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A number of weeks ago we released a statement talking about the current state of Dungeonaday.com. Since that time, we've taken a deep look at the in-depth financials of the site, new customer acquisitions, existing customer retention, and the hard costs of running the site (under several different models of operation). Unfortunately, when all the "i"s were dotted and "t"s were crossed, no matter how we looked at it, the business came out on the wrong side of the ledger.
There's really no easy way to say this except to come out and say it, Dungeonaday.com is not covering its expenses, and Super Genius Games is not in a position to continue running it under the current conditions. So as of now we've removed the ability for new customers to join the site. We are also in the process of disabling the recurring charges that current members automatically incur when their subscription period lapses, so NO ONE should be charged any more money for Dungeonaday.com. (If your account is charged, please let us know immediately so we can find the problem and refund you the money.)
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We did not reach this decision lightly. When we took over daily management of Dungeonaday.com in September 2010, it was with thoughts of building it to new heights and creating new daily content for years to come. But given the current state of the site, we really had very few options. The one we chose was, we are certain, the fairest all around.
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Phillies One Game Away From Elimination
The Phillies seem determined to lose this NLCS series; they did everything they could think of to hand it over the Giants tonight to go down 3 games to 1. Lose tomorrow and they will go home. There are many ways to describe the Phillies effort this series, such as pathetic, disgusting or downright ugly. It appears they already have their bags packed.
Not to take anything away from the Giants who are a great team with an amazing pitching staff. But the effort they have gotten from Phillies so far in no way properly emulates the talent on this team. The offense has been minimal to non-existent and the pitching has varied from great (Roy Oswalt, Game 2) to unexpectedly lackluster (Roy Halladay, Game 1) to horrible (Joe Blanton plus Chad Durbin, Game 4).
Tonight, Blanton was not good. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk in only 4 2/3 innings. All 3 runs were scored with two outs in the inning and one of those came after two wild pitches in the first inning. Worse than that, after the offense squeezed out 4 tough runs in the 5th for him, Blanton could not manage a shut-down inning and gave a run right back.
The 4 runs they managed came after a string of singles and a double by Placido Polanco. A hit batter loaded the bases but Jimmy Rollins swung at ball 4 to end the inning instead of adding on runs. The addition of Ben Francisco in place of Raul Ibanez was an improvement as Francisco actually hit the ball a few times. But in the end, not much else went right for the Phillies.
Trying to hand the game over on a silver platter, Chad Durbin and Carlos Ruiz combined to take a 4-3 Phillies lead in the 6th inning and turn it into a 4-5 deficit. Durbin led the inning off by walking Pat Burrell. Then, apparently leaving his brain back in Philadelphia, Ruiz called for inside fastballs to Cody Ross who has gobbled those same pitches up this series to the tune of 3 homers and 4 RBI. Well, he did it again with a double and eventually scored along with Burrell.
I hate to criticize Ruiz, who has been fabulous all year, but this was the 5th time he made the same mistake to Ross this series. FIVE times! WHEN will it end? And that was not the only mistake; Ruiz called for a high fastball to Pablo Sandoval that same inning, which led to a 2-RBI double. I was screaming at the TV, "Keep the ball down!" because I knew he wanted a high fastball. If I know this, WHY doesn't Ruiz?? Sandoval took a ridiculous swing at a low curve ball earlier in the at-bat and missed badly. Plus, if you have EVER seen Sandoval hit, you know he likes them high. Hello??? Am I some sort of baseball genius or was this just a bonehead move by the pitcher and catcher? Hint: Bonehead move!!
I do not think "frustration" begins to cover the range of emotions I am experiencing right now, along with thousands of other Phillies fans. As just another example of this, why in that same 5th inning we discussed earlier did the 3rd base coach send Ruiz home from 2nd on a ball hit to very shallow center?
He was nailed at the plate by a mile. And why on that same play is Shane Victorino, who hit the ball, still standing on first base instead of advancing to 2nd during the play at home? Did he have a brain freeze? Whatever the issue, it was about to induce a brain aneurism as my head felt like it might explode.
In the 8th inning, doubles from Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth tied the game up. But is it just me, or did this not just seem to delay the inevitable? So going into the 9th inning and running out of pitchers that manager Charlie Manuel felt he could trust, he brought in starter Roy Oswalt on TWO days rest. I kid you not. He still had Kyle Kendrick, Brad Lidge and JC Romero in the pen, but went with Oswalt.
That turned out to be a huge disaster. Oswalt gave up two singles and a sac fly that scored the winning run for the Giants. Not Oswalt's fault by any means; what did they expect from him on two days rest and off his usual routine?
Game 5 tomorrow – Roy Halladay will attempt to keep the series alive. Is it possible for the Phillies to win the next 3 games? Anything is possible I suppose.
Durbin photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
3 Comments
I think it's a young Giants team that is stoked to win their first appearance into the World Series. They simply look like they are hustling more, hitting more, and doing the things that a team needs to win.
The Phillies offense has had plenty of opportunities to do better. As a team they are failing to produce runs when runners are in scoring position.
What the Phillies need to do is just start playing basic baseball again, and just hunker down and start playing like the former World Champions that they are
I was talking to the TV too saying "Why did you give Panda that pitch?" Hello! I was thinking that maybe Ruiz asked for it even higher?
the third base coach sending Ruiz was a bonehead move and Victorino not taking second, Wow!@ Where was Davey Lopes?
Lopes chewed his butt out afterwards…but yeah…ugly. Luckily, a win in Game 5 sends it back to Philly! Whew!

subset: commoncrawl


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I will be going back to work in about a month when DD is about 8.5 months. DH will be taking care of her while I'm at work. I'll probably work from home some part of the time so that I can nurse her part of the time, but not sure how much that would be.
I started thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to go directly to cup feeding and avoid bottlefeeding altogether - we haven't introduced a bottle at all yet. Is it plausible that she could safely and effectively use a sippy cup at 8.5 months? I know that some babies do cup feeding from a real cup as newborns, but I would think that might be harder with an older baby who likes to grab at everything. Would I be denying her the "comfort suck" by not giving an artificial nipple while I'm away?
DS never got the hang of a sippy cup (he went right from bottle to real cup), so I'm wondering what others' experiences are.


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RUSH: Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, hs put aside $1 billion to run for president. This is Ross Perot on steroids, folks. He wants Chuck Hagel as his running mate, or Hagel wants to be his running mate. Don't laugh at this. A billion dollars! He's got millions more than that, billions more than that. This is going to be interesting. This is a guy on a trans-fat ban, smoking ban, green up the city. Is the country really ready for somebody who absolutely believes in our freedom to abort babies, but not to smoke or eat trans-fats in public? We'll find out. That's why I say, it's so early, folks.
"Rush, which candidate you support?"
I don't know. Nobody yet. It's too early. There are five hundred days 'til the first primary vote. Anything can happen, and this is just an example of it


