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Automation and Data Warehouse virtualisation?
Why Data Warehouse virtualisation? What is Data Warehouse virtualisation anyway? To cover this it is best to explain how I ended up focusing on this, and then backtrack to more formal definitions. Essentially, I got interested in the virtualisation concepts because I have been working on automating data integration (ETL – or Extract Transform and Load) processes for years and during these period I noticed the Data Warehouse industry maturing when it comes modelling, design and capabilities. To explain how this is connected to virtualisation we have to take a short sidestep into the world of ETL automation.
At present, many of the most successful Data Warehouse solutions automate a large portion of their ETL processes from metadata. I refer to this as model-driven-design: the ability to 'read' your physical data models and generate the required ETL processes to populate these data models. There are many exciting trends here, ranging to the translation of conceptual FCO-IM models into physical Data Vault (or other) models, Data Warehouse automation software and custom approaches to translate logical models into physical models and then use 'the patterns'.
These (ETL / loading) patterns are generic and repetitive processes that you apply over and over again for different sources and targets. That this is now achievable is to me one of the clearer signs that the Data Warehouse industry is finally meeting expectations, and life will get a bit better for all 'data plumbers' out there.
Talking about the patterns a bit more, they can be implemented by using the various APIs provided by ETL software vendors or third parties. The common denominator here is that the real Intellectual Property is the data model and the metadata to map sources against this data model – not the ETL development effort. We literally drop and rebuild ETL over and over again using the model metadata. However, in this context patterns are only fit-for-purpose if they are generic enough.
The role of the 'hybrids'
Enter contemporary techniques such as Data Vault, Anchor and Head & Version. What these techniques bring to the table is the definition of these generic loading patterns. Data Vault is the leader of these concepts, but they are fairly similar.
Data Vault is a hybrid data modelling technique that focuses on loose coupling of data entities. The premise is that things (data, requirements) change all the time so you might as well make 'change' a core element of your design and model. To this extent Data Vault uses a hub and spoke approach to define a small number of core entities: Hubs, Links and Satellites. A business concept such as 'Customer' or 'Product' is defined as a Hub which in effect is the integration point between various data sets. All context, descriptive information, is stored in Satellite entities and all relationships are recorded in Link entities.
Techniques such as Data Vault are referred to as 'hybrid' because the degree of normalisation differs between entity types. Some entities are fairly denormalised (e.g. Satellites), some entities are highly normalized (e.g. Hubs, Links). Data Vault achieves this flexibility partly due to these entity types, but also by pushing business rules towards the delivery of information. This leads to a robust back-room that 'just works' and a flexible 'front-room' that can be customized depending on the requirements. Along the way the various Data Warehouse concepts are addressed including key distribution, time variance and structure. It is impressive to see manageable load processes become when the various functions are split and spread across these layers / steps / ETLs.
One of the interesting things in Data Vault is the notion to be able to recreate Data Marts (referred to as 'Information Marts' in Data Vault) with a deterministic outcome. You basically drop and recreate the marts and get the exact same output – including the time variance. This relatively simple starting point cascades into a variety of design decisions, which essentially boil down to making sure you integrate data in a non-destructive way by making sure business rules (that actually change the contents) are pushed upstream in the process. This means after you have made sure your information is recorded properly and in the right place.
To put it differently: you know you did a good job if you can truncate your tables and reload them without any difference before and after. To be able to achieve this also means it is not always necessary anymore to persist data in the marts (except maybe for performance reasons) so you can opt to simply use views to simulate or expose a specific dimensional model or any other format that is fit for purpose. In this context this is referred to as 'virtualisation'.
Is ETL still relevant?
But wait a minute… If we can generate all ETL into the Data Warehouse using model-driven-design and metadata and use views to 'virtualise' the delivery of information, do we need ETL tools at all? Are they still relevant? Well, maybe in some scenarios but certainly not as the default solution. There are still places where dedicated integration software is relevant, but you can do without in a lot of scenarios. There are a few different drivers here:
- Modern Data Warehouse approaches are more pattern-based and lend themselves much better for generic ETL processes. Gone are the monolithic complex ETLs, everything is now broken up into a large number of small 'atomic' processes. These are so simple, they don't need any documentation at all – just a description of the template will suffice as all ETLs are based on this. This also means you use far fewer of the functions ETL tools have to offer.
- Another driver for this is that the balance between performance of the ETL 'server' and the database platform shifted massively to the database side. You don't need that many tweaks to get things running in ETL, and database performance is easily scalable and quick to configure. For years ETL vendors have recognized this and have been working on supporting 'pushdown' technology that effectively generates SQL that is executed as opposed to logic running in the ETL engine. The key message is that current RDBMS systems can handle these thing well
These two things together support various related ideas which 'tap' into virtualisation. For instance you can support generating ETL processes 'on the fly', which works if supported by a fully fledged ETL control framework and built-in (metadata) versioning. Another interesting spin-off is dropping and rebuilding complete DWH environments, especially in the cloud context. There are some great use cases where applying cloud based drop and create Data Warehouse applications causes a drop of the Total Cost of Ownership by many factors and allowing the development team to get started straight away. I'm sure many of you have been in situations where you have to wait for hardware to arrive and get configured – not to mention the challenges in scalability. The last suggestion is almost a combination of the two; creating (database) views that simulate your entire Data Warehouse.
For me this is almost coming back full circle, having started as a developer mostly using SQL and working with ETL software more and more over time. ETL can still have a place in capturing (very) specific business rules, or be used as a means to interface with the wide variety of available data sources. ETL tools have since a long time been exceptional at providing connectivity, but this is now challenged by concepts such as Data Virtualisation and 'Integration Clouds'.
There are many forms of virtualisation. Pretty much anything can be 'virtualised' in Information Technology. A fairly broad way to look at this is the creation, or instantiation, of something rather than creating an actual physical version of it. This can cover many things covering infrastructure, the storage fabric and of course the hypervisors. One specific example of virtualisation, Data Virtualisation, covers technology to provide access to all kinds of data from various applications so people can access the data without worrying where it is stored and how to access it. For the Data Warehouse an immediate practical application is that this provides a heterogeneous and SQL-friendly interface to all data sources, which effectively means that the interfacing can be SQL based as well!
Generally speaking Data Virtualisation and Data Warehouse Virtualisation want the same thing, to support self-service access to data and information to the greater business. Data Virtualisation provides access to data, but doesn't provide a schema or model. Data Warehouses provide this model, to an extent, and Data Vault is exceptionally well suited to define this 'lens' while still allowing flexibility when things change.
To summarize, what we need for a modern Data Warehouse is that:
- It is pattern based, because ETL needs to be automated (e.g. generation of ETL, metadata injection)
- It provides a schema / model that assists in interpreting the data
- Pushes as many business rules as possible to the users
I basically want to be able to drop and recreate my Data Warehouse the same way as I would do with the Data Marts.
What about the history?
But… what about the history? If you truncate your Data Warehouse, and we know that source systems are prone to data issues and 'cannot be trusted', where does the history stay? This is where a concept called the Persistent Staging Area comes in. In my designs I favour a Data Staging that you can truncate; to land data deltas into your environment, your realm of influence. This data delta is then 'archived' into a persistent historical archive. This concept has originated (for me at least) as a way to support model changes in the early stages of the model design. Even with Data Vault, you're bound to make modelling mistakes – or at least things you later say you would have done things differently. My point is: if you keep your original data delta somewhere you can always rebuild.
The Data Lake again???
It's almost a dump of everything that happens in the data landscape and it can span different environments / technologies. Sounds familiar? This is very similar to the data lake, data swamp, data landfill or data sewer (arranging supporters and detractors in a neat order). There definitely are similarities here, but also small but important differences. One of the differences is that there is a small but fairly rigid set of rules the interfaces need to comply to. You must be able to load multiple changes (for a key) in one go, be scalable, streamline data types and capture logical deletes. One of the most important thing is to 'set' or 'harden' the date/time. Without setting the date/time early there is no deterministic process to run. You don't want different results depending on whether you run in the morning or the evening.
This applies a small but meaningful tweak to upstream standardisation. But it also means that whatever you do next, you can rebuild in another way and still be auditable. This way, you are not even committed to a Data Warehouse solution. Whatever we do next will add 'schema' to the 'data lake'.
The full concept is defined in the diagram below:
The difference between Data Warehouse Virtualisation and Data Virtualisation becomes a bit clearer now, and both concepts can work together. Data Virtualisation provides the generic access layer, and the Data Warehouse ensures all the usual boxes are ticked to virtually 'interface with these systems' and ensure adequate maintenance of history and that the 'schema' is applied on the data. You still need a separate historical view of data even as operational systems don't always store this correctly (or at all). You still need to capture soft deletes / logical deletes.
Virtualisation needs versioning
There is one last thing that needs to be mentioned: Data Warehouse virtualisation needs versioning. Think of it this way – if you can drop and refactor your Data Warehouse based on (the changes in your) metadata then your upstream reports and analytics are very likely to not only change structurally but also report different numbers. To remain auditable in this context, you need to make sure your metadata is versioned so you can 'roll out' your Data Warehouse in versions that correspond to Business Intelligence or analytics output. Managing end-to-end version control which ties the model, the ETL and the output together has been in place in some environments but when you are able to deliver a new 'view' with the speed of a click this becomes a mandatory requirement. Concepts can be borrowed from other areas such as message formats / canonicals or SOA processes. Most of these environments are able to allow at least a prior version active, allowing all subscribers some time to become compatible with the newer version. In any case, it is important to be able to 'go back' to previous versions in your virtualized Data Warehouse if numbers need explaining and this all comes down to metadata version control.
It is worth considering the Persistent Staging Area, it may be the time and money saver that further reduces the time to deliver data to the end-users. And, considering this is key to adding value by using data it's certainly worth giving it a go!


