text:
Micro-tuning is a term often used to mean speeding up small sections of code out of context, by profiling and analyzing that code and using some of the many techniques available to make code run faster.
In contrast, macro-tuning looks at the program in context, and tries to improve performance by altering the algorithms, data structures, or interactions between components or subsystems. There is not always a clear-cut distinction between these tuning methodologies; micro-tuning is often a part of macro-tuning and the alteration of algorithms and data structures is also a normal part of micro-tuning. In this article, I will step through micro-tuning a short method, using some standard techniques.
A colleague of mine recently reminded me about an old discussion in one of the performance forums. The originator of the discussion was talking about a comparison between two programs with the same functionality, one written in C and one in Java. The full program was never given, but one function was provided:
public boolean checkInteger(String testInteger)
Integer theInteger = new Integer(testInteger);//fails if not a number
(theInteger.toString() != "") && //not empty
(theInteger.intValue() > 10) && //greater than ten
((theInteger.intValue() >= 2) &&
(theInteger.intValue() <= 100000)) && //2>=X<=100000
(theInteger.toString().charAt(0) == '3'); //first digit is 3
catch (NumberFormatException err)
return false;
This function checks that a given string:
NumberFormatException exception gets thrown and caught, and the catch block returns
It looks like a silly test, and the implementation is clearly a naive port into Java. Nevertheless, my colleague wondered just how much it could be optimized. Optimizing this test is an interesting exercise. Anyone who has done even a small amount of performance tuning in Java will immediately see several huge optimizations they could apply. However, I'm going to proceed as if I can't immediately see any potential optimizations, and work out what I can do to speed up the method. Those of you who like a challenge might like to, before proceeding with the article, write down the optimizations you expect will get applied, and see if you are proved right by the end of the article.
The actual optimizations applied are quite dependent on the data. The data for the test was never discussed, so I'll use several data sets, to give you an idea of how performance is dependent on data. I'll use one data set with numbers that would only return
true from the method, a second data set with numbers that would return
true and
false equally often, and a third data set that includes non-number elements.
Micro-tuning should always start with a baseline measurement. The most basic tool in the tuner's armory is the
System.currentTimeMillis() method, which returns the current time in milliseconds, as a long data item. This method returns the time offset from some starting time, but we don't actually care what that starting time is because we will use the
currentTimeMillis() method to measure a time difference, the elapsed time between the start and end of our test:
long time = System.currentTimeMillis();
time = System.currentTimeMillis() - time;
"The time taken to execute the checkInteger method was "
+ time + " milliseconds");
For more on this topic, see the author's Web site, JavaPerformanceTuning.com.
When executed, this measurement says that the method took zero milliseconds. The method runs fast enough that the resolution of the timer we have available is not fine enough to give a reliable or useful measurement. In practice, the method must have been previously identified as a bottleneck in the application (presumably because it is called very often), otherwise there would be no further need to tune the method.
For our micro-tuning exercise to proceed, we will need to repeat the test a sufficient number of times to make it measurable. It is important that the repeated measurement is representative of how the method is used in the application, i.e., that the data used to repeatedly test the method represents the data used in the application. Many methods execute at different speeds depending on the data passed to them, and our method is one such method. Obviously, that is not clear from the first measurement above. But we can see that, for example, the method first converts a string into an integer and the time taken for that task will inevitably depend on the number of characters in the string. Any general-purpose conversion algorithm should be faster converting string "1" into the integer 1, than converting the string "789123456" into the integer 789123456, because of the number of characters that need to be iterated over. Our method also has other speed variations that depend on the data; for example, different integers will cause different numbers of tests to be performed by the method.
Related Reading
Java Performance Tuning
To give a concrete example, if we repeat the test a number of times using the string "1" and again using the string "30298," the latter test takes twice as long as the former.
time = System.currentTimeMillis();
for (int j = 0; j < REPEAT; j++)
checkInteger("1"); //comment out one
// checkInteger("30298"); //or the other
time = System.currentTimeMillis() - time;
System.out.println("checkInteger() " + REPEAT_1 +
" times: " + time);
As we discussed earlier, I'll use three data sets to obtain our baseline:
When taking measurements, I like to repeat test runs three times and take average results. I usually make the repeat factor in the individual looped tests high enough so that I'm measuring at least a few seconds. I also make sure that there are no other significant processes running on the computer, and that I leave the test in the foreground the whole time it is running. These steps minimize the possibility that CPU time will be allocated to anything other than the test while it is running, making the test results more consistent. In addition, I personally prefer to use normalized results: I divide all result measurements by the first result and multiply by 100 to give a percentage result. Naturally, this means that the first result is always 100%. My baseline results are shown in Table 1 (all tests were run with SDK 1.4.0 JVM in server mode).
Table 1: Baseline measurements
|Dataset 1
|Dataset 2
|Dataset 3
As well as giving us a baseline, these measurements immediately produce something interesting: the Dataset 3 result is much larger than the other two results. We'll follow up on this point shortly. Baseline measurements normally show some useful information, if only to provide the average execution time for one call to the method. That average, multiplied by the number of iterations you expect to execute when running the application for real, gives you an idea of how expensive the method currently is. For example, if a million iterations take one second, and you expect 100,000 calls to the method every second at peak application usage, then this one method already takes one tenth of the time available to execute the method and all other methods. This may provide sufficient performance, or it may be a serious bottleneck, depending on the application.
We now have three routes we can follow in proceeding with the micro-tuning:
These three routes are generic; micro-tuning generally has these options, though any one option may become unavailable when the code becomes more efficient. Usually, some of the options are easier to proceed with than others, but for this article it is instructive to look at all three.
The baseline measurement shows that using Dataset 3 required a much longer time to execute than using the other two datasets. The major difference in this dataset is the existence of strings that do not hold valid numbers. We can easily follow the logic for this case: the method tries to create an Integer object by parsing the string using the
Integer constructor. In cases where the string is not a number, the constructor throws a
NumberFormatException. This is caught in our catch block, and
false is returned. So it seems that this procedure is extremely expensive.
In fact, it is fairly well known that creating an exception is an expensive procedure. The actual cost comes from filling out the stack trace that the exception holds, and even though we never care about the stack trace in this method, we cannot avoid its cost. We can, however, avoid the exception completely by checking that we have a valid number before creating the Integer. This is simply done by checking all of the characters to make sure they are all digits:
for (int i = 0; i < testInteger.length(); i++)
if (!Character.isDigit(testInteger.charAt(i)))
return false;
Note that negative numbers will return
false using this loop, but that is acceptable, since the method in any case always returns
false when passed a negative number. Re-running our test with this code added to the beginning of the method produces the results listed in Table 2.
Table 2: After adding the looped digit test
|Dataset 1
|Dataset 2
|Dataset 3
|With looped digit test
So we've improved the test using Dataset 3 to be faster than the tests using both the other datasets, in line with what we expected. The test using Dataset 2 is also improved, which I didn't expect.
Let's look at the algorithm for any inefficiencies. The algorithm has one obvious redundancy: we check that the integer is greater than 10 and, if it is, we subsequently check that it is greater than or equal to 2.
(theInteger.intValue() > 10) && ((theInteger.intValue() >= 2)
Clearly, we can dispense with the second test completely. If the first (>10) test fails, then the following (>=2) will not be executed, since we are using the shortcut Boolean
AND operator (
&&), which only executes its right-hand side if the left-hand side is true. If the "greater than 10" test succeeds, then we know definitely that the "greater than or equal to 2" test will succeed.
Are there further inefficiencies? Let's go line-by-line. For convenience, here's the full function again.
1 public boolean checkInteger(String testInteger)
2 {
3 try
4 {
5 Integer theInteger = new Integer(testInteger);//fails if not a number
6 return
7 (theInteger.toString() != "") && //not empty
8 (theInteger.intValue() > 10) && //greater than ten
9 ((theInteger.intValue() >= 2) &&
10 (theInteger.intValue() <= 100000)) && //2>=X<=100000
11 (theInteger.toString().charAt(0) == '3'); //first digit is 3
12 }
13 catch (NumberFormatException err)
14 {
15 return false;
16 }
First we create an
Integer (5). Then we test for an empty string (7). But on checking the
Integer class, an empty string is an invalid number for the
Integer constructor, so if we do have an empty string, this test will never be executed. If an empty string is passed to the method, the
Integer constructor will throw an exception and the catch block will be immediately activated. So we should either eliminate the empty string test, or move it before the
Integer creation. It's highly likely that a simple empty string test is faster than the
Integer creation procedure, so we should move the test to before the
Integer creation. (Note that the test was, in any case, incorrect in using the identity operator
!= rather than the
equals() method, and I'll correct that here.)
Moving on, the "greater than 10" test (8) is necessary, and we've already eliminated the "greater than or equal to 2" test (9). The "less than or equal to 100000" (10) is necessary, and the test for the first digit being 3 (11) is necessary.
If the first digit is 3, however, the smallest possible valid number is 30 (since the number must be greater than 10); thus the "greater than 10" test should become a "greater than 29" test. Similarly, the largest number possible up to 100000, that starts with a 3, is 39999, so the "less than or equal to 100000" test should become "less than 40000."
Finally, the test for the first digit being 3 is surely simpler to execute than creating the
Integer. To create the
Integer, the minimum that would need to be executed would be to check that every character is a digit. So it makes sense to move the "first digit being 3" test to before the creation of the
public boolean checkInteger(String testInteger)
if (testInteger.equals("")) return false;
if (testInteger.charAt(0) != '3') return false;
Integer theInteger = new Integer(testInteger);//fails if not a number
(theInteger.intValue() > 29) &&
(theInteger.intValue() <= 40000);
catch (NumberFormatException err)
return false;
Re-running our test using this code produces the results listed in Table 3.
Table 3: After restructuring the algorithm
|Dataset 1
|Dataset 2
|Dataset 3
|Restructured algorithm
There are a large number of commercial, shareware, and open source profilers available, including several that come with the Sun SDK (with version 1.4 I've seen
-Xaprof, and
-Xhprof). A list of profilers is available.
I won't cover how to use any particular profiler in this article. Each profiler has its own documentation, and the Sun profilers are documented in my book, Java Performance Tuning. Ideally, you should use a profiler that can take a snapshot of the test loop itself, and not include all of the setup for the test in the profile. If you use a profiler that can't take snapshots, (e.g., the SDK profilers), you should ensure that the test loop takes significantly longer than the time to set up the test (e.g., loading the data sets), so that the profile is dominated by the test loop.
Applying a profiler to the original test shows that for Dataset 1 and Dataset 2, the largest amount of time taken by the test -- more than a third of the time -- is in creating strings in the
Integer.toString() method. For Dataset 3, the largest amount of time is spent in creating exceptions, taking some two-thirds of the runtime.
In fact, the
toString() calls are completely redundant since we have the integer in string format already available as the argument to the method, and we can avoid creating the exception by testing for non-digits in the string (as explained in the earlier "Dataset 3" section). Making these changes gives us the following method:
public boolean checkInteger(String testInteger)
for (int i = 0; i < testInteger.length(); i++)
if (!Character.isDigit(testInteger.charAt(i)))
return false;
Integer theInteger = new Integer(testInteger);//fails if not a number
(testInteger != "") && //not empty
(theInteger.intValue() > 10) && //greater than ten
((theInteger.intValue() >= 2) &&
(theInteger.intValue() <= 100000)) && //2>=X<=100000
(testInteger.charAt(0) == '3'); //first digit is 3
catch (NumberFormatException err)
return false;
Re-running our test using this code produces the results listed in Table 4.
Table 4: After eliminating
|Dataset 1
|Dataset 2
|Dataset 3
toString() calls
Comparing Table 4 with the measurements from the restructured algorithm in Table 3, we can see that most of the speedup from restructuring the algorithm actually came from eliminating the
toString() calls. That is one of the advantages of profiling: the actual bottlenecks are determined, rather than having to guess at possible speedups.
Tuning is an iterative process. You normally find one bottleneck, make changes that improve performance, test those changes, and then start again. In the last section, we independently applied three different methodologies for eliminating bottlenecks from the application. The second methodology, analyzing the algorithm, produced the best result. This is quite typical. Algorithm changes usually provide the best speedup. Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to analyze an algorithm and determine what approach provides the same functionality and is generically faster, i.e., faster in every applicable case. Algorithm analysis can provide the best speedup, but is the most difficult tuning methodology to apply.
The first methodology we tried, examining the code for the causes of the differences in speed between two variations of test runs (which in our case was caused by different input parameters), is not as difficult as full algorithm analysis. (Note that this methodology is not restricted to analyzing speed with different data sets; you can also use it to analyze small variations in code that produce different speeds). This methodology is very useful in reducing unexpected speed variations in applications. The difficulty comes more in developing the alternative tests than in analyzing the results for the differences. Had I not tested for non-numeric strings as parameters, there would have been no useful analysis possible.
The last methodology we tried, profiling, is the easiest to use. Profiling is the "brute force" methodology. You can always turn to it in the absence of any alternative, and it almost always provides something that can be speeded up. The law of diminishing returns kicks in after a while, however, leaving you with bottlenecks that are not worth speeding up, because the potential speedup is too small for the effort required.
Our three methodologies in the last section gave us three different changes. The last, the profile-suggested changes, were completely subsumed by the changes obtained using the other two methodologies. The method resulting from algorithm analysis is almost complete on its own, as it handles most non-numeric strings efficiently. Unfortunately, it doesn't handle cases where a non-numeric string like "3xyz" is passed as a parameter, so we also need the looped digit test. (I didn't include any non-numeric strings starting with "3" in the test data, so the effect did not show up in the tests). Combining the two improvements efficiently requires that I move the first two tests before the looped digit test and, since we've now already tested the first character, the subsequent loop only needs to start at the second character of the string:
public boolean checkInteger(String testInteger)
if (testInteger.equals("")) return false;
if (testInteger.charAt(0) != '3') return false;
for (int i = 1; i < testInteger.length(); i++)
if (!Character.isDigit(testInteger.charAt(i)))
return false;
Integer theInteger = new Integer(testInteger);//fails if not a number
(theInteger.intValue() > 29) &&
(theInteger.intValue() <= 40000);
catch (NumberFormatException err)
return false;
Re-running our test using this code produces the results in Table 5, which summarizes all measurements to this point.
Table 5: Combining the first round tunes
|Dataset 1
|Dataset 2
|Dataset 3
|With looped digit test
|Restructured algorithm
toString() calls
|Restructured algorithm with looped digit test
Table 5 seems to show that we are now worse off than simply using the code that eliminated the
toString() calls! But that code didn't correctly handle the empty string case, which would throw an exception. Moving the empty string case to the top of the method and using the
equals() method takes us back to preferring our most recent code.
Now on with the tuning. Algorithm analysis is no longer useful, as we've already fully analyzed the algorithm, and the variations between the tests using different data sets can be explained by the different number of Boolean tests that are executed, depending on the different types of string parameters passed to the method. So we proceed with profiling. Profiling the latest version of the method indicates that the next bottleneck is the
Integer creation, specifically in parsing the string to create the numeric value. For our method, the parse is actually very simple, and we may be incurring the overkill cost of using the more generic algorithm that
Integer must have. In fact, we are already parsing the string once, to make sure that the characters are all digits. It is quite a small step to change the looped digit test to add in the extra code that extracts the integer value:
//The character for digit 0 is (char) 48, etc.
int val = testInteger.charAt(0) - 48;
for (int i = 1; i < testInteger.length(); i++)
if (Character.isDigit(testInteger.charAt(i)))
val = (val*10) + testInteger.charAt(i) - 48;
return false;
And we will obviously change the
Integer creation method to use the
int value rather than the
String. The test measurements produce the best results so far, as shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Adding number parsing
|Dataset 1
|Dataset 2
|Dataset 3
|With looped digit test
|Restructured algorithm
toString() calls
|Restructured algorithm with looped digit test
|As last, with number parsing
The next profile, using the latest version of the method, shows that
Character.isDigit() takes the most significant time, followed by
String.equals() and garbage collection. The latest JVM (1.4.0) has possibly the most efficient garbage collection mechanisms of the JVMs released so far. Earlier JVM versions would have probably indicated garbage collection as being a bottleneck much earlier in tuning. My inclination would be to leave
Character.isDigit() alone, since it should already be a simple test in the
Character class, and it is a
static method, so if it can be inlined efficiently the JIT compiler should manage it.
String.equals() method is overkill to test for an empty string. It is quicker to test if the length of the string is 0. And the garbage objects being reclaimed are all of those
Integer objects we are generating each time through the method. We don't even need the
Integer objects now, since we are parsing the string directly and have the
int value. So we can change our method to:
public boolean checkInteger(String testInteger)
if (testInteger.length() == 0) return false;
if (testInteger.charAt(0) != '3') return false;
//The character for digit 0 is (char) 48, etc.
int val = testInteger.charAt(0) - 48;
for (int i = 1; i < testInteger.length(); i++)
if (Character.isDigit(testInteger.charAt(i)))
val = (val*10) + testInteger.charAt(i) - 48;
return false;
(val > 29) &&
(val <= 40000);
Table 7: The final version
|Dataset 1
|Dataset 2
|Dataset 3
|With looped digit test
|Restructured algorithm
toString() calls
|Restructured algorithm with looped digit test
|As last, with number parsing
|Final version
The measured times for all of the tests are listed in Table 7. Hands up: who predicted these or equivalent optimizations in the challenge at the beginning of the article? Well done if you did; I didn't. The
equals() method turning up as a bottleneck came as a complete surprise to me.
Related Reading
Java Performance Tuning
I've labeled Table 7 as "the final version." Why am I stopping now? Why don't I carry on profiling, looking for more speedups? No reason at all. In fact I should carry on, because I have set no target speed to reach. This is crucial to all forms of tuning: with no target, tuning can carry on for much longer than is needed. I could carry on until the profile shows nothing except the
checkInteger() method itself. Then I could re-analyze the code, try different datasets, search for literature which may suggest further speedups, analyze the bytecode to see if it is the most efficient, analyze the generated native machine code on several platforms to see if it could be improved, look at why the method is being called to possibly eliminate the method completely. (Now that would terminate the tuning!). Always set a target before starting tuning, so that you know when to stop.
The procedure I've followed in this article is one that you can copy for any micro-tuning exercise. The difficulties often come more from trying to create reliable measurements and useful datasets, and in interpreting profile results, than in the step-by-step flow of micro-tuning. In macro-tuning, there is an extra step in each round, to determine which method or area of the application is the current bottleneck. Macro-tuning can lead you to focus on a different method in each round of tuning, rather than repeatedly attacking one method. To help you with your own tuning, here is a summary of the steps suggested by this article.
Jack Shirazi is the author of Java Performance Tuning. He was an early adopter of Java, and for the last few years has consulted mainly for the financial sector, focusing on Java performance.
Read more Java Design and Performance Optimization columns.
Return to ONJava.com.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


