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...building hybrid clouds that can support any device from anywhere
With automation getting an increasing focus in our stack and datacenter /cloud discussions, we figured it could be interesting to take a step back and look at some of the use cases for automation, which apply to any automation engine, but happen to be easier to create and maintain with the Microsoft automation stack Beyond words, this blog post series will feature sample Runbooks to showcase what we are really talking about – and some of these are being made available as part of a download on TechNet Gallery.
Before diving in, I guess it's also important to set expectations : This post series should mainly benefit to those of you who are starting their automation journey and are wondering about use cases which may benefit their organization. If you're a seasoned Orchestrator user, you will probably not learn a lot from this series, except maybe a few tips and tricks along the way.
While not the main focus of this blog post, it might be worth mentioning some of the reasons why you would want to automate tasks. Who knows, your CIO might be asking you what the fuss is all about and what the benefits would be. So, in general, automation achieves the following:
- Integrate silo'ed environments and processes together, leading to more agility, service delivery performance and reliability
- Automate recurring manual tasks : This helps minimize costs, lets operations teams focus on more valuable – and sometimes more interesting! – tasks, and reduces error-prone manual activities
- Standardize and document processes : The combination of technology integration and manual tasks reduction helps standardize processes, and enhances service delivery predictability
Yes, I know, definitely a lot of big words in only three sentences…So let's go through a few uses cases, to see which ones may resonate better in your specific situation.
And, remember : At the end of the day, the goal will not be to automate everything. If you look at a classic 80%/20% rule where a small recurring set of tasks tend to add the most churn or work, what you will want to do is identify a handful of items worth automating, and start from there. It then becomes a virtuous circle where the time you freed can be used to focus on get other things done…or automate more stuff !
Through this 5-part series, each post will cover a specific use case. A purely subjective categorization is below, as shown in the Orchestrator console.
Full table of content for this series follows:
Most Runbooks presented in this series are being made available as part of this download.
Note : These Runbooks should be mostly considered "design samples" as they are here to illustrate the use cases. More specifically:
Today, this post #1 will be about the "Alert Remediation" use case, where automation is used to monitor specific situations, and react automatically. The logic being : "If someone will go through a predefined set of steps to try to solve the issue, and moreover if this happens a lot and consumes a fair amount of time or manpower, you might as well try to automate it". Even if only a few steps of a decision tree can be automated before a human being looks at the data and takes an informed decision, automating might be worth it. Two use cases will be covered to illustrate this : A classic free space issue on application servers, and dealing with Active Directory machine authentication failures from a central location.
Note – This Runbook sample can be downloaded here
Let's take an example, where managing disk space takes a lot of time on a specific set of application servers. When a disk is low on space, resolution steps might be well documented for the operations team (often in a document that is, well, ironically, sometimes called a "runbook"!).
Transposing such a process in an automation solution like Orchestrator is quite easy, and would look like this in the designer, as an Orchestrator Runbook:
Going into the basic of designing Runbooks is not the core of this post, but the different building blocks are called "activities", and all the ones used here come either out of the box ("standard activities") or as a download off the Microsoft website (to integrate with other System Center components for example).
In this example, disk free space is being monitored using System Center 2012 Operations Manager. Since Operations Manager is a central monitoring solution, the nice thing here is that Orchestrator is just polling the Operations Manager server and not every agents in the environment. The pattern to look for in Operations Manager alerts can easily be defined in the activity properties, and knowing which alert name to enter can be achieved by looking at an actual alert in Operations Manager.
The "Delete Files" activity would be reaching out to an affected servers, to delete specific files, with an optional "age filter". In this Runbook, the path on the remote machine is found in a variable, but could be hardcoded or queried in an application configuration item in a CMDB…
Skipping a few activities - since there is a lot to cover in this post! – you can see that, when the Runbook is able to restore free space over the threshold, it can also close the original alert.
This step is actually optional in the case of Operations Manager, since it would auto-resolve it. One benefit of doing it is to add custom data in the alert properties, to provide background information for operations (these field could even be displayed in Operations Manager views – we'll see more of that in the next example)
Finally, automation is also about an end to end process and bringing consistency (I really meant it during the introduction ). So assuming it cannot restore enough free disk space, the Runbook would notify the right team and open a ticket in the right ticketing system. Depending on the solution you use for ticketing and
The Runbook in action:
Assuming a new alert just came up…
…the Runbook waiting for this type of condition processes the new alert, while a new instance is being spawned to wait for future alerts…
When running, this Runbook goes through this branch…
…and then it resolves the alert
To be fair, this second scenario – Active Directory machine authentication failures – might not be the top candidate I've seen for automation, but looking at what it would like as a Runbook brings a few interesting twists.
The overall Runbook could look something like this:
In a nutshell, the idea would be to monitor authentication failure alerts (event 5805 in the System log on a domain controller) and then execute a "netdom" or "ntlest" command to reset the secure channel (a command your Active Directory administrators are likely already familiar with). The Runbook also checks is the machine is actually online and, if needed, tries to use the iLO integration pack to start it before trying to reset the secure channel. If any of these fail, an incident could be created.
A few notes and tips/tricks along the way:
1. The "Classify Alert" is actually an Operations Manager "Update Alert" activity. It does not play any role in the remediation itself, its goal is just to populate custom fields in the Operations Manager alert.
That way, views in Operations Manager could be used to categorize and delegate access to these alerts (e.g. "listing all open alerts from the last 24 hours, with customfield2 set to "AD" and customfield3 set to "AUTH"). This is a common feature request for Operations Manager, and Orchestrator does a great job in helping to achieve this.
2. PowerShell can be used to parse the output of the previous "ping" command, and pass the right information to the iLO connection. While PowerShell is not mandatory for these activity (you could use a combination of data manipulation activities built into the standard activities or available as community integration packs, PowerShell usually provides a nice way to achieve these items in a single activity with only a couple of script lines. Plus, as you saw, PowerShell is key pillar of our automation story moving forward with Server Management Automation (SMA) moving forward, so I would recommend using PowerShell activities as much as you can (More information on SMA itself can be found in this blog series from my peers Charles and Jim).
3. Just in case you are wondering, yes you can achieve a similar scenario for other hardware than HP. For Dell and IBM hardware, you could use command lines provided by these hardware vendors, and Cisco also provides an integration pack.
4. By the way, regarding the scenario itself, the specific alert to look for was monitored out of the box in previous versions of the Active Directory management pack for Operations Manager, but the rule has been deprecated and changed to a report collection rule. But you could easily add back a custom rule to look at events 5805 if you want to achieve this.
Thanks for reading this post, I hope you found it useful! Next time, post #2 will cover how automation can help with maintenance tasks, triggered manually or when an external condition is met. Specific examples I will cover are "advanced" patching (executing pre-flight and post-patching checks, restarting servers in the right order,…) and SQL Server maintenance tasks.
This is awesome! I'm doing some automation via runbooks for provisioning user home directories and de-provisioning user home directories.
would be nice if you could include the runbooks
Hi Jan
Here is the link to the Runbooks (it was in the blog post, although I admit it may not be easy to spot!):
For now, the download includes the "free space remediation" Runbook, but my goal will be to update this download with each new post in the series, to include some Runbooks from the new posts.
Bruno, nice article, one criticism. For alerts generated by a monitor, closing the alert should not be optional, it simply should not be done. You create a blind spot in your monitoring if you do that if you have not truly resolved the issue. You should use Update Alert instead to put a note about what we did in Orchestrator and let the alert auto-resolve itself as it will do anyway by design.
Thanks Pete, great point!
The runbook actually uses the "Update Alert" activity, and you're right that it could leave the alert status unchanged, to leave the alert open and let is auto-resolve as appropriate (rule-generated alerts would not be auto-closed though).
It's all down to the process and how operators want to work with past alerts, and I agree it's important to avoid the "blind spot" situation. One recommendation on that topic might also be to have a set of views showing alerts closed in the last xx hours, that operators can look at in the morning. That way, it is also possible to detect those alerts that were auto-resolved, and possibly not even detected/processed by Orchestrator.
Hi Bruno!
Thnx for these great runbooks!
Know you all ready when you publish the other parts?
Several months passed, where is the other 4 posts ? :-P
Dennis, Jiesheng,
Thanks for the reminder :-) You are right this series was left on the sidelines for a while, but I am starting to work on the other posts, and should release them shortly.


