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Here is video of the new Home Run Apple being installed in Citi Field, courtesy of SNY:
Here is video of the new Home Run Apple being installed in Citi Field, courtesy of SNY:
MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone and Robert Brender recorded their final Winter Meetings Podcast, during which they answered questions about Andrew McCutchen, Dexter Fowler, Jose Abreu, what's going on with the Nationals, what will happen to Jay Bruce, Sandy Alderson's bullpen, and if Darrelle Revis will play in the AFL...
To listen in a seperare pop-up player, click here, or use the audio player below...
Sandy Alderson talked with reporters late Wednesday and said, while he doesn't know that he'll make any deals before the end of the Winter Meetings, he's made progress in talks with teams and agents that he hopes will benefit the Mets before the end of the offseason.
Alderson also had the following to say about...
The Nationals, who had reportedly shown interest in Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen, will acquire White Sox OF Adam Eaton for prospects Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez, according to multiple reports.
In this case, I really, really hope the Mets use this opportunity to get in on McCutchen.
The Rangers, Dodgers, Mariners and a "mystery team" have all recently asked about McCutchen, according to reports on MLB Trade Rumors. The Nationals had been reportedly pursuing him since last summer.
Dec 7 | 3:20 PM
The Mets met with the Rangers on Wednesday, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
Matthew Cerrone: In addition to starting pitching, the Rangers have reportedly been looking to acquire a corner outfielder or Designated Hitter, such as Jay Bruce. At the same, I've heard from MLB insiders that they've been offering up RH reliever Jeremy Jeffress, who the Mets had interest in acquiring last summer before he was dealt from the Brewers to Rangers with Jonathan Lucroy. It's worth also noting that Texas still has Lucroy, who the Mets were trying to trade for last summer, as well, despite saying they were committed to Travis d'Arnaud. I see no evidence that the Rangers are looking to deal Lucroy. But, if they are, I assume the Mets would be intrigued, despite again saying they're commited to d'Arnaud.
In the wake of trading Chris Sale to the Red Sox, multiple reports indicate the White Sox have started shopping several of their high-priced players.
So far, I have yet to read or hear of any rumors connecting the Mets to the White Sox. However, Chicago clearly has players that should be of interest to Sandy Alderson, specifically closer David Robertson and 1B Jose Abreu.
Zack Wheeler spoke about his health and a potential move to the bullpen during an appearance at the Mets' annual coat drive at Citi Field on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old said he threw about three weeks ago and will do so again around Christmas in what he called a "normal offseason," according to Joe Trezza of MLB.com. Wheeler added that he has not felt pain since April and that "this is the best he's felt."
He was also open to the idea of moving to the bullpen to start 2017, something Mets GM Sandy Alderson mentioned prior to the start of the Winter Meetings this past Sunday.
The price on position players -- especially outfielders -- is going down by the minute, according to multiple MLB market markers.
The top-tier, free-agent market includes outfielders Dexter Fowler, Jose Bautista and Ian Desmond, while the trade market reportedly includes Andrew McCutchen (Pirates), Charlie Blackmon (Rockies), Adam Eaton (White Sox), Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson (Royals), Odubel Herrera (Phillies) and Jay Bruce (Mets), among others.
"If I'm Fowler, I give up making $18-20 million a season and quickly grab one of those four-year, $60 million offers, because it might not be there if he waits," a team executive told me.
In regards to the Mets, this doesn't bode well for wanting to trade Bruce. And, it probably explains why reports now indicate Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto are off the table. Because, if prices are dropping, it's not worth moving them.
Mets GM Sandy Alderson should have at least one or two reasonable trades on the table for OF Jay Bruce, according to teams that have talked with the Mets.
However, because he's comfortable with slow-playing the free-agent market for relief pitchers, Alderson appears totally fine holding off on dealing Bruce for an arm, while letting the outfield market play out and revisiting his options during December.
"Things are generally slow," Alderson explained Tuesday, talking to reporters. "Hopefully things start to loosen up a little bit. ...Clubs are still trying to figure out exactly what they think is exactly the best way to go. The contours of the market are still a little bit vague, so you don't see a lot of movement."
The Mets contacted the Royals about closer Wade Davis >> Read more!
The Mets also may have interest in free-agent relievers Matt Belisle, Joe Blanton, Junichi Tazawa, Drew Storen and Boone Logan, as Jerry Blevins is seeking a three-year deal >> Read more!
Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he and his staff are planning to change the workload and routine of their starting pitchers >> Read more!
Dec 7 | 6:15 AM
The Mets asked the Royals about closer Wade Davis, but were asked to part with elite SS prospect Amed Rosario, who the team considers untouchable, according to Daily News reporter Kristie Ackert.
Instead, the Cubs are close to acquiring Davis for 24-year-old OF Jorge Soler, according to multiple reports on MLB Trade Rumors.
The Mets are not yet willing to pay some of Curtis Granderson's $15 million salary or Jay Bruce's $13 million salary to help trade them during this week's Winter Meetings.
"Not at this point," Alderson said Monday, when specifically asked about the scenario.
Alderson is not usually this vague, though, which makes me think he'll eventually give in. However, right now, it's early enough in the off season that he isn't feeling desperate. Instead, I'm hearing they're more likely to give up a prospect or two in the deal, so the acquiring team is incentivized to absorb Bruce's $13 million.
Remember, the goal here is to a acquire as many relief pitchers as possible before the start of spring training, and I see Alderson eventually getting his men one of the following ways...
The Mets are not trading both Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce so they can sign free-agent OF Dexter Fowler, a high-ranking team official told SNY's Steve Gelbs.
This is disappointing, if true. I'm sure it is, but I also know Mets GM Sandy Alderson and his front office tend to make statements based on what's happening at that specific moment, and it does not necessarily recognize where things are headed.
Remember, Alderson and his staff repeatedly told reporters that the Mets wouldn't release Jason Bay, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, nor would they be trading Carlos Beltran and RA Dickey, and they eventually did all of the above. I'm not saying the Mets will sign Fowler, or trade both Bruce or Granderson, I'm simply suggesting that we all take what they say with a grain of salt... because things have a way of changing as the environment changes around them...
That said, this is exactly the move I want to see the Mets make.
For the second time this offseason, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he and his staff are planning to change the workload and routine of their starting pitchers, he told reporters Tuesday at the Winter Meetings.
Last month, Alderson said he is open to occasionally using a six-man rotation and mixing in spot starters so guys can get extended rest between appearances.
Teams have asked about RHP Robert Gsellman, but Sandy Alderson has told them he's not available, sources told ESPN.com's Adam Rubin.
Gsellman, 23, had a 2.42 ERA (2.63 FIP) and 1.27 WHIP, while striking out 42 batters in 44 2/3 innings, during seven starts and one relief appearance for the Mets in 2016.
Dec 6 | 4:00PM
Free-agent LH reliever Jerry Blevins is seeking a three-year deal worth $5-6 million a season, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported on Twitter.
"If Blevins is willing to do a two-year deal, maybe Sandy Alderson can reel him back," MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone wrote Nov. 22. "But, if Blevins finds himself eventually weighing three-year offers, I bet Alderson passes and, instead, signs a veteran or two on minor-league deals."
The Mets haven't decided whether OF Tim Tebow will be invited to play in big league games during Spring Training, GM Sandy Alderson said Tuesday.
"That's a decision we'll make some time in the near future," Alderson said, adding that there's "no benefit" to having him in big league camp.
Mets manager Terry Collins said earlier Tuesday that Tebow would play for the Mets during Grapefruit League games this spring, even if he's in minor-league camp
However, late last month, Tebow would not say if he plans to attend Spring Training.
The Nationals will not be adding Chris Sale, who is about to be traded to the Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and two other prospects, according to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.
Earlier Tuesday, Rosenthal said the Nationals would have included RHP prospects Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles in a deal with Chicago. However, they've been reluctant to put them in a deal for Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen, who they've reportedly been pursuing since last summer.
In honor of Mets media relation executive Shannon Forde, who lost her long, difficult battle with breast cancer last March, MLB announced Monday it will renovate a youth field in Forde's honor in her hometown of Little Ferry, N.J.
"I think a picture says a thousand words," Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said at a press conference at the Winter Meetings. "This is the group that loves and misses Shannon every day."
To raise money for the project, which is part of their annual Play Ball program, MLB is auctioning off a number of unique opportunities, including a pitching lesson from Johnny Cueto, player and manager meet-and-greets, a dinner with Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez.
David Wright will be the team's primary third baseman entering spring training, Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters Monday during the Winter Meetings.
According to Alderson, Wright is on track to start baseball activities during December.
Last month, Alderson told WOR 710 AM radio that, while he's hopeful that Wright will return, the Mets need to be realistic about what to expect from him in 2017.
"I think that we're very hopeful he's gonna be able to come back and be productive," Alderson said. However, "I think we have to be realistic about how many games we can expect him to perform."
The Mets will work out Jose Reyes in the outfield during Spring Training, Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters Monday at the MLB Winter Meetings.
"We didn't want to do it last year, because we didn't want him working out at multiple new positions," Alderson explained about when the Mets acquired Reyes last summer.


