text:
In this article I will present some configuration tips for the Spring MVC framework that could help you manage multiple instances of your Spring-based web application. The configuration management topic is often neglected in the literature, but as we will see, it is very important for real-life web development. It is not directly related to any particular technology, so we will start by explaining the basic concepts of the problem. Next, we will focus on the Spring MVC framework and offer a few solutions for projects developed using this technology.
It is common for a web application to be deployed on more than one host. Take, for example, a website that will have only one instance in production. Beside that instance, you (as its developer) will probably have another (development) instance on your development machine. You may also find useful to maintain another installation of your application on some local development server inside of your company (organization). The purpose of this instance would usually be to give access to web designers, for quality assurance stuff, to people that should document the application, etc.
As you can see, even in this simplest possible scenario there are three instances of the application that we should install, configure, and maintain. The situation is even worse for geographically dispersed teams that work on a project like this. For any non-trivial web application project, you will usually have more that one developer with his local installation of the project and local settings, one installation for running unit tests, and so on.
Related Reading
Spring: A Developer's Notebook
Many organizations create their products as web applications. You may find examples of such products in various e-commerce systems, content management systems (CMSes), or even blog publishing platforms. Products like these are intended for deployment on as many servers as possible. For successful acceptance of general-purpose web applications, their developers must ensure that their apps are easy to install and integrate well with other web applications. After this discussion, it should be clear that application configuration, which is the topic of this article, is one of the very important issues for developers of general-purpose web application projects.
Version control systems, such as CVS or Subversion, are one of the standard tools used by development organizations. This kind of tool represents a central source code repository of some organization and is used to keep the source code in order. Users are able to track changes of the application's source, show differences among file versions, and make project branches. Also, they make partial updates on the application deployments possible.
It is clear that version control system software is necessary for keeping track of your source code and that it can help in a great deal with the application configuration problems discussed here. Still, in this article, we will not focus on version control systems, as there are lots of great materials that cover this topic. Here, we will focus on just a small subtopic of the version control issue: how to ease the configuration of web applications (particularly those written using the Spring MVC framework).
The question is: what kind of configuration we are talking about here? Well, any web application needs resources that are usually specific to the host on which it is running, such as the database URL, the SMTP server that will send emails, folders that will contain some application-specific documents, etc. Settings like these should be centralized so that application configuration could be as easy as possible.
But this describes only the simplest version of the problem. Sometimes, you need more complex configuration differences among application deployments. This means that you will have to make different bean wirings among deployments, which complicates this issue even further.
Solutions to these application configuration issues have many benefits, ranging from easier installation and configuration of your application to easier source version control, which leads to fewer conflicts in your source repository. Now let's discuss this topic in more detail and through examples.
Let's start with demonstrating the simpler version of the problem we described above. In this scenario, all that you want to change among application deployments are simple configuration parameters, such as URLs, passwords, etc. If you have ever tried to develop a web application using the Spring MVC framework, you know that there are two configuration files that should be used:
/WEB-INF/applicationContext.xml allows you to configure your beans, or to indicate the context of your application. This is the place where you define your business logic beans, resources, and all other beans that are not directly related to the web tier.
/WEB-INF/[servlet-name]-servlet.xml is used to configure the web tier and view resolvers, controllers, validators, and all other beans that you need in the MVC framework. The [servlet-name] refers to the name of the Spring's dispatcher servlet defined in the web.xml deployment descriptor.
So what's the problem here? The problem is that your
applicationContext.xml will contain some bean definitions that are host-specific. The most obvious example of this issue is a bean that holds JDBC connection information, but any non-trivial application will have a dozen such beans. Take a look at the following example:
<bean id="dataSource"
<property name="driverClassName">
<property name="url">
<property name="username">
<property name="password">
The problem with this solution is in hard maintenance of the applicationContext.xml file. For starters, imagine that you have your project in the source code version control system, such as CVS. Now let's say that you want to add new functionality to your website, and for that, you need to put some extra bean definitions in the application context definition. The problem is how to reflect those changes on the production server.
Usually your local instance of the application will not use the same database as the live site, so the applicationContext.xml file will contain settings to access your local database. When you want to commit your changes in the source repository, you have to take care of synchronization of these host-specific properties. The file in the repository will probably end up with configuration from your local settings. Now, when you want to update the configuration on the production server, you will have to manually synchronize the values of the properties. This can be a very tedious task, and is also very prone to errors.
