text:
'The End of the Affair' review: same old problemsAugust 4, 2014
Photo: Mellopix
Listeners who recall composer Jake Heggie's operatic treatment of the Graham Greene novel "The End of the Affair" from its 2004 Houston world premiere or the revised version that came to the Seattle Opera the next year were surprised - but faintly optimistic - at the news that West Edge Opera was going to revive a piece that hadn't worked particularly well the first time around. Could this reliably inventive company have discovered some new magic in the score?
To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to SFChronicle.com.
By logging in, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.


text:
Customer Relationship Management Simplified – Why User Adoption is a Key Metric
By Brian Dayton-Oracle on Apr 18, 2014
"Out of all the CRM project problems reported, we found the most significant threat to be slow user adoption."
— Bill Band, Principal Analyst, Forrester
So you've purchased a state-of-the-art Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for your Sales organization. Your goals: better forecasts, closing more deals, and ultimately increasing revenue. But are people using it?
Read on and learn about:
- The three primary challenges that can get in your way
- Oracle's take on addressing user adoption challenges
- The benefits Oracle Sales Cloud customers are experiencing

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Yarn Profile: Jaeger Alpaca 4-Ply
First Impressions
Jaeger's Alpaca fits the bill perfectly. Its fine gauge is appropriate for many baby patterns, its softness won't irritate the baby's skin, it knits up beautifully, and -- although it's alpaca -- a 202-yard skein will run you only $7.95.
Knitting Up
As is the case with alpaca fiber in general, the yarn has very little bounce to it. It's so fine and even that straight stockinette might drive you out of your mind with boredom.
It lends itself more to pattern stitches. Even a simple moss or lace pattern would look lovely.
The other reason to use a stitch pattern with this yarn is that it won't forgive uneven stockinette. You can spot the flubs a mile away, and they'll never go away.
Blocking / Washing
They did just fine. I'm not necessarily recommending you do this with your finished garments, but in a worst case scenario, it's good to know that the yarn won't fall apart on you.
There was no stretching or fading whatsoever, and the swatches flattened out to a reasonable extent.
The fuzz came out more, making the swatches resemble an angora blend. Interestingly enough there was no pilling, just the overall addition of fluff, which made the stitches appear less distinct. (Considering my lumpy stockinette, this was actually a good thing!)
It's a luxuriously soft yarn with the sheen of un-brushed mohair and the slightly fuzzy texture of angora. Even the skeins themselves feel wonderful to the touch.
Okay, forget the baby, make something for yourself!
Previous reader comments
"I like your comments! You're my kind of knitter. I'm looking forward to using this yarn. Now my trouble is finding it. But for sure I'm going to try, if for nothing else but to make a scarf."
Yarn name
Alpaca 4-Ply
Fiber content
100% alpaca
28 sts and 36 rows to 10 cm square using 3mm needles
Average retail price
Weight/Yardage per Skein
50g/202 yards
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
Manufacturer's suggested wash method
Dry clean or handwash in soap flakes; do not soak; cool rinse; do not wring; short spin; do not leave wet; reshape and dry flat away from direct sunlight; use damp pressing cloth.
Buy Online
Review date


text:
St. Patty's Day is notorious for binge drinking, green beer and celebrating with friends. It is also one of the worst days for drunk driving.
Drunk driving arrests were up 44 to 400 during St. Patty's weekend 2013.
This is disappointing for many officers, who celebrated after reporting less DWIs than previous recent years over the New Year's celebration. Here are the DWI results of the last five St. Patty's Day celebrations:
2008 (Monday) – 165
2009 (Tuesday) – 218
2010 (Wednesday) – 225
2011 (Thursday) – 287
2012 (Saturday) – 346
Arrests over St. Patty's day weekend are trending upward, which is something police officers are hoping to curb for next years celebration.
South central Minnesota reported 10 cars off road, with seven property damage crashes. There was one fatality in the state during the weekend, but it isn't yet clear whether or not alcohol was a factor in that accident. Overall the state is doing better with fatal crashes down 10 from last year at 54.
According to Nathan Bowie of the department of public safety, in the last five years, 651 people were killed in drunk driving crashes. Drunk driving deaths account for one-third of the state's total deaths annually. Each year, nearly 30,000 people are arrested for DWI and one in seven Minnesota drivers has a DWI on record.
A DWI offense can result in loss of license for up to a year, thousands in costs and possible jail time.
Repeat DWI offenders, as well as first-time offenders arrested at 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level, must use ignition interlock in order to regain legal driving privileges, or face at least one year without a driver's license. Offenders with three or more offenses are required to use interlock for three to six years, or they will never regain driving privileges.
When going out for a drink, it is important to find a designated sober driver. Drunk driving is still a major issue in Minnesota. Drivers are urged to call-in anyone they suspect of driving drunk and to always remember to wear their seatbelts. As always, drinking and driving is a poor decision that puts innocent lives in danger.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Kids will get a kick out of making Boots' face from bread, bologna, and fresh red pepper!
Weekdays on Nick Jr.
Print out the template. Using a small knife, cut out Boots' head and face from the whole wheat bread slices and the bologna.
Cut one radish crosswise into thin rounds for the eyes. Cut two slices from either side of the other radish for the red ears.
For Boots' mouth, trim the tomato slice into a triangle shape. Cut the black olives into two small circles for the eyes and two small pieces for the nostrils.
Spread the mayonnaise or mustard on the lower half of the bread. Arrange the bread slices together on a plate to make Boots' face. Add the bologna to the lower half. Arrange the radish and olive eyes and nostrils, radish ears, and tomato mouth to the sandwich.
Cut the red pepper in half lengthwise. Use the template to cut out the boot shapes. Arrange the peppers on the bottom of the sandwich (use the photo as a guide).
Combine the powdered sugar with a few drops of water to make a thick glaze. Tint the glaze a light purple. Spread the glaze on top of the cookie. Let cookie set until glaze is firm, about 15 minutes. Using the photo as a guide, add the finished tail.
Dora takes the cake. And in this case, she IS the cake!
Get a taste of the tropics with this healthy, fruity drink!
Thanksgiving guests will want to swipe every last piece
Make this a-DORA-ble autumn treat for the apple of your eye!
Kids will go bananas for Boots' yummy baked treat!
Turn breakfast into an adventure when you make Dora pancakes!
Present your pie with your preschooler's favorite explorer!
Dress up sugar cookies in Dora's festive and fruity attire!
Bake up purr-fect cookies for your Halloween fiesta!
Make this a-DORA-ble sandwich for your sweetheart!
Charm loved ones with Dora's dainty cupcake rings on Valentine's Day!
Warm their hearts with Dora's favorite drink!
You'll be a star in your preschooler's eyes when you make these stellar yet easy treats!
Bake up Boots with your little kitchen helper!
Your little star will love exploring this healthy pasta salad!
Share this snack with your little explorers. They're sure to swipe it right off the kitchen table!
Make a cake fit for a princess!
The ice-cold treat is just right for quenching an explorer's thirst.
A homemade holiday tradition with a delicious Dora twist!
Summon a sea filled with sweet starfish covered in icing
Treasure the smiles when you make these cupcakes for your little pirate!
A royal recipe with a sweet surprise!
Ahoy! It's Dora in her pirate gear
Wishing Backpack could join your birthday party? Here's how he can!
Kids of all ages will swipe these cupcakes faster than you know who!
Dora on a cupcake? Delicioso!
Here's a mighty healthy lunch idea--go on, take it for a spin!
Make a sandwich look just like Peppa!
Make a fin-tastic sandwich that looks like your kid's favorite preschool teacher
Your Umi fan will say 'Great Gigabytes' when you make this avocado & cheese sandwich
Here's a peanut butter and jelly fish-shaped sandwich for your little guppy!
Make a mighty cute sandwich for your little Milli fan
Make a super cream cheese sandwich for your hungry Umi fan!
Make this a-DORA-ble sandwich for your sweetheart!
What time is it? It's time for a new twist on classic macaroni and cheese!
Make some-bunny smile with this cute & healthy lunch
Turn a hot dog into a...hot "DOG!"
Your little star will love exploring this healthy pasta salad!
Share this snack with your little explorers. They're sure to swipe it right off the kitchen table!
Ham it up for lunch!
Please your little one with little bites of pizza
Look no further for a simple yet zesty pizza sauce
There's a surprise inside these triangle-shaped pizza snackers
These towers are a surefire way to get those veggies in
Serve up Mediterranean flavors in this pizza on a pita
Serve up some new flavors with this quick and easy recipe
Delivery? No, delicious!
Hooray--it's pizza night!


