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Living on the edge of the WebSocket protocol
- Introduction
- Getting Info
- So What's Changed?
- What about version incompatibility?
- Summary
Hello. It's been a while since I last blogged about WebSocket. It's been exciting that many new frameworks and services are out including our own Pusher.
Having said that, we have to be aware that the protocol is still actively being changed.
Just a few weeks ago, there was an important announcement at Chromium blog.
Developers should be aware that starting from WebKit nightly build r59903 and Chrome 6.0.414.0 (r47952), the client will talk to a server using -76 version of the protocol, so it will fail to open WebSocket connections with a WebSocket server based on draft-hixie-thewebsocketprotocol-75. Since -75 version of the protocol is obsoleted and no longer supported in future version of browsers, to support new clients you need to update the server implementation. (Note that Chrome 5 uses -75 version of protocol).
And I find this is a very bold statement.
The WebSocket protocol is still actively being changed. Until there is more consensus, we will continue to update our implementation to follow the latest draft of specification, rather than worrying about breaking changes.
This means that you (or the framework maintainer) must be aware of these changes and must act quickly to keep up to date.
Luckily, there are already people who analysed these new changes and blogged about it.
Martyn and I spent last Friday applying these changes to em-websocket (which we use for Pusher) and they're now available as of version 0.1.1. We're already seeing ~ 2% of clients connecting to pusherapp using the new protocol.
I'd like to share our findings and hope that other framework/library authors will do the same. The last thing I want to hear is "WebSocket keeps changing and most frameworks/libraries/services are broken". That will not increase the general adoption of WebSocket.
I also hope that this is technically interesting enough for people who want to know under the hood of WebSocket implementation, but not necessarily write a framework. (NOTE: If you are interested in just using WebSocket in various languages, then you can use Pusher via various language bindings)
Getting Info
First things first, you need to know about the fact that the change did happen, so here are a little bit of tips.
Follow Twitter
If you really want to stay ahead of the game, you should either follow @chromiumbuild or search "websocket" twitter keyword.
There are lots of noises, but you know about the change very soon. Twitter was buzzing a week before the update was announced on the chromium blog.
Use Chrome dev channel
Instead of using normal chrome, you can use the dev channel version.
There is Stable/Beta/Dev channel and they get updated according to the schedule.
Dev channel is updated every week and you are automatically updated as soon as you restart your browser, so you need to be aware of the consequences.
You can also use Webkit Nightly build, but not sure where I can find the schedule of Safari update. Does anyone have an idea?
Reading the draft
Reading the entire draft (over 50 pages) is a pain. However, you can read just section 1 and 5 (18 pages together) to understand the change on the server side.
Referring to other implementations.
WebSocket implementation in Google Go and Pywebsocket are implemented by a Google engineer (Fumitoshi Ukai).
I highly recommend reading pywwebsocket source codes. It is an apache module, but
standalone.py can run on its own without configuring apache.
When we were writing draft76 patch for Ruby server (em-websocket), we actually used "echo_client.py" to hit the Ruby server for testing.
This is much easier than checking via 2 browsers. pywebsocket is actually used to test Chromium browser implementation, so it will be highly likely kept up to date.
1 [example]$ ./echo_client.py -p 8080 --draft75 2 Send: Hello 3 Recv: Hello 4 Send: æ¥æ¬ 5 Recv: æ¥æ¬ 6 7 [example]$ ./echo_client.py -p 8080 8 Send: Hello 9 Recv: Hello 10 Send: æ¥æ¬ 11 Recv: æ¥æ¬
The detailed tutorial of how to install pywebsocket is here.
Please note that you actually need to build and install it even when you use
standalone.py. If you don't do install, you will get the following error message.
1 [src]$ echo $PYTHONPATH 2 /Users/makoto/src/pywebsocket-read-only/src 3 [mod_pywebsocket]$ sudo python ./standalone.py -p 9999 4 Traceback (most recent call last): 5 File "./standalone.py", line 474, in <module> 6 _main() 7 File "./standalone.py", line 361, in _main 8 default=handshake.DEFAULT_WEB_SOCKET_PORT, 9 AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 10 'DEFAULT_WEB_SOCKET_PORT'
If you understand Japanese
html5-developers-jp google group is very active and looks Google engineers are also following. I posted some questions prior to start implementing the upgrade support, and got lots of useful feedbacks (Yes, you can also show off your google translation skills by posting in Japanese, but don't forget that they do some funny translations).
So What's Changed?
This section goes into much more technical detail so may wish to skip it.
The initial upgrade request was changed to include some extra handshake protocol, to make sure that it will fail fast if WebSocket request is received by non WebSocket server (especially normal HTTP server, unless the HTTP server opt in to handle this handshake protocol explicitly).
It also added better way to handle closing phase which I will explain later.
Opening Handshake
From Client to Server
1 GET /demo HTTP/1.1 2 Upgrade: WebSocket 3 Connection: Upgrade 4 Host: example.com 5 Origin: http://example.com 6 WebSocket-Protocol: sample
1 GET /demo HTTP/1.1 2 Host: example.com 3 Connection: Upgrade 4 Sec-WebSocket-Key2: 12998 5 Y3 1 .P00 5 Sec-WebSocket-Protocol: sample 6 Upgrade: WebSocket 7 Sec-WebSocket-Key1: 4 @1 46546xW%0l 1 5 8 Origin: http://example.com 9 10 ^n:ds[4U
Here are the list of changes.
- Name("Web Socket" => "WebSocket")
- "Sec-" prefix
- New fields (Sec-WebSocket-Key1/2)
- Some random characters at the body of request/response (^n:ds[4U and 8jKS'y:G*Co,Wxa-)
Sec- prefix, the explanation is described at Security model
It is similarly intended to fail to establish a connection when data from other protocols, especially HTTP, is sent to a WebSocket server, for example as might happen if an HTML |form| were submitted to a WebSocket server. This is primarily achieved by requiring that the server prove that it read the handshake, which it can only do if the handshake contains the appropriate parts which themselves can only be sent by a WebSocket handshake; in particular, fields starting with |Sec-| cannot be set by an attacker from a Web browser, even when using |XMLHttpRequest|.
NOTE: I am not sure why
Sec- cannot be set from a Web browser (unless
Sec- is a reserved word for HTTP protocol). If you know any info, please comment.
#3 and #4 are used for opening handshake and I will explain in next section.
From Server to Client
1 HTTP/1.1 101 Web Socket Protocol Handshake 2 Upgrade: WebSocket 3 Connection: Upgrade 4 WebSocket-Origin: http://example.com 5 WebSocket-Location: ws://example.com/demo 6 WebSocket-Protocol: sample
1 HTTP/1.1 101 WebSocket Protocol Handshake 2 Upgrade: WebSocket 3 Connection: Upgrade 4 Sec-WebSocket-Origin: http://example.com 5 Sec-WebSocket-Location: ws://example.com/demo 6 Sec-WebSocket-Protocol: sample 7 8 8jKS'y:G*Co,Wxa-
The opening handshake protocol at server side is described in 13 steps (The client side handshake protocol has 45 steps!!, and this is another reason I use pywebsocket for client testing rather than creating my own client).
The description steps are understandable, but quite hard to read, so it's better to read the source code of other implementations.
I refer to the pywebsocket version and php version described by @WebReflection.
Here are the steps.
- Extract numbers at Key1(eg: 4 @1 46546xW%0l 1 5) and concatenate them
- Count number of spaces at Key1
- Devide #1 by #2
- Change the format of #3 into "big-endian 32 bit integer"
- Repeat #1 by #4 for Key2(eg: 12998 5 Y3 1 .P00)
- Concatenate #4, #5, and the body(eg:
^n:ds[4U) of the request
- Digest the result in MD5 format
Did you get it? Probably better to read the code. Here is the Ruby implementation.
1 def solve_challange(first, second, third) 2 # Refer to 5.2 4-9 of the draft 76 3 sum = (extract_nums(first) / count_spaces(first)).to_a.pack("N*") + 4 (extract_nums(second) / count_spaces(second)).to_a.pack("N*") + 5 third 6 Digest::MD5.digest(sum) 7 end 8 9 def extract_nums(string) 10 string.scan(/[0-9]/).join.to_i 11 end 12 13 def count_spaces(string) 14 string.scan(/ /).size 15 end
Closing handshake
In earlier drafts, you could terminate connection, but there was no proper protocol to acknowledge the closing phase between client and server. This lack of "Orderly close" was criticised here.
To solve this problem, Closing handshake is specified so that both client and server can send a 0xFF frame with length 0x00 to begin the closing handshake.
What about version incompatibility?
The biggest disruption of the new draft is incompatibility with the prior version. Unfortunately, the draft version number is not specified at the HTTP request header (and probably won't be included until the draft get stabilised). For now it's easy enough to get by. You either
- A: Try with draft76, catch exception, and fallback with draft75
- B: Identify the version by checking newly added fields.
Pywebsocket uses A
1 class Handshaker(object): 2 """This class performs Web Socket handshake.""" 3 4 def __init__(self, request, dispatcher, allowDraft75=False, strict=False): 5 """Construct an instance. 6 7 Handshaker will add attributes such as ws_resource in performing 8 handshake. 9 """ 10 11 if allowDraft75: 12 self._fallbackHandshaker = draft75.Handshaker( 13 request, dispatcher, strict) 14 15 def do_handshake(self): 16 try: 17 self._handshaker.do_handshake() 18 except HandshakeError, e: 19 if self._fallbackHandshaker: 20 self._logger.warning('fallback to old protocol') 21 self._fallbackHandshaker.do_handshake() 22 return 23 raise e
We (em-websocket) use B
1 version = request['Sec-WebSocket-Key1'] ? 76 : 75 2 3 case version 4 when 75 5 Handler75.new(request, response, debug) 6 when 76 7 Handler76.new(request, response, debug) 8 else 9 raise "Must not happen" 10 end
The updated WebSocket protocol changes the opening and closing handshakes. For now we can support draft 75 and 76, though the implementation is a bit hacky. Our changes are tested against the pywebsocket script (which is used by both Chromium developers to test their own implementations), and against Chrome and Webkit development builds, but please let us know if we are missing anything.


