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Sessions & Content
A Beginner's Guide to Cloud Computing and SQL Azure
This talk takes a look at Cloud Computing – what it is, the types of Cloud available and their advantages and disadvantages along with what Microsoft Azure has to offer.
A Practical Approach to Version Control
Come to this session to see how you can create a more efficient database development platform by integrating your VCS with SQL Server. In real-time, you'll see how versioning, branching, merging, and the other manual tasks you hate can fade away with
Accelerating Business with Mission Critical Intelligence
Join Joseph for a fascinating look into SQL Server 2016 and its unmatched innovation across on-premises and the cloud to help you turn data into intelligent action
Advanced MDX Tips And Tricks
Think you know MDX? This session will show you some advanced, little-known but nonetheless practical tips and tricks for writing complex calculations and making your queries run faster.
Advanced Topics for Azure SQL Data Warehouse
This session covers the more advanced aspects of development for Azure SQL Data Warehouse. Areas such as data movement, workload concurrency and resource management will all be covered during this intense 60 minute session.
AlwaysOn Availability Group Troubleshooting Ninja
If you use AlwaysOn Availability Groups, then come learn about the new enhancements shipped with SQL Server 2012 SP3 and above which allows you to troubleshoot failovers in your AG and understand reasons for latency.
An End-to-End Troubleshooting Checklist for SQL Server
Microsoft ships a multitude of tools to help detect, diagnose and resolve problems inside of SQL Server. But which is best to use and when? This session teaches attendees how to tackle the troubleshooting process to achieve repeated, optimal results.
Analytics Master Class-more exotic patterns in data
Analytics is all about having a good set of analytical tools. Last year at Sqlbits I outlined 4 such tools, this session will expand on that set. We'll cover Dark Data, Probability calculations, RFI
Are failover clusters ready for extinction?
This session will compare Microsoft's options for deploying highly available SQL Server data platforms in mid-2016.
Automate Your ETL with SSIS and PowerShell
ETL Development takes time. Allen will show how PowerShell and BIML combine to make the development process seamless, consistent and reduces costly development time dramatically.
Azure Data Factory vs SSIS
Azure Data Factory and SSIS are both data movement tools, but built for different purposes. In this session you will learn pros and cons of using each technology, and best practices of using each in real world scenarios.
Azure DocumentDB: Advanced Features for Large-Scale Apps
Let's talk about how you can get the most out of Azure DocumentDB. In this session we will dive deep in to the mechanics of DocumentDB and explain the various levers available to tune performance.
Azure SQL Database Security - Microsoft product team
Join me for an overview of how Azure SQL DB customers can simply secure their data using our most advanced features to-date including Always Encrypted, Transparent Data Encryption, Dynamic Data Masking and SQL Threat Detection.
Biml for Beginners: Speed up your SSIS development
SSIS is a powerful tool for extracting, transforming and loading data, but creating and maintaining a large number of SSIS packages can be both tedious and time-consuming. Learn how to speed up your SSIS development by using Biml and BimlScript.
Cardinality Estimates in Microsoft SQL Server
Attend this session and understand how, why, and when SQL Server uses statistics and how the new CE will help improve performance.
Case Study: Attunity Compose in Agile Enterprise BI
Join this session on moving a legacy enterprise organisation into the modern BI world using the power of positive disruption and the Attunity tool set. This real world case study will explore Zurich Insurance's journey featuring both the challenges and successes they faced.
Continuous Integration and the Data Warehouse
Continuous Integration is not normally associated with data warehouse projects due to the perceived complexity of implementation. John will be showing how modern tools make it simple to apply Continuous Integration techniques to data warehouse projects
Cortana Intelligence Suite – from a guy on the team
Buck Woody will lead you around the Cortana Intelligence Suite showing you how to create intelligent actions from data.
Cut the R learning curve
There's base R, modern R, the Hadleyverse, R in SQL, and more - understanding where to begin can be an exercise in frustration and cost you valuable time. This session takes you through the R you need to be productive quickly.
Data Modelling For Beginners
In this session we will talk through the process of gathering user requirements to provide a good starting point for your data model. We will use the Sun Modelling technique to aid us in this.
Data Warehouse load performance with SSIS and SQL Server
The typical performance bottleneck in your data warehouse is using SSIS to insert massive amount of data into SQL Server. In this session, you will learn how to improve the load performance with SSIS into SQL Server.
Debugging made easier using Extended events
Learn how enhancements in Extended Events can help in easing the troubleshooting for common scenarios that you face in your daily SQL Server life.
Drill into SQL Server 2016 Operation Analytics
Lindsey Allen will peel back the curtain on SQL Server 2016 new feature Operational Analytics. We continue to invest heavily in in-memory technology and have now introduced one of the more important features we are releasing as part of SQL Server.
Driving operational transformation and analytics
Learn from a real customer how they developed and deployed a series of BI Office solutions to support various business functions including: Finance, Web Analytics Supply, Pricing.
Dumping data into Azure Data Lake with Data Factory
An introduction with worked examples of the new Data Lake storage platform in Azure.
Dynamic Search Conditions
This session looks at the two main techniques to efficiently implement searches where users can select between a large set of search conditions
Effective Indexing with Partitioning and Compression
We all know that correct indexing is king when it comes to achieving high levels of performance in SQL Server. When indexing combines with the enterprise features partitioning and compression, you can find substantial performance gains.
Enhancements that will make your SQL engine roar #1
Do you have an application running with an in-market version of SQL Server, such as 2012 or 2014? Then this session is for you! We will see more in-depth what enhancements are in the latest SPs and 2016, and why you should install them.
Enhancements that will make your SQL engine roar #2
Do you have an application running with an in-market version of SQL Server, such as 2012 or 2014? Then this session is for you! We will see more in-depth what enhancements are in the latest SPs and 2016, and why you should install them.
Essential Architecture for Bi in a Virtual Environment
Virtualization has had a major impact on computing. While data professionals have adjusted to this for database servers, many BI workloads have moved there as well. Learn about the impact of virtualization on BI.
Excel and Power BI-Better Together
These two Microsoft analytic platforms share lots of technologies and users can import and model data in any one of the environments and use the results across both.
Handling Relationships in DAX
Tabular offers only one-to-many relationships on a single column: it seems poor when compared with Multidimensional. However, with DAX, you can handle any relationship. We analyze and solve scenarios with calculated, virtual and complex many-to-many.
How customers are using R in SQL Server 2016
With R in SQL Server 2016, data engineers (DBAs, developers) are expanding their horizons and deriving more value for the business from their data. Come see how this is brining people in business together.
How to Bully Your Query Execution Plans
Sometimes bad execution plans happen to good queries. In this session you'll learn the pros and cons of using hints, plan guides, and the new Query Store feature in SQL Server 2016 to manipulate your execution plans.
How to start with In-Memory OLTP?
In this session, we will introduce a step-by-step approach to adopting the technology, aimed at beginners who are interested in how it can fit into their own environments.
Improve Data Quality: Drive BI Value through Master Data
BI systems are increasingly mission critical, but they're only as good as the quality of data they contain. Learn how you can use SQL Server MDS and Profisee's Master Data Maestro to ensure data quality and improve BI value.
Intelligent Applications with SQL+R in SQL Server 2016
Come to this session to learn how to turn your existing applications into intelligent applications using the R integration into the SQL Server engine.