text:
LEBANON, Tenn. – Megan Dillion hit two home runs and UVa-Wise pounded out 21 hits en route to a double-header sweep at Cumberland University on Wednesday.
The visiting Cavaliers struck for two runs in the opening inning of the first game and held on to claim a 5-3 win before overpowering the Patriots, 14-3, in the finale.
UVa-Wise (8-1, 3-1 MSC) scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning of Wednesday's opening game to stake starter Rachel Hawks to a lead. The score would remain 2-0 until the bottom of the third when Cumberland University (9-4, 0-2 MSC) struck for a run to cut the deficit in half. In the frame, the Patriots would use a base hit, a wild pitch, and an RBI single by Natalie Garcia to dent the scoreboard.
An inning later, Cumberland would tie the game on an error on an attempted steal. Hawks would cool the rally by retiring the next three hitters in order to keep the game knotted at 2-2. The Cavaliers would regain the lead in the sixth on an RBI single by Natasha Dean; the base hit scored Sarah Wiltshire who led off the inning with an infield single. In the seventh, UVa-Wise would extend its lead to three by plating a pair of runs. In the inning, the Cavs scored two runs with two outs in the inning on a fielding error on a Kirsten Velazquez ground ball. Hawks would surrender a run in the bottom of the seventh but would work out of the jam to preserve the two run victory.
Game two saw Head Coach Karen Bitter's club strike for eight runs in the game's first three innings as Dillion belted a two-run home run in the second and a grand slam in the third to blow the game open. UVa-Wise would add six more runs over the fourth and fifth inning to claim a run-rule 14-3 Mid-South win. Charity Lawson and Wiltshire joined Dillion with two hits and Kristina Romualdo added three RBI in completing the sweep.
UVa-Wise will return to action on March 2 when the team faces Wingate University and North Greenville.


text:
- Color
- Scorch
Scorch - bronze shimmer with silver micro-sparkle
UD's long-lasting, waterproof liner glides on smoothly to prime and define - for long-lasting lip color and clean lines. Get primed and ready for action. Smooch. Pout. Smack. Nibble. Lick. 24/7 stays put through everything you do. When you use our liner to fill in your lips completely, it primes them for lipstick or gloss, grabbing on to color to help it last.
Part of the 24/7 family, our long-lasting, waterproof formula glides on smoothly, stays creamy and defines your lips with gorgeous color. And unlike a lot of waterproof pencils, 24/7 never feels dry or cakey. Moisturizing vitamin E, jojoba oil and cottonseed oil nourish your lips every time you reapply. And shade-matched barrels make it easy to find the exact color you need.
|Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Synthetic Wax, Polybutene, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Silica, Ceresin, Ozokerite, Cera Microcristallina (Microcrystalline Wax), Tocopherol, Polyurethane-11, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, May Contain (+/-):, CI 77400 (Bronze Powder), CI 77400 (Copper Powder), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77019 (Mica), CI 77000 (Aluminum Powder)
When your 24/7 Eye Pencils start to get dull, use the small barrel of our Grindhouse Double Barrel Sharpener to grind them back to a perfect point.


text:
By John Pollmann
Hardy mallards and Canada geese are well known for holding out in the northern reaches of the Central Flyway until bitter cold temps, ice and snow drive them south. Considering that South Dakota has had little in the way of anything resembling winter weather, it should come as no surprise that there are a few birds still hanging around.
Well, actually, a lot of birds.
"The most recent survey of waterfowl on the Missouri River had around 750,000 mallards and just over 300,000 Canada geese using those waters in the central part of the state," says Rocco Murano, chief waterfowl biologist with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. "There are still a large number of both ducks and geese using the pothole country of eastern South Dakota as well."
It's a good news-bad news situation for those hunters further down the flyway waiting for the migration to hit high gear. The good news: there are lots of ducks and geese yet to wing their way south. The bad news: they might not be going anywhere anytime soon.
"There really isn't any reason for them to leave here right now, and they'll hang on as long as there is open water and no snow in the fields," Murano says. "It looks like we have a chance at some colder weather next week, but snow is really the big factor. They'll hang out on the ice for quite a while if they can still get at the food in the fields."
The large concentration of birds in South Dakota hasn't made hunting easy for local waterfowlers, however, particularly for duck hunters.
"It's been miserable," says Martin Hesby, an avid waterfowl hunter and Avery pro-staffer. "You're lucky if you get a crack at one or two flocks each hunt."
After a brief period of cold weather around Veterans Day, Hesby says the full moon put mallards on a nocturnal feeding schedule. Then the temperature warmed up, and the ducks have stayed in the routine of feeding almost exclusively at night.
Tough hunting or not, South Dakota will continue to hold tremendous numbers of waterfowl until cold and snow finally push the birds down the flyway.
John Pollmann is an avid waterfowler and freelance writer living in Dell Rapids, South Dakota.
Find hunting and migration reports in your area on the Ducksd Unlimited Migration Map.


text:
Frisco couple, Plano man indicted on health-care fraud charges
A Frisco couple and a Plano man have been indicted on charges including conspiracy, health care fraud, making false statements to a financial institution and engaging in illegal monetary transactions with fraud proceeds, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Stanley Thaw, 70, Kernell Thaw, 49, and Michael Kincaid, 55, of Plano were all arraigned in federal court on Thursday. Each pleaded not guilty.
The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, charges Stanley Thaw and Kincaid each with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five substantive counts of health care fraud. Stanley and Kernell Thaw each are charged with three counts of making false statements to a financial institution. Each of the three defendants is charged with three counts of money laundering.
The three owned and operated various hyperbaric oxygen therapy companies in north Texas, Houston and San Antonio. According to the indictment, Stanley Thaw and Kincaid engaged in a scheme between 2008 and 2011 to defraud Medicare by double-billing for the physician supervision and attendance of oxygen-therapy-related services.
The Thaws also face charges alleging they made material false statements to a financial institution to obtain a $1.3 million residential loan in Dallas. The indictment states they failed to disclose their $2.15 million Frisco home in the loan paperwork.


text:
Men's UA Sideline Beanie
When the temps drop, battle the elements with the Men's Under Armour Sideline Beanie. From a chilly morning workout to running errands to cheering on your team from the sidelines, you've got to keep that noggin' dry. With the soft knit fabric this fit is made of, you get supreme comfort and ultra-light performance. The Signature Moisture Transport System wicks unwanted moisture away from the body while the ColdGear lining locks in the warmth. Mother Nature doesn't stand a chance!
- MATERIAL: 100% acrylic
- TYPE: Beanie


text:
The 7th annual LTD Motorcycle Memorial Tour will start at the fairgrounds in Appleton on Saturday at 10 a.m. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. The bikers are scheduled to go through Montevideo about 10:30 a.m. They will be stopping for lunch in Madison. The riders will eventually return to Appleton at about 4:45 p.m. The public is invited to attend a concert by Rockie Lynne and the Jacob Martin Band. Last year, about 400 bikers participated in the LTD tour, which is held in honor of Sgt. Jesse Lhotka, 1st Lt. Jason Timmerman and Staff Sgt. David Day, who were killed in Iraq Feb. 21, 2005. (American-News file photo by Bruce Olson)
Comments are currently unavailable on this article
Location, ST | website.com


text:
New hope for cancer-stricken Marine
Published: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 6:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 6:10 p.m.
SARASOTA - Lacking a better word to describe the tumble of emotions he feels, former Marine Tom Gervasi is, quite simply, stunned.
Tom Gervasi of Sarasota believes his deadly male breast cancer was caused by drinking contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in 1956. He hopes to receive compensation under a new law to help his wife after his death. The VA has denied his application twice.
This week: A new report shows the base's water was contaminated when he was there. Gervasi will file his claim again based on the new information.
He and Elaine, his wife of 56 years, had just received more bad news Wednesday. Once again, Gervasi had been denied compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the rare and deadly male breast cancer he blames on contaminated drinking water from his days at Camp Lejeune.
But late Thursday, the Sarasota retiree learned the loophole that had plagued his quest for justice might have closed.
"It's all happening so fast," he said Friday. "But this has sort of put a smile on my face and Elaine's. The other call had kind of taken the wind out of our sails."
After repeated delays, the federal agency researching the year the North Carolina base's drinking water became tainted with toxic chemicals finally had an answer — 1953.
Gervasi trained there in 1956.
No one disputes anymore that the water at the camp was contaminated for three decades with volatile organic compounds from fuel runoff and dry cleaning chemicals.
But 2012 legislation providing disability assistance for those stricken with a variety of cancers stipulated that to be eligible, Marines and their families had to have lived on the base in 1957 or later.
Gervasi missed that cutoff by about six months.
The new report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry opens a door for him to receive help.
Mike Partain of Polk County, who says he also contracted male breast cancer after being born on the base, has become an advocate for the 82 men diagnosed so far with the rare cancer.
"This is yet another piece of the puzzle that's coming together and slowly exposing the extent of the contamination at Camp Lejeune — and the Marine Corps' culpability and negligence," he says. "This is four years overdue."
The Marines were slow to react after ground-water samples first showed contamination on the base in the early 1980s. Some drinking water wells were closed in 1984 and 1985, after further testing confirmed contamination.
Health officials believe as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to tainted water. It's not clear how many Marines and family members will be affected by the expansion of the timeline, but Partain estimates thousands.
In a letter to Gen. Allison Hickey, VA undersecretary for benefits, the head of the toxic substance registry said that the new legislation didn't go back far enough.
"I hope this information is useful as the Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates claims from veterans who served at USMC Camp Lejeune prior to the release of our full water modeling report in the spring," agency Director Christopher J. Portier wrote in the letter, dated Wednesday.
The letter was first released publicly during a meeting Thursday of the agency's community assistance panel at the disease registry headquarters in Atlanta. Former Marines and family members angrily questioned officials about why these studies have taken so long to complete.
Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Kendra Motz said she got the disease registry letter Thursday. She did not have immediate comment on it. A VA spokesman said that agency was looking into the letter.
Former Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger singled out Gervasi's case at the meeting.
"We've got veterans out there with life-ending diseases," said Ensminger, who blames the contamination for the leukemia that killed his 9-year-old daughter, Janey, in 1985. "These people are terminal, and they need this information."
In a prepared statement, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said he hopes the new dates will help people like Gervasi.
"It is my hope that VA will act quickly to amend their policy and review relevant disability claims that have been denied," the statement said. "These men and women have been suffering through no fault of their own and we owe them the care they need without delay."
Gervasi does not know if he will live long enough to see the results of his efforts. Breast cancer cells have invaded his bones and lungs. His most recent MRI showed the cancer has not progressed beyond the results of six months before, but he knows the clock is ticking.
"It's really up to God how much time I have," Gervasi says.
When the Herald-Tribune first reported on his struggle in November, Gervasi said he hoped to have this issue resolved before his death for the sake of his wife, whom he married at the chapel in Camp Lejeune in 1956.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text:
Hi! I have a problem. Today i downloaded a movie called 8 mile and it has 2 gb. When i downloaded the movie i wanted to transfer the movie to PS3 via Ps3 media server 1.72.0. after i connected to the media server i did go in where my movie is and then i pressed the copy button. And i started to copy. After a while its still going on and it copyid 4gb but my movie is almost 2gb and on my conversion buffer on the PMS is like this. Its only on 397 and its not going any further.
My specs:
HP Pavillion g6
Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium
4gb ram
Intel HD 3000
Intel core i5 2410m 2.30GHz