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text:
Can An Algorithm Discover The Key To Laughter?
Along with decent finances, it takes a lot of talent and practice to play in an orchestra. The same goes for being able to make people laugh. And even some of the most brilliant comedians can have a hard time of it. Let's listen to the usually great Johnny Carson in one of his not-so-great moments on the "Tonight Show."
JOHNNY CARSON: You know, kids, I tell you, are very fickle. Today at Zody's, I saw a nine-year-old step on a Smurf's head to get to a Cabbage Patch Doll. I mean, how quickly it changes. How quickly you change. How quickly we all change.
INSKEEP: Carson's sidekick, Ed McMahon, had to laugh at that, but nobody else was required. Not knowing how a joke will go over is part of the exhilaration of being a comic. But imagine if comedians could get it right every time. Some Web-based startups are trying to figure out the algorithm for funny. Alex Schmidt reports.
ALEX SCHMIDT, BYLINE: Peter McGraw, director of the Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, is not fooling around.
PETER MCGRAW: This is not a place that has shelves and shelves of rubber chickens and whoopee cushions.
SCHMIDT: Actually, the lab is one of the first mainstream psychological attempts to study people's reactions to humor and how they can be used in the real world - in public service announcements, for example. McGraw says humor is notoriously tough to study.
MCGRAW: It's pretty easy to make people sad. But when it comes to humor, what one person finds funny, another person is offended, and yet another person is bored by it. And so to conduct this research really broadly ends up being difficult.
SCHMIDT: McGraw thinks figuring out the key to laughter could be used in the business world. He's advising a new startup called Laffster.
DANIEL ALTMANN: Log onto the app. It's showing you how to vote here.
SCHMIDT: I'm going to click through the directions. I'm testing the most recent Laffster mobile app with CEO Daniel Altmann. Kind of like Pandora recommends music or Netflix recommends movies, Laffster recommends comedy. The first video I click in the app is Joe Biden's appearance on the TV show "Parks and Rec."
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: And you must be Leslie Knope. Welcome. Welcome.
(Soundbite of Laughter)
AMY POEHLER: (as Leslie Knope) My name just came out of your mouth.
SCHMIDT: I thought the clip was pretty funny, so I gave it a thumbs-up. Videos are defined by attributes, like sarcastic, demeaning, subtle or dirty. By noticing what I like, Laffster tries to recommend more movies, keep me laughing and keep me watching. Daniel Altmann wants to license out the technology, too.
ALTMANN: Can someone else plug in the Laffster technology and drive three times the amount of videos, three times the amount of ads watched and ultimately drive revenue? Because they're coming there, and they're interacting. They're engaging.
SCHMIDT: Other startups are trying to harness humor differently. Julia Kamin is founder of dating website Make Each Other Laugh, currently in beta. If two people on her site laugh at the same stuff, her software will send them on a date. There will be no joke categories or analysis at all. In fact, she doesn't want to understand the magic of why two people click through humor.
JULIA KAMIN: One of the things that gives us excitement in life is that there are things that are always going to be elusive, no matter how much we're able to crunch data.
SCHMIDT: Kamin quoted author E.B. White, who famously said that analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog: The frog dies, and who cares about its insides? Humor researcher Peter McGraw draws a different conclusion.
MCGRAW: I like to say that if frogs are like jokes, there's a lot of sick frogs out there.
SCHMIDT: And, McGraw says, if by dissecting frogs we can improve humor, then by all means, pass the scalpel. For NPR News, I'm Alex Schmidt. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.


