text:
Course Title: Prepare production costing estimates
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2009
Course Code: BUSM6141C
Course Title: Prepare production costing estimates
School: 320T Design (TAFE)
Campus: Brunswick Campus
Program: C5186 - Diploma of Printing and Graphic Arts (Digital Production)
Course Contact : Garry Amy
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 9444
Course Contact Email:email@example.com
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Nominal Hours: 50
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
Basic knowledge of the printing industry
Course Description
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to cost and estimate production processes
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title:
ICPSU553A Prepare production costing estimates
1. Identify costing estimate requirements
Performance Criteria:
1.1 Labour hours, times and other statistics required are identified and applied in calculations
Learning Outcomes
1. Identify costing estimate requirements
1.1 Labour hours, times and other statistics required are identified and applied in calculations
1.2 Available machine hours are identified and applied in calculations
1.3 Economic batch sizes are identified
1.4 Material requirements are identified and applied in calculations
2. Prepare costing estimates
2.1 Costing estimates are calculated using material, labour and machine costs
2.2 Cost estimate details are calculated
3. Compare estimates with actual costs
3.1 Actual costs are compared with estimates
3.2 Costing basis is adjusted as appropriate
Details of Learning Activities
Discussion and presentation of theory of how cost rates are calculated.
Calculations using a calculator.
Printing processes being used.
Production estimates using formulas for hourly rates, paper sheet sizes, Ink colours, Printing processes, machines available and the maximum and minimum sheet sizes of each machine.
Using work book.
Students practice, reading, interpreting, preparing for estimates.
Supervisor feed back.
Research activities. E.g. Library based research using the web, text and AV.
Keeping a log book
Apply the range of relevant OH&S Legislation, policies and practices in the work area.
Other activities, eg:
reading notes, answering questions, and taking part in discussion groups.
Teaching Schedule
Description of what is contained in an estimate
Calculation of an hourly cost rate
Several estimates are calculated accurately to industry standards involving all aspects of the job.
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
• List of Machine hourly rates, Types and sizes of paper, Ink calculation formulae, list of printing machines and there printing speeds.
Other Resources
Overview of Assessment
The student will do an hourly cost rate estimate and several production cost estimates which will involve all aspects of production in the printing industry as well as questioning throughout the subject. The estimates will be calculated by the student working on their own. Assessment will be done collectively in class or individually.
Assessment Tasks
Calculate an hourly cost rate
Prepare several production cost estimates accurately according to industry standards.
Assessment Matrix
This course will be graded as 'Competent' (PX) or 'Not yet competent' (NYC)
Course Overview: Access Course Overview


text:
Klientská podpora: (+357) 22314160
CS upped their Q4 US GDP estimate to +3.2%
Dow +34.17 at 11491.64, Nasdaq +17.22 at 2634.44, S&P +5.63 at 1240.86
IMF: Strauss-Kahn saying if Europe crisis worsens, might have to adjust aid. Ireland package will work.
IMF: Strauss-Kahn says US will not double dip but outlook is uncertain and growth could slow.
Moody's Investors Service today put Greece's local government and foreign currency-denominated bonds on watch for a possible downgrade, despite the country's "significant progress in implementing a very large fiscal consolidation effort."
US DATA: Dec Philly Fed data show prices paid 51.2, new orders 14.6 vs 10.4, employment 5.1 vs 13.3.
Before the bell: U.S. stocks were poised to open little changed Thursday morning, ahead of reports on labor and housing.
US DATA: Nov housing starts +3.9% to 555k, about as expected, reflecting +6.9% 1-fam to 465k and -18.2% in 5+ units.
US DATA: Initial jobless claims -3k to 420k in Dec 11 wk, in line with expectations.
EU session review: Euro advances before EU leaders meet to tackle crisis-fighting mechanism
Oil holds firm at $88, focus on eurozone concerns
EU focus: Dollar firm but lacks punch, euro drifts at lows
EU: November ex-energy/food/alc/tobacco HICP +1.1% y/y
EU: Eurozone consumer price inflation came to +0.1% m/m and +1.9% y/y
REACT: GBP/USD posts a day's high of $1.5606 on steady Retails Sales data and now buoyed as euro-sterling edges back down to stg0.8492
UK: Nov retail sales ex fuel +0.3% m/m; +1.8% y/y
UK: Nov Retail Sales inc. fuel +0.3% m/m; +1.1% y/y
SNB HILDEBRAND: Deflation threat declined despite higher Chf
Asian session: The dollar traded near high
ECB STARK: Germany should not have tax cuts 2011-12
Schedule for today, Thursday, Dec'16'2010:
|remaining time till the new event being published
Market Focus
All posted material is a marketing communication solely for informational purposes and reliance on this may lead to loss. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Please read our full disclaimer.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Truespend at Strategic Procurement and Contracting Conference MENA 2012!
Joonas Jantunen from Truespend will be a speaker at the annual Strategic Procurement and Contracting Conference MENA 2012 which will be held in Dubai on 25th to 28th of November 2012!
The event is a unique strategic level conference aimed at leveraging the cost reduction initiatives of today's Organizations and delivering sustainable value for customers to excel in a post-crisis world.
Truespend will be highlighting the importance and value of managing indirect procurement, how medium and large sized companies in the region should invest into this often complex spend area and what options they have to gain access to large hidden cost savings in indirect spend.
The event will be held in Dusit Thani Hotel, Dubai, UAE.
November 25-28, 2012.
Link to the event:


text:
- Research
- Open Access
Quasilinear boundary value problem with impulses: variational approach to resonance problem
- Pavel Drábek1, 2 and
- Martina Langerová2Email author
© Drábek and Langerová; licensee Springer. 2014
- Received: 5 December 2013
- Accepted: 7 March 2014
- Published: 24 March 2014
This paper deals with the resonance problem for the one-dimensional p-Laplacian with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions and with nonlinear impulses in the derivative of the solution at prescribed points. The sufficient condition of Landesman-Lazer type is presented and the existence of at least one solution is proved. The proof is variational and relies on the linking theorem.
- quasilinear impulsive differential equations
- Landesman-Lazer condition
- variational methods
- critical point theory
- linking theorem
1 Introduction
where is a spectral parameter and , , is a given right-hand side.
For this problem is considered in [1] where the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a solution of (1) and (2) is given. In fact, in the so-called resonance case, we introduce necessary and sufficient conditions of Landesman-Lazer type in terms of the impulse functions , , and the right-hand side f. They generalize the Fredholm alternative for linear problem (1) with .
In this paper we focus on a quasilinear equation with and look just for sufficient conditions. We point out that there are principal differences between the linear case () and the nonlinear case (). In the linear case, we could benefit from the Hilbert structure of an abstract formulation of the problem. It could be treated using the topological degree as a nonlinear compact perturbation of a linear operator. However, in the nonlinear case, completely different approach must be chosen in the resonance case. Our variational proof relies on the linking theorem (see [2]), but we have to work in a Banach space since the Hilbert structure is not suitable for the case .
are simple and form an unbounded increasing sequence whose eigenspaces are spanned by functions such that has evenly spaced zeros in , , and . The reader is invited to see [[3], p.388], [[4], p.780] or [[5], pp.272-275] for further details. See also Example 1 below for more explicit form of and .
Let , , in (1). This is the nonresonance case. Then, for any , there exists at least one solution of (1). In the case , this solution is unique. In the case , the uniqueness holds if , but it may fail for certain right-hand sides if . See, e.g., [6] (for ) and [7] (for ).
The same argument as that used for in [[1], Section 3] for the nonresonance case yields the following existence result for the quasilinear impulsive problem (1), (2).
Theorem 1 (Nonresonance case)
Then (1), (2) has a solution for arbitrary .
Variational approach to impulsive differential equations of the type (1), (2) with was used, e.g., in paper [8]. The authors apply the mountain pass theorem to prove the existence of a solution for . Our Theorem 1 thus generalizes [[8], Theorem 5.2] in two directions. Firstly, it allows also (, ) and, secondly, it deals with quasilinear equations (), too.
is the sufficient condition for solvability of (1), but it is not necessary if . Moreover, if but f is 'close enough' to , problem (1) has at least two distinct solutions. The reader is referred to [3] or [9] for more details. It appears that the situation is even more complicated for , (see, e.g., [10]).
Our main result is the following.
Theorem 2 (Resonance case)
Let for some in (1). Let the nonlinear bounded impulse functions , , and the right-hand side satisfy either (5) or (6). Then (1), (2) has a solution.
The result from Theorem 2 is illustrated in the following special example.
2 Functional framework
We say that u is the classical solution of (1), (2) if the following conditions are fulfilled:
, , is absolutely continuous in , ;
the equation in (1) holds a.e. in and ;
one-sided limits , exist finite and (2) holds.
holds for any function .
and hence also (2) follows. Similarly, we show that every classical solution is a weak solution at the same time.
is -homogeneous, odd, continuously invertible, and for any .
is -homogeneous, odd and compact.
is bounded and compact.
By the linearity of , is a fixed element.
Proof See [[12], Lemma 10.3, p.120]. □
As mentioned already above, in the nonresonance case (, ), we can use the Leray-Schauder degree argument and prove the existence of a solution of the equation (9) exactly as in [[1], proof of Thm. 1]. Note that the -subhomogeneous condition on is used here instead of the sublinear condition imposed on in [1] and the proof of Theorem 1 follows the same lines. For this reason we skip it and concentrate on the resonance case ( for some ) in the next section.
3 Resonance problem, variational approach
We use the following definition of linked sets and the linking theorem (cf. [13]).
- (i)
- (ii)
for any continuous map such that , there holds .
(See [[14], Def. 8.1, p.116].)
Theorem 3 (Linking theorem)
Then is a critical value of ℱ.
(See [[14], Thm. 8.4, p.118].)
The purpose of the following series of lemmas is to show that the hypotheses of Theorem 3 are satisfied provided that either (5) or (6) holds. From now on we assume that (for some ) in (1).
Lemma 2 If either (5) or (6) is satisfied, then ℱ satisfies the Palais-Smale condition.
By the boundedness of we know that . We also have . By the compactness of we get in . Thus in X by Lemma 1(A). It follows that .
which contradicts (5) or (6). Hence is bounded.
By compactness there is a subsequence such that and converge in (see Lemma 1(B), (J)). Since by our assumption, we also have that converges in . Finally, converges in X by Lemma 1(A). The proof is finished. □
With the Palais-Smale condition in hands, we can turn our attention to the geometry of the functional ℱ. To this end we have to find suitable sets which link in the sense of Definition 1. Actually, we use the sets constructed in [13] and explain that they fit with the hypotheses of Theorem 3 if either (5) or (6) is satisfied.
It is proved in [[15], Section 3] that is a sequence of eigenvalues of homogeneous problem (3). It then follows from the results in [16] that this sequence exhausts the set of all eigenvalues of (3) with the properties described in Section 1.
The existence of a pseudo-gradient vector field with the following properties is proved in [[13], Lemma 6] (cf. [[14], pp.77-79] and [[2], p.55]).
- (i)
if or if ;
- (ii)
is strictly decreasing in t if and ;
- (iii)
- (iv)
for with equality if and only if for some .
It is proved in [[13], Lemma 7] that the couple and satisfies condition (ii) from Definition 1. It is also proved in [[13], Lemma 8] that the couple and satisfies the same condition. To show that also other hypotheses of Theorem 3 are satisfied, we need some technical lemmas.
Lemma 4 If (6) is satisfied, then there exist and such that for any and .
Since is compact, we may assume, without loss of generality, that in for some .
for . However, this contradicts (17).
if is a zero point of for some . The case is proved similarly using the second inequality in (6). □
for all , . In particular, for all and (18) is proved. □
Now we can finish the proof of Theorem 2 under assumption (6). Indeed, it follows from (18) that and thus the hypotheses of Theorem 3 hold with and . It then follows that ℱ has a critical point and hence (1), (2) has a solution.
Next we show that the sets and satisfy the hypotheses of Theorem 3 if (5) is satisfied.
The principal difference consists in the fact that, in contrast with , the set is not compact. That is why one more technical lemma is needed.
for . (Here is the ball in X centered at with radius .)
is a locally Lipschitz continuous symmetric pseudo-gradient vector field associated with E on and is a smooth function such that for u satisfying and for u satisfying or .
with . □
The following lemma is a counterpart of Lemma 4 in the case of condition (5).
Lemma 7 If (5) is satisfied, then there exist and such that for any and .
by the second inequality in (5). This contradicts (20) again. The case as is proved similarly but using the first inequality in (5). □
and (21) is proved. □
It follows that the sets and satisfy the hypotheses of Theorem 3 if (5) is satisfied. The proof of Theorem 2 is thus completed.
Final remark Reviewers of our manuscript suggested to include some recent references on impulsive problems. Variational approach to impulsive problems can be found, e.g., in [17–21]. The last reference deals with the p-Laplacian with the variable exponent . Singular impulsive problems are treated in [22–24]. Impulsive problems are still 'hot topic' attracting the attention of many mathematicians and the bibliography on that topic is vast.
This research was supported by Grant 13-00863S of the Grant Agency of Czech Republic and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), project 'NTIS - New Technologies for the Information Society', European Centre of Excellence, CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0090.
Authors' Affiliations
- Drábek, P, Langerová, M: On the second order equations with nonlinear impulses - Fredholm alternative type results. Topol. Methods Nonlinear Anal. (to appear)Google Scholar
- Ghoussoub N: Duality and Perturbation Methods in Critical Point Theory. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; 1993.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- del Pino M, Drábek P, Manásevich R: The Fredholm alternative at the first eigenvalue for the one dimensional p -Laplacian. J. Differ. Equ. 1999, 151: 386-419. 10.1006/jdeq.1998.3506View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Drábek P, Manásevich R: On the closed solutions to some nonhomogeneous eigenvalue problems with p -Laplacian. Differ. Integral Equ. 1999, 12: 773-788.Google Scholar
- Lindqvist P: Some remarkable sine and cosine functions. Ric. Mat. 1995, XLIV: 269-290.MathSciNetGoogle Scholar
- del Pino M, Elgueta M, Manásevich R: A homotopic deformation along p of a Leray-Schauder degree result and existence for , , . J. Differ. Equ. 1989, 80: 1-13. 10.1016/0022-0396(89)90093-4View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Fleckinger J, Hernández J, Takáč P, de Thélin F: Uniqueness and positivity for solutions of equations with the p -Laplacian. Lecture Notes in Pure and Applied Math. 194. In Proceedings of the Conference on Reaction-Diffusion Equations, Trieste, Italy Edited by: Caristi G, Mitidieri E. 1995, 141-155.Google Scholar
- Nieto JJ, O'Regan D: Variational approach to impulsive differential equations. Nonlinear Anal., Real World Appl. 2009, 10: 680-690. 10.1016/j.nonrwa.2007.10.022MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Drábek P, Girg P, Takáč P, Ulm M: The Fredholm alternative for the p -Laplacian: bifurcation from infinity, existence and multiplicity. Indiana Univ. Math. J. 2004, 53: 433-482. 10.1512/iumj.2004.53.2396MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Manásevich R, Takáč P: On the Fredholm alternative for the p -Laplacian in one dimension. Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. 2002, 84: 324-342. 10.1112/plms/84.2.324View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Drábek P, Milota J: Methods of Nonlinear Analysis, Applications to Differential Equations. 2nd edition. Springer, Basel; 2013.Google Scholar
- Drábek P Pitman Res. Notes in Math. Series 264. In Solvability and Bifurcations of Nonlinear Equations. Longman, Harlow; 1992.Google Scholar
- Drábek P, Robinson SB: Resonance problems for the one-dimensional p -Laplacian. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 1999, 128: 755-765.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Struwe M: Variational Methods; Applications to Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations and Hamiltonian Systems. Springer, New York; 1990.Google Scholar
- Drábek P, Robinson SB: Resonance problems for the p -Laplacian. J. Funct. Anal. 1999, 169: 189-200. 10.1006/jfan.1999.3501MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Drábek P, Robinson SB: On the generalization of the Courant nodal domain theorem. J. Differ. Equ. 2001, 181: 58-71.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Chen H, He Z: Variational approach to some damped Dirichlet problems with impulses. Math. Methods Appl. Sci. 2013, 36(18):2564-2575. 10.1002/mma.2777MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Otero-Espinar V, Pernas-Castaño T: Variational approach to second-order impulsive dynamic equations on time scales. Bound. Value Probl. 2013., 2013: Article ID 119Google Scholar
- Xiao J, Nieto JJ: Variational approach to some damped Dirichlet nonlinear impulsive differential equations. J. Franklin Inst. 2011, 348(2):369-377. 10.1016/j.jfranklin.2010.12.003MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Galewski M: On variational impulsive boundary value problems. Cent. Eur. J. Math. 2012, 10(6):1969-1980. 10.2478/s11533-012-0084-9MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Galewski M, O'Regan D:Impulsive boundary value problems for -Laplacian's via critical point theory. Czechoslov. Math. J. 2012, 62(4):951-967. 10.1007/s10587-012-0076-8MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Sun J, Chu J, Chen H: Periodic solution generated by impulses for singular differential equations. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 2013, 404(2):562-569. 10.1016/j.jmaa.2013.03.036MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Chu J, Nieto JJ: Impulsive periodic solutions of first-order singular differential equations. Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 2008, 40(1):143-150. 10.1112/blms/bdm110MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Sun J, O'Regan D: Impulsive periodic solutions for singular problems via variational methods. Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. 2012, 86(2):193-204. 10.1017/S0004972711003509MathSciNetView ArticleGoogle Scholar
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.


text:
Scrap Car Baxter's Green, Scrap your car for free
Here at Scrap Car Baxter's Green we collect vehicles free of charge throughout Baxter's Green, Suffolk. If you have an old car that you are not using you will still be expected to keep it taxed whilst it is on the road. You don't have to pay to get your old vehicle taken away. We can collect your vehicle free of charge in Baxter's Green!
Baxter's Green, Suffolk - Breaking News
As well as offering a completely free collection, we are also currently able to offer cash for scrap cars in Baxter's Green depending upon the weight of the vehicle!
If you'd like us to make you an offer just ask when calling or add 'CASH QUOTE PLEASE' in the 'Additional Info' box when submitting our online form.
- DVLA notification
- Completely free collection!
- Nationwide coverage
- Convenient collection times
- Environment agency approved recycling facilities
Why not simply fill out the form to the right or ring a member of the team 0800 043 5100!
Choose Scrap Car Baxter's Green
Scrap Car Baxter's Green have built up a service to be proud of with many years experience in the trade and a lot of happy customers. We can be with you in 30 minutes if needed, maybe quicker just call to find out. At Scrap Car Baxter's Green, our service also includes a very fast response and we will always be with you in your specified time slot. We offer a range of collection times to suit you and your life.
We ensure that your old scrap car is disposed of in the right way in Suffolk. A lot of companies out there will sell on your scrap car and not even notify the DVLA that the vehicle is no longer yours. Legally this can leave you very vulnerable, often results in you being fined. When we tow away any old scrap car we always ensure that the DVLA are notified, giving you complete of peace of mind. We always scrap vehicles in the best possible way, meaning whatever can be recycled is and reused, keeping the environment clean.
Please try to ensure that your vehicle is disposed of correctly as we want to keep Suffolk clean and tidy. Do you have an old car on your drive that is making your drive look untidy, we can help, at least the neighbours will be pleased. Scrap that car free, call an advisor today!
Reasons to scrap your car
There are many reason you might want to scrap your car. In our many years experience we find that most of the time a car is scrapped as it is no longer road worthy, usually failing a recent MOT. If you have a car that is unusable you need to either declare it off road or scrap it, otherwise your will continue to need to pay road tax on the vehicle.
How to scrap your car
It couldn't be easier to scrap your car in Baxter's Green. Our phone operators are on hand to answer any of your questions. If you would like to get some information prior to your call, please take a look at our helpful guide scrapping a car.
The car scrappage scheme
The car and van scrappage scheme may seem like a great idea at first. There are a few flaws in the governments plans, as there will only be certain cars that qualify. You can't go out and purchase any car you wish. This can prove to be very frustrating as you have to choose a car that is currently in the scrappage scheme.
Just call us on 0800 043 5100 or fill out the following form:


text:
Candy Rings For Friends
Candy Rings – Interesting Valentine Craft Idea
Valentine craft is all about love and entertainment. If you are planning for making some interesting valentine craft this season, then try candy rings idea. This is a practical and highly innovative valentine craft idea. Make several candy rings and gift it to your friends. This will be a sweet and simple gift for your mates. The most interesting thing about this valentine craft is that, it is not only for displaying, but after wearing, one can eat it. So, it is showy as well as eatable. This article will help you learning the way of making candy rings.
Way & Things That You Need For Making Candy Rings As Valentine Craft
This valentine craft requires some particular items to get. Firstly, get following mentioned items with you and then, start with further process.
- Colored Chenille Stem for each ring. You can get ring in colors like white, red, pink, blue, purpose etc.
- Craft glue in white color
- Finely Wrapped Candies
After getting these items, you should proceed to the way of making candy rings. For this purpose, wrap chenille stems around the finger of a child and after that slide that off. Then, undo the chenille end loop and slide the end inside the coils. Hook it around first coil to secure that ring. After that, place wrapped candy over table and put white colored craft glue on it. After placing rings on it, leave them to get dry.
Helpful Tips To Keep In Mind While Making Eatable Candy Rings As Valentine Craft
As mentioned above that you require using wrapped candies for this project, so don't every use unwrapped candies because it will make valentine craft not only messy, but also quite sticky. Use only chenille stems that have pointing ends and keep small children away from these stems. Though, you can use any kind of candy for this project, but if you use chocolate hearts candies, then it will be awesome. Heart shaped candies are ideal for valentine craft.
Another Valentines Craft For Candy Rings Idea
In case, you want some additional information to make different type of candy rings for friends, then you can go for rock candy ring idea. For this valentine craft, you require some supplies that include scissors, white or pink gumball, blank ring with gluey surface, hot glue gun, palmer and Dryden cherry crystals rock candy and multipurpose glue along with applicator tip. For rings, you should cut gumball from mid and underside these half cut gumball, apply hot glue to blank ring. Get a shallow disk and keep crystal candy inside. Then apply glue to gumball and fill the gaps by glue and let it be there. So that it can get perfectly set. This is a great valentine craft idea and will make your valentine party more interesting than ever.


text:
Archive for Park(ing) Day
You are browsing the archives ofPark(ing) Day Archives - Sustainable Flatbush.
You are browsing the archives ofPark(ing) Day Archives - Sustainable Flatbush.
Join us for Park(ing) Day this Friday September 16th! Every year since 2007, we've transformed the same parking space on the corner of Cortelyou and Argyle Roads in Brooklyn into a public park (with real grass!) and day-long festival on Park(ing) Day.
Of the four Sustainable Flatbush initiatives, Livable Streets advocates for increased access to communal spaces that prioritize people over cars. Throughout 2010, we have sponsored a variety of projects and events addressing different issues and aspects related to public space, urban planning, and transportation. Here's a brief recap of what we've been up to!
Park(ing) Day NYC, as part of a larger international movement, supports the conversion of parking spots into people-friendly public spaces for the day.
Join us for Park(ing) Day 2010! Friday, September 17, 2010 from 8am- 6pm, corner of Cortelyou and Argyle Roads On Friday, September 17th, Sustainable Flatbush will once again create Cortelyou Road Park, a temporary green space for all to enjoy.
On Friday September 17th, 2010, Sustainable Flatbush will once again transform a parking space on Cortelyou Road into a beautiful temporary park for the whole community's enjoyment.
When I decided to intern with a non-profit organization I googled, "local sustainable brooklyn," and that big wide web introduced me to Sustainable Flatbush. I had already searched a number of groups whose websites seemed too impersonal, too big, too far, or too bureaucratic. Then this delightfully designed web-page revealed itself with an unmistakably local […]
Ever wonder what our community could do with 120 square feet of outdoor space?
Park(ing) Day is an event in which organizations from around the globe take over parking spots and transform them into mini-parks, open to all, to serve as a reminder of how public space could be better allocated to accommodate people instead of cars. Our spot was one of 50 throughout NYC. Park(ing) Day is one […]


text:
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Harvest time at Basic Grey
22 comments:
- Moni said...
Hi hun, fab card as always, love your fab design and image is so cute. Great papers. Hugs,moni
- 16 October 2010 at 10:09
- Shazza said...
an adorable card Rica, love that image adn you coloured her brilliantly x
- 16 October 2010 at 10:52
- Annika said...
Absolutely stunning!! your colouring is a true inspiration of mine!!
Where do you buy these Crealies dies - the look lovely!!
- 16 October 2010 at 11:20
- nessy said...
gorgeous card ~ love those colours ~such pretty papers and sweet image ~love it!!
vanessa xx
- 16 October 2010 at 11:29
- Sue said...
Hi ya hun
aww gorgeous card, lovely cute image, fab colouring, gorgeous papers & design, have great weekend hun, sue,x
- 16 October 2010 at 11:32
- joey said...
Oh WOW Heather this is gorgeous hun, I love the image and the flower looks gorgeous. Joey.x
- 16 October 2010 at 11:43
- Sandra1968 said...
This is a beautiful card and you've used gorgeous colours. And thanks for the free download link.
Have a nice weekend!
Hugs, Sandra
- 16 October 2010 at 13:13
- Sandie said...
Beautiful card Heather. Your images is so cute, love the papers and the design. Hope you get your pc sorted soon :)
- 16 October 2010 at 14:32
- Jami {sgtStamper} said...
Heather - this is gorgeous! I just love the warm Autumn colors and your stunning coloring! Thanks for the kind words - glad you enjoyed the download. Hope your computer troubles are all worked out for you soon! Hugs, Jami
- 16 October 2010 at 14:58
- Georgia said...
I absolutely love this Heather! Those autumnal colours are so gorgeous and perfect for this time of year! I love the cute image too and your fabulous colouring! Have a great weekend! :) Love, Georgia xx
- 16 October 2010 at 18:43
- Fleur said...
Heather, yor card is absolutly stunning, the colours are perfect & that flower is awesome
Hugz Fleur xXx
- 16 October 2010 at 20:55
- Riet said...
So beautiful card Heather,I love the image and the colours.
So gorgeous papers.
Hugs Riet.x
- 16 October 2010 at 23:14
- Paula said...
Think the stamp is Gretel http://www.allthatscraps.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=swiss+pixie
Love the colours of this & that floral spray is just delicious.
Hope you're having a good weekend.
Paula (PEP)
- 17 October 2010 at 00:27
- Leigh said...
Gorgeous Autumn card Heather. Good luck with your computer.
- 17 October 2010 at 03:20
- Jo (Boots the Monkey) said...
Oh no, not more dies I shall need to have !!!
Just love your card and love how you have managed to put all those stamps together. Gorgeously rich papers too and fantastic details.
Not long to go now !
Jo xxx
- 17 October 2010 at 09:44
- Chris said...
Fantastic card Heather and those dies look gorgeous, I agree with Jo :D! Love your colouring as always and the papers are perfect for the autumn feel. Looking forward to seeing you again :), hugs, Chris xxx
- 17 October 2010 at 12:17
- Pia said...
wow so beautiful colours, fantastic card heather. Wisch you a nice week
hugs Pia
- 17 October 2010 at 22:27
- Giò said...
Hi Rica!!!! This card is adorable!!! I love how you used the fence WOJ with the C.C. Design Stamp!!! Great colouring dear.
Hugs, Giò
- 17 October 2010 at 23:19
- Faerielore said...
stuning card babe the colours are gorgeous xxx
- 18 October 2010 at 11:36
- Michele said...
Such a gorgeous card Heather. Love the colouring of the sweet image and the papers also. Hugs Michele x
- 19 October 2010 at 12:01
- Marcea said...
omg I love her - just too cute for words xxx
- 19 October 2010 at 22:51
Your card is devine, I can't take my eyes off it....
Every detail is perfect, I honestly love it...
Just wished I had your ability!!!!
ps...thank you so much for your DT inspiration
- 24 October 2010 at 17:09


text:
Only a 6 minute walk from The Joondalup City Hotel, right in the heart of Joondalup's restaurant and bar district, is one of Joondalup's premier late night venues,The Dusk Lounge.
Read more...
This family friendly British style pub offers it's patrons wholesome food, late night entertainment and an extensive range of premium and imported beers on tap.
Only a 6 minute walk from the Joondalup CIty Hotel, Jasons Food and Wine is a very stylish eatery and bar offering equally stylish modern Australian food and a 'must-do' in our books
Located within easy walking distance of the Joondalup City Hotel and away from the busy shopping areas, Dream Skin & Body Spa is the ideal location for clients and residents seeking a relaxing, private and personal service. We pride ourselves in being paramedical international therapists and with our hospitality background you are sure to feel welcome.
HBF Arena Joondalup offers the very best in fitness staff, facilities and services including gym memberships, personal training, and aerobics classes. Our gym has a friendly atmosphere and people of all ages, sizes, and fitness experience are welcome; And don't forget to visit the Arena Aquatic Centre section for more information on the amazing pool facilities for both lap swimming and leisure swimming.
Located within the nearby Lakeside Shopping Centre, Ella Bache will allow you unwind and treat yourself to a relaxing escape only minutes away from the Joondalup City Hotel.
Copyright © 2012 - 2012 Joondalup City Hotel.
Reservation System: Copyright©
E-Hors (M) Sdn. Bhd. 2012. All rights reserved.