Intelligent Database as a Service
Azure SQL DB can automatically make apps run faster and more cost-effectively, based on workload telemetry from millions of customers. Come and see live demos about what the service can do
Introducing the SQL Server 2016 Query Store
In this session we will take a deep dive into one of the, in my opinion, most exciting new feature in SQL Server 2016, the Query Store. Learn all about the inner workings of the query store and how it can help you analyse query performance!
Introducing U-SQL: Big Data Processing made easy
This presentation will give you an overview on U-SQL, why we decided to build a new language, what its core philosophical underpinnings are as well as show the language in its natural habitat, development tooling and language capabilities
Joins in SQL Server – as easy as ABC?
Have you ever looked at an execution plan that performs a join between 2 tables, and wondered what a "Left Anti Semi Join" is? Joining 2 tables in SQL Server isn't the easiest part!
Keeping Power BI on the ground but reaching the stars
Learn how BI Office from Pyramid Analytics can turn your company into a data driven organisation heading for the stars, whilst combining the best of PowerBI on Premises.
Kicking bad code to the touchline
In this demo-packed session, you'll learn practical tips and tricks for SQL code tuning. Using both free and paid tools from SQL Sentry, you'll learn tips and tricks you can immediately apply to your SQL code, not to mention the free tools!
Leveraging Memory With The Database Engine
An advanced look into how memory works in modern servers, on modern processors and how to leverage it with SQL Server.
Lightning Talks
A chance for speakers new and seasoned to take the stage for 5 minutes and effuse about something/anything in SQL Server they love.
Lock, Block and Two Smoking Barrels
Enter the world of SQL Server concurrency to experience the age old problem of Locking, Blocking and Deadlocking. Let's investigate pessimistic isolation and whether optimistic concurrency could be the answer to all our problems or the last resort.
Locking and Blocking
Locking and blocking is SQL Server's default method of managing concurrency in a multi-user environment. In this session we'll look at the three main aspects of locking, including when locks cause blocking and also examine ways to minimize blocking.
Machine Learning demystified: ask the right questions
In this session, we are going to look at a typical machine learning process and how to apply it to real world data. We are going to use Azure Machine Learning to transform data and ideas into models that are production ready in minutes.
Migrating databases to Azure
Running databases in SQL Servers in your office or data centre? Considering moving them to Azure? Want to know what options and benefits of Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service?
Modeling Data in a Document-Oriented NoSQL Database
In this talk, you will get an overview on what to think about when storing data in a document database.
New T-SQL capabilities in SQL Server 2016 & Azure
Discover the ins and outs of some of the newest capabilities of our favorite data language. From JSON to COMPRESS/DECOMPRESS, from SESSION_CONTEXT() to DATEDIFF_BIG(), and new query hints.
Operational insights with Azure temporal tables and PowerBI
System-versioned temporal tables provide information about data at any point in time rather than just the current moment, and are a must have feature for any DBA. Collect vast amounts of operational data using OSS based on PowerShell technology and Azure. Add PowerBI to the mix and get mind blowing insights, the future will never be the same.
Optomizing SQL Server Performance in a Virtual Enviroment
In this session we'll look over some of the things which you should be looking at within your virtual environment to ensure that you are getting the performance out of it that you should be.
Permy, Contractor or Freelance?
What are the pros, cons and gotchas of being a permy vs contractor or freelance consultant? We'll look at what you need to think about from a logistics, financial planning, tax, marketing, career and skills development perspective.
Plan optimization from DBA to Developer
Maximise resolution time with some joined up thinking between developers and DBAs. We'll show how to identify poorly performing SQL, how to navigate and analyse its plan and how to increase performance, and cover some free tools to help connect you resolve issues faster.
Power BI – What, Who, and What's New
Releasing new features every month, Power BI is moving faster than ever towards letting you experience any data, any way, anywhere. Join this session to learn how the current Power BI suite can be leveraged by all users and see the new updates
Re-architecting your old-school database into Azure
The quickest way to migrate your on-premises OLTP database to Azure is to "Lift & Shift". In this session we will investigate how we could use more of the cloud features like SQL Database, Redis Cache, Search, etc.
Recovery Models Made SIMPLE
This session looks inside the transaction log to see exactly what is logged for minimally logged operations in each of the recovery models. We also look at other factors in our SQL Server operations that affect what is actually written to the log.
Responding to Extended Events in near real-time
In this session we will see how the Extended Events streaming API can be used to process events in a near real-time fashion. We will demonstrate how this technology enables new possibilities to solve real world problems.
Running Totals
This session covers practical applications of running total computations.
Security in SQL Server: Protect Your Data
Come to hear about lessons learned from early customer deployments of SQL Server security features: Row level security, Always Encrypted, Data Masking, Auditing, etc.
SQL Server 2016 Availability Groups – Replicating data fast
The effectiveness of an AlwaysOn in SQL Server 2014 was in part limited by the throughput capabilities of the log transport function a review of Enhanced Availability Groups, log transport improvements, a comparison of SQL Server 2014 vs SQL Server 2016 using SanDisk Fusion ioMemory
SQL Server 2016 Business Intelligence New Features
Do you get involved in the creation of Business Intelligence solutions within your organisation? This session will show you the new features of SQL Server 2016 Business Intelligence components.
SQL Server 2016 Hero Features in a Customer Scenario
This sessions covers the SQL Server 2016 Hero Features and you will see a real customer scenario demo showcasing the Full Lifecycle of Financial Data.
SQL Server 2016 Performance and Scalability Improvements
In this session we will cover the core database engine improvements that make SQL Server 2016 run faster than previous releases. We will also cover some new performance related features and how Windows Server 2016 will improve SQL Server performance.
SQL Server 2016, New Features & Enhancements
SQL Sever 2016 is just around the corner and with it come some great new features and enhancements to existing capabilities, in this session we will look at some of these and understand how they might make us change the way that we look at designing
SQL Server 2016-Security Obscurity and Encryption
Security is one of the top topics for the new release of SQL Server. A total of 3 completely new features are coming to us: Always Encrypted, Dynamic Data Masking and Row Level Security.
SQL Server Clustering Basics for the DBA
Windows failover clustering is the foundation for clustered instances and availability groups. A successful DBA needs to understand the underlying Windows portion of clustering. This session will show what you need to know
SQL Server Statistics – What Are The Chances?
This session will explain how the Query Optimizer uses column statistics to determine which operators to use and the operator costs. We'll also look at the changes to the Cardinality Estimator in SQL Server 2014.
SSDT – insights from the product team
Join us in this session to learn about recent improvements and the ongoing work made to SSDT. This session gives you a chance to directly connect with the product team and get their insights.
SSMS and the SQL Client Tools Renaissance
Join us in this session for a 'behind the scenes' look at the new foundation for SSMS, how we built what you see today and learn about how we will accelerate innovation for SQL client tools going forward.
Testing T-SQL Made Quick and Easy
Everyone tests their code, but most people use ad hoc, non-repeatable testing with simple queries. This session will show you how to begin implementing testing into your development process, giving you a growing library that improves code quality.
The BI Power Hour
Exposing the lighter side of Business Intelligence. If you've never been to a Power Hour session before then you definitely shouldn't miss this one.
The Intelligence of your Things
The Internet of Things starts with your things. It's a great time to take a look at game changing technologies you can use today to make your IoT ideas stand out from the rest using Microsoft Azure.
The Key to Keys
Learn about keys and how to get them right.
