldn't believe the news. Ponak's was Boulevard's very first customer, buying the first keg in 1989.
Panuco said he couldn't imagine Boulevard ever being owned by anyone else.
"None of my customers that were drinking it earlier said anything, so this is the first I've heard of it," he said.
Gary Tony said he's a longtime Boulevard fan and he's not worried about the new ownership. He said he thinks McDonald made a smart decision.
"He's probably looking for his retirement. I'm sure he cares enough about his business that he's found a good, new owner for it," Tony said.


text:
Few will argue that Demi Lovato has been a positive influence on youngsters after speaking honestly and refreshingly about her struggles with an eating disorder and her own body image.
So it's only fitting that the X Factor mentor shares her thoughts on the challenges her young fans go through—self-esteem, health, relationships—in the latest issue of British Cosmo on Campus, Cosmopolitan's spin-off mag geared toward students.
And in true Demi fashion, she's keeping it pretty real.
"I was about 12 or 13 when I developed my eating disorder, and at that time nobody in the public eye talked about their body issues," the now-20-year-old tells the magazine.
"I feel that if someone had admitted they had a problem, then I wouldn't have gone down that route myself," she explains. "That's my goal in talking about my problems: I want to be the person for other girls that I needed to admire when I was looking for help and strength."
Part of that strength, she says, comes from accepting who you are, no matter what your shape or how other people perceive you.
"It's OK to love your body the way it is," she shares, "and it's OK to reach out for help if you have drug and alcohol problems, or if you're self-harming or being bullied."
The star also opens up about her own past romantic dalliances and how she may have jumped in for the wrong reasons.
"It is very unhealthy when girls devote all of their time to a guy and forget their friends and family," she says. "I did that. I was always looking for distractions because I was so afraid of being alone."
Lovato admits she's in a better place these days "where I can finally trust and love and be a better person for the man I am in a relationship with, instead of being a clingy girlfriend or getting jealous."
That security, she offers, comes from one place: "Taking care of myself and not focusing on guys."
She's doing just that: Lovato shocked celeb watchers when it was revealed last month that's she's been living in a sober house in Los Angeles in order to stay the course.
With that kind of grit and resolve, she's certainly on her way.


text:
Deer Stag Wooden Cufflinks
Sold Out
Charming -- and proudly Canadian -- wooden cufflinks designed and handmade by artisan Valerie Thai from Vancouver's Mt. Pleasant neighbourhood. Perfect little gifts for weddings, Father's Day, Graduations, and many more 'dress to impress' special occasions.
- Disk dimensions: 1.5 x 1.5 cm.
- Laser cut bamboo cufflinks with silver tone backs.
- Each set comes in a cotton filled kraft jewelry box.
- Note that wood grain patterns for each item may vary slightly.
- Materials: wood, bamboo, metal.
Ships worldwide from Vancouver, Canada.


text:
BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Forceful responses to atrocities allegedly done by the Syrian government and the violent military crackdown in Egypt are coming, U.S. President Obama said.
"We have to think through strategically what's going to be in our long-term national interests," Obama told CNN in an exclusive interview aired Friday.
Obama said the U.S. government faces a shortened time frame on key decisions in the two volatile Middle Eastern countries.
The president spoke of "troublesome" claims by anti-regime activists in Syria that President Bashar Assad's government used chemical weapons in an attack in which more than 1,300 people were reportedly killed.
The president said officials were "right now gathering information" and that "what we've seen indicates that this is clearly a big event of grave concern."
Obama said U.S. officials are pressing for action from the United Nations and are calling on the Syrian government to allow a U.N. investigation team access to the site of the alleged attack outside Damascus.
"We don't expect cooperation" from the Syrian government, Obama told CNN while on a two-day bus tour of New York and Pennsylvania touting his plan to make a college education more affordable to more people. He kicked off his tour in Buffalo, N.Y.
The president warned that U.S. "core national interests" were in play in Syria's civil war, "both in terms of us making sure that weapons of mass destruction are not proliferating, as well as needing to protect our allies, our bases in the region."
Obama has been criticized by his 2008 presidential opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who recently said on CNN that America's credibility in the region was harmed because of a slow response in both Syria and Egypt.
"I am sympathetic to Senator McCain's passion for helping people work through what is an extraordinarily difficult and heartbreaking situation, both in Syria and in Egypt," Obama said. "But what I think the American people also expect me to do as president is to think through what we do from the perspective of what is in our long-term national interests."
Obama was asked about a growing congressional push to cut more than $1.2 billion in U.S. aid to the military-backed government in Egypt, where a military crackdown on supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi has killed about 900 people.
"My sense ... with Egypt is that the aid itself may not reverse what the interim government does," Obama told CNN. "But I think what most Americans would say is that we have to be very careful about being seen as aiding and abetting actions that we think run contrary to our values and our ideals."
The president said his administration was "doing a full evaluation of the U.S.-Egyptian relationship" and there is "no doubt that we can't return to business as usual, given what's happened."
Turning to a hot domestic issue, Obama said a threat by conservatives to try to shut down government after Sept. 30 to try to defund the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as Obamacare, is inappropriate. The fiscal year and a continuing resolution to keep the government running both end Sept. 30.
Conservatives in the Republican-controlled House are using the possibility of a partial government shutdown and the need to raise the federal debt limit as chits to force new budget cuts and defund the president's signature healthcare reform law.
"There is nobody out there who thinks that us not paying bills we've already racked up is good for the economy [or] is appropriate," Obama told CNN. "Nobody thinks that."
As for shutting down the government, that's "bad for not just people who work for the government but all the contractors ... and the defense folks and everybody who is impacted by the services that they receive from the federal government," Obama said.
Concerning revelations that the National Security Agency inadvertently pulled some Americans' emails, Obama said that indicated "all these safeguards, checks, audits [and] oversight worked."
Obama expressed confidence that no one at the NSA is "trying to abuse this program or monitor people's email." But, he said, there are legitimate concerns" about rapidly evolving surveillance technology.
"What I recognize is that we're going to have to continue to improve the safeguards," he said. "And as technology moves forward, that means that we may be able to build technologies that give people more assurance."