With every instance of the application, this issue becomes more important. Imagine that three developers work on the code base and that they each use their local database. When you commit your changes, each of them must be very careful when updating source code on their local hosts. Their manual synchronization of your changes, followed by committing of their work, makes the version control system useless for these configuration files. If you've ever used Spring MVC, you know that applicationContext.xml is the crucial element of your application, since it is the glue that holds things together. Therefore, it is very important to find a mechanism that helps us keep things organized in our applications.
As we said earlier, this is the easier configuration problem that you can experience. The harder version of the problem is when you need to have different bean wirings on different hosts. Examples of this kind of problem are very easy to find in everyday software development tasks. For instance, imagine that you have a custom authentication module for your product that is able to authenticate users from relational databases or LDAP servers. Naturally, the authentication module could be configured with the bean that abstracts a certain repository. If you want to change how users are authenticated among different application deployments, you will need to make different bean wirings in your applicationContext.xml file. This kind of configuration issue could be seen in all applications that have configurable features among deployments.
In the rest of this article, we will focus on these two configuration issues. We will focus first on the problem of synchronizing bean properties and its solutions, and then move to the more complex issues of synchronizing bean wirings.
One possible solution to this issue is to put all host-specific parameters in a regular Java properties file and use Spring's
PropertyPlaceHolderConfigurer class to map these parameters to your bean properties.
Using this solution, we will have a properties file (/WEB-INF/jdbc.properties) that looks like this:
and our bean configuration will look like this:
<bean id="propertyConfigurer"
<property name="location">
<bean id="dataSource"
<property name="driverClassName">
<property name="url">
<property name="username">
<property name="password">
As you can see, we defined an instance of the
PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer class and set its
location property to our properties files. This class is implemented as a bean factory post-processor and it will replace all placeholders (
${...} values) with the properties defined in the file.
With this technique, we can remove all host-specific configuration properties from the applicationContext.xml file. In that way, we can freely add new beans to that file without worrying about synchronization of host-specific properties, which can simplify product deployment and maintenance.
The above technique solved the first problem, but still it is not suitable if you plan to modify bean wirings among application deployments. One solution to this problem could be to create one more XML definition file named applicationContext-[hostname].xml, where [hostname] is actually the name of the host on which you will deploy your application. For example, on your local machine, this file would be usually called applicationContext-localhost.xml, where in deployment it could be something like applicationContext-somehost.com.xml.
As you can guess, this file should contain all configuration beans that are specific to a certain host. In this article, we will assume that our definition of the
dataSource bean will be located in this kind of file instead of the general-purpose applicationContext.xml definition. Of course, this mechanism in not incompatible with the previous one, but for simplicity reasons we will now focus entirely on this method.
Now that we have our specific configuration, we should discuss how we can integrate it into the overall Spring MVC configuration concept. There are number of ways to achieve this, and we are going to discuss all of them in detail soon. But first, it is important to note that because some beans will be now located in the separate configuration file, all local references to them (in applicationContext.xml) must be converted to the global one.
For example, references like this one:
<property name="someProperty">
<ref local="someBean"/>
should be changed to the following:
<property name="someProperty">
<ref bean="someBean"/>
When this is done, there are numerous ways in which we can add an additional resource for configuration purposes. The first and most obvious is to use the
<import> tag to include this additional resource in the applicationContext.xml configuration file. You usually put this tag at the beginning of the applicationContext.xml file. The example could look something like this:
<import resource="applicationContext-somehost.com.xml"/>
Now we have all host-specific wirings in the separate XML definition file and all general-purpose bean definitions in the regular application context definition file. Because the most of the beans are not host-specific, we are free to handle the applicationContext.xml file just as any other resource in our web application and synchronize it through the appropriate version control system.
But the aforementioned approach also has its drawbacks. If you want to keep your different configurations in different XML files, you will still have to worry about applicationContext.xml synchronization, since the name of the resource must be changed for every server. It is much better than the original solution, since now there is only the file name that should be taken care of, but it still requires manual assistance from the developer.
