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Trespa International: Composite Panel Solutions
Trespa International is a global leader in the development and production of high-performance composite panels for exterior cladding, decorative facades and interior surfaces. Meteon panels excel as a rain screen cladding system. The open joint system equalizes pressure between the cladding and the load bearing wall, minimizing the amount of water penetration, and ventilation allows moisture to drain out of wall construction. Meteon is also ideal for fascias, storefronts, and balconies, and is available in a range of colors and textures.
For more information, go to www.trespa.com
Governments and Utilities Entice Developers to Build
U.S. incentives for building green are increasing, with federal, state, and local governments offering grants, tax offsets, expedited permitting, and shared costs.
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Facilities Management Masters Degree Launched
A new online Master of Science degree emphasizing facilities management has been launched, making it easier for working individuals to continue their education.
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New Visual Effects for Metal Mesh
Exterior metal mesh looks high tech with the addition of LEDs.
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First Net Zero Commercial Building in U.S.
The first U.S. net zero electric commercial building was commemorated late this fall for its leadership in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
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A Refreshing Alternative in Roof Coating Technology
When Arkema Inc. introduced Kynar 500® PVDF resin to the coatings industry in 1965, it received rave reviews from the field.
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As California's BETA UNIT enters production of its eighth collection, we take a look at the brand's Spring/Summer 2012 drop. The collective prides themselves on putting forth unconventional, yet functional pieces, as witnessed by the above footage. Per usual, minimalistic designs with little to no branding highlight next year's lineup, as you can expect detailed imagery of the clothing as the year draws near.
Director: David Gallardo

subset: commoncrawl


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Japanese Rules Cyclopedia
In February 2006, while browsing the Acaeum site, I came across something interesting: among the foreign editions for the old D&D rules, there were Japanese versions.
Since I have been living in Japan for six years now, this was a nice surprise for me. I have seen very little evidence of active roleplaying going on here, but it's nice to know that they released the books. Moreover, it gives me something interesting to look for and try to collect.
Looking into the availability of these books, however, has proved difficult. Yahoo Auctions and the Japanese auction site Rakuten Ichiba both yield few results. Of these, three sets of books seem to be reasonably common: the Rules Cyclopedia, in three volumes; a translation of the Penhaligon Trilogy, in five volumes (possibly manga??); and a "replay" of a Mystara campaign, in five volumes. (According to one of my Japanese friends, these "replays" used to be quite popular. It seems they are basically dramatised campaign reports, complete with characters, background and setting info, etc.)
Of these, the Rules Cyclopedia seems to be the least over-priced, and the easiest to obtain, so I went ahead and bought it. The final price including postage was 4,460 yen.
The Japanese version of the Rules Cyclopedia comes in three volumes: (1) Player's, (2) Dungeon Master's and (3) Monsters. Each booklet is about B6 size - the same size as a small manga comic book. The original prices were 900, 980, and 800 yen respectively, and the total page count comes to more than 1,100 pages. It must have been hellishly difficult to find a particular rule in them - I mean, the English A4 version was hard enough!
Note that the books are traditional Japanese style, which means that they read from right to left, with the cover on what we would consider to be the back cover.
(3) Monsters is on the left, (2) Dungeon Master's in the middle, and (1) Player's on the right.
Take off the slipcase and you can see a star map. I placed two books side by side so you can see the front and back together.
Inside each book, there is a small colour section at the front, with the rest of the book in black and white. Let's take a look at the colour sections, starting with the Player's book.
The first colour panel shows the character classes, in manga style. See if you can work out which is which.
The next one illustrates spells being cast; on the left is fireball, on the right cure light wounds.
This one illustrates equipment, with labels telling you what is what. Japan's cultural background is of course quite different from that of western nations, so it's interesting to see these images. The anime style is obviously trying to make things more familiar, while at the same time images like this are could be said to be conveying western symbols and ideas, for those who may not be familiar with them.
The last picture continues with the theme of equipment.
The DM's book's colour illustrations focus on gameplay and setting. This first one is a general picture of the "adventure setting".
Finally the Monsters book shows some interesting ensemble pictures of monsters. In this one you can see an ogre, a minotaur, a golem, a troll, a mummy, a kobold, a hydra, a dragon, a bat, an ochre jelly and a gargoyle. "The monsters are waiting for you!"
The second picture shows a giant, a unicorn, a chimera, a goblin, a wolf, an orc, a manticore, an elf and a dwarf. "Monsters are everywhere!"
"Various kinds of monsters appear - at sea, in the sky..." We have a wyvern, a harpy, a griffon and a hippogriff in the air, with a whale, a sea elf, a shark, a dolphin, and a merman under the sea.
The last panel shows monster types, dividing them into humanoids, lowlife (spiders, slimes, etc.), dragons, general monsters, other-planar monsters, magical constructs, undead and animals.
Now let's take a look inside the book.
Everything reads from right to left, in vertical columns - even the tables have been converted to vertical format, as you can see. This page is the magic-user's XP chart and description. For some reason they only list each class up to 9th level. Even though the maximum level is stated as being 36th, they don't seem to give any details for how to advance past 9th.
Lastly, here are some illustrations from the book.
A woman holding an unreasonably large "saikoro" (die).
A very cute looking elf.
Anime-style dwarf...
Presumably a fighter. The manga style mixed with D&D classes is quite strange indeed.
A kindly cleric helping a fighter.
Created 7th March 2006. Last updated 4th May 2006.


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Bill Gates Was Some Lucky Person's Secret Santa on Reddit
Social media is one of the greatest ways to connect with loved ones and complete strangers around the world – so, why not use it for a nationwide Secret Santa gift exchange? That's what many companies, big and small, have been doing across the nation to spread some good ol' holiday spirit. You never know who you might get.
(Photo Credit: William Warby/Flickr)
One story that went viral this month involved a Reddit user who signed up for the forum's Secret Santa Gift Exchange, the largest virtual gift-swap in the world, according to the site, and discovered that her Secret Santa was, none other than, Microsoft's chairman, Bill Gates. And you'll never guess what gifts he sent.
Rachel, the 24-year-old Reddit user (NY1227) and recipient of Gates' not-so-secret gifts, originally had a "wishlist full of makeup, nailpolish, glittery things," but her Secret Santa had something else in mind. Rachel was tickled pink when she opened the seven-pound, overnighted box that contained a stuffed cow, a travel book, and a card that explained the significance of the presents. Gates indicated that the stuffed cow signified the generous donation of a cow to a needy family through Heifer International, in Rachel's name, which will provide the family with "income and dairy products." The meaning behind the travel book, Journeys of a Lifetime, was to inspire Rachel to live our her desire to see the world, which she had expressed in the details of her wishlist on Reddit's Secret Santa Gift Exchange. Thank goodness she didn't ask for a new iPhone – that would have been super awkward.
Another company that is spreading the gift of giving this holiday season is MINI USA, with its MINI Gift Swap, a nationwide Secret Santa deal amongst its loyal customers. The point is to get MINI owners across the US to sign up, randomly get paired up with another car owner, and send him or her a $10 gift before December 31. Upon receiving a present from Secret Santa, recipients are asked to share a picture of themselves holding their gifts on social media and include #MINIGiftSwap in their posts. This is yet another example of how social media brings strangers together and encourages them to connect through a shared interest – in this case, their tiny MINI cars.
Not only is using social media a great way for brands and people to easily connect and engage, but it's also a perfect way to spread holiday cheer to complete strangers through Secret Santa gift swaps taking the world by storm. Giving to others, especially during the holidays, is so gratifying, and it's a perfect way to reflect on the lessons learned this year and prepare for what's to come in the year ahead.
If you want a more low-key and personal Secret Santa experience next year (because, unfortunately, it's too late this year), then check out SneakySanta.com, a site that helps family, friends, and co-workers organize groups and share gifts with … secretly. This is a great way for employees to celebrate the holidays and boost morale with a bit of gift giving.
Tell Us What You Think
Did you participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange on social media this year? If so, share your experience with our community on Twitter or in the comments section below.
bill gates bill gates secret santa chairman charity Christmas christmas season connecting donate engaging facebook gift giving give the gift that keeps on giving Heifer International holiday season instagram microsoft MINI Gift Swap MINI USA reddit secret santa social media social networking stranger twitter
Facebook's 'Donate Now' Button Makes Virtual Giving Easy
Just Say No to Being a Yes Man
Leah Arnold-Smeets
Leah Arnold-Smeets, owner of Emiko Consulting, is passionate about helping entrepreneurs capitalize on their strengths, improve on their weaknesses, and reach their full potential. Leah obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Entrepreneurial Studies from the University of Southern California (USC).
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After the worst period in Melbourne's history came its best.
And the highest-scoring quarter in club history has for now saved coach Mark Neeld's job, dulled the spotlight on the embattled AFL team, and summed up everything about the enigma that is the Demons.
Melbourne's 41-point win over GWS Giants at the MCG on Sunday came after the train wreck that many feared had threatened for the Dees.
After the off-season tanking investigation, three hammerings to start the season and being dragged into the Australian sports anti-doping investigation in the lead-up, Melbourne had been unconvincing and sporadic for the previous three quarters.
They had trailed GWS by 19 points at the final change - looking bereft of momentum, ideas, and leadership.
The Demons found all three in the final term - helped in part by the Giants running out of legs - as they ran away for their first victory of the season, 22.12 (144) to 15.13 (103).
They kicked 12.2 in the term - the highest ever score in a quarter in the Demons' long history.
"It's been difficult to be a Melbourne supporter. We've got 30 minutes. They'll get behind us, they're a passionate group," Neeld said of how he attempted to rally his side in his three-quarter-time address.
"They're a resilient bunch of young boys.
"The most pleasing thing is there were some external people at the ground that saw what we see at training. It's so hard to explain ... we see that each time at training they get a little bit better."
Colin Garland, Colin Sylvia, Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes were outstanding, and Jeremy Howe and Michael Evans kicked three goals each in the final term.
Co-captain Jack Trengove felt his side's final-quarter performance was within their grasp, despite awful defeats in three previous matches this year.
"We always knew we were capable of that sort of performance in the last quarter - it's the way we've trained throughout the pre-season and right up to this date," Trengove said.
"I'm not sure if anyone else did, but the important thing was we knew."
The Demons do have some concerns, with forward Mitch Clark missing most of the final term with ice on his foot.
Neeld said Clark had sprained his foot - an unrelated injury to the bone problem which sidelined him for most of last season.
And Neville Jetta will also face match review panel scrutiny for a late, head-high hit on Giant Lachie Whitfield in the third quarter.
North Melbourne posted their first win of the season, shellacking Brisbane by 63 points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday as Drew Petrie and Lindsay Thomas booted four goals each.
But much-vaunted Sudanese highlights machine Majak Daw's AFL debut was a mixed bag.
The youngster grabbed a superb mark and goalled inside the opening minute, but was knocked out later in the first term when slung into teammate Ben Cunnington in a tackle.
Adelaide eased some of the pressure on them with a 52-point win over the Western Bulldogs at AAMI Stadium in pouring rain.
Patrick Dangerfield booted four goals as the Bulldogs were held goalless for two quarters, posting just 4.4 (28) to the Crows' 12.8 (80).
Three teams remain unbeaten after four matches - Geelong, Essendon and surprise packets Port Adelaide.
Carlton picked up their first win of the season, upsetting West Coast in Perth by four goals on Saturday night.
Hawthorn beat Fremantle in Launceston on Saturday by 42 points, while Richmond's unbeaten bubble was burst by Collingwood in a 34-point loss at the MCG with Pies forward Travis Cloke kicking seven goals.