The Modern Intelligent Application
This session will examine how to successfully design a modern data architecture on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Focusing on design tenants for efficient, scalable and resilient data processing
The Query Store and Query Tuning in SQL Server vNext
SQL Server 2016 introduces the Query Store. The Query Store will change how you tune queries. Come to this session to learn everything you'll need.
The What, Why and How of Unit Testing
This session explains how to unit test your SQL source code, why you would do this and what tools you can use.
Time Travel with Azure ML
This session looks at building time series analysis with AzureML in R
Top 5 Automated Database Deployment Gotchas
Have you managed to implement, or are you struggling to implement, automated deployments for your databases, but keep hitting problems? Database deployments are complex - we look at the common problems.
T-SQL : Bad Habits & Best Practices
In this session, you will learn about various anti-patterns and why they can be bad for performance or maintainability. You will also learn about best practices that will help you avoid falling into some of these bad habits.
T-SQL User-Defined Functions, or: Bad Perf. Made Easy
T-SQL user-defined functions may appear to be a good tool for code encapsulation and reuse, but they can have a dramatic impact on performance. In this session, you'll see why they slow down your queries, and how you can avoid this performance hit.
Under the hoods; Extending PowerBI with Custom Visuals
Tired of Bar Charts? We'll build out a custom PowerBI Visual and show the power of PowerBI whilst going into a deep dive on how this is achieved.
Understanding SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track
Understand the principle behind Microsoft's Fast Track program, how architectures are produced and certified, and a review of the two new SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Certifications, the 5TB and 7TB single socket configurations from Lenovo
Using CISL for getting the insights on Columnstore Indexes
Learn in just a bit over an hour how to use CISL (open source Columnstore Indexes Library) for getting deep insights on the Columnstore Indexes and how to use its maintenance solution for keeping Columnstore Indexes performing at their maximum speed.
Using R in SQL Server 2016 Database Engine and SSRS
R extends statistical and mathematical capabilities of SQL Server 2016.
Warehouse of the Future: Lakes Vs Marts
Data Warehouses are changing. This session will run through the architecture of the modern warehouse, from structured/unstructured Azure Data Lakes to platform as a service Azure Data Warehouse and bringing the two together.
What a pint of Guinness tells us about SQL Server 2016 and R
In this session, we will look at Predictive Analytics using SQL Server 2016 and R, using our boozy day at the Guinness factory as a backdrop to understanding why statistical learning is important for analytics today. Drinking Guinness is optional!
What Application Developers Should Know About SQL Server?
Nowadays many companies don't have dedicated developer positions. Therefore the most of the SQL code has been written by application developers. In this session we will cover the most important things they need to know about SQL Server.
What is DevOps for Databases?
You have probably heard about DevOps, continuous integration and delivery? This session introduces the concepts and benefits of adopting these processes.
What is the Internet-of-Things and why should you care?
This session will take you on an end-to-end journey of IoT, the Internet-of-things, from data generation to data movement, discussing topics such as "big data" and looking at all the services and technologies that help you understand your data
What's New in Excel 2016
Learn about Excel and PowerBI from the Excel team.
Would You Have Survived The Titanic?
In an easy introduction to machine learning and predictive analytics, we'll use AzureML to analyse the Titanic dataset and predict whether different audience members would have survived the disaster.
You don't need Enterprise Edition for that!
Enterprise Edition is crazy expensive but the features are crazy cool. How can you achieve the same effect without having to buy Expensive Edition? Come and find out.
7 Databases in 70 Minutes
Learn about 7 SQL and NoSQL databases: how they work, when to use them, and how they form a modern data architecture
AD 2015. 2AM A Disaster just Began
2AM. We sleeping well. And our mobile ringing and ringing. Message: DISASTER! In this session (on slides) we are NOT talk about potential disaster (such BCM); we talk about: What happened NOW?
Agnostic, Hybrid Big Data Integration using PDW and PolyBase
PolyBase is one of the most exciting, innovative features in PDW; enabling transparent data integration with Hadoop's distributed file system (HDFS) and Windows Azure Storage Blobs (WASB). See it in action.
Alarm for Data Governance! Self-Service BI is coming
This session will show you what is possible in the Power BI Offering of Microsoft in relation to Data Governance
All about Indexes
Indexes are essential to good database performance, but it can be hard to decide what indexes to create. In this session we'll look at guidelines for index creation
All About Indexing
Indexes are the best instrument for query optimization. But what kind of indexes and on what columns? The key to answering those questions is understanding how indexes are stored and used by SQL Server. And that is exactly what this session is about.
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Model #MSC-19R-ND
|List Price:
|Regular Price:
|Sale Price:
|You Save:
General Description
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 25-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
These solidly built music room cabinets keep your musical instruments secure and neatly organized. A variety of sizes and configurations let you customize "in harmony" with your needs.
- Manufacturer:
Randal Instrument Storage
Randal has grown from a one-man business to a major supplier of display furniture. Their line of music room furniture, including cabinets for instruments, sheet music and more, has become a favorite of music departments nationwide.
- Width:
- 27 in.
- Depth:
- 39.35 in.
- Height:
- 84.5 in.
- Weight:
- 426 lbs.
- Accommodates:
- 6 acoustic guitars
- Warranty:
- Limited Lifetime
- Made in USA
- Stores: 6 Acoustic Guitars.
- Industrial-grade particle board core.
- 3mm PVC edging.
- Heavy-duty, 5 knuckle hinges w/through-bolt hardware on all doors.
- Optional ABS shelf liner protects shelves from getting scratched.
- Optional music-note appliques.
- We can customize a cabinet just for you! Call us and let us know what you need.
- Free samples available for qualified organizations.
- Lifetime Coverage: Our Limited Lifetime Warranty guarantees many years of use and enjoyment.
This product is made with pride in the United States of America!
This item is available exclusively from Hertz Furniture Systems.
Sale Item
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 15-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
Shipping Info
Shipping Information Specifications
- Ships Via:
- Common Carrier
- Assembly:
- Ships assembled
- Leaves Factory In:
- Approximately 8 weeks
Acoustic Guitar Storage - 6 Open Compartments
|List Price:
|Regular Price:
|Sale Price:
|You Save:
Product Family
This product is a part of Music Instrument Storage - Open Compartments
There are 18 products in the family

subset: commoncrawl


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Vt. towns struggle with new insurance website
MONTPELIER A recent memo from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns indicates that municipalities are struggling mightily to navigate the new insurance exchange on which most of them are now required to purchase employee health plans.
A statewide survey last week of more than 170 town administrators found that fewer than half have been able even to set up an account at Vermont Health Connect, and only about half of those who did managed to input information onto their employer accounts.
Three weeks into the launch of the new website, according to the survey, only a fraction of municipalities have succeeded in uploading their entire employee rosters onto the exchange.
In her memo to towns, Kelley Avery, health benefit programs administrator for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, said We understand how frustrating the process of registering with (Vermont Health Connect) is, because we at VLCT are in this with you both as a resource and as a small employer.
Avery said VLCT had provided Commissioner of Vermont Health Access Mark Larson with a summary of your responses to assure that the state has hard evidence of the extraordinary efforts you have been making for your employees and the difficulties you have had to endure.
Steve Jeffrey, executive director of the VLCT, said hes convinced that officials in the Shumlin administration are doing everything in their power to live up to the promises theyve made.
Theyre working very hard to make it happen, and I guess if anything can make it happen, it would be effort thats being made there, Jeffrey said. But Im not totally convinced its going to go as planned at this point.
