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A landman holds an important position in the energy and natural resource industries. Employed mainly by mining and energy companies, the landman is mainly concerned with acquiring and maintaining access to the rights to use land for natural resource extraction. While this position oce entailed on-the-ground exploration, the position today is primarily an indoor job that still requires an occasional front-line presence (sometimes in inclement weather or rough conditions).
Read More...Survey results show that Landmans typically report just a few professional skills. Most notably, skills in Project Management, Contract Negotiation, Legal Research, and Due Diligence are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that are correlated to lower pay, on the other hand, include Due Diligence and Legal Research. It is often found that people who know Contract Negotiation are also skilled in Legal Research.
Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.
Salaries for the relatively untried average out to around $76K, but survey participants with five to 10 years of experience earn a significantly higher median of $97K. The average pay reported by folks with 10 to 20 years of experience is around $92K. Landmans who have acquired more than 20 years of relevant experience earn significantly more than folks with fewer years on their resumes; the average income in this veteran group is $105K.
For Landmans, San Antonio provides a pay rate that is 25 percent greater than the national average. Landmans will also find cushy salaries in Tulsa (+15 percent), Denver (+9 percent), Pittsburgh (+6 percent), and Houston (+5 percent). The lowest-paying market is Fort Worth, which sits 8 percent below the national average. Workers in Midland and Austin earn salaries that trail the national average for those in this profession (7 percent less and 3 percent less, respectively).
Extremely satisfied |
Rated 5 out of 5 based on 82 votes. |
22 % |
78 % |
Medical: 67% | Dental: 57% | ||
Vision: 47% | None: 31% |


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Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary. Click on the thesaurus category heading under the button in an entry to see the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
morea polite way of saying no | |
used when saying no without being definite | |
used when you think that you know something but are not completely sure | |
used for emphasizing that your answer to a question or request is definitely no | |
used to say no when you think an idea is stupid or insulting | |
used when politely saying no to something that someone has offered you | |
an informal and very definite way of saying no | |
an informal way of saying no that shows that you think somebody's suggestion or request is crazy |
This is the British English definition of no. View American English definition of no.
… a feeling of pleasure you get from spending time doing what you want and not worrying about what other people are doing or saying
BuzzWord ArticleOpen Dictionary
a temporary inability to think clearly or remember information
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A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog

subset: commoncrawl


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filter by Type
filter by Category
filter by Keyword
abortion apologetics baptism children confession conversion early Church Eucharist faith God Gospel history homosexuality Jesus marriage Mary Mass New Testament non-Catholic Old Testament politics pope prayer priest Protestant saints salvation Scripture sin truth
filter by Featuring
"Catholic Answers Live is one of my favorite programs--you make my drive home enlightening and entertaining."
~ Denise, Flower Mound, TX
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"Build schoolhouses then for the religious education of your children as the best protest against a system of education from which religion has been excluded by law."
~ Bernard J. McQuaid, Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester; in firm command to his flock, after the failure of the State to remedy the injustice to Catholic parents who were forced to pay education taxes to support public schools detrimental to their faith.


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quote: Still a sick thing to do, regardless...
quote:quote: What kind of sick frick does that? There are guys on the ODB who apparently love shooting dogs.
quote:Dogs >>>>>> people
quote:hey man, we have differing opinions on the topic. there is no need to stoop to internet badassery and insults... you bleeding heart, pussy, liberal fricktard
quote:I was all "what did that dumb dog do?" until I found out it was a lab and now I'm all like "get a rope. "
quote:Some pellets in the skin aren't going to bother a dog. Pantywaists need to get a life.
quote:Jump to conclusions much to try to make your point? OP indicates the dog was shot 100 times with a BB gun. This has been proven false. The dog was shot with bird shot from a shotgun. And now you mysteriously decide to call it "Buckshot" to try to validate your opinion. Pretty weak man.
quote:What kind of sick frick does that?
quote:you talking to me? i haven't weighed in on what type of ammunition was used at all in this thread.
quote:your world must be very small if you are so afraid of every animal you see that you have to fill it with buckshot to 'protect your kids' you should go hang out in the 'what it means to be a man' thread and brag about putting down stray dogs


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You are a fan of decks penny ? Come to discover the best forums decks penny on internet and share your experience with a community fan of decks penny . You can also build a forum decks penny and create your online discussion.
A YGO dueling academy that seeks to have a nice clean communitywhere all could have fun and compete in same time.
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Divination with playing cards, Lenormand, tarot, and various other oracles (mainly cards). Psychic, spirituality, magic and related topics also welcome.
cartomancy, playing, cards, tarot, divination, #decks, lenormand, sibilla, kippers, gypsy, oracle, psychic, magic, magick, metaphysical, prediction
We character roleplay with our decks we are the best of the best. This is one way to contact us is by alexdenzel or by ({Valhalla} Iswarm), including Matt, Matthew
alexdenzel's, academy, character, clan, roleplay, with, #decks, best, this, contact, alexdenzel, ({valhalla}, iswarm), including, matt, matthew


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Yirmiyahu (2012)
Movie Info
- Rating:
- Unrated
- Genre:
- Drama
- Directed By:
- Harry Winer , Eran Paz
- Written By:
- Harry Winer , Eran Paz
- Runtime:
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Need help with petition for sheriff
Submitted by Sir Andrew Thomas on Tue, 02/12/2013 - 20:54We are starting a county wide gun owners association. One goal is to get signatures for a pledge/petition/decree (not sure what to call it to submit to our sheriff. Here is what we have so far, An open letter to the Sheriff. Any thing more specific we are missing?
We the undersigned wish to express our support for the County Sherriff Department in their efforts to insure safety within our community.
As firearm owners and concealed pistol licensees, we intend to act within the law, and are fully behind efforts to thwart the activities of those who would use firearms illegally. We believe the unlawful use of firearms only enhances the negative aspects of gun ownership, and may negatively influence the thinking of local officials when it comes to protecting our rights.
We recognize that all rights come with attendant responsibilities. We would ask that the Sherriff and his officers and staff do all they can to assist us in preserving these rights.
- Login to post comments
I reached out to Sheriff
I reached out to Sheriff Mack, oathkeepers, free america now, and goa. goa had nothing to offer. sheriff mack is mailing me a letter to give to the sheriff, but it isn't for citizens to sign and support.
- Login to post comments
Here is some info:
It is important to know the law and to cite it, otherwise it will not hold water. Let it be known that you can not and will not be subject to law/ordinance which is essentially null and void. The following link has specific information:
In the above thread, hawkiye posted a link to pertinent information that you may find useful.
Along with 2nd Amendment which is the 'Law of the Land', you may want to cite your specific state's constitution regarding right to bear arms.
Please post your draft if/when it is complete.
Best of luck :-)
"What if the American people learn the truth" - Ron Paul
- Login to post comments
That is quite a bit of
That is quite a bit of information for me to chew on, thank you. I will definitely post the next draft. I have a meeting on Thursday with a atf agent, was hoping to have a descent rough draft for him to look at.
- Login to post comments
It is, but...
I am confident that with the right formatting and font size you can fit everything needed on 1 to 2 pages :-)
"What if the American people learn the truth" - Ron Paul
- Login to post comments
We had a public meeting at a
We had a public meeting at a library to show a film on nullification. Few showed up, but one lady who did, said there was specific wording you needed to address a sheriff. I do not know, but for what it is worth, here it is. I guess, at the beginning of the letter you state: I accept your oath of office and I bind you to it.
That is all I know.
- Login to post comments
thank you for the input!!!
thank you for the input!!! That search phrase opened up some interesting language written to sheriffs. Interesting the latter part of the phrase comes from this: "Bind down the Public officials with the chains of the Constitution" ---Thomas Jefferson
- Login to post comments
for some reason my computer
for some reason my computer will not let me view this site? The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association cspoa.org/
- Login to post comments
also curious if anyone else
also curious if anyone else has done this to help persuade a sheriff to come out against the unconstitutional legislation.
- Login to post comments


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Monthly Archive for January, 2011
Saratoga Hospital flies flag to honor organ donors
In 2011, Saratoga Hospital will hoist a "Donate Life" flag every time the hospital facilitates an organ donation. The flag will then be given to the donor's family in memory of their loved one. The hospital is partnering with Center for Donation & Transplant to honor individuals who donate organ or tissues. The hospital will […]
[Read More]
Tougher rules for NY tanning salons
New requirements for tanning salons in New York went into effect on Dec. 21. The requirements are designed to reduce the potential hazards of indoor tanning, according to the state Department of Health. Indoor tanning facilities are now subject to the following requirements:
[Read More]
Show More


