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Tag Archives: gender
Fix Society. Now. Please!
It's been just over a week since Leelah Alcorn committed suicide. Leelah grew up not far from where I live in Cincinnati. If you haven't heard Leelah's story, it's a tragic one. Leelah was a trans teen who chose to kill herself because, as she wrote in her suicide note, "the life I would've lived isn't worth living in… because I'm transgender."
Leelah's note was posted on tumblr shortly after she purposefully walked in front of a truck on a dark night, but tumblr has since removed the blog post. In that post, Leelah described feeling like a girl trapped in a boy's body ever since she was four years old.
Leelah's parents were not supportive of her gender identity, to say the least. For several months, they completely isolated Leelah by removing her from public school, taking away her computer and phone, and not letting her use social media. Leelah's parents also took her to Christian therapists who she said told her she was selfish and wrong.
So, Leelah felt her best option was suicide. For Leelah, I am so sad. For every person who struggles for acceptance of their sexuality and/or gender identity, I am sad. For every person who feels life is not worth living, I am so sad and distraught.
That Leelah's parents used religion (Christianity) to reject their child's gender identity makes me angry. Clearly, there are many Christians who would accept Leelah for who she was. Certainly, there are some Jews who would argue acceptance of Leelah, and other Jews who would argue rejection.
My Judaism and my humanism bring me to a very simple conclusion: Leelah was a person. She was Leelah. And, my humanness moves me to compassion, to understanding, and to acceptance of others and their feelings.
I do not believe that religion should be used to marginalize and stigmatize. I want to be part of a religious community that is open to possibilities – and that empowers every person to be himself or herself.
Leelah ended her suicide note by asking us to fix society. Our actions cannot bring Leelah back, but hopefully they can make a difference in the lives of others.
Here are just a few small steps you can take to support others:
• Read PFLAG's Guide to Being a Trans Ally
• If you're involved in Jewish organizational life, talk to the leadership about how your organization can be most inclusive
• If you have children or work with children, open the door to important and honest conversations about sexuality and gender
• Know the signs of suicide and be ready when you see the sings to open up important conversations and make connections between people and resources available
In the words of Leelah Alcorn, "Fix society. Please." Challenge accepted.
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Abraham is From Mars, Sarah is From Venus
Sarah our Matriarch passes from the world in this week's Torah Portion, Hayei Sarah. It is a good opportunity to examine the legacy of her relationship with Abraham her husband.
Only three times in the whole Torah does Sarah our matriarch speak to her husband Abraham. All three instances are in contexts of frustration or conflict in which Sarah is deeply perturbed. In all three cases Abraham does exactly what Sarah asks of him. And in all three cases we find modern feminist commentaries suggesting that Abraham could have reacted very differently than he actually does!
In the first instance, after Abraham and Sarah have suffered decades of barrenness, and ten years since God has promised to make of Abraham a great nation, Sarah says to her husband "Consort with my slave girl; perhaps I shall have a son through her". Our matriarch has seemingly despaired of ever bearing a child in her own womb – she is indeed 75 years old at this point! – and selflessly offers her maidservant to Abraham as a surrogate mother. "And Abraham heeded Sarah's request".
Sarah's maidservant Hagar conceives … and Sarah is unexpectedly devastated. She is humiliated by the protruding belly of her servant, while her womb is still empty. She feels denigrated by the intimacy between Abraham and Hagar that is broadcast throughout the camp by the pregnancy. Her feminine identity takes a terrible beating, and she lashes out at Abraham, irrationally proclaiming "The wrong done me is your fault! I myself put my slave girl in your bosom; now that she sees that she is pregnant, I am lowered in her esteem". The patriarch dutifully responds to his wife saying "Your slavegirl is in your hands. Deal with her as you think right."
In the third dialogue between husband and wife, Ishmael, the son born through Hagar, is already on his way to becoming a young man, and is described as mocking Isaac, the young child that God has in the meanwhile miraculously brought forth from Sarah's own womb. "She said to Abraham, "Cast out that slave girl and her son". And here again, despite his pain and misgivings, the patriarch arises early the next morning to do exactly what his spouse has demanded.
Should we – and here I am speaking to our male readers – learn from the example of Abraham, immediately acquiescing to what our wives have asked? Perhaps not!
In Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, author John Gray suggests that men ought to remember that women talk about their problems and suggest avenues of possible action, in order "to get close and not necessarily to get solutions." They may not want a fix but rather a sympathetic ear and a sincere validation of their emotional struggles. Men and women at times speak different languages.
Perhaps Sarah was really not so naive as to believe that her husband could be intimate with her maidservant without the whole structure of their marriage being shaken. Perhaps she really didn't countenance her husband actually acceding to her request to go in to Hagar. She just wanted to talk about it, to explore her feelings with Abraham, to let him know how terribly bad she felt that her childlessness was preventing him from realizing God's promise to him. She desperately wanted to be understood. But Abraham did not understand.
And ditto when she blames Abraham for the mess created by the pregnancy of Hagar. She does not want action and she does not want advice. She simply wants to be heard, for Abraham to feel and acknowledge her pain. "Deal with her as you think right" is no solution at all, for it nips in the bud the intimate conversation that Sarah is so much in need of.
And that brings us to the third case. Perhaps Sarah really did not want Hagar and Ishmael sent out into the wilderness. All she wanted and all she needed was empathy. But to her absolute horror, Abraham took her literally, expelling the boy and his mother and abandoning them to possible death, the last thing in the world she would have wanted.
But in this last of the three instances there is a catch. God himself says to Abraham "listen to her voice". Perhaps in this instance we must abandon our interpretation, and accept that if God tells Abraham to do as Sarah demanded, that certainly indicates that Sarah had already decisively made up her mind that Ishmael and Hagar must be banished. That may be. But there is another way, radical but plausible. It has been suggested by Marsha Pravder Mirkin that when God says "listen to her voice" what God meant is to listen closely to the emotions behind her words … but not to actually perform the act that she had requested!
So perhaps we are to learn that men ought to listen differently to women than they would to men, with attention to the pathos of the inner world rather than focusing on immediate solutions in the practical world. And this advice may be exactly God's message to us through Abraham: "Listen to her voice."
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Freundel: Not Just an Orthodox Problem
Much has been written about the impact of Rabbi Barry Freundel on the Orthodox world. In a community that sees the mikveh as essential to their practice of Judaism, this is a fundamental tear in the fabric that weaves together ideals of halakhic observance with the messy realities of daily life. But much less commented upon are the ways in which this tragedy has implications beyond the Orthodox world.
Jewish feminists of all stripes, and mikveh activists like Mayyim Hayyim in Boston have been working to help reimagine mikveh. In my own life and rabbinate, I've been to the mikveh with women after abortions and miscarriages. I've seen its healing powers provide a balm to those struggling with illness or dramatic life changes. I've had the privilege of celebrating brides, b'not mitzvah and mothers of b'nai mitzvah with a spiritual dip. For many, the power of this ritual exceeds rational expectations and is profoundly meaningful.
Unfortunately, this scandal has reinforced preexisting negative assumptions about mikveh which abound in the liberal Jewish communities I inhabit. Part of this emerges from a feminist critique of the laws which link women's menstruation with the need for purification. There are concerns about privacy, cleanliness, and irrational outmoded rituals. The extent to which Freundel's alleged corruption focused around mikveh has put the healing and spiritual potential of this ritual even further from the reach of liberal Jews. Since news broke, I have been part of many conversations, on line and in person, where people are seeing Freundel's actions as vindication for having avoided the ritual in their lives to date. Others, looking for life cycle rituals, have voiced trepidation about going to the mikveh in the future. The loss of trust and the positive potential of this ritual has been compromised beyond the narrow confines of the Washington, Orthodox community.
Additionally, while the majority of non-Orthodox commentators have been thoughtful in their reactions, I have been troubled by the tendency of some to wonder why any Jewish women stay in the male-dominated Orthodox world. Some cite the exclusively male rabbinate as reason enough for women to leave. Others suggest that given the more egalitarian options in the Jewish religious landscape, women should be moving out of Orthodoxy.
This line of thinking is highly problematic. Whatever denomination or affiliation a particular Jew holds, it is important to recognize that other streams of Jewish life have their own value. If we are intellectually honest, most of us can recognize that there is no perfect religious community. But more troubling than the dismissal of Orthodoxy as a valid approach to Jewish living is the victim-blaming implied by such critiques. Let us be clear: None of the victims of Rabbi Freundel's alleged misdeeds bears any fault or blame for what has happened. We should not underestimate the intelligence, passion or thoughtfulness of the women in Rabbi Freundel's community. That these women might have chosen less male-dominated forms of Jewish living does not by any means lessen Rabbi Freundel's responsibility or the obligation of the RCA to live up to its own standards and those of secular law. They bear the entire responsibility. No one should expect or put up with abuse of power or sexual abuse.