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Love is the cheat code to sex. If you're in love, even popes and jilted great-aunts will help get you laid.
These are the only recorded instances of love:
Your Mom - The way I hear it, your Mom let the Kiwanis Club run an epic train on her.
Romeo & Juliet - The timeless story of a fickle man-slut and his one-week romance with a thirteen-year-old girl. SPOILER ALERT: They die.
Tristan & Iseult - A young couple falls for one another after swallowing a love potion. This is the first known use of roofies. It's also the only way first time someone named "Iseult" was able to find love.
Dido & Aeneas - The Queen of Carthage kills herself in despair when her lover abandons her to found Rome. Just like a Trojan prince, am I right, ladies? We've all been there!
Johnny Cash & June Carter - When you'd rather go to church than party like a rockstar, but remain bad-ass? That's when it's love.
Pizza -- Pizza is fucking DELICIOUS. I love pizza!
Platonic -- Non-sexual love between a woman who dates jerks and a wimp who worships her. His fear of rejection and her willful ignorance continue until one of them settles.
Agape -- General love for all humanity. Espoused by Jesus, invented by Mr. Rogers.
Christian loveTM -- A bootleg version of agape with loopholes to completely disregard Christ's teachings.
Maybe now you won't spend all your time with a dozen other dudes!
Eros -- Hot dog! Now we're in the good stuff! Eros is the wet and sticky kind of love that makes people do stupid things, like go to romantic comedies. These movies have titles like Lookin' for Love 2: Sassy in All the Wrong Places. If you're not in love, the trailer will warn you away by walking a character into a tree.
Is he holding--OH. Whew!
Eros is represented as a chubby baby with wings and weapons -- the least erotic thing imaginable, unless you've seen Christopher Walken eat an ice cream cone.
See, now you can't stop thinking about that.
Eroticism is highly subjective. One person may find the Brooklyn Bridge sexy, with its rigid columns of block and precise web of taut, steel cables flung straining against the sky, while another person who's clearly a pervert is turned on by women's feet.
There are a few things things we all find sexy: burst condoms, whale calls, smearing the word "PIG" on our lover's face with chocolate pudding...and of course, the sweet oblivion waiting at the end of a gun barrel.
In order to map this erogenous diversion, we must ask, "Does it make a naked Angelina Jolie less sexy?"
You're welcome for getting Walken out of your head.
--Angelina Jolie indicates our root libido. She's so hot she lights a cigarette by kissing the tip. If Angelina Jolie rapes you, the judge dismisses the case for lack of evidence. When a male friend dies, she's not allowed into the funeral until they nail shut the lower half of the coffin. If she starred in a musical about Anne Frank, gay Neo-Nazis would get circumcised just to start a conversation. The reason the universe is expanding is because Angelina Jolie is arousing it.
--The horse represents your own perversions: chains, body hair, exercise -- everything that exhilarates you, but is distasteful to people who don't share your fetish for gluing nostrils shut.
The point where your personal tastes intersect with the collective fantasy is the cut-off for what you're allowed to ask of your partner. A leather bridle is within your bedroom rights, but a live animal leeches the erotic power of nuzzling Ms. Jolie's breast.
--The Billy Bob Thornton Anti-Erotic Horizon is the firm line of things that are never acceptable in the bedroom, even as hypotheticals: Mother Teresa costumes, the undead, and anything you've already eaten. A good way to tell if something crosses the Billy Bob Thornton Anti-Erotic Horizon is to ask, "Would you do that for Tom Petty?" Sadly, the answer is always no.
As with all pseudo-sciences, proving love exists is difficult because its effects are in the user's mind. Believers in love make unsubstantiated claims of outrageous health benefits for lovers: lower blood pressure, longer lifespan, and having someone else to cook for you. They even go so far as to say the crushing agony of living is less burdensome!
These deluded fools probably think they're happy.
Happy Valentine's Day Alice. I love you.
3 / 3 / 11 -- God, I miss her.
Poppycock! Discrediting love is important, because it interferes with humanity's long culture of parents trading their children for farm animals. If love did exist, the richest men in the land would have hoarded it, charging the vulgar masses billions in sterling for this great delight.
Marx's love letters warned us about this.
This Valentine's Day, as you purchase your beloved a box of the driest chocolates, gaze distractedly at more attractive couples around the room, and present her with a card written by an unpaid intern in Cleveland (you don't have to give her the card in Cleveland if there's a more convenient city near you), be thankful you are free of such hypothetical tyrannies of the mind.
Unless you really are in love -- in which case hold her tight, you beautiful bastard.
Brendan McGinley makes cool webcomics. He would love for you to come upstairs and see his etchings.


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Authorities say a candle in a bathroom apparently caused a Racine house fire last week that killed three children and injured a fourth.
Racine police released that update Monday.
Eight-year-old Dalijah Scott and 9-year-old Dayja Scott died Thursday when their house caught fire. Their brother, 7-year-old Michael Scott, died later in the hospital.
The children's 5-year-old brother, Luther Patterson, was hospitalized.
Authorities on Monday also released audio from the 911 call from the children's mother.
In the 911 call, Deborah Scott tells the dispatcher, "Someone come get my kids. My house is on fire. They are crying like crazy. I cannot get my kids out."
The Journal Times reports Scott said she could see flames but that the window where the children were located doesn't open.


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Uncle Sam Reading Warm-Up
Grade Levels: 1 - 2
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by Anton Shilov
Intel Corp. on Thursday formally unveiled a new input/output technology called Thunderbolt. Originally code-named Light Peak, the new technology provides up to 10Gb/s bandwidth and is able to drive ultra high definition displays as it uses Mini DisplayPort connector. However, given the fact that currently it requires a controller exclusively available from Intel, it does not have a lot of chances to become widespread quickly.
Thunderbolt technology supports two low-latency communications protocols - PCI Express for data transfer and DisplayPort for displays. Thunderbolt technology works on data streams in both directions, at the same time, so users get the benefit of full bandwidth in both directions, over a single cable. With the two independent channels, a full 10Gb/s of bandwidth can be provided for the first device in the chain of the devices. All Thunderbolt technology devices share a common Mini DisplayPort connector.
Intel's Thunderbolt controllers interconnect a PC and other devices, transmitting and receiving packetized traffic for both PCIe and DisplayPort protocols. The Thunderbolt controller chip provides protocol switching capabilities to support the two protocols over a single cable. Intel is making its controller chip available to the industry, and is working with other component manufacturers to deliver the Thunderbolt connectors and cables. The controllers need to be integrated into host personal computers (PCs) as well as into peripherals themselves. Given the fact that such controllers are hardly inexpensive, the adoption rate of the Thunderbolt will depend on the price of those chips.
"Working with HD media is one of the most demanding things people do with their PCs. With Thunderbolt technology, Intel has delivered innovative technology to help professionals and consumers work faster and more easily with their growing collection of media content, from music to HD movies. We've taken the vision of simple, fast transfer of content between PCs and devices, and made it a reality," said Mooly Eden, general manager of PC client group at Intel.
Initially Intel wanted Thunderbolt to utilize fiber optics cables, but in order make the technology less expensive, the initial version of the Thunderbolt will use traditional copper cables.
Several innovative companies have announced Thunderbolt enabled products, or plans to support Thunderbolt in upcoming products including Aja, Apogee, Avid, Blackmagic, LaCie, Promise, and Western Digital. Intel is working with the industry on a range of Thunderbolt technology-enabled products including computers, displays, storage devices, audio/video devices, cameras, docking stations and more.
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Intel to bring the groundbreaking Thunderbolt technology to Mac users. With ultra-fast transfer speeds, support for high-resolution displays and compatibility with existing I/O technologies, Thunderbolt is a breakthrough for the entire industry and we think developers are going to have a blast with it," said Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of Mac hardware engineering.


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Biffle in minor Plane incident
– Roush Fenway's Greg Biffle and his two pilots were involved in a minor incident this morning while landing at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky. A mechanical failure during the landing caused the airplane to skid to a stop on the runway. No one on board the aircraft was injured.
Thats all I know for now. Good News that no one was hurt though.


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The average cost for a Differential Fluid Replacement - Rear is between $76 and $128. Labor costs are estimated between $44 and $56 while parts are priced between $32 and $72. Get a personalized estimate based on your location and specific car. Estimate does not include taxes and fees.
Rear Differential Fluid Change Cost for Toyota Matrix
Differential Fluid Replacement - Rear Estimate (National Average)
Validated estimate range for national average.
View Estimate Details
Parts & Labor Breakdown
Labor: $44 - $56
Parts: $32 - $72
Estimate does not include taxes and fees.
Best Practices
Differential fluid breaks down and becomes contaminated with moisture over time and can lead to differential damage from a lack of proper lubrication. It should be replaced at the interval specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
Last step before receiving your estimate:
* Estimate for all Toyota Matrix model years. Get a more accurate price by entering in your year.


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Winter Sports Safety
By Health Day
When the temperature dips below freezing, outdoor exercise may be the last thing on your mind, but winter sports can be great calorie busters and a good workout for the heart.
Being properly prepared is very important- Skating, skiing, sledding and snowboarding can be dangerous. The good news- You can help prevent injury with these simple tips. First: Start Conditioning. Stretching and strengthening exercises will lower your risk of injury. Make sure you have the proper equipment- and get it checked and tuned before you head out for the first time and during the season. Your equipment list should include protective headgear and eyewear.
Know your skill level. Start off on easy courses and get back in form before trying to tackle harder slopes or tracks. Dress properly and stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water will help keep your body in equilibrium. Never drink alcohol while engaging in any sporting activity. It's a dangerous mix that can affect your decision-making and response time.
And finally, remember the sunscreen! It may not feel like tanning weather, but you can still get burned by the sun. If you fall hard, seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms for concussion and even knee injuries can start out mild and get worse as the day goes on.
If you fall hard, seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms for concussion and even knee injuries can start out mild and get worse as the day goes on.
I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV-Ê with news from today that can lead to healthy tomorrows.
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Monday, December 5, 2016, Watertown, NY


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Squirrel Chocolate Mold
- A cute squirrel mold for use with candy melts and chocolate. This mold makes approximately 40 pieces per pound of chocolate. Do NOT use for hard candy, other super hot ingredients, or put in the dishwasher. Hand wash only. FDA approved for use with food.
- Each chocolate is 1-1/2"(4cm) x 1-1/2"(4cm) x 1/4"(.5cm)
- 1 Mold