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Why Some Companies Succeed--For Now--Despite Their Poor Customer Experiences
Last week I got a question via email from one of Forrester's clients, who asked:
"How do you explain the success of companies that consistently provide a poor experience but perform well financially?"
I wish more people asked this question because it shows that they're thinking about customer experience in the right context: as a path to profits. Here's my answer: Creating a superior customer experience is the most important thing that companies need to do. But it will never be the only important thing they need to do.
My co-author, Kerry Bodine, and I describe the relationship between customer experience and other factors that lead to business success in Chapter 13 of our new book, Outside In: "Is customer experience a silver bullet that will kill off all your company's problems and make your stock price soar? No. If there is such a bullet, we haven't seen it. The fact is, regardless of your customer experience, you can still get clobbered by a big, strategic threat like a new market entrant (Netflix if you're Blockbuster) or a substitute product (digital photography if you're Polaroid). That's especially true if the new market entrant or the provider of the substitute product offers an amazing customer experience (Amazon.com if you're Borders or Barnes & Noble)."
When you have a virtual monopoly, you can get away with providing a poor customer experience--right up until you can't.
If you're a trapped customer--as with many cable customers and health insurance customers--you can't switch your business to another firm. We're fans of what Walker Information has to say about trapped customers, which look a lot like loyal customers until they get a viable choice in the marketplace, at which point they flee.
People at companies that are succeeding despite having a bad customer experience must ask themselves this question: What will happen when the inevitable occurs and a competitor enters my space? For the answer, look at what happens to a cable company when Verizon enters a market with its competing FiOS service. In the town where I live, Comcast now has to fight for every customer. One of its tactics is to re-brand itself as "Xfinity," which helps distance the firm from its past reputation for providing a poor experience. But I'm pretty sure that Comcast would rather be entering this new, competitive environment with a reputation for providing a great customer experience rather than digging itself out of a hole.
What about health insurance providers? As a result of "Obamacare" a greater percentage of insurers' business will come directly from consumers starting in 2014. That means health insurers need to understand consumers as customers for the first time in order to attract and retain them, especially the healthiest ones who are most profitable. The result: The smartest companies are scrambling to improve the quality of the experience for their ultimate customers, consumers.
Weak customer experience players can get by when they're in an industry of other weak customer experience players.
When we look at the data in our Customer Experience Index we note that some industries are comprised of a bunch of low performers who tend to have similar scores. That means that none of them are either excelling at customer experience in an absolute sense, or differentiating from their competitors in a relative sense. Take the wireless services industry, which ranked 10th out of 13 industries. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T are all within five points of each other on a 100 point scale. The top performer in that group, Sprint, has a score of 66 out of 100 points. That's better than AT&T's 61 points but not nearly enough to single-handedly overcome other marketplace factors like price and network footprint.
To a casual observer, this makes customer experience look unimportant for this industry and others like it. The reality is that customer experience is potentially very important, but none of the players are good enough at it to capitalize on that fact. Whichever company makes a serious investment in transforming itself will be the one that pulls ahead in the marketplace and stays there for a while. Half measures will not create a sustainable competitive advantage--the winner will fully adopt the six essential disciplines of customer experience.
Consider how much money a flawed customer experience costs any company.
When Dan Hesse took over Sprint at the end of 2007 he focused the company on improving what was, at the time, the worst customer experience in the industry. Now the company saves $1.7 billion per year as a result of averted customer service calls. Similarly, Deutsche Telecom implemented a systematic customer experience improvement process. Over the past two years, call center costs in Europe have gone down by 10 percent to 15 percent as a result of removing the root causes of dissatisfaction. That adds up to tens of millions of euros saved.
Even companies that start with a good customer experience can see significant incremental benefit. A single customer experience improvement at Fidelity costs less than $20,000 and saves the firm $4 million per year. It was just one of more than160 projects that came through Fidelity's experience improvement system in 2011. Together those projects accounted for more than $24 million in annual savings.
The bottom line
So is it possible to possible to explain the business success of companies that deliver a flawed customer experience? Sure it is. Just don't count on that success continuing as we get deeper into the age of the customer.
+ + + + + +
About the Author: Harley Manning is a vice president and research director at Forrester Research serving Customer Experience professionals. He blogs at http://blogs.forrester.com/harley_manning and tweets at @hmanning