Finally, the focus on Rabbi Freundel and the RCA should not obscure that the abuse of women or rabbinic power is not unique to the Orthodox. Seeing abuse as primarily an Orthodox problem minimizes the pain and suffering of those who have been sexually harassed or abused by non-Orthodox rabbis and Jewish leaders in non-Orthodox settings. The limited circles of Jewish power and community often have a chilling effect on women's ability to stand up to abuse, no matter the denomination. Furthermore, I have worked with converts from all denominations who have had rabbis charge exorbitant fees for conversions or required favors be performed, exploiting their spiritual vulnerability. Across the board, Jews have to condemn sexual and religious exploitation within our communities.
As it should, Rabbi Freundel's arrest has rocked the Kesher Israel community and the Orthodox circles that held this man in great esteem. Yet the implications are much broader. We should take the opportunity to open conversations about what are often taboo subjects. Rabbi Freundel's alleged actions have shined a light on mikveh, abuse of power in the Jewish community, and the challenges of conversion. None of these issues is unique to the Orthodox world.
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Are You Bossy, Pushy, or Executive Leadership Material? Take This Quiz to Find Out!
1. Do you have strong ideas and opinions?a. Yes
b. No
2. Do you share these ideas with others?
a. Yes
b. No
3. Do you expect other people to live up to your high expectations of them?
a. Yes
b. No
4. Do you command attention when you enter a room?
a. Yes
b. No
If you are male and answered "a" to all of the questions above, then you have executive potential. If you are female and answered "a" to the above questions, then you are bossy and pushy. If you manage to reach the top of your field in spite of these character flaws, then expect to be reviled.
This is what we have learned from the ouster of the Executive Editors Jill Abramson from The New York Times and Natalie Nougayrède of the French paper Le Monde this week.
Because she was "the first woman" she is de facto a leader. Her curiosity and thorough investigation of the world she lived in served her well to be a leader of early humankind. But it was these very same traits that caused her downfall. She was too curious; she bit the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and convinced her husband, Adam to do the same. Since then people have been suspect of women's leadership. Eve led humanity in to a world filled with suffering, pain and disease.Women in leadership positions have always had to walk a fine line. They need to be smart enough, and confident enough to assume a leadership position, but not appear to pushy, bossy, or aggressive. Gender bias is alive and well in 2014, and we have Eve to thank for this. Yes, Eve, the first woman mentioned in the Bible.
How do we undo the damage taught by this story for thousands of generations?
It deeply pains me to love Judaism so much, to love the stories in the Bible, and the artful way rabbis debate laws in the Talmud when this amazing tradition is inherently misogynistic. We have come a long way in both the larger Western culture and the liberal Jewish world to recognize that women can be leaders in a variety of secular and religious positions. Yet, female leaders are still seen as somewhat suspect.
I think this will always be the case until we stop teaching the story of Eve the way we do. Instead of casting Eve as the one who leads humanity in to suffering, why not teach the beauty of curiosity – how sometimes it leads to good things and sometimes to bad? Why not stress that God wanted Eve to eat of the apple. For God put the tree there in the first place and imbued humans with curiosity. By eating the fruit, Eve was living up to her highest potential; in the end she opened the door to all of human ingenuity and progress. Isn't that a good leader's job, to help propel things forward?
I love the characters of the Bible because they are all flawed human beings, just like us. However, when a story portrays a gender stereotype that has been passed down for generations and has been woven in to the very fabric of culture after culture, it is time to tell a different story.
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Should Women Thank God For Not Making Them Men?
A recent brouhaha has emerged in the Jewish blogosphere over Rabbi Ari Hart's recent post, "Should I Thank God For Not Making Me A Woman?" Rabbi Hart references one of a series of morning prayers, collectively termed Birkot Hashahar, in which Orthodox men proclaim: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has not made me a woman." Women, and both genders in the prayerbooks ("siddurim") of the other Jewish denominations, instead proclaim: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has made me according to His will." Rabbi Hart, an Orthodox rabbi who is the co-founder of a leading Orthodox social justice organization, bemoans the sexism and misogyny the former prayer supports within the Orthodox world but feels duty-bound, as a matter of Jewish law ("halakha"), to continue reciting the prayer every day. He hopes that saying the prayer will make him more mindful of gender inequality in the world and more committed to fighting for equality.
Not surprisingly, Hart's blog registered some vociferous responses. Those on the religious right have sought to defend the prayer as reflecting the fact that, according to traditional halakha, only men are obligated to perform positive, time-bound commands ("mitzvot"). According to this perspective, men who say the prayer are virtuously accepting the yoke of commandedness that does not similarly bind women. Of course, this system of differentiating between men and women on the basis of time-bound mitzvot itself is the product of an historical context in which women were solely charged with domestic responsibilities that were thought to conflict with the performance of time-sensitive religious obligations. Conspicuously absent from these defenses is any discussion of the propriety of maintaining such a standard in a contemporary society where domestic responsibilities increasingly are becoming shared, if not reversed.
Those on the religious left have reacted with vitriol. They view Hart's apologist defense of the blessing's continued relevance as privileging misogyny over equality. Others have protested Hart's attempt to have it both ways—to bemoan the prayer's contribution to sexism within Orthodoxy but to assume that adopting a certain mindset while reciting it will somehow eliminate the misogyny engendered by this attitude.
But there is a third approach that has been conspicuously absent from this online debate: why not have women bless God explicitly for making them women? Why not let women thank God for not making them men? Surprisingly, this is not some modern, liberal attempt to mess with tradition. Instead, such a prayer actually exists in a siddur dating back to 1471 Northern Italy, which you can see here (p. 5v). This siddur was written by Rabbi Abraham Ben Mordechai Farissol, a well-respected Italian rabbi at a time when there were no Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, or other denominations of Judaism. The prayer's language is unambiguous and unabashed: blessing God "she-asitani ishah v'lo ish"–for making me a woman and not a man. The beauty of this prayer is that, in one line, it affirms the inherent dignity and worthiness of women in society, rebutting (though by no means removing) the toxicity of the male praise for not being made a woman. Its poignant language promotes gratitude for the privilege of having been born as a woman.
Ultimately, my preference is for both men and women to proclaim the gender-neutral "who has made me according to His will." This language, which has been endorsed liturgically by all non-Orthodox branches of Judaism, ensures no confusion about which gender is normatively preferred. It recasts the blessing from a negative (and therefore seemingly perjorative) connotation—thanks for not making me X—to a positive one. And it has the added benefit of providing a means for affirming individuals who experience gender fluidity. But for places of worship that, for whatever reason(s), prefer to use the original male-centric wording, I hope that they will also embrace the tradition of the 1471 female-centric prayer as a viable text for women to use in expressing praise to their Creator.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
International Women's Day: Torah from the Margins
Torah teaches that ancient Israelite women refused to donate their jewelry to build the Golden Calf. Instead they donated their mirrors to build the mishkan (tabernacle). Through this story, Torah celebrates values of conscience over money, and community over self. Torah teaches that these "women's values" ought to be human values.
Friday was the 102nd International Women's Day. This special day was first proposed in 1910 by Clara Zetkin, leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany. Zetkin believed that women's issues were relevant to all human beings, and should be part of socialist discourse.
Karl Marx believed that work is fundamental to human nature. The way a group manages work and money can determine the entire structure of their society. Society is complex, and every economic form will have tensions. A capitalist society generates tensions between bourgeois capitalists, who own the means of production, and workers, who don't own the results of their labor. Eventually, Marx wrote, these tensions would become so extreme that the workers would rise up in revolution against the capitalists. After the revolution, all real property would be communally owned.
With property abolished, institutions that support the transmission of property would vanish. Marriage, a legal structure for binding families, currently exists only for the sake of inheritance. Come the revolution, heterosexual love relationships would not be tainted by economics. Both women and men would freely choose their partners, staying together only as long as is convenient. Real emotions would replace legal fictions.
Serial monogamy without any strings attached may have sounded great to Mr. Marx and Mr. Engels, but to early socialist women it sounded like the Deadbeat Dad social theory. In their revolutionary fervor, male thinkers had forgotten that heterosexual relationships produce children who should not be abandoned. Their heady theory of freedom for adults left children of all genders unprotected.
Clara Zetkin's analysis of gender inequality in marriage focused on equal wages for working women. Zetkin saw the family as a mini-society, shaped by the same dynamics as the larger capitalist society. Husbands make more money, so they are the bosses of the family. Women become the family's private servants. Capitalists benefit from this wage inequality, because it keeps all wages down. If a man asks for fair wages, he can be told, "Look, I could hire a woman for half your pay. Be glad for what you have." But after the revolution, women would earn equal pay for equal work, and "both spouses would face each other as equals."
Rosa Luxemburg, a Polish Jew who became a German citizen, was Clara Zetkin's close friend and fellow activist. Luxemburg also challenged mainstream Marxist leaders. Lenin, for example, thought all workers should focus on one unified movement for armed revolution. Luxemburg thought this misrepresented the interests of workers. Workers are not a unified class. Workers include women, men, professionals, laborers, urbanites, farmers, Jews, Catholics, Russians, Germans and more. No single theory of revolution could fit everyone.