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#208 Narf!
May 14th, 2009, 11:46 am
Author's Comments:
SuperBiasedMan, May 14th, 2009, 12:32 pm
For bonus laughs add 'and They says pun too' at the end there.
Advertisement, May 20th, 2019, 2:18 am
User's Comments:
youdont12know, May 14th, 2009, 1:02 pm
youdont12know, May 14th, 2009, 1:13 pm
SuperBiasedMan, May 14th, 2009, 3:02 pm
Ah, I actually forgot about 314! I even reread that and noticed that I put May instead of March...
youdont12know, May 14th, 2009, 3:06 pm
but i bugged you about it all week!?!
SuperBiasedMan, May 14th, 2009, 3:12 pm
Yeah I was holding off on using them til after the anniversary one, now it just depends on what ideas I can come up with.
youdont12know, May 15th, 2009, 3:18 pm
no new one today either?
Post A Comment

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Twitter talked about its platform approach and long-term strategy, "As our primary concern is "long-term health and value of network," we'll continue to forgo near-term revenue opportunities in the service of carefully metering the impact of Promoted Tweets on user experience. For this reason, aside from Promoted Tweets, we'll not allow any 3rd-party to inject paid tweets into a timeline on any service that leverages Twitter API". Twitter reasons for prohibiting these ads:
First, 3rd-party ad networks aren't necessarily looking to preserve unique user experience Twitter has created.
Second, basis for building lasting advertising network that benefits users should be innovation, not near-term monetization. We believe it's our responsibility to encourage creative product development and to curb practices that compromise innovation.
It's important to keep in mind that Twitter bears all the costs of maintaining the network, protecting Tweet stream against spam, supporting user requests, and scaling service. Indeed, Twitter will bear many of support costs associated with any 3rd-party paid Tweets, as Twitter receives support emails related to anything a user sees in a tweet stream. The 3rd-party bears few of these costs by comparison.


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The Mysterious Burger Only McDonalds Staff Know About
McDonald's have impressed burger lovers everywhere with the release of a burger we can't believe we've been living so long without: the Chicken Big Mac.
And now, we've heard rumours that there is ANOTHER reinvented Big Mac burger out there to try but it's a secret that only staff know about.
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It's called the Land, Sea and Air burger and basically it's a Big Mac with a combination of a beef patty, chicken patty and fillet o fish patty.
You know what this means right? No longer do we have to choose between beef, chicken or fish because you can get the LOT rolled into one! You're welcome.
(I mean we can't guarantee how it will taste with all three combined this way but why not give it a go!)
Think you can handle it? Head on into McDonald's and act like the VIP you are by ordering this gem from the secret menu.


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The time in Venezuela is four and a half hours behind UTC or Coordinated Universal Time, the newer and more correct version of GMT or Greenwich Mean Time. This means that during the winter time, when Daylight Saving Time does not apply, if the time is 9 am in New York and 2 pm in London, in Venezuela it would be 9.30am.
The time zone is often called Venezuelan Standard Time or VET and legally is known as Hora Legal de Venezuela or HLV. Venezuela's unique time zone is half an hour ahead of its western neighbour, Colombia, and half an hour behind its neighbour on the eastern side, Guyana. Brazil is on the other side of Venezuela's southern frontier and, like Guyana, is half an hour ahead. Between 1965 and December 2007 Venezuela was .
So why has Venezuela got a time zone all to itself? In August 2007, after the country's time had been in sync with Guyana and the western part of Brazil for 42 years, President Hugo Chavez decided that not all Venezuelans were getting enough sunlight.
Venezuelan school children start school at 6am or 7am so they have to wake up as early as 5am to get ready in time. Adult Venezuelans are also early risers, especially in the great metropolis of Caracas which has huge suburbs and lots of traffic. Caraqueños (Caracas residents) who live on the outskirts of the city usually have to get out of bed really early to start their long commute to work.
Venezuelans in the west of the country suffered the most. A meridian line goes right through the middle of Venezuela and the -4 UTC time only applied to eastern regions of the country, where cities like Cumana and Puerto La Cruz are located. This left school kids and commuters in the west of the country, in places like Maracaibo and Merida, having to get up before dawn to get to work or school.
It was decided that instead of having two time zones – one for the east and one for the west of the country – there would be a happy medium. Thus the singular Hora Legal de Veenzuela was created. "While there is light, we will be in it," said a government minister in 2007 and the country reverted to the time zone it used to have before 1964.
Critics said at the time that the change was unnecessary and President Chavez just wanted to antogonise his nemesis, former US President George W. Bush.
Lead image: CC image courtesy of Gabriel S. Delgado C on Flickr


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GQ Names Top 20 Worst Sports Franchises of All Time
Don't worry Dallas sports fans none of your teams made the list.
Now this is a pretty self explanatory list. Who is the worst of the worst? GQ actually did their research and went outside of the standard NFL,NHL, MLB and NBA. They actually threw in some World Hockey Association and World Football League teams. Let's be honest unless your an ESPN researcher you don't know anything about those two leagues.
Now the only reason I am sharing this is for two reasons. One, none of my teams are on the list and I am so thankful for that. Two GQ declared every sports franchise in Cleavland as the worst at number one. I am willing to declare GQ subscriptions plummeted in Cleavland today.
Check Out Who GQ Declared the Worst Sports Franchises Below:
1. Every Cleavland Sports Franchise [All Leagues]
2. Detroit Lions [NFL]
3. Chicago Cubs [MLB]
4. Los Angeles Clippers [NBA]
5. Charlotte Bobcats [NBA]
6. New York Jets [NFL]
7. Kansas City Royals [MLB]
8. Providence Steamrollers [NBA]
9. Indianapolis Racers [World Hockey League]
10. Detroit Wheels [World Football League]
11. Phoenix Coyotes [NHL]
12. New York Mets [MLB]
13. Washington Federals [United States Football League]
14. Philadelphia Phillies [MLB]
15. Toronto Raptors [NBA]
16. Toronto Maple Leafs [NHL]
17. Buffalo Bills [NFL]
18. Pittsburgh Pirates [MLB]
19. Arizona Cardinals [NFL]
20. St. Louis Blues [NHL]


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Farm-themed games have been popular for quite a while now, and it doesn't seem to be a problem for the fans of this genre. Big Farm is one of those addictively entertaining games. It features a great number of languages to speak the language of players from all over as well as a great number of tasks to keep them busy. There isn't much of a story told before you start the game, but you do learn more and more about what's going on as you keep playing. This happens first of all as you meet more and more new character. Some of them are on your side to help you succeed (like the girl in the first image who is your neighbor), others are there to be your competition. Either way all of them stimulate the development of your farm.
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text: For nearly 8 years Gaza has been almost completely blocked off from not only the world, but the rest of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank. Late last year, the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MOD) —let's not forget anything beyond the Green Line was captured through military means and under international law continues to not be part of Israeli territory, don't let Congress fool you— partially lifted a not-so-insignificant ban from the myriad restrictions on Gaza. Late last year, for first time since June 2007, Israel started allowing some goods (agricultural at first, and now furniture and textiles) from Gaza to be sold in the West Bank. On its blog the Israeli non-profit Gisha covered the inexplicable MOD response to questions about the thinking behind the ban on Gazan goods to the West Bank. We know what you're thinking, they'll claim it's a security threat. Nope. The long report by the MOD bureau in charge of the territories does not reference security a single time. MOD claims they considered "manufacturing capacity, supply and demand in the relevant markets." Frankly, we're stunned. You strangle an economy for 8 years (85% of Gazan goods were previously traded with Israel and the West Bank) and the reason is not security but rather how competitive Israel determines Gazan goods are in West Bank markets? Next thing they'll tell us is the Israeli government freezing of Palestinian Authority taxes was a rounding error.comments powered by Disqus


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The ocean is a cruel mistress.
And a sure-fire way to make it even more dangerous is to attack the wild creatures that call it home.
One remarkable idiot thought it would be a bloody good laugh to belly-flop onto a stingray while swimming in the Gold Coast of Australia.
The swimmer dives on top of the two-metre creature in shallow water and then walks away, happy with his impressive victory in the battle of man versus nature.
Unsurprisingly, the stingray reacts by charging at the man, who somehow manages to make a lucky escape.
The ray doesn't appear to flick its barb at the swimmer. A lucky break for the prankster, seeing as it looks to be the size of a lamppost.
Stingrays aren't known to be territorial and will only attack if provoked.
Wildlife expert Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray's barb in 2006 while filming a documentary.