The next logical idea is to try to move this host configuration to the web.xml file (if possible), since it is usually modified less often than applicationContext.xml. Luckily, there is a solution available for us to use. Take a look at the following example of the web.xml configuration snippet:
As you can see, beside the usual
ContextLoaderListener that is usually found in the web.xml file, we put the
contextConfigLocation context parameter configuration. This parameter is used to instruct the framework where to look for these configuration files. If it is omitted, Spring will look only in the applicationContext.xml, but here we defined our host-specific configuration file to be used as well.
With this approach we moved all host-specific configuration from the applicationContext.xml file and thus eased its synchronization among various application deployments.
If this approach becomes your new habit, there is one more thing you can do to make it more flexible. By following the instructions that follow, you can remove host-specific configuration even from the web.xml file.
In order to do that, we need to create our specific application context class:
package net.nighttale.spring.util;
import java.net.InetAddress;
import org.springframework.web.context.support.XmlWebApplicationContext;
public class PerHostXmlWebApplicationContext
extends XmlWebApplicationContext {
protected String[] getDefaultConfigLocations() {
String hostname = "localhost";
try {
hostname = InetAddress.getLocalHost().getHostName();
} catch (Exception e) {
String perHostConfiguration = DEFAULT_CONFIG_LOCATION_PREFIX
+ "applicationContext-"
+ hostname
"Adding per host configuration file: "
+ perHostConfiguration
if (getNamespace() != null) {
return new String[] {
+ getNamespace()
, perHostConfiguration};
else {
return new String[] {
, perHostConfiguration};
This class extends Spring's
XmlWebApplicationContext, which is used by default. The
XmlWebApplicationContext class takes the configuration for the web application from XML definition files. By default, it configures the application from applicationContext.xml and [servlet-name]-servlet.xml files. The only additional task that our class performs is getting the name of the host on which it is executed and adding the applicationContext-[hostname].xml file to the list of configuration files.
In order to use this class, we need to compile it, include it in the classpath, and instruct Spring framework to use it. The first two steps are well-known and we will not describe them here. We can instruct Spring to use it through the
contextClass context parameter. Instead of the previous configuration in the web.xml file, we can put something like this:
If this configuration snippet is used, our class will be used and three files will be used to initialize the framework: [servlet-name]-servlet.xml, applicationContext-[hostname].xml, and applicationContext.xml.
As you can see, the applicationContext.xml and web.xml files are now completely free of any specific configuration details and there is no fear that you will break your configuration during the application update.
However, there is one drawback to this approach. It is reflected in the need to have this third configuration file on the application deployment, whether you will use it or not. In the case that there is no specific host configuration needed, it could look like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE beans PUBLIC "-//SPRING//DTD BEAN//EN"
Finally, you need to know what specific hostname our application context class will look for. The easiest way to check your host's name is to execute the following code on the machine:
You can execute this as Java code or as a script in your favorite scripting language with a Java-like syntax, such as BeanShell or Groovy. When you have the name of the host, you should create a default empty /WEB-INF/applicationContext-[hostname].xml file (like the one we have defined above) and you'll be ready to go.
In this article, I've presented some configuration tips that could ease your day-to-day work with the Spring MVC framework. If you ever find yourself trying to figure out how to maintain various web application deployments, try to find the most suitable solution for your development process. It will make your life much easier.
Dejan Bosanac is a software developer, technology consultant and author. He is focused on the integration and interoperability of different technologies, especially the ones related to Java and the Web.
Return to ONJava.com.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text:
Rec Sports will host its Inaugural Student vs. Staff Basketball Game Feb. 29 and the campus community is invited to nominate members for both teams: students vs. faculty and staff. Nominations continue through midnight Monday, Feb. 20, on Facebook. Nominate your co-worker, boss, fellow students, teacher or volunteer yourself for a team. Once on Facebook, select "Events" on the left column to link to the game. Nominations will also be accepted at the front desk at Res/Rec.
Voting for nominated players takes place in person Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby of Res/Rec. This is the only time and place to submit your votes for the final rosters. Each person may pick five people for each team.
The Inaugural Student vs. Staff Basketball Game takes place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, in Merner Field House. The game will be played like an official game with referees, time clocks and scoring. And there will be free food and giveaways.
Nominate now at facebook.com/NorthCentralCollegeRecSports. For more information contact firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
When leaders from 119 North American Jewish federations met here this week, they did not make any earth-shattering decisions or vote on anything binding.