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Some people may only recognize Nick Offerman from his role as the iconic Ron Swanson on NBC's Parks and Recreation or from his appearances in movies like The Men Who Stare at Goats and the recent-ish remake of 21 Jump Street. But only knowing Nick Offerman in this context is a tragedy, because he is ... More >>
August Wilson's study of slavery's ghostly heritage
The wickedest walkabout
On the daringly avant label ugEXPLODE
Wiz Khalifa is in love with weed. The Pittsburgh-raised rapper has established himself as a hip-hop superstar by making songs that are largely hooked around getting high. While it's not all that a unique pastimethe likes of Snoop Dogg and Cypress Hill ushered in the first great rush of weed r ... More >>
Looking for signs of the artist a quarter-century after he disappeared
After regulation time in yesterday's Pittsburgh-Denver Wild Card game, referee Ron Winter explained to both teams the new NFL overtime rules. Watch him here -- by my watch it takes him 40 seconds. Then watch Tim Tebow make hash of those rules. By my stop watch the play takes 29 fewer seconds to hap ... More >>
In the mid-'90s, before getting saddled with the term became a dirty word, Trans Am was one of the core members of the post-rock scene. While their label and scenemates in Tortoise meticulously concocted easy-listening fake jazz tailored for indie brainiacs, Trans Am played the part of the prog-obse ... More >>
Last weekend rallies were held in all 50 states in support of the teachers' union in Wisconsin. And at the Wisconsin state capitol, at least 70,000 people came out on Saturday to protest Governor Walker's attempt to break the union. Sounds like a big deal, right? Hundreds of thousands of people tur ... More >>
Curren$y (left) and K.R.I.T., models of menace and/or nonchalance. Photos by Nick, more below.Curren$y/Big K.R.I.T./Smoke DZA/Mac Miller/Boaz/Etc. Santos Party House Tuesday, October 5 Better Than: Stealing your roommate's weed and watching Stella on DVD all night. Again. The weather in New ... More >>
Clip Job: an excerpt every day from the Voice archives. December 4, 1969, Vol. XIV, No. 60 Bias at the Trade Center by Ron Rosenbaum The Port Authority's World Trade Center towers, now hunching their way up into the Lower West Side smog, have long been the despair of architects and other pe ... More >>
New Orleans is the only city that out-did New York's dire childcare situation, according to a study by website Care.com. New York City closed many subsidized daycare centers this summer to narrow budget gaps, and childcare elsewhere in the city can cost more than rent, making a significant d ... More >>
Three years ago, I spoke with ex-Galaxie 500/Luna principle Dean Wareham about jumping into a full-time band with his wife (and Luna bassist) Britta Phillips and releasing their sultry, French-pop inspired Back Numbers, which was Wareham's first major post-Luna effort. Since then he's release ... More >>
Big year for metal, hip-hop, and Paul Simon/pigfucker reconciliation
Familiar themes still flood the festival zone, but a couple of gems manage to shine through
Queens splatterfest takes horror, then and now, seriously
Fred Benenson. More of his flicks here. Girl Talk at Studio B Date: Friday, February 9 Opener: Parts & Labor Better than: Getting a MySpace friend request from Booble Bob Rating: 9.0 Last Friday, Greg Gillis had to pee—desperately enough that he asked a sold-out Studio B to "hang on" a sec while ... More >>
Evan Dando returns as an immaculate powerpop elder statesman
Wrath of a salesman: Paranoid '70s misfit reinvents himself as weapon of self-destruction
Hungry grads make a shoestring assault on New York
Rotted remains of obscure Middle American metal also-rans dug up, and oh the stench
A Chronology of U.S. Military Fatalities Since 'Mission Accomplished,' Part II
Dueling thesps reminisce on their melodramatic rivalry
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subset: commoncrawl


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1240 Palisades Center Dr
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Products, pricing, services and promotions vary by store. Store pickup is the only option for in-store clearance and open box. Markdowns are taken from regular prices. Regular Price listed for in-store clearance reflects the current BestBuy.com regular price. Regular Price listed for open box reflects current non-sale store price for the item in new condition. In-store clearance and open-box inventory is limited, and rainchecks are not available.


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An investigation is underway after an overnight shooting in Effingham County, and now deputies are looking to question a person of interest.
It happened shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday at the Quail Run Mobile Home Park at the intersection of Quail Run Circle and Standard Lane in Springfield. Officials say one person was hit multiple times after some sort of altercation that turned violent.
According to the Effingham County Sheriff's Office, the victim tried to run away, but was shot multiple times in the arms and legs. Witnesses are telling deputies they heard as many as eight to ten shots fired.
The victim was transported by a private vehicle to a nearby hospital, and from there he was then taken by ambulance to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah with serious injuries, but he is expected to survive.
Investigators are now looking for Jared Hartfield of Springfield for questioning. Hartfield is believed to be driving a white Chevy Tahoe with Georgia tag - BJD 4657.
Officials say the shooting was not random and that the victim and the suspect knew each other. They believe the victim was specifically targeted and say residents who live in the area should not be worried for their safety.
If you know where Jared Hartfield is or anything about the shooting, you are asked to contact the Effingham County Sheriff's Office at 912.754.3449 immediately.
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MassVets Advisor
|This tutorial will help you naviagate the Mass Vets Advisor website. The site and tutorial were created by the team over at the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. According to the site, "MassVetsAdvisor.org strives to serve the nearly half-million Veterans living in Massachusetts, and their Families, as a bridge to the many benefits that they have earned in defense of our nation." If you or a family member served in the Armed Forces, this is an important site for you.
Google Maps Tutorial
|Google Maps is a great way to get from "here to there." They offer driving directions, along with walking, biking, and directions by public transportation. This tutorial focuses on the public transportation resources on the site, helping you find the right bus or train to get where you are going.
Google Translate
|Need to translate an email? A document from a friend? What about a website? Google Translate can do all that for you. This tutorial will show you how to use the site to translate text and also translate websites into more languages than you can count. The translate is not perfect, but it is always getting better and will actually ask you for advice!
LIVE! Sites that might interest you
|Sites that might interest you:
|The Mayor's Office of New Bostonians has recently added their Guide to Tenants' Rights. It is available in seven languages. Click HERE for the site.
Boston's Office of New Urban Mechanics "is an approach to civic innovation focused on delivering transformative City services to Boston's residents.
You know that great bike sharing program in the city? Did you know that you might eligible for a $5 annual membership? Yup... for five bucks a year you could be cruising around or commuting to work. For more information and to determine if you're eligible, click HERE or call 617-918-4458.
Click HERE for a flyer (in English and Spanish) about the discounted membership program for low-income Boston residents.
BPS Resource on Bullying and Cyber Bullying
Anti-Bullying Hotline
(617) 592-2378
This BPS site offers some good resources and information about bullying in schools, including cyber bullying.
|"StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyberbullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying."
|"The BPS is committed to bringing Internet safety strategies to the members of its community. The technology support teachers in every school are required this year to become Internet safety certified through i-SAFE, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere."
|BenefitsCheckUp is free service of the National Council on Aging (NCOA), a nonprofit service and advocacy organization in Washington, DC.
Many adults over 55 need help paying for prescription drugs, health care, utilities, and other basic needs. There are over 2,000 federal, state and private benefits programs available to help. But many people don't know these programs exist or how they can apply.
BenefitsCheckUp asks a series of questions to help identify benefits that could save you money and cover the costs of everyday expenses.
|According to their website, "HealthTap is here to help you. Our Interactive Health Network and mobile apps connect doctors with patients in smarter ways, provide education to those who seek it and disseminate trusted, vetted, peer-reviewed health information far and wide!"
|Looking for free WiFi access in Boston? Simply click on the icon to the left and you will see all the free wifi available, sorted by city, town, and neighborhood. Don't forget that all Boston Public Libraries now have free WiFI access as well!