text:
If you haven't made time lately to take your canine companion to a local dog park, you're both missing out on some serious fun! In this episode of Pet Talk, Dr. Sarah's on location at the Spring Canyon Dog Park in Fort Collins, CO. With the help of her Goldendoodle co-star, Alma, Dr. Sarah will share the code of proper dog-park conduct, for both canines and humans, to ensure maximum fun for everyone. Learning about companion animal etiquette has never been so much fun!
Related posts
November 18. 2011 00:36
Nice site!
Susan Gelatka
November 30. 2011 14:03
Dr. Sarah,You brought out some excellent points about visiting a dog park. As a member of a dog park committee and designer of a dog park, I was surprised at how low a fence your dog park has, at least in the section shown. We chose a 6-foot fence so that people who have dogs that hurdle lower fences would feel that their dog would stay safely within the park when something or someone tempted them to "escape."Dog park bound,Amelia and Schatzi
Amelia Johnson
Add comment


text:
WHAT: The free Weotta app (as in, We "otta" go out to eat, we otta go to the movies) suggests options for things to do, see and eat near your current location or at more than 40 U.S. metropolitan locations. Unlike most "activity suggestion" apps, Weotta lets you fine-tune your searches by time -- today, this weekend, next week. You can also filter your activities by category, such as girls outing, romantic date, for the kids and more.
HITS: It's easy to save the restaurants, art galleries, parks, etc., that Weotta suggests. You just add them to your basket, and the app stores them for you by location and date. Don't forget to click through the image to the info; inside you might find hours, website, menus and even tips from Foursquare.
MISSES: Take the filters with a grain of salt. When I was searching for things to do in Las Vegas (next week, with kids), it recommended the exhibits at the Erotic Heritage Museum. Ahem. I also thought that yoga for a date night in Washington, D.C., was pushing it.
-- Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times


text:
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The man who's hyper enough to make caffeine nervous tried to make his golf game sound boring.
"All I'm trying to do," Bubba Watson said, "is just hit the greens."
Watson, though, has saved the Tiger-free (and now Phil-free) Masters. After opening with a 3-under 69, the 2012 champion shot a 4-under 68 on Friday for a 7-under 137. He also became only the fifth player in Masters history to run off nothing but birdies from Nos. 12-16.
"I'm trying to get the jacket back," he said. "I want that feeling again."
As evening approached, this was the non-descript leader board behind Watson: John Senden, Thomas Bjorn and Jonas Blixt. Then defending champion Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth emerged from the day's long shadows to reach the clubhouse at 3 under, tied with Bjorn and Blixt -- a stroke behind Senden.
Friday brought a series of curiosities -- including a visit from Johnny Johnny Manziel, who wrote on Instagram of taking his dad to Augusta National for a bucket-list trip.
A sprinkler head sent Rory McIlroy's second shot into the azaleas behind the 13th green. Marc Leishman went from 5 under to 5 over in a span of 12 holes.
Leishman had lots of prominent company on the "cut" list: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson, Graeme McDowell, Johnson & Johnson (Dustin and Zach) and Jason Dufner. McIlroy made a 5-foot putt on No. 18 to survive the cut.
But that late mini-drama couldn't obscure the biggest story: Mr. Thrill-a-Minute, Watson. Asked how his athleticism helps his golf game, Watson spoke of using his 9-iron to fly a shot 186 yards: "Just makes me an average tour player."
Said wife Angie, "If he shoots 80 or 800, he's still going to play T-ball with (son) Caleb in the backyard."
Mickelson was chipping from 30 feet away on No. 7 in the first round when it rolled off the green and led to a triple bogey. On Friday at the par-3 12th, his tee shot cleared Rae's Creek but found the front bunker. His next shot sailed over the green and into the back bunker. From there, he blasted through the green and back into the front bunker. He got that out to 18 feet and two-putted for a triple bogey.
Throw in a double bogey on the par-5 15th in the first round, and it's clear why Mickelson is on the sidelines. But he said he'll likely watch the rest of tournament on TV. "Kind of be my punishment," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Leader board. PAGE 7
After second round
Player Scores Par
Bubba Watson 69-68 -- -7
John Senden 72-68 -- -4
Thomas Bjorn 73-68 -- -3
Jonas Blixt 70-71 -- -3
Adam Scott 69-72 -- -3
Jordan Spieth 71-70 -- -3
Fred Couples 71-71 -- -2
Rory McIlroy 74-77 -- +4
Missed Cut
Phil Mickelson 76-73 -- +5
Full leader board, PAGE 7


text:
BALTIMORE -- The last time things looked this hopeless for the Raiders, they played their best game of the season.
A trip to face unbeaten Atlanta on Oct. 14 ended in a last-second defeat, but it's worth remembering the Raiders were regarded as a noncombatant, much as they are Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
With running backs Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson and defensive tackle Richard Seymour out with injuries, the point spread in some instances is approaching double digits.
The approach for the Raiders is similar to that of the Falcons game. It's an Eastern time zone game against a 6-2 team with a 14-game winning streak at home and a recent history of consistent success.
"They're an exceptional team," Raiders coach Dennis Allen said. "They're another one of those teams that has a formula for success and they know how to win. They're extremely tough to play in that building, so obviously we've got our work cut out for us."
The Raiders (3-5) are coming off a 42-32 home loss to Tampa Bay during which they gave up 251 yards rushing to rookie Doug Martin, 515 yards overall and more big plays than they would hope to give up in a quarter of a season.
And here come the Ravens, with running back Ray Rice, built along the lines of Martin only more accomplished, and an explosive passing offense led by quarterback Joe Flacco.
Meanwhile, the Raiders will utilize Taiwan Jones and Marcel Reece in the backfield, players who have one carry each this season.
"Football games are won on the field, they're not won on paper," Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said by conference call. "They're not won on who's playing and who's not playing."
At the midway point of the season, the Raiders are a team that has had difficulty running the ball but has moved it through the air behind quarterback Carson Palmer, who has 2,355 yards passing and 13 touchdowns.
It has operated best with Palmer in a no-huddle situation, with 40 of its 46 second-quarter points this season coming in the final two minutes of the first half.
"You know, if I had an answer to that, I'd have it fixed," Allen said. "We're attempting to figure it out, but we have been good in the last two minutes of the first half and been able to move the ball and score points, and we've got to find a way to transfer that into other parts of the game."
The same could be said for the third quarter, where the Raiders have been outscored 88-24.
Defensively, the Raiders have been all over the map -- very good against the run in some games (San Diego, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Kansas City) and very bad in some others (Miami, Tampa Bay).
They went the first quarter of the season without an interception, then had five in a three-game period.
There are subtle hints that the Ravens, despite their record, are not the dominating presence of past years along the defensive front seven. Thirteen-time Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis is out with a torn triceps, and the Ravens rank 28th against the run and are giving up 4.0 yards per carry -- something they haven't done over 16 games for the last 16 seasons.
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is not himself with bad shoulder, and standout cornerback Lardarius Webb was lost for the season with a torn ACL. On the plus side, Suggs looks as if he hasn't lost much despite missing the first six games after a six-month recovery from a torn Achilles.
"It's always an uphill battle against Baltimore," said Palmer, who was 9-4 in his career against the Ravens while with Cincinnati. "Their numbers are not statistically where they normally are, and they've had some injuries. But they're still 6-2, and still very good at home."
Lee started seven games, moving into the lineup in Week 2 after Bartell (broken shoulder blade) and Spencer (foot sprain) were lost in the first two games.
Although Allen said recently there had been no setbacks regarding Spencer, he did say the healing process was taking longer than anticipated. Spencer, who signed a one-year contract last offseason, played in just two games.
The moves suggest Michael Huff, moved to cornerback in Week 3, will be there the rest of the season, starting opposite Bartell with Matt Giordano the starting free safety.
For more on the Raiders, visit the Inside the Oakland Raiders blog at ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders. Follow Jerry McDonald on twitter at Twitter.com/Jerrymcd.