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Programmes > World Climate Programme > Climate applications and services > Global Producing Centres for Long-Range Forecasts
Global Producing Centres for Long-Range Forecasts
In 2006, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) began a process to designate centres making global seasonal forecasts as WMO Global Producing Centres (GPCs) for Long-Range Forecasts. This forms an integral part of the WMO Global Data-Processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS).
Through this designation process, GPCs adhere to certain well-defined standards, aiding the consistency and usability of:
A comprehensive set of standard verification measures has also been defined, and is known as the WMO Standard Verification System for Long-Range Forecasts (SVSLRF).
At minimum, the following are required from GPCs:
WMO Global Producing Centres of Long-Range Forecasts
WMO has officially designated 12 GPCs of Long-Range Forecasts:
In addition to the institutions referenced above, WMO has also designated the following Lead Centres:
Other Major Centres Providing Global Seasonal Forecasts
|© World Meteorological Organization, 7bis, avenue de la Paix, Case postale No. 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland - Tel.: +41(0)22 730 81 11 - Fax: +41(0)22 730 81 81 Contact us

subset: commoncrawl


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Whither Groupon?
Our fabulous social media guru, Anthony DeRosa, doesn't use Groupon, and neither do I, and neither do any of the people in our social circles, that we know of. Now we're guys, while Groupon skews female. And most likely we do know people who use Groupon; we just don't know who they are. But the fact is that at heart it's pretty uncool. That's fine — many hugely successful companies are uncool and based on saving people money, up to and including Walmart. But here's the problem: Groupon can't afford to be uncool just yet, because it needs to do one last big capital-raising round at a high valuation in order to get the cash it's going to burn through in the coming year or two.
Henry Blodget has some smart analysis today, concluding that "if Groupon raises a boatload of money in an IPO, the company will be able to keep spending aggressively on marketing and not have to worry about running out of money or dealing with slower growth for a while." So it's important that Groupon is able to tell its high-growth, high-intrinsic-profitability story at least through its IPO.
But Groupon's web traffic looks like it might be falling, and Connie Loizos has been talking to analysts, including PrivCo's Sam Hamadeh, who increasingly, don't buy it:
Groupon's model simply doesn't make sense, say the number crunchers. While the company's early success was premised on customers spending an average of $15 per month — and being affordable to acquire — these days customers cost Groupon in the double-digit dollars to acquire, says Hamadeh, and they're spending closer to $3 a month, with "every indication" that even that figure is declining, says Hamadeh.
The monthly spend per customer is a key number to look at. There doesn't seem to be any doubt that it's going down; the big question is whether it's going to level off with Groupon becoming a big and sustainably profitable business, or whether it's just going to approach zero.
Or, to put it another way, can Groupon make the transition from being a fun fad to being a basic part of the way people spend money on a monthly basis? I think it can. But in order to do that, it's going to have to concentrate increasingly on targeting and on the quality of the merchants it chooses to feature.


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March 1, 2012: Rip Curl International is ecstatic to announce the re-signing of 2x ASP World Champion Mick Fanning to another 5 years. Per company policy, terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
Hailing from Australia's Gold Coast, Fanning (30) has been a Rip Curl teamrider for over 14 years. From countless Search strikes to our ASP World Tour events, Mick has been an icon for the Brand, and he now enters the next 5 years with energy and enthusiasm for what the future holds.
"Maintaining my relationship with Rip Curl means a lot to me. We've been through so much together since I signed with them when I was just 16," Fanning said.
"Working with Rip Curl has brought me some competitive success," Fanning continued, "and I'm confident that with their support there will be more good times in the future."
Neil Ridgway, Rip Curl Group Advertising and Marketing Chairman, shares the same excitement about the continued relationship, "Mick is our number one guy. He's part of our crew and we love him. There was never any doubt we'd have another five years together. Stoked."
Coming off a lingering neck injury, Fanning is rejuvenated and healthy as he enters the 2012 ASP World Tour season in pursuit of his 3rd ASP World Title.
Aside from competition, some new Rip Curl/MF (Mick Fanning) video projects and product collections are in the works that both parties are excited about.
"The most exciting thing about staying with Rip Curl is some of the projects we have planned together for the future," Fanning stated. "Rip Curl have shared their vision with me and it's something I want to be apart of."
Recent Posts
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KSL - Quick thinking by a Utah sheriff's deputy prevented an unusual situation on Interstate 15 from becoming a tragedy.
The incident was captured on a dashcam video.
Deputy Matt Boucher said he has been involved in some interesting situations while being on the police force.
A few years ago, he rescued a dog after it was thrown from a speeding car by a fleeing suspect.
Still, saving an unconscious driver on August 26 has been one of his most intense experiences.
"I had to react quick, didn't even think, just did what I needed to do," Boucher said.
He had been running radar on Legacy Highway when dispatchers began receiving calls of a reckless driver on I-15.
Boucher headed to the freeway and quickly spotted the slow moving car.
"I could see that the driver was unconscious," he said. "He was slumped over in the driver's seat."
Boucher threw his patrol vehicle in park, bailed out and charged after the out-of-control car.
The car was traveling at about four miles per hour.
When Boucher reached the car, the driver's door was locked, but he was able to reach through the open window and pull the emergency brake to get the car stopped.
After the car had stopped, the driver again regained consciousness, only to immediately pass out again.
Boucher also discovered a 3-year-old girl sleeping in the backseat.
The driver of the car was treated at an area hospital, and the child was reunited with her mother.
Investigators are still not sure what made the man lose consciousness.
Although dangerous, Boucher doesn't regret what he did to stop the car.
"I'd do the same thing without hesitation," he said. "It's our job. It's what we do."


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Go here to see what happened according to Melissa Stavarski of realitytvmagazine… Continue reading
Daryl Black RSS
The X Factor: David Correy, Daryl Black, Tate Stevens, Vino Alan, Diamond White, Beatrice Miller, Carly Rose Sonenclar leave their marks
The X Factor: Dinah Jane Hansen, Arin Ray, Austin Corini, Nick Yougerman, Daryl Black wow judges; Sophie Tweed-Simmons, Gene Simmons' daughter, advances
The X Factor aired some captivating performances on Wednesday night. Here's what I saw and heard: Adonis and John, 33 and 32 – They tried to turn a Lionel Richie song street – it was really bad. Judge Britney Spears … Continue reading


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An Orange County deputy has been relieved of his duties after he was arrested on driving under the influence charges.
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To combat the coming problem, researchers are looking into ways to lower soil erosion while retaining vital organic materials.
"This is a real educational moment," said Singer. "If farmers are going to harvest stover, they have to replace the carbon in the soil."
One promising solution is the idea of planting a ground cover grass between the rows of corn that remains year-round. This grass would not be harvested.
This ground cover, or living mulch, will perform all the functions that corn stover currently does.
"Imagine," says Moore, "a large flat golf course where you've gone through with a tillage instrument and you've tilled-up every 15 inches. That's what it would look like in farmers' fields."
"The value you get for the production system is that you could harvest as much of the corn stover as you want without having any problems with conservation," said Moore.
"There is a lot of ecological sense to this."
The challenges that the researchers are studying include finding which types of grass will not compete with the corn, what type of corn will withstand the competition, and what sort of agronomic practices will work best.
"Corn is not a very competitive species particularly early in the season," said Kendall Lamkey, professor and chair of Iowa State University's agronomy department. "Corn doesn't like to be growing with anything else in the field."
But later in the growing season, corn can be a little more hospitable to having neighbors share its space.
By the time the corn plant is five inches tall, the kernel number on the corn plant is already determined. That is a measure of the plant's potential yield, said Lamkey.
Stress early in the growing season can affect yield greatly, he said.
While this research has just begun, Moore says that this idea is not new.
"Nature does this all the time," he said. "You see prairies that have t
|Contact: Kendall Lamkey
Iowa State University


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It's been 5 years since I've blogged here, and during much of that time, this blog has been offline. There were some reasons for that, namely that the DB got corrupted, and I wasn't motivated at that time to fix it. However, I've got it repaired, and got everything back online.
The motivation for bringing the site back up was the recent news that Harold Camping has been making regarding The Rapture. I would like to provide commentary on what an LDS member thinks of this situation, and what the doctrine of the LDS Church is. Those posts will be coming up in the next few days.
Anyway, for those astute readers who still have my feed in your RSS reader, I'm back!