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Looking for a service provider?
Get the protection of SuperGuarantee®
DeRosa Pharmacy And Home Health Care is a family-owned business employing quality residents of our community. We stand by our reputation of keeping customer service as our top priority. We will fill the needs of our customers fairly and efficiently. By remaining independently owned and operated, our employees can continue to provide the absolute best care and service that our customers have come to expect.DeRosa Pharmacy And Home Health Care is also a compounding pharmacy providing customized drug therapy individually catered to heal specific diseases. We offer services that other pharmacies don't usually provide, such as Medicare/Medicaid billing, local & mail delivery, and personalized phone service. We accept most major insurance plans but a quick call will verify your coverage. The majority of our pharmacy customers get their home health products and services at DeRosa Pharmacy And Home Health Care due to our large selection of products at one stop!Currently DeRosa Pharmacy And Home Health Care employs over 19 people, and has a very reputable name in communities throughout Essex county. DeRosa Pharmacy And Home Health Care covers all aspects of healthcare with a full service Pharmacy, Medical Equipment, Home Oxygen, Safety and rehabilitation Products. DeRosa Pharmacy And Home Health Care also provides Pharmacy, Respiratory, Orthotic/Prosthetic and Medical Equipment consultations. The pride that the employees take in caring for the customer and their caring nature continues the philosophy of the Nina that started our company over 25 years ago. For that philosophy alone, the business continues to grow with the help of all our fantastic employees & wonderful customers.


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Certification (CITI Training)
Who is required to to take the CITI training?
All Key Research Personnel must complete the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training Program prior to IRB approval of a new or continuing review application. Key Personnel is defined as the Principal Investigator, other investigators and research personnel who are directly involved in conducting research with study participants or who are directly involved with handling private information related to study participants during the course of a research project. Key Personnel also include faculty sponsors who provide direct oversight of research with study participants or research using study participants' private information.
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How is CITI training organized?
CITI instructional modules are organized by "learner groups." Once you log on to the CITI website you will be prompted to select a learner group. Select the learner group that most closely reflects the main emphasis of your work. The learner groups include:
Most users complete the training in approximately 4 hours. You are not required to complete the training all at once. You may stop and start anytime. Just remember your user name and password.
CITI Training Completion List
CITI Training Completion List - As a courtesy, OHRPP provides a searchable listing of UCLA personnel who have completed the CITI training. The list is updated Monday through Friday. Please allow 24 hours after completing the CITI training for your name to appear on the list. OHRPP cannot guarantee that the list is complete. If you completed the training and your name does not appear on the list, please follow the link at http://www.citiprogram.org to obtain a copy of your CITI certification of completion.
CITI Refresher Course
CITI training must be renewed every 3 years for all Key Research Personnel. The Refresher Course is comprised of cases and scenarios or summaries of the important concepts for modules in the Human Subjects Protection Basic Course. Depending upon your learner group, you will either complete the preselected refresher modules, or the 2 preselected modules and 5 additional modules of your choice. Each module will require about 5-10 minutes to complete.
You will receive an email notice from CITI 180 days, then 90 days, then 30 days prior to the expiration date for your course, but you may also log on to the CITI website to see when you are due to take your refresher course. You may complete the Refresher course up to 180 days (that is, six months) prior to the expiration date of your current CITI training.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may now "add" any course, including the Refresher Course, to your profile/gradebook directly once you log into the CITI website. Simply choose the "Add a course or update your learner group" link, which appears on your home page.
HIPAA Research Training Certificate
Follow the link for information on the CITI HIPAA Training for research.
For additional information on HIPAA, please follow this link: HIPAA
For additional information on the CITI training requirements and how to access the training refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.
Contact Us
For questions about CITI training, contact Gianna Calabro in UCLA OHRPP at 310-206-7081 or email@example.com, or Annie Hilo at 310-825-1291 or email@example.com.
For general training comments, please email firstname.lastname@example.com
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A nurse at Hennepin County Medical Center has been charged with stealing pain medication from the labor and delivery unit.
Heather Sampson, 24, is charged with one felony count of theft of a controlled substance.
According to the charges, Sampson admitted to stealing hydromorphone from HCMC on five separate occasions and injecting the painkiller into her arm. She said the theft started when her own pain medication prescription ran out, and that the last time she stole hydromorphone was on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
HCMC stores its pain medication in a dispensing machine called an Omnicell, which records the time any medication is removed, who removed it and which patient the medication is intended for.
Video surveillance and Omnicell records show Sampson removing medication from the Omnicell, entering a bathroom and later returning the medication cartridges to the machine. Four incidents were recorded between Dec. 31 and Jan. 5.
A search of Sampson's purse turned up a syringe loaded with suspected hydromorphone, a used syringe and other injection equipment. Investigators also recovered a cartridge of hydromorphone that was diluted with water to replace the missing medication before returning it to the Omnicell.
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On Sunday 3rd March, our character mascot Sting joined members of the London Wasps squad to support grassroots rugby festivals in Buckinghamshire.
Tinus Du Plessis at Beaconsfield RFC
Sting visited Community Partner Club Beaconsfield RFC for their Annual Spring Tournament. The event was aimed at C stream development players creating an environment for those squads to enjoy and play rugby against players with similar levels of skills and experience. The key focus for the Tournament WAS encouraging the players to have fun, improve their skills and game understanding, so they have been part of a great day of competition. Joining Sting at Beaconsfield RFC was London Wasps and Namibia back row player Tinus Du Plessis. Both Sting and Tinus met the young rugby players, coaches and their families, for photographs and autographs in the Spring sun. Tinus told wasps.co.uk, "It was great to see so many players enjoying their rugby. I was really impressed by the vision of the club to offer a competition where developing players can play at a level where they can gain a positive experience and gain the confidence from playing the game."
We would like to thank Tony Rees at Beaconsfield RFC for hosting us at the event
Read about the Tournament on the Beaconsfield RFC website here
Christian Wade at RAF Halton with Witney RFC
Sting flew in to RAF Halton (near Aylesbury) to support their Centenary Youth Rugby Tournament, which celebrated 100 years of flight from the RAF Station. London Wasps and England Saxons winger Christian Wade supported the Tournament to present the awards and meet the players for photographs and autographs. Christian said after the event, "I have trained at RAF Halton a few times over the years and it was a pleasure to be invited back to support the Tournament. It looked like an excellent opportunity for young players to showcase their skills in a really well run event."
We would like to thank Wg Cdr Daren Moss at RAF Halton for hosting us at the event
Read about the Tournament on the RAF Halton website here
The next three months will be a busy period for our Community Team as we continue to support grassroots rugby in Buckinghamshire, Middlesex, Oxfordshire and our Community Partner Clubs. Community Rugby Manager Dave Larham told wasps.co.uk, "It is important that we demonstrate our support for grassroots rugby events in our community because we have the brand profile that can help to inspire and motivate young people to enjoy lifelong participation in rugby. Hopefully the clubs we support will continue to support our match days and align themselves to London Wasps."
Sting loves getting out in to our community and saying "hello" to everyone. If you would like Sting to support your event, please complete an enquiry form here.


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Friday, January 24, 2014
Montessori Pawleys Island will open their doors on Jan. 28 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. for current parents who are curious about what their children do in their Montessori environment and for prospective parents who are considering enrolling their children in an education program.
Get a view from the inside as you explore the methods, the materials and the structure that gives Montessori the keys to unlock learning for your children from six-weeks-old to six-years-old.
Hear from the Board of Directors, all dedicated to making MSPI an excellent education choice for the community.
Talk with the teachers, all certified and experienced child education experts.
Learn what the research shows and hear how so many business and artist icons attribute their success to Montessori.
Observe the children at work and allow them to give you a lesson... its a beautiful thing.
The Montessori School of Pawleys Island is located at 236 Commerce Dr., Pawleys Island.
For more information call 843-237-9015.
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Right on the heels of publicly admitting that he has a serious alcohol addiction, former heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson has made a few other astounding claims about his life. The Sydney Morning Herald leaked some juicy details from Tyson's new tell-all memoir, and they just may change the way fans view his volatile years in boxing. The 47 year old legend describes in sad detail his love of alcohol and drugs, dating all the way back to infancy, stating that he was given booze when he was a baby, and tried cocaine for the first time when he was just 11 years old.
Of particular interest are the revelations that he fought high on drugs for several of his high profile fights and went so far as using a fake penis filled with someone else's urine to pass his drug tests.
"I was a full-blown cokehead," Tyson says in Undisputed Truth.
He listed several instances where he was taking drugs right before fights, including bouts with Lou Savarese, Danny Williams and Andrew Golota. He also claims that he was high on cocaine before the infamous press conference with rival, Lennox Lewis that ended with Tyson biting Lewis' leg.
Among other shockers in the book, Tyson gives insight to "Herculean" mood swings, insatiable womanizing, and the mismanagement and ultimate squandering of his considerable fortune. There are stories of paying off a woman who had been bitten by his pet tiger, to the tune of $250,000.
"Iron Mike" still stands by his claims of innocence regarding the rape of Desiree Washington, and says that his punishment for the crime he was convicted of was unjust. He does, however, go on to reveal that his incarceration was a comfortable one, and that he often dined on lobster, and even had an affair with his drug counselor.
The Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson will be published in Britain by HarperCollins on November 21.