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Find commute times to your work, school, gym and more.
The Lofts Perimeter Center
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Prices, specials, features and availability subject to change.
Alarm, Business Center, Clubhouse, Controlled Access, Disability Access, Elevator, Extra Storage, Fitness Center, Swimming Pool
Crown Molding, Granite Countertops, Grill(s) Available
Property Details
The Lofts Perimeter Center is the pinnacle of contemporary style and prestige in luxury apartment living.
Located in the dynamic Central Perimeter area, enjoy immediate access to the best of the Atlanta scene -- cuisines, confections and convenience. Minutes from the chic Perimeter Mall, eclectic and exciting dining options and a burgeoning nightlife arena, a true urban living experience awaits you at The Lofts Perimeter Center.
Leasing Terms
7 and 13 month lease terms. $200 Deposit. $250 Administration fee. $65 application fee. Pet Policy: 40 lb. weight limit. $10 pet rent. Pet must be one year or older. Cats: $300 deposit ($100 refundable). Dogs: $500 deposit ($200 refundable). Call for list of restricted breeds.
Pet Policy
Cats Allowed. Dogs Allowed. Call for service animal policy.
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text:
Debian is considering between Upstart and systemd – two competing daemons. While Upstart was developed solely by Canonical, systemd was developed by contributors from different distributions (edited, thanks to Jos Poortvliet).
Debian is the base of Ubuntu, which is develped by Canonical and the Canonical employees on Debian board are, for obvious reasons, supporting their own Upstart instead of systemd.
systemd has replaced the init system of many leading Gnu/Linux based distributions and became the default system management daemon. Now Spotify has put its weight in favour of systemd.
The company, like ever other stream player out there uses GNU/Linux. They run Debian GNU/Linux on their 5000+ physical and over a 1000 virtual servers which serve streaming music service to its customers.
Since Debian is debating between Upstart and systems, Spotify, as a heavy Debian user, has joined the discussion in favour of systemd.
Spotify team says,
We would like to take this opportunity to endorse systemd as our preferred
init system and we would like to see it as default on Debian GNU/Linux
moving forward.Our main reasons for this preference:
– We believe that the dependency model of systemd is easier to understand,
explain and work with than the event based counterpart of upstart.– We believe that the various features built on top of the way systemd uses
cgroups, notably mechanisms for resource limitations, would be very useful
in a highly scalable highly available environment such as ours.– We believe that systemd will have the stronger community momentum moving
forward when it comes to seeing close integration between modern init
system features and upstream projects.With kind regards
Spotify infrastructure and operations
Noa Resare, Free Software ombudsman
Time will tell how much weight does Spotify hold to influence Debian's decision to choose systemd over Upstart.


text:
Kashmir: Mass protests force government to reverse controversial land-transfer decision
(Read article summary)Muslims in Indian-administered Kashmir charged that the transfer was an attempt to tip the Hindu-Muslim ratio of the area in favor of Hindus. The protests have widened to support for independence.
Danish Ismail/Reuters
Eight days of mass protests in Indian-administered Kashmir have prompted the region's government to reverse a controversial decision to transfer a large tract of land to a Hindu organization.
The land transfer, which was seen by some as an attempt to change the Muslim-Hindu ratio in this Muslim-majority area, sparked huge – sometimes violent – protests in the capital, Srinagar. The protests, in which four people were killed and hundreds injured, were the biggest in Kashmir for years.
The Associated Press reported on Monday that protesters had dismissed the government's claim that it would renege on transferring the land and vowed to continue with the protests.
By Sunday, the protests appeared to have evolved into pro-independence agitations.
"Our protests will continue until we achieve freedom from Indian domination," Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, head of the moderate faction All Parties Hurriyat Conference, told a crowd of protesters in Srinagar. The crowd chanted "We reject Kashmir's auction" and "We want freedom."
Page 1 of 4


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- Red Bull USA - Sports & Entertainment News | Teams & Athletes
- Sports
- Action Sports
- Videos
- Red Bull X-Fighters Rome Preview
Video Details
- Views
- Date
- Participants
- Robbie Maddison
- Copyright
- © Red Bull Media House
- About this Video
- The Red Bull X-Fighters competed in Rome for the first time in 2010, and the tour returns to a new and bigger venue in 2011. The enthusiasm of the fans encouraged us to move from the 25,000-seat Stadio Flaminio to the 73,000-seat Olympic Stadium.
Check out the official Red Bull X-Fighters site for more.
Action Sports Content
Red Bull X-Fighters Takes on Texas Jun 17, 2008
In Fort Worth, the riders prep to compete on the biggest X-Fighters course to date, while Rodeo Queens watch on.
Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid Best Trick Jul 22, 2008
Australia`s Robbie Maddison showed up and threw down at the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2009 in Madrid on Thursday night as he rode off with victory in the Best Trick competition.
Red Bull X-Fighters Wuppertal Aug 18, 2008
Hightlights of Red Bull X-Fighters Wuppertal.
Related Content
Highlights from Red Bull X-Fighters Rome Oct 3, 2010
In a city which has witnessed more than its fair share of legendary gladiatorial battles, the duel for the overall World Tour title could hardly have been closer going into the final stop of the...
X-Fighters - The Mental Strength Of Nate Adams Sep 16, 2010
Nate Adams was the winner of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2009, and the American is still in the race for the 2010 title. What makes him so strong mentally? He looks for a quiet place where...
Red Bull X-Fighters London Aug 16, 2010
Red Bull X-Fighters returned to London's Battersea Station in 2010 and was welcomed by 30,000 pumped-up fans - and rain, unfortunately. After a rider meeting to discuss course conditions, the...
X-Fighters in Egypt May 14, 2010
This weekend, Red Bull X-Fighters heads to the most epic location ever seen in Freestyle Motocross history. In front of the Pyramids of Giza, the best Freestyle Motocross riders in the world will...


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Tyler named one of 'Most Exciting Places in Texas'
Tyler (KETK) — The city of Tyler was named one of "The Most Exciting Places in Texas" by Movoto, a real estate research site. The East Texas oasis checked in at number eight.
The article based their findings on several key factors:
- Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
- Live music venues per capita
- Active life options per capita (parks, etc.)
- Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the better)
- Percentage of restaurants that are not fast food (the higher the better)
- Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the higher the better)
Data was collected from the 100 most populated places in Texas via several resources: Areavibes, the 2010 US Census and Yelp. The information was then ranked in different categories from 1 to 100 and then averaged out to one score-- the lower the better.
Below are the final top 10 rankings:
- Galveston
- Austin
- Houston
- Conroe
- Dallas
- San Marcos
- McAllen
- New Braunfels
- Bryan


text:
What does W.A.L. mean in Miscellaneous?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand W.A.L. in the field in general and in the Miscellaneous terminology in particular.
Find a translation for W.A.L. in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss this W.A.L. abbreviation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this abbreviation to your bibliography:
"W.A.L.." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/1444388>.
W.A.L. also stands for:
- Walamo
- wallet and LUM
- Wallops Island, Chincoteague, Virginia USA
- Walmart
- Washington Academy of Languages
... and 11 more »
Nearby & related abbreviations:
Alternative search:
- Search What A Loser! on Amazon
- Search What A Loser! on Google