text:
Your privacy is important to us. Fry's understands our customers' concerns regarding the privacy of the information they share with us. We hold our customers, and the information they share with us, in the highest regard. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. We are committed to ensuring that your personal information is properly safeguarded and to complying with all applicable federal and state privacy laws. Please take a moment to read our Privacy Policy for a better understanding of the measures that we take to protect you and the information you share with us.
The following Privacy Policy describes information and privacy practices for Fry's Electronics, Inc. ("Fry's"), Fry's retail stores and Frys.com.
Please be aware that this site may contain links to other sites that are owned and operated by third parties. This Privacy Policy may not apply to those links or to other sites. These third party sites have their own privacy policies and practices. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these third party sites to learn how they collect, use, share and secure your information.
This Privacy Policy strives to encourage and maintain trust between you and Fry's. As part of that trust, this Privacy Policy will tell you about:


text:
My tomatoes have been getting blight (I believe it's septoria leaf spot) earlier and earlier each year. I decided that I need to move them completely out of my main garden area this year.
I built these four 2 foot by 2 foot raised "bed" boxes up by my back porch. They'll get great sun and they'll be in new dirt that shouldn't already be innoculated with whatever blights my other soil is carrying.
The tomatoes will grow up these uprights and shade our picnic table. I'll just tie them up as they grow. Tomatoes need at least 4 square feet when placed next to each other in a raised bed garden. But since these will have lots of airspace all around them, I'm planning on planting each of these boxes with 1 tomato and 2 basil.


text:
The "interest burden" recorded for the last three months of 2011 equates to almost a quarter (24pc) of incomes after regular bills are paid, debt charity the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) said.
This share rose by 0.1pc from the third quarter of last year as living cost hikes outstripped wage increases, its Consumer Debt and Money Report said.
Older people will be increasingly affected by debt problems, the study said, highlighting a rising demand for debt advice from late-stage professionals aged between 45 and 59.
"There has been a gradual rise in counselling demand from this group, with its share rising from 22.8pc in 2005 to 31.7pc by (the end of) 2011," the report said.
Demand for debt advice will peak in 2014, indicating the "lasting distress caused by the financial crisis".
The charity said UK households' determination to pay down their debts has been slowing as disposable income has been swallowed up by high inflation, with expensive petrol, utilities and housing costs and deteriorating employment conditions.
The report said: "Interest payments are a heavy burden on household finances.
"With payment necessary regardless of economic circumstances, they pose a major threat to the solvency of many families.
"As a major spending component that must be met on time, the need to service debt is posing a significant challenge in the current economic downturn when household heads lose their jobs and income sources dry up."
The report predicted rising unemployment, but a "positive effect" of the weak economy for indebted households will be several years of low interest rates.
The ratio of one in every four pounds of disposable income spent on servicing debts increased to one in three earlier during the financial crisis as households piled on debt and then faced a deteriorating labour market.
Since the second half of 2009, the share of discretionary income going towards interest payments has been stable and the report predicted it will remain this way in the coming months.
The report also tracked the sharp increase in mortgage debt as house prices have risen, from around £20,000 per household in the early 2000s to more than £47,000 by December 2011.
It highlighted high rates of home ownership in the UK at 66pc of households, compared with 42pc in Germany.
"With rising property prices and rising borrowing, mortgage debt has grown in importance compared with other areas of household finances," the report said.
"This development is evident in the growing share of mortgage debt as a proportion of total household debt. This has risen from 80.3pc in January 2000 to 86.3pc by the end of last year."
Property repossessions began to increase in 2005, indicating households were already getting into trouble. Repossessions climbed until 2009 but have eased off.
The report said: "The last two years have seen some easing to about 36,500 but, apart from the middle of the crisis, they remain at the highest level since 2000."
CCCS chairman Lord Stevenson said: "While debt levels continue to decline, interest payments are a growing burden on too many UK households."
London and the North West have seen the highest demand for counselling, while Wales and Yorkshire and the Humber are areas with some of the fastest rises in demand for help.
Research was based on the charity's database and analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr).