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Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Jan 25, 2005
Research & Development
CommVault R&D centre in Hyderabad
Our Bureau
Hyderabad , Jan. 24
COMMVAULT Systems, a provider of Unified Data Management solutions, has announced setting up of its R&D centre in Hyderabad, its first outside the US .
The company, with $100 million in revenues, plans to invest in human capital, Indian infrastructure and is targeting the business in the region.
Addressing a press conference here today, the Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of CommVault, Mr Alan G. Bunte, said that the company budgets about $12-13 million a year for R&D and this centre is of strategic importance for the company.
The company plans to make one major release every year. Over next two years, CommVault plans to make Hyderabad its Asia-Pacific market hub, with the region emerging as one of the fastest growing markets.
The Director, India development centre of CommVault, Mr K.V. Ratna Sarma, said, "We have big plans for India. Though we have started small with just about 8-10 developers, we will double it within this year. We will also get into tapping the domestic market once we are in a position to provide local deployment and support services."
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The Hindu Business Line


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No team left out of the FCS playoffs last season may have had a better argument for an at-large bid than Chattanooga.
After missing the last three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, Tony Stewart is expected to return to competition this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The fact that we look to Roger Goodell and the NFL to take the lead on any number of social issues should say more about us as a society than the commissioner or the league he lords over.
Something isn't right with St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright.
The Memphis Grizzlies have named Bob Donewald Jr. as the new head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy.
Sooner or later a major professional sports league is going to take a chance on Las Vegas.


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Red tide is back. Scientists are reporting water off of parts of Sanibel Island are testing positive for red tide.
They say this is the same bloom from a few weeks ago that died down for a bit, but has now reformed.
The bloom extends about four miles off shore.
The tests do not indicate that the bloom has affected any other beaches in Southwest Florida.
Click here to see the red tide status of beaches around the state.
3719 Central AvenueFort Myers, FL 33901Main Phone: (239) 939-2020Newsroom Phone: (239) 939-6223


text:
Hi All,
I am in middle of certain screen flows. In a particualr screen when i press Next button i wanted to display a lengnthy message as a popup which should have scroll bars in it and display it.
Which component i should use so that i can achieve this..
any of the list box types ?
I hold the message in single TDesc.. and i should display it..
Any pesudo code would be helpful :)
Thanks in advance.
- Mani.


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HURON, S.D. (AP) - Police in Huron are investigating a series of vehicle fires over the weekend as a possible crime.
Chief Gary Will Jr. says a motor home and a car were destroyed, another car was damaged and a trailer was damaged. All of the fires happened within about 30 minutes early Sunday in the same part of town.
Will says police believe the car and trailer fires were cases of arson, and the motor home fire is being treated as suspicious. He says police have no suspects but there are two people of interest in the case that investigators want to interview.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Removing poison ivy, sumac or oak plants