The difficulties plaguing enrollment efforts on the exchange in Vermont prompted new calls from Republicans Wednesday to postpone a mandate, passed by lawmakers last year, that will require employers with 50 or fewer workers to purchase their health insurance through the exchange.
In a press release, Sen. Joe Benning and Rep. Don Turner, minority leaders of the Senate and House, respectively, said it is unacceptable that we are asking people to move forward with a system that, at this time, is unable to guarantee them health care coverage as promised.
If the website isnt fully functional by Dec. 1, they said, then they want the Shumlin administration to use its executive authority to delay the exchange mandate, or to convene the full Legislature for a special session to examine other possible remedies.
The well-being of Vermonters is at risk here, Benning and Turner said. Its our job to represent their interests as we promised; Vermonters deserve it.
Officials in the Shumlin administration, meanwhile, continue to issue reassurances. Shumlin on Monday said the technical glitches to blame for slow loading times, Web page error messages and other problems are being fixed quickly.
And while his administration has delayed for a second time the date by which one of the sites key functions the ability to communicate with the three private carriers actually selling policies on the exchange will be complete, Shumlin said that feature will be ready to go shortly after Nov. 1.
He said that should give businesses and individuals required to purchase on the exchange about 100,000 Vermonters total plenty of time to enroll and pay for new policies before their current plans expire at the end of the year.
The vast majority of Vermonts towns fall into the category of 50 or fewer employees, and the workers they represent number in the thousands. Jeffrey said that of the 385 municipalities with which VLCT deals the list includes villages and solid waste districts all but 20 have fewer than 50 employees. Nearly 100 have no employees at all.
The towns being required to purchase from Vermont Health Connect, according to Jeffrey, account for about two-thirds of the approximately 7,000 municipal employees in the state.
The issue for towns and other employers is one of timing. If the employees arent enrolled in new plans by the end of the year, then they risk seeing their coverage lapse.
In an email responding to the VLCTs concerns Wednesday, Emily Yahr, education and outreach director at the Department of Vermont Health Access, said many of the problems will be fixed soon. But she said any town feeling a sense of urgency can bypass the website altogether by calling the Support Services Unit and dictating their information over the phone to someone who will fill out a paper application.
Aside from general problems setting up accounts, Averys memo enumerates what she called a range of technical glitches and procedural difficulties encountered by town administrators trying to use Vermont Health Connect, including things like the site not being able to recognize email addresses with more than two dots in them.
Yahr said that defect will be solved very soon.
Avery said in the memo that town officials are also concerned that online forms on Vermont Health Connect require the person who sets up the account to answer questions about (employees) personal finances, something Avery said is making many people uncomfortable.
Yahr said the salary field in the roster is not mandatory.
Not all town administrators are sweating yet. Jeff Shultz, town administrator in Berlin, said given the trials and tribulations of his colleagues elsewhere, hes waiting until November to begin going through the transition process.
In East Montpelier, town administrator Bruce Johnson said that after successfully loading the towns seven employees into the system, hes assuming were in good shape.
In theory weve got the information in the system that needs to be there, but we havent seen the certificates that the employees need before they can go in and set up their own plan. So were just waiting to see if everything played out like its supposed to, Johnson said.
email@example.com IN Vermont NewsMONTPELIER Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt. Full StoryVermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell plans to join the U.S. Full StoryAs Rutland prepares to welcome Syrian refugees to its community, some are continuing to voice... Full Story
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Veteran Martin Brodeur will be back with the New Jersey Devils next year.
The 40-year-old goaltender signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Devils, ESPN.com reported Monday.
Brodeur, who is closing in on 700 wins, has played his entire career with New Jersey and the new contract likely will allow him to finish with the Devils.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs were thought to be interested in Brodeur after he helped lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup final for the fifth time in his career.
"It was great the Devils stepped up," Brodeur told ESPN.com. "You have to understand what's happening obviously with the ownership situation and with what's happening with Zach (Parise). I understood that. I'm just happy this got done."
Brodeur holds NHL records for most wins (656), shutouts (119) and minutes played by a goaltender.
"Deep down, what I always wanted was to re-sign with New Jersey," he said. "I'm glad the Devils stepped up when they did. As the process went on, I was certainly intrigued by what was out there. But this is really what I wanted."
In helping lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup finals against the Los Angeles Kings, Brodeur logged 14 wins, a 2.12 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in the playoffs. New Jersey lost in the finals in six games.
During the regular season, Brodeur posted a 21-21-4 record with a .2.41 GAA and .908 save percentage.


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"All the books and magazines that you sent me helped re-enforce my new-found Catholic beliefs. After reading them and praying, I now have no doubts about the Catholic faith and I am rejoicing in the truth. It is good to know the truth! God bless Catholic Answers!"
~ Sarah, New York, New York
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"If you should acknowledge and love Christ you would give up not only all the treasures of this life, but even the glory of your crown itself to win eternal life."
~ Pope Urban II, at the Council of Benevento (A.D. 1091); explaining the boundaries of Holy Orders as set forth in Holy Scripture and in the authentic writings of the Apostolic Fathers (from the article "Subdeacon")


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WVNET Winternet Tour
Bluefield State College will serve as a host site for the "WVNET WInternet Tour," two days of free workshops to help participants "navigate the information superhighway and develop dynamic Web pages."
The workshops at BSC will be conducted January 28-29, and are open to the public, free of charge. However, seating is limited and preregistration is advised. Workshop topics include "Internet Demonstrations/Research on the Internet," and "Web Page Development."
Additional information may be obtained by contacting WVNET by phone (304) 293-5192, viewing the WInternet Web page: http://wvnvm.wvnet.edu/~winter or contacting the BSC Computer Center (304) 327-4112.
Registration may be conducted by mail (WInternet Registration, WVNET, 837 Chestnut Ridge Road, Morgantown, WV 26505), by phone (304-293-5192), by FAX (304-293-5540) or on the Web (http://wvnvm.wvnet.edu/~winter). The WVNET WInternet Tour is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, WVNET, and Bluefield State College.


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Humble Handshakes & Fiery Fistbumps: RSBS from the Top
Venerable MLBlogocrat and de facto Dear Leader, Mark Newman, announced yesterday that Red State Blue State sits atop the 2008 MLBlogosphere as the number one fan blog in the… well… in the entire universe. With that, I'd like to say that Kanye West is full of crap.
It ain't lonely at the top.
Because this honor would not have been possible without you, Dear Readers. Ravenously hungry for the special RSBS blend of baseball and politics only available through the uncensored blabberings of me and my colleague, the oft jaded Mr. Allen Krause, we humbly tip our hats to you for making this dream a reality.
In lieu of this special occasion, I, personally, would like to take a moment and sincerely thank each and every one of you in the MLBlogosphere: the bloggers, the commentors, the administrators, the techie nerds behind the curtain and of course MLB.com.
Any regular RSBS patron knows that our unique brand of blasphemy and argumentative analysis would simply not be possible without all of the above.