text:
See also: Ninja Ranks
The Jōnin Commander (上忍班長, Jōnin Hanchō) is a position in the shinobi system of Konohagakure. As a representative of the regular shinobi forces, they are a member of the council, giving them a say in important matters such as choosing a new Hokage. They are the highest-ranking normal shinobi in the village, but still officially a Jōnin themselves. The most recent person known to hold the title of Jōnin Commander was Shikaku Nara.[1][2]
- In Kumogakure, there is a similar position called Head Ninja. Unlike "Jōnin Commander", "Head Ninja" is a separate rank.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


text:
England wing Chris Ashton tops a list of three Saracens players to have been nominated for European player of the year for 2014.
The London club, who reached the Heineken Cup final with a stunning 46-6 victory over Clermont on Saturday, dominate the five-strong shortlist announced by European Rugby Cup.
Free-running hooker Schalk Brits and hardman flanker Jacques Burger are also included, while 2013 winner Jonny Wilkinson of Toulon features among the names in what is almost certainly his final season.
Toulon – Saracens' opponents in the final at the Millennium Stadium on May 24 – also supply Steffon Armitage to complete the line-up that was chosen by media representatives from a long list of 15.
Ashton has a strong chance of winning the award after scoring a record-breaking 11 tries in this season's Heineken Cup, including two apiece against heavyweights Ulster and Clermont, as he closes in on an England recall.
Burger's remarkable defensive performance against Clermont alone propels him into contention.
Armitage has been superb for Toulon to the point where England's policy of only picking players at overseas clubs in exceptional circumstances is being fully tested.
The 2014 winner will be announced shortly after next month's final in Cardiff.
© Copyright PA Sport 2014, All Rights Reserved