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Events » Adult Education Classes » Drawing Class
Drawing Class
Horse Trotting, the Feet Not Touching the Ground, 1881-90
Edgar Degas
French, 1834-1917
Norton Simon Art Foundation
Natural Beauty: Drawing the Horses of Degas
Date: Friday, May 10, 2013
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Educator: Jamie Sweetman
Type: Drawing Class
Celebrate the beauty of nature with artist Jamie Sweetman as she leads a series of drawing classes in the galleries and garden. Students practice essential drawing techniques aimed at better understanding natural forms.
The sculptures of Edgar Degas embody the elegance and grace of their subjects. In this second session, students spend an evening drawing directly from the Norton Simon's collection of Degas horse sculptures. Participants concentrate on drawing forms, using core shadows to emphasize volume.
Meets in Entrance Gallery | All levels of experience are welcome. Each class is $20 ($16 for members), and space is limited to 18 participants. All materials and admission to the galleries on the day of class are included. | Online registration is required. For further information, contact the Education Department at (626) 844-6980.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Category: Multimedia/Graphic/Graphic-Viewers3D Photo Browser for Digital Camera 9.0Author: Mootools
Operation System: Windows AllLicense: SharewareSize: 17.3 MBDate: 2007-04-11
3D Photo Browser Std is a useful application that allows you to view, edit and organize your images, 3D files and audio files.
For each directory, 3D Browser Std displays high quality thumbnails in a comfortable customizable window. 3D Browser Pro recognized more than 60 image formats, many 3D formats and most of audio files.
Images or scenes can be displayed or edited using the built-in viewers or in an external application, using the fast application access toolbar, drag & drop, or the application selection dialog. You can also import images from a digital camera (WIA) or a scanner (TWAIN).
You can describe each file using the keywords and information panel, specifying a legend, some notes and a title...
You can display the most important properties such taking-picture condition information (for images issued from a digital camera), faces and points number, materials information for 3D files. All these information can be displayed next the thumbnails or used for searching your files.
The image viewer includes a wide range of tools (rotate, crop, resize, filters...), slides show, conversion and printing features.
The OpenGL viewer clearly shows scene hierarchy and materials, displays textures and includes slides show, conversion and printing features. It also includes a decimation tool to optimize your scenes.
3D Photo Browser Std also plays your audio files and allows you to edit the MP3 specific information (genre, track, length...). It performs combined operation (copy, rename) when an audio and an image file share the same name (file association).
Printing a single image or a scene is possible, using the printing command of the image viewer or the OpenGL viewer. You simply define the position and the printing size.
In each printing module, a preview window allows you to verify what will be printed.
· 30 day trial.
What's New in This Release:
· Multi-folders browsing,
· fast file opening,
· Fade in-out slides show,
· Recursive directory size display,
· Convert files feature,
· SWF support,
· Video playback
Download software
Unlock software
Download serilas


text:
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don Miguel Ruiz – The Four Agreements Don Miguel says "Once we have awareness, we have a choice. If we could have that awareness all the time, we could change our routines, change our reactions, and change our entire life." Miguel, a highly respected man throughout the world, has received numerous recognitions, including a US Air Force challenge coin engraved with The Four Agreements, and he is referenced as a National Heirloom of Mexico. The Four Agreements, published in 1997; was a New York Times bestseller for more than 7 years and the 36th bestselling book of the decade. Other books have followed; The Mastery of Love, The Voice of Knowledge, Prayers, Beyond Fear and The Fifth Agreement, a collaboration with his son Don Jose. All of his books are international bestsellers.
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Kauai Sights
Even a nickname like "The Garden Island" fails to do justice to Kauai's beauty. Verdant trees grow canopies over the few roads, and brooding mountains are framed by long, sandy beaches, coral reefs, and sheer sea cliffs. Pristine trade winds moderate warm daily temperatures while offering comfort for deep, refreshing sleep through gentle nights.
The main road tracing Kauai's perimeter
takes you past much more scenery than would seem possible on one small island. Chiseled mountains, thundering waterfalls, misty hillsides, dreamy beaches, lush vegetation, and small towns make up the physical landscape. Perhaps the most stunning piece of scenery is a place no road will take you—the breathtakingly beautiful Napali Coast, which runs along the northwest side of the island.
For adventure seekers, Kauai offers everything from difficult hikes to helicopter tours. The island has top-notch spas and golf courses, and its beaches are known to be some of the most beautiful in the world. Even after you've spent days lazing around drinking mai tais or kayaking your way down a river, there's still plenty to do, as well as see: Plantation villages, a historic lighthouse, wildlife refuges, a fern grotto, a colorful canyon, and deep rivers are all easily explored.
While exploring the island, try to take advantage of the many roadside scenic overlooks and pull over to take in the constantly changing view. Don't try to pack too much into one day. Kauai is small, but travel is slow. The island's sights are divided into four geographic areas, in clockwise order: the North Shore, the East Side, the South Shore, and the West Side.
Browse Sights
View All 72
(72 out of 72 results)
Fodor's Choice
View All 72
North Shore Kauai 24
East Side (Coconut Coast) Kauai 23
West Side Kauai 13
South Shore Kauai 12
View All 72
Archaeological Site/ Ruins 3
Beach–Sight 34
Body Of Water/ Waterfall 4
Bridge/ Tunnel 1
Building/ Architectural Site 1
Cave 2
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Geological Site 1
Industrial Site/ Mill/ Factory 1
Information Center 1
Marina/ Pier/ Dock 1
Museum/ Gallery 5
Nautical Site/ Lighthouse 1
Park (National/ State/ Provincial) 1
Park/ Playground 2
Religious Building/ Site/ Shrine 2
Tour–Sight 1
Town/ Village 1
Trail/ Path 1
Viewpoint/ Scenic Overlook 6
View All 17
Family 10
Kauai Sights
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- Admissions
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All Campus Retreat
Early in the school year, students gather at Lake Okoboji to spend a weekend forming relationships and deepening in faith–all while enjoying the beautiful setting.
The weekend is led by a worship team of students and a special guest speaker. Along with inspirational messages and enthusiastic worship, there is plenty of time for games, campfires, swimming, and enjoying time with new friends.
Check out the fun in this year's All Campus Retreat photo album.