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text:
Diet And Fitness
- Gym vs. at-home workouts
- 10 affordable ways to treat yourself
- Lose weight, raise heat with sexy exercises
- Calories: to count or not to count?
- 5 ways to exercise without even trying
- Learn how to lose 5 pounds fast
- Good food that costs less than $1
- 5 diet busters that will keep you fat
- 5 fad diets that stink
- Best and worst cities for men
- Dare to try these 5 bizarre beauty rituals?
- Men's health checklist
- Are you drinking too much caffeine?
- 10 vices that are good for you
- 10 foods you shouldn't feed your kids
- Cities with the best/worst eating habits
- 13 Trends in 2013
- Five 'healthy' foods that may not be
- 5 ways your job is harmful to your health
- Launching a business online? Keep it simple
- 5 reasons you shouldn't Facebook your boss
- 5 ways to spot an annoying co-worker
- What not to wear to work
- Encore careers give new life to baby boomers
- What you wear may affect your career climb
- Million-dollar ideas that worked
- Sites let job-seekers build resumes online
- Save money at the grocery store
- How much do winter sports cost?
- 23 ways your laziness is costing you money
- International travel destination: Cape Town, South Africa
- International travel destination: Guilin, China
- International travel destination: Ecuador
- International travel destination: India
- 5 stupid financial mistakes people make
- Cut grocery bills with these 15 tips


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Elk Camp opened this season at the terminus of the Elk Camp Gondola. The $13 million space is LEED certified and exceeds local building codes, saving up to 30 percent more energy. Beautiful planked walnut ceiling tiles and wall drawings by David Muller inspired by the musical preferences of Aspen Ski Co. employees adorn the inside of the building.
Photo courtesy of Aspen Snowmass/Jeremy Swanson.