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Cherrytree Records
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By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer
Northview High School's wrestling program, the area's best for more than a decade, hasn't looked like itself during the first month of the season. But coach David Ochoa, who built the Vikings into one of the top programs in the CIF-Southern Section, has seen signs of Northview getting back to square one and of a team making its annual trip north to the CIF State championships in Bakersfield.
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Girls Basketball top ten: Bonita drops to No. 3 after shocking loss to West Covina
Girls Basketball top ten
1. Diamond Ranch (12-1) – Should remain on top in the foreseeable future, or until Bonita gets a crack at them.
2. Bishop Amat (12-4) – What a way to open the Del Rey, with St. Paul followed by defending league champ Bishop Montgomery.
3. Bonita (15-1) - By now you have heard about the shock heard round the Valley, West Covina's 51-48 upset win over the Bearcats.
4. Walnut (11-3) - Opening league with Rowland and then up-and-coming West Covina on Friday.
5. South Hills (10-4) – Still trying to wrestle the San Antonio from Walnut, but West Covina could make things interesting.
6. Glendora (13-3) — One of the most improved area teams will take on St. Lucy's on Wednesday.
7. San Dimas (10-4) – Lost in outside tournament and is 4-0 against area teams, though that could change with a game at South Hills on Thursday.
8. Sierra Vista (9-5) - Already 3-0 in the Montview after a big win over Duarte. Once again, the league is theirs to lose.
9. West Covina (10-6) – Their were crushing losses to Sierra Vista and San Dimas, but then they shock undefeated Bonita. That alone deserves a top ten billing.
10. Rosemead (9-4) – Will anyone compete with them in the Mission Valley League?
After a weekend pass (and Monday), you have our full attention the rest of the way
Sorry I haven't posted as much over the last week, Steve and I were needed to help with Rose Bowl and BCS coverage. In fact, Steve's full attention was on the Rose Bowl and BCS over the last month, and he did a tremendous job. If you read our BCS pull-out section, Steve practically wrote the whole thing in his first year as our college football writer. But after some brief R@R, we're both back in full swing on Tuesday ready to tackle basketball, soccer, and yes, wrestling, which we didn't cover as much as we would have liked over December with so many basketball tournaments and all-area teams to unveil. Anyways, see you out at the games.
The Scouting Guru looks ahead to signing day
The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he's offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don't hate, enjoy it for what it's worth, which is one man's opinion on the talent and teams in the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas.
The Guru Says: We are four weeks away from National Signing Day for high school prospects across the country. So let's tale a look at what our big board looks like for high school prospects in the area. Some information we can't release due to confidentiality between the prospect, the high school and college that is recruiting the student-athlete.
Just Tribbin: So Long Pete, we're gonna miss ya
I'm just crushed, as you can obviously tell, my friendships tested having to console all my what-do-we-do know Trojan buddies, which is what I'm prepared to do for the love of the rivalry. Pete Carroll is USC leaving for Seattle with Mike Riley apparently the front-runner to succeed him. In respect for Trojan fans, and um, reporters like Jill Painter who can't stop gushing over the loss of of Southern Cal's beloved coach, I'll take it easy and keep the thoughts to myself.
Pomona coach Johnny Brown resigns; regretfully
Pomona High School football coach Johnny Brown helped turned the Red Devils program around this season, guiding them to a 6-4 record. But Brown resigned from his post on Friday after learning that school officials are searching for a new head coach and have interviewed candidates without notifying him of their intentions, Brown claims. To continue reading, click thread
Sierra League knows how to schedule, Charter Oak and South Hills meet in week 10 next fall
Girls Basketball scandal: Everyone speaking about the coach who suited up and played in a junior varsity game for San Gabriel
"I did not try to cover it up. Their decision to do what they did was and is still a shock to me. I was shocked to see my coach playing in a game. It was disheartening because she was a responsible individual. Maybe I handled it the wrong way by waiting a day, but I was trying to find out why they did what they did, but I got no response. I do not have any hard feelings towards San Gabriel for their decision to let me go because of that. But to say I tried to cover it up, no way. I do not stand for things like that." – Fired San Gabriel coach Manny Flores
By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer
Just days after a story published in this newspaper confirming the firings of the entire San Gabriel High School girls basketball program's coaching staff, Manny Flores, the former head varsity girls basketball coach, responded to allegations in a series of e-mail exchanges that there was an attempt to cover up a freshman coach's decision to play in a junior varsity girls basketball game last month. Flores did not dispute allegations that Jannie Han, 21, played during a nonleague junior varsity road game Dec. 9 against El Monte, but he did take issue that there was an attempt to cover it up, which led to the firing of Flores, Han and JV girls basketball coach Mark Ho.


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Slim Thug - Creepin Feat. Paul Wall & Bun B (Prod. By G.Luck & B-Don)
Creepin Slim Thug Feat. Paul Wall & Bun B Produced by G.Luck & B-Don
This week's "Thug Thursday" Slim Thug links back up with his fellow Texas representers. We need more of this.
Stream Creepin (Prod. by G.Luck & B-Don), the newest drop from Slim Thug which features Paul Wall & Bun B. The cut was released on Thursday, November 10th, 2011. Slim Thug continues to impress with each new leak, and Creepin (Prod. by G.Luck & B-Don) is no exception. It's strengthens Slim Thug's already impressive body of work, which has seen positive change over the years. We're most definitely anticipating Slim Thug's next offering.
Have you heard Slim Thug's Houston, featuring Paul Wall & Chamillionaire? Check out Slim Thug's profile page for the most recent info, news, songs, and mixtapes.
Did you enjoy the features on this song? Let us know what you think, folks.


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Weekend or Evening DIY Workshop.
Not quite sure where to start with a tiling project? Bit daunted by the thought of tiles falling off the wall if you do get them on? What about those half tiles at the corners… and what about drilling into tile?
In this hands-on practical half day or evening class, an experienced tiler will guide you through choosing appropriate tiles for the job, sizing up, planning out and preparing the surface.
You will use the correct adhesive to tile a small area and learn how to grout in between the tiles to ensure a watertight finish. You will also drill into tile and practice cutting straight lines and curves. Come and break our tiles instead of yours.
Bring photos of problem areas and leave with expert advice and confidence to help you complete your very own project at home.
All personal protection, tools and materials are included. Beginners welcome.


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A doctor in Rajasthan is spreading the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi among children in a unique way.
Dr Virendra Singh, superintendent of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, regularly organises workshops here to spread the message of honesty and compassion among kids. He gives Rs 100 and a postcard to every student attending the workshop.
"I ask them to use Rs 50 for someone who they see suffering or in need, and the rest they can spend on themselves.
The children have to write a postcard to me about how they used the money," Singh sai.d
Rohit from Jaipur, who attended one of his workshops, wrote to the doctor of how he helped an injured stray cow near his house. Singh has received hundreds of such postcards from children.
"In my workshops, I tell children how Gandhi in his childhood had sometimes lied and made wrong use of money, but how he later went on to become one of the world's most respected figures," he said.
He also makes presentations based on the feedback on the postcards to make his lectures interesting.


text:
Tim Pawlenty, candidate for the 2012 republican presidential nomination, asserts the need for strong U.S. leadership in the Middle East...
Speaker: Tim Pawlenty, Candidate for the 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination; Former Governor, Minnesota
Presider: Jon Meacham, Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Random House Publishing Group
June 28, 2011
Tim Pawlenty, candidate for the 2012 republican presidential nomination, asserts the need for strong U.S. leadership in the Middle East during this time of transition.
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Smith's insightful book explores the policy issues testing the Japanese government as it tries to navigate its relationship with an advancing China. More
This revolutionary new look at volatility and crisis in oil markets explores the conditions in which oil supply fears arise, gain popularity, and eventually wane. More
Maximalist finds lessons in the past that anticipate and clarify our chaotic present, revealing the history of U.S. foreign policy in an unexpected new light. More
Rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries are increasing faster than in wealthier countries. The Independent Task Force outlines a plan for collective action on this growing epidemic.
This Independent Task Force asserts that elevating and prioritizing the U.S.-Canada-Mexico relationship offers the best opportunity for strengthening the United States and its place in the world.
Campbell evaluates the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency and recommends that the United States support Nigerian efforts to address the drivers of Boko Haram, such as poverty and corruption, and to foster stronger ties with Nigerian civil society.
Koblentz argues that the United States should work with other nuclear-armed states to manage threats to nuclear stability in the near term and establish processes for multilateral arms control efforts over the longer term.
The authors argue that it is essential to begin working now to expand and establish rules and norms governing armed drones, thereby creating standards of behavior that other countries will be more likely to follow.
Learn more about CFR�s mission and its work over the past year in the 2014 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.
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Tim Pawlenty, candidate for the 2012 republican presidential nomination, asserts the need for strong U.S. leadership in the Middle East...
Elliott Abrams says, "The next three to six months in the Middle East will make Obama administration officials look back to 2012 with...
In the Middle East, there is a perception that President Obama and the United States cannot be relied upon. But Obama's reelection is now an...
Jimmy Carter is at it again, says Elliott Abrams on the former president's latest vilification of Israel in a recent Al Ahram interview.