text:
Dublin resident decries boat launch 'No Swimming' sign
DUBLIN — A resident and swimming advocate says a sign that prohibits swimming at the boat launch on Dublin Lake is in violation of his right, and the rights of others, to swim in public waters. "The words 'no swimming' shouldn't be there," said Steve Baldwin of Dublin at a Select Board meeting Monday
Post a comment
You must sign in before you can post comments. If you are experiencing issues with your account please e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Hi Andrew, I have read the Qcad Features on http://www.qcad.org/en/qcad-documentation/qcad-features and the "print preview with paper selection" must be usable without the pro-version. But this is the message I get with this command: (see screenshot)
Also, ¿how I can remove the "test version panel (version de prueba in spanish)" of qcad?
Thanks, and best regards


text:
Level 3 cuts will be implemented at Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools on Jan. 6 in the wake of the defeat of an 8.9-mill emergency operating levy Tuesday.
The biggest change students and families will notice after the Christmas break will be the elimination of high school transportation, including busing to and from Buckeye Career Center and Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School, according to Superintendent Mark Murphy.
Students in kindergarten through eighth grade will be transported together. The school day for primary, intermediate and middle school will be changed to 8:25 a.m. (start) and 2:55 p.m. (dismissal).
Start times for Tuscarawas Valley High will remain the same, at 7:30 a.m. (start) and 2:40 p.m. (dismissal).
"In addition to implementing the next level of cuts, our board of education will evaluate its next steps, including placing the operating levy back on the ballot for either February or May," Murphy said Wednesday in a statement.
In Tuesday's general election, the levy lost by a vote of 1,521 against — or 52.5 percent — to 1,373 in favor — or 47.4 percent, according to unofficial totals from the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections.
"On behalf of our students, staff and entire Tusky Valley family, I am deeply saddened and obviously disappointed in the defeat of this critically important emergency operating levy," the superintendent said. "It has been over 15 years since the district has requested and received any additional operating money."
The levy would have generated $1.8 million annually for the next 10 years — about 12.5 percent of the district's entire operating budget.
The cuts being implemented in January will save about $200,000, and Level 4 cuts have been outlined and are pending the outcome of the next time the levy is placed on the ballot.
Those cuts include larger class sizes because of fewer teachers, reduced support for special education and the gifted, and fewer middle school and high school classes. The district would save an additional $1.1 million by doing this.
"In the meantime, we will continue to provide the best education possible for our community's children, given the resources available to us," Murphy said.
Statewide, nearly two-thirds of school tax issues on the ballot were approved Tuesday. Nearly all of the requests to renew existing levies passed, but voters rejected most new tax issues.
Locally, requests for new money were voted down by residents in New Philadelphia City Schools, Garaway Local Schools in Sugarcreek, Carrollton Exempted Village Schools and Fairless Local Schools in Navarre. Tuscarawas Valley and Fairless share a school treasurer as a way to save money.
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or email@example.com.
On Twitter: @jbakerTR
Location, ST | website.com


text:
ALAMEDA -- The completion of Marina Cove, the housing development that was started more than a decade ago on Buena Vista Avenue, moved a little closer Wednesday, when the City Council approved a tentative subdivision map for an additional 89 residences.
The 52 single-family homes and 37 condominiums will be built near the Fortman Marina and the historic Del Monte Warehouse in what officials say will be the city's first multiunit, privately funded housing development in approximately 20 years.
"This is a triumph for us," City Manager John Russo said.
The vacant Chipman warehouse currently occupies the site at 1551 Buena Vista Ave., which also features a paved area for parking and truck deliveries.
"I'm so excited I don't know what to say," said lifetime West End resident Nick Cabral before the council unanimously approved the tentative map. "I've been looking at trucks for 72 years and I have had enough of trucks."
The proposal from applicant John Shelton of Trident Partners LLC calls for the condominiums to be built on a single lot on the seven-acre site. Six single-family homes will face Buena Vista Avenue.
Trident Partners originally proposed building 69 residences, but city officials asked for an additional 30 units as a way to help meet the city's projected housing needs as outlined in the Housing Element of the General Plan.
The Marina Cove project comes as the East Bay Regional Park District is suing the city over the council's decision to rezone property on McKay Avenue for housing, saying it is not compatible with the recreational needs of the nearby Robert Crown Memorial State Beach.
Known as Neptune Pointe, the four-acre site was one of several rezoned in July to bring the city's housing element into compliance with state law, which city officials say is necessary to be eligible for grants for transportation and other projects.
On Wednesday, former Councilwoman Karin Lucas urged the council to hold off a decision on Marina Cove, saying the city could be vulnerable to additional lawsuits over housing if park officials prevailed.
But Councilman Tony Daysog said Marina Cove has been in the pipeline for more than a decade, and that its mostly single-family homes would reflect the existing neighborhood.
"Let's not let this project get caught in the crossfire of that," Daysog said about the park district lawsuit.
Along with the Del Monte warehouse, the property is bordered by Ohlone Street, Clement Avenue and Entrance Way.
The project calls for two new streets: One street would extend north from Buena Vista Avenue to Clement Avenue and to Marina Cove Waterfront Park -- which was built during the project's first phase -- while Clement would also be extended from Ohlone Street to Entrance Road.
The first phase of Marina Cove was built on about 11 acres and features 83 residences.
Marina Cove could accommodate up to 193 housing units, according to the city's Housing Element, and some public speakers Wednesday said they feared the city would not be able to meet its projected housing needs by not pushing the developer to build more homes.
But Russo said that was unlikely, especially as the city begins designating sites at Alameda Point for housing.
Among the conditions that the Planning Board added in November as part of approving the tentative subdivision map are that Trident Partners provide a traffic analysis for the project in connection with the Webster and Posey tubes before it secures final approval.
Reach Peter Hegarty at 510-748-1654 or follow him on Twitter.com/Peter_Hegarty/.


text:
Emma Stone has finally hit the big time.
That's right -- there's a tape of her having sex out there somewhere.
The actress recorded a sex tape, and it's not with her current beau, Andrew Garfield, a source told RadarOnline.com. The 24-year-old starlet reportedly filmed the racy video before meeting her "The Amazing Spider-Man" co-star.
He must be thrilled.
"She was just young and probably thought nothing would ever come of it," the source said.
The X-rated tape hasn't surfaced yet. However, it's apparently not in Stone's possession. "The tape remains in the hands of the person she made it with," said the source, whom radar identified as a close friend of the actress. "But that doesn't mean there's any guarantee that it won't eventually hit the market. The higher Emma's star rises, the more valuable that tape becomes."
When will these people ever learn?
In any case, Stone won't be exploiting the scandalous reel for her benefit. "Emma's really happy with her career and proud of where she is," the source added. "There's no way she would organize the release of the tape."
Contact Tony Hicks at firstname.lastname@example.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks.


text:
Dear Tom and Ray: I have two things: a son who is a shade-tree mechanic and does a good business out of his backyard, and a 2003 Honda Civic that keeps overheating. The car runs fine and never overheats — unless I am in the drive-thru line at fast-food restaurants. Even when I turn off the air conditioner, the needle continues to rise up to the HOT level.
My son checked it out and found the radiator cap to be leaking, then replaced it and thought that solved the problem. He ruled out the fan, as it was running the entire time he left the car running. However, the next time I was in the drive-thru, the needle started rising — again! It didn't get as high as it had before the new cap, but nevertheless, it was on the way up. Once I get back out on the road, the needle slowly drops back to normal.
When my son checked it out, he drove it and let it idle for an hour, and it never heated up for him. I threatened to take him with me next time I went to a drive-thru. — Marlene
RAY: There may be nothing wrong with the car, Marlene. You say that after the radiator cap was replaced and you stopped at the drive-thru, the needle started to go up again. The question is: How far did it go?
TOM: Right. After you drive the car, particularly on the highway or at higher speeds, when you come to a stop, the engine WILL get hotter temporarily. There's a lot less air being pushed through the radiator when you're stopped, so the engine heats up some before it cools back down.
RAY: So if the needle simply went up to the red mark, and soon came down, there may be nothing wrong with the car. And that may be why it didn't overheat for your son after idling for an hour.
TOM: On the other hand, if the needle went way up, near the hot zone, then there IS still something wrong, and it requires further investigation.
RAY: In that case, it could be something as simple as a bad thermostat. It could be a water pump with a loose impeller. Or it could be the ever-popular and dreaded leaky head gasket.
TOM: Either the failing water pump or the bad head gasket could work fine when the car is idling, but could cause trouble after hard driving. That may be why the car doesn't overheat for your son.
RAY: So I'd suggest that you DO take him with you to the drive-thru. Tell him the burger and fries are on you. Then drive the way you normally drive, and let him see where the needle ends up. He may confirm that there's no problem.
TOM: Or he may realize that he hasn't fixed it, and that he has to check out our other theories.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Well alright. I've made some changes and now everything is connected via ethernet cable Seems to solve a lot.
I've got 2 PS3s. One is very next to my iMac and the other is downstairs. Both are connected via the same way, only the cable of the one downstairs is longer.
On a certain scene the PS3 downstairs can't handle it while the one upstairs does. It has to be cable length right? So I don't think I can change much more and will just accept the way it is. The scenes are very rare so not a big problem. Though it should be great if it worked nicely.
Now that I think of it, there is a second difference. The PS3 upstairs is connected to a bridge point (Time Capsule) and the iMac as well. The PS3 downstairs is connected to our central router, where the bridge point is connected to as well (Time Capsule). Could that make a difference?