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Search results for 'phone mount'
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Quickly strap your Hitcase to handlebars, tubes, poles and more in seconds with this easy to use mount. 360° pivoting and 180° tilt allows for optimal positioning. The zip ties provide an easy to use and super strong attachment that grips to almost any tube with the rubber base.Learn More
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The Hitcase TiltR mount contains the heart of the Hitcase mounting system, the patent pending Railslide quick mount. Simply slide the Hitcase into the Railslide, listen for the click and you'll know your iPhone is safely locked in place. To remove, simply squeeze and slide out. It's the easiest to use iPhone case mounting system.Learn More


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Knicks already not covering the 3-ball. I've counted 5 magic open 3's so far. Eventually they're gonna fall and we're gonna fall behind.
Great Thread....everyone were to frighten to put up a Knicks -vs- D.Howard Magics
Game-Thread after the embarrassment Durants OKC put on the Knicks Staturday.
Its all good....
The Magics coach SVG will play games with Dantoni by having a 3-Ball Shoot out contest....but we all know D.Howard & Big-Baby is not shooting any 3's.
Knicks already not covering the 3-ball. I've counted 5 magic open 3's so far. Eventually they're gonna fall and we're gonna fall behind.
Knicks getting some lucky ref calls...
Why was Howard called for a tech?
so far not overly impressed with the energy level of our guys. chandler has been standing still in the paint, Amar'e just got boxed out on the defenseive board, even tho he caught it on a lucky bounce. Shump is getting out muscled by anderson.
They need to step it up on both ends of the court. Amar'e needs his touches WAY closer to the basket.
OMG, what a afwul audio by MSG, you can't even hear the ball swishing through the net or bouncing off the basket...
BTW, can someone tell me why they pass the ball to Amare miles from the basket?
Fields needs to guard the baseline... He's always late getting back.
Damn I didn't know we were playing this early. I almost missed this game! We're going to have to control the Magic's three point shooting if we want to win this. Especially Jameer Nelson, he has lighted us up before.
D'Antoni needs to pull out Amare when he sees him playing D with his hands.
Fields can't even guard J.J Reddick
Damn Landry you can't keep letting Redick wide open for threes!
I wonder if Bibby or TD will come off the bench first.
If you double or triple team Howard there will always be enough space for an other Magic guy...


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History of the Peace Corps in Tonga
|History of the Peace Corps
|Since 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries, more than 182,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 138 countries all over the globe.
See also:
The Peace Corps has a rich and extensive history in the Kingdom of Tonga. Volunteers first arrived in October 1967 at the invitation of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. The initial group consisted of only 39 trainees; by the end of that first year, there were more than 400 Volunteers and trainees in Tonga. Since then, more than 1,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Tonga, primarily as teachers. However, Peace Corps programming in Tonga has also included work in fisheries, agriculture, physical therapy, architecture, health, marine biology, water resources, cooperatives, business, construction, environment, and youth.
Today, approximately 50 Volunteers are serving in Tonga. Current Volunteers are working in the community micro-enterprise development and community education projects. Both incorporate elements from previous programs and future Volunteers will build upon the foundations established by several generations of Volunteers in Tonga.
The community education project focuses on both formal and nonformal education at the village level. Most Volunteers serve in the communities with the greatest needs in Tonga, including remote outer islands and the smaller villages on the main island of Tongatapu. Volunteers divide their time roughly equally between their formal work as enrichment teachers in the classroom and their nonformal education activities at the community level. This approach helps establish schools as centers for community education and development throughout the kingdom.
In the schools, most education Volunteers serve as enrichment teachers for English as a second language (ESL) at the elementary and secondary school levels. Volunteers work closely with a Tongan counterpart teacher to develop, enhance, and enrich the English language instruction at all grade levels in their schools. Volunteers also help to develop resources, including library and computer resources, and increase the links between schools and communities. Many Volunteers are involved in creating and implementing community classes in the information technology (IT) and English fields. They are involved in a range of extracurricular activities including arts, music, physical education, sports leagues, and student clubs.
Outside the classroom, education Volunteers work closely with a wide range of community organizations including youth groups, women's groups, church groups, and others. Using nonformal education techniques appropriate for adult audiences, Volunteers focus especially on environmental and health education. Volunteers promote appropriate solid waste management, recycling, integrated coastal management, and ecotourism development. The most important health education issues in Tonga are related to preventing noncommunicable diseases. To that end, Volunteers have created exercise programs and developed nutrition workshops and activities with community groups and through the formal school setting.
The community micro-enterprise development project is designed to meet the pressing needs of income-generating employment and capacity building for economic growth throughout the kingdom. Micro-enterprise Volunteers advise and motivate potential business entrepreneurs and provide training for youth, women, and communities throughout the kingdom. They work through programs provided by the Tonga Development Bank; the Ministry of Labor, Commerce, Industries and Tourism; and the Tonga National Youth Congress. Volunteers work with local counterparts and clients to develop appropriate training programs and provide effective advice on financial and managerial topics, marketing techniques, skills development, and motivation to those who are interested in starting a business or participating in income-generating activities.
Micro-enterprise Volunteers work in a variety of business fields, including solid-waste management, recycling, sports, ecotourism, and farm and small-scale agribusiness management. Many of these business activities complement community education project activities.
All Volunteers regardless of sector work at their sites and in their villages on disaster preparedness, mitigation, and assessment activities. They work with their schools, town officers, and town councils to ensure that their communities are prepared for any disasters that might occur.


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Italian donor gives UW-Green Bay bust of da Vinci
Donor found out about UWGB through exchange students
A philanthropist in Italy has donated a quarter-ton bust of Leonardo da Vinci to the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
A WBAY-TV report said the donor was aware of the Green Bay school because five groups of students have traveled to Florence, Italy, in the past 10 years.
The white bust shows da Vinci and his long flowing beard. It was created last year in Italy and shipped to Wisconsin. It's still in its crate as university officials try to figure out where it will go on campus.
Officials are planning to formally unveil the statue in August.
Sarah Meredith Livingston teaches music at the campus. She called the bust "breathtaking" and said she's excited the campus can share it with the community.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/225017
- Title
- Angular momentum transfer in dark matter halos: erasing the cusp
- Author(s)
- Tonini, C.; Lapi, A.; Salucci, P.
- Abstract
- We propose that angular momentum transfer from the baryons to the dark matter (DM) during the early stages of galaxy formation can flatten the halo inner density profile and modify the halo dynamics. We compute the phase-space distribution function of DM halos that corresponds to the density and anisotropy profiles obtained from N-body simulations in the concordance cosmology. We then describe an injection of angular momentum into the halo by modifying the distribution function and show that the system evolves into a new equilibrium configuration; the latter features a constant central density and a tangentially dominated anisotropy profile in the inner regions, while the structure is nearly unchanged beyond 10% of the virial radius. Then we propose a toy model to account for such a halo evolution, based on the angular momentum exchange due to dynamical friction; at the epoch of galaxy formation this is efficiently exerted by the DM onto the gas clouds spiralling down the potential well. The comparison between the angular momentum profile gained by the halo through dynamical friction and that provided by the perturbed distribution function reveals a surprising similarity, hinting at the reliability of the process.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 649, no. 2 (Oct 2006), pp. 591-598
- Publication year
- 2006
- FOR Code(s)
- 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences; 0305 Organic Chemistry; 0306 Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural)
- Keyword(s)
- Dark matter; Galactic structure; Galaxies; Galaxy formation; Galaxy kinematics and dynamics; Halos
- Publisher
- Institute of Physics Publishing
- 2041-8205
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2006 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. The American Astronomical Society does not allow Swinburne Research Bank to archive either the accepted manuscript or the published version of the article. However you can find an earlier version of the full text here: http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0603051
- Peer reviewed