In addition, I would also like to thank:
Mom — for birthing me and everything else😉
The St. Louis Cardinals — for giving me a reason to live every spring
The Chicago Whitesox — for being in my neighborhood and luring me in with Connie's pizza
Dad — for teaching me that I didn't have to become a Major Leaguer to be successful (though it would've certainly helped)
The Chicago Cubs — for dreaming the impossible dream and providing blog fodder galore
Barack Obama — for convincing people that "Yes, We Can"
2007 Ms. Teen South Carolina — for being my US American muse
The Prince of New York — for being my must-read blog of the day, every day
Allison Stokke — for being hot
…and finally…
Mr. Allen Krause — for being a dear friend willing to take my hyperbolic haymakers and verbal vanquishings without being too much of a baby about it.
Recent news has shown us that, indeed, Lord Acton was right: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
But you don't have to worry about us… we're just a couple of twelve-year olds trapped in thirty-year old bodies who don't have the know-how to wield power or even consider being corrupt.
We love baseball.
And when you really think about it, isn't that enough?
Don't hate me 'cuz I'm right.
14 Comments
Lots of clapping for being NUMBER ONE! Wow. You guys rock. But why didn't you thank your agent and your publicist and the person who does your hair?
Interesting you should ask, Jane. Agent? Publicist? That'd be nice. As for now, my father is the acting agent; mom is our publicist (though Mark Newman has done more than Mom has). As for hairstylist… well, Al is losing his and while I have a full head of healthy, shiny, beautiful hair, I did grow up with six sisters. In other words, I know a thing or two about hair and hair care products. I own stock in Aveda and wouldn't be caught dead without putting the style on first thing in the morning😉
Now boys, your kind words are fostering feelings I'm unfamiliar with—-gratitude, compassion. Please stop.
In this frame of mind, I'll inform my Sith apprentice to be quick and merciful…er, um, with….heh…bringing you your….drinks, I mean as you await my arrival.
Congrats guys! Just one question – when do we all get our "signing bonuses" for visiting you? Only kidding! Great job — the #1 was well deserved!
Thanks, All!
Paul, your Sith apprentice makes a mighty strong Tanqueray & Tonic. Unfortunately, the force is weak with her and via the Jedi mind trick I was able to turn her into a Phillies fan.
Julia, signing bonuses? Er… um… sure, why not? Will a shout out do?
Congrats on being the pound for pound undisputed champ of MLBlogs in the non-pro blog division, you have a great blog. I think you should get a belt. Get these guys a belt.
Awe-some. Congrats. But do you agree with me that PONY (I never even realized that before) should be a pro blogger. He's written two books (one novel, one guide), and I'd be *cough*number*cough*39*cough*. Use your connections, Jeff.
I agree. PONY (I dig the acronym) puts a lot of paid bloggers to shame but don't tell him I said that 'cuz he'll get all bashful and sick his army of Sith lords on us.
Jeff and Allen …
"Congratulations" … On your #1 ranking on the "Top 100" MLBlogs Fan List, 2008 !!! 2008 has been a great year for you guys; I look forward to more of your interesting thoughts and comments, in 2009 !!! … Jeff, how about a Yankees vs. Cardinals World Series, in '09 ? … Sorry, Allen, but there can only be one team from the American League in the WS … So, I'll offer best wishes to you, and your Tigers, winning the AL Central Division, then, we'll see what happens from there !!! … Anyway, keep up the excellent work here at RSBS; and, Best Wishes, for continued success in 2009 !!! … Jimmy [27NYY] … http://baseballtheyankeesandlife.mlblogs.com/
Good Job MY Son Now if you could only get the salary of a big leaguer to go with this excellent writing. Oh good job to you too Allen. I don't want to appear to be showing my favortizm( as you can see I can't spell like you two) but Jeff is blood you know.
I do kind of favor the mailman though, Baba😉
It's the same type of kindness and selflessness I receive here that inspired Darth Vader to fling the Emperor into the reactor shaft, escape the dark side and return to the persona of Anakin Skywalker.


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NVIDIA Corporation gave a sneak peak today the industry's first fully-integrated lineup of reference graphics cards capable of working with PCI Express bus. As reported, NVIDIA uses its current generation processors along with a special chip to allow the GeForce FX family of GPUs working with forthcoming graphics line.
NVIDIA said its GeForce FX PCX solutions are designed to take full advantage of the additional bandwidth and features that this new I/O interconnection standard delivers. By using an innovative PCI Express (PCX) high-speed interconnect (HSI), a complex piece of networking technology that performs seamless, bi-directional interconnect protocol conversion at incredible speed lines, NVIDIA can transform its current award-winning GeForce FX series into a full-family of PCI Express GPUs.
"By aligning ourselves closely with Intel and helping define this new specification, we were able to engineer an innovative protocol engine, in HSI, that delivers the full-PCI Express feature set without any compromises. HSI and PCI Express will enable a new level of performance for high bandwidth applications like graphics and networking," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at NVIDIA
The new product family includes:
- NVIDIA GeForce PCX 5950 – GeForce FX 5950 Ultra graphics processor with PCI Express bridge;
- NVIDIA GeForce PCX 5750 – GeForce FX 5700 Ultra graphics processor with PCI Express bridge;
- NVIDIA GeForce PCX 5300 – GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with PCI Express bridge;
- NVIDIA GeForce PCX 4300 – GeForce4 MX graphics processor with PCI Express bridge;
In addition, last week in
By qualifying a single unified device, NVIDIA partners can launch and be the first to validate, launch and market an entire family of PCI Express solutions. Products based on this new design are expected to become available in the second half of 2004 from NVIDIA's partners.


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Bogus Electrodermal Testing Devices and the Failure of Regulators to Act
Electrodermal testing is a bogus procedure where measurements of skin conductance with a biofeedback device are entered into a computer to diagnose nonexistent health problems and "energy imbalances" and to recommend treatments for them, often involving the sale of homeopathic remedies and other useless products. It falls under the general category of EAV (Electro Acupuncture of Voll). The history and variants of EAV are explained in an article on Quackwatch.
I've written about electrodermal testing before. I've explained how it amounts to fooling patients with a computerized Magic 8 Ball and I've discussed the legal and regulatory issues.
Now Stephen Barrett (founder of Quackwatch and Vice-President of the Institute for Science in Medicine) has written an article in FACT (Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies) entitled "Bogus electrodermal testing devices: where are the regulators?" He points out that existing regulations are sufficient to ban these devices, but that regulators have failed to take appropriate action.


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What is in this article?:
- For skilled workers, Mississippi farmer Jeremy Jack recruits from South Africa
- Placement service
For Jeremy Jack, a partner in Silent Shade Planting Company at Belzoni, Miss., the search for competent labor has taken him all the way to South Africa. This year, he contracted eight employees from there under the government's H2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program to come and work on the 7,500-acre row crop operation that also includes a trucking company.
THE SOUTH AFRICAN crew at Silent Shade Planting Company, Belzoni, Miss., with farm partners Jeremy Jack, right, and Willard Jack, third from right: from left are Rudolf (Rudi) Van Jaarsveldt, Duwayne Jaco Lamprecht, Hendrik Fourie, Lukas (Tertius) Ignatius Potgieter, Willem Maartens Blignault, Jacobus (Johan) Johannes Barnard, Johannes (Fanus) Stephanus Jansen Van Vuuren, and Marc Needham.
As agricultural practices and systems become increasingly complex and the emphasis on efficiency in practices and resources becomes more demanding, the availability of competent, reliable local workers continues to shrink.
Which has led to more widespread use of migrant workers, particularly for vegetable, fruit, poultry, dairy, and other labor intensive agricultural operations.