text:
Visit Florence at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting
Discover why over 2,000 leading clinical trial teams trust Florence eBinders as their eRegulatory and eSource solution. Schedule an in-person demo at the conference and visit us at booth 1450.
Are you headed to the AACR Annual Meeting in Chicago? We'd love to introduce you to Florence eBinders, the solution trusted by more than 2,000 clinical research teams for eRegulatory and eSource.
Stop wasting valuable time managing paper regulatory files, source documents, faxing, scanning, chasing signatures, catering to remote monitors, mailing files, tracking logs, and doing something other than what you love – research.
|Schedule an In Person Demo
AACR Annual Meeting Resource Downloads
The Future of eRegulatory, eSource and Contract Management is Here
"We manage multicenter studies and eBinders gives us the power to be several places at once. It works really well for remote regulatory document review and enrollment approvals, and as a result gets sites up and running quickly."
Ashely Friend
Clinical Trials Manager
| Clear insights into what needs to be done
| Fully compliant, easy-to-use, eSignatures
| Project management tools accelerate study startup and progress
| Enable true remote monitoring with audit trails
| Eliminate redundant processes with complete system integration


text:
Duralife – Composite Decking
Hardwoods™ Decking boards offer the beauty of finished hardwood.
Available in four exclusive wood tones. Our Hardwoods Collection colors are created using a random dispersal process which creates unique and non-repeating color variations within each board. No two boards are exactly the same!
Golden Teak
Garapa Grey
Brazilian Cherry
Tropical Walnut
MVP™ Decking Profile
High performance decking at maximum value for your project. Made from the same durable composite material as our premium DuraLife Siesta Profile decking. A premium look at an optimum value. DuraLife MVP is the perfect choice for value conscious homeowners looking for a great looking, low maintenance deck board at an affordable price.
Starter™ Decking Profile
Deck Perimeter & Stair Tread
Create a stunning border by trimming your deck with DuraLife Starter Decking. When using a "picture frame" installation technique, the Starter profile works together with our Siesta and MVP profiles to hide the exposed edges of the deck boards to create a clean and professional appearance.
The Fastenator™ Hidden Fastening System
A clean and beautiful look while remaining strong, durable, and easy to install. The specially-designed groove system provides stability and a barefoot-friendly surface.
Stain & Fade Resistant
Built-in resistance to staining, fading, mold, and mildew. With no exposed wood fibers on the surface maintenance and cleaning is easy. We guarantee all DuraLife decking with a 25 year Stain & Fade warranty
ColorLock™ Multi-Layered Finishing System
Rich colors that last, and a deeply embossed wood grain. Resists fading over time, unlike ordinary composite decking products. Making sure it's as beautiful as the day you installed it.
DuraLife Protective Film
DuraLife's unique protective film is added to every deck board to keep it clean and protected during shipment and storage. We take the extra step to ensure the highest quality product is delivered to you, ready for installation.
Made from our unique polypropylene and hardwood composite so it's strong, yet lightweight. Proven co-extruded, capped surface protects the deck from everyday wear. Learn More
Ultra Low Maintenance
Engineered to resist rotting, splitting, staining, and warping with very little maintenance. No more scraping, sanding or painting your deck every year. Simply sweep your deck regularly and periodically wash with soapy water and rinse with a hose.
Made from up to 90% Recycled Materials
Manufactured using both post-industrial and post-consumer recycled content with a maximum recycled content of up to 90% by weight; no toxic chemicals or preservatives. Learn More
MVP Range
|Finished Size
|Length (m)
|Joist Span (mm)
|Pcs per pack
|138 x 23
Brazilian Cherry
Garapa Grey
Golden Teak
Tropical Walnut
7 l/m = 1 m2 (with Fastenators)


text:
Job Title: Sales Assistant
Department: DeVos Place Sales
Reports to: Sales Department
FLSA: Salaried Non-Exempt
Schedules tours, gives information to callers, handles minor administrative and business details to support the Assistant GM and Sales Manager by performing the following duties.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
*Handles booking and sales of DeVos Place social events and local meetings.
*Follows up on outstanding contracts and deposits.
*Records minutes for weekly staff meeting and other meetings. In charge of distribution
to appropriate staff.
*Handles general inquiries for the Convention Center or Performance Hall space.
*Assumes receptionist duties as needed.
*Other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities
This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.
Good communications and computer skills a must.
Knowledge of hotel or Convention Center sales beneficial but not required.
Education and/or Experience
*Bachelor Degree in Hospitality Management, Communication or equivalent.
*2-3 years sales experience preferred
Computer Skills
Knowledge of Word and Exel. Background in Delphi or comparable booking software a plus but not required.
SMG is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action employer, and encourages women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans to apply. VEVRRA Federal Contractor.


text:
Welcome in the last part of the First Look series on XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6. I made a long break since last post but luckily I found time to finish the series. Today I would like to focus on PowerShell in Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6. First let's see what we did already:
In the first part – we have installed first Delivery Controller and setup our new XenDesktop 7.6 site.
In the second part – we have configured first site.
In the third part – we prepared the template image of Windows Server 2012 R2 that will be used by MCS service for creation of new machines that will be hosting user desktops and applications.
In the fourth part – we have upgraded XenApp 6.5 server to XenApp 7.6.
In the fifth part – we have created machine catalogs and used previously prepared master image. We attached to the site as well upgraded XenApp 6.5 server.
In the sixth part – we have delivered applications to the end users by creating delivery groups.
In the seventh part – we have configured StoreFront so that end users could launch their apps.
In the eighth part – we checked how Connection Leasing really works.
In the ninth part – I would like to show you how you can use PowerShell in XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6.
As you I hope already know PowerShell became the industry standard when it comes to the management framework, at least in Windows world 🙂 And well Citrix is part of that world of course. Good to see then that XenApp/XenDesktop provide an SDK based on a number of Microsoft Windows PowerShell version 3.0 snap-ins that allows you to perform the same tasks as you would with the Citrix Studio console, together with tasks you cannot do with Studio alone. To use SDK you need to just launch PowerShell console or PowerShell ISE if you would like to have PowerShell editor where you can write you scripts on your server with installed Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6. Then you have to add Citrix snap-ins.
What is important to underline. Due to change of management architecture from IMA to FMA PowerShell SDK has changes as well. So you can forget the cmdlets you were learning so heavily while working with XenApp 6.x or XenDesktop 5.x. It is high time to learn new ones 🙂
Key differences between the XenDesktop 5 and XenDesktop 7 SDK
- New high-level SDK — XenDesktop 7 provides a new high-level SDK that enables you to script and automate site creation and maintenance quickly and easily. The high-level SDK insulates you from much of the complexity of the low-level SDKs, such that you can create a new site simply by running two cmdlets.
- New low-level SDKs — Individual low-level SDKs are provided for the new XenDesktop 7 services, including a dedicated and enhanced SDK for the Delegated Administration Service (DAS), which was previously part of the Broker SDK in XenDesktop 5. There are also SDKs for new features including the Monitor Service, Environment Test, and Configuration Logging.
- Windows Server OS Machine catalogs and delivery groups — You can use the XenDesktop 7 SDK to deliver cost-effective applications and desktops hosted on server operating systems.
- Desktop OS Machine applications — Desktop OS Machine applications have changed significantly at the SDK level. If you have existing scripts for running applications on Desktop OSs, you will have to update these scripts for XenDesktop 7 as there is little backwards compatibility.
- Apply settings to machines in Delivery Groups — In XenDesktop 7, using configuration slots, you can apply settings to machines in a specific delivery group, rather than to all machines in a site. This enables you to configure, for a given delivery group, which settings apply to that group. A number of pre-defined configuration slots are provided that contain different types of settings, such as settings for StoreFront addresses for use with Receiver or App-V publishing server locations. You can use one collection of settings from a slot to affect only a particular delivery group, and a different collection of settings from the same slot to affect another delivery group. You can use names appropriate to your particular deployment; for example, "Sales Department policy."
- Catalog types replaced — In XenDesktop 7, catalog types have been replaced by catalogs with individual properties. However, for backwards compatibility, you can still use existing scripts that employ catalog types, such as single image (pooled) and thin clone (dedicated) etc., but internally these are converted into sets of properties.
Caution: Backwards compatibility with XenDesktop 5 catalog types has been maintained where possible and practicable. However, when writing new scripts, do not use catalog types; instead, specify catalogs with individual properties.
- Desktop object replaced — In XenDesktop 5, the Desktop object is one of the main types of SDK object used in Broker SDK scripts. The Desktop object describes both the machine and the session on the machine. In XenDesktop 7, this object is replaced by the Session object and the Machine object, both of which have been expanded to do the work of the Desktop object. However, for backwards compatibility, you can still use existing scripts that employ the Desktop object.
Caution: Backwards compatibility with XenDesktop 5 has been maintained where possible and practicable. However, when writing new scripts, do not use the Desktop object; instead, specify Session and Machine objects.
Under below link you can find an explanation of XenApp/XenDesktop 7.x administration model:
The PowerShell modules for Xenapp/XenDesktop 7.6 can be found here:
C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenDesktopPoshSdk\Module
We have the following list of modules that we can use:
- Citrix.AdIdentity.Admin.V2
- Citrix.AppV.Admin.V1
- Citrix.Broker.Admin.V2
- Citrix.Configuration.Admin.V2
- Citrix.ConfigurationLogging.Admin.V1
- Citrix.DelegatedAdmin.Admin.V1
- Citrix.EnvTest.Admin.V1
- Citrix.Host.Admin.V2
- Citrix.MachineCreation.Admin.V2
- Citrix.Monitor.Admin.V1
- Citrix.Storefront.Admin.V1
Let's check how many cmdlets can we use in our awesome scripts 🙂
As you see above we have 718 cmdlets for our use which is quite impressive number. If you would like to read more about the cmdlets you can visit the E-docs page:
or you can just get that help from PowerShell console.
As you see you get very detailed explanation of what that cmdlet can do for you as well as a few examples that will show you how to use that cmdlet to get some relevant information.
The other thing that I just simply love in XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 is a Script Generator. If you would like to automate some thing that you do quite often in Citrix Studio you can now use instead Powershell script. And what is even better Citrix Studio will generate it for you. Isn't that great? No more hours spent on developing Powershell scripts. They are now on your hand – just grab it and use as you want 🙂 You will have more time to learn other things about XenApp/XenDesktop.
Where to find those generated scripts? Launch Citrix Studio. Do what you would like to do and then navigate to the main window of console. You may notice there a tab called PowerShell. Click it and you will find PowerShell script ready for use. Excelllent 🙂
As you see it is very easy. But still I encourage you to try on your own. Write some simple script and check how it works. The best way to learn something is by doing something.
That's all I wanted to show you regarding PowerShell in XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6. Apparently we get to the final of our First Series. In the next post I will do a summary of our whole series. Hope you like it!