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By Jesse Wolfersberger
After bouncing third-seeded Shiprock 55-43 in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament on Tuesday, the sixth-seeded Santa Fe Indian School will meet Portales in the tourney for the second straight year.
Last season, the two schools met in the Class 3A title game, the Lady Braves coming out on top 42-37. The teams play for the first time since last season at 8 a.m. today at The Pit in Albuquerque.
"When you get into games like this, there is only one thing you need," Indian School coach John Abeyta said. "And that's a lot of heart. If you have the heart and you don't want to lose, you won't lose.
"Portales is a very strong team. We had a good game with them last year, but the one thing I can say about the girls here in my lockerroom is they've got a lot of heart."
Santa Fe Indian (23-5) lost no starters from last year's championship team, the Lady Rams (22-6) return all but one.
Portales coach Brenda Gomez said desire is a factor, but not to count out her team in that category.
"Well see," she said. "(Heart) is definitely will be an issue. Who wants it more. We just have to come out and play. We'll see."
The Lady Braves took the title last season as the eighth seed. Despite returning all five starters, they received the sixth seed in this year's tournament, where they again look to upset the tourney's favorites.
"It's not that we like (being the underdogs) it's that's what they give us," Abeyta said. "That just motivates (the players) even more, to prove that we're no fluke and we deserve to be here.
"We're two spots higher than last year, so we're getting better," Abeyta laughed.
In Santa Fe Indian's win on Tuesday, thousands of Lady Braves fans rooted the team on, a scene Portales experienced first hand in last year's title game.
"Last year was the first time we'd met that kind of situation, that kind of environment," Gomez said. "But it's not a factor anymore. As long as we don't pay attention to it and the officials don't pay attention to it."
The Lady Braves coach said his team's following is key to the team's success.
"We have a great fan base," Abeyta said. "And when we go out and play, that's who we play for. This is built on tradition from the younger teams that went to state. When we won it last year — they won it. And this ride that we're taking right now — they're on it with us."
Abeyta said he thinks the crowd factor will be difference maker again this year, even though they play in the first game on today's schedule.
"It's going to be more (of a factor)," he said. "At 8 a.m. you will see our people here. You know what, Portales is big, they're strong, and they want us, but you know what, we want them back.
"Heart isn't determined by height," Abeyta said. "And as our saying goes, 'We are the Lady Braves and we bow down to no one.'"
In the Class 1A girls tournament, Elida (25-2) downed Des Moines 39-38 in the quarterfinals. They meet top-seeded Tatum (29-1) in the semifinals at 3:15 today.


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The controversy over using cable snares is pitting animal advocates and pet owners against conservationists, and farmers.
The controversy over using cable snares is pitting animal advocates and pet owners against conservationists, and farmers.
Meet Mamalu, a Kalihi Valley dog who lost her front leg to a pig snare about than a year ago.
?It was devastating for us as a family not knowing where she was for six days and wondering if she was okay,? said owner Puni Freitas.
Mamalu had chewed her own leg off to get free, and then hobbled her way home.
?Knowing it was a snare that had done that, we were really upset that there are people who are leaving them and not checking them,? Freitas said.
Freitas who lives deep in the valley, didn?t realize what happened to her pet was something that animal advocates had been battling over for years. The Humane Society of the United States has been working to get a law passed requiring that those who set traps properly mark them and check them once every 24 hours. It is now against the law to use of snares on public property, or private property without permission of the landowner.
?Without a requirement that these devices have identification, it is virtually impossible to hold anyone accountable,? said Inga Gibson of the Hawaii chapter.
Conservation groups who use snares as a tool to help protect native ecosystems are against the idea.
?A requirement to check snares on a daily basis in a remote native forest is not practically feasible,? said Mark Fox of the Hawaii Nature Conservancy.
Conservationists, along with farmers see the need the need to protect crops and native species from the damaging wild pig population. Their rooting for food has caused serious erosion in the forest. Proponents of stricter laws believe the problem of trapping non-target animals is a bigger problem than people realize. Gibson said a Big Island cat recently lost its front leg in a trap, and more than a year ago, a wallaby, which is a protected species, was found in a trap near the Pali Highway.
?The wallaby was taken to the Honolulu zoo and was subsequently euthanized due to the extent of his injuries," Gibson said.
And there are other stories of dogs on the prowl for pigs who have been injured as well.
?A lot of the complaints we receive are from hunters,? said Gibson. A windward Oahu veterinarian said she recently treated two such dogs for injuries they sustained in a snare.
?Most of the pig hunters in this valley don't support snares. It is dangerous for our dogs and kids who still have the opportunity to run in the mountains,? said Freitas.
These days, with just three legs and a resilient spirit, Mamalu is back on the job at Kokua Kalihi Valley Health Center and Nature Park, keeping the rats and pigs away.


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Here's what I have on the conference for 2010:
The KY/TN Area Conference is April 17 - 18 at St. David's Episcopal
Church in Nashville, TN. Lodging will be at the Residence Inn in
Brentwood. Cost for the conference is $35 for Leaders, $45 for LLL
members, and $55 for general public; spouse/caregivers are $10. This registration fee includes lunch, catered by Jason's Deli. The conference hotel is The Residence Inn, Brentwood. Suite style rooms are only $84/night.
We have planned a full day of great sessions for parents on April 17.
We are lucky to have Marie Beam, EUS Administrator for Leader
Accreditation Department, as our keynote speaker. Marie will also be
presenting some sessions throughout the conference. Other speakers
include API co-founder, Barbara Nicholson, and Leaders Ardie Keck, Ruth
Jameson, and Anna Childress.
Here is a list of the exciting sessions you can choose from at this
year's Area Conference, April 17, 2010, in Nashville, TN.
Period 1
Baby Wearing
Evolving A Parenting Style
A Time to Wean
Period 2
Natural Family Planning
Breastfeeding the Near Term Infant
Balancing Family Needs
Period 3
Finding your Speaking Voice in Difficult Moments
But He Is Still Breastfeeding: Legal Issues and Breastfeeding
So you Want to Become a La Leche League Leader
Period 4
Living Simply
Fathering 101
Gentle Birth Choices
Period 5
Attached at the Heart
Frugal Family Finances
You will be able to attend FIVE of the above sessions, plus hear a
keynote address over lunch.


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hi everyone! you may have spotted this in "general discussions", but i thought it might be appropriate to have one here as well, because i know that sometimes parents supporting younger children face different issues to adult patients.
the plan is that everyone post their suggestions and then i'll pull it together a bit more neatly.
items falling into the following categories would be gratefully accepted:
1 - preparing at home
2 - clothing and toiletries
3 - home comforts (e.g. things to keep you occupied!)
4 - getting home and getting back to normal
looking forward to hearing your suggestions!