For Jeremy Jack, a partner in Silent Shade Planting Company at Belzoni, Miss., the search for competent labor has taken him all the way to South Africa.
This year, he contracted eight employees from there under the government's H2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program to come and work on the 7,500-acre row crop operation that also includes a trucking company.
"It's a daunting process — and every year it seems to get worse," he said at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Agricultural Economics Association at Mississippi State University. "But despite all the paperwork and the hoops you have to jump through, it has worked well for us.
"On our farms, we try in every way to make every operation as efficient as possible, and to use every resource as effectively as possible. We need workers who can understand the need for efficiency, who can work with the latest technology and machinery, and can comprehend the work and goals we're trying to accomplish.
"We have 1,000 to 1,200 acres per farm, and there's quite a bit of travel and machinery movement involved. A crew will usually be on a farm for an entire day, and they need to be able to carry out the needed tasks with a minimum of hand-holding.
"The South Africans have proven reliable, willing workers, quick learners, and importantly, they understand what we're trying to accomplish."
Counting the eight South Africans, his operation has 24 employees; there are six local employees, six truck drivers, and four managers.
Finding willing workers with those skill sets locally, or even regionally, has become increasingly difficult and frustrating, Jack says.
"We're constantly trying to hire local labor — it's certainly much cheaper for us than bringing workers from overseas — but there isn't much of a pool to select from. They either aren't qualified or are not reliable, or both. In my 15-year farming career, I must've hired and fired 150 people who just didn't work out.
"It's just really hard to find someone who doesn't mind the grunt work that any farming involves, but who can also do the skilled tasks that are increasingly involved in modern, high tech agriculture."
As part of the H2A recruitment requirements, Jack says, it's necessary to first try and hire needed workers from the local area.
"'Local,' for us, now encompasses a four state area," he says, "and from that area we received only 20 or 30 applications, most of which either didn't have the needed skills/experience or didn't want the jobs we had."
Last September, Jack says, "We began the process needed to try and get workers who could come here in February. Sometimes, there are delays and they get here after we've started planting, so we don't get the benefit of having them for the full employment term."


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A little - thank you! He was able to breastfeed a little longer. I pumped longer than I have been and have been able to get more milk. I still had to supplement some formula, but I am hoping that it will get progressively better. Once I can stop supplementing with formula, I will try to exclusively have him breastfeed. I just want to get my supply up!
I printed the Kelly Mom website information and am using it as a guide. Right off the bat I learned that I needed to be pumping longer! Thank you for your guidance!


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Girl mistaken for skunk shot by cousin
8-year-old in critical condition after shooting at Halloween party
An 8-year-old girl was critically wounded at a Halloween party in western Pennsylvania after her cousin mistook her for a skunk and accidentally shot her, Pittsburgh TV station WTAE reported.
New Sewickley Township police said the shooting happened about 10 p.m. Saturday during a Halloween bonfire.
According to police, the homeowner heard there was a skunk in the back yard and asked her 24-year-old son to shoot the animal while she used a flashlight to shine light over the hillside.
Chief Ronald Leindecker told WTAE the girl was mistaken for a skunk because she was wearing a black costume and a black hat with a white tassel.
Her cousin fired the shotgun once, hitting the girl, police said.
"He is extremely devastated by the actions that took place. I mean, it's a tragic incident that occurred. It's not something that he dreamed would ever happen," Leindecker said.
Police said the girl was being treated in the garage of the home by family members and emergency responders when officers arrived.
The girl was flown to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she underwent surgery and remained in critical condition on Monday, police said.
New Sewickley police, along with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, are investigating and have not yet decided if charges will be filed.
"Personally, I wouldn't charge him. Because one mistake is probably all he'll ever make," neighbor James Brandenberger told WTAE.
Copyright 2012 by WTAE.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Any resident of Milford who may be eligible for an exemption or tax credit for the first time must file a permanent application with the Assessing Department.
Taxpayers must inform the Assessing Department of any change of address or status.
Blind Exemption
Elderly Exemption
Improvements to Assist Disabled Persons
Residential in Commercial or Industrial Zone
Solar Exemption
Tax Deferral for the Elderly and Disabled
Veterans Tax Credit
Applicants whose property is owned by a trust must complete a Form PA 33 and supply the necessary documentation relevant to the trust.


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You are Here:
News Releases
/ 2012 Mississippi River Basin Initiative Program Information
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To improve the health of the Mississippi River Basin, including water quality and wildlife habitat, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). Through this new Initiative, NRCS and its partners will help producers in selected watersheds in the Mississippi River Basin voluntarily implement conservation practices and systems that avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff; improve wildlife habitat; and maintain agricultural productivity.
The Initiative will build on the past efforts of producers, NRCS, partners, and other State and Federal agencies in the 13-State Initiative area, including Arkansas, to address nutrient loading in the Mississippi River Basin. Nutrient loading contributes to both local water quality problems and the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The 13 participating States are Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. MRBI will be implemented by NRCS through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP), Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG), and other programs.
(click for larger version)
Five CCPI projects were chosen in Arkansas in FY 2011. The projects and sponsors are:
The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.
Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative fact sheet (PDF; 392KB)
Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative Maps and List of Watersheds
U.S. Geological Survey SPARROW Water Quality Modeling
Kenneth Lee (Programs)
Assistant State Conservationist for Programs
(501) 301-3165
Randy Childress (WREP)
Assistant State Conservationist for Easements
(501) 301-3131
Nancy Young (CCPI)
State Resource Conservationist
(501) 301-3134
Dianne Schlenker
Initiatives Coordinator
(501) 301-3152
NRCS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Civil Rights | FOIA | Plain Writing | Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy| Non-Discrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | Whitehouse.gov


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Freedom New Mexico
The end-of-the-year holiday season is intended to be a celebratory time, but there are more than 12 days' worth of issues, situations and pressures that increase stress levels for many people.
Last week, a team of University of Missouri health experts offered some tips for coping with seasonal sourness to help, as they said, "avoid Grinch-like tendencies." Their tips are based on findings from MU research conducted throughout the year.
Kellie Shuck, adjunct clinical faculty in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, got right to the point that turns many residents' internal systems into a pressure cooker.
"Lower your expectations," she said. "Attempting to achieve the perfect holiday will cause stress and set people up to fail. Remember that nothing is perfect, so embrace what you have."
Following the "embrace what you have" theme, Clark Peters, assistant professor in the school of Social Work, urged Missourians to "be thankful for your family."
"Each year, 29,000 foster youths become adults," he said. "These young people face tremendous challenges in negotiating life on their own, and most spend the holidays without their biological or adoptive families."
With end-of-year work responsibilities, gift-giving anxiety and the pressures of dealing with an array of family members' personalities, some feel the need to try to be ElastiGirl from "The Incredibles," stretching themselves to cover everything.
"Be clear about what you can and cannot do," said Constance Brooks, adjunct associate professor in the nursing school and instructor in the Master of Public Health Program. "Determine limitations and boundaries, and focus on living one day at a time to simplify your life. Be honest each day with yourself and with others. Then, let go of any emotional attachments to specific outcomes."
Brooks also provides an unconventional insight into gift-giving, noting that "simple gifts may be the most important gifts we can give." Her examples:
• Refraining from judging ourselves and others.
• Eliminating sarcasm and anger.
• Refraining from hurtful speech or actions.
"These gifts greatly contribute to healing ourselves and others," she said.
Quite true — but how do you wrap them?