Instead, they did what many involved described as even more revolutionary: They listened to each other, building trust and beginning to explore what it will mean for them to be "owners" of their newly formed umbrella organization, the United Jewish Communities.
"I've begun to see a trusting relationship start," Charles Bronfman, chairman of the UJC's board, said at the meeting's closing plenary on Monday.
Robert Aronson, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, observed as the meeting closed: "I don't think the decisions themselves were as important as the opportunity to sit and talk together."
Spawned from the merger of the United Jewish Appeal and the Council of Jewish Federations, the UJC says it is attempting to transform a system that had traditionally been top-down and somewhat mysterious in its decision-making to one that is more open.
Indeed, at this two-day "owners' retreat," which ended Monday and was followed by a series of meetings, the most oft-repeated words were "transparency," "consensus" and "change."
What happens with the UJC is significant because its 189 member federations across North America raised almost $882 million last year for domestic and overseas Jewish needs -- everything from day schools to rescuing and resettling refugees.
The federations have long been considered the central address of Jewish philanthropy and social services, but in recent years have been devoting larger portions of their funds to local causes rather than overseas needs.
What remains to be seen is whether -- in this climate of openness and without coercion -- they will be able to come together and agree on enough to form a cohesive system.
At this week's retreat, representatives from the various federations spent time breaking into small groups for lengthy discussions and debating among the entire body.
Following the retreat, the UJC's board of trustees on Tuesday approved:
* A two-year nonbinding plan for federations to maintain at least their current contributions to the UJC and to overseas needs. The board also passed an amendment that would require UJC to come up with a formula by Dec. 31, 2001, that would determine the "fair share" contributions of individual federations in the future.
* A decision to work with local federations and the Jewish Agency for Israel to become partners of Birthright Israel, a program started by philanthropists Michael Steinhardt and Charles Bronfman to send unaffiliated Jews on a free trip to Israel.
The board set $39 million as the target amount to contribute over three years -- $15.6 million from the UJC budget, $15 million from federations and the rest from the Jewish Agency. So far, more than 70 federations -- representing more than 83 percent of the North American Jewish population -- have indicated they are prepared to participate, according to Stephen Solender, UJC president and chief executive officer.
In addition, leaders from within the UJC system agreed as a result of their discussions on their top three priorities for what they want the new organization to accomplish: coordinate overseas needs, help with training for lay and professional leaders and assist with fundraising.
During the retreat, UJC leaders updated their constituents on their accomplishments -- getting up and running, establishing pillars, or focus areas, and forming tentative recommendations for a budget and overseas allocations.
They also outlined some goals for the future, including recruiting more women for top leadership positions, stepping up planning, identifying and publicizing "best practices" and developing training programs for federation leaders.
All in all, they seemed to be seeking the buy-in of federations and attempting to persuade them why they should be involved.
But there remain many points of conflict and uncertainty:
* Many small and middle-sized federations feel they do not have a large enough voice in collective decisions and have expressed fears that proposed budget cuts -- particularly to regional offices that assist smaller federations with things such as fundraising and personnel matters -- would adversely affect them.
* Issues of obligation and enforcement -- particularly on the issue of financial commitment for overseas needs and the national system's overhead -- were considered so divisive that they were moved off the agenda weeks before the retreat. Nonetheless, the UJC committee charged with assessing overseas needs is requesting federations contribute at least 105 percent of what they gave last year.
* Federations agree that they want to trim the budget -- which is approximately $40 million -- for the national system but cannot agree what programs and services should be cut to achieve that goal.
Despite the difficulties, participants from both large and small federations overwhelmingly voiced satisfaction with the retreat, even if some were skeptical about what will happen next.
"We have the opportunity to speak up, and everyone's being heard," said Daniel Chefjec, executive director of the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation.
"Small communities have a history in which we've felt neglected and been forced to go into decisions we didn't like. But much of that is being dispelled by the fact that this is being kept clean."
Jeff Levin, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County in Ann Arbor, Mich., said the meeting was strengthening federations' commitment to the larger system.
"There's a growing recognition that whatever comes, everyone making Shabbos for himself is not a good thing," he said. "That's the main theme, and all the rest is commentary."
Shelly Katz, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Santa Barbara, Calif., described the process as "a real turning point for the small cities."
"We feel we're being listened to, especially in the small groups," she added.
For Joel Tauber, UJC's executive committee chairman, "We're building a culture of oneness, and people are beginning to look beyond their own federation."