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Since Felipe Calderon's election as Mexican President in December 2006, the fight against the Mexican drug cartels has escalated to a level previously unseen. The major cartels currently operating in Mexico include the Sinaloa, Gulf, Tijuana, Beltrán-Leyva, Juarez, and Los Zetas Cartels and operate by trafficking in narcotics such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin as well as human trafficking, kidnapping and extortion[1]. With previously existing widespread corruption and ineffective political, judicial and law enforcement institutions undermining the ability to effectively fight the cartels, the prospect of the conflict ending any time soon seems unlikely. Since Calderon took office nearly 40,000 people have been killed due to cartel related violence. It should be noted however that this seems to mainly represent cartel infighting and clashes with the police and military. Although some innocent bystanders have been killed in the violence, the civilian death rate in Mexico – at 10 per 100,000 p.a. – is less than half the rate in Brazil and one-fifth of Venezuela's[2]. Upon assuming the Presidency, Calderon actively sought to intensify drug enforcement operations against the Mexican cartels; currently there are approximately 35,000 federal police and 50,000 soldiers deployed to fight the cartels. In addition, there have been attempts to tighten port control to the south to stop the inflow of cocaine, weapons and drug precursor chemicals like pseudoephedrine. There has been some success of this intensified anti-cartel policy; there is however, more that can be done to help dismantle the Mexican drug cartels. It stands to reason that a fight against transnational criminal organisations must be undertaken through a multinational effort, and as such potential policy responses for both Mexico and the United States will be presented.
Policy Recommendations for Mexico
First, Mexico needs to define a clear strategy for fighting the drug cartels. This includes three aspects: (i) limit and clearly define the goal; (ii) divide and conquer; (iii) continue implementing a kingpin targeting strategy[3].
(i) Limit and clearly define the goal to the destruction of the cartels, rather than stopping the production and movement of drugs. Any more than the dismantling of the cartels will prove to be near impossible, and any less will be unacceptable. Creating a clear scope of mission will help provide greater operational clarity and purpose. It is not helpful to let this conflict be bundled into the same category as the United States' 'War on Drugs'.
(ii) Dividing and conquering involves the targeting of a single cartel at a time until they are destroyed. This strategy was used in Colombia against Medellin first and then the Cali cartel, and proved more effective than fighting a multi-front war. Targeting all cartels simultaneously could lead to collusion between drug gangs in order for them to face the threat of the army and police, thus making any effort to dismantle them drastically harder. In addition, openly targeting the most violent cartel first may facilitate in a 'race to the bottom' in violence as each cartel attempts to avoid being the next target.
(iii) A 'kingpin' targeting strategy involves identifying, locating and capturing or killing kingpins and key lieutenants of cartels. Running and managing a transnational criminal organisation is similar to being in charge of a large multinational corporation – it requires a skill not found in many. Taking out key leaders can cripple cartels' effective operational ability. This can be further supplemented by increased extraditions to the United States of key figures. In December 2009, Arturo Beltrin Leyva, head of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, was surrounded and killed by the Mexican Navy. The Mexican Federal Police also arrested Teodoro Garcia Simental, an important lieutenant of the Tijuana Cartel on January 12, 2010. Calderon has utilized this strategy effectively, and the increase in violence seen as a result should not be interpreted as failure, but rather the result of the cartels fragmenting with infighting, much the same as was seen in Colombia. The death or capture of a cartel leader creates a power vacuum which is required to be filled. If there is no clear candidate for succession, factionalism and infighting occur as gang members vie for the top spot. With each kingpin and lieutenant removed, the cartel's operational capability suffers dramatically and increases the cost to the individual of being at the top.
Second, dramatically strengthen the Mexican Federal Police. Whilst the military remains useful in that it is one of the least corrupt institutions in Mexico[4], and has the ability to clash with heavily armed drug gangs, it cannot win the war by itself. This is due to the fact that the skills required to take down a criminal organisation are more than just the ability to defeat them in combat. It is necessary to be able to conduct investigations to support prosecutions, recruit informants and gather evidence. This role falls to the Federal Police. The responsibility of dismantling the cartels needs to be transferred from the military to the Federal Police as they grow in operational capacity. To strengthen the Federal Police and in order to help weed out corruption, municipal police departments should be abolished, with the state police taking on the municipal policing responsibilities for cities. Furthermore, state police should be trained at a federal level.
On his first day in office, Calderon ordered a raise on the salaries of the Federal Police and Armed Forces; however more reforms still need to be undertaken. Law enforcement reform must include stronger vetting programs, a policy of hiring better educated officers, increasing pay to reduce susceptibility to bribery, increased rotation of personnel and internal affairs investigations to help combat corruption and reduce the ability to intimidate the police into collusion[5].
Policy Recommendations for the United States
The United States currently trains thousands of Mexican police officers and troops, collaborates with specially vetted security units, eavesdrops on cartel activity, and provides and upgrades security equipment and intelligence technology for Mexico[6]. Whilst it is evident that the United States is already supplying technical, operational and monetary assistance to Mexico, there is more that can be done.
First, the increased use of drone UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) could provide the necessary high-tech surveillance and strike capabilities against the cartels that the Mexican police and army do not currently possess. The US military, acting on specific instructions and information from the Mexican military, is already utilizing Global Hawk UAV Drones for increased surveillance[7]. This surveillance can be further augmented by Predator and Reaper UAV Drone strikes on known cartel strongholds and kingpins. The possibility of drone strikes by the United States has already been discussed as noted by US Representative Silvestre Reyes – ex-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee[8]. Although potentially politically difficult, all strikes would need to be approved by top Mexican authorities and specially vetted security units so as not to undermine Mexico's sovereignty. The use of drone strikes is justifiable as the situation on the ground is already a combat operation. Well armed cartels numbering over one hundred thousand combatants supplied with military grade weaponry are already fighting the Mexican military as well as targeting U.S officials[9]. This ability to strike from the air with superior military technology would place enormous pressure on the cartels' ability to operate, as well as enhance Mexico's policy of targeting kingpins and key lieutenants.
The strategy of targeted drone strikes on enemy personnel and leadership has been utilised previously in other conflicts. The use of drones was effectively implemented in Afghanistan and on the Pakistani border to provide vastly superior surveillance intelligence as well as targeted air strikes against the Taliban and al-Qaeda members and leaders. Those who are critical of this approach point out that of the 269 reported drone strikes in northwest Pakistan between 2004 and 2011 (killing between 1,658 and 2,597 individuals), approximately 20 per cent of them are non-militant fatalities[10]. To those who believe that this is an unacceptably high non-militant fatality rate, it should be pointed out that historically the combatant to non-combatant fatality ratio was closer to 50:50[11]. That is, half of all deaths in war have historically been civilian deaths; in comparison, 20 per cent is a significant achievement in reducing civilian causalities. Furthermore, the effectiveness of targeting militant leaders – 20 of the 30 identified leaders in the region have been killed in the last 18 months – has caused utter disarray amongst the upper leadership of al-Qaeda[12]. The purpose of highlighting the 20 per cent collateral damage rate is not to justify the strikes based on murky mathematical propositions that more civilians will be saved than the number killed in the long run, but rather to show that given the comparatively lower civilian mortality rate in strikes, that drones actually offer a reduced collateral damage option and are not as indiscriminate as we are led to believe. This strategy could be used to great effect in Mexico against the drug cartels, targeting both their militant strongholds and leadership. Furthermore, DIME (Dense Inert Metal Explosive) armaments could be utilised when targeting areas with high civilian concentration as they are uniquely suited for providing low collateral damage[13]. Drones have proven to be cheaper than conventional military forces, more accurate than traditional airstrikes, and provide reduced levels of civilian casualties overall.
Second, the federal re-legalisation of marijuana and its production within the United States could cripple cartel profits. As stated in a CRS Report for Congress[14] and the Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington[15], 60% of Cartel profit is estimated to come from the trafficking and sale of Marijuana. A report by RAND Corporation has concluded that 'even with taxes, legally produced marijuana would likely cost no more than illegal marijuana from Mexico and would cost less than half as much per unit of THC'[16]. This means that legalised production in the United States could undercut illegal marijuana from Mexico and force the cartels out of the market through competition. Cartel cost structures for the production of marijuana are very high due to the illicit nature of their business. The turf wars they engage in, combating government forces and smuggling the product across the border to where there is demand all drive the price up significantly. Additionally, the monopoly status of cartels means that they can capture large economic profits. However, the cartels' comparative advantage is in criminal activity, not the production of an (illicit) agricultural commodity. By legalising the production of marijuana in the United States, businesses and farmers could reduce the costs incurred in the production and distribution of the crop, and pass the cost savings onto consumers. Since cartels cannot reduce their cost structures in the same manner, they would be pushed out of the market. Whilst there are many other arguments for and against the legalisation of marijuana, this report's intention is only to look at the impact it has on the drug cartels. Although undercutting the marijuana market in and of itself will not collapse the cartels, the severely diminished profit margins reaped by the drug gangs will limit their operational ability, making them more vulnerable to methods previously mentioned.
Third, refocus gun control efforts towards interdicting military grade weaponry being smuggled in from non-US sources. Gun control is a contentious issue in the United States, and whilst there are those who advocate re-instating the ban on assault weapons for a number of valid reasons, it will have very little effect on the firepower capabilities of the Mexican cartels. Already the drug gangs are displaying an increasing trend towards military-grade hardware such as grenade and rocket launchers as well as anti-tank missiles, which are being sourced from locations other than the United States, such as China and South America. Additionally, assault weapons are readily available from these same alternative sources if the supply in the United States dries up[17]. Therefore, instead of focusing on stemming the flow of assault weapons coming from the United States, the US government should attempt to work with Chinese and South American authorities to impede illicit military-grade arms smuggling rackets which are bolstering the cartels' militant capabilities.
As the Mexican drug cartels are transnational criminal organisations (TCOs) it is important to remember that their motive is profit not ideology. In essence there are only two features in defeating a TCO. Increasing the cost of operating (in this case, through military strikes, police work and increasing the risk of operating) and by decreasing profit margins (in this case, legalising an industry that drug gangs have a comparative advantage and motive to continue operating in illicitly).
In summary, Mexico needs to limit their goals to the destruction of the cartels by targeting them one at a time with specific emphasis on capturing and extraditing or killing cartel leaders. To do this, Mexico must strengthen their Federal Police and provide them with greater responsibility in bringing down the cartels. The United States can supplement these efforts by introducing drone strikes on cartel strongholds and high level targets at Mexico's behest. In addition, re-legalising marijuana production in the United States would force the cartels out of the market through competition and destroy up to sixty per cent of their profit margin. This will limit their operational capacity and make it harder to combat Mexican government forces.
[1] Bonner, Robert C. 2010. 'The New Cocaine Cowboys: How to Defeat Mexico's Drug Cartels'. Foreign Affairs 89(4): 36.
[2] Ibid. Page 41.
[3] Ibid. Page 42.
[4] Ibid, Page 40.
[5] Ibid. Page 44.
[6] Thompson, Ginger and Mark Mazzetti. 2011. 'U.S. Drones Fight Mexican Drug Trade'. Accessed 13 September 2011. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/world/americas/16drug.html?pagewanted=all.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Del Bosque, Melissa. 2011. 'Congressman Won't Rule Out Drone Strikes in Mexico'. Accessed 13 September 2011. Available at http://www.texasobserver.org/lalinea/congressman-suggests-drone-strikes-in-mexico.
[9] The Washington Times. 2009. 'EXCLUSIVE: 100,000 foot soldiers in Mexican cartels'. Accessed 13 September 2011. Available at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/03/100000-foot-soldiers-in-cartels/
[10] New American Foundation. 2011. 'An Analysis of U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan, 2004-2011'. Accessed 13 September 2011. Available at http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/drones.
[11] Melander, Erik, Magnus Oberg, and Jonathan Hall. 2009. 'Are 'New Wars' More Atrocious? Battle Severity, Civilians Killed and Forced Migration Before and After the End of the Cold War'. European Journal of International Relations 15(3): 515.
[12] The Australian. 2011. 'Drones' success could lead US to pull out of Afghanistan early'. Accessed 13 September 2011. Available at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/drones-success-could-lead-us-to-pull-out-of-afghanistan-early/story-e6frg6so-1226078072133.
[13] Global Security. 2011. 'Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME)'. Accessed 13 September 2011. Available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/dime.htm
[14] Cook, Colleen W. 2008. CRS Report for Congress. Washington DC: Congressional Research Service.
[15] Office of National Drug Control Policy. 2006. National Drug Control Strategy. Washington, D.C.
[16] Kilmer, Beau, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Robert J. MacCoun, and Peter H. Reuter. 2010. Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets. Santa Monica: RAND Corporation
[17] Stewart, Scott. 2011. 'Mexico's Gun Supply and the 90% Myth'. Accessed 13 September 2011. Available at http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110209-mexicos-gun-supply-and-90-percent-myth.
Image credit (in order of appearance): UltraNoticias/flickr (Creative Commons), Shoot and Scribble/flickr (Creative Commons), Gozilah52_Archive/flickr (Creative Commons), Gobierno Federal/flickr (Creative Commons), US Customs and Border Protection Drone/4gwar (Creative Commons), EPA/Juan Cedillo/flickr (Creative Commons);


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News, opinions, commentary, history and a little creative writing from a proud African-American transwoman about the world around her.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Going Home Again
A hometown visit brings back the struggles of growing up black and transgender.
by Danielle King
Friday, May 23, 2008
From the Washington Blade
I RECENTLY HAD the opportunity to return to my hometown of Camden, N.J., a city relatively unchanged since my childhood.
Camden, at times, has had the dubious distinction of being named the nation's most dangerous and poverty-stricken city. With a crime rate that rivals larger cities like Atlanta and Detroit, growing up as a "tranny" in the town was no walk in the park. But today I am grateful for all of those experiences that caused me to appreciate growth, look toward the future and reflect upon my past.
I remember the first time I encountered a transgender woman there. She was wearing tattered jeans, a faded shirt exposing her midriff and chalky make-up. I recall being taken aback by her assertive air. She wasn't the most "passable" trans person, yet she had an unwavering conviction about who she was and how she wanted to be perceived.
She frequently consorted with the vagrants of our neighborhood and her profession was well known. Occasionally, while riding our bikes along the docks of the Delaware River, my friends and I would see her and a "john" parked by a dilapidated industrial building, engaging in what was no doubt the end result of a business transaction.
Over the years I've often wondered about her and dreamed that life had cut her a break. Surely someone had offered her a job. Perhaps she'd even found a wonderful partner, married, adopted two kids, a dog and purchased a house surrounded by a white picket fence. But then, I'd always wake up.
AS A PROUD African-American transgender woman, I understand that unless I actively engage in the ongoing fight for equality, a life like the one I dream of for that transgender woman — and for members of the LGBT community, including myself — will remain beyond reach.
Since my youthful days in Camden, I've experienced plenty of "awakenings" — piercing looks from passersby who seem to instantly evaluate and dismiss me. There are tense rides on the Metro during rush hour (an event that my friend Tiana calls the "judgment hour") and I've had my fair share of being the subject of giggles and whispers.
But ironically, those events fuel my strong sense of obligation to the LGBT community — a community that I fervently believe will someday collectively see equality unconditionally afforded to us all.
DURING THIS SEASON of Pride, as we reunite with old friends and make new ones, let us not forget our obligation to the entire community throughout the year. Complacency is the enemy of any cause.
In the true spirit of Pride, disregard your own personal level of "passability" and proactively seek to understand the issues that affect all of the members of our community. Be kind to one another and openly affirm who you are and your right to live your life the way you wish to live it.
We must work toward the day when college students in New Jersey are not shot down because of their same-gender-loving affection and 15-year-olds are not slain because of their gender identity. And we must ensure that all transgender women, despite their "passability," have the opportunity to become gainfully employed.
Until that happy day arrives, we all have much work to do.
TransGriot note: Danielle King is the Classifieds Manager for the Washington Blade
Posted by Monica Roberts at 6:51 PM
Labels: African-American, transgender, transgender issues
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Kane was one of my main targets this year in the draft and was hoping for a big year from him so I may be overvaluing him here as I don't really want to trade him. However I ended up with the short end of the stick at G with only Miller Fasth and Thomas to dress. Dude in my league is huge on the Blackhawks and has goalies to spare and is reasonable when it comes to trades.
So do people think Kane is worth E. Staal and M. Smith. I feel like I could be coming out without a loss here except trading depth at RW for C.
I have Kessel and Skinner so i'm still doing good on the wing.
We're in a 14 team H2H league.