Luxemburg and Zetkin held nonviolent theories of socialist revolution. Zetkin advocated for mass workers' strikes, accepting armed struggle only as a last resort. Luxemburg understood revolution culturally, as simultaneous grassroots movements by workers all over Europe. Both women broke from the Socialist Democratic Party to oppose World War I. Zetkin said that only arms manufacturers would benefit from the war and that the expanded army would eventually be used against workers. Luxemburg said that colonial expansionism would lead to torture and oppression. Both these predictions for Germany's future came true in their lifetimes. Luxemburg died in 1919 when government troops were deployed against political demonstrators. Zetkin, one year before her death in 1933, opened the Reichstag's parliamentary session with a speech denouncing Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.
One of my facebook friends wrote: "In my opinion, celebrating days like International Women's Day serve to perpetuate our 'otherness' as women and continue to relegate us to the margins."
Some of our mutual friends responded, "That may be easy to say in North America, where women have equal legal rights. But in many countries around the world, women are regarded as a marginal kind of human being in terrible, hurtful ways."
I imagine that Zetkin might also say, "We must speak from the margins. How else will those blinded by habitual mainstream thinking learn to see themselves?" And that Luxemburg might say, "The world is a kaleidoscope of overlapping lives and perceptions. Everyone is at the margin of something. Bring forward your unique wisdom and co-create the world."
And if I may speak on behalf of Torah, I imagine she might say, "It's no accident that women brought mirrors to the mishkan, so the community could see how it looked from its margins."
Cross-posted to onsophiastreet.com, with an additional paragraph about Luxemburg's cat.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
My First "Freedom Ride"
A couple of years ago I learned about a new front in the internal Israeli struggle over religious freedom: gender segregated buses. I was incensed. What century is this?
I have always felt that Israel has great potential to be a "light unto the nations," inspired by our prophets of old. While the real Israel has many problems in realizing this vision, Israel's story is still filled with many amazing accomplishments. I remain hopeful that Jewish values will ultimately prevail and the promise realized.
It had never occurred to me that the value of equality, which is so central to my Jewish life, could be rejected by an increasingly powerful and publicly present Ultra Orthodox Jewish minority in Israel. This just doesn't feel right – this can't be good for the Jews.
At the time I heard about this segregation I knew nothing about it. But I felt that I wanted to ride a segregated bus and sit in the forbidden (to women) front section. I stood outside the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem with my husband eyeing dozens of passing busses, trying to discern which were segregated – I couldn't find one. Ok, I was being naïve, but in Jerusalem, where secular people are feeling increasingly squeezed out and sometimes harassed by the growing Ultra Orthodox population, emotions can run hot.
I later learned that the recently developing gender segregation problem is so extensive in some Ultra Orthodox neighborhoods that it spread to service at some bank branches, shops, and medical clinics, and even some streets. There is more – you can read about it on the website of the Israel Religious Action Center — IRAC, which is one of several groups studying this phenomenon and acting to reverse it. IRAC has collected many stories and letters from Ultra Orthodox women who do not feel safe to speak out in their own communities, but have turned to this legal arm of the Israel Reform Movement for help. Their testimonials are gripping.
I was happy to learn that the IRAC is now actively organizing "Freedom Rides," named after the desegregation activism in the US in the 1960's. I jumped at the chance to be a participant this summer. I learned why I didn't see a segregated bus at the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem – they have operated only between Ultra Orthodox neighborhoods. But I also learned that, thanks to the legal actions of IRAC, a court order made bus segregation illegal. Compulsory bus signs explain that riders should only feel compelled to move if an elderly or disabled person or pregnant woman would need their seat.
The "Freedom Rides" are the next phase of the strategy, providing support and empowerment to the women who need it. As a result of these rides, IRAC has been able to take bus drivers to court when they do not enforce the open seating rule. With bus drivers facing steep fines, real change is now happening. Dozens of segregated bus lines used to travel in Jerusalem neighborhoods. Now only two remain (though other cities in Israel still have some segregated lines.)
Our group of visiting American rabbis and educators, accompanied by Israeli volunteers from IRAC, boarded the number 56 bus in Ramat Shlomo. I sat down in the front section in a grouping of 3 empty seats. We started at the first stop of the line during rush hour, and the drama took quite a while to build. A male colleague sat behind me and said, "I have your back." While there hasn't been violence on the IRAC "Freedom Rides," I was still a bit worried as we started.
It was fine – thankfully nasty looks can't kill. I got plenty of those! We desegregated that bus, all right. And by the end of the crowded ride, two Ultra Orthodox women had joined me in the adjacent two seats. We all had a memorable day.
In the week that has followed I have been reflecting on this experience and discussing it with colleagues studying with me at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. How do we forge a mutually respectful culture within Israel? It's complicated. I hope to write more in about this in my next post. In the meantime, greetings of Shalom from Jerusalem!
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Travel Blogs from Gijón
Gijon - Day 3
... Just as we arrived the weather turned again so we all took shelter until it passed. We got the photo and headed back to the apartment.
Clint, Meg & I went back to pack up our apartment - how do we manage to unravel into such a mess in 3 days! I am grateful to have had a washing machine so we are hitting the road again with a full stock of clean clothes.
Leana arrives to tell me that Lily is awake & hungry.
After I feed Lily we head ...
Gijon -Day 2
I sleep in again. Clint wakes up early and walks down to the beach to photograph the sunrise.
Tyler is in year 11 and has to go to school. The Millar boys are enjoying having us as an excuse to skip school.
Reid cooks us all delicious crepes for breakfast. Tess had hoped he would, remembering how good they were when he made them at our place.
The boys head out for a bike ride to check the surf.We ...
Gijon - Day 1
This morning we slept in.
We felt a lot quieter at our apartment as Andie and Dan had slept at the Millars. It is the first time we have been apart in 6 weeks,and it feels different.
We got ready and head to their place. The Old Town is gorgeous and they live right in amongst it.
They take us on a walking tour of the town. It is lovely. The sun is shining and it is a ...
Avignon to Gijon
This morning we woke up early and while Clint, Dan & I packed the car the girls headed over the road to buy breakfast.
We drove around to the Main Street, picked them up and settled in.
We vote on whether to do the long day in the car and drive to Gijon or do 3 short days to get to Paris. The decision is unanimous - Gijon it is. Clint & I feel rested enough to do the drive & the kids are up for it. We hope Lily 'the X factor' is ...
First week
... schedule, sheesh. I love breakfast but here they barely eat in the morning and then eat a big lunch, a "snack" later then a nice dinner at like 10pm.. Being a bit jet lagged has made dinner at 10 very hard for me. But I'm starting to get used to it. And I already started school which was a bit overwhelming but my classes sound interesting and we'll see how that goes. Trying to stay positive and make the best of ...


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Release Date: 04/22/2014 |
yesss, vinyl preorder justified. great review, channing.
It's channing time
Album Rating: 3.5damnit chan. well done as always :D
oh man
Great review, might have to check Impossible Past sometime.
What was the point of the record?
("I don't wanna be an asshole anymore," "I have only bad news for you," several iterations of "I only wanted to make things right/better."
although holy shit that last paragraph though
Album Rating: 4.0yesss, vinyl preorder justified [2].
Album Rating: 4.0Great review Chan. I've had this on repeat for about a week now, definitely an awesome record. Maybe
not quite as good as OTIP or CW, but awesome nonetheless.
Digging: Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves
Album Rating: 4.5Fantastic review. I'm not even disappointed that you destroyed any reason I might have to write a 4.5 review of this.
this isn't that good
Digging: Marching Church - This World Is Not Enough
Album Rating: 3.5referring to your last paragraph, i feel strongly that this doesn't need to have additional depth or meaning. it just doesn't resonate like their prior stuff.
Album Rating: 3.5Yeah, I couldn't vibe with this as much as I did OTIP
Digging: D'Angelo - Black Messiah
not buying into the hype of these fuckers
Digging: The Prodigy - The Day Is My Enemy
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound OffAmazing job, Chan, once again.
yesss, vinyl preorder justified [3].
Best band out there
Digging: Joanna Gruesome - Weird Sister
great album, I'm not familiar with their stuff up until now, but I think I gotta check some other albums.
Digging: Lord Huron - Strange Trails
Album Rating: 4.0I was also disappointed and I'm also not disappointed now.
I keep trying to get into these guys - maybe it'll click this time around.
Digging: Secret Grief - The Sea of Trees
Album Rating: 4.0Awesome review... Just got this on vinyl 2 days ago, haven't quite had the time to listen to it yet though.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


text:
Auditions set for ACT's production 'The Producers'
Auditions for "The Producers," an Area Community Theatre production are set for 7 p.m. May 28-29, at the Pepsi-Cola Theatre in Mitchell.