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text:
Testing and Building with the New gumstix SBCs, Part 1
URL: www.gumstix.com and www.gumstix.org/tikiwiki
Prices: connex 400g - $139 US; etherstix - $49 US; waysmall - $20 US
Daughter board disconnection is dangerous for FFMC board
Can't use Ethernet with CF card
Fragile Bluetooth antenna connector
At the time of my first review of the original gumstix product, the gumstix waysmall 200X (ws200x), it contained the versions of what the company since has renamed the Basix FFMC. One version was available with Bluetooth connectivity and one without. The gumstix company prefers to refer to its modules as Full Function Miniature Computers (FFMC), principally because of the move toward the mother/daughter card concept. In the first review, I explored the strengths and weaknesses of these products. Here, I revisit the issues discussed in the first review and provide a status update.
For this review, I received a power supply, the new connex 400g FFMC and several daughter boards. Because so many new boards are available and there is so much material to cover dealing with this, this review is divided into a couple of parts. This time we discuss the gumstix connex 400g, the etherstix daughterboard and finally the waysmall daughterboard.
During the course of writing the original review, I identified three primary concerns with the gumstix products:
No easy I/O line access
Evolving documentation and product line
Fragile Bluetooth antenna connector
The concern about I/O lines primarily was directed at the waysmall configuration of the gumstix FFMC. In many ways, the waysmall is an excellent development platform, as it is better protected from the environment than is the naked gumstix FFMC. However, the waysmall did not allow for any access to the I/O lines. The only real solution to this concern was a substantial hardware change. On the gumstix basix FFMC, the difficulty lies in the fact that all I/O access is handled through the 60-pin Hirose I/O header. Although the Hirose connector was a step forward in the stability of the physical connection, actual access to the I/O was diminished somewhat. The Hirose essentially required the user to design a daughterboard and surface-mount connections to the female Hirose on the motherboard. Consequently, this becomes a costly investment for a hobbyist who simply wants to experiment with the gumstix FFMC.
Although gumstix has not chosen to make this change on the waysmall, the company has provided a solution to the I/O access problem by releasing a breakout daughterboard, which I will discuss in a later article. All in all, the I/O access deficiency has been resolved, because the gumstix FFMC principally is an embedded tool. Consequently, as long as a cost-effective I/O access option is available--meaning no roll-your-own breakout boards--the need is satisfied.
In terms of the documentation, the principle criticism essentially was the lack of documentation and the draft nature of what was available. The original manual was a rough introductory document. Now, however, the principle documentation is available on-line. It provides a lot of useful tools to generate what essentially are custom manuals. In addition to the manuals, forums, FAQs and many other resources are available through the wiki. Some issues still exist in terms of the generated manuals skipping some key point, such as schematics. Overall, though, it is an excellent way to get the specific information you require.
The rapid development of the gumstix line is both a strength and weakness of the company's products. To its credit, the company appears to be maintaining backward compatibility wherever possible. One must keep in mind, however, that if you are designing a particular product line, the current model may change quickly. For example, look for the transition to a newer XScale PXA processor to happen sometime in 2005.
With regards to the fragile Bluetooth antenna connector, this is the only issue yet to be addressed in full. At the time of my first review, there was some discussion with gumstix about the fragility of the Bluetooth antenna. The company acknowledged the problem and was considering what options were available. An integrated antenna on the gumstix motherboard would take up a great deal of precious real estate, but this option is under consideration if it can be integrated with a Wi-Fi antenna.
As Linux continues to play an ever increasing role in corporate data centers and institutions, ensuring the integrity and protection of these systems must be a priority. With 60% of the world's websites and an increasing share of organization's mission-critical workloads running on Linux, failing to stop malware and other advanced threats on Linux can increasingly impact an organization's reputation and bottom line.
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In this one hour webinar, learn how to enhance your existing backup strategies for better disaster recovery preparedness using Storix System Backup Administrator (SBAdmin), a highly flexible bare-metal recovery solution for UNIX and Linux systems.
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Leather ball will return on Jan. 1
Updated: December 12, 2006, 4:46 PM ET
Marc Stein | ESPN.com
It might be the most stunning ball reversal in hoops history.
Not even three months into the life of its controversial synthetic basketball, NBA commissioner David Stern moved Monday to hush scores of discontented players by shelving Spalding's new microfiber composite ball and authorizing a switch back to the old leather ball for all games starting Jan. 1.
The move would appear to be an unprecedented in-season change, in terms of primary equipment, for North American ...
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Abstracting the network with SDNs
A New Nexus
Even as the tech world works to figure out just what to do with the potential of cloud computing and big data, along comes a new bit of technology fueled by open source software: software-defined networks.
Technology these days is all about abstraction: cloud computing is basically abstracting the concept of servers, so you don't have to worry about them. Big data's non-relational databases and Hadoop clusters perform a similar level of abstraction on database administration, and software-defined networks (SDNs) aim to do the same thing with networking.
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The Xnote trojan hides itself on the target system and will launch a variety of attacks on command.
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Adobe scrambles to release patches for vulnerable Flash Player.
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New statute would require companies to report break-ins to consumers.
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Weird data transfer technique avoids all standard security measures.
Industry Giants Announce a Fix for the Password Mess
FIDO alliance declares the beginning of the end for old-style login authentication.


