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Sun sprinkles FISH food for storage guppies
Open sourcing NetApp killer
Sun Microsystems appears to have open sauced many of the software components that make up its elusive FISHworks NetApp killer.
The company, on a regular basis, frees up code found in its Solaris operating system to the so-called OpenSolaris community. The latest code dump features a host of storage-centric software. Sun imagines that any old hack can take the applications and create a fancy NAS (network attached storage) box.
"This (technology) will enable community members to combine OpenSolaris with hardware from any source to create compelling storage solutions at a fraction of the price of traditional proprietary storage vendors," Sun said in a statement. "This combination of open source and commodity hardware heralds a new stage in the storage industry."
Not shy about boasting, are they?
The new storage industry stage apparently begins with administration tools for Sun's ZFS file system. You'll find the following ZFS tools in OpenSolaris:
- ZFS Clone Promotion feature, which allows storage users to turn a clone back into the active file system
- Recursive Snapshots feature, which automatically creates snapshots for all descendent file systems
- Double Parity RAIDZ, a data protection enhancement to that provides storage users with enough protection so that no data will be lost if up to two devices fail
- Hot Spares for ZFS Storage Pool Devices, data protection disks that can replace failed or faulted devices, eliminating downtime after disk failure
In addition, Sun has pumped out some broader storage software.
- Point-in-Time Copy data service and Remote Mirror data service -- allows volumes and their snapshots to be replicated between physically different servers. Includes filter-driver framework and utilities
- NFS v4.1 (also known as parallel NFS) - provides scalable parallel access to files distributed among multiple servers
- YANFS (formerly known as WebNFS) - Java implementation of the client side of the XDR, RPC, NFSv2, and NFSv3 protocols
- iSCSI device drivers - provides both the initiator and target support for the IETF iSCSI protocol which allows the use of the SCSI protocol over TCP/IP networks
- OSD device drivers and related software - provides both initiator and target support for storage devices that adhere to the SCSI Object-Based Storage Device (OSD) command protocol
- QLogic Fibre Channel HBA driver -- The QLogic QLC driver enables booting from internal and external Fibre Channel devices and are now a part of OpenSolaris, making Sun's stack of drivers which facilitate I/O activity to host bus adapters open from top to bottom
A number of these tools will no doubt be included with the upcoming FISHworks gear. The Fully Integrated Software and Hardware technology came out of the minds of some of Sun's top Solaris engineers.
So far, Sun has provided little information on exactly what FISHworks will entail, although it did demonstrate a NAS device running the software to analysts during a recent meeting. We've yet to find an analyst that bothered to describe the system in a meaningful way – thanks, guys – and Sun refuses to speak to the press about the FISH food. This is the best we've been able to do.
While you're here, who knows about the X4950 streaming switch or Lyceum? ®


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Lawsuit settled in boy's death at Alabama airport
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A settlement over the death of a boy who was hit by a falling flight information sign inside Birmingham's airport was approved Wednesday, and the family said they had forgiven the contractors involved.
Luke Bresette, 10, of Overland Park, Kansas, was crushed by a flight information sign that fell inside a renovated section of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in March 2013. His family, returning home from a trip to Destin, Florida, was walking by when the free-standing flight information board toppled over.
Luke's mother, Heather Bresette, was seriously injured. Two of his younger brothers also were hurt. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against contractors that were involved in designing, making and installing the sign.
Ryan Bresette, center, of Overland Park, Kansas, reads a prepared statement at the Jefferson County Courthouse, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014, after his family reached a legal settlement with contractors who worked on a renovation project at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Bresette's son, Luke,10, died on March 22, 2013, when a multi-user flight information display fell on him and several of his family members. The terms of the settlement remain confidential. (AP Photo/AL.com, Tamika Moore) MAGS OUT
Luke's parents and all four siblings each will receive an undisclosed amount of money from the companies under the agreement, approved by Jefferson County Circuit Judge Dan King.
Ryan Bresette, the boy's father, thanked the companies for admitting that mistakes were made and taking steps to ensure they don't happen again.
"Our family, in return, extends forgiveness to them," he said outside court.
Bresette said it's time for healing and reconciliation.
"We miss you, Luke, and we love you so very, very much," Bresette, fighting back tears, said of his son.
The family sued companies that worked on a major renovation at Birmingham's airport, including general contractor Brasfield & Gorie and Bloc Global Services Group, which were in a joint venture; architect KPS Group Inc.; and sign manufacturer Fish Construction.
A trial was scheduled for Nov. 3, but mediation resulted in the settlement.
The flight information board, which was made of metal and glass and weighed as much as 400 pounds, was part of the $200 million airport renovation. The lawsuit said companies were negligent in designing and installing a sign that would fall over in an airport.
The sign and similar ones that had been installed at the airport are now gone from the terminal.
Family attorney Tom Dollar of Kansas City, Missouri, said the companies involved had agreed to make "concrete changes" to ensure that similar accidents don't occur again, but details weren't disclosed.
Dollar said the Birmingham Airport Authority is commissioning a memorial of the boy to be installed at the airport, and the family has created a foundation to honor Luke.
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subset: commoncrawl