text:
Building Simple Workflows in Oozie
By dan.mcclary on Oct 05, 2012
More often than not, data doesn't come packaged exactly as we'd like it for analysis. Transformation, match-merge operations, and a host of data munging tasks are usually needed before we can extract insights from our Big Data sources. Few people find data munging exciting, but it has to be done. Once we've suffered that boredom, we should take steps to automate the process. We want codify our work into repeatable units and create workflows which we can leverage over and over again without having to write new code. In this article, we'll look at how to use Oozie to create a workflow for the parallel machine learning task I described on Cloudera's site.
Hive Actions: Prepping for Pig
In my parallel machine learning article, I use data from the National Climatic Data Center to build weather models on a state-by-state basis. NCDC makes the data freely available as gzipped files of day-over-day observations stretching from the 1930s to today. In reading that post, one might get the impression that the data came in a handy, ready-to-model files with convenient delimiters. The truth of it is that I need to perform some parsing and projection on the dataset before it can be modeled. If I get more observations, I'll want to retrain and test those models, which will require more parsing and projection. This is a good opportunity to start building up a workflow with Oozie.
I store the data from the NCDC in HDFS and create an external Hive table partitioned by year. This gives me flexibility of Hive's query language when I want it, but let's me put the dataset in a directory of my choosing in case I want to treat the same data with Pig or MapReduce code.
CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE IF NOT EXISTS historic_weather(column 1, column2)
PARTITIONED BY (yr string)
LOCATION '/user/oracle/weather/historic';
As new weather data comes in from NCDC, I'll need to add partitions to my table. That's an action I should put in the workflow. Similarly, the weather data requires parsing in order to be useful as a set of columns. Because of their long history, the weather data is broken up into fields of specific byte lengths: x bytes for the station ID, y bytes for the dew point, and so on. The delimiting is consistent from year to year, so writing SerDe or a parser for transformation is simple. Once that's done, I want to select columns on which to train, classify certain features, and place the training data in an HDFS directory for my Pig script to access.
ALTER TABLE historic_weather ADD IF NOT EXISTS PARTITION (yr='2010')
LOCATION '/user/oracle/weather/historic/yr=2011';
INSERT OVERWRITE DIRECTORY '/user/oracle/weather/cleaned_history'
SELECT w.stn, w.wban, w.weather_year, w.weather_month,
w.weather_day, w.temp, w.dewp, w.weather FROM (
FROM historic_weather SELECT TRANSFORM(...)
USING '/path/to/hive/filters/ncdc_parser.py'
as stn, wban, weather_year, weather_month, weather_day, temp, dewp, weather
) w;
Since I'm going to prepare training directories with at least the same frequency that I add partitions, I should also add that to my workflow. Oozie is going to invoke these Hive actions using what's somewhat obviously referred to as a Hive action. Hive actions amount to Oozie running a script file containing our query language statements, so we can place them in a file called
Starting Our Workflow
Oozie offers two types of jobs: workflows and coordinator jobs. Workflows are straightforward: they define a set of actions to perform as a sequence or directed acyclic graph. Coordinator jobs can take all the same actions of Workflow jobs, but they can be automatically started either periodically or when new data arrives in a specified location. To keep things simple we'll make a workflow job; coordinator jobs simply require another XML file for scheduling. The bare minimum for workflow XML defines a name, a starting point, and an end point:
<workflow-app name="WeatherMan" xmlns="uri:oozie:workflow:0.1">
<start to="ParseNCDCData"/>
<end name="end"/>
To this we need to add an action, and within that we'll specify the hive parameters Also, keep in mind that actions require <ok> and <error> tags to direct the next action on success or failure.
<action name="ParseNCDCData">
<hive xmlns="uri:oozie:hive-action:0.2">
<ok to="WeatherMan"/>
<error to="end"/>
There are a couple of things to note here:
- I have to give the FQDN (or IP) and port of my JobTracker and NameNode.
- I have to include a
- I have to include a script file.
- The
hive-default.xmland script file must be stored in HDFS
hive-defaults.xml on different clusters (e.g. MySQL or Postgres-backed metastores).
A quick way to ensure that all the assets end up in the right place in HDFS is just to make a working directory locally, build your workflow.xml in it, and copy the assets you'll need to it as you add actions to
workflow.xml. At this point, our local directory should contain:
hive-defaults.xml(make sure this file contains your metastore connection data)
Adding Pig to the Ooze
Adding our Pig script as an action is slightly simpler from an XML standpoint. All we do is add an action to
workflow.xml as follows:
<action name="WeatherMan">
<ok to="end"/>
<error to="end"/>
Once we've done this, we'll copy
weather_train.pig to our working directory. However, there's a bit of a "gotcha" here. My pig script registers the Weka Jar and a chunk of jython. If those aren't also in HDFS, our action will fail from the outset -- but where do we put them? The Jython script goes into the working directory at the same level as the pig script, because pig attempts to load Jython files in the directory from which the script executes. However, that's not where our Weka jar goes.
While Oozie doesn't assume much, it does make an assumption about the Pig classpath. Anything under
working_directory/lib gets automatically added to the Pig classpath and no longer requires a REGISTER statement in the script. Anything that uses a REGISTER statement cannot be in the
working_directory/lib directory. Instead, it needs to be in a different HDFS directory and attached to the pig action with an
<archive> tag.
Yes, that's as confusing as you think it is.
You can get the exact rules for adding Jars to the distributed cache from Oozie's Pig Cookbook.
Making the Workflow Work
We've got a workflow defined and have collected all the components we'll need to run. But we can't run anything yet, because we still have to define some properties about the job and submit it to Oozie. We need to start with the job properties, as this is essentially the "request" we'll submit to the Oozie server. In the same working directory, we'll make a file called
job.properties as follows:
While some of the pieces of the properties file are familiar (e.g., JobTracker address), others take a bit of explaining. The first is
weatherRoot: this is essentially an environment variable for the script (as are jobTracker and queueName). We're simply using them to simplify the directives for the Oozie job. The
oozie.libpath pieces is extremely important. This is a directory in HDFS which holds Oozie's shared libraries: a collection of Jars necessary for invoking Hive, Pig, and other actions. It's a good idea to make sure this has been installed and copied up to HDFS. The last two lines are straightforward: run the application defined by workflow.xml at the application path listed and write the output to the output directory.
We're finally ready to submit our job! After all that work we only need to do a few more things:
- Validate our
- Copy our working directory to HDFS
- Submit our job to the Oozie server
- Run our workflow
oozie validate workflow.xml
Next, copy the working directory up to HDFS:
hadoop fs -put working_dir /user/oracle/working_dir
Now we submit the job to the Oozie server. We need to ensure that we've got the correct URL for the Oozie server, and we need to specify our
job.properties file as an argument.
oozie job -oozie http://url.to.oozie.server:port_number/ -config /path/to/working_dir/job.properties -submit
We've submitted the job, but we don't see any activity on the JobTracker? All I got was this funny bit of output:
This is because submitting a job to Oozie creates an entry for the job and places it in
PREP status. What we got back, in essence, is a ticket for our workflow to ride the Oozie train. We're responsible for redeeming our ticket and running the job.
oozie -oozie http://url.to.oozie.server:port_number/ -start 14-20120525161321-oozie-oracle
Of course, if we really want to run the job from the outset, we can change the "-submit" argument above to "-run." This will prep and run the workflow immediately.
So, there you have it: the somewhat laborious process of building an Oozie workflow. It's a bit tedious the first time out, but it does present a pair of real benefits to those of us who spend a great deal of time data munging. First, when new data arrives that requires the same processing, we already have the workflow defined and ready to run. Second, as we build up a set of useful action definitions over time, creating new workflows becomes quicker and quicker.[Read More]