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Arnold addressed the Refugio County Commissioners Court on Tuesday morning, March 26, in hopes of doing something about the growing number of eight-liner businesses in the county.
"An acknowledgement is made that there are revenues to be gained by the various municipalities and taxing entities within Refugio County in permitting and licensing the operation of these eight-liner machines," Arnold said.
"But a greater argument is to be made in respect to that which will obviously be lost by allowing this unwholesome activity to continue to operate with minimal restrictive regulations, namely, the moral fiber of our communities, more specifically our children's welfare as they become the prey for those who will stop at nothing to appease their depraved appetite in this respect," he said.
The county has a $400 permit fee per machine. The fee generates $17,000 a year at the game room in the old Refugio bowling alley, $800 a year from the Woodsboro area and $2,000 a year from the Austwell-Tivoli area.
Commissioner Stanley Tuttle noted that the Woodsboro City Council during a special meeting Monday night raised its city permit fee for the machines to $5,000 a machine from $500 a machine.
Arnold said the current court repealed a court action in 2003 that banned the eight-liners.
But apparently, that ban was never put into an ordinance or resolution form.
"I think we need to have a brainstorming workshop with the county and cities," Tuttle said.
Commissioner Ann Lopez said she was unaware of the court's previous action to ban eight-liners in March 2003.
The court in August 2011 set the permit fee at $400 per machine.
"The operators of these establishments apparently see a welcome mat," Arnold said.
Lopez said at the time the permit fee was set, she had asked if the eight-liners were against the law.
"I was told, 'No, they can do it,'" she said.
She said the unsightly buildings on the Woodsboro square could benefit from the game room business, as could the landowners.
"It can be a very tempting activity. I don't see that it is a sin," she said.
However, Lopez said she has seen older people spending their money at the establishments and losing it. "Not a good thing," she said.
"Cities have gone forward because it's an avenue to raise funds. I see both sides," she said.
Tuttle said the 2003 ban was not brought to his attention, as well.
Tuttle deferred to County Attorney Todd Steele.
Steele said the county has some options: Continue welcoming game rooms and collecting fees; do nothing; take action to remove them altogether; or do some combination of the above options, including investigating what is going on at the establishments.
"I endorse what Brother Jimmy said," Steele said.
He added that the county or cities should make sure that there aren't illegal activities occurring.
Chief Deputy Sheldon Wigington told the court the Sheriff's Office periodically does walkthroughs of the game rooms and he has had no complaints about them.
Tuttle said he talked to San Patricio Sheriff Leroy Moody who sent out a letter to the 45 game rooms in his county, telling them to shape up because he was going to crack down on them.
Tuttle said armed robberies were beginning to happen with that many game rooms.
"It was just a matter of time before somebody got hurt or somebody got killed," Tuttle said.
Tuttle said Moody gave them 30 days. But all of them shut down within that time frame.
"The next thing is, one by one, they started to open again," Tuttle said.
Questions were posed: "Why are their windows black, and why on some of them are the doors locked?
County Judge Rene Mascorro said the court needs to know if the county can ban the eight-liners when the state doesn't.
"Can the county supersede state law?" he asked.
Steele was asked to research the question.
Commissioner Gary Bourland was on the commissioners court when it banned the machines in 2003.
"I still agree with the 2003 decision," he said.
"We're going to have to regulate them. We know that they are in business to violate the law," Bourland said.
"And it's all going to stem to one thing –enforcement," he added.
Bourland said law enforcement shouldn't patronize the game rooms and that a workshop should be called to change the employee policy on it.
Commissioner Rodrigo Bernal said he hadn't heard about any complaints or increases in violence in his precinct.
However, he said the game rooms should be regulated and checked out periodically.
The court set 9 a.m. April 5 for a special workshop on the subject. The court invited all city government officials to attend as well as law enforcement personnel.


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BSC Alerts
News & Events
Board of Governors
February 17, 2011
Members Present: Mr. Norris Kantor (via conf. call), Mr. Roger Topping, Ms. Anne Taylor, Mr. James Palmer III, Mr. Craig Cardwell, Ms. Angie Lambert, Mr. Aaron Saunders, Mr. Robert Perkinson
Member Absent: Mr. Richard Bezjak, Ms. Gloria Stephens, Ms. Lisa Neel, Mr. Larry Ratliff
Staff/Guests: Dr. Albert Walker, Ms. Anita Barilla, Mr. John Cardwell, Mr. Jim Nelson, Dr. Tom Blevins, Dr. Robin Ware, Ms. Shelia Johnson, Dr. Tracey Anderson, Dr. Sapphire Cureg, Ms. Christina Brogdon, Ms. Sarita Rhonemus, Ms. Deirdre Guyton, Mr. Tom Harrison
Welcome and Call to Order – Chairman James J. Palmer, III
Mr. Palmer called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. in the BSC Othello Harris-Jefferson Student Center.
Introduction of Interim VP Academic Affairs/Provost and Beckley Center Coordinator – Dr. Walker introduced Dr. Robin Ware and reviewed some of her responsibilities on the Bluefield and Beckley campuses.
Board Member Training Requirements- Dr. Walker called the group's attention to the chart in the Board packet concerning Board member training. He stressed the importance for all Board members to attend training opportunities.
New Board Member: Mr. Norris Kantor – Dr. Walker informed the group of the appointment of Mr. Norris Kantor and welcomed him to the group. (Mr. Kantor attended the meeting via conference call.)
Approval of Consent Agenda – Chairman Palmer
A motion was made (ATaylor/RTopping) to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion carried.
Dr. Walker discussed several pieces of information distributed to the BOG members:
- Status of 2010 – 2011 Goals and Objectives.
- Bluefield State College has been named the #1 College in the area by the readers of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.
- Chart of Institutional Board of Governors
- Chart of BSC Chain of Command
- WV Chancellor's Diversity Initiative – Dr. Walker stressed the need to address the issue of diversity.
Discussion Agenda
Ms. Johnson was asked to review the Budget vs Actual (State Accounts) report contained in the BOG packet and tell the group how the numbers are determined. Ms. Johnson went over all the information and the calculations for the group. The encumbrances will be included in future reports to make the information easy to follow. Questions on the Federal Financial Aid Balances Report were also answered.
An update on nanotechnology was given and the cost associated with the program and the need for trained faculty was discussed. Funding is being provided to the bigger universities and BSC is not eligible to compete. Work is being done in STEM Research (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathmatics). It was reported that Senator Jay Rockefeller will be visiting BSC on Saturday, February 26. Representatives from Shepherd and WVU will be in attendance. The Senator will be observing the BSC robotics program in action to determine where there may be common ground for collaborations specifically with WVU.
Questions were asked about collaboration with Southern WV Community College. The following partnerships are in progress:
- Elementary Education Program with Southern will be essentially like a two-plus-two. The first two years will be taken at Southern and the final two years will be primarily at Southern but with BSC faculty. A time will be set for signing the MOU.
- Criminal Justice collaborative program is moving forward.
- Ms. Melissa Haye, Director of BSC Rad Tech, has been working with the director of the Radiology Program at Southern to tie BSC students into their Computer Tomography Program and Southern students into the BSC four-year Rad Science degree. This partnership is in the early stages at this time.
- Business Administration program has not been finalized yet.
Ms. Johnson reviewed the audit information contained in the Board packet. Discussion followed.
Next Meeting Date – April 21, 2011
MountainView Student Residence and Conference Center
With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,


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Fuel prices continue downward trend
With the exception of propane, Vermont consumers are paying less today for gasoline and other fuels than they were a year ago.
Regular gas is 15 cents a gallon cheaper this month than a year ago, averaging $3.596 a gallon, according to the states monthly fuel price report. The price, however, has crept up 3 cents a gallon since May.
At $3.565, home heating oil is 12 cents a gallon less than it was a in June of last year. Over the last month, the price has dipped 4.7 cents a gallon.
Kerosene and diesel prices have also declined, the report said.
The June price for kerosene averaged $4.094 a gallon, the same as last month but slightly less than a year ago when the price was $4.108 a gallon.
Diesel prices averaged $3.947 this month, a drop of 14 cents a gallon from a year ago and 5.2 cents a gallon less than last month.
Propane, which is used for heating and cooking, averaged $3.024 a gallon this month, a slight increase from May, and 3 cents higher than June of last year.
According to VermontGasPrices.com, the best places to buy gas last week were in Rutland and southern Vermont. The Irving station on Grove Street had the cheapest gas at $3.42 a gallon. Five Rutland-area and seven Bennington-area stations were listed as having the best pump prices.
Most of the highest-priced gas is concentrated in the central and northern part of the state. The Shamrock station in Newport and the Shell station in Killington were tied for the most expensive gas at $3.69 a gallon.
According to the federal Energy Information Administration, gas prices nationwide will average $3.53 a gallon over the summer, through September.
For the year, the EIA is projecting an average price of $3.49 a gallon, a drop of 14 cents from 2012. The price is expected to decline further next year, averaging $3.37 a gallon.
Heating oil prices are also projected to fall next year to an average of $3.62 a gallon, 14 cents lower than this year.
However, the EIA adds this disclaimer: Energy price forecasts are highly uncertain, and the current values of futures and options contracts suggest that prices could differ significantly from the projected levels.
firstname.lastname@example.com IN This Just InMANAMA, Bahrain Drawing the U.S. Full StoryDANVILLE Police said a Concord man was jailed for violating an abuse prevention order. Full StorySAINT JOHNSBURY Vermont State Police are investigating a trio of burglaries. Full Story
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Hockey players are getting instructions on how to properly prepare for a hit and how to collide with the boards in an effort to reduce head injuries.
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Hi, I'm Sara. I delivered my 2nd son 6 days ago. I developed HELLP at 34 weeks and Henry was born via emergency c-section very quickly and I still feel a bit of shock over the whole thing. I had never intended to breastfeed him since I didn't breastfeed my first son (for no good reason really) - but have him be so small and vulnerable, my brain suddenly "clicked" and I'm dead set on breastfeeding this little guy. BUT... I'm starting from super scratch.
I'm pumping at home with a hospital rented pump (medela lactina I believe it is called) and am pumping 7 times during the day plus once at night if I wake up. I'm recovering from a c-section, and I wasn't able to pump in the hospital until 2 full days after he was born because I was still so ill.
I'm not making enough to feed him exclusively on breastmilk, and they NICU nurses are fortifying what I give them, and are really encouraging to me. I have seen the lactation lady at the hospital but she wasn't in today and I have a few worries...
I don't feel like I'm making enough. With 7-8 pumps a day, I'm averaging about 25 cc's (just under one ounce) per pump session. (That is as of today, which is 6 days after giving birth). I'm keeping myself well hydrated, I have my in-laws with me to help take care of my toddler, and I'm eating well.
Is it unusual to be not be making more milk? I expected more by this point. My problem isn't really that he's getting fortifier as well as my milk... my problem is my worry that my supply won't ever increase, and might just dwindle off since it isn't getting any stronger.
I'm an absolute wreck over this really... like I said I hadn't prepared myself at all to breastfeed, and my mother died only 2 weeks before my preemie was born so I don't have my own mommy to call up and ask for help. Like I said, the lactation lady at the hospital is very helpful and I know I'll get good support through her and elsewhere, but for right now until she's back I'm just trying to feel better about what I feel like is my body's total inability to take care of this child. First it failed on me by having a string of miscarriages, then it failed on me by having a premature baby, and I don't trust it enough to not fail on me now even though I'm desperate to suceed with this.
Thank you for listening to the admittedly hormone-driven rant... I just want what is best for my little guy and worried that I can't give that to him.