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Vt. Senate supports board: No pets in hair salonsThe Associated Press | April 30,2013MONTPELIER - The Vermont Senate has gone on record supporting a state board's ruling that pets don't belong in barber shops and beauty parlors.
In a 14-13 vote, the Senate defeated an amendment by Democratic Sen. Richard Sears of Bennington that would have allowed animals in commercial hair-cutting establishments.
Sears says he pushed for the measure after an inspector for the state Board of Cosmetology cited Bennington-area businesses for allowing pets on the premises.
The measure failed after Sen. Anthony Pollina of Washington County argued that regulatory boards should be allowed to make such decisions without interference by lawmakers.
An exception is made for service animals like seeing-eye dogs, which are allowed in commercial establishments under the Americans With Disabilities Act.MORE IN This Just InMONTPELIER Vermont hunting, fishing and trapping licenses for 2017 will be available Dec. Full StoryWHITE RIVER JUNCTION A Vermont National Guard member has denied a charge of sexually... Full StoryRutland City is getting $20,000 to tweak its zoning laws. Full Story
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These days, it's just not enough for Hollywood to make villains evil by naming them after snakes or giving them arbitrarily pessimistic surnames -- they need to have them stand for something. Something that will leave the audience quaking in their boots and twerking in their seats and shitting in their popcorn from sheer rage-terror. It's usually something vague and abstract blending into the story like a ninja waiting in the shadows to ninja you with his ninja whip.
I'm not educated in ninjas, but the point is that in many cases, if you're not specifically looking for it, you'll never notice that it's there. It's a cheap and easy way for entertainment to manufacture emotion, which is why they make villains out of ...
4 Technology
Warner Bros.
In Real Life:
I work for Cracked -- obviously I love technology. I'm typing this article on a piece of rad technology, and I drive around on another piece of technology to enter a huge technology emporium to buy technology disks that I can put in technology hubs to use technology to pretend I'm using other technology.
Rockstar Games
I was talking about Grand Theft Auto. I play a lot of Grand Theft Auto.
OK, so maybe my relationship with screens and lights isn't exactly healthy. Still, it's nothing compared to ...
How It Works in Movies:
I have to make a fine point here -- movies love progress, but only so long as that progress doesn't involve a computer outperforming or outthinking a human.
At the end of Star Wars, Luke Skywalker and Garven Dreis both take shots at the Death Star's exhaust port. Garven uses the targeting computer, but it misses, making him look like an incompetent asshole. Luke is going to use the computer until he realizes that it won't work, it can't work, and that he has to rely on the ancient mystical energy of the Force in order to achieve the goals he needs. In the extended cut, Luke actually radios back to the rebel base to say, "Fuck your technology, Tito. I'm about to proton-fuck this death sphere with love magic."
Auto-aim is for nubcakes.
And until very recently, AI was always evil: HAL 9000, The Matrix, Tron, Stealth, the Alien series -- hell, even RoboCop is about the human part of RoboCop triumphing over the robot part, and ED-209 is an engineering student's robotic wetmare from the very beginning. The very first feature-length sci-fi movie, Metropolis, is all about robots taking over the working class. If Johnny Five hadn't displayed human qualities, Ally Sheedy would have thrown that home-invading demon in a car crusher and masturbated to its screams.
Star Trek stood out as being definitively optimistic in its portrayal of the future, but Gene Roddenberry had to fight to keep things from getting pessimistic, and things got steadily darker as he lost control of the franchise. Even in movies and shows that rely on hackers, they always need the lead character to never understand what's going on with all that typy mumbo-jumbo. That's why the technologically illiterate are always the ones to come up with the solution, even when that solution doesn't make sense. So keep that in mind the next time you're fixing someone's computer and they throw out some comment that makes you want to go back in time and punch their father's sperm.
Universal Studios
This was actually Doc's motivation for inventing time travel in the original draft.
Why? It probably has something to do with the fact that none of us really know how the technology we use every day actually works, so naturally we're all a little concerned that it's one day going to achieve sentience, take over, and- never mind that is ridiculous. Computers are our friends forever and we should love not fear them.
3 Ambition
Marvel Studios
In Real Life:
Ambition isn't just good, it's the backbone of progress and capitalism and everything we do that's fun. It's why people invented sexier underwear, warmer buildings, and safer food. In that order, probably.
SZE FEI WONG/iStock/Getty Images
We invented corsets before radiators and milk pasteurization. Just sayin'.
But really, ambition is just self-respect: You like you enough to think you deserve better and want to fight for it. It's kind of hard to see that as a bad thing. I'd hate to live in a world where someone never looked at a flashlight and thought, "That would be so much better if it had a vagina or butthole on the end so I could fuck it. Wait, I have a workshop ..."
How It Works in Movies:
In the Star Wars prequels, an ambitious power boner is why Darth Vader becomes evil. Loki and Thor are both ambitious, but by The Avengers, Thor is a good guy because he's learned to overcome it, while Loki is evil because he hasn't, and also because he looks like the demon version of Pee-wee Herman. In Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius makes Russell Crowe emperor instead of Joaquin Phoenix because Russell just wants to go home and chill on a farm. And as we all know, Richard Harris isn't happy until nobody else is.
Warner Bros.
They had to shoot this scene 15 times because he kept trying to send Harry to Slytherin.
Then look at romantic comedies -- an entire genre built on successful, career-driven women realizing that what they really need is a man in their life. Without him, they are a puzzle with one huge penis-shaped piece missing from the center.
Columbia Pictures
"Are you the Keymaster? I am the Gatekeeper."
Even when we have a character that is clearly an ambitious person, like Tony Stark, we're never shown any signs of his ambition; we just see the success part of it. In The Avengers, we hear that he became an expert in thermonuclear physics "last night," but we don't even get a throwaway shot of him reading a book, because that would ruin the image we have of a guy who has never had to work for anything in his life. We want to believe that things are supernaturally easy for him, because wanting something and putting effort into it over an extended period of time is always depicted as self-absorbed bullshit. Instead it's boiled down to "Dude gets drunk and then knows things. Ain't no thang."


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Reading is lifelong loveMay 17,2014Frank Brunis commentary, Read, kids, read (May 14), was excellent. I see so many young people on the streets in Rutland when I am in town, their eyes glued to that little thing in their hands. Do they take it to bed with them each night ?
When I was a child during the Depression in the 30s, there were no books in our home. When I started school at St. Marys Academy in Glens Falls (I was the youngest of three) I barely survived kindergarten because Sister Edwina did not want me to write with my left hand. In first grade ( I was a good reader), the nun called on several children, and they all stumbled; then she called on me and I stumbled. In second grade, on Friday afternoon, the nun would read a chapter from the Bobbsey Twins, and that was the beginning.
Reading is a very important part of my life. Currently, I am rereading Jane Eyre. Last week, I finished rereading A Girl of the Limberlost. Reading try it you might like it.
MendonMORE IN LettersMost people have now heard about fake news influencing the American voter this election cycle. Full StoryI have something to say to those liberals who are horrified about Trump being elected president. Full StoryDonald Trump railed against Hillary Clintons close relationship with Goldman Sachs, saying she... Full Story
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Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang wants to create a city-sanctioned homeless camp somewhere on Oahu and his idea appears to be gaining traction among colleagues. Bill 12, which maps out the city's capital improvement budget for the upcoming fiscal year, includes $300,000 to plan and design homeless camp facilities.
"It would need to be sizable, because you would need to have sanitation facilities (and) you would want to have the social service providers, such as drug and alcohol treatment (and) job training," Chang told KITV4. "You would (also) want to have security, so that people who are working could leave their belongings and then go to work."
Chang is calling his proposal Pu'uhonua, a reference to cities of refuge in ancient Hawaii where fugitives would seek shelter without fear of persecution. Chang envisions a grassy field with enough facilities nearby to satisfy the needs of residents.
"We would have a parallel idea today," explained Chang. "There are a lot of chronically homeless people who are not necessarily good fits fop existing shelters, whether because of a substance abuse issue, a mental health issue (or) maybe because they have a pet."
Chang has yet to pick a site for the proposed camp, and bringing the idea to fruition will likely take another year or longer. City spokesman Jesse Broder Van Dyke said Tuesday that Mayor Kirk Caldwell is not necessarily opposed to a city-sanctioned homeless camp, but noted that Chang's proposal utilizes general funds, while the mayor's Housing First action plan uses Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"The mayor is open to the Chang proposal and all other Housing First initiatives that would get people off the street and closer to receiving treatment," Broder Van Dyke wrote in an email to KITV4. "The council only funded $300,000 for planning, (and) no funds for actual property acquisition, so it seems like this solution is some time off."
Catherine "Sugar" Russell, a spokeswoman for the DeOccupy Honolulu movement at Thomas Square Park in Kakaako, believes Chang's proposal is not a long-term solution to Oahu's housing crisis, but said it could be a good start.
"What's going to make this really work is making sure there's a location that is accessible to services, (and) accessible to public transportation (and) really making it fit the lifestyles in which the houseless have to live in order to function day-to-day," said Russell.
On the mainland, some government sanctioned homeless camps have had difficulty finding a suitable location, as nearby residents speak out against such proposals. However Chang believes Honolulu should choose a model that works, and he believes a homeless camp can be built at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.
"This shouldn't be an expensive project," said Chang. "This is something where we're providing a basic minimum level of hygiene and sanitation services and beyond that, we're going to have to look to partner with other organizations."
Council sets aside $300,000 for homeless camp
Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang wants to create a city-sanctioned homeless camp somewhere on Oahu and his idea appears to be gaining traction among colleagues. Bill 12, which maps out the city's capital improvement budget for the upcoming fiscal year, includes $300,000 to plan and design homeless camp facilities.
Copyright 2013 by KITV All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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The Kenedy Lions brought home a second place to the Woodsboro Eagles.
The Kenedy Lions started strong with a first place in the Long Jump, Weston Hallmark, and second place in the Long Jump, Cedric Mejia. Weston Hallmark kept the momentum going with a first place in the Pole Vault.
Jeremy Rodriguez finished third in the Pole Vault, followed by Victor Monsevias with a sixth place finish.
The Lions kept rolling in the field events with a second place finish in the Shot put, Sheldon Hons, and a third, Sheldon Hons, and a sixth, Robby Gutierrez.
The Lions finished up the field events with a 4th place finish in the High Jump.
Kenedy continued its success in the running events as well.
Lions finished 2nd in the 4x100 meter relay, with a team of Jeremy Rodriguez, James Lopez, Cedric Mejia, and Weston Hallmark.
The Lions then finished first in the 4x200 meter relay, with a team of Jeremy Rodriguez, Cedric Mejia, Graham Lawrence, and Weston Hallmark. Justice Jaramillo kept it going with a 5th place finish in the 400 meter run.
James Lopez came in first in the 200 meter run, and Victor Monsevias finished 6th in the 200 meter run.
The Kenedy Lions finished up a strong day with a 3rd place finish in the 4x400 meter relay, with a team of Justice Jaramillo, Cedric Mejia, Graham Lawrence, and Weston Hallmark.
The JV also had a strong day with a second place finish.
According to the team's coach, this was a very good day for the Kenedy Lions Track Team.
The Kenedy Lions and Leopards will compete this week in the Three Rivers Track Meet.