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If you need to put the popularity of butter into perspective, consider this fact: The U.S. produces more than 1.2 billion pounds of butter each year. Chef Christopher Koetke, v.p. of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago and the Laureate Universities International Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts, puts it succinctly: "There simply is no substitute for butter in cooking." The pure, sweet cream taste of butter complements and enhances the flavor of dishes, he ...
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In a previous article, we saw how to install and use Subversion, in the context of a single user, and use it on a single system. This article will take you one step beyond and show how to install a Subversion server, accessible via the network and to a team of users. We'll see also how Subversion can help to manage a project to which several developers contribute.
Subversion uses Apache as its HTTP transport layer. The command-line client communicates with remote servers with a protocol built on the WebDAV/DeltaV HTTP 1.1 extensions. This means that a Subversion server, while not completely implementing WebDAV, can respond to common HTTP and WebDAV (read-only) clients such as Web browsers and file explorers.
You'll need a recent version of Apache 2 to build a Subversion server. The
build process is obviously a bit more complex than for a stand alone client, as
you should build an Apache with the specific module
That's why I'll detail the necessary steps.
As in my previous article, I'll assume you're building from a source
snapshot on an Unix platform and that you will install everything under
/usr/local/subversion-rXXXX (where
XXXX is the
revision number of the snapshot you're using, this directory being linked from
/usr/local/subversion). This directory layout makes it easier to
upgrade Subversion, an important point when using a software that has not
reached a stable version yet. In this case, make sure your system can find
shared libraries in
/usr/local/subversion/lib. (To build
Subversion from the latest sources, refer to the INSTALL file, which explains
how to checkout and compile from the development server.) At the time of this writing, the current stable version is 0.16, revision number 3987.
The first step is to set up the subversion directory and build the database. As of subversion 0.15, you will need the Berkeley DB, version 4.0.14. If it's not installed on your system, install it in the same directory as Subversion.
# mkdir /usr/local/subversion-rXXXX
# ln -s /usr/local/subversion-rXXXX /usr/local/subversion
$ gunzip -c db-4.0.14.tar.gz | tar xf -
$ cd db-4.0.14/build_unix
$ ../dist/configure --prefix=/usr/local/subversion-rXXXX
$ make
# make install
Then, install Apache. You should get at least version 2.0.42. The
--enable-dav option will build and include mod_dav and
--enable-so will enable DSO (Dynamic Shared Object) support. The
other options specify that Apache will be installed with Subversion and will
use the Berkeley DB you've just built, an important point.
$ gunzip -c httpd-2.0.43.tar.gz | tar xf -
$ cd httpd-2.0.43
$ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local/subversion-rXXXX \
--enable-dav --enable-so \
--with-dbm=db4 --with-berkeley-db=/usr/local/subversion-rXXXX
$ make
# make install
Finally, compile and install Subversion. The important option here is
--with-apxs, giving the path to the
apxs(8) tool,
used to build and install Apache extension modules. In this case, the
installation process should install
mod_dav_svn, the Apache
module that handles requests from Subversion clients.
$ cd ..
$ gunzip -c subversion-rXXXX.tar.gz | tar xf -
$ cd subversion-rXXXX
$ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local/subversion-rXXXX \
--with-berkeley-db=/usr/local/subversion-rXXXX \
$ make
$ make check # optional : runs the tests
# make install
That's it.
As Apache provides the network layer, a Subversion server gets all the
Apache features for free: robustness, HTTP authentication, data compression via
mod_deflate, encryption via
mod_ssl, etc.
To enable some URLs to be handled by
mod_dav_svn, you only have
to add in the
httpd.conf file:
<Location /svn>
DAV svn
SVNPath /home/rafael/svn
This block tells Apache to serve paths that begin with
/svn via
mod_dav_svn, and that they map to the Subversion repository kept
at the physical location
/home/rafael/svn. To check out a working
copy of the trunk of the
frobnizer project from this repository,
the appropriate command becomes:
$ svn checkout http://my.host/svn/frobnizer/trunk work-dir
By default, Apache listens on port 80, and this means that it must be
started by the root user. You can change this if you want. Note, however, that
the Apache processes must be able to write to the Subversion repository. One of
the clean ways to do this is to create an account
svn, on your
system, to own the Subversion repository. Configure Apache to run as this user
via the
User configuration directive. Once you've done this,
you're ready to start the server:
$ /usr/local/subversion/bin/apachectl start
To restrict read or write access to your repository, you can use Apache's
access control features. You can limit the hosts that are allowed to access the
repository and require a username and a password for some operations (via HTTP
authentication). For example, the following lines, inserted in the
<Location> block, limit write access to a specific group of users:
<LimitExcept GET PROPFIND OPTIONS REPORT>
Require group commiters
This specifies that all requests but those using the listed HTTP methods should be issued by a authenticated user, a member of the commiters group. (See http://httpd.apache.org/docs-2.0/mod/core.html for a detailed description of access control and of the related configuration directives.) When the commit has been done via HTTP, the Subversion-generated change logs will record the HTTP username.
Note that the Subversion client caches your username and password in your
working copy by default, so you won't have to enter it each time you access the
repository. If you're worried about security, you can disable this behavior
via the user configuration file
$HOME/.subversion/config or in the
global configuration file
/etc/subversion/config on the client
Related Reading
Apache: The Definitive Guide
If you want to deploy Subversion in your organization, you may find it
easier to compile a statically linked
svn client. This way, you
only have to copy this binary file to the users machines, without having to
install the required libraries. (You'll need, however, to compile this client
separately using the
--enable-all-static configure option. It's
not possible to build a statically linked
svn and
mod_dav_svn at the same time. The Apache module needs to be built
as a shared library.)
When several users have commit access to the Subversion repository, they
need, at some point, to integrate in their working copies the changes committed
by others. The
svn update command performs this task, updating its
targets (by default, the current directory and its contents, recursively) to
the latest revision.
What happens when you update a file that you've edited locally, but on which another user has committed his own edits? If you've read the first article, you already know that Subversion doesn't require that you lock a file when you want to modify it. This behavior is different from some other source control software that prevent you from editing a file that has been reserved by another user. Subversion attempts to merge the changes you've made with the ones made by others.
While performing an update,
svn will print a list of updated
files, marking each line with a letter to indicate the action taken on the
corresponding file. It was (A)dded, (D)eleted, (U)pdated, and, when your local
copy has changes, they have been mer(G)ed, or the file remains in a
(C)onflicted state. For example, the following output:
U foo.c
G bar.c
C hot.c
indicates that
foo.c was updated, and that it didn't have any
local change. Your local edits to
bar.c were successfully merged.
Subversion didn't know how to merge on
hot.c, because the
server's changes overlapped with yours.
In this last case, Subversion will create three temporary files containing
your local version, the repository version you used as a basis for your edits,
and the latest version from the repository. Your original file will be modified
as well: mergeable changes will be merged, and other changes will be indicated
with conflict markers similar to those inserted by the
command (specifically,
diff3 -E).
You will then have to resolve those conflicts manually and delete the
temporary files. (To protect against unwanted commits, Subversion will not let
you commit a file when it detects this temporary file lying around.) For
convenience, the
svn resolve command deletes those temporary files
for you.
Note also that Subversion will not let you commit files for which a more recent revision exists. You'll need to update them first.
An interesting feature of Subversion is that it allows an arbitrary amount of metadata to be attached to any versioned resource (files and directories). Metadata, like files, are also versioned. This metadata is a set of key/value pairs, known as properties.