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is backordered. We will ship it separately in 10 to 15 days.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Winter Mantel 2016
18 comments:
- FABBY'S LIVING said...
Beautiful mantel decoration Lori. You used such perfect and each pretty elements to evoke the Winter season inside.
Your room looks like it came right out of a magazine.
- January 20, 2016
- Carolyn said...
That is so beautiful...looks so cozy there by the fire!
- January 21, 2016
- marty (A Stroll Thru Life) said...
I love it, so perfect and your snow balls are fabulous.
- January 21, 2016
Your mantel and hearth make me want to snug up with that blanket and read a book! Beautiful!
- January 21, 2016
that would be 'snuggle' up!
- January 21, 2016
- Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...
I loove it! The birch logs, the ski poles, the snowballs, it is all fabulous! I did a "snowy owl" winter mantle this year. You might like it:) Stay warm and cozy!!! Our snow is coming all day Sat. into Sun......
- January 21, 2016
- Michele @ The Nest at Finch Rest said...
You have created the cutest winter mantle and fireplace area. And you absolutely won me with your adorable bucket of snowballs, seriously how cute is that????
Hope you are staying warm and dry during this snowstorm.
Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for popping in and for your sweet comments about my winter's eve tablescape! : - )
BTW- I am your newest follower!
- January 22, 2016
- Calypso In The Country said...
This is such a perfect winter mantel! Love the mini skis and the snowballs!
- January 23, 2016
- Angelina PeoniesandOrangeBlossoms said...
Those snowballs! So cute! Like the ski poles to! Very cute mantle!
- January 25, 2016
- lifeonkayderosscreek.com said...
This is so pretty, warm and inviting. The snowballs are such a cute touch!
- January 26, 2016
- Marie Blackburn said...
What a pretty winter mantle! Just love all the elements you used to decorate it. The faux snowballs are a great touch too, especially sitting by the fire!
- January 26, 2016
- Linda@Coastal Charm said...
Thanks for sharing your beautiful Winter mantel at my Show and Share Party...love those snowballs.
- January 26, 2016
- Chatfield Court said...
Love your winter mantel Lori. With the fire and candlelight, it looks so cozy and inviting. The snowballs are pretty fabulous too.
- January 27, 2016
- The Charm of Home said...
What a fun and warm mantel! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!
- January 28, 2016
- Mimi said...
Lori, your snuggly throw in front of your fireplace makes me WISH for snow! Thanks for sharing at Five Star Frou-Frou. Love, Mimi xxx
- January 28, 2016
- Carol said...
This is so charming, and looks so cozy by the fire. We are already looking at planting pansies and geraniums here in the AZ desert, so no time to do a wintry vignette!
- January 29, 2016
- thepaintedapron.com said...
Love Love Love your winter family room Lori, prettiest I've seen! The bucket of snowballs is adorable, and everything looks so cozy! I could happily spend the winter in that snuggly blanket :)
- January 29, 2016
- Pat Cantwell said...
Absolutely beautiful, dear one!!!
I l o v e SNOW, so this is something I would immensely enjoy!!!
The fire glowing is mesmerizing against the SNOW featured backdrop out~of~doors!!!
- January 29, 2016


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Environmental Observation and Prediction
Coastal margins are the most densely populated and developed regions in the world, and require science-informed management of resources and ecosystems. Natural catastrophes like recent tsunamis and hurricanes further highlight the need to understand and predict coastal margins. The Institute of Environmental Health is a pioneer in monitoring, understanding and predicting the physical conditions of natural waters, and a leader in developing coastal-margin observatories that integrate modeling, monitoring and information management techniques. Novel frontiers include the incorporation of chemical and microbial factors in these observatories, and on developing and using new tools--including advanced genomics and proteomics--to understand and protect natural ecosystems as well as the human beings who depend on them.


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US and Japan overtake German PV capacity / 'Better not learn from Germany'
"As European solar installations slow, China, US and Japan lead global installed PV capacity in 2016"
The United States and Japan will surpass Germany's installed solar PV capacity this year, according to consultancy IHS. "With annual installations stalling, Germany will fall from the second-largest installed base for PV to the fourth largest," an IHS press release said. "A continued stagnation of major European PV markets due to weaker financial incentives has caused PV additions in Europe to slow dramatically in recent years, but global demand remains strong," said Josefin Berg, senior IHS analyst of solar demand. By the end of the year, cumulative global installed capacity will surpass 310 gigawatts, according to IHS.
Find the press release in English here.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe / Deutschlandfunk
"Impulses for a better supply of heat"
Germany's Energiewende still largely remains an energy transition in the power sector and needs to be extended to heating urgently, according to a position paper by environmental and consumer protection association Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH). Current measures are insufficient to reach Germany's goal to reduce CO2 emissions from heating by 80 percent by 2050. DUH calls for enhancements to the legal framework, binding timetables for renovations, and additional financial incentives. "A reliable framework has to create transparency and planning security to promote investments in climate-friendly renovations," according to the DUH press release.
Find the DUH paper in German here.
Read a Deutschlandfunk report in German here.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"The private Energiewende"
Online platform energieheld.de advises property owners on how best to renovate their house or flat to make it more energy efficient, reports Ulla Fölsing in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. This includes public support programmes, finding the right companies and coordination between those involved in the renovation process. The service is paid for by the companies via a commission dependent on the success of the project, according to the article. The complicated and time-consuming process of organising the renovation of his family's house gave one of the founders the idea to start the website, which now has 250,000 visitors per month.
Find the article in German here.
Zeit Online
"Better not learn from Germany"
Cheap nuclear power has always been a lie, writes Petra Pinzler in a commentary for Zeit Online. Because not enough money can be extracted from the utilities to pay for the nuclear clean-up, tax payers will end up paying for the nuclear waste, according to Pinzler. "Whoever might look from afar to Berlin these days can really learn from German mistakes and save many billions of euros," writes Pinzler. Germany is about to find out the true costs of nuclear power. "The answer is clear already: It is expensive, very expensive." Pinzler says somebody must explain loud and clearly to countries planning new nuclear reactors what is happening in Germany right now.
Read the commentary in German here.
Find a CLEW factsheet on securing utility payments for the nuclear clean-up here.
Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WWF, and others
"Strengthen climate protection after Paris"
With a view to the meeting of EU environment ministers on Friday, 26 non-governmental and church associations have urged Germany's government to step up efforts to protect the climate. In a letter to environment minister Barbara Hendricks and economy minister Sigmar Gabriel, the organisations argue current EU climate and energy targets are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees or at least well below 2 degrees Celsius, as agreed at the Paris Climate Conference. "The organisations believe it is the government's duty to push for an increase in European energy and climate targets," according to a press release.
Find the press release in German here.
Süddeutsche Zeitung
"Government fights about green power"
The economics ministry's proposal for the reform of the Renewable Energy Act suggests there is no agreement within government on one of the central question of future renewable support, reports Michael Bauchmüller in Süddeutsche Zeitung. It is still unresolved whether there should be a support scheme for onshore wind in case Germany reaches its renewable targets before 2025, according to Bauchmüller. According to current plans, new onshore wind capacity will only fill the gap left by offshore and solar additions. To avoid a collapse of wind, previous proposals included a minimum onshore addition of 2,000 megawatts per year, but this target is no longer spelled out in the most recent draft law, according to Bauchmüller.
Read the article in German here.
Find a CLEW on the reform plans here.
Frankfurter Rundschau
"Gabriel rejects lignite fund"
Economy minister Sigmar Gabriel has rejected demands by mining union IG BCE to transfer lignite plants and mines into a fund to secure their future operation, reports Thorsten Knuf in Frankfurter Rundschau. A Gabriel spokeswoman said the union's proposal was just one among many others in the lignite debate and added the government had set ambitious climate targets and would stick to the Paris Agreement. "This has shown that Germany has chosen the right path with its Energiewende to increase renewable energies and energy efficiency," the spokeswoman said.
Knuf writes in a commentary the union proposals are absurd in several ways. "There is no reason to give a climate-damaging industry a guaranteed existence for 35 years. Especially if this requires state aid." He argues the proposal is the mining union's signal it is willing to negotiate a phase out, as it spells out the union's starting point for negotiations.
Find the article in German here.
Find the most recent CLEW article on Germany's coal exit debate here.
Federal German Association for Brown Coal (DEBRIV)
"Lignite in Germany – Facts and Figures"
The Federal German Association for Brown Coal (DEBRIV) has published a flyer in English, summarising statistics on the industry. According to the publication, 20,744 people were employed in the lignite sector at the end of 2015, compared to 21,406 a year earlier. "For many years to come, lignite is the only domestic energy supplier that is available in large amounts without subsidies on competitive terms," states the publication.
Find the flyer, which includes many graphs, in English here.