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MDI Gurgaon Part Time PGPM 2015
MDI Gurgaon Part Time PGPM 2015
Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon has started the admission process for the session of 2015. The institute has invited applications for its part-time Post-Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM). The interested and eligible candidates may apply according to the prescribed format.
Eligibility criteria:
The candidates are required to have a Bachelor's degree in any field
This degree must be from a recognised university or institute
They must have a minimum score of 50 percent (or equivalent CGPA) in their qualifying degree
The candidates should have a minimum executive work experience of three years (excluding stipendiary/training period).
Application procedure: The candidates are required to apply online at the official website of MDI.
Application fee: The candidates have to pay a fee of Rs 1,800. The payment can be made through net banking, credit card or debit card.
Selection procedure: The applicants will be selected on the basis of their performance in the written test. Those who clear the test will be called for an interview round.
Important dates:
MDI Information Brochure along with Application Form available from June 2 to July 27
The last date for submitting applications is July 27
The entrance exam will be conducted on August 2
For more information visit : http://www.mdi.ac.in/


text: Vendeur: mr-medical (161.357) 100%, Lieu où se trouve: Brooklyn, New York, Lieu de livraison: Americas, Europe, Asia, AU, Numéro de l'objet: 123473795989 store Home About Us view all listings feedback customer service Contact Us 4 Pack Jobst UltraSheer Mild Compression Over-the-Calf Knee High M Classic Black Menu Categories Personal care Baby home & garden pet supplies sun care oral care feminine care beauty Newsletter Add our eBay store to your list of Favorites and receive our email newsletters about new items and exclusive deals and promotions! Sign Up Product Description Jobst UltraSheer is the perfect hosiery for any casual, work, or elegant occasion. Fine yarns for a sheer look. Wide, comfortable band that helps keep hosiery up. Sheer heel. Reinforced toe for added durability. Fabric Content: 81% Nylon, 19% Spandex, LATEX FREE Expiration Date Info: All products that have expiration dates will ship to the buyer a minimum of 6 months prior to expiration. Payment Payment method: Preferred / Accepted Credit or debit card through PayPal PayPal Preferred Immediate payment required for this item Shipping Terms Packages ship within 1-2 business days of payment being received. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate local pickups. We ship UPS FEDEX and USPS depending on your location We will provide you with a tracking number so that you can feel confident and comfortable with your purchase. Please Note: Packages are NOT shipped on Saturday or Sunday. Normal transit time is 4-6 business days. We cannot be held responsible for delays caused by carriers. Shipping time is estimated and not guaranteed Return Policy We have a 30 day return policy on any unopened product, it must be in new condition still sealed in their original manufacturers packaging, that was purchased from MrMedicalSales. There will be a 15% restocking fee on any return that was not due to an error made by MrMedicalSales. Some products may not be returnable for hygienic reasons Please contact customer service prior to making any return to obtain an RMA About Us Mr-medical is one of the preferred online Health&Beauty shopping stores deliver various offers, discounts on various products. We are devoted to our customers and put forth every endeavor to keeping them satisfied. Mr-medical facilitates small to large scale business with reasonable services to manage and market their business online. We offer several means of communication online such as direct email responses to help. Additionally, our staff is also arranged to help you on the phone. Contact Us To contact us please click here to message us through eBay store Home About Us view all listings feedback customer service Contact Us Copyright © 2017 Mr Medical . All rights reserved. eBay Template Design Condition: New, Brand: Jobst, MPN: Does not apply, Sold as Pack of: 4


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Going Back: The Inaugural Hall of Fame
Through the years, the Jolt Awards have evolved to reflect the changing landscape of the software industry. One of these changes was the introduction of the Hall of Fame to honor those products that the judges felt deserved special recognition. The first Hall of Fame Award was presented to NuMega's BoundsChecker in 1996. BoundsChecker was honored for consistent and serious content improvement, release after release; it was, hands-down, the product that developers should be using.
Hall of Fame inductees are consistent winners, whose high-quality has been proven and maintained over time, and are ineligible to compete in future Jolt competitions.
As one of the founders of the Jolt Awards reasoned, "When we enshrine a product in the virtual 'Hall of Fame,' we've said what we need to say about that product—that not only have individual releases of the product been excellent, but that the company has established its commitment to the product over time. Giving another version of that product another award is pointless—of course it's high quality, of course it's innovative. Whatever variations from that ideal we see should be treated not in the awards process, but in the monthly reviews." However, this rule gets a bit complicated when one considers that entire companies have been honored with Hall of Fame induction. Therefore, we've decided to no longer honor individual companies, because we want to continue to duly recognize their new products and innovations. And, if judges feel that there are no time-honored products in a calendar year, we will not bestow the Hall of Fame Award.
Ten outstanding companies and products have been inducted into the Jolt Hall of Fame since 1996.
2007 VMware Workstation (VMware)
2006 IBM developerWorks (IBM)
2005 Visual Studio Professional (Microsoft)
2004 Installshield (Macrovision)
2003 Dreamweaver (Macromedia)
2002 MSDN (Microsoft)
2001 Borland
2000 Visual SlickEdit (MicroEdge)
1999 O'Reilly and Associates
1998 Visio (Visio)
1997 Visual Basic (Microsoft)
1996 BoundsChecker (NuMega)


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Hi guys- what do you think of May 7 week? Possibly that Wednesday or Thursday.
Either one of those days should be ok for me.
I can do Wednesday but not Thursday.
What time? If the meeting in after 4:00 Pm then both days are fine for me.
Either day works fine for me ...
What time are we going to meet?
Hi Meena-
See inline:
Red Hat Sydney invites you to JBoss Sydney User Group
- When: Wednesday 9 May 2012, 5pm-7pm
- Where: Red Hat - Level 35, 100 Miller Street, North Sydney
Pizza & drinks provided
Please register here, so that we can send any updates: http://jbugsyd.eventbrite.com/