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A weekly look at a player whose performance must improve in 2011.
Jonathan Vilma is a good player, but I consider him an overrated player. I recognize his competitiveness and leadership skills, which put him in the cross hairs of my Pressure Point series. He must help the Saints' defense to improve in 2011 if the team is going to make a run at the Super Bowl.
I expect the Saints' defense to be improved by leaps and bounds from a year ago, but I am not certain that Vilma is a major reason for any improvement.
New Orleans' run defense and coverage were below average in 2010, and the ability to rush the quarterback was terrible. The defense did not create turnovers on par with the pace of the Saints' 2009 Super Bowl season, although expecting the Saints to maintain such a pace was probably unwise to begin with. But they need to create more than the nine interceptions they had last season, and I expect they will. The offense also put the defense in several difficult predicaments last season. Is Vilma to blame for all this below-average defensive play? Of course not. But he didn't help things, either.
As 4-3 middle linebackers go, Vilma is undersized and has never excelled taking on bigger blockers in the run game, shedding quickly and making the play. He needs to be protected and then can use his excellent vision, anticipation skills, knowledge of the game and speed to get to the ball carrier. New Orleans didn't protect Vilma well enough in 2010, and I also am starting to think that Vilma's speed, quickness and pursuit skills could be in slight decline. He just was not a very good run defender last season. As 4-3 middle linebackers go, I now see Vilma as just a middle-of-the-pack starter.
What shocked me most was that Vilma was not much of a force versus the pass. His coverage skills were just middling, and he was too often beaten. If this continues, New Orleans might have to consider taking him off the field in clear throwing situations. Maybe the Saints would give a younger linebacker like Martez Wilson, Jo-Lonn Dunbar or Jonathan Casillas a chance to shine in this capacity. Wilson is a rookie. Dunbar was in and out of the lineup last season. Casillas didn't play a snap last year because of a Lisfranc foot injury. Casillas is the one I am most excited about, but Wilson has an exciting skill set. He could become a dynamic edge pass-rusher and blitzer. Scott Shanle remains in the equation. Free agency still looms, and adding another outside linebacker to the Saints' stable seems highly possible.
Given Vilma's knowledge of the defense and opposing passing schemes, I expect him to remain on the field on throwing downs in the immediate future. However, maybe a year or two down the line -- if Vilma's game doesn't pick up -- Wilson could very well be the starter in the middle.
I expect the Saints' defense to improve drastically in 2010. The addition of the versatile Wilson could add a wonderful new tool for creative defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Johnny Patrick has the look of an instant contributor to an already deep secondary and should be a nice insurance policy if some cover men fall to injury or Patrick Robinson doesn't step up his game. Cameron Jordan could be poised for a Defensive Rookie of the Year type of season. He should immediately grab the starting left end spot opposite Will Smith and then move inside on passing downs. It is a tremendous situation for this rookie, and I expect him to thrive. I still am baffled that Jordan lasted as long as he did on draft day.
But the best addition is Shaun Rogers. When motivated, Rogers is an animal in the middle of the defense. He will he protect Vilma and, if kept fresh and used in a rotation, can dominate. He is an elite interior pass-rusher and will form an exceptional threesome on the interior on passing downs with Jordan and Sedrick Ellis, another former first-round pick, who registered six sacks last season. Ellis could be coming into his own as a player overall. Although he appears to be passed over by superior players, Anthony Hargrove could also factor in on the interior rushing the passer. Hargrove did have five sacks in 2009.
I also doubt that Drew Brees will throw as many interceptions again, and the Saints should better be able to sustain offense with the addition of a running back like Mark Ingram.
But this improvement might be in spite of Vilma instead of because of him. I am not suggesting that Vilma needs to be replaced at this point. I expect him to improve along with the defense. But I also see him as a complementary piece of this defensive puzzle now rather than a headliner.
Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com. Follow Matt Williamson on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL


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I just came from the Val-
ley Savings Bank on Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls where I saw their display of the historical timeline exhibit of Cuyahoga Falls, honoring Valley Savings' 90 years in business.
Kudos to Rich Loney, owner of Bark at the Moon Graphics Studio, for his research and design in creating this interesting presentation. Mr. Loney portrayed an awesome look at the progress through Cuyahoga Falls' 201-year history. This exhibit is a must-see, not only for newcomers, but current residents as well.
Lil Colwell, Cuyahoga Falls


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Need Appliance Repair Help? Ask a Technician for Answers ASAP
Thank you for your reply. That makes sense since the wire is connected to the main drum that spins and vibrates. I just wanted to make sure. For the wire repair, Sears is not showing this wire harness as an option to buy. Plus, only one wire is bad. The wire I can get from a local store, but the connectors look pretty specific. Would there be a good website you've used or know of that might have the connectors I'm looking for. You reply to this question will not affect my rating for you. I can google, but if there was a website you used I would go there first. Thanks again.


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NEW YORK — Goldman Sachs is emerging as the king of post-meltdown Wall Street.
Already the nation's most powerful financial company before the credit crisis, the bank profited handsomely from Wall Street's rally and the recovering credit markets during the second quarter and distanced itself from the few competitors still standing.
The result was a stunning profit of $2.7 billion — even as the bank repaid $10 billion in federal bailout money. The total blew past what Wall Street analysts were expecting.
Goldman earned $4.93 per share for the quarter after paying preferred dividends. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, expected $3.54.
Goldman shares rose 22 cents to close at $149.66 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock was trading close to $50 during the financial crisis in the fall.
Goldman pulled off a remarkably speedy recovery from fall, when it lost $3.3 billion in four months during the worst of the financial crisis. And it had its best quarter since the end of 2007, when the recession was just beginning.
The results also confirm that despite controversy over everything from its role in the meltdown to the bonuses it pays executives and even the power of its alumni who sit at the highest levels of government, one thing remains constant: Goldman knows how to make money better than anybody else on Wall Street.
"Goldman really is in a class by themselves," said Phillip Silitschanu, a senior analyst with Aite Group. "They've always been the golden child of the market."
While other firms have curtailed risk and preserved cash to protect against further losses, Goldman has returned to what made it so profitable in the past: high-risk trading and investing in everything from mortgages to commodities and underwriting of stock and debt offers.
Of course, Goldman also benefited because there are fewer rivals on Wall Street following the demise of Bear Stearns Cos. and Lehman Brothers Holdings in 2008.
Both companies were felled by their investments in risky, and ultimately failed, mortgage-backed securities.
Goldman is the first bank to report second-quarter earnings. JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America follow this week.
And in a sign that the mood in Washington may be shifting, there was little outrage directed at Goldman from officials who have criticized the firm in recent months.
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama's press secretary was reluctant to discuss Goldman's results.
"I'm generally hesitant — as I think the Treasury Department is — to comment on individual earnings reports," Robert Gibbs said.


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Make way dhoti sari and plazzo pants because this drape is here!!
This television star's stunning stint at the grand finale of LFW 2017!
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And, of course, the fine print:
Get free shipping on your next order when you spend over $100. The discount will be automatically applied to your purchase; no promo code required. The subtotal of your purchase must be $100.01 or greater after any promotional discounts have been applied. Additional fees such as tax or shipping and handling do not apply toward your minimum subtotal requirement of $100.01. Offer applies to standard shipping only. Certain items that require additional shipping and handling are excluded from this promotion and do not apply towards your $100.01 subtotal minimum. Offer subject to change.
Naturally dyed by hand, this scarf feels luxe in thin and lightweight silk. The speckle pattern, created with water-based ink, complements the vibrant fabric. The silk scarf edges are raw, with secure double hems on the selvedge and hand-felted edges, ensuring it won't fray and remain just as beautiful for years to come. Due to its large size, you can wear it as a scarf or a shawl — either one lends an air of royalty, even in your office chair.
- Naturally dyed 100% silk scarf
- Scarf measures 22'' x 72''
This product ships from the maker within 7 days, via USPS
If you're not happy with this item for any reason, you may return it for a full refund within 14 days.


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Sodan-1 wrote:I am surprised that you used an Arms Micron figure and a First Edition figure though. I read what you said about an RiD's 'Bee's legs not having the right joints, but still that's a commitment to use the more expensive versions.
I already completely painted the RiD version of Knockout and he looks great, so the AM version was really a 'spare'. The only reason I got it was to see if the stickers etc. that it included would be useful for making my painted Hasbro/PRiD version look better. They weren't .
Regarding the FE Bee, it's the one from the 2-pack that came with the recolored Starscream (which is why I got the set) and Silas and one of his soldiers. I actually didn't even remove the Bee from the packaging until I decided to do this custom. Originally I'd planned on tossing him in the trash (I have Takara's FE Bee, and he's perfect to me), but once I found out about Smokescreen I figured why not try to make a custom using some of his bits. It's worked out pretty well so far, especially once I was able to get the arms on there (it took some complicated engineering to make that happen, Bee's arms do not have ball joints).


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More than 150 parents and community members were on hand at the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees meeting Monday night (March 19) to speak up with questions and concerns regarding the possibility of a Covington School/Bullis Charter School "super campus."
District officials offered no additional details regarding the shared campus option. Not all Covington parents objected to the idea, but raised questions about safety, traffic, shared space and noise concerns of more than 1,000 students at two different schools sharing the same campus.
For more information about the shared campus option, see our story here. For more details on parent and community input, see the March 28 print edition.
Caption: The multi-purpose room at Covington School is one of several facilities that would be shared if the district moves ahead with the shared facility option for Bullis Charter School next year.