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An Encounter with Oprah Winfrey
Photo by G.
OPRAH!!!! Oprah Winfrey is one of the most famous and powerful women in the world. It's amazing that she built her empire from the ground up and for the little people like us, it's a huge inspiration! I recently met her again for the first time in nearly 20 years and she hasn't changed a bit – she's super nice! She was happy to take photos with a few fans (myself included) and rather than have a hands off approach towards her public (like so many famous people do), she art directed our mini-photo sessions with her! She helped us get the best lighting to ensure our photos came out ok, and before moving on to the next person, she checked with everyone to make sure they got what they wanted. TOO COOL!!!! When you see Oprah on TV looking really down to earth, it's not an act! She couldn't have been nicer and more friendly. Thanks Oprah for truly being a class act! I wish you could teach your manners and graciousness to so many people who will never even achieve a fraction of what you've accomplished. Please never change!!! As I told you in person, I will say it again – I love you! Thanks again!!!
MELROSEandFAIRFAX said,
That's awesome. Great shot, G!
Gail said,
How nice to have such a positive encounter! And to get a great photo as well!


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Hotels A
International Conference On The Blues • October 1-3, 2017
Hampton Inn
912 North Davis, Cleveland, MS 38732
(662) 846-2915
Holiday Inn Express
808 N Davis Ave, Cleveland, MS 38732
(662) 843-9300
Comfort Inn
807 N Davis Avenue, Cleveland, MS 38732
(662) 846-1525
These hotels offer free breakfast. All three hotels are located on Highway 61 North, approximately 2 – 2.5 miles from DSU..
Discounted pricing is available for conference participants at the Hampton and Holiday Inn, where blocks of rooms have been reserved. Please call the hotel directly at the numbers provided to reserve your discount, mentioning that you are attending Delta State University's International Conference on the Blues.


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On the IGN MadWorld blog, Matsuno posted about the narrative for the brawler. Under contradictory advice from the producer and the development team, Matsuno came up with the game show idea. The development team wanted a world where violence was accepted -- but the producer (not named, but probably Atsushi Inaba) wanted a world where "Violence should ultimately be denied in the end." To comply with both of those ideas, Matsuno devised DeathWatch.
"In the extraordinary world of the DeathWatch games," Matsuno explains, "violence and brutality is not only required, but accepted. However, once you step out of the show, the world outside is ruled by normal conventions. In the conclusion of the post, Matsuno says that "it may be a little difficult to catch everything in the story by only playing the game once." We're happy to hear about some replay value!
For more from the World: Over on the Platinum Games MadWorld site (which can now be viewed on the iPhone!), director Shigenori Nishikawa explains the motivation for adding the comedic narration to the game.


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Guest Post by Ross Sharp
Christie Eliezer reports from TheMusic.com for June 16th …
"In the wake of its win over nightclubs, the record companies' licensing arm the PPCA is now targeting cafes and restaurants. PPCA chief executive Stephen Peach says that they've been paying too little for music.
Under its proposals, a 120-seat place would now pay $19,344 instead of $125. Cafes could face a rise of $5860 from $124 — a rise of 4729%.
The proposed review of costs will work on a new formula based on how many "sessions" (breakfast, lunch, dinner) they were open, how many people could sit in the venue and the average price of a main meal. The eateries say this could destroy them. The Australian Hotels Association has asked the Small Business Commission and Australian Competition And Consumer Commission to investigate such potential hikes. The Restaurant and Catering Industry Association is asking its members through its site http://www.rcq.org.au to protest to the PPCA. Others say they'll switch to classical music … or no music."
I have been working in the copyright and royalty field for approximately 30 years now, and one of the rewards of the jobs I've held over that time has been remitting royalties to copyright owners and creators for the use of their work. That is, the ACTUAL use of their work, from sales, reproduction and secondary rights under statutory licences.
But PPCA's naked grab for cash, for money for nothing, is little more than a shell game, a con, a sleight of hand. It is, to put it bluntly, sheer bullsh*t, and it gives the copyright industry, the legitimate copyright industry, a bad name. It soils us all.
For, unlike other copyright agencies such as APRA (The Australasian Performing Rights Association, representing composers), CAL (Copyright Agency Limited, representing authors), Viscopy (visual artists) and Screenrights (film & television producers), PPCA's licences are issued not on the basis of actual usage of a thing, but on the assumption of usage. Their annual distribution of royalties to recording artists and record companies (split 50/50 between the two) is based, not on the music that has actually been broadcast in a public place such as restaurant or a café, but on radio and television broadcast logs that they source from APRA.
Unlike the aforementioned agencies, PPCA do not and never have had the ability or the resources to actually survey what type of music retailers and businesses play in their establishments. And, if you were a small business or retailer who played music for public consumption, for the benefit of your clientele, you would have far, far better things to do with your days than fill out some f*cking form listing the titles of songs and names of artists whose compact discs you just happened to take for spin on any given day.
Why would you bother? Realising this, the PPCA simply assume that you are playing music that comes under the protection of their licences and hit you with a bill, and then distribute the licence fees they collect to artists whose music you'd probably no sooner play in your business than you'd hammer nails into your genitals for fun. Like Slim Dusty, or Normie Rowe, or Frank Ifield for example (Frank's a lovely guy, by the way – I had occasion to speak with him often when I worked in the music industry).
These individuals receive radio airplay. You will not be hearing their tunes any time soon in some stylish café or upmarket restaurant.
And the PPCA smugly assume that, simply because you have the capacity to seat 120 people in your venue that, at each and every sitting, 120 people will be there. I don't know about anyone else, but I have rarely, if ever, gone into a restaurant or café at any time and found every table taken. And, if you are talking about a high-end establishment for which you may be paying about a hundred bucks for a feed, you damn well don't want your ears assaulted by whatever crap the waiter or the sous-chef picked up for ten bucks from J&B the other week. You're there for the food, and the owners and the head chefs know that.
And, if you were running a 120 seat restaurant, would you rather spend 19 grand a year on an apprentice chef or a re-fit or hand it over to these corporate copyright criminals so that they can pay it to a record company and an artist whose music you've never played and never will?
The solution to this is simple.
Do not play any music that falls under the protection of a PPCA licence.
The United States is one country whose recordings don't. France is another. And China.*
However, the PPCA sneakily state on their website that …
In order to determine whether a particular sound recording is protected or not the following information will be required:
– who "made" the recording, and if it was a record company, their place of incorporation;
– the place where the track was recorded (i.e. the location of the recording studio);
– the release date of the track, the country of first release and if released in Australia, the date of first release here; and
– the names of everyone who performed on the recordings and their citizenship or residency at the date the recording was made.
As if anyone in their right mind would bother. This is how the PPCA manage, and have managed for so long, to con so many small (and large) businesses to hand over fistfuls of cash for f*ck all.
Don't fall for it.
To resist the PPCA scam, any and all small business owners who may play music should cease and desist immediately and not renew their licence until this rubbish organisation comes to its senses.
Any and all small business owners should contact their industry associations to lobby, and lobby furiously against these proposals. Contact your local Federal Member of Parliament. Email the Federal Attorney-General.
I have always been, and will always be, an enthusiastic advocate for the right of musicians, composers, visual artists, film-makers, actors and authors to be appropriately remunerated for the use of their work, for their talents and their contributions to our society and our culture. It's a damnably difficult way to make a living at the best of times and, more often than not, it's more a case of "right place, right time" than any actual talent that will see these individuals earn a sustainable income.
But I see no legitimate reason whatsoever to pay these individuals or (especially) their corporate representatives a bucketload of cash if their work is not actually being used in any substantial manner by anyone.
It is also interesting to note, by the way, that the CEO and the Manager of PPCA (Stephen Peach and Lynne Small), an (allegedly) non-profit association, are also the CEO and General Manager of … ARIA, the Australian Recording Industry Association, who represent the interests of Universal, Warner Bros, Sony and EMI among others.
Which horse is dragging which cart, do you think?
Also, in the interests of full disclosure, I was employed by ARIA/PPCA for 10 years.
*The countries whose recordings do fall under PPCA licences are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Holy See, Honduras, Iceland, India, Ireland, India, Ireland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuala.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: APRA, copyright, music, PPCA | 8 Comments »


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LEICESTER goal hero David Nugent insists his side have a great chance of bagging a berth in the FA Cup Final.
The hitman, who was part of the Portsmouth side that won the Cup four years ago, netted a stunning 71st-minute winner to seal City's spot in the quarter finals.
Sean St Ledger had given the fired-up visitors the lead with Wes Hoolahan replying for Norwich.
Nugent said: "I don't want to be greedy but I don't see why we can't get to the FA Cup Final now."
Home boss Paul Lambert looked for positives from the defeat.
He said: "It will be a blessing in disguise if we stay in the league."