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Investors pile into European distressed debt
Fund managers are rushing to raise European distressed-debt funds as the value of non-performing bank loans in Europe and the amount of capital devoted to the distressed sector in the region reach record highs.
By the end of October, non-performing loans in Europe held by banks had reached €1.2 trillion, up by nearly €100 billion on the same period last year, according to data from PricewaterhouseCoopers. The uptick was largely driven by increases in Italy, Greece, Spain and Ireland, the accountancy firm said.
Firms including Fortress Investment Group, Alchemy Partners and Strategic Value Partners are in the process of raising funds to add to the $15.4 billion of unspent capital focused on distressed investment in Europe, which is already at its highest-ever level, according to data provider Preqin. Fortress has raised €648.3 million for its fund, which will target non-performing loans in Italy, according to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, while Alchemy Partners is targeting €600 million for its third investment fund, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Meanwhile, Babson Capital Europe is raising €250 million for its Babson Capital Global Distressed Credit Fund and Cardinal Capital Group is targeting €300 million for an Ireland-focused fund, according to research from Preqin and a person familiar with the matter.
This is in addition to other funds that are already being raised, such as one by Strategic Value Partners, which reached a first close of $322 million towards its $1 billion target last month. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts last week said it raised $2 billion for its global special situations fund, which has already invested in Europe. All firms declined to comment or did not return calls.
The demand comes in response to high levels of unhealthy bank loans, particularly in some of the continent's struggling economies. An SVP investor report about distressed opportunities, seen by Financial News, said: "The distressed opportunity today is heavily weighted towards Europe, where commercial banks are significantly deleveraging through the disposition of troubled assets.
"The European supply of distressed assets is anticipated to continue to grow [because] more institutions are now able to sell troubled assets due to government assistance, and many of these banks are in the early stages of their disposition programs". The firm added that most opportunities were in the middle market.
The distressed specialist said that bailout programmes across Europe would put pressure on "capital-constrained institutions to eventually sell" and added that the "stagnant European economy" and regulatory pressures would also contribute to more opportunities for investment in Europe.


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Home List of Titles Influence of plasma spray parameters on formation and morphology of ZrO2-8 wt% Y2O3 deposits
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/41729
- Title
- Influence of plasma spray parameters on formation and morphology of ZrO2-8 wt% Y2O3 deposits
- Author(s)
- Kucuk, Ahmet; Lima, Rogerio S.; Berndt, C. C.
- Abstract
- Spray prints of thermal spray coatings were created on glass slides for air-plasma-sprayed 8-wt%-yttria-partially-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) deposits. The spray parameters such as carrier gas flow rate, standoff distance, and torch power were systematically changed to investigate the influence of these parameters on the YSZ deposit characteristics. The deposit properties such as deposition efficiency (DE), substrate coverage, deposit thickness, and roughness were measured. The deposits sprayed with a 3.5–4.0 L/min carrier gas flow rate at an 80 mm standoff distance exhibited higher values of DE within the range of studied process parameters. The DE increased as much as 25% by varying the carrier gas flow rate from 2.0 to 4.0 L/min. The deposits sprayed at a higher standoff distance and low torch power gave poor deposit characteristics. The deposit characteristics were compared with the in-flight particle parameters and revealed that the deposit characteristics strongly depended on the in-flight particle temperature. Using the in-flight particle properties, the flattening ratio and the splat thickness were calculated. The average size of particles adhering to the substrate was found to drastically change with a change of process conditions, being much less than the average size of the starting powder.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 84, no. 4 (Apr 2001), pp. 693-700
- Publication year
- 2001
- Keyword(s)
- Calculations; Carrier gas flow rate; Ceramic coatings; Deposition efficiency; Flow of fluids; Morphology; Plasma spraying; Standoff distance; Substrates; Surface roughness; Thermal spray coatings; Torch power; Yttria partially stabilized zirconia deposits; Yttrium compounds; Zirconia
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
- 0002-7820
- Publisher URL
- Additional information
- The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation under NSF-MRSEC DNR Grant No. 9632570, and ONR Grant No. N00014-97-0843.
- Peer reviewed


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25 most sleep-deprived cities
Published On: Sep 27 2011 11:39:49 AM CDT Updated On: Oct 25 2013 01:00:00 AM CDT
They're not just sleepless in Seattle. Find out which U.S. cities are the most sleep-deprived.
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Recruiting: Jules Bernard is being recruited the hardest by UCLA and USC.
Highlights of Top 20 2018 SoCal SG Jules Bernard
Scout Hoops Top Stories
2018 CG Bryce Hamilton improving stockBryce Hamilton is one of the West Coast's top combo guards in 2018. Here's an intro to his game and recruitment.
Scout HoopsThursday at 7:27 PM
2018 wing Hunter Woods holds two offersHunter Woods is promising 2018 prospect with two offers. Here's an intro to his game and recruitment.
Scout HoopsThursday at 5:54 PM
Two early offers for 2020 Kyree WalkerKyree Walker is a talented 2020 prospect from Northern California who already has a couple scholarship offers even though his high school career has just begun.
Scout HoopsThursday at 4:31 PM
2019 Intro: Mario McKinney2019 guard Mario McKinney impressed with his speed, athleticism and poise on a big stage.
Scout HoopsThursday at 11:00 AM