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Yeah. That's why it's tainted now.
No announcement yet.
Discouraged-Big family on small budget
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Planning and batch cooking. Its stupid easy.
Weekly Food Prep Tips | Stupid Easy PaleoSandra
*My obligatory intro
There are no cheat days. There are days when you eat primal and days you don't. As soon as you label a day a cheat day, you're on a diet. Don't be on a diet. ~~ Fernaldo
DAINTY CAN KISS MY PRIMAL BACKSIDE. ~~ Crabcakes
Originally posted by noodletoy View Postyes, there are many facets of primal, but i think of diet as 80%, yet you reject it. i also feel like it's more helpful for folks to actually get dialed in, THEN make personal tweaks. whatevs.
amajust gonna admire my velvet painting of that big eagle with "don't tread on me" for a bit now, lol.
Disclaimer: I eat 'meat and vegetables' ala Primal, although I don't agree with the carb curve. I like Perfect Health Diet and WAPF Lactofermentation a lot.
Griff's cholesterol primer
5,000 Cal Fat <> 5,000 Cal Carbs
Winterbike: What I eat every day is what other people eat to treat themselves.
TQP: I find for me that nutrition is much more important than what I do in the gym.
bloodorchid is always right
I too think there's some great advice in here (aside from a few Judgy McJudgersons) - all I wanted to add was that there are some good sites for prepping ahead of time, like this:
Once A Month Cooking | Freezer Cooking | Once A Month Mom
There is a paleo section of recipes... as a single girl doing Paleo I dont really need it, but am convincing my sister (Mum of 3 boys ) to have a go at it!
Good luck and hang in there...
Originally posted by Doghnnaand her taste buds graduating"Right is right, even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it." - St. Augustine
Who says back fat is a bad thing? Maybe on a hairy guy at the beach, but not on a crab.
Family of 5 here, adults included. Soccer 7 days a week. Plus other activities. So the kids are HUNGRY!
I do most of the cooking and I do most all the grocery shopping. We spend about $150 a week on groceries, 99% fruit, veggies, and meat. Granted not organic as it is unobtanium and expensive.
I shop at Aldi for the basics, no kidding. And then head to the latino/asian grocery for the rest. Yes, you will be the lone gringo and have language barrier issues sometimes. But the produce is soooo good and cheeeeeap! My 6 yo is now addicted to mangoes.
Also fajitas are so easy and the kids love them. Simple to make fast and if you must have a wrapper you can grab corn tortillas for cheap. We just eat the meat with avacado salsa and whatever. Plus you can dump all this on a salad for more quantity.
Raw veggies and fruit are all 5 minute meals. No dips no BS just food.
Almond butter and bananas are easy treats. Some dark chocolate squares. easy
It is almost grilling season and that is great for everything! Meats and fish yum! Plus grill stir fry veggies, yum!
I do not crock pot or slow cook anything (besides ribs occasionally and soups). No white potatoes. No rice. once you let them go they taste horrible since they are so bland.
Grow a garden! A book called The Square Foot Garden is excellent and I highly recommend it for an efficient small home setup.
You also have older kids... Put them to work! All our children from the age of 5 could feed and cloth themselves without us having to coddle them. Be creative there is plenty they can do.
Good luck and stick with it! It will change your life and your childrens life. make hard choices, like do I need cable or some other luxury item? That is up to you, but if you are on the grind think about it.Full on Primal family and loving it!!!
This is going to be a big year for vitamins and minerals!
I know this is an old thread, but imma jump in here with some real, workable advice for a big family on a budget.
Just concentrate on going high protein/low processed foods. When I first started out I was eating the hell out of those grocery store roasted chickens. Get the best hamburger you can afford and make cheeseburgers without buns. Get frozen veggies, no matter what kind - peas & carrots, whatever this kids like, steam them with butter and serve that. If you try and do grass fed beef on a budget - I mean, it's $9 a pound here in San Diego! There is no way. There is a brand of organic sausages - Aidelle's. It's in Ralphs, Von's etc - chicken & apple is AMAZING cut up in scrambled eggs. They also make little ones, like those little smokeys, that I take along in a baggie for snacking - chicken & pineapple is great too.
Look - starting out is HARD. Changes are hard. Go easy on yourself. Concentrate on shopping on the outside isles of the grocery store, stay out of the middle. Leave out bread and tortillas entirely. Make taco night - make it with packaged taco seasoning, just serve it in a bowl with cheese, maybe salsa, buy good avocado to go on top. DO WHAT YOU CAN.
Get your kids used to water or orange juice instead of soda, for instance. Slowly cut out dairy. Start buying full fat yogurt. Steps, it's all steps.
I totally understand the budget vs. the TOTAL PRIMAL ZOMG ONLY ORGANIC GAH! It's frustrating. If you need more ideas, let me know.I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled. ~P. G. Wodehouse
Rice, lentils, mung beans are cheap, easy to make, and can provide variety.
Rice: Rice w/ curry one day, fried rice the next day.
Lentils: dal curry, lentils w/ veg
Mung: mung curry, sprout
Add bone broth to everything to make tasty.
Soak everything overnight.
Tubers are also cheap and filling. We're asian we so eat a lot more rice than potatoes.
Along with above, cheap cuts of meat in slow cooker can go a long way.
Cooking at home saves so much money. It's just more effort sometimes.. It helps to have a week's worth of meals planned in advance. Like rice cooked today can be used today (steamed) and tomorrow (fried). Fried rice can always be different with different ingredients. Large quantity of lentils/beans can be cooked in slow cooker at one time and used throughout the week in different dishes. Large quantity of meat can also be cooked in slow cooker at one time and used throughout the week. (can you tell the slow cooker is my best friend? )


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Into the World There Came a Soul Called Ida is perhaps Painter Ivan Le Lorraine Albright's most monumental work. It has been shocking the staid since its first appearance eleven years ago. One Chicago critic saw the picture and headlined his review: "Horror Features Exhibit." The detailed enormity of Ida, with her fat, sagging, varicose-veined and slightly lavender flesh, is Albright's hallmark. Merry-minded artist of ultra-gloomy pictures, Ivan Albright of Warrenville, Ill. increased his reputation with one of last season's most shuddered-at paintings. That Which I Should Have Done, I Did Not Do. The picture Albright did do occupied him for...
Art: U. S. ART: ALBRIGHT
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Full sized vs. Compact
I own a Walther in 22 but that's about the sum of my knowledge concerning compacts. Let's just assume 9mm so we don't involve caliber. I know they're a bit less accurate but to what degree?
they arent less accurate they are less capable of hitting a target further away in the hand of the same shooter. solely because of the shorter sight radius. shorter barrel doesnt mean less accurate in the gun itself.
for self defense purposes a compact gun is desirable and does not hinder the shooter in typical 3-5 yard or closer self defense ranges.
Alright, maximum effective range is less. But you get what I'm saying. What's the cost/benefit of a compact?
i carry a springfield xdm 45acp compact. i carry it owb in the holster it came with. the shorter barrel/slide keeps it from sticking out from under my shirt. i can only tell a real diff in accuracy is at the 25 yard line. the compact is about 1.5-2 inches larger in shot grouping than with my full size xdm
i do prefer a full size for most shooting. for sd carry i prefer compacts or smaller.
The cost benefit of a compact is simple. If I am running around on my day off or after work I carry a full size. If I am working I am not allowed to carry. So when I am out and about leaving work it is easy to drop a subcompact in my front pocket. To me it is having a gun vs not having a gun.
There seem to be a fine line between full size and compact. For example:
My Sigma 9mm is full size and the barrel is 4".
My Sig P250c 40sw is compact and the barrel is 3.9".
That's kinda cutting it close.
Also the larger guns are more pleasant for most people to shoot. Some compact guns can be painful to shoot after just a dozen or so shots(varies greatly between guns and shooters).
I'd imagine compacts cycle faster due to the lighter slide, but at the same time you'd think felt recoil would be increased. So where do follow up shots come in? If you've read anything I've posted, you know I only like a gun that's capable of turning a target into a pin cushion, and would only consider a compact with comparable capacity.
One shouldn't confuse 'Compact' with 'Sub-compact' which is often a bigger difference then between 'Full Size' and 'Compact'.
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text: Delhomme is a natuaral fit for us. Why you say? -Jake Delhomme is proven QB in spite of a luke warm season this year -Jake Delhomme and Kubiak are smart people and they will easily understand each other -Jake Delhomme will soon be on the open market and is a hell of a lot better than Carr -Jake definitely has mobility, which is required given out offensive line -Jake Delhomme has proven he knows how to lead.. -Jake has 8 years experiece in the league -Jake is a Southern boy and knows how to play in this heat. -Jake Delhomme along with a drafted QB and we can begin moving in the right direction


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Morsels, nuggets and other snacks to chew on while celebrating Independence Day:
MLB announced Wednesday that in response to the federal lawsuit filed last month by the City of San Jose, it has retained John Keker -- of San Francisco's esteemed Keker & Van Nest LLP -- as its lead lawyer to work alongside the Proskauer firm of New York.
Joe Cotchett, representing San Jose, is himself quite formidable. Squaring off against Raiders minority partners a few years back, he legally affirmed Al Davis' standing as the lone voice atop the organization.
But if there were a national draft of attorneys you'd want on your side, guilty or not, Keker would be a solid No. 1 overall pick.
Should this suit, which seeks to remove territorial rights currently held by the Giants and allow the A's to move to San Jose, ever reach the courtroom it'll be must-see TV -- more compelling theater than anything we might see on the field.
Contact Monte Poole at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/1montepoole.