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But the reality is that Venezuela has no nuclear infrastructure in place. This will have to be built from scratch. What does this entail? It entails the development of an NRC-like body that can oversee nuclear development in the country, hire consultants from the outside and educate a new generation of nuclear, mechanical, electrical, safety and radiological engineers and experts to be able to build and run such a project.
All countries that currently enjoy nuclear energy have had to do this. As most of the 'blue prints' for this sort of development have already been established and are now under going a new growth in newer nuclear energy countries, it will be a slow, but wll understood process. The U.A.E, Jordan, Indonesia, Iran and Vietnam to name a few non-nuclear countries that are now in this middle of this process shows it can be done.
The World Nuclear Association has this to say about Venezuela's nuclear energy perspectives:
"The National Assembly is working on legislation which includes nuclear power as an option. The President announced in November 2007 that the country will pursue a nuclear power program, inspired by Brazil and Argentina. Late in 2008 he announced that this would be with Russian help, and the first unit would be in the northwestern province of Sulia. A civil nuclear cooperation agreement was signed with Russia in November 2008 and further nuclear agreements in April and October 2010. The country also has very close links with Iran.
"The last of these Russian agreements provides for construction of two nuclear reactors of 1200 MWe each and also for construction of a research reactor to produce radioisotopes, as well as relevant infrastructure and training. No timeline is set.
"The government has confirmed that Iran is assisting with geophysical surveys related to uranium exploration, but there is no mining. Unconfirmed reports in 2009 of uranium exports to Iran have been denied. A Canadian company, U3O8 Corp, is exploring for uranium in the Guyana part of the Roraima Basin, which straddles the border.
"The country had a small (3 MW) research reactor operating 1960-94, and in mid 2009 was discussing with Atomenergoprom the construction of another."
The Russian reactors are the most advanced of the older, well proven reactors Russia has built in the smaller MW outputs. India and China are both building the VVER reactors and so the learning curve is comng down, something the Venezuelan can take advantage of.
Venezuela has been blessed with a abundance of hydro electricity. Upwards of 70% of their electrical energy is derived from gravity produced power of water falls, of which Venezuela has an abundance of. But...even as the Venezuelan Revolution has advanced by nationalizing it's under-invested, poorly run *private* electrical companies, climate change is beginning to show it's ugly face in Venezuela today. Left-Atomics is particularly happy with this move as a large amount of that private electrical generation and grid were foreign owned. A combination of the long running "El Nino" weather patterns and climate change has reduced overall rain-fall throughout Venezuela's extensive rain forest areas, thus reducing enough of the country's electrical generation, exacerbating the shortages of energy throughout the country.
The revolutionary government there is pledged to make the Venezuelan electrical grid stronger and more robust. It is 'walking the walk' by investing heavily in grid upgrades and some fossil fuel power plants. Grid control and oversight now resides in both governmental boards and the workers who actually know the system best. The workers in this industry are heavily committed to Venezuela's socialist future, one that will have to rely on a better reliability, expansion and efficiencies both in generation, distribution AND in usage.
So why nuclear? Venezuela certainly has the fossil AND the hydro resources to allow fo the continued expansion of consumer (residential) and commercial/industrial load ("load" is th technical term of the process of "using electricity"). Cleary, with climate change, Venezuela's future hydro usage is somewhat questionable. It will never completely disappear but with the ever large swings in precipitation, the reliability of this energy for base load/on-demand-power is more and more in question. Additionally, almost all of the country's hydro power and future hydropower potential resides in the south and south-east of the country, the load, however, is in the north and north-west of the country (The Guyana Province of Venezuela, located in the south east of the country is also a big user, as this is the center of the country's steel industry). This makes it necessary to rely on very long transmission lines for all the hydro electricity produced, and, with counter-revolutionary sabotage a real and present danger, Venezuela's energy security is also a prime-motivation for dispersing the country's generation to a larger degree that what exists now.
Left-Atomics is not thrilled about the energy situation in Revolutionary Venezuela, especially seeing that more fossil fuel, mostly smaller diesel-electric generators, will be deployed. We are happy, however, that Venezuela is finally putting it's petro-dollars to good energy use with regard to the deployment of the two large Russian reactors. We don't know where they will be deployed or even if they will deployed in same sight location. But it will likely be a lot closer to the load that needs it, thus saving on transmission costs AND security costs and concerns.
Secondly, Venezuela is also concerned about "energy sovereignty," a term that is bandied about in the media. For Venezuela this takes on added meaning, as it does for countries like India and Iran. This energy sovereignty can only be achieved via a complete cutoff from US-original technology. The U.S. regularly uses these 'technology' strings to demand political concessions from those countries the US seeks to dominate, politically and economically. The US can simply end any sale of what it claims is its technology to any country based on "national security" grounds. This has stymied nuclear energy growth around the world as well as the development of nuclear energy technology in the U.S. itself since it artificially reduces markets to fit the political schema of the U.S. State and Defense departments.
Thus, going with Russia, which is generally immune from such pressures, seems like a smart idea given Venezuela's own anti-Imperialist foreign and domestic policy.
The two VVER 1200 reactors would provide 2400 MWs of on demand base load power for the country's growing electrical load. It is, however, less than 8% of the total load the country uses. Would this portend the development of future reactors in other locations around the nation? We won't know until the Chavez government lays out a more specific program for deploying nuclear energy under the aegis of the Bolivarian Revolution.


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Jury deliberates in horse cloning, registry battle
AMARILLO — A federal jury in Texas has begun deliberations in a case that pits breeders who clone horses against a pre-eminent registry that refuses to list cloned animals.
The jury started deliberations late Friday and will resume on Monday, The Amarillo Globe News reported (http://bit.ly/18FoLoV)
The outcome of the lawsuit, filed in 2012 against the American Quarter Horse Association by Panhandle rancher Jason Abraham and Amarillo veterinarian Gregg Veneklasen, is being closely watched by horse breeder groups nationwide because a ruling could set a precedent. Currently, no U.S. horse-breeder groups list cloned animals.
Abraham and Veneklasen argue the association's refusal to list cloned horses gives it a monopoly over the elite, multimillion dollar quarter horse industry.
Their attorney, Nancy Stone, said in closing arguments that her clients' horses cannot compete because they are barred from the registry. She said the rule violates federal and state anti-trust laws.
Sam Stein, another attorney for the plaintiffs', told jurors the association is stacked with officials whose own horses compete in major racing events.
"They want to exclude the horses from competition because it doesn't jibe with their economic interests," Stein said.
The association's lawyers have said that while it costs about $150,000 to clone a horse, a clone doesn't come from a registered mother and father, which is one of the group's rules for listing. The association does list horses that have been bred using artificial insemination, frozen semen and cooled semen.
Wade Arnold, an attorney for the association, told jurors the group has a right to set its own rules. He said some of the 280,000 members oppose cloning for moral reasons.
"Our members ought to have the right to make their own decisions," Arnold said. "Our members have reasonable and legitimate reasons to oppose those proposals."
The association is responsible for issuing and maintaining pedigree records for American quarter horses. There are thousands of sanctioned races annually that amounted last year to $131.5 million in purse money.