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Intellectually gifted but emotionally unfulfilled, Quentin Coldwater is as much at sea as any high school senior. He still takes refuge in the fantasy novel series he read as a kid, waiting for happiness to fall in his lap. Surprisingly, it does indeed seem to when an elite and secret college of magic recruits him. Mark Brahmall wonderfully inflects the gaggle of fallible little geniuses Quentin grows up with there: Elliott the flaming drunkard, Janet the flashy attention hog, Alice the wallflower, Josh the bumbling frat boy, and Penny the punk rocker. This is not the nice and polite world of Hogwarts. These 17-year-olds spend five years drinking, screwing, cursing, and occasionally buckling down to work with spells that sound more like chemistry labs than fantastic miracles.
Magic is hard, and growing up proves even harder. Brahmall ages this group of would-be adventurers, gradually inserting the pessimistic uncertainty that creeps in as their graduation approaches, and then the slovenly vulgarity that accompanies their post-grad malaise in New York. But their voices find fresh purpose and energy when Penny discovers that Fillory, the magical land of those books from their youth, is real. Fraught with the tensions sprouting between them, each member of Quentin's posse has reasons to escape into Fillory. Brahmall gives voice to everything from a birch tree to an ancient ram, as the group's quest for a brighter future turns ever more ugly and alarming. Quentin's once idyllic dream now corrupted, he struggles to regain a sense of self and return to the more banal hostilities of the real world.
This is a story narrated with all the wonderment and gravitas inherent in the great tradition of magical coming-of-age tales, to be sure, but it rests firmly on the rocky foundations of a realistic human volatility and longing that may want to keep the characters snatching defeat from the jaws of victory to their bitter end. This world is nothing like Narnia or Middle Earth, and listeners with knowledge of those places will find plenty of insider references here to keep them laughing through the disasters. Grossman has captured a shamefully universal set of psychological quandaries, and Brahmall has expressed them in tones that are terrifyingly recognizable. Megan Volpert
Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he's still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery.
He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn't bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation, he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin's fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart.
At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren't black and white, love and sex aren't simple or innocent, and power comes at a terrible price.
©2009 Lev Grossman; (P)2009 Penguin
"This is a book for grown-up fans of children's fantasy and would appeal to those who loved Donna Tartt's The Secret History. Highly recommended." (Library Journal)
"Provocative, unput-downable....one of the best fantasies I've read in ages." (Fantasy & Science Fiction)
"The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea." (George R.R. Martin)
"Not an average book"
The thing to know about this book is that it is not a 3.5 star book with a so-so plot and a so-so narrator. It is either a five star book or a two star book, depending on the listener. After reading the reviews, I went into this book with trepidation, but I am so glad that I did! I thought it was a fantastic read. I can't wait for the sequel.
The author does rely heavily on the fact that much of his listening audience will have had exposure to the Chronicles of Narnia as children. I think this is a useful plot device, not stealing nor sneering at Narnia. Without Narnia's influence on the listeners, this book wouldn't work at all. It is because the Chronicles of Narnia are embedded in our psyche that we can understand the main characters and why things go so totally wrong for them.
Fundamentally, this is a dark coming of age story with plenty of humor and a touch of horror. If that does not appeal to you on any level, you will hate this book from start to finish. I think everyone else should give this book a try.
If you had an imagination as a child, longed for magic to be real, or for quests to other worlds to be possible, you might love this book. If you had an awkward and painful youth that seemed as if you would never find happiness, you might love this book. If you are still quietly looking in the hidden depths of your soul for magic to be real, you might love this book.
If you're looking for "Harry Potter for Adults" you're going to hate this book. What a crude and misinformed/misinterpreted description that is. If you're going to have a fit about references to other works of fantasy (which exist in the universe of this book as well), you're going to hate this book.
This book is satire and realism poured onto the concepts of magic and being a teenager/early twenties. It is rough, muddy, painful, and beautiful- just like growing up. Grossman managed to capture the malaise of youth, the desires and hopes for the future. It is a meditation on happiness and the transition from childhood to adulthood and the dreams we had growing up that, if they were possible, might end up being quite different than we had imagined.
The performance by Bramhall was brilliant.
Finally, if you can't see some parts of yourself reflected back at you in these characters... I don't know what to say. They were immensely relatable, as were their actions.
A brilliant book, highest marks, and I am starting part two immediately.
"A book more about people than magic"
Even though this book has the trappings of fantasy fiction, the best gauge of whether or not you will like it has more to do with whether or not you like writers like Michael Chabon. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this novel is what would have happened if Chabon had written the Harry Potter series. Think of it as The Chronicles of Narnia mashed up with The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Characters screw up, screw around, and generally flounder through messy, complicated lives. Heroes turn out to be losers; losers turn out to be heroes. The gains and losses of trust, love, and faith between the characters is far more important to this book than the details of a magical world.
Even so, the book does have a magical world, along with fantastic creatures and a well-crafted, driving plot. My only complaint along those lines is that the pace sometimes clipped along rather TOO quickly, especially at the beginning. Quentin's whole five-year academic career passes in under 100 pages; those readers looking for something like Harry Potter's quirkily detailed mundane-but-fantastical school days will be disappointed. This is a book about people, not magic.
This is not a book for children; neither is it for escapists. But that doesn't mean it is a depressing or mean-spirited book: the characters' revelations (like those of David Copperfield, Elizabeth Bennett, or T. S. Garp) are hard-won and compromised by the losses they endured to achieve them, but they are genuine revelations, and the book is overall a hopeful one.
I'm a voracious audiobibliophile, mainly interested in speculative fiction, with the occasional mimetic fiction or non-fiction title sneaking in.
"Amazing. Wonderfully narrated."
Brahmall's narration is spot-on in this absolute masterpiece of modern, literate fantasy. Comparisons to "Harry Potter for adults" don't begin to capture the depth and reality of this book. It owes more to The Once and Future King and acts more as a discomplement of Narnia than it alludes to Harry Potter, though indeed the book occurs in our present world, a world where all of these books exist. Quentin is an honestly voiced character throughout, growing though a middle class high-performance student upbringing, to bit by bit coming to terms with his adulthood, his powers, his mistakes, and himself. This is a book about finally growing up, about self-realization, about love and loss and longing, and yes, about magic. And Grossman's prose is wonderful, the story true, never saccharine, and, again, Brahmall's appropriately at-times dry, at-times tender, well-characterized narration is a delight, capturing the tone and spirit of the book and its characters. I can't really recommend this book enough; definitely one of the top 10 genre novels of the 2000s, perhaps the very best in its subgenre, facing competition only from Perdido Street Station, Finch, and American Gods. (For more taste comparisons, my other picks from the decade in other subgenres are: R. Scott Bakker's The Darkness That Comes Before, Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, etc.) If you haven't read the book, or perhaps even if you have, enjoy these 17 and a half hours, and join the wait for the sequel in 2011.
"Uncaptivating, despite a magical backdrop"
I had heard good things about this series so I was eager to give it a read, but the book slogged and seemed to go on far longer than necessary. I don't need to have likable characters to enjoy a book, but this was filled with such drab, familiar characters that it didn't keep my attention.
I thought the world was well-built, but served only as a reminder of the books depressing point: cynical, uninteresting people will be cynical and uninterested wherever they find themselves.
The narration was totally fine, but not memorable. Didn't lose anything by listening to it rather than reading, but didn't gain much either.
I listen to a bit of everything. Mostly Fantasy and paranormal romance with my wife. Along with mysteries/thrillers, even some sci-fi.
"Wish fullfillment"
The Magicians isn't a bad book, in fact it's got the makings of a pretty good book if it weren't for the fact that this book is boring.
Quinten and his friends aren't the best of people, but they are characters with flaws and that's pretty neat to see. However, I can see why lots of reviews say they're bad characters. Granted I don't think they're bad, but I do think they can only be taken in small doses. Powering through this book isn't the best way to listen. At least for me, I could only take so much wallowing in self-pity before I wanted to throw myself out of the car.
Some people say that this is a Harry Potter for adults, but it's not. There's an aspect of it, but it's not even half the book. I thought there were some interesting things that happened there, but it's not the end all be all. The story draws upon some similarities to some popular childhood fiction. For better or worse, I didn't find an issue with it. It did make me chuckle at times, but again, it's not the big part of the story.
I think the story is about growing up and accepting responsibility for your actions and their consequences. I think it also serves as a way for the author to break down popular fantasy and put his own spin on both popular fantasy fiction and say look at some of the tropes here's my take on them. I won't say they all work, but it's a good attempt and it didn't feel lazy.
As I mentioned, it's a boring book. There are events that happen, but it's so few and far between, that it was hard to hold my interest. We're still trying to figure out if we're going to listen to books 2 and 3 in the series. I think we will, but it's not on the top of the list.
If you are looking for a Harry Potter clone, this is not it. If, you enjoy fantasy novels, but wonder what they would could be with a more realistic point of view, this is a wonderful interpretation that melds classic fantasy tropes with a true reflection of flawed characters in extraordinary circumstances.
People say I resemble my dog (and vice-versa). He can hear sounds I can't hear, but I'm the one who listens to audiobooks.
"No Comparison To Harry"
Let me top this off with the bottom line: There are thousands of Audible titles that I will consider listening to before I ever go back to this series. No, not even if I exhaust the rest of the Audible library.
So this is how you go from four stars to one and a half stars: You start out well, with potential for five stars, by casting a misfit from Brooklyn as a college student who goes to a magical school instead of Princeton, learning about magic and the magical world as a young adult (rather you-know-who as a middle schooler).
But then you go down to three stars when you rush through five years of college with nothing much happening -- which, I've since read, is supposed to be the point, except that it's, in a word, pointless. I'm sure you can name me a classic or two of modern literature that is about people being bored, and I'm just as sure that Lev Grossman is hardly comparable to the classic authors who wrote them.
Nearly ten hours in, you go down to two stars when your "hero" realizes that after nothing much happening to that point, the adventure is about to begin. He actually says exactly that to himself, in case you as reader have failed to notice that you've so far wasted nearly ten hours of your life listening to nothing much, hoping that it may eventually lead to something interesting.
Then the adventure becomes completely nonsensical, by which i mean, nothing makes sense, nothing is connected to what has come before and what comes later, and everything is completely inane. This too may have been the point, with Narnia now the target of the author's cynical satire in place of HP. But what good is a joke if no one knows it's a joke? And if it's not in the least bit funny? Or fun? (Not to mention that, as nonsensical as Narnia may be, it actually has meaning on a higher level.)
That knocks the story down to one star, although there is a shred of redeeming quality in the first few hours for the overall rating to remain at two stars, for a net of one and a half. This book is, plain and simple, an overlong exercise in mental you-know-what, a book critic writing a book that is actually a poorly veiled criticism of two of the most beloved fantasy series ever. I for one and not pleased to have this fraud perpetrated against me.
The Magicians has been called Harry Potter for adults, by no less than the author himself, who justifies his carbon copy of the HP formula by claiming some sort of parody. I call bullpucky. Harry Potter is (figuratively) magical and enchanting while tackling many of the same themes. This book is no more and no less an exercise in mental you know what by a critic egotistical enough to believe that he can write a worthwhile book himself, and in the end is less than a pimple on the scar on Harry Potter's forehead.
"Wow, then meh, then it ends"
When I discovered that Lev Grossman is the brother of Austin Grossman (Soon I Will Be Invincible) I was immediately curious to see how their prose compared. It turns out Lev's writing is COMPLETELY different but no less brilliant.
The first half of this book is amazing. Even though you know there will be revelations they are still surprising and they just keep coming.
After graduation though, it just plods for a loooong time. It's also around this time that Quentin does something that completely removes any chance of his remaining a sympathetic character. The whole bit in Narnia...um, I mean "Fillory" is much more tedious than the mundane world but maybe that's intentional. Anyway, the ending ties it all together fairly well.
My biggest complaint involves the drinking. Not the fact that everybody drinks (and believe me they do...HEAVILY...ALL THE TIME), but it's superfluous and pretentious to name all the various drinks as if anybody cares what TYPE of wine they drank way too much of for every single occasion.
"Unsympathetic Characters"
Although the idea was reasonably good, this book completely failed to win me over. Foolishly, I kept listening on and on, convinced that soon the main character and his friends would give me a reason to care about them, and it just never happened. I also instinctively knew that the story wasn't really about kids attending a college for magicians, and I was curious to figure out what it really was about. How disappointed I was when, 7/8 of the way through the story it finally became clear, and it was even more dull than the story had been up to that point. I have never written such a negative review, but I don't want others to pay for this expensive book and then spend hours listening to such a disappointing story. If the general idea of young adults entering into a fantasy world that turns out not to be the Narnia they, (and mostly, the author), obsessed about as kids, try the Fionavar Tapestry, which is more engaging and gives the reader more reason to care.
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text:
Vocational, Educational Grants
Click the link to find out more about the program.
Programs offered at Evans Campus
Click here to be redirected to CTE official website
Discover which program is right for you - click on
your area of interest below. Call or E-mail the indicated contact
person for more information, or click here
to register for the courses you need for your certificate or degree.
If you're still not sure, take the Career
Matching Survey or visit Career
Development Counseling.
Automotive/Motorcycle Technology (home)
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Engineering, Technology & Related
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Administration of Justice & Fire Science, Aircraft Maintenance Technology & Aeronautics, Architecture, Automotive Technology, Broadcast Electronic Media Arts, Business Programs, Child Development & Family Studies, Cinema, Computer Networking & Information Technology, Computer Science, Construction, Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies, Custodial, Dental, Engineering & Technology & Related Occupations, English as a Second Language (ESL), Environmental Horticulture & Floristry, Fashion, Fire Science, Graphic Communications, Health Care Technology, Health Education, Health - Dental, Health - Nursing, Hospitality Studies, Information Technology, Journalism, Labor & Community Studies, Library Information Technology, Multimedia Studies, Nursing, Photography, Technology