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The Catholic University for Independent Thinkers
"In the diocese of Dallas we are fortunate to have at our service the University of Dallas School of Ministry." - Most Rev. Kevin Farrell, Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas
A welcome from the dean of the School of Ministry, Dr. Ted Whapham.
The School of Ministry offers practice-oriented programs of theological studies and pastoral ministry including degrees, certificates, conferences, lectures, and continuing education.
SACS, USCCB, and National Certification Standards - learn where SOM meets and exceeds the standards.
Through various collaborative partnerships, the School of Ministry offers courses throughout North Texas and around the nation.
Learn about our acclaimed faculty, known for their serious, academic, and faith-filled work, and the staff that help support our many programs.
School of Ministry students are diverse in age, hometown, religion, and program. Find out more about our unique student population.


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This fund will provide scholarships for students who are the first in their families to attend high school in Caye Caulker, Belize (school is not free in Belize). Ocean Academy, Caye Caulker's first high school (opened in 2008), provides academic and job skills programs that enable children to break free from systemic poverty. Canadian singer/songwriter Danny Michel will visit the scholarship recipients and work alongside the students to repair the most urgent needs of the school building.
What is the issue, problem, or challenge?
In Belize, education is expensive due to school fees, books, and uniforms; most children are forced out of the educational system and are often left with marginal literacy and numeracy skills. They struggle to find low paying jobs. This continues generation after generation. Families who try to break the cycle face academic challenges. Large class sizes and limited ability to receive help at home often mean failing the primary school exit exam. Only 40% of youth nationwide attend high school.
How will this project solve this problem?
Ocean Academy provides financial support to 85% of students through scholarships, tuition bartering, and work study. Free tutoring, small classes, and individualized attention build core skills and empower students to believe in their futures. Students learn valuable job skills in entrepreneurship classes and earn tuition through student-led ventures such as kayak and bike tours, and selling culinary herbs.
Potential Long Term Impact
For the first time, a full generation of villagers will be educated beyond primary school. They will lead their developing country out of crime and become stewards of Belize's fragile barrier reef.
Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $30,845
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $19,155
Total Funding Goal: $50,000


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Plan your trip to Washington
Select a region using the map to your left or pick one from the drop down below.
All-inclusive - Resorts and Lodges in Washington
You'll have everything you need to explore everything Washington at these all-inclusive resorts. Your first stop is the Fraser River Fishing Lodge, where you can spend all your time fishing rather than planning. This sensational stay provides lodging and all meals with your reservation, plus tackle, bait, and an expert fishing guide to help you hook that trophy fish. If you're on a corporate retreat, the lodge can also accommodate full conference groups. Next, pamper yourself at Crystal Mountain Hotels, which offers plenty of hassle-free packages for a truly worry-free escape. These all-inclusive packages feature lodging, dining at the resort's restaurant, spa treatments, and add-on services. When the winter wonderland arrives, ski lift tickets are included so you can enjoy an array of alpine adventures.
Washington Top List Picks
Top Columbia River Lodging
As the Columbia River meanders through the gorge, forests of cedars and pines tower up the edges of cliffs and mountains looking down on lakes, hot springs, creeks, and waterfalls splashing into the... more
Top Luxury Cabins in Washington
Tranquil seclusion, vertical cliffs, bubbling volcanoes, and incredible rainforests are just a small sample of Washington's capturing beauty. And of course there is the renowned hiking, rafting,... more
Top Wenatchee National Forest Lodging
Wenatchee National Forest borders land straight out of a Nordic fairy tale. The four-million-acre forest edge is drawn at Washington's Cascades, where snow builds up too deep to see the trees. But... more


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Hunting BrendolRecover Brendol's Satchel.
|Brendol's Satchel
DescriptionI'm too busy collectin' artifacts to busy myself with much else, but there is a bit of an issue here I wouldn't mind sortin' out.
There's a forsaken apothecary who's been pokin' around these parts for a while now. Normally, I'd ignore him, but three times now he's snuck into my camp and pilfered my supplies.... enough's enough!
Find the thief and bring me whatever's left o' my things!
Well, <class>? Did yeh find the cretin?
Justice is done!
Now let's have a peek at what's left of my goods....
Now let's have a peek at what's left of my goods....
RewardsYou will receive: 35
GainsUpon completion of this quest you will gain:
- 3,100 experience


text: Sam Lerer | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season Sam Lerer Performer Male Productions ProductionsDate of ProductionsIf I Were You[Play, Comedy, Original] Performer: Sam Lerer [Janitor]Sep 23, 1931 - Nov 1931 Find out where Sam Lerer and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)


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Get up to speed with the latest from LVGP!
- Filter:
- All
- Tagged: Leagues
2/13 Adult League final results and pics!
The final round of our adult league series ended on Wednesday night. The competition was fierce and the formats were kept a mystery each week. In week one the facility did the usual 8 minute qualifier to determine the league […]Read More
1/26 A little powder on the track for league night?!
Ryan Suchon and Kyle Lick are dirt racers. They are also the Competition Team at LVGP. To spice things up at last nights league they decided to add a little of their dirt racing background to the league experience. Powder […]Read More
1/14 Indoor Karting News closes it's doors
The economy has had a major effect on the racing world over the past 2 years. I believe that continuing to invest in your products and delivering on your customer's demands is key to survival. Just yesterday Indoor Karting News […]Read More
12/2 The Gift of Adrenaline
Holiday Gift Cards are available at the track. If you are looking to give the gift of excitement and adrenaline a gift card to LVGP would be the winning ticket! Call the track today to order your gift cards. 610-432-RACE(7223)Read More
10/18 Junior Leagues Week 3
Week 3 in junior league were great as always good racing in both divisions. Couple juniors missed week 3, making the point standings in each group tighter. 1 point seperates the top 2 in group A and in group B we […]Read More


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- WND - http://www.wnd.com -
Idiot House Republicans
Posted By -NO AUTHOR- On 01/04/2013 @ 5:38 pm In Opinion | No Comments
(Salon) — By now you've probably read one of the stories of the failed attempt by a handful of conservative members of the House GOP caucus to remove John Boehner as speaker of the House. If you haven't, Joshua Green has a handy summary. Nine members ended up voting against Boehner, eight short of the number that would've forced a second ballot, and all involved in the failed ouster humiliated themselves in the most public fashion possible.
One problem was a lack of leadership. If, say, Eric Cantor had actually wanted the job, he could've organized the coup and succeeded. But Eric Cantor didn't want the job. The bigger problem, then, was a lack of intelligence. The crazy caucus failed spectacularly at all aspects of the attempted conspiracy, from planning to execution. They waited until the last minute to approach potential allies, failed to count their own votes correctly, and didn't even all figure out who they were supposed to vote for instead. Their plan was apparently to embarrass Boehner into resigning, in favor of … someone to be decided later. Candidates voted for by plotters included departing Rep. Allen West and former Comptroller David Walker, who are basically the opposites of one another.
Article printed from WND: http://www.wnd.com
URL to article: http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/idiot-house-republicans/
Click here to print.
© Copyright 1997-2013. All Rights Reserved. WND.com.