text:
Archive for the 'PowerPivot' Category
PowerPivot Workbook Size Optimizer
Browsing through my RSS feeds this morning, I saw a new download on the Microsoft site: an Excel addin (Excel 2013 only, I think) called the PowerPivot Workbook Size Optimizer. You can get it here:
Here's the blurb from the site:
The Workbook Size optimizer for Excel can better compress data inside workbooks that use PowerPivot or PowerView if this data comes from external data sources. The best size compression can be achieved for workbooks based on SQL Server databases and there are a few tricks we can do for other SQL datasources as well. The optimizer will install as an add in to excel and will provide you with a nice wizard to better compress the size of your workbook. Using the optimizer you can often get more than 1,000,000 rows datasets in a workbook under 10 MB, share it in SharePointOnline and interact withit using the Excel Web App in any browser.
Here's a screenshot:
Despite a testing a few models with data from Adventure Works I couldn't get it to suggest any changes (it didn't spot that I had imported a column containing binary data, hmmm) but I guess it needs more testing on larger/more diverse data sources. Maybe there's a blog post coming from the PowerPivot team coming soon explaining how to use this?
UPDATE: after playing around with it a bit more, I was able to get it to suggest some changes to tables. Marco has some more details:
And there's a white paper on the rules that it uses:
LightSwitch and Self-Service BI
Visual Studio LightSwitch has been on my list of Things To Check Out When I Have Time for a while now; my upcoming session on the uses of OData feeds for BI at the PASS BA Conference (which will be a lot more exciting than it sounds – lots of cool demos – please come!) has forced me to sit down and take a proper look at it. I have to say I've been very impressed with it. It makes it very, very easy for people with limited coding skills like me to create data-driven line-of-business applications, the kind that are traditionally built with Access. Check out Beth Massi's excellent series of blog posts for a good introduction to how it works.
How does LightSwitch relate to self-service BI though? The key thing here is that aside from its application-building functionality, LightSwitch 2012 automatically publishes all the data you pull into it as OData feeds; it also allows you to create parameterisable queries on that data, which are also automatically published as OData. Moreover, you can publish a LightSwitch app that does only this – it has no UI, it just acts as an OData service.
This is important for self-service BI in two ways:
- First of all, when you're a developer building an app and need to provide some kind of reporting functionality, letting your end users connect direct to the underlying database can cause all kinds of problems. For example, if you have application level security, this will be bypassed if all reporting is done from the underlying database; it makes much more sense for the reporting data to come from the app itself, and LightSwitch of course does this out of the box with its OData feeds. I came across a great post by Paul van Bladel the other day that sums up these arguments much better than I ever could, so I suggest you check it out.
- Secondly, as a BI Pro setting up a self-service BI environment, you have to solve the problem of managing the supply of data to your end users. For example, you have a PowerPivot user that needs sales data aggregated to the day level, but only for the most recent week, plus a few other dimension tables to with it, but who can't write the necessary SQL themselves. You could write the SQL for them but once that SQL is embedded in PowerPivot it becomes very difficult to maintain – you would want to keep as much of the complexity out of PowerPivot as possible. You could set up something in the source database – maybe a series of views – that acts as a data supply layer for your end users. But what if you don't have sufficient permissions on the source database to go in and create the objects you need? What if your source data isn't actually in a database, but consists of other data feeds (not very likely today, I concede, but it might be in the future)? What if you're leaving the project and need to set up a data supply layer that can be administered by some only-slightly-more-technical-than-the-rest power user? LightSwitch has an important role to play here too I think: it makes it very extremely easy to create feeds for specific reporting scenarios, and to apply security to those feeds, without any specialist database, .NET coding or SQL knowledge.
These are just thoughts at this stage – as I said, I'm going to do some demos of this in my session at the PASS BA Conference, and I'll turn these demos into blog posts after that. I haven't used LightSwitch as a data provisioning layer in the real world, and if I ever do I'm sure that will spur me into writing about it too. In the meantime, I'd be interested in hearing your feedback on this…
UK/US Date Format Bug in PowerPivot and SSAS Tabular
I don't usually blog about bugs, but this one has been irritating me no end for the last year – so I thought it deserved some publicity…
In Excel 2010 PowerPivot and and in SSAS 2012 Tabular models (but not the Excel 2013 Data Model interestingly), if you have an English locale that is not US English (eg UK or Australian English), you may find that date columns appear to be formatted correctly as dd/mm/yyyy inside the PowerPivot window or in SSDT, but when you get to Excel you see the dates formatted in the US mm/dd/yyyy format. So, for example, on my laptop if I import the DimDate table from Adventure Works into Excel 2010 then I see dates formatted as dd/mm/yyyy as I've specified in the Formatting section of the ribbon in the PowerPivot window:
However, in an Excel PivotTable, I see dates formatted as mm/dd/yyyy:
There is a workaround though, which I found on the PowerPivot forum (thank you Steve Johnson, if you're reading) – you can get the dates to format correctly if you go to More Date Formats and choose dd/MM/yy or one of the other formats from the dropdown list that appears:
Here are the correctly formatted dates in a PivotTable:
It seems like there is already a Connect open on this issue here, so please vote to get it fixed!
Dynamic DAX Query Tables in Excel 2013
PivotTables are all well and good, but sometimes when you're building reports you just want a plain old list of things. Excel tables are perfect for this, and in Excel 2013 you can bind a table to the results of a static DAX query against the Excel Data Model. Unfortunately it's not possible to make this query dynamic without a bit of VBA – so in this post I'll show you how to do it.
Before I start, though, you may be thinking "What's the point of this?". After all, if you have too much data for the native Excel table functionality to handle, you can always use the Excel Data Model and make a PivotTable look just like a table, and when you do that you can use filters, slicers and so on to control what gets displayed. This is certainly a valid approach but the big disadvantage of a PivotTable is that it doesn't always give you the best possible performance because of the way it generates its MDX, and because DAX queries are anyway faster than MDX queries for this kind of detail-level reporting. For large tables with lots of columns then a hand-rolled DAX query might give you significantly better performance than a PivotTable, as well as more control over the filtering logic.
Let's look at a worked example…
Step 1: Import some data into a table
For my example, I have imported the DimDate table from the Adventure Works DW database in SQL Server into a table in Excel.
The key thing to remember at this point is to make sure you check the box to add the data to the Excel Data Model:
Step 2: Define a DAX query for this table
Kasper shows here how to use a static DAX query to populate a table in Excel, so I won't repeat what he says. All I've done in my example is to change the table to use the following DAX query:
evaluate DimDate
…which returns the whole contents of the DimDate table, so in fact at this point the table looks exactly the same as it did before I made this change.
Step 3: Add some UI to allow the user to filter the data
Now I want the user to be able to filter this table in two ways:
1. By using a slicer to control which days of the week are displayed
2. By entering a value into a cell, and filtering the table so only the rows where the day number of the month is greater than that value
Here's what this looks like:
I've also added a 'Run Report' button onto the worksheet for the user to press when they want to refresh the data in the query
Step 4: Use VBA to dynamically generate the query used by the table
The challenge is now to take the selection in the slicer and the value entered for the day number of month filter and use that to construct a DAX query.
Here's an example of what one of these DAX queries might look like:
, DimDate[DayNumberOfMonth]>21
&& (DimDate[EnglishDayNameOfWeek]="Monday" || DimDate[EnglishDayNameOfWeek]="Saturday"))
order by DimDate[DateKey]
Here I'm filtering the DimDate table so that the only rows displayed are where day number of month is greater than 21, and day name of week is either Monday or Saturday. If you're interested in learning more about writing DAX queries, check out the series of blog posts I wrote on this topic here.
Paul te Braak has a great post here on how to work out what has been selected in a slicer using VBA, and I need to acknowledge the fact I've borrowed some of his code! Here's my VBA routine, called by the button on the worksheet, to build and run the query:
Sub RunReport()
Dim SC As SlicerCache Dim SI As SlicerItem
Dim SelectedList As String Dim DayNumberOfMonthFilter As String
Dim DAXQuery As String Dim DemoWorksheet As Worksheet
Dim DAXTable As TableObject
Set DemoWorksheet = Application.Worksheets("TableDemo")
'Find the value of the cell containing the Day Number Of Month filter value DayNumberOfMonthFilter = DemoWorksheet.Range("DayNumberOfMonthFilter").Value
'Find what is selected in the slicer Slicer_EnglishDayNameOfWeek
Set SC = ActiveWorkbook.SlicerCaches("Slicer_EnglishDayNameOfWeek") SelectedList = ""
'Loop through each item in the slicer and if it is selected
'add it to a string that will be used in the filter condition For Each SI In SC.SlicerCacheLevels(1).SlicerItems
If SI.Selected Then If SelectedList <> "" Then
SelectedList = SelectedList & " || " End If
SelectedList = SelectedList & "DimDate[EnglishDayNameOfWeek]=""" & SI.Caption & """" End If
'Construct the DAX query DAXQuery = "evaluate Filter(DimDate, DimDate[DayNumberOfMonth]>" & DayNumberOfMonthFilter
DAXQuery = DAXQuery & " && (" & SelectedList & ")) order by DimDate[DateKey]"
'Bind the table to the DAX query Set DAXTable = DemoWorksheet.ListObjects("Table_DimDate").TableObject
With DAXTable.WorkbookConnection.OLEDBConnection
.CommandText = Array(DAXQuery)
.CommandType = xlCmdDAX End With
'Run the query
End Sub
And so there we go, a dynamic DAX table report in Excel 2013. If you'd like to download my example and check it out in detail, you can get hold of it here.
Building Relative Date Reports in PowerPivot
It's a very common requirement when you're building a report in PowerPivot (or indeed in any BI tool) for it to automatically show data for today's date, the current week or month (plus maybe a set number of preceding days, weeks or months), without the user needing to change anything when they open the workbook. There are a number of ways of achieving this, but in this post I'm going to focus on one: building relative date columns in your Date dimension table. This stuff is by no means new and ground-breaking and I've seen this particular technique implemented many, many times, but it's also something I get asked about fairly frequently and I can't find any other blog posts detailing it so I thought I'd write it up.
To show how this works I've built a sample PowerPivot model in Excel. An important part of this sample model is a proper Date dimension table of course, and if you don't have one in your data source there are plenty of ways of generating one automatically (Boyan Penev's DateStream dataset in the Azure Marketplace, for instance, or this cool new Excel 2013 app I found today in the Office Store). Here's the example I'll be working with which has a Date dimension table and a Sales fact table with some values in it:
On the Date dimension table I've added four new columns, two to handle relative dates and two to handle relative months:
Relative Date Offset
=INT([Date] – TODAY())
Relative Month Offset
=((12 * YEAR([Date])) + MONTH([Date])) – ((12 * YEAR(TODAY())) + MONTH(TODAY()))
Relative Date
=IF([Relative Date Offset]=0
, "Today"
, "Today " & IF([Relative Date Offset]>0, "+", "") & [Relative Date Offset])
Relative Month
=IF([Relative Month Offset]=0
, "Current Month"
, "Current Month " & IF([Relative Month Offset]>0, "+", "") & [Relative Month Offset])
The first two of these columns contain integer values that are the number of days and months between today's date and the date in the [Date] column on the dimension table. I've hidden these from client tools, and then then used them in the expressions for (and as the Sort Columns for) the next two columns which show the same values in a more human-readable form. Here's what the results look like:
These new columns can be used in a variety of ways. For instance, I can now put my Sales measure in a PivotTable, put Relative Date in the Filter and select the 'Today' value, and then put Date on columns in the PivotTable and I'll only see today's date:
This is because, of course, selecting 'Today' on Relative Date automatically filters the [Date] column down to one value – today's date (ie January 24 2013).