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Welcome to the CRG Discussion Forum!Forum registration problems: Make sure you enter your email correctly and you check your spam box first. *Then* email KurtS2@gmail for help.
...I would say that it is wise and proper to give credit to those people whose work (photos, text, knowledge, etc) that you might be using. Always best to use as much of your own stuff as possible and not take from elsewhere.
Thanks for the link, Mike. Some really great photos there and I was surprised to see me in there as well (green arrow) as well as my parents and younger brother.


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CoWorker | Responsive Retina Multi-Purpose Theme
CoWorker is a Responsive Multipurpose Theme built for flexibility. Be it a Business, Portfolio, Corporate, Agency or any other kind of website, CoWorker will work just fine for you. Tons of Customizations are possible with this theme that'll help you redefine your website's brand value.
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- Fully Responsive Design
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- 7 Header + Menu Styles
- 7 Portfolio Item Pages
- 4 Columns
- 4 Columns with Sidebar
- 3 Columns
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- 5 Columns Masonry
- 8 Portfolio Single Item Page Layouts with Gallery, Video & Static Image (effective 24 Templates)
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Version 2.3.1 – 24th November'14
- Fixed: Issue with Tabs Shortcodes
Version 2.3 – 20th November'14
- Fixed: Issue with Shortcodes Button in Visual Editor - Update: WooCommerce - Update: Layer Slider - Update: Revolution Slider - Update: WordPress 4.0 Compatibility
Version 2.2 – 26th March'14
- Update: wooCommerce to Latest Version (2.1.6) - Update: Layer Slider - Update: Revolution Slider - Update: Translation Files - Update: Documentation Files - Fixed: Theme Options Contact Form Receiver Name - Fixed: Fix Line Breaks in Form Email Replies - Fixed: Minor Bugs
Version 2.1.4 – 15th January'14
- Added: Instagram Icon in the Top Social - Update: Layer Slider - Update: Translation Files - Update: Some Core WP Functions - Fixed: Social Sharing Strip Tags - Fixed: Minor Bugs
Version 2.1.3 – 2nd January'14
- Fixed: Under Construction Redirection Issue - Fixed: Featured Box Shortcode Undefined Index Issue - Fixed: Retina Icons display Issue
Version 2.1.2 – 30th December'13
- Fixed: Responsive Menu Display on Different Header Types - Fixed: Footer Twitter Panel Tweets Display - Fixed: Admin Login Logo Display Issue
Version 2.1.1 – 28th December'13
- Fixed: Primary Menu Register/Display Issue
Version 2.1 – 27th December'13
- Added: WooCommerce Sidebar Widget Area - Added: Theme Option to choose products per Page - Fixed: Primary Menu display Issue on different Header Styles - Fixed: jQuery DropDown Select Menu Display Issue - Fixed: Products Display per Page Issue - Fixed: Gallery Shortcode now points to Magnific Lightbox instead of prettyPhoto - Fixed: Products Pagination Styling
Version 2.0 – 24th December'13
- Added: WooCommerce Support - Added: jQuery Pagination for Portfolio - Added: jQuery Hash History for isoTope on Portfolio Pages - Added: New SPAM Protection for Footer Quick Contact Widget - Added: Icon List Shortcode - Added: Native Audio Player in Blog Posts - Added: Native Audio Player Shortcode - Added: Language Switcher in Header - Added: Top Menu Dropdown Ability - Added: Magnific Popup Lightbox Plugin - Added: New Border Button Style - Added: Twitter Feed Footer Panel - Added: Featured Boxes Linking - Changed: Twitter Feed now uses WordPress Transient API instead of Cache Files - Changed: Top Social Icons Linking Target to Blank Window - Updated: Twitter Bootstrap to Version 2.3.2 - Updated: Slider Revolution Plugin - Updated: Layer Slider Plugin - Updated: jQuery isoTope - Updated: jQuery Camera Slider - Updated: jQuery Nivo Slider - Updated: jQuery Refine Slider - Updated: PHPMailer - Updated: Meta Box Classes - Removed: prettyPhoto Lightbox Plugin - Fixed: FlexSlider Fix for Accordion/Tabs/Toggles - Fixed: Line Breaks in Inbuilt Form Emails - Fixed: Testimonials Empty URL Field Fix - Fixed: Footer Quick Contact Form SPAM Issue - Fixed: Minor Backend Issues
Version 1.5 – 21st August'13
Fixed: - Added Slider Plugins Updater - Updated Superfish Menu - Fixed Layer Slider jQuery Issue - Updated Refine Slides - Child Theme Updated - Minor Bug Fixes
Version 1.4 – 19th August'13
Fixed: - Google Map Shortcodes Issue - Page Meta Taxonomy Saving Issue - Custom Post Types Search Issue - Password Protected Post Login URL issue - Minor Bug Fixes
Version 1.3 – 4th August'13
- Complete Compatibility with WP3.6 - Updated PHP Mailer to Latest Version - Fixed Pattern/Background Selector Issue - Updated Metabox Class - Updated PostTypes Class - Improved UI to choose Background Images/Gallery Images in Page Options - Layer Slider & Revolution Slider Plugins Activation Optional - Fixed Slider Shortcode to work inside Tabs/Toggles/Accordions - Updated Layer Slider to Latest Version - Updated Revolution Slider to Latest Version - Updated Language Files - Minor Bug Fixes
Version 1.2 – 31st May'13
- Added: Google+ Comments - Added: Default Blog Layout - Added: Blog Default Layout Template - Fixed: Sticky Menu Colors Issue - Fixed: Sticky Menu Logo Issue on Firefox - Fixed: Sticky Menu Overlapping Issue - Fixed: Sticky Menu Search Bar Issue on Firefox - Fixed: Disable Sticky Menu on Coming Soon Pages - Fixed: Slider Loading Issue - Fixed: 3D Slider Issue - Fixed: Sub Menu Mouseover Issue on Firefox - Fixed: Sub Menu Alignment Fix - Fixed: Contact Template Maps HTML Content Fix - Fixed: Skills Animation Issue in Firefox
Version 1.1 – 17th May'13
- Added: STICKY MENU - Added: Support for Custom Social Icons in the Header - Added: Slider Background Pattern Option - Added: Slider Background Color Option - Added: Content before FAQs in FAQs Template - Added: Portfolio Extra Meta Fields Shortcode - Added: Better Child Theme Compatibility - Added: Option to Add Custom Service Options in Contact Form Templates - Added: Per Page/Post/Portfolio Page Title - Background Image - Added: Per Page/Post/Portfolio Page Title - Background Pattern - Added: Per Page/Post/Portfolio Page Title - Background Color - Added: Per Page/Post/Portfolio Page Title - Font Color - Added: Option for Adding Phone/Email Text for Top Social/Contacts - Added: SMTP Mail Support for Contact Forms - Fixed: Coming Soon Module Redirect Problem - Fixed: MailChimp API Key Datacenter URL issue - Fixed: Minor Javascript Issues - Fixed: Landing Page Action Shortcode Issue - Fixed: Google Maps Popup HTML Issue - Fixed: Header 4 - Right Content Alignment Issue - Fixed: Misconfiguration of Success/Error Message for Contact Forms
Version 1.0 – 2nd May'13
Initial Release


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The National Geographic Art Store: Over 20,000 images reproduced as Prints and Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Featured Galleries
- Flowers
- Len Jenshel & Diane Cook
- National Parks
Popular Galleries
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Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Nothing brings a more personal touch to your home or office than Canvas Art. Our unframed canvas prints come in many sizes and are printed with UV-resistant archival inks. Stretched on 1.5" wood stretcher bars, your canvas will provide a lifetime of enjoyment.