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Read with Biff, Chip and Kipper
The essential home learning series featuring the much loved Oxford Reading Tree characters Biff, Chip and Kipper.
Read Write Inc.
Ruth Miskin's Read Write Inc. phonics programme teaches reading, writing, and spelling with proven success.
At Home With…
Colourful, clear, step-by-step activities–an easy way to boost confidence and give children a head start at school.
Traditional Tales
Well-loved traditional stories, carefully retold using phonics so that children can read them for themselves.
Songbirds Phonics by Julia Donaldson
Lively, engaging phonics stories from Children's Laureate, Julia Donaldson
First Experiences
Prepare and reassure children facing new situations in a fun and sensitive way with First Experiences with Biff, Chip and Kipper.


text: Estelle Penning | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season Estelle Penning Performer Female Productions ProductionsDate of ProductionsThe Perfect Fool[Musical, Revue, Original] Performer: Estelle Penning [Performer]Nov 07, 1921 - Jul 01, 1922Broadway Brevities of 1920[Musical, Revue, Original] Performer: Estelle Penning [Lady of the Ensemble]Sep 29, 1920 - Dec 18, 1920 Find out where Estelle Penning and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)


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When is a letter actually a number? In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby introduce you to the magical little number called pi! Discover where the concept of pi comes from, what ratio it represents, and why all circles have it in common. You'll also find out why we use a Greek letter to represent the number, what an irrational number is, and why irrational numbers can't be written as fractions. Best of all, you'll figure out how to use pi to find the circumference and the area of a circle. Those ancient Greeks sure were smart!
Learn More:What is pi?Who created pi?How long is pi?
See a Full List of Topics


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Well, color us surprised! Amongst all the other hard-hitting fashion news of the morning comes this delightful tidbit: Amy Poehler used to model.
Tumblr Franny Glass stumbled upon these photos while searching Getty for "volunteer" images. We did a quick search ourselves to follow up and, lo and behold: there she is!
Amy Poehler as a Model
n of 3
Image title
this is some kind of spaceship or something.
[Franny Glass via Jezebel]


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Friday, January 17, 2014
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Two men shot, one fatally, outside Long Island bar
DEER PARK - Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating a shooting that killed one man and injured another outside a bar in Deer Park early Thursday morning.
Three people inside a car pulled into the parking lot of Night Owl Lounge, at 825 Long Island Ave., when two people in a group standing outside fired several shots at the vehicle. The driver and a passenger were struck and transported to a hospital. The group fled the scene in two vehicles.
The driver was pronounced dead at the hospital. The passenger, who was struck in the chest, was being treated and his condition is unknown at this time. The third person in the vehicle was not injured.
Homicide detectives are exploring the possibility that the shooting is gang-related. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.