text:
Easier to use products through auto-settings and better visibility.
Improve productivity with technologies that enhance efficiency and save you money.
Optimize your operation through advanced welding processes, training and weld data monitoring.
While known as a precision process, many fabricators using the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW, or TIG welding) process fight several common problems that hinder quality, slow production, frustrate the operator and otherwise prevent the process from achieving its full potential. These include a limited ability to tailor the weld bead profile, poor control of the arc direction and arc wandering, poor arc starting, unstable or inconsistent arcs in the AC mode, high frequency interference with electronics and tungsten contamination,
Fortunately, new TIG welding technology – made possible by advances with inverter-based power sources and microprocessor controls – can eliminate common productivity gremlins. Further, Miller Electric's new AC/DC inverter-based TIG welder, the Dynasty™ 300 DX, provides advanced arc shaping capabilities. As a result, many fabricators adopting this new technology have experienced phenomenal production increases, taken on new types of projects and reduced costs. Most importantly, the operators enjoy welding more.
In the mid-1970s, Miller Electric set the standard for AC/DC TIG technology when it introduced the Syncrowave® welding machine with its Squarewave AC output technology. Squarewave technology minimized the problems inherent with AC welding: arc rectification, arc stumbling, wandering and outages.
Non-Squarewave machines usually exhibited these symptoms during the Electrode Negative (EN) to Electrode Positive (EP) transition of the AC sine wave. Sometimes, these older units 1) did not have enough "push" to drive the arc through the zero crossing and then re-establish the arc in the opposite polarity.
If five or six EN to EP cycles failed in a row, it created another problem: the welding output began to resemble DC. If this occurs, a TIG machine reaches for open circuit voltage in an attempt to get enough voltage to re-establish AC welding output. Unfortunately, the excess voltage can cause current overshoots. This may produce tungsten spitting, which degrades weld quality.
Squarewave technology shortened the switching time between EN and EP, so it created a more desirable arc. So desirable, in fact, that all higher end AC TIG machines now feature Squarewave technology (Miller's patent expired in 1994). However, not all Squarewave technology is created equal.
The advanced Squarewave technology employed in an inverter-based TIG machine takes EN to EP switching time a quantum leap forward.
Inverters use advanced power switching semiconductors (you might hear them called IGBTs) and microprocessor controls that operate thousands of times faster than "conventional" power switching devices and controls. As a result, inverters push the arc through the zero crossing very quickly. This very quick transition improves weld quality and consistency.
Not all inverters are created equal, either. Miller's Dynasty 300 DX has a unique design advantage because it uses a full bridge rectifier. This costs more than a half-bridge rectifier other AC/DC TIG inverters use, but it permits using a smaller stabilizer. A stabilizer is the "electricity sponge" that maintains the arc when it transitions through zero. The smaller the sponge, the faster the transition. This gives the Dynasty 300 DX a truer Squarewave output than any inverter in its class, so it has the smoothest, most consistent AC TIG arc in the industry.
Using AC to TIG weld aluminum evolved from the need to remove the oxide layer that forms on its surface. The EP portion of the AC cycle, in which electricity flows from the work to the tungsten, "blasts" off surface oxides. The EN portion of the cycle does the actual welding, directing heat from the tungsten into the metal.
When Miller engineers invented the Squarewave AC output, they also discovered that an unbalanced AC wave form works best for many applications. Lighter-duty machines feature a fixed balance control set for more penetration than cleaning.
Advanced Squarewave machines feature adjustable balance control, another Miller invention. This feature permits tailoring the EN/EP ratio to match an application.
Conventional TIG welders, such as Miller's Syncrowave 250 and Syncrowave 350 LX, lets you adjust EN values from 45 to 68 percent (55 to 32 percent EP). Inverters, because of their power switching capabilities, provide extended balance control. For example, the Dynasty 300 DX allows the operator to fine tune the duration of the EN portion of the cycle from 50 to 90 percent (50 to 10 percent EP; adjusting the EP portion of the cycle beyond 50 percent provides no further benefits).
Increasing time in the EP portion of the cycle removes more oxide and create a shallower, wider bead. On aluminum, increasing the cleaning action improves quality by minimizing the chance of foreign particles becoming included in the weld.
Greater amounts of EN create a deeper, narrower weld bead, better joint penetration and a smaller etched zone. This helps when welding on thick material or when appearance (i.e., a minimal etched zone) is important. Setting an inverter's EN duration to the maximum level creates the potential to deliver 22 percent more heat to the work compared to a conventional TIG machine. Adding more heat in the same amount of time permits faster travel speeds. This means that fabricators using extended balance control technology can often produce more parts per hour.
No hard rules exist for setting balance control. The typical error involves over-balancing the cycle. Too much EP creates a large ball on the end of the tungsten. Consequently, the arc loses stability and then you can't control arc direction or the weld puddle; arc starts also degrade. Too little EP results in a scummy weld puddle. Add more cleaning action if the puddle looks like it has black pepper flakes floating on its surface.
Advanced inverter-based welding machines give operators another option that dramatically enhances shaping of the bead profile: frequency control. Conventional AC TIG welders have a fixed output of 50 or 60 Hz, but some inverters let the operator adjust the welding output frequency. For example, the output frequency on Dynasty 300 DX adjusts from 20 to 250 Hz (other inverters can adjust frequency, but not quite as broadly).
Decreasing frequency produces a broader arc cone, which widens the weld bead profile and better removes impurities from the surface of the metal. It also transfers the maximum amount of energy to the work piece, which speeds up applications requiring heavy metal deposition (such as building up a worn part or making a fill pass).
Increasing frequency produces a tight, focused arc cone. This creates deeper penetration and it narrows the weld bead, which helps when welding in corners, on root passes and fillet welds.
It lets operators direct the arc precisely at the joint and not have the arc dance from plate to plate.
Best of all, increasing the frequency, combined with increasing EN duration and using a pointed tungsten (see side bar story on pointed tungstens), can dramatically increase travel speed and reduce production time. When applied to the right application, improvements from 10 up to 40 percent are frequently reported.
A good starting point for general welding would be 80 to 120 Hz. These frequencies will be comfortable to work with, increase control of the arc direction and boost travel speed. For a fillet weld application with full penetration in the weld without putting too much amperage in the metal, increase the frequency to 225 to 250 Hz. For build up work, start at 60 Hz and adjust lower from there.
Conventional TIG welders may experience arc starting problems for a variety of reasons, but they are all linked to getting the weld current flowing between the tungsten and the work piece. An explanation of what the welding current is trying to do will help.
Whether welding in the DC EN mode (the normal mode for work on ferrous metal) or the AC mode, the current must flow from the tungsten to the work piece. Starts cause problems because the current first must overcome the resistance of the tungsten.
That is, the current must heat the tungsten so it becomes a better emitter of electrons; at that point, the arc can jump from the tungsten to the work piece.
One traditional option for "solving" DC arc starting problems, and the standard method for improving AC arc starts, involves superimposing a high frequency (HF) current over the welding current. Basically, the HF current forms a path for the welding current to follow and so the arc can be established. Unfortunately, HF interferes with CNC machines, computers and other electronic equipment because its frequency is similar to a radio's and can be "broadcasted" (one user of continuous HF reported that it affected the accounting computer...and was changing invoice figures!).
The circuitry of the Dynasty 300 DX provides a unique solution that eliminates this concern while delivering much more consistent arc starts. This Miller technology works by starting the weld current in the DC EP mode for a brief time no matter which welding process is chosen. With heat flowing from the work into the tungsten, the electrode quickly becomes a better emitter. That's why the Dynasty 300 DX has consistent starts time after time.
Through the machine's front panel, operators can tailor the duration of DC EP starting current from 1 to 200 ms and the "force" of the current from 1 to 200 amps. Adjusting these parameters is usually not necessary, as the factory default provides very good starts for most applications. Operators should not have any concerns about this starting mode. All they will notice is consistently positive starts.
Advanced TIG welders offer operators several starting methods, but two are superior. The first superior starting method involves minimizing high frequency for applications that benefit from HF arc starts. In these instances, inverters offer an "HF start only" feature that provides a brief burst of HF at the start of the weld. Once the machine senses the arc has been established, it shuts off the HF to minimize any potential interference with electronic equipment.
The Dynasty 300 DX takes "HF start only" one step further. Because this TIG machine starts in the DC EP mode, it only needs HF for 10ms to establish the arc. Operators using this method report very positive arc starts even at low amperages, and they appreciate the absence of HF wandering and buzzing on the weldment. They also report longer times between tungsten sharpenings; this is because less HF is available to cause erosion.
Note that conventional machines not only use HF to improve arc starts, but that they usually require continuous HF for AC welding. HF helps ensure the arc doesn't stumble as it transitions through the zero crossing.
Inverter-based machines do not experience as much difficulty with arc starts or arc stumbling because the machine's microprocessor control and IGBTs operate so quickly. In fact, all good inverters eliminate the need for continuous HF when AC welding on aluminum and other non-ferrous metals.
The second superior starting method is lift Lift-Arc™, an alternative to scratch starts. Scratch starts may contaminate the weld with tungsten, but welds made with the Lift-Arc starting method can consistently pass x-ray or ultrasonic tests. Lift-Arc enables the operator to touch the tungsten to the work piece, lift it off the work piece, and then have full welding current begin flowing. With the scratch start method, the electrode is hot the instant it touches metal. The Lift-Arc technology in the Dynasty 300 DX offers a further improvement because it works in the DC and AC welding modes.
Even though today's inverter-based TIG machines have more features available, smart manufacturers try to make the control panel as simple and logical as possible. Rather than knobs and switches, some of the newer TIG machines use digital displays and switch pads similar to those on a microwave oven.
At first glance, the control panel may appear intimidating. But at second look, switch pad control panels are very logical, especially if operators approach them the same way they would approach any weld sequence.
For example, an operator must select a trigger function (remote or panel); the switch pads on the top left of the Dynasty 300 DX's front panel control the trigger functions. Next, the operator must select a starting method (HF start only, Lift-Arc, etc.); the switch pads for the start mode are right below the trigger function controls. If the AC TIG process is selected, operators must also specify AC frequency and balance control parameters; the three touch pads controlling these functions are located in the center of the panel. Just to the right of these touch pads are the ones for selecting the DC TIG, AC Stick and DC Stick processes.
The rest of the buttons simply follow the actions that occur on every weld sequence, whether the operator controls them through the machine's front panel or the foot pedal. If an operator wishes to control the weld sequence through the "sequencer panel" (usually a group of switch pads centered on the control panel), values for following functions need to be set (values given are for the Dynasty 300 DX):
- Gas pre-flow time (0 to 25 seconds)
- Initial current (5 to 300 amps)
- Initial slope ( 0 to 25 seconds)
- Main/peak welding amperage (5 to 300 amps)
- Final slope (0 to 25 seconds)
- Final current (5 to 300 amps)
- Gas post-flow time (0 to 50 seconds)
Through the digital display, operators can easily see (and return to) the exact values they set. With rheostats, settings can be approximations. The digital displays may also provide "help messages" to the operator about the status of the machine.
The digital display, coupled with the microprocessor control, provides some inverters with a memory function (the Dynasty 300 DX lets operators store up to four weld sequences for AC/DC TIG and Stick processes). If a shop routinely fabricates certain products or consistently welds three or four types of joints or metals, the memory function speeds changing between projects. A lock-out feature prevents tampering with these pre-programmed settings.
All advanced TIG inverters incorporate pulsed welding capabilities. Pulsed TIG welding is extremely beneficial when welding thin gauge steel and stainless steel. It allows the operator to tailor the amount of heat to the application, decreasing distortion and heat input. Pulsing can also help teach beginning TIG welders because it provides a rhythm for adding the filler rod (i.e., add the filler rod during peak amperage pulse).
For critical applications, discerning operators want precise heat (amperage) control to best prevent burn-through, warping or discoloration.
Welders with true pulsing controls, such as the Dynasty 300 DX, let the operator carefully tailor the pulsed wave form by setting: background amp range, pulse frequency (pulses per second) and peak time adjustment (duration of peak amperage). This gives the operator much more leeway when fine tuning the arc. A series of switch pads lets the operator precisely set parameter values.
Though not directly related to controlling the welding arc, inverters provide several benefits over conventional TIG machines, such as accepting a variety of primary input power levels, automatically linking to accept the primary power and light-weight portability.
Conventional AC/DC TIG machines operate only on single-phase power. To weld at 250 amps (230 V primary) requires 92 amps of primary power (and 66 amps with power factor correction). Some companies wanting to add more TIG machines or other equipment cannot do so without expensive modifications to their electrical system. However, inverters can use either single- or three-phase input power.
An inverter using three-phase power, welding at 300 amps (230 V primary), requires just 37 amps of primary current. If 460 V primary current is available, welding at 300 amps requires only 18 amps of primary current. An inverter is also very power efficient.
In addition to using single- or three-phase power, inverters also accept 50 or 60 Hz, 230 or 460 V input power. This provides flexibility when moving the machine between jobs sites or around a large facility. To adapt to different types of input power types, some inverters require removing the housing and manually linking the power leads. Other inverters, including the Dynasty 300 DX, have an Auto-Link® feature that eliminates this hassle. This feature automatically senses the type of input power (both voltage and phase type) and electronically reconfigures the machine. With Auto-Link, you can plug in the machine and begin working immediately.
Is work light enough to bring it to the welding machine, or do you need to move the machine to the job site? An inverter's light weight (the Dynasty 300 DX weighs 90 lb.) makes it easily portable, eliminating this old dilemma.
Conventional TIG machines transform power with a large iron core wrapped with copper and/or aluminum wire. This makes them heavy. To handle the current used to weld thicker sections of metal, a TIG welder's transformer must weigh 200 to 400 lb. or more.
Inverters operate on the principle that increasing the current frequency permits reducing the core size and number of wire turns. Before the current reaches the transformer, an inverter boosts the line frequency to 20 to 100 thousand cycles per second. Thus, the transformer on an inverter such as the Dynasty 300 DX weighs just 5 lb.
Although inverters have been available since the late 1980s, many people hesitated to purchase them because of reliability issues. Fortunately, improvements made in the last few years give all Miller inverters (and some others) a reliability level that approaches that of Conventional welding machines. Miller innovations to improve reliability include:
- Wind Tunnel Technology™, a unique, patented technology which shields an inverter's electronic components from potentially damaging air-borne particles.
- Fan-On-Demand™ cooling; this feature monitors the temperature of your welder and operates the fan only when needed. In dirty environments, it reduces the amount of airborne contaminants pulled through the machine, keeping internal components cleaner.
- More robust designs for circuit boards and power switching devices.
Historically, preparing to AC weld required selecting a pure tungsten electrode and forming a ball at the end of the electrode. Balling, until now a necessary evil (pure tungsten tends to form a ball), promotes arc wandering, less arc focus and poorer arc starts because electricity likes to come off a point. With a ball, the current can dance around the entire surface. That's why Miller now recommends that, for AC welding, operators should sharpen the tungsten as if they are welding in the DC mode. This is true for all advanced TIG machines, and especially for inverters because it optimizes performance.
Guidelines for preparing a tungsten for AC TIG welding are:
- Select a tungsten with 2% cerium (2% thorium as your second choice).
- Grind the electrode to a point (grind in the long direction, make the point roughly two times as long as the diameter).
- Put a .010 to .030 in. flat (land) on the end to prevent balling and to prevent tungsten from being transferred across the arc.
- For welding thin metals, use a 3/32 in. diameter tungsten.
Compared to a balled tungsten, a pointed electrode provides greater arc control and lets you direct the amperage precisely at the joint, minimizing distortion. With a pointed electrode, a skilled operator can place a 1/8 in. bead on a fillet weld made from 1/8 in. aluminum plates. Without using this method, the ball on the end of the electrode would have forced the operator to make a larger weld bead, then grind the bead down to final size. Thus, when fitting welded parts together, a pointed electrode can save time.
To activate your FREE subscription today, simply select which newsletter(s) you would like to receive and complete the form below.
Miller respects your privacy concerns. Read our privacy policy for more information.
Already signed up? Manage your subscription(s) by signing into your account. Or if you don't have a Miller account, create one today. Sign in / Create Account.
*Please select at least one e-Newsletter.
Thank you for subscribing to our eNewsletters. Miller respects your privacy concerns. Read our privacy policy for more information.
You can manage your subscription(s) by signing into your account. Or if you don't have a Miller account, create one today. Sign in / Create Account.