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It's the dirty little secret that good home cooks don't discuss in public.
But as our regular readers know (all 14 of you, bless yer hearts), that's not how we run our operation around here. We share.
Ready? Here it is: some of the very best recipes on the planet are hiding in plain sight.
They are distributed for free by the people who generally know their ingredient better than anyone else. It's their core competency, their passion, and they tend to be intimately acquainted with the most common ways it's used in recipes.
It's the recipe on the back label, and I'm a big fan.
My hunch, backed by extensive research into what my gut tells me, is that people generally tend to overlook these gems. While I can't say with certainty why this might be, I have a few ideas:
1. It's so free, you don't even have to buy the product to get the recipe, so how good can it be? Everyone knows, you get what you pay for, right?
2. The recipe doesn't come with glossy art-directed photos, so it's highly likely it won't be as romantically fabulous as the exact same recipe you'd find in Gourmet magazine.
3. It usually calls for ingredients we're likely to already have in our pantry. Because we all secretly suspect that we generally lead a boring life and our pantry isn't all that exciting either, by default, how great could the end product be?
This is the same thinking as when Groucho Marx declared that any club that would accept him as a member isn't worth joining.
4. Extreme foodies generally prefer to head out from the "I have a recipe I want to try" gate. We, on the other hand, tend to jump from a "Hey! Feel like crab cakes?" starting spot, so any decent recipe will do, as long as we end up with crab cakes. And easy is good.
5. The recipes rarely come with wine pairing or side dish suggestions. For us, this is no problem, since Plan B starts with "What's still alive in the fridge?" (Swiss chard, in this case, sauteed with oil and garlic, and a splash of white wine.)
In the end, though, these "label on the back" recipes almost always result in a line-drive to home base for any craving in which you find yourself gripped. Coming soon to a screen near you: LOTB chocolate chip cookies, cherry pie (both crust and filling!), white bean soup…
But enough about us: what LOTB recipes do you recommend? Aw, come on… you know the rules about sharing around here..
If you enjoyed this post, share it with your friends! Click the "Share It" button just below, select your social media community of choice… and… doink! You're the instant sharer of good stuff. People like that.


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Home Solar Power Cost: Cheapest Option Is Install The System On Your Own
As the costs of electricity that is generated by burning fossil fuels continues to rise there is little alternative left to us than to think in terms of tapping alternative sources of energy. This is a major reason why many more people in all parts of the world are turning to the power of the sun to power up their homes. Before proceeding further in exploring the advantages of using solar power for homes it pays to understand more about the true home solar power cost involved.
Feasible And Viable, Or Not
It is necessary to determine the feasibility as well as viability of using home solar power before going out and spending your hard earned dollars on a home solar panel system. In addition, it will also pays to learn how to reduce home solar power costs without at the same time risking reliability, safety as well as performance and looks.
The first disconcerting piece of information regarding true home solar power cost is that you may need to invest between three thousand and nine thousand dollars to get a technician to visit your home, assess it and then install the entire solar panel cells and other equipment. However, the good news is that certain states in the US and many countries of the world offer sizable rebates to people investing in home solar panels and how much home solar power cost you get to save depends on the income of your household.
Having realized that the initial home solar power cost is on the high side it is then necessary to understand why solar power is quite as expensive as it is these days. No doubt, home solar power cost is on the ebb and prices are coming down quite rapidly; but in spite of a demand surge there are still high costs to contend with. It is only a matter of time however until supply starts to match demand and the home solar power costs will then start to become more affordable to the everyday person and family.
There is one way however that a person can minimize home solar power costs and that is by doing the installation on your own. With home solar panel kits being readily available and also quite affordable, this option is not quite as risky as one would imagine and the average cost too would come down to as little as three hundred dollars.
Such options are making more and more people turn to home solar power generation as a solution to their energy requirements. It is therefore necessary to understand what such generation involves and to then learn how to take advantage of this alternative source of energy.


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ASML's TWINSCAN NXE platform is the industry's first production platform for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). The NXE:3300B is the successor to the NXE:3100, offering 22 nm resolution with conventional illumination and 18 nm with off-axis illumination as well as improved overlay and higher productivity.
The NXE Step-and-Scan systems use 13.5 nm EUV light, generated by a tin-based plasma source. The systems feature all-reflective 4x reduction lens assemblies from Carl Zeiss SMT with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.33 and a maximum exposure field of 26 mm by 33 mm.
For the NXE:3300B, conventional illumination at 0.9 sigma will be standard, while a commercial option will offer 6 additional discrete settings for off-axis illumination which maintain high productivity.
|≤ 22 nm
|(≤ 18 nm with off-axis illumination)
Dedicated chuck≤ 3 nm
Matched-machine (to TWINSCAN NXT)≤ 5 nm
|≥ 125 wph
Building on the proven TWINSCAN XT and TWINSCAN NXT platforms, the NXE main body contains dual wafer stages. In the NXE platform, these use magnetic levitation. A high maximum wafer scanning speed allows optimal use of the source intensity over the largest possible range of resist sensitivities and exposure doses. This maximizes throughput. Both the reticle and wafer stages have active servo control over all six degrees of freedom.
Wafer alignment is carried out in the measurement position with target detection using SMASH alignment sensors and ASML's proven phase-grating alignment technique.
The wafer's surface is measured and mapped before exposure using a level sensor coupled to 6-axis laser interferometry.
The through-the-lens (TTL) Reticle Blue Align aligns the reticle directly to the wafer stage in the exposure position using the exposure wavelength (13.5 nm). Using this wavelength eliminates the need for chromatic calibrations and improves reticle alignment stability.
To support the short 13.5 nm wavelength, the optics and stages have to operate under vacuum conditions. Load locks for the wafers and reticle allow NXE systems to be seamlessly integrated with wafer track and reticle equipment. In addition, the NXE platform is compatible with SEMI standard EUV reticle pods.


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I am sorry to announce that I can no longer appear at the Steal This Gig event scheduled for this coming Saturday. Apologies to anyone that was going and looking forward to seeing me.
I hope everyone that IS still going has a lovely time. Full gig details including new venue and line up should be over here.
In other news, the V Festival footage is coming together. I sent the first draft to the client yesterday, so we should all be able to marvel at the glory of the Peak Experience soon.
Here is some Peak Experience:
Meanwhile, a cornucopia of collaborative ATD projects are underway. I am currently working on music with humans including, but not limited to:
Envy Issue Time Littles Big Narstie Eddie Argos TKO Capone
I am also working on a number of solo projects. Expect new material for you to get down to shortly...
Finally this, retweeted by Grant Morrison last night, should provide a clue as to what I am going to be doing on the weekend of September 28th...


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Home Health Agency
When you need help at home, you want someone you can trust who understands your specific needs. At Goodall-Witcher Home Health Agency we strive to be that caregiver for you. Receiving health care in the comfort and security of your home gives you control and peace of mind. Above all, staying at home will enable you to remain with your family during your recovery, preserving your sense of security. Certified by Medicare since, 1984 Goodall-Witcher Home Health Agency offers patients in Bosque County the same quality home-based care as that of our founding physicians. The agency strives to exceed performance expectations and is recognized by Medicare as an outstanding wound care and patient education provider.
The primary goal of home health services is to help patients get better and regain independence after a surgery or illness. These services are delivered in the privacy of a patient's home, and may include skilled nursing care, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and some personal care.
Our licensed nurses provide medical care on a technical level, allowing our patients to recover from both illness and injury. Along with skilled medical care, our nurses act as 'teachers', providing our home health patients with information and education about their illness or disease.
Our Nursing staff works with patients on improving diet, monitoring new and current medications, understanding treatments and the patient's plan of care, teaching strengthening exercises, administering catheter and wound care, and utilizing a disease management program. Goodall-Witcher's nurses also work closely with each patient's attending physician to ensure open communication.
Goodall-Witcher Home Health Agency is dedicated to caring for the community through a tradition of excellence. We provide homebound care to patients regardless of race, color, creed, age, physical handicap or national origin.
Consult your physician, hospital discharge planner, or call us to determine if you qualify for skilled nursing care or rehabilitation therapy in your home.
For more information or to set up an evaluation in your home, please call 254-675-4101.


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Impacts Of Using Alternative Video-Sharing Website
A video-sharing website is a web-page used by someone to check videos. This websites also gives people the chance to upload videos for others to see. One can similarly remark on the videos uploaded. It is advisable that you assess some aspects before you use the alternative video-sharing website. As soon as this is done one can see the importance of using the alternative video-sharing website.
One of the impacts is that one can easily access any video they want. This is because there are many videos uploaded. A number of the video-sharing web pages do have rules on which videos can be uploaded. So videos that break the regulation will not be uploaded. This in result makes your choices to be limited. So you will end up being frustrated because you were not satisfied of their services.
The alternative video-sharing website do not censor their videos. This is not identical with the various video-sharing webpage. Since most of them to hide the bad scenes or even reject them from being uploaded. Hence using the alternative video-sharing webpage offers an opening to check every episode in the video without any section being removed. And if you would like to upload a sensitive video, then it is best to use the alternative video-sharing website.
The navigation is easy. You can definitely control the video-sharing site without any strains. This makes it laid-back for the client to get their preferred videos on the site. It makes it enjoyable for the user to use the website if the navigation provided is easy.
Someone can effortlessly develop their own channel. This can be of assistance for someone who uploads their videos. Having a channel will help manage your account. It will likewise assist you to recognize the subscribers who follow up your account. The channel also provides a platform where you can converse with your viewers.
The alternative video-sharing site can likewise be used a platform to sell your organization. Since there are various videos which have advertisement. It could be a nice approach to reach the individuals. And since uploading the videos does not cost anything then you get to save on resources.
They are just as fast as the other video-sharing website. With this you will not have to wait just for the video to load. So when using the alternative video-sharing site you going to encounter the similar promptness the only dissimilarity it has better guidelines.
Using the alternative video-sharing site provides freedom. Since with the site you are permitted to share anything you desire. Through this you have an opening to share what you feel without getting any confines
What You Should Know About Marketing This Year


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Archives Posts
Photo Friday: Cumberland Island
Hello everyone! Its been a minute since I have done an "official" Photo Friday post but I got something awesome lined up for you this week. I recently took a trip to Cumberland Island for an awesome camping experience with my girlfriend. I haven't been camping in quite a while but when you combine perfect weather with camping on a beach you really can't go wrong. We snapped off quite a few photographs and got a bunch of great ones. If anyone out there is interested in looking into taking your own camping trip at Cumberland Island you can get some more information at their website.