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text: Posted April 9, 2014 · Report post Hello everyone I am a 17 year old male and my junior prom is coming up. The girl I asked is so beautiful and you guessed it...she said yes recently, my acne has seemed to be a lot better. For the past few weeks my breakouts (mainly on my cheeks and chin area) have been at a minimum. But within the past few days it seems like it is trying to make a comeback. My routine hasn't changed in the past few weeks either (wash face twice daily, use retin-a at night, and take two cephalexin per day) although I have been drinking a lot more water. I have also tried cutting out as much dairy from my diet as possible. I am wondering if there is any certain diet or remedy or something that I can do for the next two weeks, so I can go to prom lookin and feelin good thanks!!!ALSO: I have a cyst on my right cheek that has recently decided to kind of get a little bumpier and a small little pimple has appeared right next to it. I put a tiny bit of cover up on it every morning and it hasn't been cover up-able recently. Could this be affected by how much water I drink? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Now that UTEP's satellite camps are complete, offers have poured out to students and it's a matter of waiting and seeing what comes about. Here's a list of athletes Miner Illustrated discovered who...
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She said she wants everything and to leave nothing out. That she doesn't want long pauses, three word sentences, or any "I don't knows."
I have no idea what OW#1 told her or how truthful she was. I will be truthful - my only hope - but I am terrified that the stories can't possibly perfectly synch up. It ended 15 years ago. BS said if I miss or lie about any detail, it's over. When I confessed to affair #1 on Sunday, I don't feel I was untruthful. I initially got some dates wrong but when confronted with "the math" I realized I was wrong and then ended up confessing to a longer period of time than it actually was until I redid the time period again. My brain is shot.
I offered to do it last night but she said she didn't want to. That she had a busy day at work coming up in the morning. Now its 2am and I am terrified of what tomorrow evening will bring. I am going to try to write it out at my desk tomorrow.
However, it's popular thinking here on SI that there shouldn't be added pressure of a deadline. At least, not a short one anyway. Many BS give the WS a few weeks. Only allowing hours seems counter productive to me, if what she wants is the whole truth.
Your desire to be completely truthful is admirable. The depth of your feeling for your BW and your remorse shine through in your words, in all your posts. Could you show your BW your posts here? I think they might be of some comfort to her.
As for the timeline. Give it your best shot, prehaps start with a disclaimer that you feel you would do better if you had more time. Not because you want to fabricate anything, but because you want to get all the details right and be as truthful as possible.
Good luck, Monster. Sending strength.
Chin up. Unwavering. Fight. We can do this.
Together 17 years
Married 7/21/2001
D-day#1 03/01/2011
D-day#2 7/8/2015
D-day#3 9/3/2015
Good luck.
I can only control myself, no one else. I do not have that kind of power.
I slept in 1-2 hour intervals. Tuesday is my day to get the 7 year old on the bus so I stayed in the guestroom, heard my son get ready, wife get ready. 7 year old playing with dogs. Heard wife and son leave. My heart breaking with every sound of a family life that I have crapped all over and will probably never participate in again.
I don't think she will be at all receptive to "more time" to get it right. I need to be ready tonight. Maybe that's not fair, but I can hardly ask for fairness - my behavior - my choices - are what got me here and I will have to face it tonight.
What sucks is that the last 4 1/2 months have in many ways been the best of our marriage. I feel like more of a real human being than I think I ever have. I really have worked hard since October and I desperately want to stay married. to my wife. I know now - far too late - that she is the best person in the world for me and that I am broken, not her.
I know - I KNOW - I could never do this again.
I will face her questions tonight with absolute honesty. I don't know what OW#1 told her and it scares me that she may believe her story over mine if or where it differs. I know I can't control that.
Separated transitioning to D


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|Gifted or ADD?
Parents, if your child seems bright then please, please, PLEASE have a qualified psychologist evaluate him or her for giftedness BEFORE you accept a diagnosis of ADD and medication.
Gifted children and adults are at high risk for being identified as ADD. Most people, including most medical professionals, do not realize giftedness is often associated with the following behaviors:
Moreover, sometimes adults do not realize a child is gifted because they don't really know what "gifted" means. Or they may believe a child is both ADD and gifted. As a result, many gifted children these days are being medicated for a brain defect they probably don't have.
Most people have an incorrect view of gifted children and adults. The "gifted" are supposed to be model students, teaching themselves how to spell and perfect their grammar, win spelling bees, have perfect social skills and become neurosurgeons. This is true of SOME gifted children and adults. Many others, however, act out and space out in boring school settings, and their increasing anger and frustration may lead to oppositional behavior and underachievement. They may have sloppy handwriting because of fast thought processes, miss details, and be unorganized and forgetful. Gifted adults are not always easy to spot, either. They are housewives, teachers, and carpenters, and they may not even realize they are gifted. Some even believe they are stupid.
There is some evidence that as many as half of all kids with IQs above 130 get below average grades, and in one study 13% of high school drop outs were gifted. In another study, a full 25% of children diagnosed with ADHD tested so high in creativity tests they qualified for state scholarships. I recently spoke with a consultant for the gifted who said about half of the gifted boys referred to her had been told they were probably ADD. Complicating matters is the uneven types of intelligence many people have. People labeled ADD often have a "visual/spatial" type of intelligence that confuses many teachers and parents. They might have trouble reading or spelling but have outstanding abstract reasoning abilities and become bored very quickly in traditional schools.
Proponents of the gifted assert that it is usually problems with the school environment that are to blame for behavior problems and underachievement, not any problem with the child. You will not hear this from school officials or most psychiatrists, however. They believe it must be a brain defect.
Parents, if your child seems bright then please, please, PLEASE have a qualified person evaluate him or her for giftedness BEFORE you accept a diagnosis of ADD and medication.
Gifted children MUST have an education that fits their needs. If they don't, they should be expected to act out or space out, and it is NOT their fault! Placing them on medication so that they can tolerate a more boring school is absurd. There are much better options available, such as home schooling, alternative schools and grade skipping.
How is "Gifted" Defined? There is no consensus as to how "gifted" should be defined, except everyone seems to agree that people with an IQ of 130 or greater are definitely gifted. But people with lower overall IQs can also be gifted by other avenues:
The fuzzy nature of the term "gifted" is apparent when one considers an idiot savant who cannot handle simple math but is a gifted pianist.
The IQ cutoff of 130 is completely arbitrary. It's not like one child with an IQ of 130 is gifted rather than ADD and the next child with an IQ of 125 is "disordered" simply because he does not meet the threshold for giftedness. A child with an IQ of 120 may be considered "bright" or "superior" rather than gifted, but is just as likely to be bored by a school ciriculum designed for kids with an IQ of 85.
Of special interest here is the concept of the visual/spatial thinker. These people are at high risk for an ADD diagnosis and are also likely to be gifted. They are often brighter than their IQ scores. Visual/spatial thinkers often have outstanding abilities in abstract reasoning, visual/spatial skills, and problem solving. However, they have relative weaknesses in processing auditory information and sequencing, and are often poor at spelling and phonics. Such people are also called "right-brained." Visual/spatial children are at high risk for school problems because they become bored very quickly and dislike repetition and drills. They are likely to act out or space out in school. Such children often need to be accelerated or homeschooled. The Gifted Development Center has done quite a bit of research on visual-spatial learners and has some excellent information at www.gifteddevelopment.com/VSL_List.htm.
Why do Gifted people act the way they do? One reason is that gifted people become bored easily in settings that average people find tolerable (like school or work). Boredom leads to restlessness, and restlessness leads to all sorts of problems. Fast thought processes can lead not only to boredom but to poor handwriting, errors in simple work, disorganization and sloppiness.
In addition, brighter people tend to exhibit more "overexcitabilities" than average people. This has been well demonstrated in studies. The five overexcitabilities that have been identified are:
For more information about the concept of overexcitabilities see Overexcitabilities Used to Predict Giftedness.
Getting an
Look for a QUALIFIED psychologist. You can start with a list maintained by Hoagies Gifted Education Page at www.hoagiesgifted.org/psych.htm. An appropriate assessment is going to cost you some money. BUT, your child's future depends on it, so open up your wallet and start counting. Make sure the consultant knows about creative/gifted characteristics and visual/spatial learning styles, because these are common with kids labeled ADD. If your child will be tested for creativity (recommended for ADD children) the Torrence Test for creativity should be used. An outside consultant is far more likely to give you an unbiased opinion about what you need to do for your child's education. Most people associated with the school are more interested in preserving the status quo at the school rather than in helping your child. School personnel are extremely unlikely to advocated grade skipping, for example.
A very important point with grade skipping is that it is done on a trial basis for six to ten weeks. It will be easy to see if it's not working, and the child is simply place back in his or her former level.
Another method of acceleration is to allow a child to attend higher grades for certain subjects. For example, a 2nd grade child who is ahead in math, but not in reading, would visit a 3rd grade classroom for math.
Homeschooled children are, on average, ahead of their peers academically, often by several years. And they spend less time studying because there is less time wasted. Homeschooled children are eagerly accepted by colleges, where they perform BETTER than other children. Gifted children usually do very well when they are homeschooled. Studies are showing that homeschooled children are getting a much better education that kids in the public schools (especially in the U.S., partly because standards in American public schools are so low.)
The specific requirements for homeschooling vary. In the U.S., check with your state. In some regions, children are allowed to attend public school on a part-time basis.
There is a tremendous amount of information about homeschooling on the Internet, and there is no reason for me to duplicate that. An excellent website to start with is The Homeschool Legal Defense Association. You can find regional requirements from this website.
There are also alternative types of schools, such as the Montessori School. For more information see my page on Alternative Education.
Be Cautious
With Labels
It is much better to tell a child he or she is being advanced because of hard work, because that encourages more effort in the future. I tell my son he is a better reader because he reads more than his friends, not because he is smarter. And that he is better in math because he works with numbers more than his friends. For more information see the article "Praise Children for Effort, Not Intelligence, Study Says."
Can't Someone Be
Both Gifted and ADD?
The environmental causes of brain defects leading to ADD include things like lead poisoning and exposure to drugs as a fetus. These factors also reduce IQ. So it seems rather improbable that a high-IQ person also has such a brain defect. Not impossible, but not likely, either.
You cannot tell whether ADD-like behavior in a gifted person is normal gifted behavior or caused by a brain defect. It's simply not possible. I've read that you can try and identify ADD in gifted people based on whether the gifted person tends to finish the projects they start. I disagree. There is natural temperament variation with regard to convergent and divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is perfectly normal and is related to creative thinking and disorganization. Under MBTI temperament theory, "Perceivers" prefer to start projects rather than finish them, and tend to be disorganized and run late for appointments. A gifted Perceiver with overexcitabilities will have a very strong drive to start new projects. Finishing projects and not starting so many new ones is definitely a learned skill for such people.
The bottom line is that you cannot tell if a gifted person's behavior is due to a brain defect. So why identify them as having a brain defect?
If Meds
Work, Then Why Not Use Them?
Stimulants allow gifted people to thrive in environments in which they were not meant to be. A child who is teaching himself division should not be required to spend endless hours in school practicing 5 + 4. An adult with abstract reasoning abilities in the 99th percentile should not try and spend four hours filing. The solution to problem behavior in the Gifted is to change the environment, not to change the Gifted person's brain.
Medications DO work, if your goal is to shove a square peg into a round hole. But is that worthy goal? Why can't the Gifted be different? Why should they have to pretend to be like everyone else? Why should a child with an IQ of 140 be forced to twiddle his thumbs for six hours a day in order to please the teacher, and be happy about it? Does this make sense?
Related Links:
Mis-Diagnosis and Dual
Diagnosis of Gifted Children
(ADD vs Gifted)
"La gente es maravillosamente tolerante. Perdona todo
excepto al genio."
Oscar Wilde.