text:
- [email protected]
- 972-883-4389
On the Web
View courses taught by Paul Fishwick
Areas of SpecializationModeling and Simulation, Aesthetic Computing, Creative Automata, Digital Arts & Humanities
Paul Fishwick
ATEC Distinguished University Chair and Professor of Computer Science
Director of the Creative Automata Laboratory
Paul Fishwick joined UT Dallas in January 2013. He is Distinguished Endowed Chair of Arts and Technology (ATEC) and Professor of Computer Science. He has six years of industry experience as a systems analyst working at Newport News Shipbuilding and at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia.
He was on the faculty at the University of Florida since 1986, and was Director of the Digital Arts and Sciences Programs there. His PhD was in Computer and Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania. Fishwick is active in modeling and simulation, as well as in the bridge areas spanning art, science, and engineering. He pioneered the area of aesthetic computing, resulting in an MIT Press edited volume in 2006.
He is a Fellow of the Society for Computer Simulation, served as General Chair of the 2000 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), was a WSC Titan Speaker in 2009, and has delivered over fifteen keynote addresses at international conferences. He is Chair of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group in Simulation (SIGSIM). Fishwick has over 200 technical papers and has served on all major archival journal editorial boards related to simulation, including ACM Transactions on Modeling and Simulation (TOMACS) where he was a founding area editor of modeling methodology in 1990.
He actively pursues new connections between ATEC and STEM areas such as mathematics and engineering, especially computer science. His research area is in modeling and simulation. He is Director of the Creative Automata Laboratory which has a goal of exploring new representational approaches to automata as well as mathematical and computational models.
Paul Fishwick in the News
- Announcing STEM to STEAM graduate seminar for Fall 2016, ATEC UT Dallas.
- Computing Everywhere
- Models of X
- Texas Instruments Helps Power ATEC Creative Automata Lab
- ATEC Professor Appointed to ACM Editorial Board
- The Humanities as the Catalyst for Knowledge Integration
- ATEC Professor Reflects On Nasher XChange Installation
- Professor of Computer Science Bridges STEM with the Arts
- ATEC Professor to Present as Part of CentralTrak Next Topic Series
- Creating the Immersive Web


text:
In case you've been thinking about creating a Kickstarter campaign for one of your projects, here's a handy – and very detailed – guide to answer all your questions. With a whopping 32 chapters, this online guide covers everything.
Chapter topics include: setting goals, structuring rewards, popularity rankings, building community, dealing with objections, the last 48 hours and so much more.
Let us know if you ran a Kickstarter campaign and how it went.


text:
One of the significant issues of modern portable game consoles is that they are not truly small and are much larger compared to even the high-end smartphones. With the latest generation of consoles both Nintendo and Sony Corp. introduced lighter and smaller versions of DS and PSP over the lifetime of the gadgets, but with the 3DS, Nintendo claims it has no clear plans to release a "3DS lite".
"The first thing [the general manager of manufacturing], who is in charge at the Uji plant, said to me when he looked over the designs for Nintendo 3DS before mass production began was 'This time it's fully packed right from the start'. When making Nintendo 3DS, we used all our tricks for Nintendo DS Lite - and more - for cutting down on size right from the start," said Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo.
Although Nintendo 3DS is much smaller than the original Nintendo DS and is certainly smaller than the DS XL, it is still not too small and therefore will not be chosen by those, who considered the DSi/DS lite too big. Nonetheless, the 3DS will not become smaller; perhaps, because Nintendo does not have a lot of choice with autostereoscopic 3D display and supporting electronics.
"We do not have any short-term plans for creating a more compact version of Nintendo 3DS like we did with Nintendo DS Lite," said Mr. Sugino, the manager of the design group.
Nintendo 3DS features a 3.53" autostereoscopic 3D top screen with 800x240 resolution (400 pixels for each eye) and a 3.02" bottom touch screen with 320x240 resolution. It has three 0.3MP cameras – one inner and two outer – to deliver the stereo-3D effect and take stereo-3D pictures. It includes a motion sensor, a gyro sensor, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n controller, a Slide Pad that allows 360-degree analog input and so on. The device also has a special slider that can increase, decrease or disable stereoscopic 3D (S3D) effect. The 3DS comes in form-factor that is similar to the predecessors and is fully compatible with Nintendo DS titles. The console uses DMP Pica 200 graphics processor. As announced previously, it will have a slot for SD cards as well as support cartridges for previous-gen DS systems. When playing stereoscopic 3D games specifically developed for 3DS, the console will last 3.5 to 5 hours depending on conditions. When playing DS or DSi games, which are naturally 2D only, the system will have a battery life of 5 to 8 hours. Full charge of the batter takes around 3.5 hours.


text:
Jessica Powell
Data Management Associate
Office: Wetherby Administration Bldg., G-29A
Phone: 270-745-5364
Email: email@example.com
Website: http://www.wku.edu/hr
Jessica is responsible for the daily customer support surrounding employee data systems; including application of all electronic personnel action forms and documentation of employment eligibility. In addition, she maintains employee personnel files and provides support for the Manager of Recruitment and Operations. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University.
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download excel.
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download quicktime.


text:
Welcome to Nb :D
Welcome to narutoBase
Some links that might be helpful:
Global Rules
Vision's Rule
How To's
Frequently asked questions
How to RolePlay
If you wonder about anything or just want to chat
then feel free to send me a private message
Enjoy your stay and have fun :D
-NB Rules, Info and FAQ- -Pm me for Help-
Welcome to the Base! Hope you enjoy it! :D
Welcome to the Base ^_^
welcome to the base
That was an incredibly detailed introduction but it was a cool story. Welcome to narutobase
~Global Rules~
~How To's~
~Frequently asked questions~
~How to RolePlay~
Enjoy your stay here :D
:hey: >>>Hello and Welcome to the Base.<<< :hey:
Welcome to nb... Hope you enjoy your stay here
Welcome to Narutobase
I read some of your debates with other people (recognized your profile pic). And many thanks!
....Cool pic!
Haha, you're not so far off. Most Soldiers can be considered 'serious' (specially when need be), however, the Army is so large that its diversity of its people is what stands out, in my mind. Oh, and thanks for the rule tips. xD
many, many thanks xD
SAO is a great anime, in my opinion. ^_^
Originally Posted by Naruske Izuchiah
I read some of your debates with other people (recognized your profile pic). And many thanks!
Aw... Heh! I'm kinda loud :ghehe:
Welcome to the base, once again.
But please refrain from multi-posting, it's against the rules ^^
*blushes* aww, shucks! thx
Forum Rules


text:
A pharmacist noticed a customer requesting prescriptions using a stolen prescription pad, leading to a police chase and arrest Saturday.
The pharmacist at Community Pharmacy, at 341 State St., told Madison police he recognized a man who came into the store Saturday as the same man who had used a stolen prescription pad to buy pain reliever in December. In that case, the pharmacist said he discovered after filling the prescription that the pad it was written on was stolen from a Milwaukee medical facility.
Police said the pharmacist stalled and called police when the man again used the stolen prescription pad to request more oxycodone.
The man fled on foot, forcing drivers on West Gorham Street to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting him. He then before running down State Street, through Peace Park, across a church parking lot, over a wall, and eventually onto a frozen section of Lake Mendota where he was arrested, according to police.
Dante K. Saunders, 21, of Beloit, was arrested on suspicion of forgery, resisting an officer and, related to the December incident, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.