Cast requirements are five men and one woman as principals; plus an additional 12 men and 14 women. Show dates are Aug. 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10.
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text:
Moo-gbkb-ar.apk resolves a FC issue on Desire HD...
This is an Arabic/English Keyboard based on hotaru's post here:
The keyboard has a big Arabic dictionary.
The first file has the source files for the xml keyboard layouts and binary dictionary and Arabized strings. It is only for developers and you don't need it if you just want to run the app.
The second file is the APK file that can be installed directly.
Last edited by Arabia; 10th February 2011 at 02:22 PM.


text:
Jack's Mannequin Says Farewell With Emotional Sendoff Show
Andrew McMahon performed at the El Rey Theatre on Sunday for the first of a two-night benefit series, doubling as the group's final performances under the Jack's moniker.
It was a packed house Sunday at the El Rey Theatre on L.A.'s Miracle Mile as patrons from across the country clamored to see singer Andrew McMahon and his band say goodbye to Jack's Mannequin, their beloved side project-turned-main project.
STORY: Jack's Mannequin's Andrew McMahon on the End of an Era and How StubHub Sabotaged His Last Show
Early on, McMahon joked with the audience that, after meeting some fans before the show, "there might be more people from the East Coast than the West Coast out here." The sentiment speaks to McMahon's incredibly loyal longtime following, which has tracked his career since Something Corporate exploded onto the music scene when McMahon was just a teen. They're the same fans who supported McMahon through his battle and victory over leukemia at just 22 and now, as McMahon embarks on a new musical journey that needs no clever moniker.
In an interview several weeks before the show, McMahon told The Hollywood Reporter: "It's just that I'm not calling [my music] Jack's anymore because it's attached to so much brutal history. … And if it does or doesn't work, at least I know I got out in front of my shit and I didn't try and hide behind something."
Despite that "brutal history," there were many happy memories shared onstage Sunday night. McMahon proclaimed the occasion "the end of an era" and said he was "sad to see it go." He recalled the band's first show at nearby Molly Malone's many years ago and shared the story behind writing "Amy, I" with Matt Thiessen of Relient K, who opened the show. (The song was born after a night of drinking and inspired by snow atop the trees of Nashville.)
The set list mixed upbeat old favorites ("Holiday From Real," "I'm Ready" and "Mixed Tape"), with slow ballads from 2008's The Glass Passenger ("Annie Use Your Telescope" and "Swim") and a few newer tracks ("Amy, I," "My Racing Thoughts"). With three albums worth of songs to choose from, the tracks represented a pretty balanced mix -- if maybe a little heavy on the band's 2005 debut Everything in Transit content (no complaints here!).
VIDEO: Jack's Mannequin's Andrew McMahon Begins a New Chapter With 'People and Things'
While McMahon generally has been hesitant to combine Something Corporate songs with Jack's material onstage, his performance of 2003's "Konstantine" was a fitting compromise for the fans who clamored to buy tickets for the first show before scalpers cleaned out the house, leading to the addition of a second date Monday.
McMahon apologized to those who were upset by the change in plans, making the actual last show on Monday instead of Sunday, but was quick to point out that the additional date has raised a great deal more money for his Dear Jack Foundation.
But he needn't have worried; all seemed forgiven once he took the stage. When McMahon began to offer his apologies, one female fan gleefully shouted, "It's OK!"
In a continued effort to make peace, McMahon told the crowd that he would perform the beloved "Konstantine" only for the Sunday night audience, joking, "We're not doing this one on Monday, so don't tell them." McMahon also acknowledged the significance of the date, Nov. 11, a sly nod to one of his "Konstantine" lyrics.
At certain points during the night, audience members displayed higher levels of emotion than even McMahon let on, particularly on "Konstantine" and "Dark Blue.
Concluding with a wicked harmonica solo on "La La Lie," McMahon left the crowd with a note of positivity.
"This has been a wild ride," he said, "and I wouldn't change one solitary second of it."
Set list:
Holiday From Real
Release Me
Annie Use Your Telescope
My Racing Thoughts
The Resolution
Amy, I
Restless Dream
The Mixed Tape
I'm Ready
Dark Blue
La La Lie
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com; Twitter: @SophieSchillaci
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text:
New Hampton Iowa Golf Courses
|New Hampton Golf & Country Club
Additional Golf Course Reviews:
|Rice Lake Golf & Country Club -- great golf
|Review by: conrad
|great par 3 greens a in very good condition. the staff in the pro shop are very nice. a must to golf
|From Red Wing Minnesota


text:
I'm writing my own Blog in PHP, I want to be able to write posts in Markdown display the results in HTML, I also need to do a few custom things with the HTML.
There is a simple script that can convert Markdown into HTML however I need to do some things about the HTML once it's done:
I need to replace all HTML symbols inside a pre tag by using the htmlentities() function. (In my blog I post about code including HTML, I only want to display this HTML and not parse it in the browser).
I need to extract all the plain text so I can create excerpts that don't include image tags or half tags (or pieces of code inside a pre for that matter) at the end.
I've thought I had a solution for problem 2 by using the following code:
$xml = new SimpleXMLElement('<xml>' . $html . '</xml>');
$xml now looks something like:

some random text

some random text

this extracts all the text:
foreach($xml->{'p'} as $p){
echo $p . '
';
This works however I also want to it include all the text found in ul's and ol's (in the same order as they appear in the XML. I've searched for a way to loop over all the children of $xml but I can't find how to check if the element is either a p, ul or ol.
And I can't find a way to solve problem 1 because I don't know how to replace content in the XML object, but leaving everything else intact. (Or am I missing something completly obvious?)


text:
A golf club of the iron type has a metal head with a front striking face and a slot spaced rearwardly from the striking face to provide a flexible and resilient striking plate. The thickness of the plate is such that the plate will: (a) resiliently flex and store energy when the striking face impacts a golf ball; (b) return to its original position to transfer energy to the ball as the ball leaves the striking surface; and (c) not deflect to such an extent that golf balls hit off center on the plate will be dispersed excessively from the intended line of flight
1. In a method of investment casting a head of a golf club iron, the steps of:
(a) casting the club head with corrosion resistant stainless steel to provide a club head having upper and lower edges, a heel portion, a toe portion, a front striking face extending between the upper and lower edges, and a slot behind the front striking face extending from the upper edge to the lower edge to provide a flexible and resilient striking plate which is separated from the remainder of the body at the upper and lower edges thereof but which is joined to the remainder of the body in the heel and toe portions;
(b) making the thickness of the striking plate such that when the material of the plate has a tensile strength of about 150,000 psi:
(i) the center of the plate is elastically deflected about 1/64 inch by the impact force exerted on the center of the plate by a golf ball when the club head is swung at the maximum speed that can be expected during normal play;
(ii) the maximum stress within the plate when the plate strikes a golf ball at the maximum speed that can be expected during normal play is less than the tensile strength of the material of the plate; and
(iii) the frequency of vibration of the plate is between about 2500 cycles per second and about 4000 cycles per second;
(c) annealing and hardening the club head after it is cast to increase its tensile strength to at least about 150,000 psi.
2. The method of claim 1 including the step of filling the bottom of the slot with flexible and resilient material to prevent dirt from entering the bottom of the slot.
3. The method of claim 1 including the step of filling the bottom portion of the slot with flexible and resilient material to prevent dirt from entering the bottom of the slot and leaving the upper portion of the slot above the flexible and resilient material unfilled.
4. The method of claim 1 in which the corrosion resistant stainless steel which is used to cast the club is 17-4 stainless steel having a tensile strength of about 100,000 psi before the annealing and hardening step.
This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Ser. No. 735,900, filed Oct. 26, 1976, which was a continuation-in-part of my prior application Ser. No. 659,939, filed Feb. 20, 1976, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,248, which was a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 536,431, filed Dec. 26, 1974, and now abandoned.
This invention relates to an iron golf club, and, more particularly, to an iron in which the club head is provided with a slot behind the striking face of the club head to provide a flexible and resilient plate for striking the ball.
When a golf iron is swung and the head of the iron impacts a golf ball, the club head absorbs energy. If the energy which is absorbed by the club during impact is not transferred to the ball before the ball leaves the club, this energy is lost with respect to the objective of propelling the golf ball. The duration of the impact between the ball and the club head, i.e., the time that the ball stays in contact with the club head, is extremely short, usually of the order of 1/2 millisecond, and all golf irons lose some energy which is not transferred to the ball within this time. This lost energy can take the form of shock waves, for example, which remain in the club after the ball leaves the face of the club.
If the amount of energy which is stored in the club when the ball leaves the club can be reduced, more energy will be transferred to the ball, the ball will leave the club with greater velocity, and the ball will be propelled farther. Attempts have been made to provide golf clubs with resilient faces for increasing the energy which is transferred to the ball. For example, British Pat. No. 379,032 describes a golf club in which a resilient metal plate is mounted on the club head with a cavity behind the plate. U.S. Pat. No. 1,854,548 describes making the striking face of a golf club more resilient by removing metal from behind the striking surface. U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,310 describes a club with a resilient ball-engaging wall which is spaced from the main body of the club head by a slot, but this club is a putter and is not intended to withstand the impact forces which are encountered by a striking iron. In recent years investment cast irons have become popular in which the thickness of the head is greater around the periphery of the striking face than in the center of the face.