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› Womens Swimwear Separate
› Made from 87% Nylon Meryl and 13% Spandex
› Classic sliding tri design
› Removable moulded cup
› Metal logo badge
› Complete the look with the Billabong Heatwave Cheeky Separate Pant
› Colour: Black Stripe
Size & Fit Guide:
› Regular fit halter tri top, best fits A-C cup
› Model's height 173cm (5'8")
› Model's bust 86cm (32")
› Model's waist is 63.63cm (25")
› Model is wearing a size 10
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Oct. 5, 2010
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema met with the media at his weekly news conference on Monday. He addressed the Michigan State game, while also looking ahead to Minnesota.
Among the highlights, Bielema mentioned that Saturday's game may have been the best of Antonio Fenelus' season, while fellow cornernback Niles Brinkley played a "really, really good game other than two or three plays."In talking about the offensive line, Bielema said that right tackle Josh Oglesby is feeling better than ever after suffering a knee injury against San Jose State."I really do believe, at that group in particular, the more competition we have, it makes every body else a little bit better," Bielema said. "So I think Ricky [Wagner] will know that Josh is waiting right there and ready for his opportunity as well."A full transcript can be found below.
Bret Bielema: I was excited to get back to work this week. We sat back and watched film on Sunday, but changed up a little bit of our routine about how we approach that. We let the coaches get together with the players first, had an opportunity to watch it, then we came back in and met as a team, and talked a little bit about what we saw and where we need to move forward. We came out last night, made corrections on our Michigan State game that we went through on the field, and then quick jumped into Minnesota preparation.I think it's a really good thing that I learned in this profession, as coaches, you always take things a little bit more to heart, a little more deeper and longer than players. When you're 18,19, 20 years old, you always bounce back a little bit quicker. I think that was the case yesterday, getting around our kids and feeling their energy. And the same will be said tomorrow when we take the practice field. We didn't give out any MVPs, just something that we don't like to do after a loss. Enforce it with our kids to move forward.We'll go into this week's ballgame probably even a little bit healthier. Last week David [Gilreath] got a limited role offensively, and just by the way certain guys played. I don't know if they were in it full go, 100 percent ready to be at the game-speed that we need, but hopefully move forward this week. We also have a chance of two guys coming back, Brian Wozniak, a tight end that hurt his shoulder during fall camp. He should get cleared tomorrow and [I] feel that he'll be back with us. And then also Curt Phillips who the last two or three Sundays looked really good during, it's not full scrimmage, but it's really live work other than tackle football. So he could be back in the mix this week as well. With that, open it up for any questions.QUESTION #1: Bret, Michigan State's assistants admitted after the game, spoke of being in contact with [head coach Mark] Dantonio from the press box. I'm sure you're aware of it. Do you have any recourse or do you have anything you can do about that?BIELEMA: No. That's being pursued, or it's been brought to my attention outside of anything that I brought to it. Ironically, when they changed the policy in regards to instant replay, I actually wanted to know if we could get feedback from people outside the stadium on whether or not to review a play. So I inquired at the time, and that's how I knew that you couldn't receive or give phone calls or text messages.So actually on Sunday, one of the things that I love to do, not love to do, but I start my day off with is reading ESPN. And I want to read the article that's online about us so I know what recruits are reading, because a lot of times that's where kids in the recruiting process will go. And I read a comment that said exactly what you're kind of talking about, which I think initially raised the question. So, no, that's not being pursued from our angle.I know Mark very well, and that's your body of work. As coaches, it's not just a profession, that's your life. That's what he's going through. And he should be very proud of the way his kids played, the way they executed, and ultimately, that coaching staff too. As a head coach, you sit back and admire the way those guys handle their business.QUESTION #2: Bret, you mentioned that some guys you thought weren't 100 percent or a full game speed, as much as you needed. Would you include Nick Toon in that?BIELEMA: Well, Nick actually practiced pretty well Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. The position that Nick plays, you're on the spotlight. You're the guy that, you either catch the ball or you don't. You either perform or you don't. And bottom line, I know he felt, especially on Sunday after watching film, there were some things that could have been better on his end. I think it's just a part of a growing process that he's going forward. During fall camp, you guys got to see a little bit, but to me Nick's even more so than he's ever been, has matured and put himself in a position physically to really be standout type player. Just like those other guys had three or four games to work themselves into the position they are, Nick maybe needed to get through that one to have a great close for the rest of the year.QUESTION #3: Speaking of the receivers, were they winning their one-on-one battles, and do you need more production from that group overall?BIELEMA: Well, for us, as much as we do in the running game, we need to be able to have a venue, whether it be a tight end, Lance Kendricks, Jacob Pedersen, or the wide receivers. Based on what an opponent gives you, if it's called for a guy to win a one-on-one for us to have success, yeah, they got to win it. But on some occasions, it's a different guy at a different place on the field.QUESTION #4: You mentioned after the game just a mild concern about Scott [Tolzien] putting too much on his shoulders. And then when we talked to him, he was quite clear. He said, you know, it's my job, blah, blah, blah. Just where do you think he stands?BIELEMA: As coaches, you want to believe that you know and understand your players. And the more you're around them, I knew that was going to be the reaction. One thing we try to assure everybody in Sunday's meeting is that there wasn't one person at fault, there wasn't one phase of the game. It was a collective effort on all of our parts. I knew our players would respond that way. I really did. My guess is when you guys went to interview them, they were probably not a great group of guys to interview. They were probably short, quick, and to the point. Nobody likes the way that they felt after the game. I use basically a saying that I've used a lot in life. In life, you choose your consequences. Everybody always says you want to choose your actions. Well, in reality, whatever you do, and whatever that means, that's your choosing of those consequences. When we chose to play in a certain way on a certain play, whether it's how we played as a unit overall, whether it's what we chose to do on third down, we all suffer the consequences when they don't go the way you want.But bottom line is you chose those actions. So that's something we all have to live with. We didn't approach the game the right way as a whole, and because of that we lost the game. And ultimately, we chose that consequence.QUESTION #5: Could you explain what you mean by that? You said, they didn't approach the game.BIELEMA: If I do something, and I normally do it and the results are consequences that I don't like, the only [person] that I can blame is myself. I would say this from a head coaching profession, the hardest thing I ever have to do is throw someone or remove him from the football team. If I do that, it's usually not based on me making the decision just to throw them off. It's based upon the actions that they've given me. When we lost the game on Saturday, it was based upon the actions that we gave during the game.QUESTION #6: I guess what I meant was at the end of that you said, we didn't approach the game as a whole the way we needed to. And I'm just curious what you meant by that.BIELEMA: Going into the game, I felt about as good as, well, first off, I was sick Thursday, Friday, so I was pretty psyched when I woke up Saturday morning and felt like a million bucks. I liked the way we had kind of handled our business, liked the way we went into the game. Obviously, the first score on the board was theirs, but to respond back, it's a 7-3 game, it's a 10-3 game. But then we punt the ball and we give up a return. Bottom line is the consequences of that play gave them a 10-10 deal. And that's all I'm saying in a bigger picture. We're trying to get kids to understand how little things make a big thing in the end.QUESTION #7: Given your big picture goals, how daunting a task is it to recover from losing the opener in the conference play?BIELEMA: I don't know. Tell me what our goals were.QUESTION #8: I'm assuming your goals were to win the conference championship.BIELEMA: That's why you write and I coach. What we want to do is get better on a weekly basis. We didn't do the things we needed to do to win that football game, but my goal and aspiration for this group is to focus on one week at a time. And I think where we're at now will probably let us focus on that goal better than ever before because there is a setback, but the immediate result is you get a chance to play Minnesota in a rivalry game and move ourselves forward. You wouldn't have any of our guys talk about a Big Ten Championship or anything along that line.QUESTION #9: When you guys looked at the tape, did you get enough plays made from your front four overall?BIELEMA: Yeah, J.J. [Watt] was very productive, 10 tackles, and I can't remember how many tackles for loss. Patrick Butrym did some really good things. I think the thing, as Sunday rolled around, as we were watching the film, down the close of the fourth quarter, there were some things that showed up in the fourth quarter that hadn't in the first three. The cumulative effect of playing a lot, we were on the field a lot defensively in the second half. Those things, we just have to make a closer look at to look at pitch count. By that, I mean how many number of reps are we getting, who can get involved in the ballgame. I know there's a certain number of guys that, especially at certain positions, might have played their best game for 72 out of 74 snaps. It's those two snaps, or those three snaps, in each player's game that gave up a play here or there that was a huge hand in the game. And that's the part that we got to eliminate.QUESTION #10: How hard is it to take JJ Watt out of the game? You know, is that one of the things you'll have to struggle with?BIELEMA: I think so, Tom. That's exactly what I meant. What we have to do is determine what that pitch count is and maybe, Tom, we even looked at the detail of is it within a quarter, can he get this many plays. If you just start looking at overall reps, obviously, there's a big difference in total reps in the first half versus the second half. To get the three turnovers in the first half meant those drives came to an end.And at first I sat down and watched punt return on Sunday, and we only got one punt return in the game. Well, you forget that there were three turnovers which, if those drives ended up in a punt, you'd have those opportunities. I think you got to be real specific about how much a guy is getting a certain number of reps in a certain amount of time. And plus just the way J.J. plays, it's a little bit different, in my opinion, than a guy maybe that doesn't play with the same intensity and effort that J.J. gives you every play.QUESTION #11: With wins and losses being the most obvious way to measure whether a coach is doing a good job with a team or program, besides that, how would you measure whether a coach is doing a good job with his team, with his program, over a period of time besides wins and losses? BIELEMA: Well, as coaches, I think you take a look ultimately, I know I'm going to be judged, [by] most people would report wins and losses, and that's all that goes into it. I think at Wisconsin there's other factors that don't need to be mentioned. They're just kind of real I think in the culture that we live in. [Director of Athletic Communications] Brian [Lucas] always does a great job of pointing things out.During the out-of-season, what we try to do is work a lot on recruiting, and that's when I start to see statistics. One of the things I remember putting on a mailer right before the season started, it was a brag sheet on me. It was just amazing to see some of the numbers compared to the rest of the nation against schools that we compete against that really stood out. And that's the part I guess that everybody is going to always use.QUESTION #12: You said after the game you liked what you got out of using [Bill] Nagy as that jumbo tight end, so to speak. Do you keep [Kevin] Zeitler at guard and keep Nagy in that role of tight end this week?BIELEMA: Yeah, Billy really got to that position, two reasons, is the fact that Zeitler was going to get the nod, but also Jake Byrne, we weren't sure what role we were going to have him on Saturday. Now Jake's back to full status. He actually practiced yesterday afternoon just because he didn't get any reps on Saturday per se. And also Brian Wozniak getting back in. But the thing Billy brings you is he brings a big body at that position that should be able to help us in certain aspects of the running game.QUESTION #13: Bret, the special teams have played pretty well for the most part, except you had a few big breakdowns. What do you think that's coming from?BIELEMA: Well, the part that we kind of really stressed on Sunday was we can't have a mixed bag. We got to go out and be able to understand what you have, what's going on on this play, it's got to be expected of you. Defensively, offensively, we put together game plans, and obviously, we're going to maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. In special teams, you only get a certain number of reps. You only get so many chances, and 50 percent out of two reps could be a huge factor. So I think that's the one part we really try to emphasize is the kids got to be consistent in what they do.I could be the first to tell you when we kicked the ball, and on that kickoff, I believe it was on that last kickoff, we covered it very, very well. Then we had a guy off-sides. We came back to the huddle, 'are we going to kick it again or are we going to squib it?' And I said, 'Kick it.' I held my breath a little bit, but they covered very well. In addition, they had a penalty so it ended up backing the ball up even further, which ended up helping us in the long run.But the glaring one in this game is the punt return. There was a kick return. We had a guy bottled up, missed a tackle, and then he bounced out to the wide side of the field, and on top of that, had the facemask penalty, which was very disenchanting as well.QUESTION #14: How much in general does team speed, or just overall speed, play in special teams, especially coverage I guess?BIELEMA: I don't know if it's speed as much as concept, and being able to execute. You go back, I think the breakdowns you've see this year across the board, and I think a couple of you guys did a story on it, have been probably bigger than they've ever been. And it's been teams with great speed supposedly in theory versus guys that maybe don't have as much and vice versa.QUESTION #15: You mentioned some guys who played well. Is [Antonio] Fenelus one of those? And can you talk about how he's played for you this year?BIELEMA: Tom, I thought Antonio probably played his best game. He really is a fighter, he's a competitor. Ever since he's been here, I remember the first week on campus, during fall campus freshman year, I think he went 14 or 15 practices with making a pick in every practice. He's one of those guys, even the one he had on Saturday, the first one, just kind of flashed at the last minute in front of his eyes, and he made a nice play.Niles Brinkley, to be quiet honest, he was one of the guys I mentioned earlier, not by name, but Niles played a really, really good game other than two or three plays. And at that position, if you're great on 70 plays and there's a couple plays where you're not so good, not only do you know it, usually everybody in the stands does as well.QUESTION #16: Given the effectiveness of [James] White, do you plan on working him even more in the game plan, maybe even put him ahead of [John] Clay?BIELEMA: It jumped out to you right away on film on Sunday. Probably as a bystander watching the game, doesn't know anything about Wisconsin, he's a guy that's gotten better every game. He's a guy that football-sense-wise really, really gets it. Because of those plays that he made, I don't there's any other back in our program right now that on those two specific plays would have had those same results. So yeah, he merits getting more playing time.I'm excited because I really do believe, just because I know what John Clay can do, we probably have two of the best running back combinations that I've been around. And that's been around some pretty good backs. And it's not like you can't throw Montee Ball out, and get some good things done as well.QUESTION #17: Bret, is it even more impressive what James [White] did knowing that these teams have seen him now on film? And secondly, do you view the Golden Gophers as kind of a wounded animal?BIELEMA: First part, James has popped out every time we touch the ball. I go back to that first play, and there's been some good ones, to me, just because if you saw the big picture, the play against Arizona State at the beginning of the game where he spun. He knew that the guy was going to try to get outside leverage. He saw him lower his head at the last minute, which means he was making a blind tackle. And he just spun and made a very, very good football play.As far as Minnesota, glad we finally got a question about Minnesota. But they, because of where they're at right now, I expect them to come in here as hungry and as eager to be part of success as anybody that we've faced to this point. They're going to come in and know it's a rivalry game, know that it's homecoming here, and they'll have all those things working on their behalf for motivation.QUESTION #18: Given all the mixing and matching with injuries in the offensive line, how to do assess their play so far this season?BIELEMA: Mixing and matching with our offensive line? Yeah. I guess there has been. We've had two guys that have been there a lot at right guard with [Kevin] Zeitler and [Bill] Nagy, and then at right tackle, it's really been that right side is all. Ricky [Wagner], again, played pretty well. But the thing I'm excited about, Josh Oglesby's feeling as good as ever. And I really do believe, at that group in particular, the more competition we have, it makes every body else a little bit better. So I think Ricky will know that Josh is waiting right there and ready for his opportunity as well.
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Joe Fragoso, 35, of Root Road, was charged with second-degree sexual assault. Both men turned themselves in at Coventry police headquarters after learning warrants had been issued for their arrests.
The Junior Firefighter program has been suspended, town officials said.
Carilli was arraigned Thursday at Superior Court in Rockville, where Judge Edward J. Mullarkey reduced his bail to $250,000 from $500,000. He also gave Carilli the option of posting 10 percent, or $25,000, with the clerk to be released.
Fragoso posted $250,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 27.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Leaming pressed for a higher bail for Carilli, arguing that he faces the possibility of "an extended period of incarceration, and it's likely he will flee." Leaming also said Carilli's relationship with the minor continued even as rumors swirled about a police investigation.
Carilli's lawyer, Jeremy Donnelly, told the judge that Carilli is disabled and receives Social Security disability payments. He has seven children that range in age from 1 to 32, Donnelly said. All but one live locally.
Should Carilli post bail, Mullarkey ordered that he submit to electronic monitoring and not leave his house except for medical and legal appointments. He also ordered not to have contact with any teens.
Mullarkey asked if Carilli has any teen-aged children living at his home, but Donnelly said he did not.
The warrants for their arrests were sealed for 14 days.
Both men were members of the Coventry Volunteer Fire Association, which is commonly referred to as the South Coventry Fire Department. Carilli was chief of the department from June 2006 to November 30, 2012. He then became the department's training officer, overseeing the department's training program.
Fragoso has been a fire lieutenant with the department since June 2012. Town Manager John Elsessor said he was told that they turned in their resignations last week.
Police said their investigation found that both men had sexual relations with members of the department's Junior Firefighter program.
Police said the Coventry Volunteer Fire Association's current leadership cooperated with the police investigation.
Coventry Police Chief Mark Palmer said the investigation continues and asked that anyone with further information call police at 860-742-7331 and ask for Sgt. Michael McDonagh or Det. Michael Hicks.
Carilli resigned Sept. 27, 2012 after an investigation by Coventry police into allegations that he used graphic language when speaking to female employees at a Dunkin' Donuts store on Main Street in Coventry.
A store manager and two workers said Carilli on several occasions used language that made them uncomfortable, a town official said. The town council subsequently called for Carilli's resignation. The Coventry Volunteer Fire Association accepted Carilli's resignation with regret.
Earlier this month, the Coventry town council again took up the issue of Carilli and voted unanimously to tell the fire association that it had no confidence in Carilli holding any leadership position.
Although the council has limited authority over the fire department, council member Lisa Thomas said it was important for the town's governing board to take a stand in favor of protecting women.
"Girls in Coventry or anywhere need to feel that it is safe to come forward and talk about these things that are happening to them," Thomas said. Coventry is a small town and the allegations will have a significant impact on many people.
"Girls and women need to know that if they file a complaint, it will be honored," she said. "I want my daughters to feel they will be supported by their elected officials and people in authority should they ever be exposed, God forbid, to something like this."
In October 1984, when Carilli was 24, he was charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of risk of injury to a minor after the parents of a 14-year-old girl filed a complaint with police.
Carilli pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of risk of injury to a minor and on Feb. 27, 1985 was sentenced to a year in prison. He served eight months in prison and three months in a halfway house.
In 2006, after his election as chief caused some discontent in the fire department, Carilli said of the incident and his arrest: "It was a very bad situation and it should have never occurred. I've changed my life 180 degrees since then."
The junior firefighters range in age from 14-18. State law dictates what the teens may do, said Noel Waite, the town's emergency services coordinator.
Those who are 16-18 years old are allowed to help firefighters at scenes and even fight brush fires as long as they have been trained, Waite said.
The Coventry Volunteer Fire Association suspended the program last week at the suggestion of the police, he said.
"That will give them some time to put in some controls," Elsessor said.
The purpose of the program is to give teen-agers public safety experience and create of pool of potential new firefighters.
Some junior firefighters have gone on to medical school and received scholarships for college, Elsessor said. Others have become Coventry firefighters.
Written by The Hartford Courant
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A community of bloggers who live and die to DIY
Pop-Up Shipping Container Hotel by Geoffrey Stampaert
By Inthralld on Jan 29, 2013
There's nothing more exciting and comforting when traveling than setting up at your favorite hotel chain, or on the other side of the spectrum– trying something completely outside of the box. With the "Sleeping Around" shipping container hotel, travelers can have both.
Geoffrey Stampaert based this concept on the ever popular "pop up shops" that have taken over shopping malls everywhere and adapted it to hotel design.
Upcycled shipping containers have been created into room modules that can be packed up and shipped off, so you can stay in your favorite "room" in an endless variety of locations.
The hotel is a total of seven shipping containers, with four rooms and the other three containers being a lounge, sauna, kitchen and breakfast space.
Each room has all of the sleeping essentials: bed, bathroom, shower and even AC. One full 'wall' of the container is comprised of sliding glass doors, and the hotel has the potential to be a fully sustainable hospitality compound.
Photos: Frederick Herregods
'Sleeping Around' Pop Up Shipping Container Hotel is a post from: Inthralldblog comments powered by Disqus