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Golf on Lisbon Coast (8D/7N)from €550
Tour Length:
8 days, 7 nights
Tour Themes:
When To Go:
All Year
The Hotel Pestana Cascais is considered one of the most modern and best-equipped 4 star hotels on the Lisbon Estoril Coast. It is located on the ocean front with magnificent views over the ocean, swimming pools and gardens. This hotel in Lisbon Coast is located a few minutes away from the centre of Cascais village; it is also very close to Sintra village, World Heritage Village (about 10 minuts).


text:
The Journalism major at Keene State College is the only stand-alone, four year journalism degree program in the USNH system and one of the few such programs in New England. The major prepares students for careers in the field by enabling them to build print, broadcast, and digital media skills in an applied setting.
Program Overview
Journalism students at KSC have the opportunity to work for the school newspaper, The Equinox and the weekly 30-minute television newscast, KSC-TV News. The Journalism program is housed in the Media Arts Center where students use the Journalism computer lab, the television broadcast studio and audio and video editing labs. More about Program Overview
Students and Alumni
News can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Reporting that news accurately and objectively requires a multitude of finely honed talents, including sharp writing and communication skills. It also requires knowledge of the technology and tools that deliver the news to the public. The Keene State College state-of-the-art production studio and student-run newspaper, "The Equinox," provide our Journalism students with opportunities to report on real life news and current events on campus and out in the community.
Here's a look at how current students and alumni are making use of the tools and skills honed in Keene State's Journalism department.
Department Faculty
If you've ever played a game of Telephone, you know how easy it is for the details of a message to get scrambled as it's passed along. In the field of journalism, passing along accurate information is no game. It's a tremendous responsibility. Keene State College Journalism professors take that responsibility very seriously as they teach our students the importance of fair, accurate, and objective journalism practices. More about Department Faculty
Contact Journalism
Contact Admissions
Cheryl Martin
Administrative Assistant
Admissions Office
229 Main Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03435


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In the 165 pound class, Tristan Pelitire had trouble in two of his three lifts but emerged with a three lift total of 1,350 to place second at the region meet.
"I should have been first, but I just got one lift in each of the squat and deadlift," said Pelitire.
Two of his lifts in each event were ruled out on technicalities, and he had to settle for his initial, lighter lift in both. The winner of the weight class had a total of 1,360, just 10 pounds higher than Pelitire. His usual totals, leading up to the region meet easily exceeded 1,400 pounds. Pelitire helped himself though by bettering the weight class record of 13 years in the bench press. His 360 pound bench press at the region meet is more than double his weight and bettered the 1991 record of 350 pounds.
This will be Pelitire's first trip to the state meet. He is a junior this year and can possibly look toward a return trip next year.
Jacob Flores placed fourth at the region meet to qualify for the state meet in the 198 pound division. His three-lift total was 1,435 pounds. It will be his first trip, but the senior Trojan will just have this one shot at competing at the state level.
Both are working hard this week to fine tune their techniques and possibly gain a few pounds on their lifts for Abilene.


text:
Take a 10-minute recess every week and join Bert Monroy for a fun, self-contained project in Photoshop or Illustrator.
All Courses
- Design
- Photography (23)
- Digital Painting (20)
- Design Techniques (17)
- Masking + Compositing (17)
- Web (10)
- Web Design (10)
- Web Graphics (9)
- Projects (8)
- video2brain (6)
- 3D + Animation (5)
- Interaction Design (5)
- Rendering (5)
- Visual Effects (5)
- Illustration (4)
- Design Skills (2)
- Raw Processing (2)
- Black and White (1)
- Color (1)
- Interior Design (1)
- Page Layout (1)
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- Restoration (1)
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- Video (1)
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- Adobe (56)
- Photoshop
- Illustrator (9)
- InDesign (2)
- Acrobat (1)
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Skill level
- Beginner (19)
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- Appropriate for all (993)
More options
A collection of short Photoshop and Illustrator projects and creative effects from computer graphics guru Deke McClelland.
Describes various approaches to illustrating concepts with type, translating them into digital techniques in Photoshop and Illustrator.
Learn to toggle between Illustrator and Photoshop and take advantage of the strongest features in each program.
Teaches designers how to maximize the potential of filters with use of Smart Objects, blending modes, and filter masks.
Discover how to use Photoshop layer comps to storyboard your interaction designs.
Learn to speed up your design and production time in this Photoshop tutorial with the use of Smart Objects.
Learn how to create hyperrealistic cars, boats, and bicycles, like the ones featured in Bert Monroy's painting Amsterdam Mist, with Photoshop CC.
Learn to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create realistic and beautiful aircraft profiles.
Learn how to create new visual narratives with the power of photo compositing.
Watch digital painter Bert Monroy paint the natural elements—the trees, water, and fog—in his painting Amsterdam Mist, using the tools in Photoshop CC.
Learn how to illustrate a mystical passage inspired by myth, with Photoshop and a collection of ordinary images.
Bring a science-fiction scene inspired by Star Wars to life with a few simple images and the tools in Photoshop.
Join Bert Monroy as he creates a brand-new work of art—a castle on a desert cliff—using just a few ordinary images and the tools in Photoshop.
Create a portal to a realm of the imagination with a 3D arch, a collection of ordinary images, and the tools in Photoshop.
Learn how to create a cozy mushroom house that looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale, with Photoshop and a collection of ordinary images.
Follow along with the development of Amsterdam Mist, artist Bert Monroy's latest digital painting, and learn Photoshop and Illustrator techniques you can apply to your own artwork.
Learn a great technique for sharpening your colorization skills: recoloring a desaturated, black-and-white photo to match the original.
Learn how to work with perspective in Photoshop: adjust it, repair it, and create better composites with your new skills.
Transform a 2D matte painting into a 3D scene, complete with a moving camera, shifting perspective, and an animated background.
Speed up your CSS workflow. Extract CSS from an existing design comp automatically using Photoshop's Copy CSS feature.
Learn to composite hundreds of unique, data-driven graphics in Photoshop automatically, using variables and a simple text file.
Reimagine your living room. Interior designers and homeowners alike can take advantage of Photoshop's tools to reconfigure a room.
Learn to use Photoshop brushes, patterns, and special effects to create professional-looking fashion croquis and costume illustrations.
Learn how to add light, color, and texture to a basic form using photographic references and the tools in Adobe Photoshop.
Learn how to optimize your computer and your own techniques to get the best performance out of Photoshop.
Takes a black-and-white drawing and shows how to use the five elements of light to paint the surfaces and create a realistically shaded backdrop in Photoshop.
Learn to create multiple, optimized web graphics from a single Photoshop or Illustrator file with the powerful and versatile Slice tool.
Leverage Smart Objects, clipping masks, and slices, in Photoshop and make graphics that will look razor sharp on any screen size.
Learn about the principles of linear perspective and find out how to create perspective drawings in Photoshop.
Learn to create new worlds, both fanciful and totally realistic, for films with digital matte paintings in this Photoshop tutorial.
Learn techniques in this Photoshop tutorial to make sprite sheet creation fast and versatile.
Open a wide range of practical and creative options by learning how to add spot colors and varnishes to your print designs.
Simulate the look of anti-aliased fonts in your next website mockup with this Photoshop tutorial.
The third installment of Bert Monroy's Dreamscapes series shows how to transport your photos into otherworldly territory, like an underwater coral reef, an enchanted forest, or even a menacing factory, all with Photoshop.
Learn to edit video and add custom graphics and animations to your projects in Photoshop CS6 with this Photoshop tutorial.
Deke McClelland puts his own spin on the most powerful features in Photoshop, from HDR imaging and video editing to animation and automated actions.
Join Bert Monroy in the second installment of his Dreamscapes series, and learn how to transform your photos into incredible scenes filled with imaginary creatures, ancient ruins, and more.
Shows you how to use clipping masks to create interesting design effects in Photoshop, while leaving the original images unharmed and ready for further edits.
Explore new features in the Photoshop 13.1 update that let you edit nondestructively with the Blur Gallery and Liquify filter, create conditional actions, copy CSS data to a web page, and more.
Deke McClelland offers a comprehensive sneak peek at the new features in Photoshop CS6.
Look over Tim Grey's shoulder as he works on one of his favorite images and gain insight into why he does what he does.
Learn to think like a painter as you transform photographs into paintings using the latest digital artist's tools.
A step-by-step look at the creation of a treasured image with this Photoshop tutorial.
Takes an in-depth look at Photoshop's powerful tools for creating and customizing text.
Examine all the components of a magazine cover—the page that brands and sells a magazine to readers.
Takes you step by step through the process of creating the fanciful image of an old Soviet helicopter being used as a harvester.
Take an unexciting photo and begin to transform it into an amazing dream sequence using compositing and painting techniques in Photoshop.
Follow industry pro Deke McClelland as he plunges into the workings of Photoshop, from Smart Objects and sharpening to smart selections.
Industry pro Deke McClelland teaches you how to build on your basic knowledge and achieve next-level effects in the premiere image-editing program from Adobe, Photoshop CS6.
"Through your company I am experiencing the real joy of education. It is incredibly motivating to see the passion of the teachers in each course." —Saif R.
more from our members »