You can use properties to annotate files (let's say,
review-status to this file is being reviewed by Joe), or
directories. For example, on a tag directory
frobnizer-1.09b, you
can add a note beta release, for internal use only.
Properties whose names begin with
svn: are reserved by
Subversion. Some of them are specifically recognized and handled. For example,
svn:executable marks a file to be checked-out with the executable
flag set on filesystems that support it. Other interesting properties
svn:keywords controls keyword expansion. Like CVS, Subversion
can replace strings of the form
$Keyword$ or
$Keyword:...$ embedded in text files. The keywords that you want
to be replaced should be listed in the value of the
property. Subversion provides keywords for the last user that modified the
file, the last revision number that affected the file, the date of this last
revision, and an absolute URL for the file in the repository. For example, if
the standard headers for some of your files contain the keywords
$Rev$ and
$Author$ , you can enable their automatic
substitution with the following commands:
$ svn propset svn:keywords 'Rev Author' *.c
$ svn commit -m "Enable keywords Rev and Author on C files" *.c
svn:mime-type attaches a MIME type to a file to be used when
delivering the file via HTTP. It's also used to determine whether the file
should be stored internally as text or as binary. No MIME type, or a MIME type
that begins with
text/, indicates a text file. All other types
indicate a binary file. Note that the
svn import and
add commands try to recognize binary files and tag them as such, with
the default MIME type
application/octet-stream. Subversion does
not attempt to make diffs between different versions of a binary file.
svn:eol-style is very useful when several developers work on
different platforms. It's used to force the line endings to
LF, or
CRLF, or
to check-out always the file using the native line ending used on the
developer's platform.
I presented an overview of tags and branches in the first article. Branches prove to be useful mainly on multiuser projects. With branches, a developer or a team of developers, can work on an experimental feature without interfering with the main development. Branches can also be used to keep track of changes in a maintenance version of a product. They can be used to handle beta releases and the returns of beta-testers. Subversion makes it easy and cheap to create branches, so why shouldn't you use them?
A branch is typically created outside a working copy to spare disk space
with the form of the
copy command that operates directly on URLs.
The following creates a maintenance branch from the current project trunk (by
convention, the root directory of your project files):
$ svn copy http://my.host/svn/frobnizer/trunk \
To start working on a branch, you can of course check out a whole new
working copy corresponding to it, but it's easier to switch your
working copy (or parts of it) to the branch. Assuming that your working copy
already contains the trunk, you can make it point at the
branch with the following command, issued at the root of your working copy:
$ svn switch http://my.host/svn/frobnizer/maint-1.0 .
svn switch works a bit like
update, except that it
doesn't conceptually move your working copy through time (revisions), but
through space (branches). Consistently, the output of
switch is
similar to that of
Finally, to integrate changes from another branch in your working copy, you
can use the powerful
svn merge command.
merge can be
compared to
diff, but instead of outputting changes as a unified
diff to standard output, it applies them to your working copy (as you would
apply a patch).
For example, the following commands integrate a batch of changes from the trunk into your maintenance working copy:
$ svn merge -r149:155 http://my.host/svn/frobnizer/trunk
U foo.c
U foo.h
A bar.c
$ svn status
M foo.c
M foo.h
A + bar.c
$ svn commit -m 'Integrate revisions 150 to 155 from the trunk'
The output of
svn merge indicates which files have been
affected by the changes, just like
svn update. The
status command reports the status of files in your working copy. In this
foo.c and
foo.h have local modifications,
bar.c is scheduled for addition in the next commit. The
+ sign in the status line indicates that Subversion knows that
this file has been branched from elsewhere, and will retain this information
when committing it.
Note that you may have to resolve manually potential conflicts between the merge and the commit.
An interesting use of
merge is to fetch changes from the
current branch. This way you can roll back a change. The following command
applies the changes of revision 200 to your working copy, in
$ svn merge -r200:199 .
Once you're getting used to Subversion, you'll find that it can help you in ways you didn't expect.
A first example would be dealing with runtime configuration files during upgrades. Working on a software project where some global configuration variables (IP addresses, environment variables or trace levels) are read in a file, I have to modify this file almost every time the application is installed on another machine. A default configuration file is provided with the sources, and it's kept under version control because the set of configuration variables changes over versions. What to do when I want to upgrade a snapshot installed on a test machine, but without losing the local changes to the config file?
The solution is simple. Instead of installing the application on the test
machine from a source tarball, I copied my statically linked
client there and performed a check-out. Then, I adjusted the configuration
files to my needs, without commiting the changes. Upgrading the software to
another development snapshot is as easy as an
svn update followed
by a
make all . The update process integrates the common changes
to the configuration file (e.g., new variables) with the local changes (e.g.,
user/password to access a local database). This can be applied to any evolving
configuration file you need to deploy: an
/etc/profile, a
.vimrc, or an
Branches can also be used in creative ways. I work on an intranet application that ships with several sets of style sheets. For example, some are designed for low resolution screens and provide different font sizes and background images.
I set up two directories,
/html/css/800 and
/html/css/1024, to hold those CSS. The
directory, for style sheets adapted to a higher screen resolution, is a branch
of the other. When a CSS is augmented or modified, it's easy to incorporate its
changes into the other branch while leaving the specific font or image
settings untouched.
I'm sure Subversion will be used in ways its designers didn't imagine. That's what makes the success of a tool.
Thanks to Karl Fogel for having kindly reviewed this article.
Rafael Garcia-Suarez is a French software engineer and Unix system administrator.
Return to the Apache DevCenter.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text:
The story popped up on nearly every blog or entertainment/news site imaginable, usually poking fun at the name and situation.
The popular web culture site Uproxx.com (which uses the ironic catch phrase 'The culture of what's buzzing') featured the story with writer Stacey Ritzen saying, "You'd think if you lived in Beeville, you'd be more prepared for random bee attacks. Like there would be some kind of procedure or something?"
Another site, chengwon.com, placed the story under its "Weird News" banner and commented on the story with "The Cantu family probably should have thought about bee attacks before moving to Beeville, in Bee County, Texas, but then that's the sort of cavalier, devil-may-care attitude you'd expect from people who choose to live in such ominously-named areas."
They ended it by saying "Top tip: Never visit Beeville."
Obviously, the world believes we all live in a giant beehive or something.
The blog site Godlike Productions had a small thread that mentioned it and blogger Anonymous Coward, from Japan of all places, posted, "Wow, this smells like a Conspiracy!" which caused another to respond, "I bet the queen was beehind this."
The story even invaded the airwaves as the 'Wake Up Call' morning radio show on 107.9 in Sacramento, California, did an entire six minutes on the subject.
Katie, one of the show's hosts, said, "Does anyone else feel it's a bad move to live in Beeville if you're allergic to bees?" referring to Cantu's grandson.
And Jason, the other host opposite Katie, decided to poke a bit more fun at our little town by adding, "At some point today, everyone do this. Just google Beeville. Their official website says 'The City of Beeville's Website is temporarily undergoing a reconstruction phase,' and that's all it says.
"So, I assume it's been taken over by bees."
So, once again, our humble little town has made headlines across the globe, even it was for such a dubious situation.
But on the bright side, the entire Cantu family is safe and doing well.
And now they have the entire Internet as a keepsake.
Paul Gonzales is the entertainment writer at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 116, or at email@example.com.