text:
SAN FRANCISCO -- If your doctor can't determine what's ailing you, can the collective wisdom of crowds?
What Wikipedia has done for knowledge, a San Francisco company called CrowdMed is betting it can do for medicine. Send your symptoms and a nominal fee to www.crowdmed.com and dozens of medical professionals, students and average Joes will "crowdsource" -- that is, share their knowledge and expertise -- to help diagnose what's wrong with you.
The company isn't out to replace your family doctor but instead take advantage of the reach of social media to tap into an age-old medical practice: seeking second opinions. Or, in this case, hundreds of them.
"We're essentially trying to match up the patient with a group of detectives who can help solve their case," said CrowdMed CEO Jared Heyman, whose company is backed by $2.4 million in venture capital funding. "And the more diverse backgrounds they have, the better our chances."
The concept, however, is not without its critics. Some physicians say the business model raises a number of serious concerns -- from the credibility of those offering advice to the security of sensitive medical information that patients upload onto the website.
Asked about the company, a California Medical Association spokeswoman said their group's 40,000 members believe that doctors "with the appropriate education, training, access to medical records and a physician-patient relationship are in the best position to diagnose medical conditions."
Still, some doctors are open to the idea -- and others are downright enthusiastic.
"It may be of value for difficult diagnoses," said Dr. Michael Hogarth, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the UC Davis Health System. And CrowdMed's greatest potential, he said, may be its ability to provide a way to "double check" a physician's work.
At the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, Dr. Amin Azzam, director of the "problem-based learning" curriculum, wants to use CrowdMed "to push the boundaries of how we train medical students."
Instead of teaching first- and second-year students with "pretend patients," as is done now, Azzam is proposing adding CrowdMed's cases to the curriculum. "They might even be more motivated to learn because it's a real patient, not a fake patient," he said.
Within 90 days after a consumer puts a case online, CrowdMed's algorithm generates a list of the most probable diagnoses submitted by its "medical detectives," along with their explanations. Patients are asked to give those suggestions to their physicians for consideration and possible treatment. Once it's confirmed that the suggestions were helpful, the patients are refunded their $50 deposit and the detective who made the correct diagnosis gets his or her reward.
Heyman said 60 percent of the site's 200 active detectives say they work in or study medicine. Still, he added, some of the best sleuths are not licensed physicians, but rather medical students, alternative medicine providers and patients with firsthand experience with specific medical conditions.
So far, Heyman said, CrowdMed has featured 220 cases on its website. He says it has an 80 percent success rate in coming up with a correct diagnosis.
Patients can post their cases on the site for free, but adding cash rewards motivates more detectives to work cases. Rewards average about $200; CrowdMed takes a 10 percent cut.
Heyman emphasized that the sensitive information patients post anonymously on the site, from medical records to test results -- even X-rays -- is private, adding that the site is audited for security.
He acknowledges that the year-old company has yet to show a profit, but he believes the process can save consumers time and money spent on multiple doctor visits and testing.
That was certainly true for Monica Seeley, a 46-year-old Ventura mother who said she spent five frustrating years visiting doctors with her oldest son, Joseph, now 18, to find out why he has been so fatigued and suffering joint pain.
Over that time, she estimates, the family's health insurer footed at least $75,000 in medical bills related to his case. But the best diagnosis doctors could come up with was chronic fatigue syndrome.
In January, after hearing about CrowdMed, Seeley posted Joseph's case online. Early posts suggested Lyme disease, something her son had already been tested for -- with negative results. Based on further online chats she had with some medical detectives, including one who identified himself as "AnonymousDoctorTeach," she had him retested.
A second, more thorough test revealed that Joseph carried Lyme disease markers. And a new doctor prescribed antibiotics that seem to be helping him.
"Crowdsourcing" health problems isn't new.
In its "Think Like a Doctor" column, The New York Times blog offers readers an opportunity to "solve a medical mystery" with Dr. Lisa Sanders, who was also a medical adviser to the popular TV show "House, M.D."
For all its promise, CrowdMed's medical adviser, Dr. Greg Denari, a retired Kaiser Permanente family doctor and adjunct clinical associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, acknowledges there is room for improvement. Still, he said, getting more eyeballs to review medical cases remains the company's greatest strength.
"The expectation of doctors in general is that they're supposed to be right 100 percent of the time," Denari said. "That's an impossible expectation."


text:
Let me start with pointing out that PS3 Media server is one of these rare gem's that one finds just once in a long loooong time.
And best of all... it's free. many, many thanks to the author of this great piece of software.
I'am running PS3 media server on some crappy hardware... my dad's old machine .. and now I use it as a media server.
I cranked up the hardware everywhere I could for only a few bucks (new HD, some more Memory -maxed out to 1GB maxumum DDR1- and a new 1Gb NIC)
But 2 things I won't touch: motherboard and CPU. (isn't really worth it)
Now the CPU is a cheap-ass 1.8 ghz Celeron and it gets on it knees pretty easy.
No problem for most I want from the machine except video encoding.
720p is able to run smoothly but the problems start with transcoding subtitles.
I get choppy performance. Offcourse this has everything to do with the poor CPU.
Question is: how to render external subtitles (I don't want to hard-sub every download) as fast as possible?
I'am willing to let go of some quality for performance gain but can't find configuration in PS3 media server to do this.
For example, I can imagine that NOT anti-aliasing the subs gives a major performance boost.
Any help regarding this would be greatly appreciated.


text:
Sprouted Nuts and Seeds
|This catalog has no sub-catalogs.
"Almonds are one of the most nutritionally dense nuts. They're high in vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, and they're helpful for people with migraines. An apple or banana makes the perfect delivery system for all those nutrients," says Greg Hottinger, "and adds even more fiber to your diet. The combination of fruits and a handful of nuts or a spoonful of nut butter is a particularly good way to go for people who are trying to lose weight," he adds. "Because nuts alone are very calorie dense, combining them with fruit delivers lasting energy at a more modest calorie level." — Natural Health, May, 2005.
Ingredients: Premium, organic, whole, raw, sprouted almonds.
About Our Better Than Roasted® Product Line
Better Than Roasted presents a line of soaked, sprouted and dehydrated, certified organic raw nuts and seeds, whole nut and seed butters, trail mixes, and love bites.
Our Better Than Roasted process maximizes the bioavailability of essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in our nuts and seeds. We begin with nuts and seeds that are raw, premium, whole, and certified organic. We then hand sort, soak, rinse, and dry them at a low temperature, not exceeding 108° F, which preserves temperature-sensitive enzymes and nutrients.
Once you try Better Than Roasted, you will agree that our sprouted nuts and seeds are not only better than traditional nut products, but healthier too!
All materials related to health information are provided for educational purposes
Related Products
Nutrition Info
Note serving size:


text: The Sitecore® Experience Platform™ Put your customers at the center of everything you do, creating customers for life. EXPERIENCE PLATFORM The only platform that empowers you to market in context Engaging in context of how your customer has interacted with your brand requires a platform with contextual intelligence, robust content management, and omnichannel automation. Only then can you manage a personalized experience. Contextual intelligence Down to the individual level Robust content management Built from the ground up for integration Omnichannel automation Real-time engagement across touch points Experience Profile Know every customer See exactly what experience each customer has had with your company long before they are a customer with the Sitecore Experience Profile™. Single knowledge repository All your data in one place. Cross channel data analysis Measure every customer interaction. Unlimited scaling No limits on your data. Experience Channels Channels Shape your customer's experience across every channel Build a CMS website that delivers consistent, connected experiences across every customer touch point. Seamlessly manage all your marketing efforts across every interaction, whether online, offline or on the go. Web experience Put your website at the center of a completely connected customer experience that combines with commerce, email, mobile and social, to deliver relevant, measurable brand experiences across all channels. Mobile experience Deliver a consistent, compelling customer experience on virtually any device, so your customers can interact with you anywhere, any time. Keep the conversation flowing as your customers move between devices. Commerce experience Deliver a completely connected end-to-end commerce experience that spans acquisition, nurturing, transaction, and ongoing retention, to manage the full customer experience and drive lifetime value. Federated experience Deliver and track experiences outside of Sitecore. Serve up tailored, relevant customer experiences across other non-Sitecore websites, and measure engagement value across them, to deliver a connected customer experience across disparate web platforms Print experience Extend to your print content the rich content management and digital marketing functionality you rely on for the web. With Sitecore you can deliver targeted print content just in time and connect customer behavior to online content and campaigns. Social experience Deliver a connected experience across popular social media platforms and sites, and provide community features for visitors on your own website. Email experience Ensure your emails are fully connected into the whole customer experience. Use your connected customer information to deliver highly-personalized, relevant messages, optimized to any device. App experience Create compelling mobile apps that connect to Sitecore to deliver a consistent, compelling experience on iOS, Android and Windows phones and tablets. Experience Management Manage content, products, and assets — all in one place Make changes to your content in Sitecore and immediately deliver consistent customer experiences across all channels, driving up your brand value. Content management software Put your website at the center of a completely connected customer experience that combines with commerce, email, mobile and social, to deliver relevant, measurable brand experiences across all channels. Digital asset management Sitecore digital asset management ensures you are always using the latest approved digital assets across every experience. Personalized experiences are still consistently delivered using assets optimized for every channel. Product information management Sitecore product information management enables you to access every element of your product catalog within Sitecore, to merchandise products and pricing throughout the experience. Sitecore AIDA Analysis. Insights. Decisions. Automation. Get insights into what's working and what's not without needing to tag every campaign in advance: Sitecore automatically tracks interactions with all content across all channels. A/B and multivariate testing Learn what's really working and where your best conversion opportunities lie with Sitecore's optimization software tools for A/B and multivariate testing. Lead nurture Leverage Sitecore's lead nurturing capabilities to collect and use all of the deep insight you have about your prospects in real time, to drive the conversation forward. Profile scoring Automate profile scoring with implicit and explicit behaviors, and with data on how customers are responding to your campaigns. Use scoring to automate one-to-one messaging. Behavioral targeting Engage customers in authentic conversations by "listening" to their interests in real time and personalizing content to meet their needs. Marketing automation Connect and automate interactions with your customers and prospects across any channel or device, enabling highly personalized and relevant conversations. Rules-based targeting Use simple rules to quickly personalize content based on any attributes you observe and collect about your anonymous visitors and your customers. Predictive marketing Anticipate your customers' needs and provide them with exactly what they want, before they were even looking. Each interaction increases engagement as you deliver a continuously more targeted and personalized experience. Marketing reports Use Sitecore's clear, comprehensive marketing reports to measure your customers' experience. Check site, language, channel, and campaign performance at a glance. Customer segmentation Use demographic or behavioral insight to dynamically create customer segments that match any criteria simply by defining conditions. Experience analytics Learn what your customers are doing, where they've been, and what they've searched on so that you can recognize patterns early and adjust your content dynamically. The result: instant insight and control. Personalization Sitecore's robust, easy-to-use personalization enables you to shape the experience based on customers' behaviors in ways that increase conversions and build loyalty. Goal tracking Set and track important goals, or conversions, to ensure the desired customers experiences are achieved on your site and clearly understand what helped them convert. Experience Database Database Know all your customers. Forever. No limits. The Sitecore Experience Database™ collects experience data and connects it to every individual customer. With a single view of each of your customers, you harness customer knowledge to deliver the most relevant customer experiences, in real time. Single data repository Keep all your customer data in a single place. Connect data to real people See the real person behind your customer data. See the whole person Track interactions across every channel. Get Started Take a closer look at the Sitecore Experience Platform. Sign up for a demo today Full Name *{0} must be filled in. E-Mail *{0} must be filled in. Telephone *{0} must be filled in. Company *{0} must be filled in. Select Role Select Role Marketing leadership Digital marketer Developer IT leadership Partner Other *{0} must be filled in. Country Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Antigua Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bermuda Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burma Cambodia Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Congo Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Greenland Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malaysia Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Samoa Saudi Arabia Senegal Suriname Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Somalia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe *{0} must be filled in. Select State/Province Select State/Province Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming *{0} must be filled in. Privacy policy