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Aug 29, 2007
Scholarships.com Staff
You will find that, as you go out in search of money to fund your post-secondary
education, a lot of questions are going to surface. Naturally, being that
we are the largest independent and dedicated resource to scholarships and financial
aid on the web, we have a lot of answers. Below, we have a list of some of the most
common questions, along with their answers. If you don't find an answer to your
question below, check out our Scholarship F.A.Q. page.
And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It's that easy!
Share your thoughts and perhaps thousands of students will benefit from your unique insight on the subject!
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For Immediate Release
Friday, June 1, 2007
Illinois State Board of Education working with shelters to get homeless students access to education
Distributing question and answer booklets, working with shelters to educate families and schools on homeless education rights
Springfield, Ill. –The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is working with the state's homeless shelters to eliminate the barriers homeless students face in getting access to public education. ISBE is in the process of distributing approximately 2,000 question and answer booklets this summer to the state's homeless shelters so that they will be able to work with homeless families to enroll their children in public schools this coming fall.
"The State Board has made it very clear that the education of our homeless children is a priority. That's why we are reaching out to social service agencies to make them aware of the educational rights of our state's homeless students," said State Superintendent Christopher Koch. "Regardless of why or where students may be homeless, they have a right to go to school. We're working with these social service agencies so that they know students' rights, and they'll be able to help them be ready to enroll in school this fall."
The Illinois State Board of Education developed the "Illinois Homeless Education Answer Booklet for Shelters," during this past school year in order to educate shelters and schools on the rights of our state's homeless youth. To date, more than 1,900 booklets have been sent to shelters throughout Illinois. By the end of this month, copies of the booklet will be sent to all 273 family homeless shelters in Illinois.
"We need to work together to make sure that any family that wants their children in school or any homeless student that wants to be in school, has an opportunity to get an education," said Mary Kay Bonness, Executive Director of the Good Samaritan House in Granite City, IL. "Building awareness is the start to breaking down barriers and getting our students in school where they belong."
The "Homeless Education Answer Booklet for Shelters" provides information on how to ensure homeless students get enrolled in school, what school they are eligible to attend, their rights to fee waivers and free lunch and breakfast programs, student transportation and other assistance. The booklet also contains information on the rights of unaccompanied youth, those students between the ages of 12-17 years of age who don't live with a parent of guardian.
The Illinois State Board of Education has made training school personnel in compassionately identifying students as homeless a priority. Data collected by local school districts in 2006 indicated approximately 18,000 students in Illinois schools were homeless. However, based upon the most current research methodology, and the 750,000 students who receive free or reduced price lunches, it is estimated that the number is more likely 60,000 homeless students in Illinois.
Additional information on homeless education issues can be accessed at http://homelessed.net or by calling the Illinois State Board of Education Information Hotline at 800-215-6379.


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Pelle Moda's newest sandal is stunning with it's snake embossed leather, soft satin and rhinestone embellished straps. 'Gaia' will accentuate any cocktail dress with fashionista flair.
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The universal languages are music and dance, where notes and steps are always understood, regardless of what corner of the globe one is from. Put that on stage, and youŌĆÖre part of a conversation everyone in the room can see, hear, feel and understand.
The Smoky Mountain News recently sat down with 29-year-old Igor Osipov, a drummer in the Chuvashian State Ensemble, a Russian performance troupe. He spoke of his love of performance, the magic of being onstage, and why festivals like Folkmoot are vital to the preservation of world cultures.
Smoky Mountain News: Why do you like playing drums?
Igor Osipov: IŌĆÖm a musician, I play drums, IŌĆÖve been playing since I was 7 years old. ItŌĆÖs my life. Musically, itŌĆÖs my life. IŌĆÖm happy when I play drums. I like doing it.
SMN: What style of drums do you like?
IO: I studied jazz music in college. [For me], itŌĆÖs New York City, itŌĆÖs jazz ŌĆö itŌĆÖs history. This is the first time weŌĆÖve visited in the United States. ItŌĆÖs very beautiful here. The mountains are green. ItŌĆÖs so good.
SMN: Does your performance group travel a lot?
IO: Our group, weŌĆÖve traveled every year. Last year, we went to Mexico, Switzerland, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Holland. I love traveling. We remember each festival ŌĆö itŌĆÖs special for me, for my friends. ItŌĆÖs all about tradition.
SMN: WhatŌĆÖs it like when youŌĆÖre in the heat of a performance?
IO: Whenever we perform, weŌĆÖre like an organism, a unifying body. Everyone is together and weŌĆÖre giving the audience the picture of what weŌĆÖre trying to show, all together, all unified ŌĆö the singers, the dancers, the musicians.
SMN: What does it mean to you to represent Russia?
IO: ItŌĆÖs a big honor to be able to represent my culture, my country, my region. I have a big respect for other cultures and learning about them, as well as sharing your own [culture]. I love coming to these festivals and meeting new people. IŌĆÖm afraid many cultures are dying away ŌĆö they are being erased from memory. Being able to perform the traditions, weŌĆÖre able to preserve them.
SMN: Why are festivals like Folkmoot important to have?
IO: First of all, I would not have been able to meet you or have this conversation. You meet a lot of people and learn about each of them. ItŌĆÖs about unifying the people of the Earth ŌĆö we are sharing things and connecting with each other.
SMN: Why music? What does it bring out of you?
IO: Every since I was young, music called to my soul. ItŌĆÖs a gift from God. ItŌĆÖs something I love doing. In our group, we are multi-generational. Generation after generation playing together ŌĆö itŌĆÖs something in our soul.
SMN: This is your first time in the United States. What are you looking forward to?
IO: Personally for me, everything is very interesting. I love learning about local foods and people. Being here in Waynesville, IŌĆÖm looking forward to learning about local culture from local people because they know the stories from their grandparents and the local heritage. The festival is such a great place ŌĆö youŌĆÖre learning about each other and coming together.


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Florida's Green Lodging Program had certified 520 hotels as of June. dep.state.fl.us/greenlodging
The 517-room W Fort Lauderdale opened in May with a Sweat workout center, the Living Room lounge, a Bliss Spa, two infinity-edged pools, a poolside bar and grill, a restaurant and 20,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space. (954) 414-8200; starwoodhotels.com
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text:
Do you guys typically warm up your fresh milk that has been stored in the fridge? Or does the baby drink it cold?
Do you guys typically warm up your fresh milk that has been stored in the fridge? Or does the baby drink it cold?
If your baby will drink it cold, I would do it that way. I always feel like rewarming kills off some of the antibacterial properties of the milk. Plus you run the risk of bacteria growing in it if it's warmed and then left to cool again at room temperature. Plus plus, you don't have the dilemma of "baby didn't finish the bottle, fell asleep, what am I going to do with these 2 ounces?!?"
My son started drinking his milk cold by accident at some point - like he was really hungry, and so his daycare teacher just gave him a bottle w/o warming it. He didn't care. My daughter, on the other hand, has so far refused to drink cold milk. She's still young though (3 mos).
Little SW, Aug '09
Miss MW, Jan '11
Sir RW, Oct '12
3 kids in 38 mos
My boys didn't care. I typically warmed it up enough just to take the chill off of it, but there were times when we were out and about and I didn't have the ability to warm it up.
Mom to daughter (8/17/07) and mom to fraternal twin sons (1/5/10)
*Mom with chronic health issues, NICU babies, reflux sufferers, multiple food allergies (mom and kids)
*DD birthweight 5lb, 14oz, now 26lb, 4oz
*DS1 birthweight 4lb, 6oz, now 19lb
*DS2 birthweight 4lb, 2oz, now 18lb, 12oz
**An EXCELLENT speller, unless I have either a child on my lap or I'm using my cell phone!**
I try to leave it out ahead of time so that it's close to room temperature when he gets it. . .but if he's hungry, I'd rather he get a cold one than be upset when it's warming.
I don't heat. Haven't from day one. Knowing that this would be long term, I didn't want him to get to where it had to be warm, and I didn't want to have to listen to a crying baby while I warmed the bottle. The only time he gets warm milk is when I feed it right after pumping or if I happened to leave it out at room temp.
Mama to my all-natural boys: Ian, 9-4-04, 11.5 lbs; Colton, 11-7-06, 9 lbs, in the water; Logan, 12-8-08, 9 lbs; Gavin, 1-18-11, 9 lbs; and an angel 1-15-06
18+ months and for Gavin, born with an incomplete cleft lip and incomplete posterior cleft palate
Sealed for time and eternity, 7-7-93
Always babywearing, cosleeping and cloth diapering. Living with oppositional defiant disorder and ADHD. Ask me about cloth diapering and sewing your own diapers!