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Pages: pp. 3-6
Elsewhere in this issue, you'll find a selection of technical articles describing recent research on handling software compliance in domains such as business processes, privacy policies, and even human health and safety. I decided to also take a look at how software compliance is dealt with in exceedingly critical environments: how compliance is assured when the consequences of failure can impact not only human life and multimillion-dollar investments but also national prestige.
I had the opportunity recently to participate in the annual meeting of researchers working for NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA). Their projects are designed to enable more effective and efficient software assurance (SwA) and compliance-checking. Depending on the level of criticality, NASA's software must comply with a variety of standards and regulations that aim to assure that the software can support mission success as well as the safety of astronauts and people on the ground. Bryan O'Connor, who served as NASA's chief of safety and mission assurance through 2011, set forth a vision of his organization as a systems engineering partner, engaged with missions early. That "commander's intent" was embraced by OSMA, which focuses on applied research that provides actionable insight, tools, and support to current NASA missions, while also building the long-term critical understanding that helps catalyze future progress. Almost all this research is undertaken in the context of specific NASA missions aimed at building advanced scientific devices, satellites in low-Earth orbit, and even systems designed to work on Mars and beyond. (Full disclosure: my own research work has received funding from OSMA.)
I won't report on specific technologies and approaches under study—you can find that type of information in this issue's technical articles. Instead, I'll summarize the OSMA researchers' vision for how software compliance will be done in the future, assuming that current research directions bear fruit. For practitioners, I hope this synopsis will be an interesting prediction of what the development environment will look like in the future—especially as compliance-checking becomes more widespread, not only against requirements for safety and assurance but also for ever-more-important contemporary needs such as security and privacy. It is increasingly important for developers to have a sense of both what assurance is and what it can be.
Perhaps the key vision for the future of SwA—one that I've heard both from teams within NASA and from customers building safety-critical software, for example, within the US Defense Department—is a desire to end SwA's role as the "process police." Too often, development teams perceive assurance in a negative light. Many of the SwA personnel I spoke with expressed frustration at meeting developers who assume that SwA always takes an overly process-driven, adversarial approach that prevents developers from doing the things they really want to do.
In a recent commentary entitled "How Do We Fix Systems Engineering?" ( Systems Engineering Research Center 2010 Annual Report, www.sercuarc.org/uploads/files/SERC-InsidePages2010_FINAL.pdf, retrieved 5 March 2012), prior NASA Administrator Michael Griffin provided one particularly memorable and direct anecdote concerning his reaction to an earlier version of the agency's Systems Engineering Manual:
I looked at the document the Chief Engineer gave me and said, "This thing makes me want to throw up—it's all about what the rules are for systems engineering and what the process is and it doesn't have anything to do with how it's really practiced. The only job I was ever good at was being a spacecraft system engineer. Everything that I ever worked on that really flew worked, and we didn't do any of this stuff." The Chief laughingly agreed. So here we were, the Chief Engineer and the Administrator of NASA, the two highest authorities that had anything to say about the release of this document, both agreeing it didn't have anything to do with what we really did when we did engineering.
Griffin's diagnosis was that systems engineering had overemphasized the checklist side of the discipline at the expense of the constructive aspects—that is, of actually "teaching students how to do systems engineering."
Yet I've met forward-looking SwA personnel who do think of themselves as stakeholders with a constructive benefit to add to the project, and who are committed to improving the state (and perception) of SwA practice. Within NASA, I've heard several SwA folks describe their vision for the research as enabling them to function more as a "process coach," providing support that helps developers achieve things that they otherwise couldn't. In this vision, the SwA role is analogous to a basketball coach: although the team members may be skilled, the coach can provide information to improve player and team performance, find weaknesses that the team can fix to improve their performance, or look forward to possible challenges arising from the other team's play and help develop strategies to counter them. Because the coach isn't a player, she can bring some independent insight that helps identify issues worthy of attention, and manage the associated risks.
Rather than focusing on developing ever-better process checklists, SwA research at NASA aims to exploit ever-more-available computing power, the ubiquitous prevalence of development tools, and new technological advancements to create SwA approaches that better support developers. The goal of all these approaches is to yield solutions that provide more upfront information with shorter feedback loops (that is, providing insights when they can do the most good). Many of the approaches move beyond process checking to assessment of the software products themselves: rather than assume that mandated processes yield the desired benefits, these technologies let SwA examine both the process being followed in close-to-real time and see whether that process is producing software quality at the expected level.
A vision of SwA that is more supportive and constructive to developers cannot diminish the SwA team's objectivity when checking compliance. At NASA, SwA has an independent chain of command and independent financing from the mission cost for a reason: decisions must be made on the available evidence about what's best for the mission and whether the project can safely achieve its goals.
But the vision does focus on enabling software that is "correct by construction"—that is, built using methods that support good quality in the first place, not with quality being tested and implemented after the fact. This general goal encompasses two main principles. First, compliance and assurance issues are important across the software life cycle, but with special attention paid to the earliest phases. The best way to avoid wasted effort is to ensure that the system scope is adequately and correctly defined upfront. Thus, research is focused not only on helping project managers get the requirements right but on helping civil servants make sure that the operational concept is sound and the system to be built is feasible, before any technical or contractual commitments are made.
Second, assurance activities must be well integrated into the tools and processes that developers are already using. The most successful research projects (in the sense of having the most impact on practice) tend to be those that utilize the data and materials that already exist in typical development environments. In a world of ubiquitous computing, developers are more averse than ever to anything that seems like "extra work" or documents created only to keep the SwA team satisfied. But bug trackers, content management systems, developer wikis, and other applications that have become a normal part of the developer environment can be mined for the most accurate insights into developer behavior and project progress.
In short, this vision recognizes that the only way to meet the exceedingly high goals for software quality is to start at the beginning of the software life cycle and leverage the software design platform and accurate measures of software quality throughout.
Often, the standards and regulations with which developers must comply mandate various SwA approaches. We envision a future in which the decisions about when and how often to apply such SwA technologies can be tied to accurate assessments of the current state of system quality. In this way, future approaches to compliance should leverage the results of the many other investments in SwA technologies that assess and improve software quality.
Drawing data from the development environment itself to monitor software quality and determine whether compliance objectives are being met would enable another part of the SwA vision: validation environments (analogous to the integrated development environments that developers have available) consisting of a comprehensive suite of analysis tools that support the necessary assurance checks. Imagine dashboards that track defects, bugs, and technical-debt items for developers while aggregating data about those same issues, feeding them into state-of-the-art analyses behind the scenes, and making the results available to both SwA personnel and developers in a timely way.
Model-based development has been the focus of much recent research investment, and it's also a component of the work done at NASA. Our desired vision of the future sees such models as built into and underlying our validation environment. We hope to see models with associated tool support that allow developers (with minimal additional training) to perform queries and what-if scenarios based on the model. Models can't be yet another form of system documentation that may or may not be kept up to date; they have to support useful interactions with important stakeholders.
Thus, this vision suggests using the computational resources available not only to build the system but to analyze the system as it is being built. Testing and validation assets would be constructed incrementally, starting as soon as possible—in short, a new philosophy of "baking in" test rather than doing it after the fact.
Although the vision for future SwA relies on leveraging more automation in analysis, there are limits to what automation can do. Tool support can help users visualize and understand the degree to which the current system complies with its quality requirements, but we will still need experienced humans in the loop to come up with the right scenarios to ensure that the system is tested under appropriate conditions.
Even in the most optimistic visions for the future, the OSMA group felt it unlikely that we would get past 80 percent automated code generation from models. NASA's systems will still require substantial hand-coding. Moreover, actually formulating the models correctly requires a deep understanding of the system—which itself requires substantial human skill. Some of the most long-lived assurance activities that we have in software engineering—namely, manual technical reviews—will still have a role in checking that system models accurately reflect the domain.
These points suggest that we will still, for the foreseeable future, need human expertise and involvement in SwA to make sure that testing encompasses the right scenarios, that our analyses are focused on the right issues, and that the domain is adequately and completely modeled.
One of the key lessons learned from doing research so tied to contemporary mission needs is that mechanisms must be in place for organizational feedback loops. Researchers need the opportunity to engage with new projects on the basis of their prior successes, and when research results are suitably mature, they need to influence the typical state of the practice more widely. Such technology transfer is part of the way that OSMA makes the best use of its investment in research; channels exist by which mature results are communicated back and used to impact the next generation of processes, standards, and guidebooks at the agency.
But perhaps a more important feedback mechanism relies on the people themselves. The more tools SwA personnel have in their toolkit, and the more they receive training on effective methods of systems and software engineering, the more likely they are to find ways to add value to the project that don't rely on checklists. This is another way in which enforcing the engagement of researchers and project personnel effectively supports the future of NASA's forward-looking, unique, and challenging missions—and can serve as food for thought regarding research models and attitudes on the part of software developers and researchers alike.
Welcome to three distinguished new members of our Advisory Board.
Anita Carleton directs the Software Engineering Process Management (SEPM)program at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. She helps lead the R&D and transition of best-practice methods and technologies for engineering, management, and measurement. Several models developed by the SEPM program have become worldwide, de facto standards for the software industry, including Capability Maturity Model Integration and the Team Software Process.
While a professor at the Florida Institute of Technology, James Whittaker founded the world's largest academic software testing and security research center and helped make testing a degree track for undergraduates. He coauthored How to Break Software, How to Break Software Security, and How to Break Web Software. While at Microsoft, James helped develop many tools and techniques for developers and testers and wrote Exploratory Software Testing. He then moved to Google as an engineering director for Chrome, Chrome OS, and Google+, where he cowrote How Google Tests Software. He's now back at Microsoft as a development manager working on a new platform for Web development.
Ramesh Padmanabhan is managing director and CEO of NSE.IT, an IT organization focused on financial services and offering technology products and solutions, infrastructure management, and online assessment solutions. He has diverse experience working across India and in the US, the UK, the Asia-Pacific region, and the Middle East. He is a member of the Regional Council of NASSCOM and the Systems Advisory Committee at the National Stock Exchange of India, among other roles.
Thanks to all the researchers in NASA's Software Assurance Research Program who participated in formulating this vision, but most especially to those whose conversations helped me refine and deepen it: Lisa Montgomery, Madeline Diep, Leila Meshkat, Caroline Wang, and Joel Wilf.