Despite the sense of growing confidence, leaders -- particularly from smaller federations -- noted that they were still not certain what the long-term impact of their discussions might be.
Sara Schreibman, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, N.C., described the retreat as a learning process but noted that "the real test" will be "if the board really listens."
Arthur Paikowsky, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, agreed, saying, "The devil is in the details. Once you figure out how you want to do it, what's the implementation?''
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#170036 - 09/17/07 02:34 PM aufwiederschauen St Coulombs
Registered: 08/22/04
Posts: 19
Loc: Mt Meru
"Stand aside everyone; I take large steps. Sometimes I astound even myself." Or so, Miles Gloriosus is said to have bellowed. Just the other day, while shopping at the local livestock auction in Pountine, LA, I found that one of the maculate brethern had left behind a serious tome. I could tell it was serious because it was written in a foreign tongue and weighed one-twentieth of a hundredweight. I decided thereupon to read it, but being hampered by my lack of Jermain and Lathine, I guess it'll be more than a fortnight before I can give you all a critique of it. Be that as it may, I'll leave you with the tastiest part: its bibliographical details:
Gernard Kejt. Schmitzige Gatkes: oder, das Haruspicium a bracis interioribus decacatis, apud Stageira ab Fratribus Illuminatibus Rhenicis, MDCLXVI.
#170041 - 09/17/07 04:15 PM Re: aufwiederschauen St Coulombs [Re: varaha]
Registered: 08/27/02
Posts: 2154
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
Interesting book to take to a livestock auction!
#170402 - 10/05/07 06:53 AM Re: aufwiederschauen St Coulombs [Re: varaha]
Registered: 08/22/04
Posts: 19
Loc: Mt Meru
"Oh, dear; oh my" quotha. I knew in my spleen of spleens that I would not be able to get past the table of contents in this book, and yet I rashly promised to read and review it. Be that as it may, that should not prevent a critic from criticking. So, here it is: it's purely and simply unREADable. The author should not be allowed to allocate paper that might otherwise have been put to a more mundane usage. But I will spare you all, least you try to find the book and read it.
#170435 - 10/05/07 03:34 PM Re: aufwiederschauen St Coulombs [Re: varaha]
Registered: 08/27/02
Posts: 2154
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
I couldn't have gotten past the title so kudos for trying.
Try something that doesn't need a wheelbarrow to carry next time.
#170820 - 10/23/07 09:49 AM Re: aufwiederschauen St Coulombs [Re: Zed]
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 6511
Loc: lower upstate New York
Originally Posted By: ZedI couldn't have gotten past the title so kudos for trying.
Try something that doesn't need a wheelbarrow to carry next time.
...like Weimar Republic Deutschmarks.
#171846 - 12/03/07 06:33 AM Re: aufwiederschauen St Coulombs [Re: AnnaStrophic]
Registered: 02/22/07
Posts: 5
Loc: Here Be Dragons
"Dirty Underpants or, Divining frae ye Shitte in Thy Pants"?
#171868 - 12/04/07 09:43 AM Re: aufwiederschauen St Coulombs [Re: Scriveyn]
Registered: 08/22/04
Posts: 19
Loc: Mt Meru
"Dirty Underpants or, Divining frae ye Shitte in Thy Pants"?
Hmm, looks good to me, but I might have translated the last bit as Divination by Beshitted Long Johns, if that is in fact what inner breeches means. Now, the real mystery, to me, is who the author was or what his pseudonym meant.