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Don't have the time (or the patience) to wade through all the political bullshit in the ads to figure out which candidate thinks most like you? Project VoteSmart's VoteEasy may help you figure out which candidate is more like you.
Kurt Vonnegut motivational posters. One of these days I'll get around to reading something of his.
Pencil art – but not the way you think.
Have an older iPhone? This might help speed it up.
This article on hospice care is a hard article to read, but worth it.
You know how there's the American accent and the British accent? Turns out that in 1776, they both sounded the same (no shock there) but over the years it's been the British accent that diverged, not the American one.
A practical plan for when you feel overwhelmed is exactly what it says it is. Turns out I've been using most of these for years without having read them in a blog, but the bit about doing 15 minutes of fast things, followed by 35 minutes of something hard, is worth giving a try I suspect.
An awesome photo of a really bad shot by Tiger Woods.
Grover does Old Spice Guy.
Awesome use of negative space in IBM "Outcomes" campaign
This is an important read: a reminder that if you say no to yourself, no one else can say yes. If you want something, even if it's a long-shot, a difficult chance, something you might not qualify for or might not be able to do even if you do qualify for it, you have to try – apply – do – whatever you can to give yourself the opportunity. You fail as soon as you decide not to try.
Best Drunk Driving Public Service Annoucement for today's geek ever:
An interesting look at the evils of shoes and not just heels, but pretty much all of them. I'm a big fan of MBTs, which they diss just a bit, but which increased my balance quickly enough that my martial arts instructor noticed. That's progress. On the other hand, I'm hearing wonderful things about Vibram Five Fingers, and they're likely to be my next adventure in shoes.
Maybe the universe isn't so vacuum-y after all?
32 photographs of the solar system by The Big Picture.


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Kansas high school students begin Journey to J.D. at KU law school camp
The University of Kansas School of Law prepares students to be outstanding members of the legal profession with a commitment to professional achievement and public service.
Media contacts: Mindie Paget, email@example.com, 785-864-9205; or Emily Sharp, email@example.com, 785-864-2388
Why KU
- One-third of full-time faculty have written casebooks and treatises
- 2 KU law faculty were U.S. Supreme Court clerks
- KU's Project for Innocence: 34 conviction reversals since 2009
- 7,600+ alumni in all 50 states, D.C., and 21 foreign countries
- #18 "best value" law school in the nation — National Jurist Magazine
- 12 interdisciplinary joint degrees
- 20th nationwide for lowest debt at graduation. — U.S. News & World Report
- 80 percent of upper-level law classes have 25 or fewer students
- More than 600 employment interviews at law school, 2014-15
- 92 percent overall employment rate for Class of 2014 – top 20 percent nationally
- 23rd: for number of law alumni promoted to partner at nation's largest law firms
- #1 in Kansas and Missouri for July 2015 bar exam performance


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All Formula One articles for July, 2013
28 July 2013
Our Diamond Defender
Kimi Räikkönen clinches a P2 finish at the 2013 Hungarian GP whilst a controversial race for Romain Grosjean sees him finish in P6.
25 July 2013
Romain Grosjean on the Hungarian Grand Prix
After returning to the podium in Germany, Romain is keen to maintain momentum in Budapest and enter the summer break on a high.
22 July 2013
Kimi Räikkönen on the Hungarian Grand Prix
With four second-place finishes and one victory in Hungary, our Finn reckons he knows what's needed for a strong weekend in Budapest.
7 July 2013
Das Ist Wunderbar!
It's a double podium at the 2013 German GP today for Lotus. We love that. It's all smiles at Lotus HQ as we congratulate the Lotus F1® Team.
3 July 2013
Kimi and Romain on the German Grand Prix
Kimi and Romain have their sights set on the Nürburgring following disappontment last week at Silverstone.


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"I have listened to Catholic Answers Live for many years now. The show is informational, inspirational, faith building, and funny. I have been in the process of conversion for many years, and now at age 60, I will be joining the Catholic Church. The show and speakers have been my tutor and guide, and I am deeply grateful to all."
Subscribe to Catholic Answers Magazine
"The civil authority has been, ever from the days of Herod, the enemy of Christ. The question, now pending, is whether the Church shall admit to ministry those only who, according to the dictation of the civil power, are fit for the office."


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The Jesus Storybook BibleSally Lloyd-Jones, Jago
The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David - every story points to him. He is like... Read More
Delivery by Christmas. Learn more >
More From: Sally Lloyd-Jones, Jago
Other Formats
From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation - and at the center of their Story too.
Sample Page 1 >
Sample Page 2 >
Sample Page 3 >
Sample Page 4 >
Product Details:
Ages: 4-8
Page Count: 348
Dimensions: 7.74" (L) x 6.60" (W) x 1.08" (D)
Released: 02/2007
- Product type: Book
- Format: Hardcover Children's Version
- Release Date: Mar 2, 2007
- Height: 1.08
- Width: 6.60
- Length: 7.74
- Volumes/Discs: 1
- Pages: 348
- Publish Date: Feb 20, 2007
- Language: English
- Audience Age Maximum: 8
- Audience Age Minimum: 4
Customer ReviewsWrite your own review
- BEST Children's Bible EVER! by Neurotyper on 9/2/2012
I LOVE The Jesus Storybook Bible! I teach in an afterschool Bible club in the public school system (Discovery Clubs) and we use this book with 2nd-5th graders as part of the curriculum. It is awesome! They sit spellbound while I read to them. The message is so wonderful and the children really learn about how the Bible stories that they may have heard many times before all point towards Jesus and his marvelous rescue plan. I have cried several times when reading the stories to them, as the writing just touches my heart.


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For those not deeply immersed in the intersection of education and technology, here is a summary of the historical arc of MOOCs.
Most new technology is adopted in two stages. First, we extend practices from older media and traditions, "copying and pasting" them onto new technologies. Next, we identify new affordances organic to the new medium, and build upon them. For example, early films looked a lot like stage plays transferred into a new medium, until we figured out that the camera could move and we could also create special effects.
MOOCs are, perhaps, the first instances of Web-based educational technology to step into that second stage. They create something native to the Web that takes advantage of what the Web can do, rather than simply trying to mimic a classroom virtually. As Jim Groom puts it, MOOCs might be the first truly Web-native form of teaching and learning.
MOOCs first appeared in 2008. We can divide the subsequent movement into two currents: cMOOC and xMOOC.
The first MOOC was a cMOOC, taught by two Canadian scholars, George Siemens and Stephen Downes, who decided to make a bricks-and-mortar class available online to anyone who wanted to take it—and 2,000+ people did. CCK08 was designed to be used by people who used social media. Content was available through RSS feeds and a newsletter curated by the instructors, but users also participated via Twitter, Second Life, blogs and other venues. They used hashtags to make it easy to identify class content. CCK08 was a seminar about connectivism, the educational philosophy they were exploring in this class—hence one explanation for the "c" in "cMOOC." That prefix may also stand for "constructivist," since that was the class's pedagogical principle. Learners created meaning and learning by interacting and building content.
Three years later, a different kind of MOOC appeared from American research universities, dubbed xMOOCs, where the "x" stands for expanded. The x prefix also refers to the subsequently popular edX MOOC platform, launched by Harvard and MIT. These xMOOCs differ from cMOOCs in that they deal with a much larger audience, often at the scale of tens or hundreds of thousands of learners. Scale is, indeed, what xMOOC platforms really claim as their triumph. They are also designed to focus on pushing out content to learners, mostly through video; interaction mostly occurs between individual learner and content, rather than between peers. xMOOCs are, in short, broadcast-oriented, not geared toward individual learners.
With both MOOC currents in play, we began to see MOOCs take off in 2012. Growth occurred in earnest with new businesses built to host and support them, and venture capital began investing significant amounts of money. University after university dove into MOOCs, with leading faculty members creating and teaching classes, largely in the xMOOC form.
Last year, we hit the high peak of media attention, with the New York Times declaring 2013 as the Year of the MOOC. And inevitably, following this peak we then experienced what H.G. Wells calls "the great disillusionment."
As we head into the future, a number of scenarios are possible for what MOOCs might become:
- MOOCs may supplement face-to-face classes, providing complementary content.
- MOOCs may lose their open nature and become MOCs. The sign of this will be content available only for a fee.
- cMOOCs and xMOOCs could fuse and synthesize, with xMOOCs becoming more socially engaging, thereby improving retention and completion rates.
Whatever their evolution, MOOCs are a very important development for the library and higher education communities to track and evaluate.
ISSUE 23 contents
- Index
- President's Report
- The hope and hype of MOOCs
- MOOCs: A quick background
- MOOCs by the numbers
- WorldCat Works linked data: Connecting library resources into the core of the Web
- Right-scaling stewardship of the collective print resource
- EMEA Regional Council 2014 Annual Meeting
- 200 WorldShare Management Services libraries live!
- OCLC rolls out new discovery, knowledge base services
- Making a place in the community: Public libraries go outside the box
- At a Tipping Point: A tipping point is coming to education
- Updates
About the Author
Bryan Alexander
Bryan, a Senior Fellow for the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE), is a futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant and teacher working in the field of how technology transforms education. His areas of focus include social media, digital storytelling, mobile devices, gaming, pedagogy, scholarly communication, forecasting and the future of academia.