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Ice-fishing fun on Green Mountain Reservoir
March 11, 2012
Nine-year-old Kyle Cannon exclaimed from well into the center of the frozen Green Mountain Reservoir that he'd caught his first "ice fish."
He'd been out a handful of times previously, but never had the fish been biting the way they were Sunday at the lake that spreads out at the feet of the Gore Range. His father, Ed Cannon, woke Kyle before the sun rose in Littleton to load him, the electric auger and their fishing gear into the truck to beat Denver ski traffic to Summit County.
Instead of heading to the slopes, though, the Cannons and their friend, Chris Trujillo, peeled off Interstate 70 at Silverthorne and headed north. They would spend the day in the sunshine, perched on stools that sat next to 10-inch holes in the ice. Tiny fishing poles in hand, they began fishing by about 8 a.m., and Kyle Cannon had his first ice fish by about noon.
"It took courage. And patience," he said, pulling it from a mound of snow nearby. "I could have gone ice skating today. But what I say is, ice skating gives me a sore butt and ice fishing gets me a nice dinner."
He started scraping the snow away from the mound to uncover enough frozen fish to make fish tacos that night as well as bake or smoke some for later.
"They're really good," Ed Cannon said. "They're real pink on the inside. The poor man's salmon."
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When you think ice fishing, most think of a mess of shanty-town shelters filled with men bundled in winter gear to withstand the cold. Not so on Sunday, a day where temperatures were well above freezing, the sun blazed bright and there was little to no breeze. Though now wearing a sweatshirt and heavy fleece camouflage pants, Trujillo said he'd been in a T-shirt shortly before noon.
For him, all conditions are suitable as long as he's fishing. Trujillo grew up in Minturn and has been coming to the High Country to ice fish for years. He said he's always had good luck at Green Mountain Reservoir – and caught a 34-inch, 26-pound trophy fish there. Ed Cannon started about five years ago, and only recently began bringing his son along.
"It's good to take kids fishing any time you can" to pass along the passion, Trujillo said.
As he listened and chimed in occasionally, Trujillo's line went taut. Kyle Cannon ran to where he sat and Trujillo handed over the line to let him reel it in. The line extends roughly 50 feet to the bottom of the lake, where lake trout swim, so it took Kyle Cannon some time to drag the fish to the surface. It hardly hit the air before it let go of the glow-in-the-dark rubber squid-like bait and flopped onto the ice. Kyle Cannon maneuvered the squirming fish to the mound, where it tried to swim into the ice as the youngster tossed fresh snow on top.
"I was trying to catch one while you guys were here," Trujillo said, smiling and getting up from his stool. Trujillo likes fishing so much that it's not always about having something scrumptious to celebrate a day out on the ice. Often, he releases his catch in favor of letting fish grow. Currently at Green Mountain Reservoir, though, the lake trout limit is eight fish per fishermen to help the envied stocked kokanee salmon populations thrive.
"All the fish we caught today are worth sitting in traffic on the way home," Ed Cannon said, explaining that the threesome planned to enjoy every last bit of the extended daylight rather than leave at 1 or 2 p.m. to beat traffic.
"It's hard to beat a day out here like this – it's so nice," Ed Cannon said. "This is a good time to have regular conversation, and when you're sitting there by yourself, take the time to think about all your thoughts."
Against the expanse of white, surrounded by nothing but quiet and a faint rumble of cars meandering down Highway 9, Kyle Cannon paused before called over to his father at the next auger hole.
"I'm glad I came today, Dad. Today, the fish are really good," he said.