text:
Bus, Minibus, City Bus
We are professional Bus Manufacturer in China.
We supply a great varieties of high quality buses, using for urban mass transportation, long distance transport, Inter-city, tourism, school students and special purpose usage.
Vehicle lengths are different from 6-meter to 12-meter; Passenger capacity from 18 pax to 120 pax; Powered by Diesel, Gasoline, Petrol, Cng, Lng, Bi-fuel, Hybrid, Pure Electric.
Same Quality, we offer a Better Price; Same price, we offer a Higher Quality.
Please feel free to contact us.
email@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com
Dear Sir / Madam,
Wish you health and a prosperous business!
We are a professional and fast developing BUS MANUFACTURER in China.
If you are interested in any kinds of Minibus, City Bus, Passenger Bus, School Bus, Tourist Bus etc., Please feel free to contact us. You will get our most favorite price.
Please feel free to contact us.
Waiting for your reply.
Thanks & Best regards
Mac You (Export Manager)
Hangzhou Yuexi Bus Manufacture Co Ltd
Tel:+86-571-5717 9693; Cell: +86-15715810288
firstname.lastname@example.com email@example.com


text:
Master of the Royal Secret. This hat is worn by 32° Scottish Rite Masons. The majority of members in the Scottish Rite wear this hat.
Knights Commander of the Court of Honor. This hat is worn by 32°, KCCH Scottish Rite Masons. The KCCH honor is bestowed on members deserving recognition for faithful service to the Rite.
33° Inspector General Honorary. The white caps are worn by those who have been honored with the 33° Inspector General Honorary. The Thirty-third Degree is conferred by the Supreme Council upon members of the Rite in recognition of outstanding service to the Rite, or in public life, to the principles taught in the Degrees.
Grand Cross of the Court of Honour. The white cap with a band of blue is worn by the brother who is a 33º Mason and who has been elected by the Supreme Council to the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour.
50 Year Cap. The blue caps are worn by those Masons who have held membership in the Rite for at least 50 years.
Sovereign Grand Inspector General.The purple cap denotes a 33º Sovereign Grand Inspector General and an active member of the Supreme Council. He is the highest ranking officer of the Rite within his jurisdiction, and, in relation to the Rite, his powers are similar to those of a Grand Master of the Symbolic Craft subject, however, to The Supreme Council and the Sovereign Grand Commander.
Sovereign Grand Commander. The Sovereign Grand commander is the highest ranking officer of the Supreme Council and the chief executive and judicial officer of the Rite within this Supreme Council's Jurisdiction.


text:
No products
Check out
Display all pictures
Share on Facebook!
88,00 lei
This product is no longer in stock
Warning: Last items in stock!
Availability date:
Add to cart
Add to wishlist
Comenzi telefonice: de luni pana vineri, intre orele 9-19.
The minimum purchase order quantity for the product is 1
Add to cart
Please call us between 9-19, Monday-Friday
Be the first to write your review!
Hypnose Hair Rose
* Required fields
Submit or Cancel
Hair rose My Secret is a lovely accent piece. Proudly handmade by Tie-Me-Up of luxurious silk, the hair rose is great for comfort, making it an elegant accessory. With its brilliant colors and bold floral print is a unique accessory.
Hair Rose For Ever Purple is a fashion accessory. Proudly handmade by Tie-Me-Up of luxurious silk , the non-damaging hair rose is an elegant solution for an effortless style. With its brilliant colors and floral print, this eye-catching accessory is a chic addition to your outfit.
Hair rose Bali Sunrise is a chic accent piece. Featuring a colorful blend of fucsia and orange, is a simple solution for a stunning style. With its gentle, non-damaging hold and flirty aquarella print, this fashion accesory is an eye-catching. Proudly handmade by Tie-Me-Up.
Intense Rouge collection, hair jewelry designer pure silk with a distinctive print and seductive colors. This rose silk protects and pampers hair; can be worn all day without headaches occur or inconvenient to deteriorate and without hair, as occurs when hair elastics usual. In Style Guide section you can find how they can use. We would recommend for thin...
Made of silk of the highest quality, design Ungaro, this hair accessory floral abstract in a variety of colors will match it, certainly at any office or smart casual outfit you wear. An explosion of color that will bring compliments birou.Protejeaza even in your hair, in a unique fashion with this accessory created by Tie Me Up!


text:
New Batmobile unveiled! But not everyone is happy
The new Batmobile has been unveiled.
The vehicle, remodeled and updated for "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," made its debut at an expo in Las Vegas.
Get a closer look in this video.
Reaction to the new design has been mixed.
What do you think of the overhaul? Take our poll:


text:
We would love to see your land for sale listings here, so would our website visitors! Listings are completely free of charge with us. So why not advertise for free your land for sale in Seremban with Property Pages Malaysia and your listing(s) will receive a marketing boost, at no cost!
If you have many listings and a data feed available for your listings, we can work with you to get them listed quickly and easily. If you don't already have a suitable feed we can assist you with preparing a data feed for your listings, direct from your own website.
Here's a few daily quotes
To be happy when you are travelling, you need to be happy inside before you leave. A positive frame of mind will definitely enhance your travelling experience. If I'm not in a positive frame of mind then the whole thing definitely becomes more of a challenge for me. - Andrea Bocelli
Healthy children are born from healthy, respected, well-nourished and educated mothers and it is imperative that they have a voice in the decisions which affect them. If you empower a mother and let her have her say towards a poverty-free future, the positive impact this would have on ending hunger will be immense. - Dionne Warwick
I believe in the imperative to explore, so any project that I can be involved with that celebrates that, and expands people's imagination around that idea of pushing out, is one of the most positive things that I think I could be involved with. - Ron Howard


text: Steele and Bart have been assigned another mission with two of their most powerful secret black ops comedy pals (they are yet to confirm or deny doing the show). This time it is secret (they are not sure about the movie) Rest assured it will be so rad and funny it will make you explode. If you came to the last one you will know it was super excellent! This one will be the same but only way way better and more powerful! SO COME ON THE 12th of September! To Public Bar 228 Victoria Street North Melbourne at 4pm for glory and laughter! Tickets are $14 here or $15 on the door! Save that sweet sweet dollar and pre book! There are only limited seats! It will be freaking sweet


text:
ABC ND/MN Chapter - Fall Protection
Safety is No Accident Training Series
Topic - Fall Protection and Prevention - Competent Person
This course will focus on OSHA Subpart M – Fall Protection. It is designed to give participants a clear understanding of the proper fall protection system for any given construction situation. The course will also cover exceptions to Subpart M including steel erection, working from ladders, and aerial/scissor lift fall protection.
La Quinta
4051 Gardenview Dr
Grand Forks, ND
Space is limited
Click here to Register
Questions: Please call 701-866-0193
This training is sponsored in part through Workforce Safety & Insurance's (WSI) Safety Training & Education Program (STEP) Grant