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UA, Auburn students compete in hovercraft race
Students who don't want to wait until football season to see an Alabama-Auburn matchup can catch an airborne take on the Iron Bowl Saturday. The University Hoverbowl Challenge will feature hovercraft races between teams of engineering students from The University of Alabama and Auburn University.
Kent Gano, race director for the Hoverclub of America and Saturday's Hoverbowl, encouraged students to come out and cheer their school on.
"[They] will be able to see something they haven't seen before," he said. "They'll get to learn about them, talk about them and see how they fun they are."
Gano said a lot of credit for the event's genesis and development goes to Hisham Ali, the team leader.
"The concept was to have a college challenge between [Alabama] and Auburn, which is a great idea," Gano said. "We hope to expand this to different colleges and make it a yearly event."
An underlying goal of such events, Gano said, was to convince universities to view hovercraft research as an investment on par with solar-powered race cars and other similar engineering projects that currently draw the nation's interest and funding.
"The students get educated in the mechanics and design theories behind this. It teaches them a lot," Gano said. "It teaches them a lot of aspects of engineering."
Mark Wysock, the team's systems integration and controls leader, said the team hopes the impact of the Hoverbowl will be felt even beyond the College of Engineering.
"The UA hoverteam will provide the College of Engineering with the most interesting and unique design team project for engineering students," he said. "The Hoverbowl is the beginning of making a large impact on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM] across the state and the Southeast. We hope that other SEC schools will become involved, and from that, middle and high school students would see a hovercraft and become interested in engineering."
For Saturday, however, the focus is on three-hour endurance races. Like all Hoverclub of America races, the only stakes are bragging rights.
"That's all it is, bragging rights, for now," Gano said. "They'll be the team to beat next year."
Wysock said some of the team members might even continue hover-crafting as a hobby after graduating.
"I have learned about hovercraft and gained experience in teamwork and the design process," he said. "It has been a rewarding experience."
The event will be at Lake Lurleen State Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a $3 entrance fee to the park, but there is no additional cost to attend the event. Attendees should bring their own chairs.
More information on the team and its behind-the-scenes work is available at hoverteam.cbhp.ua.edu.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Crimson White.


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Chicago, IL, US
If architecture is really the practice of generalism, I ought to be its poster boy. Currently, I teach the history of Architecture and Anthropology at Harrington College of Design, and Sculpture at SAIC. I lead seminars and advise theses on topics that belong to the loose conglomeration of interests that Richard Bucannan and Victor Margolin have termed design studies. I have also taught Computer Science and Digital Media, Medicine, Finance, and a few other things. I round these academic pursuits out with a vigorous creative practice that uses ethnographic methods of discovery coupled with creative (and frequently technology enhanced) methods of expression.
My visual arts practice engages the equipment of insider and outsider practices, especially the relationship between individual lives and the arbitrariness of statistical and medical worldviews. I combine ethnographic investigatory methods and architectural techniques of discovery to make work that is sculptural in presentation but transdisciplinary in subject.
My early professional practice focused on the programming of visual database technology. I developed what I still believe is the first visual database to replace a slide library. Subsequent technology work focused on similar new media translation and cataloging projects, ranging from study guides and enrollment systems to surgical training environments and full-blown online universities.
I have been sporadically engaged by the whitewashing of classical civilization – which I think of as the visual dimension of the enlightenment. I engaged the idea as a humanities graduate student both with the usual research and write strategy, but also by supporting some open source software projects trying to build visualizations of some of the great monuments of antiquity – in full color. Most recently, I have been making "reproductions" of classical sculpture (primarily in aluminum).
My interest in Sustainability theory engages logics by which technological and material strata inform cultural practices. What initially captured my anthropological attention was a paradoxical belief – that technology can fix the problems that technology makes. As I began deeper investigation, other rungs of analysis – especially the aesthetic, cultural, and the ethical – revealed themselves as clear substantive issues for designers. Unlike many sustainable architecture practices which focus on either technoscientific models of intervention (avoiding considering the consequences of a techno-fetishist ethic) or political methods (avoiding the materialist problems), I attempt to work in the middle ranges between the two.
Harrington College of Design, Faculty
Faculty of Critical Studies. Courses in the History of Architecture (upper division and grad), Anthropology, Urban Sociology, Communication and Technology Studies, Philosophy, Sustainability Studies.
The University of Chicago, Research Assistant
The only way to get a real eduction in theory is to start by fetching coffee for someone really important and work your way up to writing their manuscripts.
Cultural Practices, Principal
The University of Chicago, Faculty Technology Manager
UNext, Learning Architect
like an information architect, but specialized in learning.
The University of Chicago, Information Architect
Intermuseum Conservation Association, Conservation Assistant
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, MArch, Architecture
Archeworks, Socially Responsible Design
The University of Chicago, Masters, Humanities, Anthropology, Sociology
Oberlin College, Bachelors, Archeology, Visual Arts


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It never rains in the desert they say. Go see the game, it'll be fun they say. Actually, it's always fun to go to a baseball game, especially any Cubs game. I went to the I-Cubs game tonight against the Vegas 51s. It was actually delayed because of rain tonight--in the desert of all places. After the jump, if I do this right, hopefully I can post a picture of an obviously non-updated roster of the I-Cubs the 51s are posting in their media guide and my take on the activity that I did see.
This game drug along. It took over an hour to get through just 2 innings...seriously. However, in the first half of the first inning, the Cubs took full advantage and put up a five spot on the 51s. Blake Lali hit a laser beam out of Cashman--it got out of the park in a hurry. Alfredo Amezaga came through with a second run on a Greg Rohan base hit on some heads up base running so that first half inning was really entertaining. I became a little worried when I saw that Casey Coleman was starting but he seemed fine...well until at least the middle of the second when he was removed from the game. I didn't see what happened but the trainer walked off the mound with him so it can't have been good and I haven't had a chance to look it up yet. Esmailin Caridad came in and promptly gave up two runs and the fielding began to resemble what we've seen at the big league level. Then the rains came. They stopped briefly but then they started again with a vengence with some lightning to go with it so the game was suspended to be completed tomorrow afternoon.


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Istanbul, Turkey
December 26th, 2012
About this event
With the increasing opportunities that are obtained as a result of technological developments, people have started to prefer to be alone in their quest for knowledge. For instant, when we are trying to reach information online, or listening to our teacher silently during lectures, we are totally alone with our own perceptions. On the other hand, we share our opinions and learn from each other when we prepare for an exam or work on a project.
Through the times, when the resources were limited and knowledge was far away from being one-click-distance to humans, life was quite different. Because of this reason the name and essence of TEDx Salon Events comes from past: In the salons, which first appeared in 16th century Italy and later on in 17th century France, the people who do not necessarily need to know one another used to meet and share their view on different subjects. Their primary goals were to learn and socialize. Moreover, according to many people, the salon environment, in which the people could freely discuss ideas; share and exchanges opinions on various topics, triggered the Enlightenment Period.
We, as TEDxSabanciUniversity team, invite you to be a part of our TEDxSabanciUniversitySalon event which offers a unique way of learning and sharing experience through a warm Salon environment. During our event, we will be benefitting from the technological advancements of our time and watch TED Talks videos. However, different from what we have accustomed to, we will also be talking about the TED Talks and the impressions they created on us without worries and concerns about time and truthiness of our thoughts.
Additional Links
on Twitter
Venue and Details
Sabanci University FENS G032
Sabanci University
Event Type (what is this?) Salon
This event occurred in the past.
See more TEDxSabanciUniversitySalon events »
Can Aztekin
Istanbul, Turkey
- Ayse Irmak Sen
- Speakers Coordinator
- Incı Kıpcak
- Organization Coordinator
- Dilara Kanag
- Organization Coordinator
- Deniz Taneli
- Website Coordinator
- Bugrahan Namdar
- Speakers Coordinator
- Nilay Duzen
- Organization Coordinator
- Gokay Avcı
- Speakers Coordinator
- Selcuk Ercan
- Speakers Coordinator