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Marked Slowdown in International Activity, Robust Private Consumption in Austria
The Austrian economy is feeling the impact of weakening demand from foreign trading partners. Economic growth has decelerated significantly not only in the USA, but also in Germany, dampening domestic exports. Production in manufacturing has sharply lost momentum. Although inflation stays lively and is puncturing real incomes, private household consumption keeps rising in an annual comparison. As employment growth is slowing down, the number of unemployed has risen slightly above the year-earlier level. Current international economic developments are being shaped to a large extent by the abrupt slowdown in U.S. growth. In the EU, opinion surveys show consumer confidence unabated, although the business climate in manufacturing has deteriorated markedly. The deceleration of growth is particularly pronounced in Germany, where incoming orders and production in manufacturing industry are heading downwards, construction output has slumped, and private consumption levelled off. In Austria, growth of exports and production has also slackened significantly. Merchandise export revenues, on a cash basis according to data from the Austrian National Bank, rose by an average 8 percent year-on-year in the first quarter 2001, but only 3 percent in March. Manufacturing output exceeded the year-earlier level by almost 5 percent in the first quarter, but recorded a decline in March. Likewise, the WIFO business survey conducted regularly among 1,000 industrial enterprises suggests a marked weakening of business sentiment for the second quarter. In particular, manufacturers of technical goods mainly for investment and exports have turned more cautious in their judgement of order flows and output developments. Price increases are proving much more persistent than assumed so far. In the first four months, the consumer price index rose 2.8 percent above the year-earlier level. Major factors were import prices for energy which on a schilling basis were notably higher than expected, and meat prices which were driven up by the BSE crisis. Contractual wages followed the increase in consumer prices with a lag of around ¼ percentage point. Together with a rising tax burden this implies that net real earnings per employee are falling significantly and purchasing power is being squeezed. Consumer spending is nevertheless holding up well, supported by a fall in the household saving ratio. Retail sales in the first quarter advanced by an inflation-adjusted 2 percent year-on-year. Wholesale trade, on the other hand, being more highly dependent on foreign trade, recorded a 1 percent drop in sales. Construction activity is constrained by shrinking housing demand, and the number of employees has lately dropped far below the year-earlier level. Growth of overall employment has greatly lost momentum over recent months. The number of employed men is lower, that of women substantially higher than one year ago. It is not so much the export-oriented industries that account for the slackening labour demand, but rather the construction industry, the transport and telecommunication sector, as well as public administration and education services. Unemployment swung to an annual increase in May (+800), yielding a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.9 percent of the dependent labour force or 3.7 percent of the workforce according to Eurostat definitions.
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Volume (Year): 74 (2001)
Issue (Month): 6 (June)
Pages: 363-364
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Bookstores got you down? Take heart. Did you know that only 35% of Americans get their books in bookstores? There are lots of things you can do to promote your book even if it isn't in the bookstores. This class will cover the top 10 super savvy ways you can promote yourself without setting foot in a bookstore.
We'll talk about all of the other places you can sell your book and we'll also look at creative ways to do non-bookstore signings and events. Plus, we'll discuss how to promote yourself by hosting your very own virtual tour.
10 Super Savvy Ways to Promote Your Book without Setting Foot in a Bookstore takes place July 12, 2010 at 7pm EST at a computer near you.


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Pages tagged with Modesty
Debunking the nonsense that religious or national dress codes are a form of patriarchal oppression.
During my 2nd unexpected experience with chemotherapy, I focus on the change to my early modesty training in this poem.
I am born free, free will I die, freedom of thought is so beautiful. I feel rich because I can think free, not the freedom of expression, and not the freedom to work, it's freedom of thought, that is most fundamental, and common to everyone of us. But, hardly we realize its imp...
A translation of a spiritual, sentimental poem of Maria Polydouri, a Greek poetess.
For the Christian, are the American shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette sinful?
This is a small story I overheard while travelling but it gives great meaning to life.
Many worldly people give importance for outward appearance but inward they are cunning filled with hypocrisy.
we need to Dress to please the Lord not the world. We live in an age that glorifies immodesty and immorality.
"Modesty", a great virtue, not seen usually. Especially the educated and resourceful individual often acts with some ego or "I know all" attitude we wish a little modesty would have made them great a person . Now read this acrostic story:
Miriam is punished for speaking against Moses. I suggest the nature of Miriam's sin and derive an important lesson in the power of humility
The argumentation speech has the purpose to appeal to the intellect of the audience or listeners so that the speaker can be able to win them over the speaker's side. It can be done using the force of logical interference and sound reasoning. The argumentation speech further aims to ...


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ICED EARTH Guitarist Jon Schaffer's SONS OF LIBERTY Track 'Spirit Of The Times' Gets Animated Video Treatment
July 18, 2013, 4 years ago
ICED EARTH are currently working on their new album Plagues Of Babylon and were recently confirmed as main support for VOLBEAT's upcoming European tour, but on a completely different note, guitarist/founder Jon Schaffer became involved in the Silver Circle movie. Silver Circle have put together a video for 'Spirit Of The Times' from Schaffer's project SONS OF LIBERTY. Check it out below:
Silver Circle is a film that lives in our world after massive economic collapse: tyranny, explosions, monetary mayhem, romance and rebels. At the center of corruption is the Federal Reserve who has gained enormous amounts of control over America's economy, with disastrous effects beginning to show. Standing opposite, is the band of Rebels who have vowed to take back the freedom they once knew…and they won't go down without a fight. Silver Circle plans to take liberty filmmaking to a whole other level.
In the video below, Schaffer discusses his role in Silver Circle:
For more details visit Silvercirclemovie.com.


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The campsite has 360 units with good shelters.
The area was formerly a nursery, and remnants of the past today in the form of many beautiful and special trees and shrubs. Not least are our great and beautiful Rhodedendron, available in several locations in the square.
We have a small pool with children's pool. Open from 15 June 30 August - or longer if the weather permits.
The playground is divided into various age-specific areas with lots of challenges for the children. In addition, a large bouncy 70 sqm. And a large area with a playground and space for free play.
A minituregolf play, it is also possible.
You can easily risk being woken in the morning of the rich bird life that are in and around the square. Or see a deer / doe free rein in addition to the fields.
The site 2 facility buildings are bad, family and disabled friendly rooms, toilets, kitchens, nursery, laundry and outdoor kitchen with dining space and opportunity for cleaning of the fresh fish. By the lake have been set up tables and benches, so you can enjoy his lunch with lake ducks, it is a very entertaining experience.
Dogs are welcome at the site and a walk in the orchard is a pure paradise for both owner and dog. At the site, dogs are kept in leash, but the whole orchard is free area for dogs, so be sure to have a snack with your dog, so it'll be home again.
|01/01/2016 - 31/12/2017
|Monday - Sunday


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Lung Cancer's Sobering Statistics in NJ [AUDIO]
Each year, more than 6,000 New Jerseyans are diagnosed with Lung Cancer and more than 4,000 will die from the disease. Nationwide, 150,000 deaths are caused by lung cancer. As Lung Cancer Awareness Month gets underway, doctors in the Garden State want everyone to get the facts.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women nationwide. "If you talk to people, they tend to believe that more women die from breast cancer any other cancer," said Dr. Michael Steinberg, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Program at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. "But actually, in the United States, more women die from lung cancer than breast cancer."
90% of all lung cancers are caused by smoking. "People who use tobacco have as much as a thirty fold increased risk of developing lung cancer," said Steinberg. "Quitting tobacco use is the single most important factor in reducing your risk of any cancer, but specifically lung cancer."
One of the biggest problems with lung cancer is that it is generally diagnosed when it is already in a late stage. "The overall survival rate is very low, even with advances in treatment and new screening tests which is why the best way to deal with lung cancer is to prevent it in the first place," said Steinberg.
Symptoms of lung cancer include persistent cough, change of color or blood in phlegm, wheezing and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis. Unexplained weight loss, bone pain, aching joints and a tired feeling can also be symptoms of the disease.


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Chamorro Canvas Tote Bags are an Idakoos specialtiy! Idakoos has many things to offer. Whether you want to get a Chamorro Canvas Tote Bag for a special occasion, give a Chamorro Tote Bag as a present or need to represent with a funny Custom Chamorro Bag during Holidays or Family and Friends get-togethers, Idakoos is sure to have the right Chamorro Canvas Tote Bag for you! Even if it turns out you can't find the right Custom Chamorro Bag with the perfect design for your mother, father or children (or friends!); Idakoos offers all of its Chamorro Canvas Tote Bags as Custom Chamorro Tote Bags. Personalize any Chamorro Canvas Tote Bag the way you want to ensure the perfect gift.
Showing 1 - 24 of 44 Canvas Tote Bag


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So this is Christmas
So this is christmas yet again, and sadly war is not over. But the holidays have still been very good, if a bit busy time in this household. I have never been much of a churchgoer but that has certainly changed since my younger daughter joined Gradualekór Langholtskirkju a prestigious girls choir connected to a … [Read more…]


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Last time TVSpy saw WPLG's Roland Steadham, he was parachuting through Saharan dust to explain why the Miami area was seeing unusually dry weather.
This time the meteorologist for the Miami ABC affiliate went the other direction to teach his audience about the weather. "You guys know what causes rain here in South Florida," Steadham asked his co anchors. "When air starts to rise."
Which set up a glider flight in the name of "atmospheric research," where he flew around the base of tropical downpour without the aid of a motor. "[A] tremendous amount of air starts to rise as the sea breeze comes in and it just lifts this 1200 pound glider up and away."[sfltv]


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However, recently I have been looking into this forum more and noticed there are now Modems to be able to change my Radio? Is that correct? If I were to reRoot my phone and change to say MI1 would that change my kernal and allow me to reRoot my phone at MI1? I was hoping to someday use Roms and customize my S4 but I don't know if i should feel comfortable using SafeStrap to do this and WHICH ROMS are Flashable.
Also, Could somebody please tell me the difference between ME7 and MI1? and if there is a way to update to MI1? Also if it would be worth it to update to MI1 or any new updates out there? I have been absent from the game and I am trying to Jump back in with both feet!