text:
This email from a University of Wisconsin-Madison TA has been making the rounds. The background is that, as a condition of his academic coursework, he had to attend some racial and gender diversity workshops, and at some point he had had enough. Read it and weep:
At the "diversity" training yesterday, though, even this fig leaf of apoliticism was discarded. In an utterly unprofessional way, the overriding presumption of the session was that the people whom the History Department has chosen to employ as teaching assistants are probably racists. In true "diversity" style, the language in which the presentation was couched was marbled with words like "inclusive", "respect", and "justice". But the tone was unmistakably accusatory and radical. Our facilitator spoke openly of politicizing her classrooms in order to right (take revenge for?) past wrongs. We opened the session with chapter-and-verse quotes from diversity theorists who rehearsed the same tired "power and privilege" cant that so dominates seminar readings and official university hand-wringing over unmet race quotas. Indeed, one mild-mannered Korean woman yesterday felt compelled to insist that she wasn't a racist. I never imagined that she was, but the atmosphere of the meeting had been so poisoned that even we traditional quarries of the diversity Furies were forced to share our collective guilt with those from continents far across the wine-dark sea.
It is hardly surprising that any of us hectorees would feel thusly. For example, in one of the handouts that our facilitator asked us to read ("Detour-Spotting: for white anti-racists," by joan olsson [sic]), we learned things like, "As white infants we were fed a pabulum of racist propaganda," "…there was no escaping the daily racist propaganda," and, perhaps most even-handed of all, "Racism continues in the name of all white people." Perhaps the Korean woman did not read carefully enough to realize that only white people (all of them, in fact) are racist. Nevertheless, in a manner stunningly redolent of "self-criticism" during the Cultural Revolution in communist China, the implication of the entire session was that everyone was suspect, and everyone had some explaining to do.
You have always been very kind to me, Prof. Kantrowitz, so it pains me to ask you this, but is this really what the History Department thinks of me? Is this what you think of me? I am not sure who selected the readings or crafted the itinerary for the diversity session, but, as they must have done so with the full sanction of the History Department, one can only conclude that the Department agrees with such wild accusations, and supports them. Am I to understand that this is how the white people who work in this Department are viewed? If so, I cannot help but wonder why in the world the Department hired any of us in the first place. Would not anyone be better?
There is one further issue. At the end of yesterday's diversity "re-education," we were told that our next session would include a presentation on "Trans Students". At that coming session, according to the handout we were given, we will learn how to let students 'choose their own pronouns', how to correct other students who mistakenly use the wrong pronouns, and how to ask people which pronouns they prefer ("I use the pronouns he/him/his. I want to make sure I address you correctly. What pronouns do you use?"). Also on the agenda for next week are "important trans struggles, as well as those of the intersexed and other gender-variant communities," "stand[ing] up to the rules of gender," and a very helpful glossary of related terms and acronyms, to wit: "Trans": for those who "identify along the gender-variant spectrum," and "Genderqueer": "for those who consider their gender outside the binary gender system". I hasten to reiterate that I am quoting from diversity handouts; I am not making any of this up.
Please allow me to be quite frank. My job, which I love, is to teach students Japanese history. This week, for example, I have been busy explaining the intricacies of the Genpei War (1180-1185), during which time Japan underwent a transition from an earlier, imperial-rule system under regents and cloistered emperors to a medieval, feudal system run by warriors and estate managers. It is an honor and a great joy to teach students the history of Japan. I take my job very seriously, and I look forward to coming to work each day.
It is most certainly not my job, though, to cheer along anyone, student or otherwise, in their psychological confusion.I don't feel absolutely qualified to opine on transgender/genderqueer/WTF? issues except to say this: (1) the number of people who could plausibly count as members of these purported groups are so de minimus as to be not worth the fuss and (2) the transgender/genderqueer/WTF? types you may encounter (and even in SF they are rare) are so clearly mentally not alright as to be more pathetic than anything else. Sure, they and their enablers can talk a brave game about how they're exploring the outer boundaries of sexual expression and such, but really they are just not right. A man who thinks he's a woman? Indulge your whims all you want, but you are never going to look right. Same as for someone who can't figure out their gender. I'm sorry that's pretty basic stuff. Just look down! Again, if you can't figure this out, your problems are 100% mental, and said mental problems really have no proper succor in public life.


text:
Over the past year, ISIS has constructed an astonishing network of underground tunnels in the town of Sinjar, Iraq, which they seized in 2014.
The Associated Press obtained remarkable footage of the tunnels, which were packed with US-made ammunition, prescription drugs, and copies of the Quran.
Thirty to 40 tunnels were found in total, each wired with electricity and each with their own sleeping quarters. The extremist group had carved out a small community in its underground network of tunnels.


text:
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Birds & Fishes Lovespoon Finished -- Finally!
But now I'm back! Celebration abounds!
Or, maybe not.
In any case, I finally got the guts to finish the Birds & Fishes Lovespoon that I started way back in February. It was only my third lovespoon, and I think I got a little ambitious with the design. So, seven months, three lovespoons and innumerable Santas later I decided I was ready to finish it, and here is the result.
This photo shows what a dog's dinner I made of the back of the birds's necks, all through the mechanism of not paying attention, front to back, of the order of the goesovers to the goesunders.
Here's the lower part of the spoon.
So I'm off on another woody adventure or two. I've already got the design for my next lovespoon transferred onto a blank, and I'm also playing with a design for a Woodworker's Chess set. I'm almost done with the first bishop, and I have designs for the pawns, knights and rooks. I'm dithering about the design of the king, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with the queen. Once I get one of each of the pieces carved, I'm going to post them and ask guidance for the queen's design. So keep on the lookout.
Until next time, let the chips fly!
5 comments:
Outstanding Bob! It's exquisite.ReplyDelete
Very nice! I was wondering where you were off to! I guess that design was where all that time went. Wonderful detail! By far, I belive that is one of your best spoons yet! ( my opinion of coarse) I love the celtic knot of the tails. Celtic knots give me a headache but they look so cool when people carve them. Can't wait to see more...ReplyDelete
Yikes Bob! Thats one complicated spoon. Carvin that one would tie a CNC carvin machine in knots. Well done Buddy. Or put another way; amazin!ReplyDelete
Great looking spoon Bob. No wonder you have not posted in a while. Merry ChristmasReplyDelete
Merry Christmas Bob. I am awestruck by the knot work and I too feel this is your best yet. I look forward to you inspiring me to further things next year. All the best from us here in the UK ~ DaveReplyDelete


text:
Hallie Gordon, a Chicago theater professional who helped found and now oversees Steppenwolf Theatre Company's program promoting theater among youth, delivered what might become the most urgent message to emerge from Theatre Communication Group's 50th annual conference, which ended Saturday, June 18, in Los Angeles.
"We hear a lot of talk about attracting 'the millennials,' or people in their 20s, to theater," Gordon said Saturday during a panel discussion at Central Los Angeles High School for the Visual and Performing Arts." Forget about it. It's already too late. By the time you get your surveys back, those in their 20s will be in their 30s. If we're not focusing on teens now, it's already too late."
Gordon has good reason to be less nervous than most theater professionals. Her 5-year-old program, Steppenwolf for Young Adults, has 26 teenagers on a council that chooses productions apart from the theater's regular season, meets with theater artists and explores ways to bring peers into the theater.
Rachel Fink, director of Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, had her own war stories to share when her company launched its Teen Council program, which matches youth with mentors in the theater arts, including local Berkeley playwrights, directors and set designers. "Some in administration were worried that kids would somehow take over the company, or that we'd have graffiti on the bathroom walls," Fink said. "Given the level of resistance you meet, starting to engage youth in a gradual way can be a good thing."
On Saturday, a 10-member panel of teenagers from both companies backed up Gordon and Fink. Three of them — Viviana Valadez, 18, Steppenwolf for Young Adults; Oscar Peña, 16, Berkeley Rep Teen Council; and Taylor Greenthal, 17, Berkeley Rep Teen Council — were also present at one of TCG's Friday "What If … " sessions moderated by Randy Symank, managing director of CounterPULSE theater in San Francisco.
"It's a little overwhelming to walk into an environment in which people have worked so hard all their lives to be here, and you're just a teenager," Greenthal said.
Tapping theater's fountain of youth isn't easy. Gordon stressed that getting Steppenwolf for Young Adults off the ground was years in the making. But here are a few points culled from both sessions — gathered from teenagers in both the Berkeley and Chicago programs — to pack your tool kit:
The numbers are alarming: According to the National Endowment for the Arts' 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, young adult attendance in the 18-24 age range for plays is down 28 percent from 1982 to 2008. Also, in 1982 the average age of a person attending theater was 32. In 2008, that average age was 45.
Programming for youth succeeds best when they have a say. Sometimes that includes letting them produce plays of their own. Whatever you do, don't "dumb down" just to draw a younger audience: "It's not as if we want to see High School Musical or even American Idiot," Peña said. "We have the mental capacity to appreciate real theater and heavy themes. When I saw Ruined it struck me on an unbelievable level." Gordon concurred. "The older I got the sooner I realized that I couldn't design programming for them anymore. It's best to let them interact with artists and decide on their own programming."
But if you let youth make programming decisions, it doesn't hurt to plan events extra to the production: When Steppenwolf for Young Adults hosted a production of To Kill A Mockingbird, Valadez said, they designed a theater event that also featured a bluegrass band and Southern-style food. "We even did and event around Endgame," Valadez told Saturday's panel. "And people liked it.
Depending on your organization's size, resources and time, you can engage youth at many levels. You can …
Support youth as an audience member: Patricia Garza, department manager of education and community partnerships for Center Theatre Group, in Los Angeles, said it's not enough to work at increasing youth attendance at her own theater. It's a two-way street. Her full-time education staff sees local high school theater productions across Los Angeles to create a symbiotic relationship with the community. "We have to support them in what they're doing if we also expect support from youth in the community."
Mentor them: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre's Teen Council program operates on the level of pure theater, finding mentors for teenagers in various theater pursuits when their high schools have often cut arts education programs. When Peña wanted to design sets for the company's one-act productions aimed at teens, they found him three mentors in the field.
Organize them: In a different approach, Gordon said Steppenwolf for Young Adults decided early that the company's program would be open to all youth interested in any aspect of theater, not just those interested in playwrighting, acting, directing or set design. That way the program makes room for teenagers interested in arts administration positions, or simply developing a love for theater. That said, the program expects a certain level of commitment. "Ours is more of a leadership program open to kids of all interest," Gordon said. "More than three absences means we have a real discussion with the student."
Aim for critical mass: "As long as you're busy working with as many young people already interested in theater, it has the chance to go viral," Fink said. It helps, too, that the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre is four blocks away from Berkeley High School.
Selling the fringe benefits of a theater education to wary parents isn't impossible: "That's one thing I've learned as an advocate for the arts," Peña said during Saturday's panel. "Theater is an education in that it helps you work well in a group and makes you a more effective communicator."
Whatever you do, don't stop talking to youth: "This year's TCG conference is a lot more open to youth than last years," said Sean Chang, a member of Steppenwolf for Young Adults. "Last year everyone was talking about the importance of cultivating a younger audience when we were right there, waiting to be talked to."
For more information: Steppenwolf for Young Adults and Berkeley Repertory Theatre Teen Council