text:
Halfway through the season, something's missing – mostly – on a list of the league's elite teams.
The AFC.
It's difficult to make a case for including any team from the conference other than Houston among the league's best, while unbeaten Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, Green Bay and the New York Giants could be considered in that category from the NFC.
Coming off three straight Super Bowl wins and four out of the last five, the NFC is playing some dominant football on both sides of the line.
In interconference play, it's up 23-13 on the AFC, led by the Falcons sweeping the AFC West, and the Bears going 3-0 against the AFC South – with Chicago meeting the Texans on Sunday in the biggest matchup of the season so far. The Bears are slight favorites in the showdown of 7-1 teams.
That's not too much of a surprise, really. Chicago is home and only Pittsburgh, 3-0 against the suddenly vulnerable NFC East, has showed strength among AFC teams when crossing over.
The NFC has outscored the AFC 1,012-767 in head-to-head matchups, and has a plus-30 turnover margin in those games.
"The quarterbacks as a group are deeper in the NFC," says former NFL executive Pat Kirwan, who has looked extensively at the differences in the conferences. "The bottom teams in the NFL are all in the AFC: Jacksonville, Kansas City and Cleveland."
Just as pronounced are the statistical rankings, with six of the top eight defensive teams coming from the NFC. In a league where just about everyone can play offense — sorry Jacksonville, your 117 points wouldn't cut it in the ACC — the efficient defenses tend to swing the pendulum of power.
But if you want offense, something the league is providing plenty of once again this year, note that seven of the 11 highest-rated passers are from the NFC, as are eight of the top 11 receivers. The ground game? Try the top four, led by Minnesota star Adrian Peterson, and six of the first 10 are NFCers.
There's far more balance to NFC attacks.
"I think the balance has to be more maybe not weekly but over the course of the season," said Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano, whose team has averaged 36 points in winning three of the last four, two of those victories against — you guessed it — the AFC.
"You have to take what the defense gives you. Different weeks the defense is going to afford you different opportunities. I think that's the hardest thing, coaches being able to recognize it and if it's different than what they've shown, being able to adjust. And for your players being able to get that communicated to them and having a system that is flexible enough to change the game plan because of the way they are playing the offense."