I can now also build reports that show data for the current month and previous month, without showing any dates at all:
There's one final problem that needs to be solved though: the relative dates are calculated when the Date dimension is loaded and the calculated columns evaluated, but what happens tomorrow when the relative dates need recalculating? If I was building this solution in SSAS Tabular and reprocessing your model every night automatically then I wouldn't have this issue; in PowerPivot I need to make sure I handle this. In Excel 2010 there's no way to automate loading data into a table, alas, so the user would have to do the refresh manually alas. In Excel 2013 I can do this using VBA very easily, by putting the following code in the WorkBook_Open() event:
Refreshing the Date table also automatically refreshes your PivotTables too, which is handy. This means that when I open the workbook tomorrow (ie January 25 2013), the relative dates will have shifted accordingly and my report will show data as of January 25 2013 and not January 24 2013.
You can download my Excel 2013 sample workbook here.
Parameterising PowerPivot Connection Strings in Excel 2013
One of the things I've always wanted to do with PowerPivot is to parameterise the connections used to import data. Despite PowerPivot's ability to handle massive data volumes, most of the time you want your end users to import only the data they actually need – and for them to be able to specify filters on the data themselves somehow. The only way to do this in Excel 2010 was to have them go into the PowerPivot model and change the connection themselves, which is not very user-friendly, but now we have a proper PowerPivot object model in 2013 we can modify connection strings in VBA (so we can take filtering information direct from the worksheet) and this post shows how. I'd like to acknowledge the help I got from Kasper's post here which covers very similar ground, but I came across a few interesting things while building the example here so I thought it was worth a post on its own.
Let's say we want to build our own Bing search engine client in Excel 2013, where a user can enter a search term in a cell, click a button to run the search and then not only be able to see the search results but analyse them in PowerPivot and Power View. The first step is to sign up to the Bing search API in the Azure Marketplace and then import some search results with a hard-coded search term (this tutorial will help if you're not sure how to do this); I used Bing image search to return some results with urls pointing to images on the web. This will create a connection in the Workbook which we can then modify programmatically. However I ran into a problem at this point: I found that only connections created on the Data tab on the ribbon can be modified in VBA, whereas connections created in the PowerPivot addin cannot. This means I had to click here:
..to create my connection, and NOT here:
When you open connections created in the PowerPivot window in the Connections dialog from the Data tab, you see the following message: "Some properties cannot be changed because the connection was modified using the PowerPivot Add-In"
Trying to edit connections created in PowerPivot using VBA just gave me an error.
Not much of a issue though. With the connection in place, here's the VBA code that's needed to alter the connection string and replace the search term with a value from a cell in the worksheet:
Sub RunImageSearch()
Dim mdl As ModelTable Dim wcon As WorkbookConnection
Dim cs As String Dim ss As String
Dim azurekey As String
azurekey = "Insert your Azure Marketplace account key here"
Set mdl = ActiveWorkbook.Model.ModelTables("Image")
Set wcon = mdl.SourceWorkbookConnection
cs = "DATAFEED;" & _ "Data Source=https://api.datamarket.azure.com/Bing/Search/v1/" & _
"Image?Query=%27ReplacePlaceholder%27;" & _ "Namespaces to Include=*;Max Received Message Size=4398046511104;Integrated Security=Basic;" & _
"User ID=AccountKey;Password=" & azurekey & _ ";Persist Security Info=false;" & _
"Base Url=https://api.datamarket.azure.com/Bing/Search/v1/Image?Query=%27ReplacePlaceholder%27"
ss = WorksheetFunction.EncodeURL(CStr(ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Search Term").Cells(2, 3).Value))
wcon.DataFeedConnection.Connection = Replace(cs, "ReplacePlaceholder", ss)
End Sub
Three points to note here:
- If you're copying this code, you need to enter your own Azure Marketplace account key in the place specified
- The search term needs to be url encoded, and luckily there's a new function to do this in 2013: EncodeURL()
- If you're using a different data source then obviously the connection string will be different. Also, because I'm using data from the Azure Marketplace my SourceWorkbookConnection object has a connection of type DataFeedConnection – other data sources will have different connection types, so check the value returned by SourceWorkbookConnection.Type (the list of values in the XLConnectionType enumeration on the web is, at the time of writing, out of date but Object Explorer is up-to-date)
That's all there is to it. The macro can be bound to a button on the worksheet like so:
And we can then do all kinds of clever things to analyse the search results. For example, with the image search results we can show thumbnails in a Power View report (see Jeremy Kashel's post for details):
You can download the whole example workbook here, although again you'll have to edit the VBA to enter your own Azure Marketplace account key if you want it to work.
Introduction to MDX for PowerPivot Users, Part 5: MDX Queries
In part 4 of this series (sorry for the long wait since then!) I finished off looking at what you can do with named sets. Now, before I go on to more important topics like Excel cube functions and calculated members I'd like to take a high-level look at what you can do with MDX queries running against PowerPivot – high level, because there's much more to MDX queries than can be covered in a single post and, as I explain below, you probably won't want to do this very often.
So why would I need to write whole queries against a PowerPivot model?
This is a very good question, given that in my opinion 99% of the time you can achieve what you want when building Excel reports using either PivotTables (either with or without named sets) or Excel cube functions. Having said that, the post I wrote a few years ago about binding a table in Excel to an MDX query has been one of the most popular I've ever written, so maybe I'm wrong about how frequently people need to do this…
I'd say that you would probably only want to write your own queries when you needed complete control over the MDX and didn't mind that it made linking the query up to filters or slicers very difficult – for example, if you wanted a list of unpaid invoices, or a list of customers that met some specific criteria, in a dashboard.
Also, when you run MDX queries in Excel you're going to use an Excel table to show the results rather than a PivotTable. This is actually the format you need to use to pass data to other Excel-based tools like like Excel Data Mining Addins (as well as PowerPivot), so writing your own MDX queries might actually save you having to convert to formulas, as Kasper does here, or cutting/pasting in cases like this.
Why use MDX instead of DAX?
From PowerPivot V2, PowerPivot models can be queried in either MDX or the DAX query language (if you want to learn about DAX queries take a look at the posts I wrote on this topic last year, starting here), and if you've already learned a lot of DAX for PowerPivot you're probably going to be more comfortable using DAX queries. However, I know there are a lot of old SSAS-fans out there doing work with PowerPivot who prefer MDX, and there are still a few things that MDX can do that PowerPivot can't, so choosing MDX over DAX is a legitimate choice. Examples would be when you want to pivot your resultset and put something other than measures on columns, or show a calculated member on rows, and I show how to do both of these things below.
How do I display the results of an MDX query in Excel?
As I said, when you display the results of an MDX query in Excel you'll need to use an Excel table to do so. I blogged about a few ways to do this here but there's actually a better way now: using DAX Studio. DAX Studio is a free Excel addin for people who want to write DAX queries against a PowerPivot model, but it can run MDX queries too. Unfortunately it doesn't display any MDX metadata for you to use – only DAX metadata – but it's still a much more convenient way of running MDX queries than doing a drillthrough and then editing the query property of a table.
The DAX Studio documentation gives you a good overview of how to use the tool and I won't repeat that here, but to prove it does work here's a screenshot of an MDX query run against a PowerPivot model:
OK, so get on with it and tell me how to write an MDX query…
The basic MDX query is quite simple. Books online has all the details:
…but really all you need to know is this:
Each MDX query needs a SELECT clause. Inside the SELECT clause you need to define one or two axes, either just a columns axis or a columns axis or a rows axis, and the way you define what appears on an axis is using a set, an object we've seen a lot of in the last few posts in this series. Each MDX query also needs a FROM clause, with the name of the cube that is to be queried; for PowerPivot the name of the 'cube' is always [Model].
Here's an example of a simple MDX query on a PowerPivot model built on Adventure Works DW that returns a measure on columns and three years on rows:
{[Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount]}
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2006]
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2007]}
FROM [Model]
Everything you do on columns, you can do on rows, and vice versa, so:
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2006]
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2007]}
{[Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount]}
FROM [Model]
Returns this:
Using a set of tuples on rows and/or columns gives a crosstabbed effect:
{[Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount]}
, [DimProductCategory].[EnglishProductCategoryName].[EnglishProductCategoryName].&[Clothing]}
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2006]
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2007]} *
, [DimProduct].[Color].&[Red]}
FROM [Model]
After the FROM clause, you can add a WHERE clause to slice the resultset. Do not confuse the MDX WHERE clause with the SQL WHERE clause: it does something similar but it doesn't directly affect what appears on rows or columns, it filters the values returned inside the query. For example:
{[Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount]}
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2006]
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2007]}
FROM [Model]
, [DimProduct].[Color].&[Black])
…returns sales for Black Bikes for the years 2005 to 2007:
Notice that the Colour Black and the Product Category Bikes don't appear anywhere on rows or columns, but the values that are shown are for Black Bikes nonetheless.
The WITH clause
You can define your own calculated members (which I'll talk about in a future post) and named sets inside a query if you add a WITH clause before your SELECT clause. Here's an example of this:
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2006]
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].&[2007]}
MEMBER [DimDate].[CalendarYear].[Total 2005-7] AS
MEMBER [Measures].[Percent of Total] AS
([Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount])
([Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount]
, [DimDate].[CalendarYear].[Total 2005-7])
{[Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount]
,[Measures].[Percent of Total]}
{[MY YEARS], [DimDate].[CalendarYear].[Total 2005-7]}
FROM [Model]
Here I've defined a named set called [MY YEARS] which I've then used to define what goes on the rows axis, and two calculated members, [Total 2005-7] which returns the subtotal of the years 2005 to 2007, and a new measure [Percent of Total] that shows the percentage that each row makes up of this subtotal. Incidentally, even though DAX can do this kind of subtotalling, it's only in MDX that you can define any calculation you want on any axis in your query.
Flattened Rowsets
You might be wondering, looking at the examples above, why the column headers are all in human-unfriendly MDX and why the [Percent of Total] measure hasn't had any formatting applied. You will also notice in this query how the name of the All Member on the [CalendarYear] hierarchy doesn't get returned, and you get a blank row name instead:
{[Measures].[Sum of SalesAmount]}
FROM [Model]
This is because, when you run queries that get bound to an Excel table they are returned as flattened rowsets and not cellsets (which is how most SSAS client tools and SQL Server Management Studio returns MDX queries). Basically, this means your nice, multidimensional resultset gets squashed into something tabular – and when this happens, a lot of useful stuff gets lost along the way. Here's the official documentation on how flattened rowsets are generated:
This is a pain, but there's no way around it unless you want to write your own code to render a cellset in Excel unfortunately.
Writing your own MDX queries against a PowerPivot model isn't exactly something you'll need to do every day, but it's a useful addition to your PowerPivot toolbox and I wanted to mention it in this series for the sake of completeness. In my next post I'll be taking a look at MDX calculated members.