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Labor, Free and Slave
Workingmen and the Anti-Slavery Movement in the United States
A classic piece of Old Left scholarship made available to a new generation of students and activists
Bernard Mandel's classic study provides a concise overview of the relationship between organized abolitionism and the fledgling labor movement in the period before the Civil War. Mandel argues that slavery reinforced the powerlessness of white workers north and south, and the racial divisions that it upheld rendered effective labor solidarity impossible. Deep distrust between abolitionists and the working classes, however, compelled northern workers to find their own way into the antislavery ranks.
"Brian Kelly's extensive introduction offers the astounding story of Mandel's life and his relationship with the Communist Party, challenging censorship and the issues of class in the civil rights movement."--Socialist Review
"Brian Kelly has done a huge service for those interested in the politics of the antislavery movement in the Civil War era. Through Kelly's efforts, Bernard Mandel's excellent analysis of the abolitionist movement's relationship to the American labor movement has been brought to life for a new generation of historians and activists."--International Socialist Review
"The University of Illinois Press has served readers well by republishing Labor, Free and Slave. It has brought this important book back into the dialog about mid-19th century American history."--Science and Society
�This edition will bring historians� attention back to a great but no longer known work from the past. Brian Kelly�s excellent introduction provides a biography of Mandel, places his book in the context of writings on U.S. history, and presents the critique of whiteness studies implicit in Mandel�s thought in a clear and provocative fashion.�--David Montgomery, author of Fall of the House of Labor
"It is very good to have Bernard Mandel's pioneering study of white workers and black slaves back in print after so many decades. Brian Kelly's introduction is a double bonus. It overflows with information about Mandel, until now a rather mysterious figure for many of us, and its pointed and stimulating contribution to the 'whiteness' debate is bound to carry that important exchange forward."--Bruce Levine, author of Confederate Emancipation: Southern Plans to Free and Arm Slaves during the Civil War
"This is a remarkable study by a forgotten Jewish-American, Marxist intellectual, never famous, never enjoying a prestigious academic position, but working hard and well to make a difference in the history of race relations. Brian Kelly has done an important job in bringing Mandel's work back to life, and his introduction is an independent contribution to the recovery of radical thought and radical scholarship in the United States."--Paul Buhle, senior lecturer, history and American civilization departments, Brown University
To order online:
To order by phone:
(800) 621-2736 (USA/Canada)
(773) 702-7000 (International)
Related Titles
Race and Activism in Durban and the San Francisco Bay Area
Peter Cole
Faith and the Fight for Labor, Gender, and Racial Equality
Marcia Walker-McWilliams
Black Women in New York City's Underground Economy
LaShawn Harris
Matthew Pehl
The Origins of Postwar Conservatism
Colleen Doody
Mark A. Lause
Edited by Jennifer F. Hamer
Free and Slave Labor along the Mason-Dixon Line, 1790-1860
Max Grivno
Harold Gibbons, Ernest Calloway, and Working-Class Citizenship
Robert Bussel
Edited by Gayle Murchison


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Lil' Kickers, a strong foundation…
…for life.
Lil' Kickers is more than just a great soccer program for kids. Our balanced and creative approach to coaching will have a positive impact on your child that goes far beyond the soccer field. Our high-energy soccer classes are carefully designed to enhance your child's overall growth and well-being. The result? Kids with strong physical skills, who are well-balanced and confident. And, we do all this while your child has the time of his or her life!
Our enrollment of more than 237,000 children nationwide have a blast when they come through our doors. We invite you to find out why…
Click on each link below to learn about about each class or go to the Lil' Kickers' Program Finder to Register Now!
Lil' Kickers classes are available to children ages 18 months to 9 years. The Lil' Kickers curriculum was developed using renowned child development theory, so classes are tailored to specific ages and abilities, and can accommodate most children. And while we are always true to our theoretical roots, we are continually working to discover new ways to enhance the program.
Lil' Kickers coaches are trained in child development theory so they incorporate a developmental perspective when approaching children—always mindful of what children are capable of accomplishing at each age.
Bunnies (18-24 months) – Parent & Child Classes
Thumpers (2-3 years) – Parent & Child Classes
Cottontails (2.5-3.5 years) – Parent & Child Classes
Hoppers (3-4 years) – Beginners
Jackrabbits (3-4 years) – Intermediate
Big Feet (5-6 years) – Beginners
Program Description
Step onto the field during any Lil' Kickers class and you will find it transformed into a world created just for your child. Our well trained coaches will thrill your child with 50 minutes of highly creative, high energy and age-appropriate activities that serve as a great introduction to soccer, and help children master developmental milestones, appropriate for their age.
Because Lil' Kickers is first and foremost a child development program, our purpose is really to help children mature on all levels. Our program focuses on helping children build a strong physical, intellectual and emotional skills that will help them be successful on and off the soccer field. We believe in teaching children in ways that suit their developmental level. So, you won't see adult-like skill drills in our classes, but you will see teaching methods specifically designed to create an atmosphere that is effective and fun. You will also see happy, confident and sweaty kids who are eager to learn and want to keep coming back for more.
Whether your child is new to soccer or has already developed a love for the game, the progressive nature of Lil' Kickers offers a place for children at every level. Our convenient class times provide options for families to accommodate multiple children and busy schedules.
For more information, please contact our Lil' Kickers Coordinator, Daphnee Morency, at: email@example.com or directly by phone at: 720-234-4195.


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Boys Basketball Wrap: Panthers slow down Knights for HVL victory
Pine Island 51, K-W 31
KENYON — With a defense that held Kenyon-Wanamingo to 29 percent shooting, including 2 of 12 from 3-point range, Pine Island cruised to a 51-31 Hiawatha Valley League road victory on Friday.
Jacob Weber led the Panthers' efforts with 17 points (with three 3-pointers), four assists and four rebounds. Behind him was Carter O'Reilly, who added 10 points. Josh Navratil came up with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
For the Knights, Jack Beulke had a game-high 19 points along with five rebounds in a losing effort. Micah Johnson had six points, and Chance Washburn corralled six rebounds.
Pine Island (3-7, 2-4 HVL) will host Goodhue on Jan. 16 while K-W (1-14, 1-5 HVL) ends a three-game home stand on Jan. 16 against Lake City.
Lake City 83, Hayfield 32
Lake City could not have asked for a better start to Friday's Hiawatha Valley League game with Hayfield, jumping out to a 32-7 lead before closing out the contest with an 83-32 home victory.
Marc Kjos and Nathan Heise both hit three 3-pointers on the night, finishing with 21 and 19 points, respectively. Reid Gastner added 11 points for the Tigers.
Ryan Risius had a team-high 12 points for the visiting Vikings.
Lake City (10-3, 6-1 HVL) heads to Kenyon-Wanamingo on Jan. 16.
Byron 44, Goodhue 38
Byron trailed by two at halftime but managed to outscore Goodhue 26-18 in the second half en route to a 44-38 Hiawatha Valley League win Friday in Goodhue.
Sam Opsahl was the Wildcats' top performer with 14 points, four assists and three steals. Mitchell Schrimpf added 11 points, and Mitchell Hemenway came up with six points and six rebounds in a losing effort.
As a team, Goodhue converted just 37 percent of its shots (13 of 35) and 46 percent of its free throws (7 of 15).
The Bears had just one player in double figures as Bjorn Knutson closed out the night with 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting. He also had four steals in the victory.
The Wildcats (8-5, 4-2 HVL) travel to Pine Island on Jan. 16.
Z-M 75, Triton 50
Zumbrota-Mazeppa got 24 points from Isaiah Nolte in an easy 75-50 victory over Triton on Tuesday.
Nolte also had seven rebounds while Jacob Niebuhr (15), Willy Heitman (13) and Robvon Jackson (11) all hit double-digits in scoring. Niebuhr also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and also had half of the team's 10 steals.
The Cougars (11-2) host Rochester Lourdes on Friday.
Goodhue 50, Hayfield 48
Goodhue's five points in overtime were just enough to beat Hayfield on Tuesday, 50-48.
Sam Opsahl scored 16 points for the Wildcats, while also pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing out six assists. Dawson Evenson finished with 13 points and five rebounds in the win.
Goodhue (8-4) is on a three-game winning streak with Fillmore Central visiting on Thursday and Byron coming on Friday.
Byron 57, Lake City 55
Lake City had three players score at least 11 points, but Byron countered with three with at least 13 in a 57-55 Bears victory on Tuesday.
Nathan Heise had a game-high 23 points for the Tigers, followed by 12 for Zach Bremer and 11 for Marc Kjos. Micahel Coble and Bjorn Knutson each had 15 for Byron, and Kaden Koski added 13 in the win.
Free throws were a key to the game as the Bears hit 8 of 13 while Lake City made just 4 of 10.
The Tigers (9-3) host Hayfield on Friday.