text:
- Home
- Books & More
- Events & Activities
- Learning
- Research Resources
- About the Library
- Giving
- Kids
- Teens
Digital Photography with the GIMP
Friday, December 28, 2012
2:00pm @ Central Library
Want to do more with those holiday pictures? This class explores the GIMP which is a powerful photo editing program. Learn how to process your own pictures with this program. Best of all learn where you can get your own copy of this software for your own computer for free. Call 701-3449 to register.


text:
Knitter's Review
October 18, 2012
"I have this mother-in-law," the email usually begins. It could be family, future family, a dear friend, or even an important colleague at work. But the rest is the same. "I want to make something special for this person. Not just special, but really special. What yarn would you recommend?"
It's a good question, and my answer invariably includes qiviut, the down undercoat of the Arctic muskox. This rare and pricey fiber is actually best in blends, and this week I review one of the finest: an ethereal laceweight blend of qiviut and silk.
This weekend in New York
In the Forums: Furtive Glances
As always, I thank you for your readership and your support.
Talk to you next week!
P.S. Do you have friends who would enjoy Knitter's Review? If so, don't hesitate to forward this email to them.
Knitter's Review Poll
Does it matter if a yarn has patterns available for it or not?
Participate in our Knitter's Review Poll and you'll see an instant tally of all the votes.
On the Cover
Cat interrupts yarn photo shoot
Subscriber Services
Having problems viewing this? %%webversion%%
Did you miss a week? Visit our online archive of all past newsletters.
Has your email address changed? Update your subscription: %%modifydetails_3%%
Receive this from a friend? Join us!
No longer wish to receive this newsletter? %%unsubscribelink%%
© Copyright 2000-2012 by Clara H. Parkes. All rights reserved.


text:
Tokyo Jungle
A hunting game for the PlayStation 3 is finally here! The story takes place in the year 20XX, where you are an animal fighting for survival in the deserted city of Tokyo which was once a lively metropolis. At times, you can be a Pomeranian who has given up a domesticated life for its independence, be a racehorse on a mission to find fellow competitors or even be a lion, the king of all beasts, seeking the warmth of home. You can choose to be a carnivore or herbivore, to survive alone or as part of a herb. You must hunt all the animals in sight for your own survival. See what challenges await you...
Game List Statistics
Now Playing
18 Users
Wish List
59 Users
Hot List
14 Users


text:
Genuine Broan® Parts meet rigid engineering and test criteria and are equal in design to your original Broan unit. Replacement parts made by other manufacturers might not last as long as Broan parts and typically aren't built to your unit's exact specifications, which could lead to problems and/or other part replacements. It is also important to note that using anything other than Genuine Broan Parts will automatically void the warranty.
This product is listed under the following manufacturer number(s):
*Denotes a finish or option that has been discontinued
Buy the Broan R169016 at VentingDirect.com. Research Broan R169016 online. Find Broan R169016 features and specifications. Get the best deal by comparing the Broan R169016 today.
© 2000-2016 Build.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. VentingDirect.com is a Build.com, Inc Network Store


text:
The rare Himalayan snow leopard has a difficult time of it in her daily search for food. By going after the easy kill - tame goats and sheep raised by mountain folk - she becomes the target and thereby contributes to the animal's rarity. Children interested in learning about this beautiful animal will enjoy "World Above the Clouds," by Ann Nagda, and when a bit older, they can graduate to "The Snow Leopard," by Peter Matthiessen, a classic work that expounds on the leopard's almost mythical existence.
I became interested in the Himalayas in my teens, and as an adult, I found myself trekking there for three weeks, losing 31 pounds and "basking" in minus 20-degree temperatures at night in a flimsy pup tent. But I never saw a snow leopard.
Two of our porters spotted a dead yak lying in the snow with a half-eaten rear leg torn off. No known animal in this region could do that to a yak. Our porters believed in the existence of yeti (abominable snowmen) and claimed to have seen one before. Who knows? Our library has two books about this creature, one for juveniles titled "The Abominable Snowman," by R. A. Montgomery, and another for adults called "My Quest for the Yeti," by Reinhold Messner.
Everest at 29,035 feet (and growing) is the highest mountain in the world. (Mauna Kea is the tallest as measured from the ocean floor.) Sir Edmund Hillary, as everyone knows, was the first person along with the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay to summit Everest (1953). Hillary's "View from the Summit," Sir John Hunt's "The Conquest of Everest" and "Touching my Father's Soul," by Tenzing's son, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, cover that great adventure and more.
In May 1996, multiple tragedies on Everest killed 16 people, including two experienced guides. Three books written by survivors best cover this controversial misadventure: "Into Thin Air," by Jon Krakauer, and "The Climb" and "Above the Clouds," by Anatoli Boukreev. The Russian climber died the next year on Anapurna, leaving diary accounts that enabled Linda Wylie to develop his latter book. Boukreev not only addresses the 1996 expedition but also describes climbing other Himalayan peaks, plus Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska.
"Buried in the Sky," by Peter Zuckerman, documents the stamina, loyalty and courage of the majority of Himalayan Sherpas, to which I, too, can attest. This book is a very well-researched account of a tragedy that could have been avoided merely by obeying the rule "do not wait beyond early afternoon to start down from any of these peaks." Reinhold Messner grew up mountaineering in the Alps and is credited with the first solo ascent of Everest and other 8,000-plus meter peaks, some without supplemental oxygen. Two of his books are "Free Spirit: a Climber's Life" and "Everest: Expedition to the Ultimate."
Other books that I highly recommend are "Himalaya" (David Zurick), "Everest Grand Circle" (Ned Gillette), "Dark Summit" (Nick Heil), "Anapurna" (Maurice Herzog), "The Boldest Dream" (Rick Ridgeway), "High Crimes" (Michael Kodas) and "Murder in the High Himalaya" (Jonathan Green). All the books cited herein are available from our Summit County Public Library.


text:
10 things about the Oscars
POSTED: 02:46 PM MST Jan 24, 2012 UPDATED: 11:00 PM MST Feb 26, 2014
Check out these random and fun tidbits about the Academy Awards.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
A man was killed and another person was in critical condition after a hail of gunfire Monday in East Palo Alto, police said.
At about before 1:47 p.m., officers responded to an alert by the city's gunshot detection system of gunfire on the 2600 block of Illinois Street, according to a police statement released late Monday night.
Behind the house officers found 24-year-old Jonathan Alcazar of East Palo Alto, police said. Alcazar had several gunshot wounds, and he died at the scene, police said.
Later on Monday, a second victim arrived at Stanford Medical Center with gunshot wounds. The victim remains in critical condition, police said.
Although the circumstances of the fatal shooting are unclear, East Palo Alto police spokeswoman Veronica Barries said that said 8 to 17 gunshots had been fired. It is not yet known whether the violence was gang-related and no suspects have been taken into custody.
"At this point we don't know who the other people are," Barries said. "We're urging anybody who may have witnessed it to call the police department."
Kat Schwenke, who was standing behind police crime tape anxiously waiting for news, told The Daily News the shooting occurred behind the house of her 46-year-old mother, who was still being interviewed by police.
"She was taking a nap and woke up when she heard the gunshots," Schwenke said.
Illinois Street resident Miguel Granada said he wasn't surprised to hear there was a shooting one block from his home.
"The police are always down there," he said.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said East Palo Alto's homicide Monday was the county's first in 2013.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact East Palo Alto police at 650-321-1112 or call the anonymous tip line at 650-409-6792.
Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger @dailynewsgroup.com; follow her at twitter.com/bonnieeslinger.