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Field Work and the Black Panthers
By Roberta Corson, MDiv 1969
PSR field work in 1966: I remember it well. I was assigned to the North Oakland Christian Parish with a group of other students, and our work was to help the area churches become involved in community development and justice. Within a few days, however, Shattuck Avenue United Methodist Church made known its need for youth workers, so Larry Kamakawiwolle and I were transferred into this ministry.
Little did we know what we were getting into. I was 23 years old, after all, and the world was my parish.
Shattuck Avenue UMC was a formerly white church in a now predominantly black neighborhood in North Oakland. The youth fellowship consisted of a group of kids, with whom Bob Olmstead, the pastor, barely out of PSR himself, had made friends. He had met them at the court where they and their buddies were on trial for stealing Oakland Raiders' uniforms. They all lived in the neighborhood, so Bob opened the church's gym to them, and they flocked there to play basketball. To get them back on Sunday evenings, the church began a youth fellowship that featured speakers on black awareness and pride. The speakers happened to be Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, who were fairly unknown at the time. They were just beginning to develop the headquarters for the Black Panther Party across the street from the church.
So that's what I came into as youth leader: a group of African American street kids learning to respect themselves, under the tutelage of Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. Larry and I were always part of these Sunday night events, because they were the youth fellowship meetings, and because we thought that sometime soon we would be doing other programs. What we discovered was that there was no end in sight of these speakers and their message.
Bobby Seale had no car at that time, so I always drove him home to his apartment in West Oakland, and during the drive we would process the evening together. His day job was as a security guard, and he usually came to the church right after work. One night as he talked to the kids, he became agitated, and as the tension in the group steadily mounted, he pulled from under his jacket his security-guard gun, waved it in the air, and shouted, "Someday we will have to use this on Whitey!" My co-leader, Larry, an unflappable Hawaiian, with dark skin and curly black hair, sat quietly in the back of the room, unnoticeable. But I felt that I stood out in that volatile group.
After that meeting, as usual, I drove Bobby Seale home. In the midst of our debriefing—as my white knuckles clutched the steering wheel—he asked me, "Do you think I was too rough on them tonight?" I have no idea now what I answered, but I was thinking, "On them?" If one can feel fear and tenderness at the same time, that's what happened at that moment. My heart softened as I realized then that he considered me one of his own, a leader in the 'hood. We sat together in my car not as black and white, but as colleagues, as people who both cared about these kids.
Sometime after that evening, I made an appointment to meet Bob in his pastoral office. He had a fish tank there, which he claimed took him into another world when he just needed to disappear. Together we looked into that fish tank for a long time, and finally I confessed that I didn't think I could handle working with the youth group any more. He understood.
I had lasted there for seven months, but what I learned from those seven months has lasted over 42 years. I no longer idealize urban ministry: it is just plain hard work with results that occur when they are least expected, and sometimes with no recognizable results at all. I have never condoned violence, but I have learned to distinguish between the complexity of a person and the flatness of an ideology or movement. I remember how quickly even small crowds can be ignited into irrational fervor. I accept that I cannot do every ministry, even when I'm committed to it. I grieve Huey's death by violence and drugs and celebrate Bobby's barbeque books. I appreciate that struggles for justice and love can take a lifetime. And I believe that fish tanks are essential for every pastor's life.