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The John F. Kennedy High School Alumni Organization
OUR MISSION is to serve as the means for alumni to promote and strengthen relationships with one another as well as the John F. Kennedy High School, its students, and the Edgewood Independent School District.
OUR VISION is to advance the educational and professional opportunities of students and alumni by providing resources, programs and services that promote the ability of students and alumni to reach their maximum potential. Specifically we intend to work collectively to celebrate the legacy of John F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy High School by providing support to its students in the form of mentoring opportunities, scholarships and other gifts to enhance education opportunities.
WE BELIEVE in the following core values and will work to promote their integration into the activities we undertake as an organization: learning, participation, quality, camaraderie, strategic alliances, inclusion, integrity, leadership, and service.
We invite you to our business dinner meetings held every third Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m., location to be determined at each meeting. We are always looking for new members to join!
Events we have been involved with in the past include: BBQ plate fundraisers, The celebration of the Forty Year Anniversary of the school; pre-game Tailgate Party at a homecoming/home game with free food, drinks and entertainment for all students, parents and friends; sponsored families from JFK and surrounding area during Christmas with gifts and food; Christmas Breakfast for teachers, staff and custodial; a Teacher's Luncheon during Teacher's Appreciation Week; sponsoring activities at the school for the students; and scholarships for one or more deserving JFK seniors. Annual Scholarship dance to raise scholarship funds.
In 2010, we started the Student Assistance Program (SAP) within our organization to help the EISD Homeless Liaison. In 2011, we had our first Golf Tournament to assist SAP. We continue to have fundraisers to support the students at JFK HS for several programs which includes funding for caps and gowns, purchase shoes, clothing and school supplies.
Also for the last several years, we have participated in the Fiesta de los Niño's Fiesta event at Port San Antonio as another fundraiser to acquire funds for some of the programs that we obtain materials for.
Of course, all of this is dependent on our annual fundraisers and membership efforts. This is why we are soliciting your support NOW! This coming year we want to do more and raise more money, but we NEED YOU! We need your ideas and participation, so please join us in making this organization even greater by helping us help our future citizens as we give back to our school. Our membership dues are JUST $15.00 for a calendar year. You are always welcomed to visit, come and JOIN US!
Starting this year and forward, the school will celebrate 50 years of existence and each class now will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary of which this organization will try to do some type of celebration.
For further information, please contact one of the following officers:
President: Ernest Moreno, Class '67, Ph: 210-380-6903
Vice-President: Joe Mateo, Class '67, Ph: 210-823-7815Secretary: Angie Rocha, Class '67
Treasurer: Joe Gomez, Ph: 210-559-6454
Sergeant-at-Arms/Parliamentarian: Sylvia Fernandez, Class '69, Ph: 210-865-8871


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Aimee Mullins
Aimee Mullins is an athlete, model and actress from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mullins was born without fibula bones in both legs and has required prosthetic legs since the age of one. At seventeen Mullins became the youngest holder of top level security at the Pentagon after receiving a scholarship at the Department of Defence.
While attending Georgetown University, Mullins competed against able-bodied athletes in NCAA Division I track and field events. She competed in the Paralympics in Atlanta in 1996, running the 100-meter dash in 17.01 seconds and jumped 3.14 meters in the long-jump. She became famous for her 'cheetah' legs, which appeared on the cover of Intelligent Design.
After appearing in a Nick Knight-shot story entitled Fashion-able in 1998, Mullins went on to model for Alexander McQueen's Spring/Summer 1999 show, for which she wore a pair of legs hand-carved from solid ash. She has also worked as an actor, starring in films such as Cremaster 3.
Mullins lives in New York City and continues to speak at conferences around the world on the subject of body image and attitudes to disability.
Recent Thoughts
Fashion Fetish
At the moment of fetish perfection, when the 'ball goes into the hole,' the fetishy mind lights up like a candelabra.
- Aimee Mullins posts an article.
- Aimee Mullins features in a project.
- Aimee Mullins features in a project.
- Aimee Mullins creates an interview.


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Welcome to a very autumnal edition of Wedding Wednesday! Sorry things have been erratic here, we launched some changes to the site over the weekend (YAY) so things should be back to normal on the blog (more on that later). This week, Rebecca of Tastefully Entertaining and I selected a lovely yellow and burgandy bridal shower invitation - perfect for fall.
row 1
fall florals float atop cranberries in this stunning tabletop vase, our inspiring invitation, this field of flowers makes for a wonderful location
row 2
lemon tarts with raspberries are a colorful and appropriate dish to serve, delicious favours and a beautiful bouquet from the talented Anne Ruthmann
row 3
a marvelous modern tablecloth (love that yellow cake stand, too), raspberry lemon drop cocktail, izze sparkling beverages [via packaging world]
Be sure to check out Rebecca's take on this wonderful autumnal bridal shower. Here are two of my favourite selections. Looks like she won the coveted best cake award this week!


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Nov 28, 2012
YORK, Pa. – The York College men's and women's swimming teams will be raising money for Breast Cancer during their home meet this Friday night against Salisbury and Goucher at 6 pm.
The Spartans will be asking that everyone who attends the meet will donate one dollar as an entrance fee.
The York College sorority AST will also be assisting the teams with the event.
Come out to watch some great swimming and show your support for a great cause.
For more information please contact head coach Erin Kurtz.