text:
New 2020 Buick Encore GX Select FWD VIN KL4MMDS29LB130115 Stock Number 30115
Sale Price $24,500
The safety of our customers and team members at Thompson Automotive Group is our highest priority and we are increasing our cleaning protocols. We are closely following the Centers for Disease Control's guidelines and recommendations. We have instructed our team members to stay home if they are sick, and to be vigilant about personal and dealership cleanliness. Hand-sanitizing stations have been installed throughout our dealerships to allow customers and team members to clean their hands frequently. We have asked our team members to temporarily refrain from shaking hands with customers and others. We have increased the disinfectant cleaning frequency for all high-volume, high-touch areas, including display vehicles, door handles, paper towel dispensers, vanity tops, and counters. Our staff is required to engage in good hygiene by frequently washing their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. We have distributed critical information to key staff members and business partners to help prevent communicable sicknesses throughout our dealership. Alloy Wheels, Backup Camera, Bluetooth, Experience Buick Package, Hands Free Power Liftgate, Hands-Free Power Liftgate Package, Power Tilt-Sliding Moonroof. 26/30 City/Highway MPG
Thompson Automotive Group born in Raleigh, serving the Triangle since 1956. Prices include all available incentives and may require financing with GM Financial. New vehicle prices may change with special leases or financing rates and may include GM Owner Loyalty or Conquest Cash. Some customers may not qualify for all rebates. Vehicles equipped with additional accessories may not be included in reduced price. Cannot be combined with any other pricing offers. Please contact or visit Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac for more details. Price includes: $2400 - Buick & GMC Consumer Cash Program. Exp. 01/04/2021 GM Employee Pricing for All