While improvements in golf club head design have resulted in some increase in distance, energy still remains in the club after impact and is therefore lost. This can be best appreciated by considering the forces involved when a golf club strikes a golf ball. A golfer who would be considered a long hitter might develop a club head speed of about 137 feet per second with a 5 iron. The force exerted by the ball on the face of the club at that speed will be of the order of 1300 pounds. The magnitude of the impact force and the extremely short duration of impact necessarily means that some energy will remain in the club when the ball leaves.
The invention reduces the amount of energy which remains in the club when the ball leaves the club by transferring more energy to the ball. The ball therefore leaves the club with greater velocity, and will travel farther and higher. Golf irons made in accordance with the invention have a flexible and resilient striking plate which is deflected and stores energy when the club head strikes the ball and which rebounds to transfer the stored energy to the ball. The material of the plate and its thickness are such that the plate is strong enough to withstand the impact force of the ball while still deflecting sufficiently to store a significant amount of energy, and the frequency of vibration of the plate permits the plate to work in phase with the ball. The thickness of the plate decreases as the number of the iron, and therefore its loft, increases so that the deflection for each club will be approximately the same.
The invention will be explained in conjunction with illustrative embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing, in which
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of a golf club head formed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the club head of FIG. 1 showing the slot behind the striking face;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which the striking plate of the club of FIGS. 1 and 2 is secured;
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of a club head made in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view, partially broken away, of a modification of the club of FIG. 4 which includes a resilient filler material in the bottom portion of the slot;
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of still another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the club head of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an end elevational view taken along the line 9--9 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view taken along the line 10--10 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary bottom plan view taken along the line 11--11 of FIG. 8;
FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 12--12 of FIG. 7; and
FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 11 of a modified embodiment of the club head of FIGS. 7-12.
Tests have shown that a surface capable of flexing elastically during impact with a golf ball can produce higher ball velocities than a relatively rigid surface. With conventional clubs employing rigid club heads, the energy of impact is dissipated in random directions. In the new club head, the impact energy is stored as strain energy throughout the deflected face plate area. The stored energy is then returned to the ball as the ball leaves the face plate, which occurs about 1/2 millisecond after impact. The load is concentrated at the impact area and reacted at the supports, and the face plate acts as a deflectable beam. Consequently, more of the energy of impact is stored in a way that it can be returned to the ball than in conventional club heads.
With the club head of the present invention, the flexing of the face plate not only increases the amount of energy which is returned to the ball but also increases the duration of impact. This means not only a higher velocity for the ball but a higher trajectory. The higher trajectory is the result of the increased velocity of the spinning ball and the higher launch angle caused by the ball staying on the club face longer. As the club swings down and then up, the effective loft of the club and therefore the launch angle increases.
I have found that merely recognizing that a flexible and resilient striking surface will transfer more energy to a ball than a rigid striking surface is not enough to provide a satisfactory golf club. For example, the golf club described in British Pat. No. 379,032 is said to have a resilient striking face. However, to my knowledge this design was never commercialized, or if it was commercialized, the design has been abandoned. Many other factors in addition to the flexibility of the striking plate have an effect on the velocity which is imparted to the ball and the direction in which the ball is hit, and all of these factors should be optimized in order to achieve maximum performance.
The dimensions of the striking plate must be such that the striking plate will deflect significantly in order to store a substantial amount of energy. However, the material of the plate must be strong enough to support the impact force so that the plate does not fail. The frequency of vibration of the plate must also be considered. If the frequency of vibration is too high, the plate is too stiff and does not deflect enough to store the desired amount of energy. If the frequency of vibration is too low, two problems can arise: balls hit offcenter on the plate may be directed away from the intended line of flight; and the plate might continue to vibrate after the ball leaves. The energy which remains in the plate in the form of vibration is not transferred to the ball and is therefore lost.
I have found that for a conventional profile club a plate made of metal having a tensile strength of 150,000 psi and a thickness such that a direct center hit of a golf ball will cause a deflection of about 1/64 inch produces excellent results. Such a plate is thick enough to support the impact load of the ball and has a frequency of vibration which is high enough to prevent significant loss of accuracy on offcenter hits. Since the impact load on a club varies with the number of the club, i.e., the impact load on a 2 iron is greater than the impact load on a 9 iron, the thickness of the plate of each iron should be different in order to provide the desired amount of deflection.
The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated in FIGS. 7-13, is an investment cast iron. The material which is commonly used for investment cast irons is 17-4 stainless steel. However, this material has a tensile strength of only about 100,000 psi. If conventional 17-4 stainless steel is used to make the striking plate, the thickness of the plate which would be required to support the impact load would make the plate too stiff. In other words, the plate would not deflect enough to store a significant amount of energy for transfer to the ball. If the plate were made thin enough to deflect significantly, it would be too weak to support the impact load. Although materials are available which have a tensile strength of 150,000 psi, these materials are not satisfactory for casting golf club heads because they do not have satisfactory corrosion resistance or are too expensive.
I have solved this problem by first casting the club head from 17-4 stainless steel and then increasing the tensile strength of the metal to 150,000 psi by solution annealing and age hardening. This technique is well-known in the aerospace industry and need not be described in detail here, but to my knowledge the procedure has not heretofore been used for making golf clubs.
Turning now to the specific embodiments shown in the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is illustrated a conventional profile iron-type club 10 having a sole portion 11, a toe portion 12, and a hosel 13 rigidly securing the club head to a shaft 14. In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, there is provided a face plate 15 having grooves 15a formed therein. The interior of the body of the club head is milled away to provide a stepped configuration including a shoulder 16 (FIG. 3) and a chamfered portion 17. The grooved face plate 15 is seated against the shoulder 16 (and a similar shoulder 18 at the opposite side of the club head) to provide a slot 19 into which the face plate 15 can flex. The face plate 15 is secured to the body of the club head by means of weld deposits 20. The face plate 15, the weld deposits 20 and the remainder of the club head provide a flush striking surface for the ball as shown in FIG. 3.
The improvements of the present invention are, of course, applicable to any type of iron club. In loft, for example, they may extend from about 18� in a No. 1 iron, up to 50� or so in the case of a pitching wedge. In FIG. 1, the dimensions A and B refer to the slot height at the toe of the club and at the heel of the club, respectively. Typical values, in inches, for the dimensions A and B are given below:
______________________________________Club Head No. A.in. B.in.______________________________________1 1.720 0.8752 1.781 0.9063 1.875 0.9384 1.938 1.0005 2.000 1.0316 2.094 1.0947 2.188 1.1888 2.250 1.2509 2.250 1.313PW 2.344 1.313______________________________________
In the club heads mentioned above, the width of the face plate was 2.375 inches, and the slot had a depth of 0.063 inch.
The thickness of the striking face, i.e., the metal ahead of the slot, is in the range from about 0.1 inch for the pithcing wedge to about 0.125 inch for the No. 1 iron. This metal thickness can be reduced, if desired, for ladies' clubs so that for a lower applied force, the same stress levels will exist in the face plate as for men's clubs.
The objective in varying the face thickness with the loft and length of the club is to produce faces in each club in the set which work to the same nominal stress level, even though the impact force varies with each club.
The face plate must be thick enough to support the impact load. Consequently, I prefer to use tough material such as 17-4 stainless steel heat treated to a minimum hardness of 40 on the Rockwell "C" scale. To achieve this type of hardness, the stainless steel may be solution annealed and age-hardened in accordance with conventional stainless steel metallurgy.
The minimum yield strength should be at least 150,000 psi (1034 MPa). This value too, can be achieved by conventional heat treatment techniques for stainless steels.
FIG. 4 of the drawings illustrates another form of the invention utilizing a club head 21 which includes an integral striking plate 22, the plate being separated from the remainder of the body of the club head by means of a slot 23. An elongated hole 24 is provided in the back of the club head and communicates with the slot 23. The type of club shown in FIG. 4 can be readily made by conventional investment casting procedures wherein a wax or plastic pattern of the club head is made. Repeated dips of the pattern into refractory containing suspensions, followed by drying, produces a shell about the pattern. After casting of the metal into the casting cavity, the shell may be removed by conventional investment casting techniques. The hole 24 permits the investment material to easily fill the slot in the wax pattern.
In the case of either the investment cast club head or the club head in which a face plate is welded on, the slot preferably has a depth in the range from about 0.04 to about 0.10 inch (0.1 to 0.25 centimeters).