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Up until now I have been happy to use the standard set of JavaFX controls in Evidentia, my commercial product written in JavaFX. However I have an enhancement in the works for which I wanted a little something extra, and a spinner control made sense.
Enter JFXtras.
I basically wanted to present the user the ability to choose fields from the spinners to populate the fields on the left. Spinners made sense to me since there could be a lot of trial and error on the users part, and spinners were faster than drop down lists for experimenting.
JFXtras is a sort of laboratory for controls that haven't made it into JavaFX (yet?) or which are beyond what one would expect in a basic framework. There are some really cool stuff in the 'toolbox', but being unofficial means minimal documentation, and some features you might expect in a standard control may or may not be present.
The Form
If you start up Ensemble, the JFXtras demo application, you can view the suite of controls available. It also provides sample code for using the controls. I'll just show you the spinners:
I downloaded the library and added it to my project in Netbeans easy enough. I have gotten used to using FXML, so I had to adjust back to the traditional programming model, which was no big deal. I added a spinner to a grid…
srcRefNoSpinner = new ListSpinner<>(srcRefList) .withCyclic(true) .withArrowDirection(ListSpinner.ArrowDirection.HORIZONTAL) .withArrowPosition(ListSpinner.ArrowPosition.SPLIT) .withAlignment(Pos.CENTER) ; GridPane.setConstraints(srcRefNoSpinner,4,1);
…where srcRefList referenced an ObservableList.
The first issue I had was that the meaningful part of the control was not vertically centered.
This is when I realized how dependent I had become on SceneBuilder to sort out these kind of issues. I searched around for styling instructions and was encouraged to join the JFXtras mailing list, which I did.
Still, couldn't find much information, and I never did really resolve it. I finally addressed the issue by managing the height of the control, which was ultimately what I was going to want to do anyway.
srcRefNoSpinner = new ListSpinner<>(srcRefList) .withCyclic(true) .withArrowDirection(ListSpinner.ArrowDirection.HORIZONTAL) .withArrowPosition(ListSpinner.ArrowPosition.SPLIT) .withAlignment(Pos.CENTER) ; srcRefNoSpinner.setPrefHeight(20.0); srcRefNoSpinner.setMinHeight(20.0); srcRefNoSpinner.setMaxHeight(20.0); GridPane.setConstraints(srcRefNoSpinner,4,1);
The Function
I struggled a bit with how to attach a ChangeListener to the ListSpinner control. I kept looking for a selection model for the control. I eventually found I had to attach it to the value property:
srcRefNoSpinner.valueProperty().addListener(new RefNoSpinnerListener()); ... private class RefNoSpinnerListener implements ChangeListener { @Override public void changed(ObservableValue<? extends String> ov, String t, String t1) { String id = ""; switch(t1) { case "XREF": ... } srcRefNo.setText(id); } }
Pretty straightforward.
The last challenge was initializing the selected value of the spinner based on an action the user takes on another tab. Again, I looked for a selection model to work with, but the solution was actually simpler:
All in all adding a spinner to my application was pretty straight forward, and functionally there have been no issues. Some of the issues I ran into were my own doing (I thought setValue() didn't work, created a rather embarrassing post on the email list, only to discover I had put it on the wrong code path).
Styling is still a mystery, as there is no documentation, but I find styling of the standard JavaFX controls can be just as challenging.
I also am still scratching my head – should I have expected the control to have a selection model? if it had been part of the standard JavaFX control set would I have been right in expecting it to follow the selection model design? Was the lack of one just a victim of a control in a laboratory that hasn't fully matured?
Either way I was grateful for the work someone had done to create this control, and the simplicity with which I was able to add it to my application.
Hope this helps!


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Ah, three-day weekends. That one extra day off work suddenly sends your mind reeling to all the possibilities for fun. "What kind of crazy shenanigans can I squeeze into three days?!" Living, as we do, in the "Heart of It All," it's easy to think of mini-vacations as opportunities to visit far-flung locales like the beach, Chicago or New York City. Or — shudder — that ubiquitous stay-cation.
While there's plenty going on this weekend in the 'Bus, we thought it a worthy time to consider some of the Buckeye State's other gems (and, maybe, one farther north).
What follows are five destinations you could conceivably visit this Fourth of July weekend, along with staff picks for how to best take advantage of these hot spots (spoiler: with a lot of booze and food). Basically, America.


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Forum set to discuss VSP
MIDDLESEX A public forum will be held Wednesday to discuss the long-term plans of the Vermont State Police facility in the Middlesex area.
The forum will be held at the barracks in Middlesex on Route 2 at 6 p.m. It will give central Vermont residents a chance to give feedback and ask questions about the state police facilities and programs.
The state police, along with the state Department of Buildings and General Services, say they have begun a comprehensive review of state police facilities statewide. The purpose of the review is to outline the program needs, deficiencies of current facilities, potential land sites and estimated program costs of the state police. The goal is to create a long-term plan that determines the best way to support state police in providing services to Vermonters.
For more information, contact Vermont State Police Public Information Officer Stephanie Dasaro at 279-9773.MORE IN Central VermontStudents harming teachers is a little-explored issue at the state level. Full StoryThe state will get support in defending its end-of-life choice law, which several religious... Full StoryVermonts largest and smallest summer theater companies are the first to announce their 2017... Full Story
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text:
by Anton Shilov
Jen-Hsen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., a leading supplier of graphics processors, believes that personal computers of today have lost their "magic", they no longer cause admiration, but the increased complexity actually slowdowns further expansion of technology.
"The computer that we know of today has lost its magic in the sense that the technology has become rather mature and that is one of the reasons the PC has stopped amazing us," said Mr. Huang in an interview with BBC.
The head of Nvidia seems to believe that the magic of PCs will revitalize with the materialization of more advanced interaction between personal computers and human beings. In fact, chief executive officer of AMD also expects interfaces between users and PCs to change and so do some executives from Intel Corp. To sum up, PCs seem to need some kind of more advanced control.
"The computer would simply know that it is me sitting in front of it. I wouldn't need to type in a password. It would know it's me based on what it sees of me, the way I am acting and talking. These kinds of capabilities are certainly within the next generation, because we have created a processor for the GPU that makes it possible to do parallel processing so much faster on a PC. We think this GPU technology is going to transform computing in a way that will bring back the magic to consumers," said Mr. Huang.
New levels of interactivity will definitely require more computing power and that is exactly what Nvidia and its rivals like ATI are doing with graphics processors: increasing horsepower by two or more times every year, which clearly provides the roadmap for better overall performance of the PC.


text:
Below is a video from the company explaining Mazu Global's Compensation Plan.
And here is a review of the compensation plan that the editor of this site has put together:
An article reviewing the Mazu Global Compensation Plan has been posted on eZine at: http://ezinearticles.com/?Mazu-Global-Compensation-Plan-Overview&id=5478609
Please post and view reviews of your personal experience with the Mazu Global business opportunity on this page. This site will become more valuable with your input! Contributors should include people who are in the business or have previously been involved with Mazu Global.
The individual who contributes the most informative review to this website each week (positive or negative) will win a free internet marketing seminar to help you grow your Mazu (or other relationship marketing) Business ($499 value!)


text:
Where to Watch NFL Football in Charleston, SC! Introducing New Game Paired Menus at The Lettered Olive Lounge this Fall
Game on! Experience a Food Faceoff Monday and Thursday nights this fall at the Lettered Olive Lounge. Come on out to root for your favorite NFL team and enjoy draft specials and regional dishes inspired by each game. Read on for the football & food line-up:
Thursday, December 12 (Chargers vs. Broncos)
Two Fish Tacos with Seared Ahi Tuna, Shredded Lettuce, Pickled Daikon and Cilantro Aioli 15
8 oz Denver Burger with Sauteed Peppers and Onions, Sliced Ham and an Over Easy Egg on a Buttered Challa Roll 15
Monday, December 16 (Ravens vs. Lions)
Three Maryland Style Crab Cake Sliders with Caper and Charred Lemon Aioli 14
Three Burger Sliders with Chopped Onions, Sliced Pickles and Mustard 12
Monday, December 23 (Falcons vs. 49ers)
Fried Boneless Chicken Breast with Tobasco Butter Sauce and a side of Bow Tie Macaroni and Cheese 14
Ciopinno Seafood Stew with Shrimp and Mussels in a Rich Tomato Broth and Garlic Bread 16