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NM Tech undergrad takes second at AMP research competition, Nov. 11, 2005
by George Zamora
LAS CRUCES, Nov. 11, 2005 – New Mexico Tech student researcher Henry Jauregui earned second place in the oral presentation competition at the New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation's (AMP) Annual Undergraduate Student Research Conference, which was held recently on the New Mexico State University campus.
Jauregui, a physics major at New Mexico Tech, was among the 69 student competitors who gave presentations on their current faculty mentored research projects.
Jauregui's presentation included an overview of research work he was directly involved with this past summer at the University of Michigan through the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.
During his summer stay at Ann Arbor, Jauregui worked alongside University of Michigan researchers at the school's Wireless Integrated Micro-Systems Engineering Research Center on developing a device called the Micro-Machined Acoustic Ejector Array (MACE), which can be used for propulsion as well as cooling applications. In addition, he also worked on a micro-pump designed to be used in a miniaturized gas chromatograph.
Jauregui's specific research work included testing for resonance frequencies in the systems, measuring air velocity and thrust, and testing for cooling capabilities.
Jauregui's involvement this past summer with the ongoing research project at the University of Michigan has also resulted in his submitting a research paper to the Institute for Electric and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Micro-Electronic Mechanical Systems (MEMS) international conference, which will be held later this year in Turkey.
New Mexico AMP is a partnership formed among the state's public two-year post-secondary institutions and the state-supported four-year universities that is designed to increase enrollment and graduation rates of underrepresented ethnic minorities in the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.


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Engagement = success - How to host the perfect webinar #3 | Webinars #GRTalks
We're talking about maximizing your audience engagement during your ebinars. You've already taken in tons of suggestions about keeping your audience engaged during your webinars -- but it's important enough that we have even more to add to this topic.
- Attendees will generally stay tuned in to a webinar for about 50 minutes
- The best days for attendance have been found to be Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Attendees have come to expect a dedicated Q&A session at the end of the webinar. Many attendees will also enjoy participating via dedicated Twitter chats or hashtags.
- On-demand webinar recordings are quickly becoming the norm