text:
A Wise Woman Manages Her Time
December 28th, 2011
(Me with my precious six year old at her first piano recital-she's growing up so fast)
I'm scared of losing my children.
I'm also scared of losing myself…and I'm not even sure who that "self" is.
Life has become a disillusionment to me and everyday that I just keep moving without stopping to get a hold of myself and my life, I'm one more day lost. And the days are going by in a blur.
I used to be a good mom. I used to try to be a good wife and homemaker. But something in the last year has changed and now I'm just tired and depressed. I need to come back.
I'm taking a month off of blogging so I can take an inventory of my life, my goals, my purpose. I want to be a wise woman, and a women with depth. Right now, I'm a shell of what I used to be…or who I hoped I'd become.
My plans for the month are to eat. I'm desperate to feast on the Word and let it fill me up again. I'll also be digesting Tell Your Time, Blogger Behave, and Educating the WholeHearted Child. I need a plan for my life, and I intend to get on with it.
I love my babes, and I love my husband and I am so thankful for our home and the life God has given me. He is so good and so patient and so gentle. But life rushed or lost is no full life, and I need filled. I don't want to regret my life and how I lived it. The time is now.
Thanks for reading.
"How we live our days, of course, is how we live our lives." -Annie Dillard
Bones, Taquitos, and Trances *UPDATE*
December 25th, 2011
I haven't written on my blog in a few weeks; I've been busy working on Desperate, watching way too many episodes of Bones (we have streaming Netflicks so we can watch the episodes back to back), and reading (The Hunger Games Trilogy and Water for Elephants).
I'm tired most days, but I had a few spurts of energy the couple days before Christmas where I cleaned and organized like I was in a trance. No, I'm not pregnant, but I was seriously nesting.
I only made two batches of Christmas cookies.
I've consumed way too many chicken and cheese Taquitos (this is what happens when you watch too many episodes of Bones). I'm pretty sure I've gained about 10 lbs. thanks to Don Miguel. *UPDATE*! They're NOT Don Miguel, they're Jose Ole! Can't believe I posted about the wrong Taquitos! :)
Christmas came and went, as did my child-like wonder. Life is becoming such a blur…
Fast and faster every year. The seasons come and go and I can barely breathe them in. Life is spinning and I'd slow down but I seem to thrive in the dance. But one can only dance for so long.
Tonight I plan on curling up with my husband and watching more episodes of Bones, promising myself that tomorrow I'll make room for the stillness.
How are all of you doing? Any of you relate with the blur of life and missing child-like wonder? Any good book recommendations (I'm really interested in fiction right now)?
P.S. I highly recommend The Hunger Games. The writing is extraordinary and the story (and its characters) won't let you go; you'll be dreaming about the unfolding story for days after you've finished.
The Relevant '12 Speakers Announced!
December 19th, 2011
Read all about the Relevant '12 speakers here.
Tickets go on sale March 1st.
I Would Rather Be Faithful Than Successful
December 18th, 2011
"…I have tried to make a habit over the years of not listening to people who either criticize me or praise me. Spirituality is a really mysterious thing, and I feel as though I have received various coordinates from God over the years in terms of what I need to be spending my time and my work on, and that's really what I'm listening to. If following faithfully along those coordinates puts me in a season of praise with a certain group of people, that's fine — but I don't do it to get in those graces, and neither am I upset if that also costs me some people along the road. I would much rather be faithful than successful…" -Derek Webb
Photo Credit: Two Roads Diverge
Killer Tribes
December 12th, 2011
"The Killer Tribes Conference is a 1-day experience designed specifically for writers, bloggers, artists, and small business owners to learn what it takes to build a killer tribe.
From inspirational stories to practical how-to's to successful case studies, you'll walk away equipped and encouraged to expand your reach, find your fans, and build your tribe."
-Bryan Allain, host of the Killer Tribes conference and author of 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo.
If you're looking to build a tribe and you can make it to Nashville in March, this will be one stellar opportunity for you. I'll be there, along with some pretty neat people.
The conference costs only $79 (early-bird rate-which ends Friday-register here); there will be a fun meet-up on Friday night, and then teaching all day Saturday.
Hope to see you there!
(Click here for all the conference details!)
P.S. Sorry I haven't written here in awhile, I've been working on my book, working on a special project (that I can't wait to announce!), spending time with my sister who is visiting, and just lazying about during the evenings relaxing. Oh, and drinking massive amounts of salted caramel mocha's. {ahem}. Will write again soon.
I Wanted to Adopt Myself
December 5th, 2011
"Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son." Ephesians 1:4-6
It wasn't a particularly comfortable chair. Wicker, I think, with a thin padding. Like a worn, loose stuffed animal, I sat in that wicker chair and explained how I wanted to adopt a child one day. I wanted to take care of a little one, a neglected one who just needed to be loved. I wanted to hold them and nurture them, and give them security and warmth. I spoke with passion about my desire to adopt.
She said I wanted to adopt myself.
Read the rest at (in)courage.
And the Winner of the Re:Write Conference Ticket is…
November 30th, 2011
There is NO way I could choose the winner myself-you all are passionate and beautiful and dreamers…you all should be there! So, Random.org had to choose (um, that's really kind of like God choosing, right?) and Random.org chose…
Hope to see many of you there-remember to use code: SarahMae for 10% off! Register here!


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Is your company paying too much tax?
The Strategic Tax Review is a simple way to take stock of your company's tax situation
With new compliance requirements , evolving tax laws, and even new court interpretations, it's a challenge for companies to keep up in today's business environment. As a tax director's list of responsibilities grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of all the changes and to match them with the ever-changing business operations. The Strategic Tax Review provides a comprehensive review of tax opportunities that may have been created by such changes.
In today's fast-paced business world, it should come as no surprise that many tax directors and CFOs are overburdened. In addition to compliance, reporting, budgeting and forecasting, corporate executives with tax responsibilities must stay abreast of evolving national and international tax laws, court decisions and even administrative guidelines from different levels of tax authorities. Keeping up with these changing tax requirements can be even more difficult for companies that experience a lot of turnover, lack internal resources, or are involved in many mergers, acquisitions or restructurings.
Given this broad-based scope, tax planning often gets relegated to the back burner — a situation that may lead to a disconnect between a company's tax and business strategies. As a result, many CFOs and finance departments are eager for a way to independently validate their corporate tax position to ensure they are appropriately managing their tax rates, considering emerging tax strategies, and paying no more tax than is strictly necessary. Simply put, companies are looking for strategies that will allow them to achieve their business goals in the most tax-efficient manner possible.
An efficient process for uncovering tax savings
"A Strategic Tax Review is a process where we review an organization's tax situation to identify strategies that can maximize their after-tax results," explains Michelle Chan, a tax partner based in Calgary. The methodology is applicable to every business, no matter the industry or size. Deloitte has conducted Strategic Tax Reviews for oil and gas companies, high-tech firms, financial institutions, real estate companies and manufacturers. "Our aim is to conduct a very incisive and efficient review to uncover both historical and progressive tax savings — all while making the most judicious use of a company's internal resources and precious time," says Chan.
|"Our aim is to conduct a very incisive and efficient review to uncover both historical and progressive tax savings — all while making the most judicious use of a company's internal resources and precious time."
— Michelle Chan, Tax Partner
To deliver the goods in the most structured way possible, Deloitte brings together both industry specialists and experienced tax practitioners when preparing to conduct a Strategic Tax Review. This team then examines the financial data and historical filings related to a company's specific goals. Brief interviews are also planned to increase our knowledge of current and planned business operations. The Strategic Tax Review process is flexible, and can be as wide-ranging or as focused as a company requires.
For example, the scope of a Strategic Tax Review can include income measurement, global tax structuring, provincial income taxes, customs and commodity taxes, mergers and acquisitions, and/or corporate structuring. It can examine loss utilization, identify underutilized tax credits, or assist with capital tax planning and employee benefits. It can also be customized to focus on a specific business concern — such as cost minimization, profitability or tax risk exposure.
"Our Strategic Tax Review methodology sets out an expedited process that lets us bring our knowledge to bear in a non-intrusive manner," says Brian Brophy, a tax partner in St. John's, Newfoundland. "By working in a coordinated fashion and bringing together the best people from both a tax and industry knowledge perspective, we can easily share resources across the country to devise the most appropriate solutions for all companies — regardless of their size."
A way to reduce tax liabilities
For many organizations, the primary goal of any tax review is the identification of targeted strategies that align with their current business structure. These are the types of customized solutions the Strategic Tax Review is designed to deliver.
"Consider the case of a multinational that is very focused on cost containment and working to make each unit profitable," notes Tan Ong, a tax partner in Montreal. "In one such case, we looked at strategies that helped the company recover credits against tax payable, saving them $5 million immediately, and $3 million prospectively," says Ong. "That's a significant saving for any company."
Brophy agrees. "One company I worked with wanted to accelerate its loss utilization on some significant loss carry-forwards. Working with them, we identified strategies to use up their existing losses and then continue to minimize provincial taxes after the losses were used up," recalls Brophy. "By identifying strategies that could be applied to future tax filings, we helped the company secure long-term tax savings — almost like an annuity."
If you're interested in identifying strategies that can help you recover taxes paid or reduce future taxes payable, or would simply like a third-party review of your tax strategies, a Strategic Tax Review may be right for you.