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Events » Family & Youth Programs » Stories in the Afternoon
Stories in the Afternoon
Exotic Landscape, 1910
Henri Rousseau
French, 1844–1910
Oil on canvas
51-1/4 x 64 in. (130.2 x 162.6 cm)
The Norton Simon Foundation
Imagined Jungles
Date: Sunday, March 02, 2014
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Speaker: Staff Educator
Type: Stories in the Afternoon
Henri Rousseau is known for his paintings of far-away landscapes and exotic animals, but he found his inspiration at home in the local botanical gardens and zoo. Spend an afternoon in the galleries looking at Rousseau's Exotic Landscape and learning about his story. Then use your imagination to make your own jungle scene.
Meets in Entrance Gallery | Free with admission. This activity is designed for families with children ages 4–8. | No reservations needed


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Study: Percent of uninsured Coloradans drops
- published_in
- Northern Colorado
- Today's News
Before the law's implementation, according to the study, the uninsured rate in Colorado was 16.5 percent.
The study subtracts the number of new Medicaid enrollees and the number of newly insured under private-insurance plans from the number of uninsured before the law was implemented.
Opponents of the Affordable Care Act have often pointed out that no one knows the true number of uninsured in any state, because there is no way to determine how many people who bought coverage under the law's new mandates, such as health-insurance exchanges, had coverage before.
For example, at Colorado's exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, the questionnaire answered by consumers purchasing included a question asking whether or not the consumer was previously insured, but that question was optional.
For this reason, Connect for Health Colorado officials do not have clear information about how many people who signed up through the exchange were uninsured before.
Methodologies by different analytics companies and health-care organizations also have disagreed on the percentage of uninsured following the law's implementation.
Analytics company RAND Corp. estimates that 28 percent of those who obtained coverage under the Affordable Care Act were uninsured previously, while the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services placed its estimate at 87 percent.
WalletHub used a middle-of-the-road number calculated by Kaiser Family Foundation, 57 percent, because it is based on a nationally representative sample and spans the appropriate time period, according to the study.
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Michael Bourne Interviews Bill Daugherty
March 6, 2009. Posted by Michael Bourne.Add new comment | Filed under: bill daugherty, Brother Can You Spare a Dime, interview, Interviews, michael bourne, wbgo
Bill Daugherty is the creator and star of the off-Broadway revue "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" It's all songs of the 1930's, songs that tell the story of America's first Depression. It's playing weekends at the Triad cabaret theatre on West 72nd. We also talked about other shows he's done, and I've included songs. Listen to the interview:
Set list:"Humpty Dumpty Heart" from show When The Lights Go On AgainBill singing "I'm All Smiles" from album Look to the RainbowBill singing "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat" from show Broadway Unplugged 4Nancy Anderson singing "True Blue Lou" from album Ten Cents a DanceBill singing "Look to the Rainbow" from album Look to the Rainbow-- MBourne
Broadway Unplugged: Michael Bourne Interviews Scott Siegel
November 14, 2008. Posted by Michael Bourne.Add new comment | Filed under: acoustics, bill daugherty, broadway, glorious ones, guys and dolls, lorinda, marc kudisch, max von essen, mics, musicians, orators, rocking the boat, sarah jane, scott siegel, singers, surabaya johnny, Theater, town hall, voices, wbgo, west side story
The Town Hall was built in the 1920's for orators, and musicians also discovered that the acoustics are superb. None of today's audio tech existed back then, but no mics are ever needed there. "Broadway Unplugged" is an annual concert that gathers some of Broadway's best singers performing without mics and sounding that much more real. I've attended the last two years and I've been thrilled hearing (and feeling) all these beautiful voices, not amplified through speakers, but directly from the throats (and the hearts) of the singers.
Scott Siegel is the producer and host. In this interview, we talked about the upcoming 5th annual "Broadway Unplugged" -- Monday the 17th at 8 at Town Hall -- for tonight's WBGO Journal. And we kept on talking, including listening to highlights from last year's show: Max von Essen and Sarah Jane McMahon singing "Tonight" from West Side Story, Lorinda Lisitza singing a heartbreaking "Surabaya Johnny" from Happy End, Marc Kudisch singing "I'm Still Here" from The Glorious Ones, and Bill Daugherty singing a show-stopping "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat" from Guys and Dolls.
-Michael Bourne


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Building on the success of our Annual Conference in Blackpool earlier this year we will be holding our Annual Officials' Conference on Saturday January 26th 2013 in the Midlands.
Registration will begin at 08.30 and the conference will begin at 10.00 sharp.
The exact location of the redirection point will be released nearer the time.
At this conference we will be offering training in various subjects that will be of great benefit.
These will range from every day activism through to running a Parliamentary by-election.
If you are one of our valued officials please make sure you keep this date free in your diary as it will be a great opportunity to keep up-to-date with the latest happenings within our Party.
You will also have the chance to network with other officials.
The conference will be charged at £15 per person which will include refreshments and lunch.
Costs can be covered from your local branch / group fund.
Please register your interest by contacting Alwyn Deacon ASAP at email@example.com or by calling him on 07709 346 012.
This event is only open to those who have signed and registered the new Officers Registration Form which can be found here;
Once completed it should be sent to PO Box 213, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 7AL.
I look forward to seeing you on the January 26th.
Adam Walker
National Organiser
If you like what you read on this website, please join the British National Party, the party that will always put Britain First.
Join online by clicking here today


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LA CROSSE, Wis. - Packers Pride is out in full force! Homes across Cheese nation are decked out in their finest green and gold. You've got jerseys, you've got flags, you've got - STEELERS STUFF!?!
11-year-old Cameron Sahagian-Crandall is a die hard Steelers fan. His mother Jan, a life long packer backer. "I actually started out in high school selling programs for the Packers. Course I started out when he was four taking him to Packers training camp every year hoping to make a Packer fan out of him."
"I was 8-years-old and had hear the Steelers were a really good football team and I checked out a book about the Steelers and I've just continued to like them."
It's a similar story over at the McIlquham household in La Crosse. "I've always watched the packers." "I grew up in Cadott, WI and our mascot was the hornets, so were black and gold. I thought it was neat to follow a team whose colors were the same as my high schools team."
For both families, up until now their separate allegiance has been a fun rivalry. "It never mattered until the last 8 days."
But throw one little Lombardi trophy in the mix...and things can really heat up. "Last year the Pack and Steelers played each other in the regular season and we had a bet that one of us would have to wear the others jersey to school if their team lost."
And she's not the only one dealing with Curt's fanfare. His students at Onalaska high school are getting a mouth full at every turn.
Jan and Cameron on the other hand are playing nice - so far! "This last week, I let him have his glory...he lets me have mine. I figure I'll be happy either way. If the Packers win I'll be ecstatic, if the Steelers win I'll be happy for my son."
Two families on two different sides of the field. The big question...who will walk away victorious?
"I'm going to predict of course the Packers...35-27." "I say 34-31 Steelers." "I was gonna go 27-24 Packers." "I'm gonna say Steelers...hopefully Steelers 24-23."
This could be interesting.