text:
What does CTEC mean in Schools?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand CTEC in the Community field in general and in the Schools terminology in particular.
Find a translation for CTEC in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss this CTEC abbreviation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this abbreviation to your bibliography:
"CTEC." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/327373>.
CTEC also stands for:
- Cable Tramway Engineering Company
- California Tax Education Council
- Career Technical Education Center
- Certified Technical Education Center
- Cholestech Corporation
... and 3 more »
Nearby & related abbreviations:
Alternative search:
- Search Course and Teacher Evaluation Council on Amazon
- Search Course and Teacher Evaluation Council on Google


text:
Senior Member
I met Phreak at PAX East the other day. Not going to lie, he is my favorite rioter. So, of course, when I see him, I turn to my friend and say "There's my husband, handing out wedding invitations" (Riot Singed). Of course, he says to Phreak "This girl has a crush on you!" Embarassing. But Phreak ended up talking to us for almost an hour. He was really chill and super funny. If only we were 21 and could get into the after party. F*** being 18 But that's besides the point. Haters back off, Phreak is mine <3 Edit: Yay she uploaded them! Here's a picture of us :3 Red posts: RiotLykaeus, p. 83 RiotChris, p. 140 Phreak, p. 167 & 174 <333
Send Me Lewds
This thread isn't creepy at all.
Ugh and all the rioters are amazing and nice and funny.
Wait untill you meet Dance Master Phreak
phreal = hot ikr
He seems interested in you. I took a picture of him while he was there and he was giving you this look and you could tell what was on his mind.
So really, you wanna tell us your a young female.
He didn't dance for you? Please, get on his level


text:
FiltersShow / Hide
- Anywhere In The UK
- Location: Anywhere in the UK
Radius: ... miles
Also appearing: The Amazing Snakeheads
This event has been and gone!
Catch the next one:
Check out the info below for future tour dates, and track them to receive alerts when they tour near you
Never miss another 'The Jim Jones Revue' show
The Jim Jones Revue
Supercharged back-to-basics fifties rock'n'roll coming across like a collision between Little Richard and the MC5. It's a dirty yet righteous noise that'll get any crowd to its feet. The nearest comparison would be Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels – a pure rock'n'roll overload with a soulful vibe and a groove that just won't quit.
The Jim Jones Revue tour dates
The Amazing Snakeheads
A three piece Rock 'n' Roll / Garage Blues band from Glasgow signed to Domino. In their late 20s and 30s, surprisingly Glasgow childhood friends Dale Barclay (guitarist and vocalist) and William Coombe (bassist) haven't been in bands before, though drummer Jordan Hutchison, had dabbled in his native New Zealand. "Leonard Cohen didn't make his first album until he was 34,"says Barclay! They share a love of classic fast 'n' frenzied rock 'n' roll music and their debut single 'Testifying Time' clocked in at a super speedy 85 seconds!
The Amazing Snakeheads tour dates
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Venue Facts
Venue: The Ruby Lounge
Website: therubylounge.org
Enquiries: 0161 834 1392
→ Manchester Victoria 9 min walk


text:
No matter what I need, I can always find it here for a great price...especially with the 10% discount! Customer service at MJM Magic is excellent. I...Read More ->
I put my order in around midnight, Friday, and by noon on Saturday I received confirmation that my order had been shipped! Fast work, AND the best...Read More ->


text:
Clingan Injured Playing For Northern Ireland
City skipper plays for his country
Coventry City captain Sammy Clingan was injured playing for Northern Ireland tonight in their European Champonship Qualifier against Estonia.
In the match in Belfast, Clingan lasted only 32 minutes before he was replaced by Corey Evans after suffering what looked to be a back injury.
Clingan went off holding the right side of his back. it is not known how serious the injury is.
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text:
Does Naraku have the Jewel?
Edo Madara? o.o
I'll still give it to Naraku if he plays his cards right or if he wants to get a cheap win with the jewel, but Madara would win if not.
I've seen a battle between these guys and Aizen. Aizen was the nonfactor, it was only between these two and it all came done to who could attack first. This is very hard, because Naraku is more hax'd than we can even think of with that jewel, but Edo Madara is pretty much swimming in a pool of energy. Both have there power supplies.
Hmmm, both are ridiculously powerful by the standards of their titles with Naraku's high defenses and Madara having his Edo upgrade.
But I'm likely to lean in Naraku's favor as Madara's gonna have quite a bit of difficulty denting Naraku's defenses and the uber-Inuyasha baddie's miasma might be too much for even an Edo body to be capable of recovering from, especially if they get fully immersed in the stuff.
@taichokage said:
Naraku would begin to disintigrate before he could even touch Aizen.
You are getting the two confused. Naraku is the one that posseses the ability to disintegrate before Aizen would even touch him. I don't like to get off topic, but when did Aizen ever do this?
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text:
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Hey all*
Had my Captivate for a few weeks now. First touch screen phone. But one thing bugs me. If I dont press the space bar hard enough my screen thinks Im hitting the space bar twice quickly* thus making a period instead of a space. Thus* many of my sentences look.like.this. Same thing happens with letters turning into numbers!
Any way to turn this off? I have the Auto-stop feature checked off
Is it even the "double space" that is doing this? Because I would assume the double space would give me a space after the period instead of linking words.together.like.this
Thanks all!
PS. Ironically* I cant tap the space bar quick enough twice to get a period when I actually want one
Hmmm* upon closer inspection of my typing* its possible my fat thumbs could be hitting the space and the period simultaneously.
However* I still would like to know if that feature is in the phone* and also if I can turn off the double tap that changes letters to numbers
If theres a setting you can change on the stock keyboard (which I assume is what youre using) to fix it you can look under Settings -> Locale and text -> then choose your keyboard to see if you can find it. But my suggestion is to try out a custom keyboard from the market. Personally Im a big fan of SwiftKey* which does let you customize the whole spacebar/period issue (among a lot of other things).
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The environment is pure nature, the owner, a woman named Ferida, kind-hearted like only the people from that part of Italy can be. Breakfast was home-made, really lovely; I would definitively recommend a stay for people who want to experience the real taste of rural Maremma, only a few miles away from the seaside!
Italy >
Tuscany >
Province of Grosseto >
Number of rooms: 5
- Also Known As:
- Agriturismo La Luna e Il Sole Italy/Tuscany - Manciano