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The FIFA World Cup occurs just once every four years. But for the country awarded the privilege of hosting the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, the work begins long before the first kickoff.
For the 2010 World Cup, held June 11 through July 11 in stadiums throughout South Africa, preparation began when the country was awarded the competition, approximately six years ago. Almost immediately, builders, city planners, government officials, production companies, marketers, and brand executives sprang into action. With the sports world looking to South Africa, the demand for compelling, high- quality animation and visual effects content increased dramatically.
Stepping into the field of play was Ministry of Illusion (MOI), a company with more than a decade of experience creating visuals for award-winning features, television series, commercials, and music videos out of its Johannesburg studio. "Our involvement in creating visual effects and 2D and 3D animation for FIFA World Cup projects started in 2007 with live-event graphics for the Preliminary Draw event, and completely snowballed from there," says MOI senior producer Elena Nicolettis. The depth and breadth of work MOI undertook in connection with the World Cup is impressive; ultimately, the staff was able to deliver under tight deadlines, overcome demanding creative tasks, and navigate through complex workflows.
With its skilled artistic team and a comprehensive tool set for visual effects, the company ended up creating content for 100 television commercials, one broadcast package, and even live-event graphics for the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw, Final Draw, Closing Ceremonies, and other FIFA World Cup-related special venue projects.
To help move the projects along, MOI's 12-person in-house animation team turned to Autodesk's Maya, while the company's remaining crew (compositors, VFX supervisors, editors, machine-room and multimedia operators, audio final mixers and composers, and producers) utilized Autodesk Flame, Flint, and Smoke stations. MOI's involvement with the World Cup created a tremendous opportunity for the company to push itself creatively and technically with results in terms of sheer volume and effects artistry.
South African-based Ministry of Illusion created numerous projects for the World Cup that incorporated local wildlife (below) and landmarks (above) into the scenes.
"We're a team of 37 people, and part of why we're able to push through such a high volume of work is our efficient and reliable pipeline," says Marios Nicolettis, MOI founder and VFX supervisor. "We've been using Autodesk digital entertainment creation tools since we started the company in 2000, and we complete 170 to 200 commercials a month. The big challenge for us, especially in relation to the World Cup, was time to completion. We have a complex and fast-moving creative workflow, where multiple artists collaborate on projects. We can't waste time troubleshooting technical problems or translating files between different software applications. We need a fast, efficient, and reliable workflow that lets us concentrate on being creative."
MOI first got involved with FIFA when developing graphics to screen on the Jumbotron during the Preliminary Draw, an event that takes place far in advance of the World Cup itself, whereby 100-plus countries compete to qualify for 32 World Cup team slots. For this event, FIFA wanted to integrate 3D visualizations of the nine impressive new soccer stadiums that were under construction throughout the country in preparation for the main event. Since the venues were not yet built, MOI used Maya to create photoreal animated CG renderings of stadiums in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Pretoria, and Rustendburg, and composited them into live-action aerial footage using Flame and Smoke.
The FIFA World Cup Final Draw is another qualifying event marking the announcement of the 32 teams selected to play in the World Cup. For that, MOI worked with director Ian Wilson of The Front Production Company to create a video insert into which live-action footage of native African animals appear to play a game of football in the Kruger National Park. MOI's team achieved the spot's compositing and tracking using Flame, and built the CG ball handled by several of the animals in Maya. The artists also had to perform extensive rotoscoping, tracking, 3D enhancement, and clean-up, as many of the animals were filmed in captivity, requiring cage walls and fences to be painted out. In addition, since only two of the 15 animals featured were filmed with actual soccer balls, CG balls were added into several scenes. The resulting video insert is both amusing and technically impressive, with effects so photoreal that audiences might believe that this game actually took place.
One of the more challenging projects on the road to the World Cup was a four-minute video showcasing the newly announced qualifying teams. "I was in Cape Town, where the Final Draw was taking place, while our animation and VFX teams were in Johannesburg editing footage, preparing graphics, and inserting clips into our spot treatment on the fly as the teams were being selected. It was quite challenging to construct the clips, capturing the exact moments from hours of soccer gameplay footage to meet FIFA's specifications," says M. Nicolettis.
Before the World Cup event even started, MOI crafted graphics for the Preliminary Draw qualifier (top left). The facility also integrated renderings of the stadiums, which were under construction, into the landscape (top right) for Preliminary Draw marketing campaigns.
In the end, the 2010 FIFA qualifying video was a great success. The clip showcased all the represented countries and included an all-CG flyover of Earth that zeroed in on frames of the selected soccer teams against well-known South African rock art textures. This sequence ultimately became a visual signature that was used as a graphic element throughout the FIFA 2010 Final Draw.
MOI also worked on another FIFA World Cup-related project, a 30-spot ad campaign for MTN, a leading South African cellular network that is preparing to promote brand awareness and football spirit during the event. The commercials involved extensive compositing, with MOI artists working around the clock to deliver a record number of spots in a short time frame. These spots involved extensive finishing and 3D compositing work, which included the creation of digital fireworks and confetti, digitally re-creating the bright-purple blossoming of jacaranda trees, digital crowd enhancement, and more.
MOI's CG work in connection with the FIFA World Cup also extended into custom broadcast identities created for SABC (South Africa's national host broadcaster), which runs three television channels in 11 languages. SABC needed graphic identities, network bumpers, promotional spots, and more. MOI answered that call by building and animating all 3D elements in Maya during a four-week time frame and compositing the clips, some consisting of hundreds of layers, in Flame.
"The compatibility between the Autodesk creative finishing applications has helped us tremendously. We can easily pass entire Action setups between Flame and Smoke, allowing artists to better collaborate," says M. Nicolettis.
MOI's World Cup work wasn't just limited to the small screen. Using Maya, the artists created 3D graphics for promotional billboards and in-show stage projections for a live-theater production based on the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "The Boys in the Photograph." The show takes place during Ireland's Civil War, and tells the story of the fates and fortunes of a Belfast soccer team. It opened May 23 and runs through mid-August at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre.
When asked about the most exciting aspect of working on FIFA World Cup projects, MOI's M. Nicolettis responds, "[FIFA World Cup] has completely revitalized production in South Africa, and has brought a renewed energy and enthusiasm to virtually all market sectors. For us, a highlight was getting to go to Zurich to pitch FIFA and Host Broadcast Services (HBS) for the production of the animations, teasers, break bumpers, and replay wipes that were broadcast internationally during the event. It was amazing not only to present to the heads of FIFA and HBS, but it's also been one of the pinnacles of our careers."
The closing-ceremony graphics were based on treatments that MOI developed for VWV, the event production company hired by the South African Organizing Committee and FIFA. Screens were placed behind performers and athletes, and 16 minutes of custom graphics and design elements were created to run as projections during and between acts. The graphics were delivered both as 3200 x 3200 QuickTime animation files to be projected during the live event, and in HD directly to broadcasters to use as cutaways in their own edits of the closing ceremony.
E. Nicolettis notes, "We have an incredible team of talent, and with the reliability of our pipeline, the artists can focus on making art, rather than getting their systems up to speed to support 2k files."
As this article was going to press, MOI was putting the finishing touches on closing-ceremony graphics and also creating identifier clips for HBS for each of the 1800 shots of players in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. HBS is supplying MOI with 10-second clips of each player, which needed to be rotoscoped and composited onto a consistent FIFA-themed background, all within a span of 10 days. The team anticipates that every Flame, Smoke, and Flint operator at MOI will composite 100 to 200 sequences per day in order to meet the 10-day turnaround window. These clips then will be broadcast to introduce lineups for upcoming matches both in the stadium and on television.
E. Nicolettis summed up MOI's World Cup experience: "FIFA World Cup has created a huge boon for the production, graphics, and visual effects industry in South Africa. There is a lot of airtime to fill, and screen space across the country requires hours of visual content. Artists at MOI have been working non-stop to contribute visual effects and design content. We operate like a well-oiled machine and have to keep the schedule and pipeline tight to stay on top of the current load. We're very excited that World Cup football is bringing so much focus to South Africa and allowing us to have our work viewed on the world stage."


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Wyclef Jean 'Grazed' by Bullet in Haiti, Released from Hospital
Gawker's favorite New Jersey humanitarian, Wyclef Jean, was shot in the hand at a political rally for Haitian presidential candidate, musician Michel Martelly last night. But he's okay! According to Wyclef's spokesperson, "He was shot in the hand last night. He was released from the hospital. He's fine now. It happened late yesterday night and he was released after a couple hours." She added that the bullet "just grazed his hand."


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Hubble Sees a Galaxy Hit a Bull's-Eye
Bright pink nebulae almost completely encircle a spiral galaxy in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 922. The ring structure and the galaxy's distorted spiral shape result from a smaller galaxy scoring a cosmic bull's-eye, hitting the center of NGC 922 some 330 million years ago.
NGC 922's current unusual form is the result of a cosmic collision with a smaller galaxy named 2MASXI J0224301-244443, which plunged right through the heart of NGC 922 and shot out the other side. As the smaller galaxy passed through the middle of NGC 922, it set up gravitational ripples that disrupted the clouds of gas and triggered the formation of new stars whose radiation then lit up the remaining gas. The bright pink color of the resulting nebulae is a characteristic sign of this process and is emitted by excited hydrogen gas (the dominant element in interstellar gas clouds).
Hubble's image of NGC 922 consists of a series of exposures taken in visible light with the Wide Field Camera 3, and in visible and near-infrared light with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. NGC 922 lies 157 million light-years away from Earth.
For images and more information about NGC 922, visit:
For additional information, contact:
Oli Usher
Garching, Germany