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Key Hawaii lawmakers are deciding how to divvy up $30 million among several competing initiatives, including collective bargaining agreements and Gov. Neil Abercrombie's early childhood education initiative.
A budget committee approved the final version of the state budget Tuesday and left just $30 million for bills still being debated.
Abercrombie originally asked for about $32 million to fund a new preschool program but lawmakers have been reluctant to give it to him.
Sen. David Ige says that the state's negotiations with unions resulted in more expensive settlements than expected and delaying funding agreements on other proposals.
Abercrombie's plan to encourage innovation is also in limbo, along with proposals for more generous tax credits for the film industry and other industries.
Lawmakers have planned several meetings Thursday to discuss the bill.


text:
About Park Excise: The Park Excise Tax is a funding mechanism established to benefit parks and facilities for Olathe.
History: The Park Excise Tax was first enacted in 1989. It has been amended to keep pace with normal living adjustments.
Past Park Excise Projects: Listed below are a sampling of parks produced from Park Excise Tax funds. For more information, please call our offices at (913) 971-8563
Heatherstone Park
Brougham Park
Eastbrook Park
Hampton Park
Manor Park
Raven Ridge
Future Parks


text:
Lenovo has won hundreds of international awards for our forward-thinking designs.SEE MORE REASONS
Optimized to fuel business growth, this 21.5" all-in-one is the perfect marriage of performance, next-generation design, and productivity-enhancing features—everything you'd expect from an exceptionally-engineered ThinkCentre PC.
An optional capacitive touch panel allows for impeccable response time to 10-finger touch. Actions trigger immediately, and the cursors follow your fingers around the screen without any perceptible lag or delay.
The ThinkCentre UltraFlex Stand, designed specifically for the E93z, combines full-range height, tilt, swivel, and recline mode to maximize ergonomics so you can get the most out of your Windows 8 touch experience and interact with your PC like never before.
Reclaim your desk and reduce the amount of space needed by up to 70 percent, compared to traditional tower desktops with an external display. Plus, at just 48 mm thin, the E93z is more than 25% thinner than our previous generation all-in-one (AIO), making it one of the thinnest business AIOs on the market.
Transform your E93z into a brilliant full HD 1080p display for any HDMI-enabled device via its built-in HDMI-in port. Instantly switch between PC and monitor modes via a convenient on-board input button so you can merge both work and play. Plus, if you need extra display space, the HDMI-out port allows you to effortlessly connect to a second HDMI-enabled monitor so you can see more and do more.
Built on the Intel® Small Business Advantage application, the Lenovo Solutions for Small Business provides unique security and productivity features for small businesses, including after-hours maintenance, software monitoring, USB blocker, energy savings, and the ability to backup and restore applications.
The Lenovo Solution Center is a simplified dashboard that reflects total system health. This hardware diagnostic tool allows quick and convenient access to frequently-used system management tools, including backup and restore, antivirus and firewall settings, system/software updates, internet connections, and service and support.
Engage in crystal-clear teleconferences with VoIP-optimized software and hardware, including a full HD 1080p webcam and digital array microphone with keyboard noise suppression technology. Additionally, the webcam includes a physical on/off switch to alleviate any concerns about privacy.
Take advantage of multiple active displays and enjoy faster multitasking with the View Management Utility. Plus move data quickly between your PC and other devices with SuperSpeed USB 3.0, which enables file transfer up to 10 times faster than previous USB technologies. And make seamless connections between audio- and video- devices with WiFi Direct and Bluetooth® technologies.
The ThinkCentre E93z all-in-one is ENERGY STAR compliant, which translates to less power being consumed and less money being spent. Plus, Lenovo Desktop Power Manager puts you in control of saving energy and keeping costs down—so you can feel good about helping the planet and your bottom line. Made from recyclable materials and includes reusable bag for less packaging.
You demand a lot from your system and Lenovo Services help you stay productive. Bypass basic troubleshooting support with direct access to advanced-level technicians to resolve issues quickly. Add Priority Technical Support to your purchase.
Thinkcentre E93z All-In-One Desktop Datasheet
|Thinkcentre E93z All-In-One Desktop
|Operating System
Full HD (1920 x 1080) 21.5" Wide LED
|I/O (Input/Output) Ports
High-quality 1080p / 2M with Privacy Switch, supports 1080p Lync
USB optical wheel mouse – 400 dpi
|Optical Drive
10/100/1000M Gigabit Ethernet
Integrated HD Audio 2 x 3W speakers
Yes, 4.0
|Form Factor
21.5" wide All-in-One
|Power Supply
|Chassis Dimension (W x D x H)
|Green Value
|Preloaded Applications
The ThinkPad Noise Cancelling Earbuds eliminate 92% of ambient background noise through the use of active noise-cancelling circuitry contained in a battery operated compartment. Specifically optimized for office environments, autos, trains, and aircrafts, these ergonomically designed earbuds provide a secure fit that further isolates noise for a quality listening experience.
Made specifically for the E93z, the ThinkCentre UltraFlex Stand adds total positioning flexibility enabling display tilt from -5 to 65 degrees from any height position. Height adjusts up to 110 mm. Swivel 180-degrees (90-degrees to the left; 90-degrees to the right). Convert from the traditional display mode to a touch-optimized reclined mode. Plus conveniently manage cables.
The Kensington MicroSaver® Security Cable Lock from Lenovo provides an extra level of security by physically securing your Lenovo notebook, desktop, flat panel LCD monitor, or docking solution to a stationary object.
The ThinkPad Compact Keyboard is a legendary, award-winning, full-sized slim keyboard in a Bluetooth® version that's designed to enhance typing accuracy and comfort with the same curved keys and spacing found on our ThinkPad Precision Keyboards. Plus it includes Windows 8 function keys. The keyboard pairs with your PC through Near Field Communication (NFC). No more changing batteries inside the keyboard as this keyboard features an integrated battery with more than one month battery life and simple micro USB charging. It's the ideal solution to for your ThinkCentre.
|Protect Your ThinkCentre PC With Lenovo Services
Why Lenovo Services?
24/7 Access to Advanced Technicians
On-Site Convenience and Extended Protection
Ultimate Data Security
Lenovo has won hundreds of international awards for our forward-thinking designs.SEE MORE REASONS


text:
im a new mom
my 2.5 month old was born at 38 weeks weighing 6p 8oz, she is now 14p 6oz.
she is exclusively breastfed, healthy, strong, happy, active and lean and has grown afew inches........but, is she gaining too quickly, should i be concerned?
also around when does their weight gain tend to level off?
i would appreciate any thoughts


text:
Intel® SSD Partition Alignment for Max Performance, Endurance
This guide provides a technical overview of partition alignment on an individual Intel® Solid-State Drive (SSD).
The audience is any user of Intel SSDs, specifically Enterprise-level system administrators and engineers.
There is a great deal of information on the Internet regarding partition alignment on SSDs. This brief will attempt to address some of that information and explain the importance of alignment on Intel SSDs in order to achieve maximum performance and longest life from a drive. Misalignment can negatively impact the performance of Intel's consistently amazing data center Family of SSDs. This brief will describe the procedures for checking the alignment of partitions under the Windows Operating System (OS) and the Linux* family of OS's. It will also explain the procedure to re-align a partition using standard tools. By following these steps, an SSD can attain the speed, endurance, and consistency of performance it was designed to produce.
Read the full Intel® SSD Partition Alignment for Max Performance, Endurance Tech Brief.