text:
The mission of the Southwest Border Nonprofit Resource Center (SBNRC) is to facilitate the sustainable development and growth of the nonprofit community of the Southwest border region by providing guidance in nonprofit leadership development, training and management, leveraging partnerships and networks, conducting nonprofit research, educating UTPA students as resource for the nonprofit community, providing consulting services where needed, and serving as a technical resource.
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Three U-S Marines are dead in an apparent murder-suicide at Marine Corps Base Quantico outside Washington. An investigation is underway of what authorities are describing as an isolated incident. Sally Kidd reports from Quantico.
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text:
News analysis
SEOUL, South Korea – After weeks of a standoff that, at times, worried even the most stoic South Koreans, the North blinked. The latest North Korea crisis is over, but the question is: for how long?
The view doesn't look encouraging. North Korea's medium-range missiles remain locked on their launchers; U.S. and South Korean destroyers still ply Korea's coastline.
Across the region, Patriot anti-missile batteries are on the ready. One top U.S. nuclear expert says North Korea will need to test-fire more missiles and nuclear arms in the future.
But at least for now, instead of drumbeats of war, Pyongyang is sending out feelers about talks and piling on its demands: The complete lifting of United Nations' sanctions, a permanent end to U.S.-South Korean war games, and lots of apologies. The latest came on Tuesday with the North insisting it must be recognized as a nuclear weapons state, rejecting a U.S. condition that it agree to give up its nuclear arms program before talks can begin.
The South called the North's conditions "shameless."
Secretary of State John Kerry has taken a broader view, saying it's "at least a beginning gambit."
But he's already dismissing talks until North Korea shows serious signs of dismantling its nuclear arms program. In response, Kim Jong Un's regime has said that's a non-starter – that its nuclear weapons are its "treasured sword" and aren't negotiable at any price.
Secretary of State John Kerry opened the door to direct disarmament talks with North Korea, but there is still no sign Kim Jong Un is prepared to stop testing nuclear weapons. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
We've been here before. The Obama administration calls it "a cycle of provocation." North Korea deploys threatening words and actions – capped off with a real missile or nuclear test – in order to gain concessions from the U.S. and South Korea, usually in the form of cash. The North then retreats -- until the next crisis.
Some Korea experts say Washington has failed to break that cycle, despite its efforts at "strategic patience" – a highfalutin expression for avoiding engagement with the North while letting sanctions bite.
And they blame that U.S. policy as much as North Korea for the impasse.
"The problem is that, when there's a sense of crisis, the U.S. doesn't want to talk to Pyongyang because it would be rewarding bad behavior," said John Delury, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University. "But then when the crisis abates, the U.S. doesn't want to talk with Pyongyang [either] because it's not a priority."
Analysts like Delury say it's only a matter of time before tensions, once again, will rise to dangerous levels. That's because the U.S. keeps learning the wrong lessons, so it's stuck in a low-grade, perpetual crisis with North Korea.
They say the U.S. has failed to see that North Korea is really after security first and foremost, followed by recognition and international legitimacy, not aid. If they were just after money, Pyongyang would not have shut down its Keasong Industrial Park, a joint North-South venture which generates billions of dollars annually in trade, during the latest crisis.
North Korea's provocations are often seen in the West as a kind of pro-active blackmail, but Delury said that's another U.S. misperception.
"North Korea is reactive," he explained. "Half of its provocations are counter or defensive moves to assert its strength in the face of far more powerful U.S., South Korean and Japanese forces arrayed against them."
It's true that, during the most recent crisis, the tide turned away from confrontation only when the U.S. dialed down its displays of nuclear-capable weaponry, like B2 stealth bombers and F-22 super fighters, used as a show of force during war maneuvers close to North Korea's border.
Much, of course, depends on the extent to which China – North Korea's main benefactor with a hand on the tiny country's food and fuel taps – can persuade Kim that he can rule without the need for nuclear weapons as his ultimate guarantee.
The youngest son of Kim Jong Il succeeded his late father in 2011, becoming the third member of his family to rule the unpredictable and reclusive communist state.
But the U.S. -- Korea watchers here say -- needs to grasp that North Korea's goal is to survive in a tough neighborhood, surrounded by nuclear powers – China, Russia and U.S. forces.
If the U.S. wants to break its perpetual cycle of crisis with North Korea, it may well have to bite the bullet – these analysts say – and sit down and negotiate with a "nuclear North Korea," without officially recognizing the state, or its atomic capability.
Rather than cash handouts, that could open the door to serious discussions about North Korea's economic development – something that Kim himself recently called a top priority. Getting there, though, is fraught with difficulty – it would require massive amounts of political will and constant communication through a high-level U.S. special envoy to North Korea, someone like George Mitchell or Madeleine Albright.
It would also mean a leap of faith by the young Kim – if indeed he is in control of his country, as U.S. officials now believe - and the unlearning of wrong lessons by the U.S.
But the alternative, says Delury, is much worse – more bristling standoffs in the future, with even more risk that an accident or miscalculation could trigger a disaster. "Both sides have gone from trading statements about who is really ready for war, to trading statements about who is really ready for dialogue. But that doesn't mean anything has really changed at a fundamental level."
And, unless it does, sooner or later North Korea will be back on the airwaves, threatening the world with its "sledge-hammer blows."
Jim Maceda is an NBC News foreign correspondent based in London, currently on assignment in Seoul, South Korea.
Reuters contributed to this report.
US, North Korea appear far apart on conditions for negotiation
Kerry: China must do more to resolve N. Korea crisis
Full North Korea coverage from NBC News


text:
Top Wall Street analyst heads back to school
Brad Hintz, a Sanford C Bernstein analyst and one of the leading names covering US bank stocks, is to retire later this year and take up a professorship at a top business school.
Hintz, who has spent more than a decade with the research and brokerage firm, will leave his post in October, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In the autumn, he will take up a role at New York University's Stern School of Business, where he will be one of three professors for an MBA course on managing financial institutions. According to NYU: "This course looks at the management of financial service organisations during periods of rapid regulatory, cultural, and technical change. The focus is on issues as perceived by top executives."
Hintz will be teaching with Roy C Smith, a former Goldman Sachs executive and the Kenneth Langone Professor of Finance at NYU's Stern School of Business, and Philip Ryan, who spent more than 20 years at Credit Suisse.
Hintz, 64, is one of the best-regarded analysts for Wall Street banks. Prior to joining Sanford C Bernstein in 2000, he held senior roles at some of the largest US banks. His career included three years as chief financial officer at Lehman Brothers in the late 1990s and 10 years at Morgan Stanley, where he served as treasurer.
In a recent note last week, he downgraded Goldman Sachs from "outperform" to "market perform". Goldman Sachs is due to report earnings for the second quarter in the coming weeks.
A spokesman for Sanford C Bernstein declined to comment.


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text: The global distribution of human skin colour is a well-defined example of genetic variation in which differential selective pressures favoured different characteristics in skin colour that conferred a survival advantage. Selective pressures for skin colour correlate with regional climate factors, such as latitude and sunlight. For example, the first populations of humans to settle in northern regions of the world were under selective pressure that favoured light skin colour to facilitate the absorption of sunlight, thereby preventing premature death from debilitating bone diseases.