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Health, Board of[Record group 37]
- Alternative/Former Names
- Health, Board of
Agency Function
- This office has been superceded by the Board of Health, as reconstituted under the City-County Consolidation Act of 1854.
- Agency History
- Under an Act of April 22, 1794, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania authorized the establishment of a quarantine station for the Port of Philadelphia, a Health Office, and a public hospital for contagious diseases, all under the control of twenty-four "Inspectors of the Health Office," fourteen of whom were chosen by the city of Philadelphia and five each by the District of Southwark and the Northern Liberties (Section 18 of this act refers to a number of other Acts, passed 1770-1774, intended to provide protection against the introduction of contagious diseases through the port.) By an Act of April 1, 1803 these properties and functions were assigned to the then-established Board of Health, a body incorporated independently of the City and County. Its five members, three from the City and one each from the Districts of Southwark and the Northern Liberties, were appointed by the Governor to one year terms. No more than two of the members could be physicians. This Act also empowered the Board to remove all nuisances prejudicial to public health and provided that a tax might be levied to support its functions in the City, Southwark, the Northern Liberties and the Township of Moyamensing, all of whose citizens were eligible for admission to the hospital.
An Act of March 25, 1813 limited members' terms to three successive years. An Act of March 13, 1817 increased the membership to eleven, six of whom were elected by the Select and Common Councils of the City, three of whom were elected by the Commissioners of Northern Liberties Township and the Commissioners of Spring Garden, and two of whom were elected by the Commissioners of Southwark and Moyamensing, with no term limitations. By mutual agreement the Commissioners of Northern Liberties and Spring Garden agreed that two members would be elected by the Commissioners of Northern Liberties Township and one member would be elected by the Commissioners of Spring Garden. An Act of January 29, 1818 changed the membership to six members from Philadelphia, two from Northern Liberties District, one from Penn Township (chosen by the Commissioners of Spring Garden), one from Southwark and one from Moyamensing. An Act of March 6, 1820 added one member from Kensington, and an Act of April 30, 1844 added one additional member each from Kensington, Spring Garden and Southwark. An Act of February, 17, 1847 added Penn District to the Board's jurisdiction. An Act of February 3, 1848 added one member each from Penn District and Richmond. An Act of April 5, 1849 staggered terms of three years, six members for one year (two from the City and four from the districts and townships), six for two years (two from the City and four from the districts and townships and five for three years (two from the City and three from the districts and townships). An Act of April 5, 1849 added a member from West Philadelphia. An Act of March 25, 1850 provided that the term of the member from West Philadelphia would end in 1852.
The City-County Consolidation Act of 1854 vested the Board's estate in the City under the control of City Councils and directed that the voters of each ward elect one citizen to sit upon the Board. Some confusion concerning the City's Authority over the Board was resolved by an Act of March 16, 1855 which clearly designated it a normal branch of City government.
- Archival Records
- 37.1 Minutes (1795-1854)
37.2 Papers (1809-1854)
37.3 Letter Book (1820-1836)
37.4 Public Notices (1802-1807)
37.5 Reports and Publications (1848-1854)
37.6 Treasurer's Ledger (1796-1817)
37.7 Treasurer's Miscellaneous Receipt Book (1800-1854)
37.8 Treasurer's Journal (1824-1854)
37.9 Memorandum Debts Ledger (1832-1845)
37.10 Bill Book (1849-1854)
37.11 Accounts, Lazaretto Hospital (1794-1800)
37.12 Journal, Lazaretto and City Hospital (1798-1804)
37.13 Accounts, Lazaretto Steward (1794-1801)
37.14 Day Book, Lazaretto and Lazaretto Hospital (1798-1801)
37.15 Inventories of Goods and Chattels, Lazaretto (1803-1854, (missing 1846-1854))
37.16 Birth Total Returns (1839-1854)
37.17 Register, City Hospital (1840-1854)
37.18 Interments, Blockley, Francisville & Cherry Hill Burial Grounds (1819-1836)
37.19 Cemetery Returns (1803-1854, missing 1836)
37.20 Vessels, Foreign Ports Register (1825-1848)
37.21 Vessels, Coastwise Register (1809-1824)
37.22 Rain Gauge Accounts (1819-1838)
37.23 Privy Well Measurer's Book (1852-1854)
37.24 Laws Relating to the Board of Health, and Rules and Regulations Adopted by the Board (1848, 1858)
Click on a folder or file to return to that level...
PhILS Home
City Agencies
Current Agency Information Sheet. (Text-only version of this page)
Send your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com
Last updated on November 8, 2000


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Visit the Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival from 7 to 8 September 2019
The 2019 Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival in association with Seajacks UK Ltd will take place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September.
The famous Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival is a fantastic free two-day event found on historic South Quay with ships to go aboard, live shanty folk music, fun street theatre exhibitions and demonstrations for visitors to explore. Take a look at the pages below to see boats and entertainment that visited us last year.
Watch this space as we update things to see and do for 2019!
Join in the fun at the Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival
Join in the fun at Great Yarmouth's most prestigious annual event on Great Yarmouth's historic South Quay and celebrate the town's maritime past, present and future. It is the best weekend in September to take time out and explore the town, starting with a great free festival.
Ships at the Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival
The Maritime Festival is always a riot of colour with ships and boats flying colourful bunting from their masts. Watch this space to see which vessels will visit the festival this year.
Shanty Music at the Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival
Three different stages will host a huge variety of live folk music and sea shanty songs at the Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival, performed live by bands from all over the UK and Europe.
Visit the Heritage Quarter
Come along to the Heritage Quarter and help to celebrate the centenary year of the end of the First World War.
Demonstrators & Exhibitions at Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival
Packed marquees with demonstrations and exhibitions are set up all along historic South Quay for Maritime Festival visitors to see. Maritime related craft and charity stalls have all sorts of things to buy. Visitors can also try their hand at some traditional maritime skills on the demonstration stands. Festival-goers also enjoy street entertainment and fun children's activities.
Come on down to the FREE Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September 2019 on South Quay, Great Yarmouth.
Email eNewsletter
Join our e-news gang for information about what's on in Greater Yarmouth straight to your inbox!
What's On Special Offers 2019
Save money in Greater Yarmouth with the What's On guide. More than £150 to be saved!
Great Yarmouth App
Download the all new Greater Yarmouth app for iPhone and Android - tourist information to hand all the time!