text:
LEGO Shop Home Themes City Auto Transporter
Auto Transporter
- Item: 60060
- Ages:5-12
- VIP Points: 0
- Pieces:349
- Retired product
Deliver the cars with the LEGO® City Auto Transporter with lowering ramps, detachable trailer, 2 cool sports cars, 2 minifigures and more!
Deliver the cars to the dealer with the amazing Auto Transporter!
Deliver the shiny new cars to the LEGO® City dealerships with the amazing Auto Transporter! Detach the trailer, lower the ramps and offload the cool sports cars. After the customer signs the clipboard, lift the ramps back into position, hook up the trailer and jump back in the cab ready to collect more vehicles for the eager customers! Collect this and all the other vehicles in the Great Vehicles range! Includes 2 minifigures with assorted accessories: a driver and a dealer.
- Includes 2 minifigures with assorted accessories: a driver and a dealer.
- Features an Auto Transporter and 2 cool sports cars
- Auto Transporter features opening doors, lowering ramps and detachable trailer
- Accessories include a clipboard and a briefcase
- Detach the trailer, lower the ramps and offload the cars
- Keep the dealers supplied with shiny new cars
- Auto Transporter measures over 3" (9cm) high, 13" (34cm) long and 2" (6cm) wide
- Sports car measures over 1" (4cm) high, 4" (11cm) long and 1" (5cm) wide
- Collect all the other cool models in the Great Vehicles range!
You May Also Like
- locale
- numRecs
- 5
- -inc-price
- true
- -inc-inventory
- true
- -rec-builder
- LEGO_rec_builder
- dataItems
- title_en-CA
- link_en-CA
- image_link_en-CA
- category_en-CA
- retail_price_en-CA
- sale_price_en-CA
- BV_rating_en-CA


text:
"The cards turned out beautifully and everyone loved the personalized thank you cards they received. The unique design is not something I've been able to find anywhere else and definitely seperate me in my business. Tiny Prints did a great job of making sure all of the font/script matched and that the quality of the thank you cards was perfect."
"The card stock was so thick - it looked fantastic. The first person I sent one too called me the next day to find out where she could get them for her company. It is a great combination of modern and traditional vibes packaged together perfectly."


text:
Sports Pitch Maintenance
You can use the above buttons to report a problem with sport pitch maintenance or if you are having problems accessing a pitch you have booked.
Pitch bookings are managed by Sport and Leisure who can be contacted on 0121 464 6024. Some sports pitches are hired out to leagues for regular matches and are not available for public use. Parks and Nature Conservation are responsible for unlocking and locking gates to pitches and changing rooms to control use. Sometimes teams arrive and find they cannot get access. There may be several reasons that gates may not have been opened:
- The match may have been cancelled by the referee
- The pitch may not be playable due to snow or excessive rain
- The contractors may not have received the fixture list
- The contractors may have been delayed or prevented from attending
The Parks Service arrange for the football and rugby pitches to be remarked weekly throughout the winter allowing for additional maintenance such as over seeding, pitch spiking etc during the optimum periods. Posts are usually removed and repainted at the end of the season.
During the summer months a high maintenance programme exists for cricket and bowls pitches around the Birmingham parks. These facilities require additional expertise and a good knowledge of groundsmanship from our service providers and this level of competency is also reflected in the maintenance of the city's golf courses.
You can report problems such as:
- Markings not done or badly done
- Goal posts not put up or stolen
- Grass not cut
- Uneven or damaged pitches
- Poor quality grass / pitch repair
- Service Standards
Maintenance is provided on the following of our sports facilities
Sports Fields - pitch marking for football, hockey, rugby, cricket, gaelic football, baseball, field sports (i.e. javelin, shot) running tracks, jump pits
Fine turf maintenance - for golf greens, bowls, lawn tennis, cricket wickets and will include feeding, watering, spiking, slitting, top dressing
Safety inspections - for parks pools, children's play areas, multi purpose games courts, all weather pitches.
- I want to be a groundsman – where can I train
A number of national horticultural and sports colleges offer training in groundsmanship. Please contact www.iog.org
- Why don't you provide goal posts
We only provide goal posts for Birmingham City Council football pitches and for those sites that are booked for games through Sport Birmingham
- Can't find what you're looking for?
If you haven't been able to find the information that you need then the link below will take you to a form that you can use to ask us further questions.Service Specific Enquiry


text:
Sam's Natural Campn Cool Bug Repellant Lotion
- Overview
Bug free, naturally. DEET-free Campn Cool Bug Repellant Lotion keeps bugs away with peppermint, eucalyptus and neem oil, which are toxic to insects. The non-greasy formula spreads easily and dries quickly while added menthol keeps skin dry and reduces itching.
- Handmade in small batches from natural ingredients.
- 8 oz.
- DEET and alcohol free.
- Peppermint, eucalyptus, neem oil. See Dimensions + Care for complete ingredients.
- Spreads easily and dries quickly.
- Made in the USA.
- Details + Dimensions
- Overall product dimensions: 2.5"diam. x 6"h.
- Size: 8 oz.
- Shipping + Return Info
Most purchases are shipped from our Distribution Center by UPS, to arrive in your home within 5-7 business days of order receipt.
Shipping Rates
The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping options. View Shipping Rates and Options
Next Day Delivery
For an extra charge of $17.50 per address, we can arrange for rush delivery to most destinations.
Return Policy
We take great pride in the quality of our merchandise. If for any reason you are not happy with your purchase, you may return the item(s) within 30 days of receiving the order for a full refund of the merchandise cost. After 30 days, we will replace or refund your purchase against manufacturer's defects ONLY. Please note that we cannot accept returns on mattresses, monogrammed/personalized items, special order upholstery items and special order rugs, one-of-a-kind rugs, or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. We also cannot accept returns of final-sale items, which are identified by a price ending in .99 or .97.
For further assistance please call our customer service department at 1.888.922.4119 or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Items in '12 Days of Christmas' Now Top $107K
Published: Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 11:09 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 11:09 p.m.
PITTSBURGH | Add seven swans, six geese and five golden rings to the list of Christmas gifts that cost more than they did a year ago.
Cost of '12 Days of Christmas'
Partridge, $15; last year: same
Pear tree, $189.99; last year: 169.99
Two turtle doves, $125; last year: same
Three French hens, $165; last year: $150
Four calling birds (canaries), $519.96; last year: same
Five gold rings, $750; last year: $645
Six geese a-laying, $210; last year: $162
Seven swans a-swimming, $7,000; last year: $6,300
Eight maids a-milking, $58; last year: same
Nine ladies dancing (per performance), $6,294; last year: same
10 lords a-leaping (per performance), $4,767; last year: same
11 pipers piping (per performance), $2,562; last year: $2,428
12 drummers drumming (per performance), $2,776; last year: $2,630
Source: PNC Wealth Management
And if you get all 364 items repeated throughout "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, you'll pay 6.1 percent more this year, according to the annual Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management.
That comes to $107,300.
"The rise is larger than expected considering the modest economic growth we've had," said Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investments for PNC. He noted the government's Consumer Price Index has risen just 2 percent in the 12 months before September.
Thrifty shoppers may find some reasons for cheer. Six items mentioned in the song haven't gone up in price: maids-a-milking, ladies dancing, lords-a-leaping, calling birds, turtle doves and the partridge. The eight maids-a-milking still cost just $58 because the minimum wage hasn't risen.
Twelve drummers drumming ($2,775.50) and eleven pipers piping ($2,562) might also be considered relative bargains compared to seven swans, which will set you back $7,000. Nine ladies dancing will cost you $6,294.03.
Dunigan said the 2011 drought caused the prices of some birds to soar, partly because of corn and other feed costs.
"The geese were up 29.6 percent, and swans were up 11 percent," Dunigan said, adding that none of the gifts in the song went down in price this year.
The price of a pear tree is $189.99, an 11.8 percent jump from last year's $169.99. Five gold rings jumped 16.3 percent this year, to $750, and three French hens are now $165, instead of $150.
The $15 partridge is the cheapest item, and swans the most expensive, at $1,000 each.
Last-minute shoppers who turn to the Internet will pay a bit more for the gifts. Buying one set of the core items in each verse costs $24,431 in traditional stores this year, but $40,440 online. Part of that difference is the extra expense of shipping live birds, Dunigan said, adding that Internet costs rose 1.5 percent compared to last year.
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. checks jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and other sources to compile the list.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text:
Georgia junior Marcus Thornton notched his second career double-double as Georgia outmatched LSU 91-78 Thursday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
Click here for the original story.
Welcome to SECTalk.com
|Welcome to SECTalk.com -- The Home of 6 Straight National Titles!
You are currently accessing our site as a guest which means you can't access all of our features such as social groups, sports betting, and many more. By joining our free community you will have access to all of these great features as well as to participating in our forums, contacting other members, and much more. Registration only takes a minute and SECTalk.com is absolutely free, so please join today!
If you have any problems registering or signing in, please contact us.
Latest Topics
Latest News
Top Bettors
Top High Fived
Thronton Leads Bulldogs to 91-78 Win Over LSU
Started by TheRealBrave, Feb 06 2014 09:04 PM


text:
Are Some Anti-Poaching Solutions Too Extreme?
Despite efforts such as anti-poaching patrols, increased arrests, relocation and unmanned security drones, it seems we're losing the battle against wildlife poachers. Already in the first six months of 2013, for example, in South Africa alone, more than 200 rhinos have died at the hands of poachers.
Rhino horns are in demand because the desire for traditional "medicines" in Asia is growing. Products that contain rhino horn are touted as successful cancer treatments, and rhino horn is being marketed even in hospitals to the families of critically ill patients. It's also being pitched as a trendy hangover remedy. In Vietnam, the country that has recently emerged as the single largest market for rhino horn, the item is considered a very high-value gift. That's why some innovative wildlife conservationists have come up with a plan to make the horns of living rhinoceroses toxic.
But should we alter the makeup and appearance of wildlife, even if it is in an effort to save animals from poaching and extinction?