text:
Blending the Indie Pop sparkle of the Sunday's debut album, the more lyrically coherent 'Heaven Or Las Vegas' period Cocteau Twins, the ethereal sheen of the under-rated third Slowdive album Pygmalion and the lush Gothik Pop of This Mortal Coil and Shelleyan Orphan, Welsh trio Lights That Change have lovingly crafted their debut album from the base materials of Shoegaze and Dream Pop. However you can't help feeling that they have somewhat missed the boat………………..had Byzantium been released 25 years ago it would have been considered a minor classic of the genre, but in 2016 with so many other bands using the same source materials it now sounds somewhat…….err……generic. Conceived as a studio project, Lights That Change first appeared on our radar a few years back with a couple of very cool singles/EPs but since then, while the band have been working hard on this album, the scene has moved on with the "Shoegaze Revival" rapidly running out of steam and the more interesting/creative bands that initially were influenced by the "Holy Trinity" of the J&MC, Slowdive and MBV evolving and experimenting, whereas Lights That Change have either taken their eye off the ball or played it safe and got themselves stylistically stuck in 1991. Then again, if your tastes are not that demanding and you are simply looking for a record that evokes the sound of late 80s/early 90s Rough Trade/4AD releases then Byzantium is the perfect album…………………..it is a beautifully constructed facsimile of that era, full of familiar somnolent sounds gently oozing out of the speakers.
We were expecting this album to drop a couple of years ago but due to various delays it has arrived late to the party and with loads of other Shoegaze/Dream Pop bands releasing records in the meantime, it's impact has been rather diminished. Nevertheless, although a bit light on any real memorable tunes or infectious Indie Pop hooks, Lights That Change first full album is a more than competent collection of dark gothic tinged Dream Pop songs that mixes together layers gorgeous multi-tracked voices, swirling guitars and supple bass lines…………………….tracks like the folky 'Starlight', a previous single 'Voices' and 'Union (For Louise)' which has the vivacity of The Sundays are particularly good……and what they lack in originality is balanced by the amount of work spent on achieving such a full, crystalline sound. However, Lights That Change have not really stamped their own personality on the record and have made an album that can only be described as "Cocteau's Lite", being in thrall to Robin Guthrie and far too respectful to their influences……………we were there during the original wave of Shoegazers and don't really want to hear Bluebell Knoll recreated but would rather the band fuck with the source material to be far more sonically adventurous, many of the tracks really could do bursts of brain scrambling shards of noise just to jolt the listener out of their reverie for a moment. If you are looking for an album packed with the thrilling visceral, brooding power of the last Swans LP, this is not the record for you……….although if you are after something that is atmospheric, sounds fantastic and rekindles memories of loads of dreamy bands you liked back in the day, you are not going to go far wrong with the latest offering from Lights That Change…………other opinions are available.
Released by Wrong Way Records, Byzantium is out NOW and available from the Lights That Change Bandcamp site here https://lightsthatchange.bandcamp.com/album/byzantium as either a CD or digital download. You can also stream the album and come to your own conclusions about a record that may have missed the wave.


text:
Basketball Court Construction
As specialists in basketball court services we carry out a number of projects such as full construction and painting of surfaces. This work may be carried out for many different facilities and some of our clients include secondary schools and local leisure centres. Whether you're looking to build a completely new facility, or you just want to improve an existing one, we are here to help.
You can speak with our team today and get more information and professional advice. Just send over your enquiry through the contact form and let us know what you need us to do. We'll be able to have a look at your requirements and budget to decide on a suitable quote.
Common Basketball Surfaces
The most popular surfacing option for basketball courts is Type 1 macadam as this provides excellent slip resistance and ball bounce qualities which are essential for game play. You will typically this surfacing specification at schools and sports clubs across the UK as it is a durable and cost effective option. However, if you are looking to install a multi use games area we can also offer other basketball court surfaces such as Type 2 macadam and polymeric rubber which are ideal for other sports including tennis and netball.
It really depends on the playing qualities that are needed for your facility as recreational courts will vary from professional standard surfaces. Just tell us how you plan to use the area and we'll help you choose the perfect design. The specification for a professional standard facility will obviously be different from a school practise area. This is why we have a range of options to choose from so you can get the ideal playing qualities at a great price.
Basketball Court Marking Paint
We include professional game line marking and anti slip paint coatings as one of our basketball services. This gives a great finishing touch to the surface, ensures the facility is safe for players and allows precise game play. For a tarmac surface, the basketball court painting will usually be applied using an acrylic coating which adds anti slip qualities. For polymeric rubber surfaces, a polyurethane coating will sometimes be used instead.
As well as colour coating the whole area, we'll also apply basketball court line marking to accurately mark out the sports lines. This will typically be done in a contrasting colour like white to make sure they stand out clearly. Paint coatings and line marking can be applied in a range of bright colours to suit your design specification and give a personalised touch to the sports facility. If the area is going to be used for other activities, additional markings can be added on top.
Building a Basketball Facility
Our experienced team of installers can build a brand new sports surface for your organisation. This process will begin with excavating the ground to the required depth, then fitting a suitable sub base. Once this has done, we'll install the chosen surfacing to fit the correct area size. Macadam will be laid directly onto a stone sub base, whereas polymeric rubber will require a base of macadam to go down first. Whatever specification you choose to have, our experienced team will be able to install it and create the ideal facility.
For a full basketball court construction project the specifications can vary, and we are able to alter them for your budget. This might include choosing the most cost effective surface type, reducing the size of the facility, or compromising on equipment to help keep costs down. Just let us know how much you are looking to spend and we'll do our best to stick within your price range.
How to Maintain Basketball Courts
It's important to keep your sport surface well looked after to make sure the performance and safety characteristics are maintained for a long time. We offer basketball court maintenance to help you keep your sports facility in top condition. Whether it's at a school, sports club or leisure centre, your surface should provide a positive playing experience and be kept safe for those who use it.
Maintenance methods for this kind of facility can include regular basketball surface cleaning and brushing to prevent the build up of dirt and debris. It's important to do this as it prevents any contamination which could potentially block up the surface and cause it to flood. We will also provide basketball courts repair for any damage which has been caused to the surface as a result of heavy use or vandalism. These services are available for different surface types so don't hesitate to ask if this is something you need.
Basketball Courts UK Service Costs
The costs involved with carrying out various basketball court services will of course be different for each individual project and the specification of the work. Prices can be dependent on a number of variables including the type of surfacing, the conditions of the existing area and access to the site. A quote can be tailored to meet your requirements and your budget to ensure you get the best end result at a price your organisation can afford. Court construction prices can also be managed by deciding on the extra equipment you need to have installed, for example basketball fencing, nets and floodlights, compromising on these items can help keep costs down for the overall installation.
The cost of basketball court services and maintenance can be managed by carrying out regular cleaning and proactive maintenance to keep the facility in good condition. Properly looking after the court will reduce the likelihood of it needing repairs and resurfacing which can be expensive. Having a well maintained facility is an investment for your organisation as it can help generate extra revenue, so it's vital not to overlook the importance of taking good care of it. You also want to ensure complete safety for players who will be using the area during practise sessions and matches.
Get More Information
You can talk to one of our experts today if you'd like some more information on everything we have to offer. The costs of basketball court services will depend on the work that is required, but we'd be happy to give you a quote. Fill in our contact form with all of the details including your location, budget and an area size for the project so we can give an accurate price.
From working with various clients across the UK, we have gained plenty of knowledge and experience in these projects. Whether it's constructing a completely now sports area or carrying out a routine cleaning job, we are on hand to help.
Surfaces for Multisport Courts
We at Sports and Safety Surfaces have been All Weather and MUGA specialists for over 20 years and have a wide knowledge of installations, restorations and
Tennis Court Painting at St. John's College, Oxford
It's easy to look at a dilapidated tennis court and think that the cost of restoration might be more trouble than it's worth, but it
Polymeric MUGA Restoration
Multi Use Games Areas (MUGA's) are sports areas that can be used for many different purposes. The facilities are marked out for a variety of
Residential Tennis Court Refurbishment in Hereford
So, Wimbledon has been and gone and the tarpaulins have been pulled over the courts for the final time for another year. Hopes of a
The Benefits of Playing Hockey
Brutal fights, missing teeth, huge pads. No, not a night out at a dodgy disco in the 1980's; hockey. If you fancy yourself as the
Health Benefits of Playing Basketball
When it comes to sport, America's first love might be its age-long tradition of American football, but coming in at a close second is basketball.


text:
For a good part of the last year, constitutional law and civil rights litigator and Contributing writer to Salon, Glenn Greenwald, has heavily criticised The Politco, the American political journalism organisation that distributes its content through television, the internet, newspaper, and radio, for its handling Dick Cheney stories
His criticism is in summary:
Throughout the year, Politico has repeatedly published as "news articles" comments from Dick Cheney, which its "reporters" faithfully write down and print with virtually no challenge, skepticism or contradiction . So extreme has this behavior become that even Beltway TV personalities such as Chris Matthews are beginning to mock it. This afternoon, Greg Sargent asked Editor-in-Chief John Harris to defend his magazine's conduct, and Harris replied by claiming, in essence, that Cheney's comments are "newsworthy" and that it's Politico's job to "get newsworthy people to say interesting things."………
In a coda to today's comments, he says:
I'm not a big fan of "we-are-doomed" symbolism. But for those looking for end-of-the-decade signs of our impending collapse, it would be hard to do better than pointing to the appointment of the Executive Editor of Politico — of Politico — to the Pulitzer Committee.
We are doomed indeed.


text:
Dazzle Decoy: Type 3
960.00 1,295.00
The art of war: Inspired by WWI dazzle camouflage, this series of hand painted decoys is meant to stand out. Dazzle camouflage once covered thousands of British and US battleships, intending not to conceal, but rather distract the enemy, making it difficult to discern a target's speed, range and heading.
This limited edition series of Dazzle Decoys takes up the bold geometric patterns and contrasting colors of the bygone military art.
To make an appointment to view this piece or to inquire about shipping, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com
All sales are final.