text:
For the love of flats: A reflection on shoes that we flat-out appreciateBy Emanuella Grinberg, CNNUpdated 4:19 PM ET, Thu May 15, 2014Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – CNN Living visited FLATZ shoe boutique in Atlanta to explore our fascination with shoes that lay low. Founder Kelci Stringer, right, and store manager Christina Mitchell model some of the store's offerings. Click through the gallery to see more beloved flats from CNN iReporters.Hide Caption 1 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – What's not to love about a pair of shoes that glow in the dark? Even in daylight, "their happy colors bring good vibes even on a hot summer's day sans electricity," said Regina Arevalo from the Philippines. The island of Mindanao, where she lives, has been suffering recent blackouts.Hide Caption 2 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosOur favorite flats – "My three favorite flats are comfortable for walking to work or chasing my kids," said Katherine McMillan, a working mother of two in Brooklyn, New York. "Haven't worn my white suede loafers since last summer so they're happy to get back out there."Hide Caption 3 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – Lori Dobson loves her Chuck Taylors for lunch hour walks on College Hill in Easton, Pennsylvania. Comfort is her number one priority in choosing a shoe, she says.Hide Caption 4 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – Zeynep Rice of Guilderland, New York, prioritizes versatility in her shoes. Her shiny black Kenneth Cole Mary Janes transition seamlessly from work to dinner or other activities.Hide Caption 5 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – Birkenstocks might be trendy this season, but as far as Janie Lambert is concerned they've always been the perfect shoe. "There's nothing pretty or cute about my very old Birkenstocks, but we have been through a lot together," said Lambert, 62. Her trademark look is a different funky sock on each foot. "Hey, I am old now and can get away with it!"Hide Caption 6 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – Even CNN employees were eager to share their favorite flatts. Assignment editor Amanda Watts calls these her "subtle flats," because they are anything but subtle. "I love the juxtaposition of the menswear-inspired loafer against the super girly hot pink color. And since hot pink is a neutral (isn't it?) they go with just about everything," said Watts, who works in Atlanta.Hide Caption 7 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – "I've had a love affair with flats since as far back as I can remember," said Cuchie Echeverria, right, of Manila, Philippines. She donned her "most comfy pair" of silver Nike slippers for to visit a nature park in the Philippines.Hide Caption 8 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – Soft-soled moccasins are Sobhana Venkatesan's choice of "flexible, comfortable footwear for a casual city lifestyle" in St. John's, Newfoundland.Hide Caption 9 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – Kathi Cordsen was thrilled to find some new flats she liked for spring and summer. "You don't know how pleased I am to never have to wear heels again," she said.Hide Caption 10 of 11Our favorite flats 11 photosDevoted to flats – Flats "match everything and they're always so comfortable," said Kylee Copeland, an independent shoe designer in Pensacola, Florida. She made these Edgar Allan Poe-inspired shoes, her personal favorites, using a decoupage technique.Hide Caption 11 of 11Story highlightsThere's more to flat shoes than your basic ballet slipper FLATZ shoe store in Atlanta specializes in low shoes"View From The Topp" style blog pays tribute to variety of flatsSummer draws shoppers looking for stylish walking shoes for sightseeing vacationsKelci Stringer realized her days in high heels were numbered when her children began to walk.She struggled to keep up with them in her strappy stilettos and platform pumps, and the situation only worsened as they got older and needed to be shuttled around from school to soccer and myriad extracurricular activities.The Atlanta mother still loves heels for special occasions, but her daily routine calls for flats. Slippers, loafers and sneakers are part of her uniform but she struggled to find unique varieties at a decent price. When she decided to start her own business, the name "flats" sprang to mind while she was getting a pedicure. Just WatchedHeels vs. flats: An economic indicatorreplayMore Videos ...Heels vs. flats: An economic indicator 02:14PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedShoes: Flat and flimsy or tall and tightreplayMore Videos ...Shoes: Flat and flimsy or tall and tight 00:44PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedLouboutin's red sole storyreplayMore Videos ...Louboutin's red sole story 02:05PLAY VIDEO"I saw a void in the market that needed to be filled," Stringer said. "My father said to me, 'You've bought enough shoes so you ought to know something about them.'"Sure, heels will always be a mainstay of women's fashion. But flats are getting their due on the streets and the runway with more embellishment and detail, belying the common perception of a basic ballet flat. Stringer's Buckhead boutique, "FLATZ" is full of variations: embroidered ikat loafers, faux pink snakeskin slippers, bright yellow jelly sandals and leather studded flip-flops. Located in a small shopping plaza among a deli, hair salon and shoe repair shop, FLATZ opened in October to cater to shoppers who don't want to sacrifice style for comfort. Business is picking up with summer around the corner as shoppers look for comfortable beach sandals or stylish walking shoes for sightseeing vacations. Some might say flats lack the appeal of a sky-high stiletto, but strutting around in comfort can be sexy, too."I feel like wearing a pair of flats connotes a sense of low maintenance that men are typically drawn toward," said Leandra Medine, founder of the popular "Man Repeller" fashion blog that celebrates trends women love and men hate. "Of course, the purported argument against them and pro-heels is related to the sex factor. They're obviously the more conventionally 'attractive' choice."The return of a classicFlats are having a moment as mainstream fashion embraces menswear-inspired looks for women, with wing-tipped oxfords, embroidered loafers and smoking slippers gracing fall 2014 runway shows. Glamour Magazine recently started featuring flats in a #FlatsFriday Instagram post which also invites Instagrammers to share their favorite flats.On the popular style blog "View From The Topp" Kate Brien chronicles her daily outfits, paying tribute to a wide range of flats, from her beloved Birkenstocks and Clio sandals to tasseled loafers and colorful oxfords. Heels occasionally make an appearance, but "I'm rarely in heels during my day-to-day," she said."I'll wear heels on occasion but flats are much more me," said Brien, who describes her look as "Parisian Tomboy/Messy Vogue." "I like shoes that are comfortable and classic. Of course interesting details and fun colors are always great, but my favorite pairs are ones that I know I will have forever."Just WatchedHow to prevent achy summer feetreplayMore Videos ...How to prevent achy summer feet 01:18PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedShoes tell of your inner sole?replayMore Videos ...Shoes tell of your inner sole? 03:40PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedGet Real! Do shoes match personality?replayMore Videos ...Get Real! Do shoes match personality? 02:14PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedGo Green: New shoes you can recyclereplayMore Videos ...Go Green: New shoes you can recycle 02:32PLAY VIDEOThe basic ballet flat has been around for centuries, modeled after the dancer's ballet slipper as an alternative to the unwieldy heels and chopines of the Renaissance era. Their popularity waxed and waned over the years before French shoemaker Rose Repetto revived production of ballet slippers in the 20th century. French actor Brigitte Bardot is credited with bringing the classic "cendrillon" shoe to the masses after Repetto created it at her request for her to wear it in "...And God Created Women." Actor Audrey Hepburn is also thought to have contributed to the popularity of ballet flats after wearing them in "Funny Face."Women have been complaining about heels for as long as they've been wearing them. "We'll know that feminism has worked when a woman goes up to get a best actress Oscar wearing flat, comfortable shoes," author Caitlin Moran snarkily noted in her 2012 book, "How to be a Woman." "How much more fun we would be having if we could only stop being slaves to the torture stilts we insisted on wearing. We could then stand around and chat and laugh all night like the men ... and maybe even do a little bit of business."Opting for flats over heels might require a mental shift in women who've come to identify themselves by their footwear.'Reprogramming' perceptions The typical customer at Atlanta's FLATZ boutique is in her mid-30s, someone who "knows what works for her and knows what she wants," owner Kelcie Stringer said."She's not competing with anyone, or what's on TV," Stringer said. "I appreciate a customer who knows what she wants instead of my having to convince her of what she needs."Other shoppers tend to come in because they can no longer wear heels due to foot problems, or because they're unhappy with their body and want their shoes to be their statement piece, store manager Christina Mitchell said. Often, her job requires "reprogramming" their minds to make them understand that flats can be chic, she said."Sometimes, when people think of flats, they say flats are boring," she said. "But they can have a lot of personality."When shopper Tanya Lewis visited the store this week, she was already a convert. Flats are her go-to footwear for work and socializing. Her mother, on the other hand, had just recently come around to them after leaving her job in banking."When I was working I wore heels every day. I think you need them in corporate America," Lewis' mother said, declining to give her name. The pair left with a pair of gladiator sandals for Lewis, and loafers and pointed-toe slippers for her mother."I'm veering more toward flats with age," she said.Find yourself at CNN LivingHow we live, love and relateCNN Living reflects your life. From advice for modern parents to the freshest news in food: It's all here.Eatocracy: Try this unique syrupTravis and Joyce Miller started producing hickory syrup as an experiment. Demand for the unique flavor has turned into a full-time business.Relate: Summer lovin'These happy couples kept the campfire flames burning, and turned summer flings into lifetime commitments.Parents: Bad mom or criminal?Shanesha Taylor says a moment of "desperation" led her to leave her children in a car during a job interview.Style: The appeal of the one-pieceBikinis might dominate the beaches, but style editors and trend forecasters say the one-piece is the "fashion-forward" choice this season.Decor: When to wash your sheetsAre you ready for this? These guidelines tell you when to wash everything, from sheets and cars to bras and hair.Identity: Society vs. facial tattoos"I am a canvas of my experiences, my story is etched in lines and shading," says tattoo artist Kat Von D. Is this a good thing?More from livingIs this the real-life 'Notebook' couple?1-800-DOUBTS: A new helpline for troubled atheistsDad's vows to stepdaughter will make you cryPowered by Livefyre
How we live, love and relateCNN Living reflects your life. From advice for modern parents to the freshest news in food: It's all here.
Eatocracy: Try this unique syrupTravis and Joyce Miller started producing hickory syrup as an experiment. Demand for the unique flavor has turned into a full-time business.
Relate: Summer lovin'These happy couples kept the campfire flames burning, and turned summer flings into lifetime commitments.
Parents: Bad mom or criminal?Shanesha Taylor says a moment of "desperation" led her to leave her children in a car during a job interview.
Style: The appeal of the one-pieceBikinis might dominate the beaches, but style editors and trend forecasters say the one-piece is the "fashion-forward" choice this season.
Decor: When to wash your sheetsAre you ready for this? These guidelines tell you when to wash everything, from sheets and cars to bras and hair.
Identity: Society vs. facial tattoos"I am a canvas of my experiences, my story is etched in lines and shading," says tattoo artist Kat Von D. Is this a good thing?