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Check out our blog post on the Twelve Days of Christmas activity if you would like to enjoy the challenge of math with a festive Christmas flair!
A classroom where life and academic experiences come alive. Enjoy our pictures, videos, thoughts, ideas, and questions not only about 3rd grade math and science, but also about the world around us! Come join us in the discussion here at John C Webb Elementary, Navasota, Texas as we collaborate with the world beyond our classroom!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Mathematical Analyzer and Thinker Award Goes to Rebecca!
This week, our class has been analyzing the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, and using some very important math thinking skills to solve two major problems I developed from this favorite Christmas tune. One of the problems was to determine how many total items were given to "the true love," the recipient of the lavish gifts mentioned in the song. Students analyzed each stanza to build a number line outlining how many items were given each day and then used the daily totals to figure out their final answer. Once they had finalized and checked their work, they wrote their answer on a slip that was placed in our drawing. After I took out all those who submitted the wrong answer, a winner was chosen. Congratulations to Rebecca, our Mathematical Analyzer and Thinker! She won a New York City t-shirt bought from the heart of NYC in Time Square when Miss Tripp visited there earlier this fall. A special thank you to all the students for their hard work and dedication in developing their math thinking skills this week!
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I'm tired. my feet hurt. and I've been shoe shopping. I need a new pair of shoes. maybe a couple pairs of shoes, black, for work. I got a part-time job, to keep me busy, though it involves lots of standing on my feet and walking around on hardwood floors. so, I'll need some new shoes, comfortable, nothing too fancy, nothing too high heeled.
Piperlime, a fresh shoe shop for Gap Inc., is exactly that: fresh. I always thought Zappos was the best online shoe source, but Piperlime may have out done them. with hot styles and brands, Piperlime is an excellent source, whether you're looking for a hot pair of boots to go with that new demin knee length skirt, a sweet pair of ballet flats for those sweater knit dresses, or a new pair of peep toe pumps for nights out on the town.
I like these flats.
{images from piperlime}


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For the past few weeks, whenever I plug in the fuelband SE to my PC, Nike+ connect displays "Error returned from nike+"
My solution: Factory reset
factory reset will erase any unsynced data from your device.
Click "Settings".
Click "Factory Reset" in the lower left corner.
Do you have other alternative solutions? Share with me in the comments below!


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Multimedia Tape Storage Racks for storage of LTO, DLT, CD, DVD, 3480/3490 and Audio/Video Tapes
The Dasco Multimedia Tape Storage Racks are the most popular tape rack available. They are available in TWO heights, 54" & 84" and single or double-sided. Each Multimedia shelf (#048-00115) is designed to hold most tape types (LTO/DLT tapes, CD/DVD, 3480/3490/3592 and Audio/Video Tapes). Each shelf is adjustable in 1" increments and comes with 2 adjustable dividers. The Dasco Multimedia Tape Storage Racks are 32.5" wide. When adding on to the left or right a common post is used.
Standard Finish: Black Santex
Wall Mounted Multimedia Tape Rack
The Wall Mounted Multimedia Tape Rack gives you the ability to store different media/tapes without taking up valuable floor space. Each unit comes complete with (5) shelves, (2) uprights and (1) set of wall mountable joiners. The joiner bars are pre-set to allow for 12", 16" or 24" stud centers.
Traditional Tape Rack
Store all of today's most popular media (LTO/DLT tapes, CD/DVD, 3480/3490/3592 and Audio/Video Tapes). Dedicated slots. Flexibility. Reliable. Versatile.
* Single sided and double sided racks
* 8 sizes and capacities to choose from
* All welded, 18 gauge cold-rolled steel construction
* Angled base design
* Tapes are stored in individual slots
* Rack arrives fully assembled ready to use
20-Pack for 3480/3490/3592 tapes clips into racks, carts and cases and is easily removable for movement around the datacenter.
Media Pak Features:
* User configurable multimedia storage that fits into steel tape racks
* Can accommodate most tape/media types
* Dedicated slots
* Save money by updating your current storage system to accommodate most any media
* Locking clips enable easy installation and removal —ideal for vaulting!
* You can even mix media within the same pack!!
Gemtrac is a high density, quick access storage system that makes efficient use of your floor space.
* Shelving sections pull out like vertical drawers supported on overhead tracks
Clear aisles—no floor mounted tracks:
* All Gemtracs have patented overhead track system for reduced installation and relocation cost; and, "no hazard" clear aisles


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Seahawks Insider Blog
Morning links: Kiper pegs Bradford headed to Hawks in latest mock
ESPN's Mel Kiper now has the Seahawks selecting Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford at No. 6, and Seattle taking USC defensive end Everson Griffen at No. 14. And unlike most draft experts, Kiper has QB Jimmy Clausen ranked ahead of Bradford, and going at No. 4 to the Washington Redskins.
Seattle could be considering a quarterback as a possible replacement for Matt Hasselbeck down the line, but I believe the Seahawks have too many needs to take a quarterback this early, and will likely draft a quarterback in the later rounds.
Rob Rang of NFLDraftscout.com has the Seahawks selecting Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan at No. 6 and Iowa offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga at No.14, while his co-worker Chad Reuter has Seattle picking Bulaga at No. 6 and Clemson running back C.J. Spiller at No. 14.
I think at this point the Seahawks will likely take a defensive end at No. 6 unless someone like Eric Berry slide down to them. And then at No. 14 I think Seattle will take the best offensive tackle available. However, in an ideal situation I think Seattle would like to trade down from the No. 6 pick to pick up a pick in the third round.
Seattle wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be a guest host NFL Access this afternoon at 4 p.m., as he continues to prepare himself for a television career after his playing career is over.
Greg Johns of Seattlepi.com discusses the draft possibilities at defensive end for the Seahawks with Rang here.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll meets with the NCAA to discuss possible infractions during his tenure as head coach at USC, reports the L.A. Times.
Here's the complete list of offensive, unrestricted free agents, according to the National Football Post.
Pat Kirwan of NFL.com says that not many players will receive franchise or transition tags this year, as most teams have already locked up the players that they want in anticipation of a capless year.
Andy Benoit of The New York Times says David Hawthorne might be a better linebacker than Lofa Tatupu at this point of their careers in this state of the Seahawks file. I disagree with that assessment, but believe that Hawthorne earned a consistent role on the field because of his play last season.


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8 Things You Need To Know Today (July 14)
1. A 101-year-old woman broke her own record as the oldest person to rappel down one of England's tallest buildings. And now we can all officially remove the word "can't" from our vocabularies. (The Huffington Post)
2. Prince William discussed Royal duties, family life and Kate Middleton's parenting skills in an interview with Sky News. (Vanity Fair)
3. Hello, Pluto! After a 9-year journey, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is about to give us our first up-close glimpse of this planet. (The Washington Post)
4. Coffee is good for you and the job market: Starbucks's CEO Howard Schultz has joined forces with Wal-Mart, CVS Health Corp., Lyft Inc. and more than a dozen other companies to combat unemployment among low-income youth with the "100,000 opportunities initiative." (The Wall Street Journal)
5. Have you ever wondered what the Internet actually looks like? The Opte Project, an internet mapping project, has released its latest representation of the cyber world. (TIME)
6. Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer for his third title in the 2015 Wimbledon Final on Sunday. (BBC News)
7. The youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Malala Yousafzai celebrated her 18th birthday by opening a school for Syrian girls. (NBC News)
8. The Pentagon may lift its ban on transgender people openly serving in the U.S. military. "Current regulations regarding transgender service members are outdated," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement. (The Associated Press)
Ready to learn more about how to unlock the power of food to heal your body, prevent disease & achieve optimal health? Register now for our FREE Functional Nutrition Webinar with Kelly LeVeque.


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Union and Anti-Slavery Speeches, Delivered During the Rebellion.
Drake, Charles D.
Cincinnati, OH: Applegate & Co., 1864. 12mo. 431 pp. Spine faded, frayed edges, cloth stained. Corners bumped. Heavy foxing. Published for the benefit of the Ladies' Union Aid Society of St. Louis, Mo. Very Good- Cloth (Item ID: 4932)
- More: US HISTORY
- By This Author: Drake, Charles D.