text:
Ok, so if you don't...I totally suffer from OCD. I like things planned to a tee and I am NOT a fan of surprises! And that pretty much so goes every thing and every aspect of my life. So, when MC thinks her tooth is about to fall out. I take one last "with my tooth picture," then video the tooth coming out, then the "here I am without the tooth" picture. Makes TOTAL since to me; covers all the bases. Well, last Friday night we were all hanging out in the back yard and she walks up with her tooth just dangling from her mouth. Which TOTALLY grossed me up so I turned my head. And as I did that Shawn says just pull it......so she DID!!!!!!!!!!! OMG did that really just freaking happen. I got no "last picture" and NO VIDEO!!!!!!! UHHHHHHH it upset me so! But MC could have cared less that I did not "properly" document this momentous occasion. She was tickled to lose another tooth and that she pulled it ALL BY HERSELF!!!!!
Every time she loses a tooth I am just in shock at how small they are; precious little tooth!


text:
At the first (hopefully annual) Portland Mini-Maker Faire, we brought out Captain Chronomek, Steampunk props, and our jewelry made from electronic components. We also ran a very popular jewelry-making workshop.
Read more about it here.
At the first (hopefully annual) Portland Mini-Maker Faire, we brought out Captain Chronomek, Steampunk props, and our jewelry made from electronic components. We also ran a very popular jewelry-making workshop.
Read more about it here.
Comments Off on PDX Mini-Maker Faire Wrap-up
Posted in Captain Chronomek, Events, Jewelry, Maker Faire, Propmaking, Steampunk
We're excited to be participating in the first ever Portland Mini Maker Faire, at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry! We will be running workshops on jewelry making out of old electronic components, and will have Captain Chronomek and our Steampunk props out for people to play with. If you are in the Portland Area the September 15th and 16th you should come out and join us!
Comments Off on PDX Mini Maker Faire at OMSI
Posted in Captain Chronomek, Events, Maker Faire, Propmaking, Steampunk
We're still recovering from an awesome weekend at Maker Faire in San Mateo. It was an amazing experience-packed with people, blasted by intermittent high winds, and capped off with a solar eclipse. Josh ran 4 hour-long workshops on Steampunk prop making, and they all went really well.
Read more here
Comments Off on Steampunk Propmaking Workshops at Maker Faire
Posted in Captain Chronomek, Events, Maker Faire, Propmaking, Steampunk
We're gearing up for our first trip to the almighty Maker Faire Bay Area in a couple weeks. We will be there as part of a group of Steampunk makers & academics, under the banner of the "Steampunk Academy". Captain Chronomek will make at least one appearance, and we'll be holding hands-on workshops for making Steampunk props out of recycled materials.
Hope to see you there!
Comments Off on Tanenbaum Fabrications is going to Maker Faire!
Posted in Captain Chronomek, Events, Maker Faire, Steampunk
Read all about it here: ASU Emerge Trip
Comments Off on Conference Report: Emerge 2012
Posted in Captain Chronomek, Design Fiction, Events, Steampunk
We are excited to announce that Captain Chronomek will be featured in a new exhibition on Design Fictions that is taking place at the "Emerge: Artists + Scientists Redesign the Future" conference at Arizona State University. Captain Chronomek is one of four featured design fictions alongside such superstars as Boilerplate, Henry Hoke and the Instititute of Backyard Studies, and Adiel Fernandez (aka Adiel Angel). We will all be part of an exhibition sponsored by Intel entitled "Powered by Fiction: Artists, Makers, Tinkerers and the Backstories that Inspire Them to Create".
The Emerge conference promises to be a wild ride! From the website:
"What it means to be human is changing. Emerging technologies are transforming our minds, our relationships, everything we own and the very landscapes in which we live. What kinds of humans will we become? What kinds of humans should we become?
These singular questions will be explored on March 1–3, 2012, when Arizona State University hosts Emerge–an unparalleled campus–wide event uniting artists, engineers, bio scientists, social scientists, story–tellers and designers to build, draw, write and rethink the future of the human species and the environments that we share. And then we'll celebrate. Arizona State University, the nations's largest university, is determined to break down the barriers between those making the future and those thinking about what it all means.
Comments Off on Captain Chronomek will be visiting Emerge 2012!
Posted in Captain Chronomek, Design Fiction, Events, Steampunk
Tagged Captain Chronomek, Design Fictions, Steampunk