A modified form of the invention is also shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings. This drawing shows an integral iron club head 25 as shown in FIG. 4 and having a toe portion 26 and a sole portion 27. An integral face plate portion 28 provides a slot 29 between the back of the face plate portion 28 and the body of the club head. A resilient strip 30 composed of rubber or the like is inserted in the bottom of the slot 29 in the sole portion to prevent grass or dirt from finding its way into the interior of the club. The strip 30 may extend from the sole portion up to about the first groove in the face plate. The strip 30 may be composed of a soft resilient material such as foam rubber or foamed resins which are insufficiently rigid to affect the rebound characteristics of the face plate portion. The addition of the strip also tends to deaden any ringing sound which can be produced when a ball is hit off center with this type of iron.
In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 5, I provide an integrally cast hosel 31 and a face plate portion 32. At the back of the face plate portion 32 there is a locating pin 33 which is snugly received within a blind ended bore 34 provided in a separate back piece 35. The back piece 35 has shoulders 36 and 37 which abut against the back of the face plate portion 32 to define a slot therebetween, the back piece 35 being secured to the face plate portion 32 by brazing or welding.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7-12. The club head 40 is integrally cast by the conventional investment casting technique and includes a toe portion 41, heel portion 42 from which a hosel 43 extends, and a sole portion 44. The front or striking face 45 of the club has upper and lower edges 46 and 47 and is provided with grooves 48.
A slot 49 (FIGS. 10-12) extends through the body of the club head from the upper edge 46 to the lower edge 47 behind the striking face to form a striking plate 50. The end edges 51 and 52 of the slot extend perpendicularly to the grooves 48 in the club face (see FIG. 7) and are spaced slightly outwardly from the ends of the grooves. The striking plate is supported only at the end edges 51 and 52 and is essentially a trapezoidally shaped beam supported at its parallel ends.
The rear surface 53 of the club is recessed at 54 (FIG. 8) behind the slot so that more of the weight of the club can be positioned below the center of gravity of the club and around the perimeter of the club. The upper edge 55 of the recess extends parallel to the upper edge 46 of the striking face, and the end edges 56 and 57 of the recess are aligned with the end edges of the slot. A plurality of grooves 58 extend downwardly from the upper edge 55 of the recess parallel to the end edges of the slot. The purpose of the grooves 58 is to provide reinforcing ribs on the portion of the ceramic shell formed during the investment casting procedure which occupies the slot 49.
A filler plug 60 closes the bottom of the slot to keep the slot free of dirt and to prevent ringing caused by high frequency vibration of the striking plate on offcenter hits. Polyurethane having a maximum Shore durometer of 85 has proved to be particularly advantageous. The deformability and the height of the filler plug are such that the plug does not interfere with the flexibility of the striking plate. The height of the plug is about 3/16 inch at the center of the slot and about 1/16 inch at the ends of the slot.
The club head 40 is cast from 17-4 stainless steel, and after casting the club head is solution-annealed and age-hardened to increase its tensile strength to at least 150,000 psi. The solution-annealing and age-hardening process is performed in accordance with Aerospace Material Specification AMS 5355B published by the Socieity of Automotive Engineers, Inc. Briefly, the club head is heated either under vacuum or in a controlled gas atmosphere to a temperature of 1900��25� F. The club head is held at this temperature in accordance with the specification and then cooled at a controlled rate. Thereafter, the loft and lie of the head is adjusted by bending the body of the club head relative to the hosel. The club head is then precipitation age-hardened at 925��25� F. for at least 90 minutes and then air cooled.
As described previously, the thickness of the striking plate is selected so that the plate of each iron will deflect about 1/64 inch under the impact force that is likely to be exerted on the striking plate when the ball is struck during normal play. The impact force is a function of club head speed, club head weight, and ball weight, and the component of the impact force which deflects the striking plate decreases as the number of the iron increases because of the increasing loft and the decreasing club head speed. The average impact force P can be calculated by the formula: ##EQU1## where Wb =weight of ball
Wc =weight of club head
Vc =velocity of club head
e=coefficient of restitution (This is a measure of the rebound efficiency of the ball off the face of the club and is a joint property of the ball and club. Its value is about 0.8.)
g=acceleration of gravity
t=impact duration
The velocity of the club head is a function of the length of the club, which decreases as the number of the iron increases, and the angular velocity of the club generated by the player. The club should be designed to withstand the impact force created by swinging the club head at the greatest speed which is likely to be caused by the longest hitters.
The force F which deflects the striking plate is the component of the impact force which is exerted in a direction normal to the plate:
F=P cos θ
where θ is the angle of loft of the club (see FIG. 9).
The deflection of the striking plate is a function of the thickness and shape of the plate as well as the impact force and other factors. The deflection can be calculated from standard formulas for a beam having both ends fixed with a partial uniform load applied, e.g., Roark, "Formulas For Stress And Strain," McGraw-Hill Book Co. (1965) p. 112.
The maximum bending moment in the plate occurs at the edges of the slot, and the thickness of the striking plate must be at least sufficient to withstand this stress. The minimum thickness t is: ##EQU2## where M=bending moment at the edge
e=effective beam width
fb =maximum stress that the material can withstand, which is the tensile strength of the material
M can be calculated using formulas from Roark, p. 112.
Following the foregoing principles, a complete set of irons made in accordance with the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 7-12 has the following dimensions:
______________________________________No. of Thickness of StrikingIron Loft A(Inches) B(Inches) Plate (Inches)______________________________________2 20� 1.800 0.938 0.1333 23� 1.862 0.969 0.1304 26� 1.942 1.000 0.1285 30� 1.986 1.031 0.1256 34� 2.048 1.062 0.1227 38� 2.110 1.093 0.1188 42� 2.218 1.180 0.1149 46� 2.250 1.211 0.109PW 50� 2.281 1.242 0.105______________________________________
where Loft is the angle θ in FIG. 9, A is the height of the striking plate at the edge 51 of the slot, and B is the height of the striking plate at the edge 52 of the slot. The length of the striking plate, i.e., the dimension between the end edges 51 and 52 of the slot, is 2.312 inches for each club. The depth of the slot is 0.090 inch for each club.
Each plate is thick enough to withstand the maximum stresses that are likely to be encountered during normal play yet thin enough to permit a deflection of about 1/64 inch when the club is swung by a strong hitter. Further, the frequency of vibration of each plate is within a range of about 2500 cycles per second to about 4000 cycles per second. If the frequency of vibration of the plate is below about 2500 cps, there is a tendency for balls to be dispersed on either side of the intended line of flight when the balls are hit away from the center of the plate. If the frequency of vibration of the plate is below about 600 cps, there is a possibility that the plate will vibrate after the ball leaves the striking face, and the energy of vibration will be lost. As the frequency of vibration begins to exceed about 4000 cps, the plate becomes too stiff and will not deflect sufficiently. Accordingly, the frequency of vibration of the plate should be within the range of about 2500 to about 4000 cps. Within this range the elastically deformable ball and the elastically deformable plate work in phase with each other, and the ball will dampen the rebound of the plate so that the plate will not vibrate after the ball leaves the striking surface.
The amount of deflection of the striking plate and therefore the amount of stored energy that can be transferred to the ball depends upon how fact the club is moving when it hits the ball. Long hitters who generate substantial club head speed, e.g., 137 feet per second for a 5 iron, will therefore cause the plate to deflect more than short hitters. However, I have found that the invention provides an advantage even for short hitters who do not generate as much club head speed. The striking plate will still be deflected and will increase the velocity of the ball, and the short hitter will get about the same percentage increase in distance as a long hitter. If desired, the clubs could be sold in sets which are specifically designed for long hitters, short hitters, etc. The thickness of the striking plates of the clubs intended for short hitters would be thinner so that the plates would be deflected about 1/64 inch when swung by the average short hitter.
FIG. 13 illustrates a modified embodiment in which the thickness of the striking plate 150 is greater at the edges 151 and 152 of the slot 149 than at the middle. The maximum bending moment in the striking plate occurs at the edges of the slot, and the bending moement at the center of the plate is less (see Roark, p. 112). The thickness of the plate can therefore be reduced at the center to permit greater deflection, and there will still be enough material to withstand the impact force of a center hit. The thicker end portions of the plate also reduce the possibility that offcenter hits will be dispersed from the intended line of flight. I have found that clubs made in accordance with the invention not only provide greater distance than conventional clubs but do so without loss of accuracy. In fact, the invention permits the accuracy of the club to be increased.
As used herein, the term "accuracy" refers to the amount that balls are dispersed from the intended line of flight when the balls are hit offcenter either toward the heel or toward the toe of the club. With a conventional club, balls hit on the toe are dispersed to the right of the intended line of flight, and balls hit on the heel are dispersed to the left. The amount of dispersion over a statistically significant number of hits is a function of the moment of inertia of the club head about its center of gravity. The higher the moment of inertia (or radius of gyration), the less the club head tends to rotate during impact and the straighter the ball flies.