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Videos > Misty Anderson > Misty Anderson loves the awesome action in the bus naked with her girlfriend
Bang Bus Ever wondered how awesome it would be to drive round in a bus picking up hot pussy? Well here at Bang Bus we show you how awesome it is! Some of the craziest bitches up for doing anything with your stiff fuck stick.
Featured Pornstars:
- Misty Anderson


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Recent Tweets
- Meet the hottest band to come out of Ottawa, Tall Trees. #uottawa http://t.co/O7tn5vIPV1
- Sick of the Ice Bucket Challenge? @KyleDarbyson uncovers a new internet trend called the Handgun Challenge #tomato http://t.co/Kv4ycFwt1d
- Three Gee-Gee rowers represent Canada in the worlds. @sarahnols has the details #geegees http://t.co/KMDowwUoaS
- will #uOttawa be specializing in your program? @lmacmillan27 has the details. http://t.co/O23VsoP2ob
- RT @sabrinanemis: Always love the Lieutenant's Pump for a pint or brunch (or both?) @The_Fulcrum #FulcrumbestofOttawa
Find us on Facebook


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I love that I received an email from super talented author Dirk Manning today letting me know that the polka dot hospital gown I designed for Tara Normal could exist in the real world.
An absolutely awesome way to start this day. Now if somebody can find me a pic of a purple polka dot hospital gown what's left of my mind will explode!


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Sorry MS, I just cancelled my Surface Pre-order
Well, I should have known that no matter how good software is, you can just squeeze so much out of silicon and Tegra3 running on good old ARM A9 architecture is dated. I took my decision based on the Vivo Tab RT review, I don't think that the Surface will run any faster because both are based in the same internals, they can make improvements on I/O but for the most part, I don't think it will be quite the same. I hope Surface RT reviews don't take that long but I was still on time to cancel my pre order and so I did. The only reason why I think MS when Tegra 3 is because of availability as the phone makers already have most production of this chips, They should have gone straight to the S4 pro that is the only one able to challenge the new A6X. The desktop experience particularly was the biggest let down, lag on using Word is just unbearable for me, my second biggest concern is what is going to be the upgrade path for RT devices? Will they run the next versions of Windows 8? The safest side for someone who is making a long term investment is still x86. I'm preordering the W700 as soon as I'm done with this post.


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Heir Jordan
Ever wonder what it's like to grow up as Michael Jordan's son?
by Peter Robert Casey October 17, 2011 3:46pm ET
The glitz, the glamor, the expectations, the pressure. Ever wonder what it's like to be one of Michael Jordan's sons? Soon, we'll find out.
It looks like Jeffrey and Marcus, who both hoop at the University of Central Florida, are set to launch a website - heir-Jordan.com - and [presumably?] web series to answer those oft-asked questions we all want to know about the Jordan lifestyle.
We'll let the Jordan bros take it from here. Peep this teaser, will ya?


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Duke Energy's corporate marriage with Raleigh's Progress Energy, forming the nation's biggest electric utility, will better equip it to retire obsolete plants, build new ones and meet demands for cleaner energy.
But the expected cost savings from Duke's $13.7 billion stock-swap acquisition of Progress, confirmed Monday, may only blunt the pain of future rate increases for consumers.
The utilities do not expect the deal to result in lower power bills for customers, but company officials say it could offset the higher rates needed to build new power plants.
Customers' future bills are among the concerns prompting the combination, said Progress chief executive Bill Johnson, who would be the new company's CEO. "We feel like[we've got to] do everything we can to moderate, to mitigate any increase we can."
Consumer advocates may want more and press for rate cuts as regulators review the merger.
The new Duke Energy, which will keep its name and Charlotte headquarters, would serve 7.1 million customers in six states and have a $37 billion market capitalization. It would also be the nation's largest nuclear power generator.
State and federal regulators, as well as shareholders, still have to approve the deal. Company leaders said they aim to complete the merger by the end of the year, consummating a deal that began over a CEO dinner in July.
"The threshold thing you've got to show above all other things is that the customers are no worse off," said Edward Finley, chairman of the N.C. Utilities Commission. "Generally what you've got to show is that there's no harm to the customers and hopefully a benefit to customers going forward."
Carolinas customers will benefit from $600 million to $800 million in expected savings over the first five years, the companies estimated, largely through savings on fuel costs and the ability to deploy their combined fleet of power plants more efficiently.
But those savings will temper forecasts for higher rates. "We see a world when the real price of electricity is going up after being flat for the past 50 years," Duke CEO Jim Rogers said Monday.
Duke plans to file North Carolina rate cases this year to recover costs of building a new coal-fired power plant, Cliffside, and natural gas-fired plants at its Buck and Dan River plants.
Rates are only part of that equation. Customer bills are also adjusted once a year to reflect fuel costs, and would reflect the hundreds of millions of dollars Duke expects to save in the Carolinas.
Best deal for customers?
Consumer advocates say they're not sure Duke is offering customers its best deal. The companies have not offered to lower rates, which would be expected with cost savings, said Robert Gruber, executive director of the North Carolina commission's Public Staff, which represents consumers.
"We will be seeking whether there should be other rate reductions," Gruber said. "Usually in mergers, as a carrot, they offer rate reductions, and they didn't offer that in this case."
Regulators or other parties to a merger proceeding could demand rate breaks, job protection for utility workers or other concessions in return for their agreement on a settlement.
"It's really just too early to know what will happen, whether the merger would be approved and - if it is - how long they would continue to operate Progress as a separate entity," said Ralph McDonald, a Raleigh lawyer who represents large industrial customers.
Because Duke's rates are lower than Progress' rates - $89 a month for a typical household compared with $102 - customers of the old Duke would not be happy to see their bills grow, he said.
Duke spokesman Tom Williams said the companies will continue to operate separately, with different rate schedules, for the foreseeable future.
'Tsunami' of needs
Rogers described "almost a tsunami" of capital needs facing both companies, including the need to replace aging power plants, meet stricter environmental standards and upgrade the grid.
"When we look at the challenges we face in the future, we realized that we're in a better position to meet those challenges together than as separate companies," he said.
The combined companies' larger profile will help attract low-cost capital, they said, and reduce credit risks. Together the companies have $9 billion in power plant construction under way.
Duke expects the merged companies to achieve annual operating savings, not including fuel, of 5 percent to 7 percent.
In an FAQ posting on its website, Duke said it anticipates there will be job reductions at both companies but that there is no "predetermined number or goal."
The reductions would be phased in after the merger over several years. The company will look to reduce layoffs through attrition, retirements and the management of open positions, Duke said. Rogers said the company could use voluntary buyouts and is "very conscious" of cutting jobs in a "fair way" to employees while also meeting its cost-cutting goals.
Analysts generally were receptive of the deal. Duke shares fell 21 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $17.58. Progress declined 73 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $43.99, the biggest drop in three months.
Paul Franzen, a utilities analyst with Edward Jones in St. Louis, called the deal a "modest positive" for both companies, but not big enough to lift stock prices. Investors will like the combined companies' shift further toward regulated markets, which offer more certain returns, he said.
Duke chief financial officer Lynn Good said the companies expect long-term earnings growth of 4 percent to 6 percent, consistent with past growth, along with improvements to dividends.
The deal will give Progress stockholders a 7.1 percent premium of the stock closing price on Jan. 5, before reports of the proposed merger drove up prices.
"I think the shareholders of Progress should be pleased with this deal," Johnson said.
Premium for Progress
David Grumhaus, a partner and utilities expert at the Chicago hedge fund Copia Capital, was not. "I don't like this deal at all if I'm Progress," he told Bloomberg News. "It's hard to see how they couldn't have held out for a bigger premium."
Kyle Okita, an analyst at Egan-Jones, and others said they don't expect regulators to kill the deal, just to demand some concessions from the companies, such as freezing rates for a period or protecting a certain number of jobs.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will also review the proposed merger and its nuclear power generation.
Analysts said that the combined company might be better able to finance new programs and minimize the need to issue more debt. Purchasing Progress, which allows Duke to move into Florida, might also be a way for Duke to dilute Ohio's importance in its portfolio, said Brian Chin, an analyst at Citigroup. Duke has expressed interest in leaving Ohio, which is shifting toward a deregulated electric market, Chin said.
In a call with analysts, Rogers said the merger was not influenced by Indiana regulators' investigation of Duke. Jim Turner, who had run Duke's regulated electric and gas units, resigned last month after embarrassing e-mail showed a cozy relationships with a top Indiana regulator. Duke is seeking to recover the growing construction costs of its Edwardsport plant in that state.
Rogers said the deal is a positive for the states.
"It's easy to envision how we could have done a merger with another company and the headquarters could have moved out of the state," he told the Charlotte Observer. "So what you're creating for North Carolina is a certain permanency." Charlotte Observer staff writer Christina Rexrode contributed to this report.


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September 16, 2013
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