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Transferring MX Plan Data To MicroStation v8
MX data is transferred to MicroStation with the MX for MicroStation (MfM) program. MfM allows the operator to work with both MicroStation and MX simultaneously. Before starting MfM make sure that the DPW file only contains the information to be transferred to MicroStation.
If this is the first time an MX drawing will be transferred in this project, then check the project directory for a file with the project name followed by a .mss extension. If this file does not exist, see a member of the CAD/D support staff before continuing this procedure. If it does exist, open the file with PFE or Notepad to verify it is correct. It should look something like this:
MX Seed Files Imperial Version Metric Version [SEED_FILES]
Any references to mx_seed_m.dgn or mx_seed_ft.dgn will need to be corrected.
Setting the Model Defaults
Before creating the MX display, check to make sure the proper style and feature sets are defined for the model to be drawn. Select Model Defaults... from the Tools menu.
From the Model Defaults panel, highlight the model of interest from the Model Names area. The appropriate style and feature sets for the most common plan drawing types are as follows:
|Drawing Type
|Style & Feature Set
|Existing Detail
|Proposed Detail
|Style Sets
If necessary, click the Edit... button to modify the model defaults.
From the Edit Model Style and Feature Set panel, insure that the box labeled Lock Style and Feature Set is checked. Select the button next to the Style Set Name to choose a different Style Set. The feature set should automatically update. Click OK to save this information.
Creating the MX Display
Create a new display by selecting New Plan Display... from the File menu. Enter the new Drawing File Name and click OK. Refer to Drawing Naming Conventions for standard drawing file names.
To draw the detail select Plan with Style Set... from the Display menu.
Select the model name to display from the pull-down menu.
The existing detail's style set should default to N:\cadd\cadd\mx\styles\exd.pss (design - PLY8.pss).
Uncheck the Draw all Strings box so only items in the feature set are drawn.
Creating MicroStation Drawings from MX:
Rename or delete any previously created .DGN file that has the same name as MX drawing to transfer. Enter MicroStation, select the appropriate project and create a new MicroStation drawing with the same name as the MX drawing being transferred.
To start MfM, hit the F3 function key (NHDOT users), or load two MDL Applications (SP.ma & MfM.ma). If you are not a regular MX in MicroStation user, please read this caution statement. Expect to be prompted to save and/or compress the drawing, possibly more than once. It may also be necessary to Fit View. If no graphics appear, see the information in the MX FAQ.
After the drawing is imported, levels need to be attached from the appropriate level library. From the Level Manager dialog box, select Levels -> Attach... to obtain the Attach Level Library panel. Choose the level library (*.csv) that matches the newly created drawing.
Next, click on the Update Levels button (the rightmost of the 3 buttons), this will set the correct default values for each level in the drawing.
Once this process is complete, Exit MicroStation.
When transferring 20-scale Imperial and 1:250 metric projects, the modEXDUpdate.Main macro must be run to adjust linestyle scales and cell sizes. Do not attempt to run this macro in the same MicroStation session that created the drawing, it will not work properly. Enter MicroStation, then from the Utilities menu, select Macro => Macros… => modEXDUpdate.Main.
For best results, each drawing should be transferred as a separate MicroStation session. After each drawing is created,
- exit the MicroStation session;
- open MX;
- display the next dpw to be transferred;
- adjust the model defaults for the new style set;
- enter MicroStation;
- start MX
What if:
I received a prompt for selecting
seed files and cell files.
I received error messages about cells not being found
My linestyles or symbols in MicroStation are too big/small
Items are not landing on the correct levels in MicroStation
Related Pages
Transferring MX profiles to MicroStation
Transferring MX cross-sections to MicroStation


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Starbucks, actor Dempsey compete for Tully's coffee chain
Starbucks Corp. confirmed that it is participating in a bankruptcy auction Thursday to buy Tully's Coffee, which has 47 company-owned locations in Washington and California. Tully's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.
Dempsey, who gained the nickname "McDreamy" on the TV show "Grey's Anatomy," also said last week that he wants to rescue the chain.
Baristas Coffee, which operates a chain of drive-thru espresso stands featuring female employees in skimpy outfits, has also expressed interest.
The auction process is not public. The outcome is expected to be filed in court Friday.
- Why are raises elusive with record U.S. job openings?
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- Cage-free eggs will change the industry
- Russia�s 2nd largest airline in crisis as bankruptcy looms
- Wal-Mart cuts HQ 'to become a more agile company'
- Court upholds $236 million verdict against Exxon Mobil
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Detecting oral cancer in its earliest stages can save the lives of the nearly 40,500 people diagnosed annually. But early detection has been difficult.
Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers discovered a biomarker, called human beta defensin-3 (hBD-3), which may serve as an early warning. The defensin is present in all oral cancers and associated with the early stages of oral cancer.
"Using the biomarker to detect oral cancer holds potential for saving lives when the cancer is most curable. Annually some 10,000 people die from this cancer," said Ge Jin, assistant professor of biological sciences at the dental school.
He led the study, "An Antimicrobial Peptide Regulates Tumor-Associated Macrophage Trafficking via the Chemokine Receptor CCR2, a Model for Tumorigenesis." The Public Library of Science published the research in PLoS ONE.
Oral cancer first appears as white or red lesions in the mouth, the same as noncancerous lesions.
Often, the lesions are not biopsied, and cancer is not discovered until it becomes apparent in its later stages, when it has metastasized to other organs. Such a late-stage diagnosis is generally fatal and can result in costly surgeries and treatments or disfigurement that may include removing parts of the tongue, jaw and cheek. All this can be avoided with early removal of the lesion.
The hBD-3 biomarker is one of many innate immune peptides found in the epithelial lining of the mouth. In a normal, healthy oral cavity, hBD-1, -2 and -3 ward off the hundreds of bacteria that constantly challenge the human immune system in the mouth.
While hBD-1 and -2 are on the frontline defense, hBD-3 is only found in the basal layer where oral cancers grow. The researchers report that the hBD-2 disappears and only hBD3 is present when a cancerous tumor progresses.
Jin added that the lone presence of hBD-3 made the research team ques
|Contact: Susan Griffith
Case Western Reserve University