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One Sixty
Sean Martin was determined to turn an empty shell in North London into a successful smokehouse and bar. He knew it needed something special. So he brought us in early to build everything from the ground up: the brand, and the restaurant space.
Working together, we came up with the name One Sixty, which finds its origins in the optimum inner temperature of meat when smoking (you guessed it – 160˚F).
We then designed, art directed, sourced and produced all aspects of the restaurant, from the interior design through to the stationery, website, PR, and online marketing.
Smoke and charcoal became the uniting concepts used throughout, inspiring the use of a wood charring technique, similar to the Japanese Shou-sugi-ban method, on the inside and outside of the building. Photography played a major part, and as well as the food and space itself, we shot some of London's top butchers to adorn the restaurant walls.
"Back to Front are a delight to work with. They communicate efficiently, in a friendly, timely manner. Working very closely means everything is tailored exactly to our needs. Extremely high standard, and great value."
Ben Albert, Co-Founder and Manager, One Sixty


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Razer announces pro gaming phone
Mobile gaming has become a huge part of the smartphone industry, yet very rarely has there been a handset designed specifically for this task. The last high-profile release was Nokia's N-Gage in 2003, which has widely been deemed a commercial failure. However, it seems there may be a new option available for gamers, thanks to PC manufacturer Razer.
The company – which specialises in producing high-performance hardware specifically for computer gaming – announced the Razer Phone on November 1st. This smartphone has been designed with gamers in mind, and boasts a range of features that make it specialised for the task.
First of all, the display – a 5.72-inch Quad HD IGZO LCD screen – is the first in the world to come with 120 Hz UltraMotion technology. This synchronises the graphics processing unit (GPU) with the screen to ensure the images move smoothly and without tearing. The resolution of the display will be a generous 1440p.
Another aspect of the handset Razer is keen to promote is the sound. The Razer Phone will come with front speakers with dual dedicated amplifiers, and the whole thing is powered by Dolby Atmos technology for what the company calls "true-to-life cinematic audio".
Users will also benefit from 8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 835 processor, as well as a powerful 4,000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ for rapid charging. The phone also comes with two 12MP rear cameras.
In a press release, Razer's co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan said: "It's common knowledge that I'm obsessed with my smartphones, I play a ton of games on them, and they're my go-to for streaming content. We have wanted to make a phone with gaming-level tech for years, and the Razer Phone delivers in every way we imagined."
However, the new phone is not without its detractors. Vlad Savov, mobile reviewer and one of the founding members of tech site The Verge, has pointed out several aspects of the Razer Phone that might suggest it will not live up to the hype as a true gamers' smartphone after all.
First of all, Mr Savov highlighted the lack of a headphone jack as an odd design decision, despite the phone coming with a THX-certified dongle that circumvents this issue. Characterising headphones as "a gamer's most essential peripheral after the controller", he said the the inclusion of the dongle was "a weird compromise on a device that's supposed to be about no-compromise gaming performance".
He also pointed out that, compared to its competitors, Razer is not actually offering much more for the price of the Razer Phone. The device will cost £699.99, putting it firmly at the high-end of the smartphone market.
Many of the other handsets that cost a similar amount, such as the HTC U11 or Samsung Galaxy Note 8, also come with Snapdragon 835 processors and 8GB of RAM. While they cannot boast the Razer Phone's UltraMotion technology, they generally do come with headphone jacks.
This is not to say that the Razer Phone isn't an impressive piece of hardware; it very much is. But the question is whether or not it is that much more useful for gamers than other handsets for the same price.
On the software front, it does feature a Game Booster app that allows users to change certain settings to optimise their gaming performance. However, Mr Savov was not impressed with this feature, saying: "I game a lot on Android phones and I rarely feel compelled to tinker with settings; most games just work, so I'm not sure how big of a problem Razer thinks it's solving with its phone."
Time will tell whether or not the Razer Phone will be a success or go the way of the N-Gage. The device is currently available for pre-order from Three outlets, the Three website and Razerzone.com, and will go on sale on November 17th.


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Packer Quits Crown Resorts Board Due To Mental Health Issues
Billionaire James Packer has quit the board of casinos operator Crown Resorts because he is suffering from mental health issues.
Mr Packer's private company, Consolidated Press Holdings, which is Crown's largest shareholder, said in a statement on Wednesday that Mr Packer had resigned from the Crown board for personal reasons.
"Mr Packer is suffering from mental health issues," a CPH spokesperson said in a statement.
"At this time he intends to step back from all commitments."
Mr Packer will stand down from the board of Crown and as chairman of CPH.
It is understood that Mr Packer's resignation decision was sudden and made on his own after Mr Packer realised he has been unwell for some time.
Mr Packer, who is currently in the United States, intends to take a complete break from work commitments in order to regain his health.
Crown Resorts will remain in the control of trusted executive chairman John Alexander, who has overseen Crown's improved performance since the company changed its focus following the detention of Crown employees in China in late 2016.
Mr Alexander said in a brief statement that Crown appreciated Mr Packer's contribution to the board and respected his decision to step down from his role as a director at this time.
In an interview with The Australian newspaper in October, 2017, Mr Packer acknowledged that he had always been shy and that he had never liked the enormous amount of publicity that he attracted.
"Most of it is negative. And you get gun-shy of getting hit," Mr Packer said in the interview.
James Packer in 2015
* September 2013: splits from Erica, the wife of his three young children.
* May 2014: captured by paparazzi brawling with close friend and then-Nine Entertainment chief executive David Gyngell
* December 2015: pays older sister Gretel a reported $1.25 billion to settle the terms of their father Kerry's will.
* January 2016: steps down from Crown board to focus on the casino operator's development projects.
* October 2016: breaks off nine-month engagement with US singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. The same month, 19 past and present Crown employees are detained in Shanghai, China.
* April 2017: pulls out of the Hollywood business RatPac, which he created in 2013 with producer-director Brett Ratner.
* May 2017: Crown pulls out of Macau, directing the $1.3 billion from the sale of its assets there to help pay down debt. Cashed-up mainland China gamblers had been deterred by the Shanghai detentions, affecting high-roller trade in Macau.
* June 2017: Crown pays $1.7 million in fines on behalf of the Crown staff who pleaded guilty to illegal promoting gambling on the Chinese mainland.
* August 2017: rejoins the Crown board
* December 2017: voluntarily meets with Australian Federal Police to be interviewed as a witness as part as part of a bribery investigation into Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. There are no allegations of wrongdoing by Mr Packer.
* January 2018: Crown pulls the pin on Las Vegas expansion hopes and sells land on the Vegas strip for $370 million
* March 2018: quits the Crown board to deal with mental health issues.
If you or someone you know needs mental health support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au


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Spice Islands®
Brats and Beer
8 servings
24 ounces beer**
1 large onion, sliced
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Whole Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Whole Mustard Seed
1 Spice Islands® Cinnamon Sticks
1/4 teaspoon Spice Islands® Crushed Red Pepper
1 package (19 ounces) raw bratwurst, 5 links
2 tablespoons butter OR margarine
1 can (16 ounces) sauerkraut, drained
5 buns
Combine beer, onions, black pepper, mustard, cinnamon stick and crushed red pepper in a large saucepan. Add bratwurst. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Remove onions from liquid; set aside.
Pierce each bratwurst with a fork 3 to 4 times. Grill 8 to 10 minutes over medium direct heat until bratwurst is browned and cooked through to at least 140º F. Serve on bun and top with seasoned onions and sauerkraut, if desired.
To make onions and sauerkraut, heat butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add sauerkraut and continue to cook 3 to 4 minutes until heated through.
**May replace beer with water or apple juice.
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Lighthouse Pale AleFrom the Adnams brewery.
Ale at 3.4%.
Adnams Lighthouse is developed from our Champion Pale Ale, a beer that won many awards from 1922 to 1980. With an ABV of 3.4%, this classic amber beer delivers a crisp, refreshing taste.Tasting Notes
tell us what you think of this beer
by baron_orm on 09 Nov 2009
Adnams Lighhouse [baron rating 2/5] - this 3.4% light beer has a slightly malty smell, a very soft 'brown ale' taste & almost no bitterness
The Ormskirk Baron
by Foxy on 02 Oct 2011
Crisp taste,not an ale I would normally drink,nice though.


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EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - UW-Eau Claire men's track and field head coach Chip Schneider recently revealed the winners of the 2013 team awards.
Thurgood Dennis (So.-Allouez, Wis./Green Bay Notre Dame) was named team MVP. Dennis won two individual national titles and was part of two relay teams to win national titles this season. He won the outdoor 100-meter dash and the indoor 60-meter dash while he was part of the winning 4x400-meter relay titles at both indoor and outdoor nationals. He is now an eight-time All-American (four outdoor, four indoor). Dennis also won five conference titles this season (three outdoor, two indoor). He currently holds nine school records, four of which he set this season.
Newcomer of the Year honors went to Brandon Zarnoth (So.-Appleton, Wis./North). Competing in the indoor heptathlon and the outdoor decathlon at nationals, Zarnoth became a two-time All-American after taking second in the decathlon and eighth in the heptathlon in his first season with the Blugolds.
Marty Richardson (Sr.-Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) earned the Captain Award. Richardson was part of the 4x400-meter relay team that won outdoor nationals this year and is now a three-time All-American (two outdoor, one indoor).