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Take a walk on the wild side
Doing my best to sound like an investigative journalist, I soldiered on. "The plant doesn't look all that impressive," I suggested. "What's so special about it?" McGlashan laughed, nodding her head. "I think the best part about them is that they're incredibly flavorful and can be used in a variety of ways." North Branch resident Wendee Greene chimed in, declaring that ramps are "a harbinger of spring," before Maria Grimaldi waved me over. "I think it's important to note that Ramps Fest gives us an appreciation of the wonderful things that nature provides," she shared. "We need to raise awareness of that, and the need to conserve and protect our environment." With that I set out to peruse the vendors and their ramps-laden treasures before the recipe contest began.


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Headlines (Notices)
Physics & Computer Science
SC200 : Entrepreneurship in Science
Jun 13/13
was SC340A : Entrepreneurship for Science Students
After successfully trialling SC340A last year, the Faculty of Science will be offering SC200 : Entrepreneurship in Science on an ongoing basis. The course will be restricted to 3rd and 4th year students who are not in the double degree program.
The updated course description is:
This course is a focused introduction to entrepreneurship for science
students designed for students with little or no business experience.
Students will be exposed to the full process from idea
generation/opportunity recognition through to venture creation; all in a
science and technology context.
Exclusion: SC340A.
View all Physics & Computer Science news |
View all Faculty of Science news
View all Laurier news


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Palm Beach Money
Tag: Ritz Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico
Multi-million dollar gifts for you and yours from Santa Obama and Sugar Mama's and Daddy's everywhere
- 8:06 pm Friday, December 14th, 2012 by Dian Vujovich
For a day or two, how about forgetting any of the negative news you're hearing about the market, the cliff, and next year's economic outlook. All pale in comparison to what you can give your million-dollar baby today.
The Robb Report is out with its annual holiday report. This one features 21 gift ideas for those who need to show their love for others via gifts costing millions and millions of dollars.
But before going there, I'm guessing that more money is going to be gifted during the last month of this year, more trusts established and seriously funded, more charities bringing [More]


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The Dish
Tag: pierolgi
This Month: Windy City Eats Wafting Deliciously at Downtown WPB's Top of The Point
- 6:36 pm Thursday, August 9th, 2012 by M.M. Cloutier
When you think of Chicago, what foods come to mind?
Chicago dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, deep-dish pizza, Polish sausage, pierogi.
And don't forget Twinkies; after all, they were invented in Chi-town back in the early 1930s.
On a special menu paying homage to the Windy City, upscale penthouse-perched Top of the Point in downtown West Palm Beach's Phillips Point building strikes some of those notes—even the Twinkie (deep-fried, no less) and the Chicago "dragged through the garden" dog, so named for the city's signature hot dogs topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright-green pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices (or wedges), [More]
Posted in Uncategorized


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Sperry Top-Sider is one of the leading brands of footwear for those who love the water. Since inventing their first boat shoe in 1935, Sperry Top-Sider continues to share their "Passion for the Sea" with those who enjoy the good life in, on and around the ocean.
DenaliOutdoor.com features all the best outdoor gear Denali and Trailblazer stores have to offer. Located in Connecticut and Rhode Island and open 7 days a week, you will find a huge selection of The North Face, Patagonia, Merrell, UGG, Marmot, New Balance, Nike and more. Visit our locations page to find the Denali or Trailblazer near you!
866-451-3795 - Customer Service Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am-3pm EST or email firstname.lastname@example.com


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The Honolulu City Council passed a bill to ban all non-biodegradable plastic bags on Oahu during a council meeting in Kapolei Wednesday.
Nestor Garcia, councilman for Waipahu, Waikele, Mililani-town, Kunia and Wahiawa, was the only nay vote with Councilman Romy Cachola voting yay with reservation.
Bill 10 effectively prohibits businesses from providing plastic bags to their customers for sales of any merchandise, citing environmental concerns.
The bill still allows for biodegradable plastic and paper bags to be distributed.
The bill will take effect on July 1, 2015 to allow for the education of consumers and to allow businesses to go through their current inventory of bags.
Originally the bill was set to be a tax on plastic bag usage, but it was later determined that such a bill could be challenged in court because the City Council is only authorized to levy property taxes.


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from what i heard on WFAN just now
It seems like Dolan wanted to sign donnie for multiple years but donnie didn't want that and they mutually agreed to walk away with donnie hanging on as a consultant.
My question is since, Walsh brought in Amar'e.... Is Amar'e now on his way out of New York via trade for ..... and who would we go for if we do?
Everyone wants Amar'e & Melo to become a quality tandem but their games are so far a part that moving one to find appropriate pieces to build from.
from what i heard on WFAN just now
It seems like Dolan wanted to sign donnie for multiple years but donnie didn't want that and they mutually agreed to walk away with donnie hanging on as a consultant.
Walsh wanted more power over negotiating after the FAIL of the Anthony deal where Dolan stepped in and over shadowed the deal giving everything but the kitchen sink to acquire Melo. Walsh doesn't want that same scenario happening if he stays. Since Dolan doesn't want to give up that power so Walsh decided to step aside and not resign. Yes he will consult, but for how long... Suspicion that Walsh could go back to Indiana and take that job.
Next...what part of..."that if followed up by a return of isiah , would make me skip being a knicks fan, until his(isiah's) destructive stint is over." means that I am saying "the knicks Right Now are in a destructive stint"?
I clearly state if Isiah returns...i will stop being a knick fan for his stint...of DESTRUCTION! yes...destructive stint is only implied if they hire Isiah. READING is fundamental.
I understand if you didn't understand what I was saying,...which I think is the case... reading is a lost art. But if you think a return of Isiah would be a good thing you're crazy, but then again, you think getting ride of walsh is a good idea...so maybe that's the case.
with the use of words like his and hers, referes to the last person mentioned, in above case clearly Isiah. English grammar 101. You are welcome. tomorrow we will be going over more pronouns, like it, it's and them.
Let's...Go...Lottery! Let's...Go...Lottery!!! Say it with me Knicks fans!
Stop putting your foot in your mouth, a GM's job is to control transactions of day to day operations of an organization. The President/Owner of the organization can veto, but only veto a decision not take over the situation and make the hired employee look like a chump. Donnie Walsh was made to look like a chump in the Melo deal. This is the main reason Walsh is stepping aside.
The Daily News has learned that the GM list that Walsh submitted to Dolan two months ago included Bryan Colangelo and Mark Jackson"
We should get Kevin Pritchard who was last with the Trail Blazers. The "Pritch-slap" could do us a ton of good
Terrible day in Knick land.
The one stabilizing force we had for three years is gone.
You don't install light fixtures and sinks and **** before you set the foundation and get your load bearing supports up. Gallo, Chandler, Felton, Mozgov, Curry (on the bench) means absolutely nothing if they're not actually supporting something.
If the best record Bulls, with the #1 defense, and MVP, getting handled due to lack of impactful players on the roster...if that doesn't show you that formula to be complete nonsense in the current NBA...especially when the Bulls repeated the same mistake the Cavs made the season before....then your eyes aren't opened wide enough.
The Bulls are also in a tough spot too, because their best bet to get what they need is to find a suitable trade situation for Boozer without compromising their depth...good luck with that. No one is taking on Boozer without some compensation coming along with him and his fresh contract and increasingly weakening play over the course of the season. Their cap situation gets tight next season with Noah's extension kicking in, and then they have to re-up Rose.
The Knicks are in a position to snatch up one of 3 all-star caliber players, Dwight, CP3, or Deron...you mean to tell me that not one of those guys will try to force their way to a team with STAT & Melo? All three will be content with going/staying elsewhere and not take advantage of the opportunity to form an elite team?
I'd rather be in a position where we have 2 elite players and room for a 3rd, as opposed to another team with a great player and nice players surrounding him and not winning rings. Depth is overrated if the other team is lighting you up and you, with all of your depth, can't answer the bell.
I hate Dolan for some of the dickhead **** that he's done in the past, but getting 2 of the starting 10 players in the All-star game is a success every with way.
Guess if I was simple in the mind...everything would be fine.