When a ball is hit by the striking plate of a club formed in accordance with the invention at a point spaced away from the center toward the toe of the club, the striking plate will be deflected in a curved configuration, with the maximum amount of deflection occurring at about the center of the striking plate, i.e., approximately midway between the edge supports for the plate. It is believed that the curve in the plate causes the ball to roll toward the center of the plate, thereby imparting a hook spin to the ball which causes the ball to curve from right to left toward the intended line of flight. By adjusting the thickness of the plate and therefore its deflection, the amount of hook spin on toe hits can be controlled so that the ball will land substantially on the intended line of flight.
Similarly, a ball hit by the striking plate toward the heel of the plate will have a tendency to roll toward the center of the plate and will pick up a slice spin. The slicing action can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of the plate so that the ball curves from left to right and lands substantially on the intended line of flight.
If the striking plate is too thin, excessive hook spin will be imparted to the ball on a toe hit, and the ball will actually curve across the intended line of flight. Similarly, excessive slice spin will be imparted to a ball hit on the heel, and the ball will curve from left to right across the intended line of flight.
If the striking plate is made too thick, not enough corrective spin will be applied to the ball to bring the ball back to the intended line of flight. A toe hit will remain on the right side of the intended line of flight, and a heel hit will remain on the left side of the intended line of flight.
I have found that the thicknesses of the striking plates for the complete set of irons previously described with respect to FIGS. 7-12 provide good dispersion characteristics.
While in the foregoing specification a detailed description of specific embodiments was set forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that many of the details hereingiven may be varied considerably by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Patent Citations
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UN Peacekeepers Detained Near Israel/Syria Border
Nearly two dozen U.N. peacekeepers have been detained near the Golan Heights, with some reports pinning responsibility on Syrian rebels.
FOX News Radio's Emily Wither reports from Jerusalem:
Audio clip:
The U.N. says about 20 peacekeepers have been detained by around 30 armed fighters. They were kidnapped near the Golan Heights, where the forces monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Syria. A video posted online…
(Sound from Video)
…Shows a rebel group saying they'll release the hostages once government forces withdraw from a nearby village. The kidnapping comes as the Arab League hands the Syrian opposition the country's seats at the organization, and says that Arab states are free to offer military support to the rebels.
In Jerusalem, Emily Wither, FOX News Radio.


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NYC Parks Events Calendar
Get up, get out, and do something! Just about any day of the year, you can find something fun, informative, and healthy to enjoy at an area park. Feel free to browse the listings below, or use the search tools to find an event that matches your interests and location.
Viewing 2,351–2,360 out of 3,197 events
from March 31, 2015 to April 25, 2026
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Learn To Draw
at Poe Park Visitor Center (in Poe Park), Bronx
1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Learn the basics of still life pencil drawing, including volume, tone, value and sketching. (Ages 10-adults).
Category: Arts & Crafts, Education
Friday, November 20, 2015
Shape Up NYC: Cardio Toning
at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
An exercise class focusing on your core through a combination of strength, balance and toning exercises.
Category: Fitness
Seasonal Crafts
at Poe Park Visitor Center (in Poe Park), Bronx
2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Make seasonal and holiday arts & crafts items to take home.
Category: Arts & Crafts, Kids
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Van Cortlandt Track Club
at Van Cortlandt Stadium (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.
Van Cortlandt Track Club runs through and around the Yonkers-Bronx border in small groups. For local running tips, visit vctc.org.
Category: Fitness, Sports, Outdoor Fitness
ESL Beginners Class
at Poe Park Visitor Center (in Poe Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
Spanish-speaking adults will learn the basic structure of English from an ESL instructor.
Category: Education
Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza
at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
At what other market can you do all your food shopping, sample local wine and explore Brooklyn's favorite park?
Category: Markets
Shape Up NYC Zumba
at Poe Park Visitor Center (in Poe Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Combining Latin, international and popular music with dance moves that create an aerobic workout. This class features a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt…
Category: Fitness
Arts, Crafts, and Game Day with Princess for Lifetime
at Poe Park Visitor Center (in Poe Park), Bronx
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Participants will enjoy arts and crafts, as well as games and activities using sand art, paper crafts, and more.
Category: Arts & Crafts, Games, Kids
Arts & Crafts and Games for Kids
at Poe Park Visitor Center (in Poe Park), Bronx
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Participants will enjoy arts & crafts, sand art, and different games. Appropriate for ages 5 and up.
Category: Arts & Crafts, Kids
ESL Advanced Class
at Poe Park Visitor Center (in Poe Park), Bronx
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
The focus of this class will be on sharpening English language speaking, reading comprehension, and writing for Spanish-speaking adults.
Category: Education
Pages:< Prev1…233234235236237238239…320Next >
Related Information
- Get information on upcoming events directly in your inbox by signing up for our Email Newsletters.
- Know about an event that's not on the calendar? Send us a tip!
- Planning an event and considering hosting it in a park? Make sure to read our Planning an Event page.


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Burstpoppies take the concept of alternative electronica. Produce music in their own bedroom, using laptop and toys equipment to create a simple electronic sounds good. chek BurstPoppies blog here >>> [http://burstpoppies.blogspot.com/]
structure burstpoppies as :
zall > effect | loops controler {penjaga gawang}
bebeh > vocal | op lepy eq {gelandang tengah}


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Not your average middle-aged, pseudo-intellectual hipster dufus. A personal blogger since 2004, and hockey blogger since 2009 (covering the Nashville Predators). On the personal side,…
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SBA proposes revisions to employee-based size standards for manufacturing and other industry sectors
September 11, 2014 by cs
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has published two proposed rules to revise small business size standards in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Sector 31-33 (Manufacturing) and industries with employee-based size standards that are not a part of NAICS Sector 31-33, Sector 42 (Wholesale Trade), and Sector 44-45 (Retail Trade). The proposed rules were published in the Federal Register on Sept. 10, 2014.
As part of its comprehensive size standards review required by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, the SBA evaluated employee-based size standards for all 364 industries in NAICS Sector 31-33 and 57 industries and five exceptions that are not in NAICS Sectors 31-33, 42, or 44‑45 to determine whether they should be retained or revised.
In the first rule, SBA proposes to increase size standards for 209 industries in Sector 31-33. The SBA also proposes to increase the refining capacity component of the Petroleum Refiners (NAICS 324110) size standard to 200,000 barrels per calendar day total capacity for businesses that are primarily engaged in petroleum refining. The proposed rule also eliminates the requirement that 90 percent of a refiner's output being delivered should be refined by the bidder.
In the second rule, SBA proposes to increase the employee-based size standards for 30 industries and three exceptions and decrease them for three industries that are not in Sectors 31-33, 42, or 44‑45.
Additionally, SBA proposes to remove the Information Technology Value Added Resellers exception under NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services) together with its 150-employee-based size standard. Similarly, SBA also proposes to eliminate the Offshore Marine Air Transportation Services exception under NAICS 481211 and 481212 and Offshore Marine Services exception under NAICS Subsector 483 and their $30.5 million receipts based size standard. Accordingly, the second proposed rule also removes Footnotes 15 and 18 from the table of size standards.
If the changes in the two rules are adopted as proposed, nearly 1,650 more firms will become small and eligible for federal procurement and SBA's loan programs.
Comments can be submitted on the proposed rules on or before November 10, 2014 at www.regulations.gov, identified by the following RIN numbers: (RIN 3245-AG50 for Sector 31‑33) and (RIN 3245-AG51 for employee-based size standards for industries that are not part of Sector 31-33, Sector 42 or Sector 44-45). You may also mail comments to Khem R. Sharma, Chief, Office of Size Standards, 409 3rd St., SW, Mail Code 6530, Washington, DC 20416.
For size standards review, SBA takes into account the structural characteristics of individual industries, including average firm size, startup cost and entry barriers, the degree of competition, and small business share of federal government contracting dollars. This ensures that small business size definitions reflect current economic conditions and federal marketplace in those industries.
An SBA-issued White Paper entitled, "Size Standards Methodology," which explains how SBA establishes, reviews and modifies its receipts-based and employee-based small business size standards, can be viewed at http://www.sba.gov/size.
For more information about SBA's revisions to its small business size standards for various industry sectors, click on "What's New with Size Standards" on SBA's Web site at http://www.sba.gov/size.
GSA Schedule sales of Chinese products result In $2.3 million false claims settlement
September 10, 2014 by cs
Sales of Chinese products off the GSA Schedule has resulted in a $2.3 million False Claims Act settlement.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. has agreed to the settlement to resolve allegations that Samsung informed GSA Schedule resellers that certain products were manufactured in "designated countries" under the Trade Agreements Act, when in fact those products were manufactured in China.
GSA Schedule contracts require that vendors certify that their products comply with the Trade Agreements Act. The TAA, in turn, generally requires that the government buy products manufactured in the United States or in a "designated country" with which the United States has a trade agreement. Many countries are designated countries under the TAA, but China is not a designated country.
Samsung has designated resellers who hold GSA Schedule contracts. Samsung certifies to its resellers that its products are TAA compliant, and those resellers then offer the products for sale off their Schedule contracts.
Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/debarment-and-penalties/gsa-schedule-sales-of-chinese-products-result-in-2-3-million-false-claims-settlement/
Subcontractor's owner sentenced in Davis-Bacon fraud case
September 8, 2014 by cs
Davis-Bacon Act fraud has resulted in a criminal sentence for the owner of a now-defunct construction subcontractor.
According to a Department of Justice press release, the subcontractor's owner has been sentenced to four years of probation (including 18 months of home confinement) and ordered to pay $164,627 in restitution, after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to pay employees less than prevailing wages on a federal construction project in Boston.
Isreb operated Taunton Forms, a construction company based in Massachusetts. In 2006, Suffolk Construction was awarded a GSA prime contract to renovate a federal building in Boston. Suffolk entered into a subcontract with Taunton Forms to perform certain concrete work on the project. Suffolk ultimately paid Taunton Forms more than $1 million under the subcontract.
Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/debarment-and-penalties/davis-bacon-act-fraud-subcontractors-owner-sentenced/
Family relationship, revenues and subcontracts caused affiliation, says SBA
September 5, 2014 by cs
A small business was affiliated with companies owned by the business owner's father and siblings, based on the family relationship and the companies' ongoing history of doing business together.
In a recent size appeal decision, the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals held that the small business had not successfully rebutted the regulatory presumption that companies owned by close family members are affiliated, because the small business had earned substantial revenues from the alleged affiliates, and intended to issue a subcontract to both affiliates with respect to the procurement at issue.
SBA OHA's decision in Size Appeal of Industrial Support Service, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5576 (2014) involved an Army Corps of Engineers solicitation seeking a contractor to provide certain repair work. The solicitation was issued as a small business set-aside under NAICS code 238290 (Other Building Equipment Contractors).
Keep reading this article at: http://smallgovcon.com/sbaohadecisions/family-relationship-plus-revenues-subcontracts-caused-affiliation-says-sba-oha/
GSA changes plans, will keep service Schedules open after all
September 2, 2014 by cs
The General Services Administration has figured out a way not to have to temporarily close down its services schedules to new offerors after all.
After Federal News Radio reported the Federal Acquisition Service's plans to suspend the services schedules to new vendors while it put the pieces in place to give the program a facelift, Tiffany Hixson, FAS's professional services category executive, said her team has now figured out a way to run both the current schedules and the new consolidated schedule at the same time.
"Since the last time we talked, my team really has been looking at the challenge of closing the schedules even for a short period of time. Industry had quite a few concerns with that part of our acquisition strategy," Hixson said in a follow-up interview Thursday. "So what we decided to do is open the new professional services schedule at the same time that we are going to be transitioning our existing schedules to our new contract environment. So instead of working our process in serial fashion, we are going to be doing that in parallel fashion and that takes care of the problem. So we do not have to close the schedules, which is a big win for us and also for industry."
Keep reading this article at: http://www.federalnewsradio.com/65/3690349/GSA-suspends-adding-new-vendors-to-services-schedules-
State, local government IT spending increase is an opportunity for contractors
August 29, 2014 by cs
State and local government spending on information goods and services is projected to grow at a 3.3 percent rate between now and 2019, increasing to $70 billion from $60.4 billion over that period. This would mark the third consecutive annual forecast of better than 3 percent growth.
However, government contractors looking to make the most of this market may want to pick and choose their business development targets.
State governments are likely to be the most robust consumers in the market. Deltek's research into state budgets found that state-level IT spending grew almost 5 percent over the past year, and will likely continue at this rate or better over the next few years.
Keep reading this article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/deltek-state-local-government-it-spending-increase-is-an-opportunity-for-contractors/2014/08/22/4f6f0834-288d-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html
DOL proposes rule to collect compensation data from federal contractors
August 28, 2014 by cs
On August 6, 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed rule that would require most federal contractors and subcontractors annually to submit Equal Pay Reports on employee compensation to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The aim of the proposed rule is to collect summary data on how federal contractors and subcontractors pay their employees, with an eye toward identifying potential gender-based and race-based pay disparities. This marks a significant change in compliance requirements for the federal contractor community because until now, federal contractors were required to disclose compensation data only in OFCCP compliance reviews.
The Equal Pay Report rule comes after President Obama issued a presidential memorandum on April 8, 2014, instructing the Secretary of Labor to propose a rule to collect summary compensation data from federal contractors and subcontractors. The proposed rule would require contractors to provide compensation information for their workforce broken down by sex, race, ethnicity and specified job categories. The rule was published in the Federal Register on August 8, 2014, and all comments must be received by November 6, 2014. After consideration of public comments, the DOL is anticipated to issue a final rule in the first half of 2015.
Keep reading this article at: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=334810
How many big contractors are actually posing as small businesses?
August 25, 2014 by cs
In the sixth of its annual studies, a small business advocacy group has again blasted the government for allegedly awarding contracts to major corporations when policy intends for them to go to legitimate small businesses. The Small Business Administration offered other possible explanations for the apparent discrepancies.
The Petaluma, Calif.-based American Small Business League's new study of fiscal 2013 procurement data concluded that of the top 100 companies receiving the highest-valued small business federal contracts, "79 were large companies that exceeded the SBA's small business size standards, five were anomalous and 16 were legitimate small businesses."
The group's annual studies also show that the number of top-100 contracting companies that are large firms has risen steadily, from 60 in fiscal 2009 to 84 in fiscal 2013.
The large corporations that received the contracts in question in fiscal 2013 included Lockheed Martin Corp., General Dynamics Corp., Boeing Co., General Electric, Oracle Corp., Apple Inc., Verizon, Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., PepsiCo, Comcast Corp., Intel Corp., John Deere Co. and many more, said the league, which published brief company-by-company profiles.
Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/contracting/2014/08/how-many-big-contractors-are-actually-posing-small-businesses/91694
GSA applying its IT model to overhaul of services schedules
August 22, 2014 by cs
The General Services Administration (GSA) wants to make it easier for agencies to buy professional, management, technology and a host of other kinds of services from the schedule contracts. To that end, GSA will consolidate seven different professional services contracts into what could end up being one mega- schedule.
Tiffany Hixson, GSA's Federal Acquisition Service's professional services category executive, said the goal is to consolidate the schedules of as many as 500 vendors by November 2015.
"We are really hoping that will make it much easier for federal contracting officers to get those services, in particular where we have a requirement that covers a number of services areas. So instead of having to compete those services across a number of schedules, they will just be able to go to one," Hixson said in an exclusive interview with Federal News Radio. "We think that will make it a lot more user friendly from a contracting officer perspective. Additionally, we will be able to reduce our administrative overhead, and for our contractors, it will reduce the cost of administering the number of schedules that we've got in the professional services area."
Keep reading this article at: http://www.federalnewsradio.com/446/3685243/GSA-applying-its-IT-model-to-overhaul-of-services-schedules
GSA and Air Force partner to look at savings in GSA contracts
August 21, 2014 by cs
The General Services Administration and the Air Force established a working group to help identify ways to save money on enterprise-wide contracts, an Aug. 18 GSA blog post says.
The working group will look into which GSA contracts the Air Force can use to cut costs, but still complete its mission, the blog post says.
Those GSA contracting vehicles include strategic sourcing initiatives, reverse auctions, the Global Supply Special Order Program and its One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services contracts.
Keep reading this article at: http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/gsa-and-air-force-partner-look-savings-gsa-contracts/2014-08-20


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Respond to Review of Vega Fair Food
by swedenrose3
Review: Found Vega while looking for another vegetarian restaurant. After looking 30 minutes, we went back to Vega shortly after it opened for the day. We are so glad we did! The food was really yummy and the concept was good. We enjoyed most of the dishes on the buffet. The chutney is top notch! In an expensive food city like Oslo, it is great to find a reasonably priced place that hits the mark!
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China Continues Recovery, Rebuilding Effort
One month ago, a 7.9 magnitude quake struck China's Sichuan Province, killing at least 69,000 people. Some 18,000 are still missing. While there was praise for China's initial response, now the longer, harder part of rebuilding is slowing: Long-term housing is needed, with 5 million people homeless.
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8 year old twins Cassandra and Emily agreed to sing-along with SpongeBob in the chromakey "green screen" video.
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10Base5The original cabling standard for Ethernet that uses coaxial cables. The name derives from the fact that the maximum data transfer speed is 10 Mbps, it uses baseband transmission, and the maximum length of cables is 500 meters.
10Base5 is also called thick Ethernet, ThickWire, and ThickNet.
Also see the Ethernet Designations chart in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia.
Perceptual computing is the ability for a computer to recognize what is going on around it. More specifically, the computer can perceive the... Read More »Apple Pay Promises to Strengthen Payment Security
Experts believe that Apple Pay and other competitive payment systems will be far more secure than cards, even cards equipped with EMV chips. Read More »The Great Data Storage Debate: Is Tape Dead?
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