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Dr. Jyoti Ramakrishna chats about children and food allergies Wednesday, June 12 at 11 a.m.
Posted by Kristi Palma June 10, 2013 01:39 PM
Dr. Jyoti Ramakrishna is the chief of pediatric gastroenterology at Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. Prior to that, she was an associate pediatrician in gastroenterology, nutrition, and global health at Mass General Hospital for Children, where she focused on inflammatory bowel disease and food allergies, as well as general gastroenterology. Dr. Ramakrishna answered your questions Wednesday, June 12.
About Parent Buzz
Welcome to Parent Buzz, where you can read about and discuss the hot parenting issues of the day, find family-friendly events in Boston and beyond, and get parenting tidbits and tips.
Browse this blogby category
Kristi Palma, Boston.com Moms producer, is the mom of a first grader and a preschooler. She is a writer who enjoys cooking her grandmother's Italian recipes (when her son isn't launching paper airplanes into them). Follow her on Twitter @kristipalma.
Jennifer Clark Estes is a teacher, writer, blogger, and the mother of four young children. In her free time, she blogs at A Mom's World, plays with the kids (or chauffeurs them around), and is desperately seeking a quiet spot so she can read a book. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferCEstes.
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Plymouth pensioner became smuggler to pay gambling debts
Posted: May 04, 2013|
A GRANDAD smuggled "industrial quantities" of tobacco to pay off online gambling debts.
Retired Patrick White, aged 67, was handed a suspended prison sentence despite being caught red-handed with 150 kilograms of contraband. Speaking outside Plymouth Crown Court, White admitted he was lucky to walk free. He said he had been pressured into the smuggling operation to pay off internet gambling debts which once stood at £20,000.
White said: "I was spending £200 to £300 a week. I was glad I was caught. Internet gambling is so easy, it is there 24 hours a day and seven days a week. All you need is a credit card. It just feels as if you are playing with numbers and not money."
The court heard White had been handed a suspended prison sentence in 2008 for similar offences.
Judge Erik Salomonsen said he was caught with "industrial quantities" of tobacco.
He added: "You are a 67-year-old man and it would serve no useful purpose to send you to jail for a year or so at public expense. It is better you stay in the community."
He gave the retired van driver a 12-month prison sentence suspended for a year, ordered that he do 250 hours unpaid work and pay £250 towards prosecution costs.
White, of Hartley Court, Eggbuckland Road, admitted the fraudulent evasion of duty on October 11 last year.
Alistair Verheijen, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the amount of tobacco duty and VAT avoided on the seized tobacco was £28,716. He added trading standards sniffer dogs found the hand-rolling tobacco in 64 boxes at the Interlink Express Parcel Offices in Plymouth. The boxes were marked with pictures of camping equipment.
Mr Verheijen said customs and trading standards officers also found £39,000 in cash, believed to be payment for the tobacco going in the opposite direction.
He added White turned up to claim the tobacco.
Nick Lewin, for White, said: "His weakness is gambling. He has for many years struggled with gambling. It has cost him his home, his marriage and everything. He has come with a bag packed expecting to go to prison."
Mr Lewin said none of his three children were in court because he had not told them of the hearing due to the "shame and humiliation". He added others in his family would suffer if he went to prison. The court heard he received £160 a week in benefits.
White said outside court that criminals put him under pressure to pick up the tobacco, which had come from London. He added he was only being paid £5 for each bag.
White said his mother had got him into gambling at an early age but he had managed to kick the habit – banning himself from the city's casinos. But he added he started online gambling when his daughter gave him a laptop.
White said: "It is boredom really, I am a divorced single man. But I have given away my laptop and I do not have internet on my phone."
He added he was going to work with probation officers to find voluntary work to keep himself busy in the future.
Simon De-Kayne, of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, said after the hearing: "Close working between HMRC and Plymouth Trading Standards has stopped a large amount of smuggled tobacco from undercutting legitimate retailers in Devon.
"This type of crime costs the UK economy around £1.8 billion a year."
Comment – Page 11


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Maryland exit poll: Economy big for many voters
More than half of Maryland voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the country, according to a preliminary exit poll of Maryland voters. Among the early findings:
The economy was by far the biggest issue on voters' minds. Fewer than one in five voters said the federal budget deficit was the most important, with about the same saying it was health care.
About 4 in 10 voters on the same-sex marriage ballot question described themselves as moderate, with about 3 in 10 describing themselves as either liberal or conservative. About a quarter said attended religious services once a week, and about a third said they did so a few times a year.
The preliminary exit poll of 737 Maryland voters was conducted for the AP and the television networks by Edison Research in a random sample of 20 precincts statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.
Online: http://surveys.ap.org/exitpolls


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PSR alum calls for Christians to "make corruption history"
Daryl Balia, who earned his certificate of advanced professional studies from PSR in 1988, wrote Make Corruption History not only from a theoretical and theological perspective but also from one grounded in experience. The South African worked within Nelson Mandela's government promoting national ethics, transparency, and integrity for seven years before writing his recently published book. He sees the problem of corruption—so often viewed as a secular breakdown of rule of law—as one that faith communities are especially positioned to combat.
"It's not a foregone conclusion that religion will have an impact on corrupt behavior, but it's worth a try as churches have not attempted it before," Balia says. "Case studies and international best practices have shown that moral education can play a vital role in social transformation and in reducing corruption, and churches are uniquely placed to engage in such 'soulcraft.'"
Balia sees corruption not as a white collar, victimless crime, but as a pervasive force behind many other social ills. After all, he explains, corruption fuels poverty and violates human rights—wrongs many religious communities already oppose. Balia says that through education, political involvement, and public demonstration, people of faith can make a difference where governments often fail.
"Now is an appropriate time for Christians to revisit their own role in helping to prevent or promote corrupt practices," he says. "It's amazing how inquiring about accountability and transparency in our public institutions and among our public officials inevitably raises the bar about our observance of those very values in our sacred institutions."
Below is an excerpt from Make Corruption History (SPCK Publishing, 2009), reprinted here with permission from the publisher.
The recognition by the Vatican in 2007 that only in the last 15 years has awareness of corruption grown at the international level is welcome but also disturbing. With this has come 'the growing awareness of the need to fight it,' and such a bold assertion offers hope that churches may become more responsive in the future to the anticorruption struggle being waged around the world. The lack of a solid research base among Christian academics about the potential role of churches in combating and preventing corruption is clearly something that requires attention if we wish to supplement our growing awareness. Corruption anywhere in the world cannot be willed or wished away, not least by Christians or any faith community. This is not to suggest that the power of prayer has no relevance to the struggle; meditative recollection, demonstrated in public, of a pervasive and debilitating practice common among all cultures is itself a way of raising awareness. Prayer vigils held to focus attention on the corrupt conduct of political leaders like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who remain in office despite electoral defeat, are an effective way to unite spiritually and act collectively. If any impact is to be made by people of faith working with others, however, Christians will have to seriously think about growing their awareness of the changing nature of how corruption is manifested in society and what responses might best work. The first task is not to develop a specifically Christian contribution to a common struggle, which is what fighting corruption is, as for the sake of efficacy we have to work together with civil society organizations (like Transparency International) who have already distinguished themselves on the global stage. To join a struggle presupposes that we have adequate information about it at our disposal, and from a Christian theological perspective, this is unfortunately not the case.
Of course, it must be a cause for celebration that religion has been put back into the public square and that those who wear its badge cannot any longer watch from the sidelines. The point of this book, the like of which is unlikely to have been written two decades ago when the word corruption was used only with restraint, is that Christian faith has serious practical implications for the reform of society. Christians, by engaging or immersing themselves in a struggle against corruption, will by implication be rejecting a political doctrine that excludes religion from the conduct of public affairs. The public square has been and continues to be quite 'naked,' bereft of faith-based initiatives which give voice with moral authority to the need for greater transparency and accountability from our leaders. Ours is a time for the 'deprivatization' of religion, where civic life can once again recapture its vocal verve by setting the public agenda, lest the public have it made up by the media's flashy tabloids or 'spun' by vote-seeking politicians. Amid the 'noise of solemn assemblies' about their own decline, it might appear far-fetched to imagine churches being involved with other formations, let alone being in the forefront of a global struggle which has to compete with other legitimate, sometimes more urgent, campaigns and civil society initiatives. It is possible that our fatalistic or inert disposition to the disease we call corruption was in the past nurtured mostly by our lack of knowledge of it, partly by our limited capacity to work towards its elimination, and in some cases by our own complicity, or simply because it was the way things got done or was the way of life as we saw it. That time is now thankfully past.