text:
This third floor, 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom unit is located in the Aspens Lodge on the slope side of Blackcomb Mountain. It features an upgraded kitchen and bathroom, cozy living room with gas fire place and a patio with BBQ. The lodge common pool and three hot tubs offer the perfect après ski body & soul recovery. For those who want to treat themselves, a nice variety of eat-out options are available in the Upper village, just a short 5 min walk down the ski hill, alongside the Wizard Express Chair.
• Ski-in / Ski-out location
• Patio BBQ
• Flat screen TVs with cable in the living room
• DVD player
• Complimentary wireless internet
• Fully equipped kitchen
• 1 Bedroom
• 1 Bathroom
• Sleeps 4
• Pool courtyard view
• Queen in the master bedroom
• Queen pull out sofa bed in the living room
• Upper village: 5 min walk / 3 min car / 5 min bus
• Main village: 10 min walk / 4 min car / 7 min bus
• Pets not allowed
• Pay parking; Garage height 6'6"
20 years in business 866-590-1613Contact Manager calendar_today Availability


text:
NYT's SCOTUS Reporter Greenhouse Quotes Robert Frost to Shame Justices on AZ Immigration Law
Linda Greenhouse, former Supreme Court reporter for the Times, got soppy in defense of Arizona's illegal immigrants in "The Lower Floor" her latest biweekly column posted Wednesday evening. Apparently Supreme Court justices were remiss last week when they focused on arguing the law as opposed to reciting Robert Frost and giving in to sympathetic anecdotes about "the simply humanity" of illegals (or, in Greenhouse's politically correct terminology, "undocumented residents").
(Greenhouse has famously argued that Supreme Court's Obama-care opponents have no case, even after Obama-care was annihilated in oral argument before the justices.)
I found last week's Supreme Court argument in the Arizona immigration case utterly depressing, and I've spent the intervening week puzzling over my reaction. It's not simply that the federal government seems poised to lose: unlike the appeals court, the justices appear likely to find the heart of Arizona's mean-spirited "attrition through enforcement" statute, S.B. 1070, permissible under federal law.
Poring over the argument transcript and the briefs, what finally came through as most deeply troubling was this: the failure of any participant in the argument, justice or advocate for either side, to affirm the simple humanity of Arizona's several hundred thousand undocumented residents.
Both facts and logic tell us that this is a varied population. Different reasons, different routes and different times brought these individuals to Arizona. Half the adults among them hold jobs. Many are parents of American-born citizens of the United States. An untold number, while not possessing the right papers, are also not now deportable under our byzantine immigration laws. But whoever they are and whatever their stories, all are now likely to become what Arizona intended them to be when it enacted the law two years ago: hunted.
To her dismay, she found the federal policy on deporting illegals almost as harsh as Arizona's, neither of whom have apparently read the poetry of Robert Frost.
....The federal government's brief offered a startling description of what the government was doing on the Arizona-Mexico border in the spring of 2010, when the Arizona Legislature passed S.B. 1070: 4,000 Border Patrol agents stationed there, a 40 percent increase since 2005; 40 aircraft on patrol; 305.7 miles of border fence completed.
The description was aimed at showing that the Feds were on the case and that Arizona's law was simply superfluous. Perhaps so, but I read this account as the chilling self-description of a powerful nation obsessed with imaginary enemies. "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know/ What I was walling in or walling out," Robert Frost wrote. We have walled ourselves in, whether by Arizona's hand or Washington's or both. The Supreme Court will tell us if the difference matters. I had thought it did, but by the end of last week's argument, I was no longer sure.


text:
Romney Campaign Ad Escalates Auto Controversy
A new television ad from Mitt Romney's campaign shows how much the presidential election in Ohio is still turning on the battle to shape voter opinion of the Obama administration's auto bailout. It has also revived a campaign debate over plans by Chrysler Corp.'s Jeep unit to build cars in China.
The new ad, which aired over the weekend in Ohio, challenges President Barack Obama's effort to take credit for saving U.S. auto jobs with his government-backed rescues of General Motors Co. and Chrysler. The ad aired as a new poll for Ohio newspapers suggested that the race for Ohio's 18 electoral votes is a dead heat.
The new Romney ad, which features nostalgic images of people enjoying rides in their cars, and then autos getting crushed at a junkyard, states that Mr. Obama "took GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy, and sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China."
The ad draws on the fact that Chrysler and its Italian parent, Fiat S.p.A, are in talks to build a Jeep assembly plant in China to serve growing demand for Jeep models there.
The Obama campaign cried foul. In responding to the ad, it noted that last week Mr. Romney had made the more aggressive statement that Jeep was planning to move all production to China, which Chrysler says is not the case. The Obama campaign accused Mr. Romney of "trying to scare Ohioans.''