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In Reading
In Reading we offer a wide range of accommodation options. Our halls provide you with a home away from home from where you will find yourself part of a supportive community.
Each hall has its own distinctive character offering a safe and secure environment in which to study, socialise and relax.
Here are some of the benefits of living in halls:
• Great location – All accommodation is either on, or within easy distance of campus.
• Range of accommodation options – Choose from different room types, two residency periods and catered or self-catered options.
• All inclusive rent – Includes utility bills, a basic level of contents insurance, maintenance, communal cleaning and internet access.
• Safe and secure – The halls have security patrols and CCTV. Each group of halls has a manned reception.
• Welfare support – A dedicated and experienced team of on-site staff wardens to take care of all aspects of pastoral care.
• 'Halls hotline' – Available 24/7, 365 days ensuring any halls related issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
• Community – Communal areas and Hall JCR Committees help create a sense of community and ensure a friendly and sociable environment – a great place to meet new friends!
Please note that the 40-week (Oct-June) hall fee applies to MSc International Shipping and Finance students that are offered a place in student halls. Alternatively, students may consider private accommodation.
For more detailed information about individual Halls, the accommodation guarantee and application process please visit the University's accommodation web pages.


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Manti Te'o is in the process of giving his first interview since this week's shocking news broke that the story of his girlfriend dying during his senior season at Notre Dame was a hoax. But it's an interview that is likely to raise more questions than answers.
ESPN confirmed on Friday night that Te'o was sitting down with reporter Jeremy Schaap. That Schaap was chosen as the first interviewer Te'o would sit with is not surprising, as reports surfaced this week that Schaap and Te'o would be sitting down together.
But what is surprising is that ESPN also confirmed that Schaap and Te'o are having an off-camera interview. That is bizarre. ESPN is a TV network and Schaap is a TV interviewer. Obviously, ESPN would prefer to get his interview on camera, so that must have been a demand from Te'o and his camp. But why, if Te'o is simply an innocent victim of a hoax — as he and Notre Dame have insisted is the case — wouldn't he want to face the cameras and tell the whole truth?
Even more surprising is that ESPN released a photo of Schaap sitting down with Te'o and Te'o's attorney. If Te'o is simply an innocent victim of a hoax, why does he need to have an attorney present before he can answer any questions?
Also odd is that Te'o decided to do this on a Friday night: It's right out of the damage control P.R. playbook to put out damaging information on a Friday evening and hope that the information will get lost in the weekend's news. But, again: If Te'o is simply an innocent victim of a hoax, what damaging information is this interview going to uncover?
We simply don't know, and until we hear what Schaap and Te'o talked about, we'll have more questions than answers.
And with this bizarre story, it's safe to say that even after we hear what Schaap and Te'o talked about, we'll have more questions than answers.


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MIDDLEBURY — Cassandra Gekas has spent the past few years lobbying state politicians for health care reform as a representative of Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG).
Now the Montpelier Democrat is seeking to become one of those being lobbied in the Vermont Statehouse — as lieutenant governor. Gekas, 30, is challenging incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott this November.


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California Department of Transportation
Date: June 17, 2011
District: Headquarters - Sacramento
Contact: Tamie McGowen
Phone: (916) 657-5060
Earthquake Technology Developed by Caltrans and Federal Government being Deployed for Nuclear Power Plants in Japan and Around the World
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) today announced that technology developed by Caltrans and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to immediately prioritize bridge inspections after an earthquake is being used to monitor nuclear power plants in Japan and around the world.
ShakeCast is a software application that uses ground sensors to analyze earthquake shaking data in relation to the performance characteristics of a bridge or other structure. This allows responders to prioritize inspections within minutes of an earthquake. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is using ShakeCast to monitor potential damage to nuclear facilities in Japan following the earthquake that occurred there in March. The IAEA is also using ShakeCast to monitor close to 200 nuclear power plants around the world.
"I am proud that this innovative technology is helping aid the response to the tragedy in Japan," said Caltrans Acting Director Malcolm Dougherty. "In the event of an earthquake, ShakeCast helps protect people by allowing us to efficiently and accurately prioritize bridge inspections. Now, it can help emergency responders around the globe to more effectively respond to earthquakes."
Following an earthquake, one of Caltrans' most critical tasks is to assess the condition of bridges and roadways. In the past, inspection teams had difficulty setting priorities because they lacked precise information about where the worst shaking and, most likely, the greatest damage had occurred.
"The California Emergency Management Agency works tirelessly with partners like Caltrans and the United States Geological Survey to prepare for and respond to any natural or man-made disaster," said Cal EMA Acting Secretary Mike Dayton. "It's all about saving lives and property. This technology is a vital addition to those efforts, and I'm pleased it's already helping people in Japan cope with the devastating losses there."
ShakeCast has already proved to be a valuable tool for Caltrans. During the 7.2 Calexico earthquake in Southern California in April 2010, ShakeCast identified the only bridge damaged in this event as the top priority for inspection.
ShakeCast is also being employed by other public agencies throughout California. The Los Angeles Unified School District, for example, is using it to improve earthquake monitoring and emergency response for over 1000 school buildings.
Caltrans recently executed a new three-year contract with the USGS to continue the development of ShakeCast. The new version will incorporate improved bridge models and will include assessment of soil liquefaction and landslide hazards to roadways after earthquakes.
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