text:
Last week, in Part 1 of this two-part excerpt from PayPal Hacks, the authors offered three hacks to ensure PayPal's convenience and effectiveness. This week they present two more hacks to help make you and your customers happy. The first hack highlights using IPN to effortlessly deliver digital goods to your customers, and the second shows how to set up phony Sandbox accounts to test your code.
Use IPN to have your server automatically send digital goods to customers as soon as they purchase them from your web site.
The Internet revolution allows instant gratification when purchasing an item. Customers can purchase digital goods--eBooks, digital music, video files, software, and anything else that can be delivered over the Internet--from the comfort of home and use them almost instantly.
This hack shows you how to leverage PayPal's ease of use, security, and brand name to sell digital goods with large margins and low overhead. PayPal's IPN system [Hack #65] lets you deliver those goods without any interaction as a seller.
The code in this hack uses Microsoft VBScript, but the same process can be implemented with any web scripting language.
WARNING: Because this solution employs IPN to deliver a product without any action on your part, you should take steps to ensure that the payment is legitimate (for example, no price tampering has taken place) [Hack #73].
This script, when used in conjunction with the IPN script from [Hack #73], sends your customer an email with your digital product as an attachment:
'Declare and populate email address for delivery
Dim payer_email
Payer_email = Request.Form("payer_email")
'Create file variable and set path to file
Dim file_location
1. file_location = "C:\InetPub\wwwroot\yoursite\filestore\file.zip"
'Send an email to customer and attach file
Dim objCDO
Set objCDO = Server.CreateObject("CDOSYS.NewMail")
2. objCDO.From = "email@example.com"
'Add customer email address
objCDO.To = payer_email
'Add file attachement
3. objCDO.Subject = "PayPal Hacks Software Exo"
4. objCDO.Body = "Thank you for your order. Your file is attached to this email."
objCDO.Send( )
Set objCDO = Nothing
Place your digital product in a file (presumably zipped) on your
server, and specify the full path and filename in the
file_location variable (line
1). Include your email address as the return (line 2); in most cases it will be the same as the email address your PayPal account uses.
Finally, you'll want to customize the subject and
message body text (lines 3 and 4, respectively) to suit your needs.
WARNING: When delivering files by email, be sure to keep the file size relatively small (less than 500K). Otherwise, you run the risk of overfilling your customer's email in-box or having the message rejected by the customer's ISP.
This hack shows the most simplistic way to implement digital goods sales for your site. For an improved method, see [Hack #72].
Related Reading
PayPal Hacks
Create phony accounts and use phony money to test your API code, all without spending a dime.
TIP: Go to http://paypalhacks.com for downloadable code and API updates.
PayPal Developer Central includes an environment called the PayPal Sandbox, in which you can test your PayPal Web Services applications, as well as IPN and PDT features (discussed in Chapter 7 of the book). The Sandbox looks and behaves like the PayPal web site, with one important exception: no real money is transacted. You can create and access multiple test accounts in the Sandbox, which means that you can create both a business and a buyer account without the hassle of setting up real email, credit card, and bank accounts.
Before PayPal created its Sandbox, you would have had to create two real PayPal accounts and use real money to test your code. There was no way to get around that, but you could send test payments in pennies--$0.01 for a widget or $0.02 for a gumball--and then refund the transactions immediately thereafter. As you can imagine, this process quickly became burdensome. Although some companies (such as Eliteweaver) offered good IPN-testing solutions, ultimately nothing was able to replace the comfort of knowing that your code worked against the real thing.
Creating a Sandbox PayPal account is similar to creating a live PayPal account. The web pages look and behave almost identically. Here's how to do it:
Log in to Developer Central with your new developer account and click on the Sandbox tab.
Click on the Create Account link, at which point a familiar page appears: the PayPal sign-up page.
TIP: It might be a little jarring to see the PayPal account sign-up page, but if you look at the top left corner, you'll see a PayPal Sandbox logo, verifying that you did swallow the blue pill and are indeed working within a simulated PayPal environment.
To create a business account, select the Business Account option. Select your country and click on the Continue button.
On the next page, enter any existing address and phone number. This information never leaves the Sandbox, so the information you enter here makes little difference. Click on the Continue button when you're done.
On the Enter Your Information page, type an email address and
password. To make it easy on yourself, use a simple email address
such as
firstname.lastname@example.com and an
easy-to-remember password such as
qwertyui. You
don't have to use a real email account, because the
Sandbox emails never leave the Sandbox.
TIP: Real currency isn't involved when using the Sandbox, so there isn't much of a security issue. You might choose to use the same password for every Sandbox account you create. Having to manage multiple passwords is pointless and can slow down your development team.
You also need to provide answers to two security questions. Again, this information never leaves the Sandbox. Enter something obvious, such as your own last name, for Mother's Maiden Name and the town you work in for City of Birth. Finally, enter the Security Measure characters and click on the Sign-Up button.
Next, you will be asked to confirm your email address. Before you do, repeat steps 1 through 6 to create a second Sandbox account, from which you can send test payments. To create a buyer account, select Personal Account (instead of Business Account) in Step 3. You'll be asked fewer questions this time.
TIP: You might want to create both types of personal accounts (Standard and Premier) to mimic the different types of PayPal users who will be buying things from your site. To create a Premier account, answer Yes when asked "Would you like this to be a Premier Account?"
Figure 8-2. Buyer and Seller accounts in the Sandbox
Just as you would on the live PayPal site, you must confirm your newly created PayPal Sandbox accounts before you use them. Normally, PayPal sends a real email message to a newly added email address for confirmation, but email sent on behalf of pseudo accounts would be confusing, to the say the least. So, for security and other reasons, PayPal's Developer Central web site includes a self-contained pseudo email messaging system to catch and display emails the PayPal Sandbox generates.
To view these emails, log in to the Developer Central web site and click on the Email tab. A list of emails from PayPal to your various accounts will be displayed here. Click on the subject link of any email to open the email message, as shown in Figure 8-3.
Figure 8-3. The PayPal Sandbox account verification process
To confirm your Sandbox account:
Copy the URL from the Activate Your PayPal Account email.
Open a new browser window, paste the URL into your browser's address bar, and press Enter.
Enter the password for your account and click on Submit.
You will need to follow this process for every new Sandbox account you've created.
PayPal uses bank accounts to verify [Hack #2] that their members are who they say they are.
TIP: Bank accounts are also used to add and withdraw funds [Hack #20].
Adding a bank account to a Sandbox account is relatively straightforward and has the added bonus of instantly making you rich--at least in the world of the PayPal Sandbox.
To add a bank account to your PayPal Sandbox account:
Log in to the Sandbox with your business account, and click on Add Bank Account on the My Account/Overview page.
The Add Bank Account page will be conveniently prepopulated with a fake bank account number. Add a name for the account and click on Add Account. Be sure to make note of the account numbers used for the bank account, because you will need them in the future to add multiple users or enable other features.
TIP: At the time of this writing, the Sandbox displays this account number only once: at the moment of its creation. So, write it down somewhere, because you won't see it again. One way to remind yourself of this bank account information is to use the routing number and bank account as part of the account name (for example,
BofA-325272157_10448249836185934481). If you do forget the account numbers, you might want to abandon this Sandbox account and open another.
On the Get Verified page, click on Add and Confirm a Checking Account to be taken to the Confirm Bank Account page. Select the bank account you would like to confirm and click on Submit. Click on Continue when you see Your U.S. Bank Account Has Been Confirmed.
Repeat this process for your buyer account.
When you've verified all your accounts, the last step is to put some money in your Personal (buyer) account.
TIP: You don't have to add funds to your account before making a payment, because PayPal will let you fund payments from your fake bank account or fake credit card, just as in real life.
To add funds, log in to the Sandbox with your Sandbox buyer account, and from the My Account tab, click on Add Funds. Click on the Transfer Funds from a Bank Account link and follow the instructions. You need to put some money into your Personal account only, since that's the account from which you'll be making your pseudo payments.
TIP: The transaction will be held as Pending until you actually view the details of the transaction and click on Clear Transaction or Fail Transaction. For the purposes of this hack, select Clear Transaction here.
This might be the most fun of all the things mentioned in this book, because you can, on a whim, transfer any amount of money into your account and become a pseudo millionaire in seconds! (And you thought this was going to be about the coding!)
--Rob Conery and Dave Nielsen
Shannon Sofield began working with Macromedia development tools when Macromedia acquired Future Splash.
Dave Nielsen is the co-founder of CloudCamp, and principal consultant at Platform D, a developer programs consulting company. He is also coauthor of PayPal Hacks.
Dave Burchell got his start with computers by programming the Radio Shack TRS-80 in BASIC and the Commodore 64 in 6510 assembly. A fervent proponent of XML, Dave enjoys solving content-management problems with markup and open source software.
View catalog information for PayPal Hacks
Return to Web DevCenter.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text:
Tsunami warning lifted for strong Japan earthquakeTHE Associated Press | December 08,2012TOKYO A strong earthquake Friday struck the same Japanese coast devastated by last years massive quake and tsunami, generating small waves but no immediate reports of heavy damage. Several people along the northeastern coast were reportedly injured and buildings in Tokyo and elsewhere swayed for several minutes.
The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 and struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 5:18 p.m., the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The epicenter was 6.2 miles beneath the seabed and 150 miles offshore.
The area was shaken by repeated, smaller aftershocks, the agency reported.
After the quakties issued a warning that a tsunami potentially as high as 2.2 yards could hit. Sirens whooped along the coast as people ran for higher ground.
Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi, reported a tsunami 1 yard high and other towns reported smaller tsunamis.
About two hours after the quake struck, the tsunami warning was cancelled. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center earlier said there was no risk of a widespread tsunami.
Aiko Hibiya, a volunteer for the recovery in Minami-Sanriku, a coastal town devastated by last years tsunami, said she was at a friends temporary housing when the quake struck.
It shook for such a long time, she said.
She said other volunteers who had been in coastal areas were evacuated to a square and a parking lot as they waited for the tsunami warning to be lifted.
Japan has barely begun to rebuild from last years magnitude-9.0 earthquake, which triggered a tsunami that swelled to 20 yards high in some areas, ravaging dozens of coastal communities in Miyagi and elsewhere. About 19,000 people were killed and some 325,000 people remain displaced from their homes, living in barracks and other temporary quarters.
Miyagi prefectural police said there were no immediate reports of damage from Fridays quake and tsunami, although traffic was being stopped in some places to check on roads.
Public television broadcaster NHK reported that five people were injured, including a 75-year-old woman in Miyagi who fell while fleeing the tsunami. Police said they could not immediately confirm those reports.
Shortly before the earthquake struck, NHK broke off regular programming to warn that a strong quake was due to hit. Afterward, the announcer repeatedly urged all near the coast to flee to higher ground.
The Meteorological Agency has an early warning system that, using data from seismographs scattered across Japan, enables it to provide advance warning of the estimated intensity and timing of a major quake. The warning for Fridays quake was issued six minutes before it struck, according to an unnamed official from the Meteorological Agency who spoke on national television more than an hour after the quake.MORE IN Wire NewsUNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. Full StoryTroubling as the details of the McLaren Report were, a news item out of Russia earlier this week... Full Story
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