text:
Well first of all lets understand what does adding Handler to ColdFusion web services mean. As the name suggests, you can create and add your class/function in such a way that whenever there is a request/response to ColdFusion soap based web service, your class/function will be called.
Lets understand it from an example.
You created a service in ColdFusion, but you want your program 'Logger' to be called for every request/response so that you can log the service in your own way. Well as the ColdFusion already gives you logging handlers so lets take a good example.
What if you want to digitally sign your soap messages before sending them through ColdFusion. Its easy, I would suggest to use Apache xml security library and write a simple program in Java to do that. But the twist is how to call that java class everytime you send a soap response in ColdFusion. Well there is the need to add the handlers in ColdFusion web service. So here we go trying our hand at it.
Just follow few easy steps.
- Create a simple web service in ColdFusion and try to invoke it. See if its working fine and you are getting the expected result. Now open client-config.wsdd kept in {coldfusion_webroot}\WEB-INF\ folder. Take a back-up of this .wsdd and keep it safe. Open this wsdd in notepad and if you will notice, this .wsdd file is in xml format.
- I will give you a snippet of wsdd file which I have modified.
- Check out what all has been mofified in this client-config.wsdd file. First of all look for <requestFlow> tag element in this file(usually this will be the child element of <globalConfiguration> element and will be commented by default). If <requestFlow> is commented then remove the comments around it and add this line in between <requestFlow> opening and closing tags: <handler type="myClass"/>
- Also notice that there will be one handler already present in it: <handler type="log"/>. This is ColdFusion's handler to log the requests. You can remove this log handler if you do not want your services to be logged(specially in production servers). Just comment this particular handler eg: <!-- <handler type="log"/> -->
- After doing this much there just one more line to be added in this wsdd file. Notice that there is a <deployment> element tag in the beginning of file and its child is <handler> element tag. This handler is provided by ColdFusion for the very same purpose of logging. We will add our handler somewhat similar to ColdFusion's handler: <handler name="myClass" type="java:myClassName"/>. You can add this just beneath handler provided by ColdFusion.
- Save this client-config.wsdd file and we are half way done. Now lets create one sample class for testing this and we will keep its name as myClassName.java, as we have given this very same name in wsdd file. You can choose whatever name you like but make sure to give the same name in handler. You can also make package but you need to keep it in similar manner in wsdd too eg: <handler name="myClass" type="java:myPackageName.myClassName"/>.
- Just as I explained the steps to add the handler in <requestFlow> in client-config.wsdd file, similarly you can also add a handler for <responseFlow> so that you can catch the reponses as well.
. . .
//java code
import java.io.*;
import org.apache.axis.handlers.*;
import org.apache.axis.*;
public class myClassName extends BasicHandler
public void init()
System.out.println("init is called");
public void createFile() {
File f;
f=new File("D:\\sample.txt");
//New file has been created to the specified directory
}catch(IOException e)
public void invoke(MessageContext mCtx) throws AxisFault {
try {
catch (Exception e) {
- First of all I have imported few axis classes which are required for handler
- I have also extended the class with BasicHandler class of axis. This class is present in org.apache.xml.handlers.* in axis.jar (found in {ColdFusion_documentroot}\lib folder)
- This BasicHandler is an abstract class with invoke(MessageContext) as abstract method which is why its necessary to implement this method. This method throws AxisFault Exception. You can use this method for whatever you have to implement,
- Other than this we have also written init() method. This method will be called first time when your handler(myClassName) will be called.
- You can extend this program's functionality to whatever you want.


text:
Your shopping cart is empty!
Developed by Dave Hicks, "Got The Vibe" is the result of over thirty years professional experience in high end precision engineering and a passion for golf and specifically the science of putting.
"Got The Vibe" is a device which improves putting accuracy by reducing the vibrations in the putter head and dramatically increasing the sweet spot on the putter face. This results in putts hit out of the toe or heel of the putter behaving in the same manner as if hit out of the centre, leading to consistently more accurate putting. The device is positioned in the shaft of the putter close to the balance point, improving rhythm resulting in enhanced feel and distance control.


text:
LONDON — As an American Jew visiting Iran, I apparently made an irresistible target. "Zionist Israel," an Iranian official instructed me, was the root of all problems in the Middle East; a Western "colonial imposition" on Muslim lands that must be reversed.
"It's Iran's own fault," I replied. "If Cyrus the Great hadn't freed the Jews from Persian slavery 2,500 years ago and told them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, there wouldn't be an Israel." The official chuckled and changed the subject.
Today, it's hard to imagine two more bitter enemies than Iran and Israel. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls for Israel to be wiped off the map. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert calls a nuclear- armed Iran an existential threat to Israel.
Yet animosity between Iran and Israel is an historical aberration. Before Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, ancient cultural bonds and common strategic interests between Persians and Jews made Iran and Israel close allies. Even today, enduring strategic interests suggest that a revived Persian-Jewish partnership, while by no means imminent, is inevitable.
If he knew his history, Ahmadinejad would recall that Iranian diplomats in Europe saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust and that Iran served as an escape route for Iraqi Jews fleeing to Israel after the 1948 war for Israeli independence. In fact, Iran was one of the first Muslim countries to establish diplomatic and trade relations with the state of Israel.Continue reading the main story
Common Sunni Arab enemies made Persians and Jews close friends for the next three decades. Iran's Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi depended on Israel for a steady stream of arms and intelligence. Israel depended on Iran as part of its "periphery policy" of security alliances with non-Arabs on the Middle Eastern periphery along with Turkey, Ethiopia and Lebanese Christians.
Persian Iran sat out all three Arab-Israeli wars and even during the Arab oil boycott of the 1970s, continued supplying Israel with oil. The 100,000 Jews in Iran helped sustain robust Iranian-Israeli trade.
Even after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution severed these ties and sent most Iranian Jews fleeing, overlapping interests allowed these arch-enemies to do business. Mutual animosity toward Iraq - and Israel's desire to preserve influence with Tehran moderates - led Israel to supply weapons to the Islamic Republic well into the 1980s, including service as middleman in the Reagan administration's arms-for-hostages deal.
Flickers of an Iranian-Israeli rapprochement continued even during the heightened tensions of the 1990s, despite Iran's support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinian militants and the bombings of the Israeli embassy and Jewish cultural center in Argentina.
By the time of my visit to Iran, during the first year of Mohammad Khatami's reformist presidency, Israeli officials were exploring ways to repay shah-era oil debts to Iran. Israeli exports to Iran, mostly agricultural equipment through European third parties, were said to exceed $300 million.
Although hardliners in Tehran, Jerusalem and Washington have sabotaged attempts at dialogue at every turn, Iran and Israel's common interests endure. Both have a vital interest in avoiding Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and preventing the fracturing of Iraq along ethnic lines. In the event of a wider regional war between Sunnis and Shiites, Iran and Israel could once again find themselves with a common adversary.
Israel will need Iran, and Syria, to reign in Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Iran will need Israel, and its powerful lobby in Washington, to repeal U.S. economic sanctions.
Indeed, now that Washington has ended its 27- year-old policy against direct talks with Tehran, the door has opened, if only slightly, to a broader Iranian-American rapprochement. But for both Tehran and Washington, the road to reconciliation runs through Jerusalem.
When their governments are ready, the best bridge between Iran and Israel will be the enduring cultural links between their peoples.
Israel's community of 200,000 Iranian Jews - including a deputy prime minister, military chief and a Farsi-speaking president - are well-placed to forge new ties and trade with their ancestral homeland.
The Iranian people - led by the country's Jewish community, at 25,000 the largest in the Middle East outside Israel - would welcome Israeli overtures.
As Benjamin Disraeli famously observed, "nations have no permanent friends and no permanent enemies, only permanent interests." Though hard to imagine today, the permanent interests between Persian Iran and Jewish Israel will, in time, make these enemies friends again.Continue reading the main story


text:
Scuba diving in Greek waters
Clear water, teeming marine life, caves and shipwrecks attract thousands of scuba divers to Greek waters each year. Until recently diving was limited to just a few dive sites to protect the many ancient underwater treasures.
Now restrictions have been lifted and many new areas have been opened up for scuba diving. Scuba diving is now allowed in all Greek seas, except where specific prohibitions apply. In response, there has been a sharp rise in Greek diving centres.
Many Greek island scuba dive centres now offer scuba diving lessons and yacht-based diving tours. In choosing a dive centre check that the instructors have PADI qualifications and that equipment is either new or regularly serviced. Diving can be dangerous with underwater currents a particular hazard. It's a good idea to take out specialist Scuba diving insurance in case of accidents.
Spear fishing is a popular pastime for scuba divers but take care. It is illegal to spear fish in Greece without a licence. To get a licence apply to the port authority of the island you visit. It usually takes about a week to get one. Visit the PADI site for more information.
The scuba dive centres listed here mostly have their own websites where you can check out details such as qualification, equipment, dive spots and courses on offer.
To learn more about diving visit the PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) site. Dive centres come and go but this list has been checked for the 2015 holiday season. If your site is not listed here and you think it should be then please email me on Greek Island Postcards. Listing is free.


text:
Kevin Popovic
Kevin Popović is the Founder of Ideahaus, an award-winning creative communications agency that helps B2B, B2C and Non-Profit organizations build their brands and increase sales. As a Communications Director, Kevin lead CEOs, C-Level Sales & Marketing Directors through a proven communications planning process to develop a strategic plan for their branding, advertising, marketing, events, public relations and social media. In 2010, Kevin was ranked #43 in Fast Company's The Influence Project measuring the "most influential people online." In 2013, his book "20YEARS Communications: 20 Leaders, 20 Questions, 100's of Lessons" was published by Transmedia.
This book was designed to generate discussion and critical analysis–ideal for the classroom, for team building, and for the professional communicator looking to expand their perspective. In both 2014 and 2015, Kevin was named as one of the Top 20 Digital Strategists in Marketing by Online Marketing Institute recognizing "the luminaries who have paved the way for digital marketing innovation and education." Also, in 2015 he was named one of the "Top 15 Most Influential Educators in Digital Marketing."