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text: TODAY'S TIP IS SPONSORED BY GOLDSTEIN DIAMONDS YOUR TIP FOR MARCH 30, 2012 Talk to customers from the "Point of YOU." WHY? Customers don't care about you or your products, says SMART Show keynote speaker Jim Ackerman. They care about themselves and the people they're giving your jewelry to. When you speak to them from the "point of you," you'll always be in "benefit language" … the language of WIIFM (What's In It For Me). HOW? Speaking from the point of you is easy. Just start your sentences with the word "You" or "Your", or with a verb. For example, "Your wife will think you're incredible." "Enjoy the lasting benefits of an heirloom treasure." "You will be the belle of the ball." "Your friends will turn green with envy when they see this emerald." Sound cheesy? Maybe. But it resonates. And that is where jewelry-buying decisions are made. SOURCE: Jim Ackerman Get more great sales advice from Jim Ackerman, one of this year's "Monsters of Sales", at The SMART Jewelry Show What's the Worst Return Excuse You've Heard?No, You Can't Leave Out the LemonFashion: The Killing StyleHow Long Is Your Work Week?How To Stop Doing What Weakens YouDe Beers to Introduce Bridal AppEngagement Ring Prices DropJewelers Sack Giants' Super Bowl RingsMumbai Diamond Industry Calls for StrikeStuller Bench Jeweler Workshop Draws 200Forevermark Hosted Select Jewelers on South African Diamond Mine TourGemfields Announces Results of Singapore Rough Emerald AuctionGIA Alumni Receive Global HonorsNational Jewelry Theft Ring Busted Up by AuthoritiesYogo Saphire Miner Mike Roberts Dies in Mining Accident Copyright © 2012 Smart Work Media. All Rights Reserved. You have subscribed to the Work Smart Tip of the Day. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe. {JFBCLike} {JFBCComments}


text:
7.1-Channel 3D Ready Elite A/V Receiver
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|AirPlay – Having been an early leader in building AirPlay into our receivers, we have an intimate understanding of how to bring your iTunes library to your home theater system. It's just one more way Elite receivers offer a truly seamless Apple experience.
|Made for iPod, iPhone and iPad – We believe entertainment should be first and foremost an emotional experience. The Elite VSX-51 provides unparalleled marriage of home theater and your Apple products, allowing you to enjoy both audio and video with the included A/V cable, all while your device charges.
|iControlAV2 App – Placing even more home entertainment control in the hands of enthusiasts, our iControlAV2 App, available free from the App store, lets you control volume, bass, balance and room settings. Formatted for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, it gives you complete control of your network connected receiver and compatible Pioneer Blu-ray Disc® players through an easy-to-use, powerful interface.
Total Control
Control is at the core of the home theater experience. And the Elite VSX-51 makes sure you can customize and fine-tune your home theater experience to exactly the way you enjoy it most.
An industry-first, Pioneer's AVNavigator truly is an interactive owner's manual that takes all the guesswork out of setting up your receiver. AVNavigator uses your networked PC to communicate directly with the VSX-51, walking you through the entire set-up of your home theater, step-by-step.
The VSX-51 also offers Multi-Zone audio and video with an on-screen display that gives you premium, customized audio entertainment throughout your home.
Additionally, the VSX-51 has been independently tested and certified by custom partners Control 4, Crestron, AMX, RTI, Universal Remote and Savant ensuring seamless integration that gives you a wide choice of advanced control options for IP, Serial, and IR commands. The VSX-51 is the perfect choice for a customized home installation.
Elite Video Processing
Drawing on Elite's long history as an industry leader in high performance video and tuning techniques, we've designed image enhancement and fine-tuning for each video source into the VSX-51 to maximize your TV's performance.
It converts analog video signals to HDMI and scales both analog and digital signals up to 1080p/24fps resolution to best match your TV's capabilities.
Elite understands that extraordinary audio and video reproduction is merely the price of entry. With unprecedented level of control and sophistication for the serious enthusiast, the VSX-51 delivers all these technologies to create the quintessential home theater experience, both now and in the future.
iPod Compatibility: http://pioneer.jp/homeav/support/ios/na/
Specifications and design subject to modification without notice.
PIONEER, ELITE, and the Pioneer and Elite logos are registered trademarks of Pioneer Corporation.
Dolby, Pro Logic and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
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HDMI connection may not allow transmission of copyright-protected material, depending on the capability of the display device and the signal source.
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"Made for iPod," "Made for iPhone," and "Made for iPad" mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod, iPhone, or iPad, respectively, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Please note that the use of this accessory with iPod, iPhone, or iPad may affect wireless performance.
Apple, AirPlay, the AirPlay logo, iPhone, iPad, iPod and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. The AirPlay logo is a trademark of Apple Inc. AirPlay works with iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (4th, 3rd and 2nd generations) with iOS 4.2 and iTunes 10.1 (Mac and PC) or later.
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AMX and the AMX logo are trademarks of AMX, LLC registered in the U.S. and other countries.
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Editor: Just returned from a trip and read through your Veteran's Day supplement. My father (WWII) and one son (Iraq) served in the Army and both received well deserved recognition for their service. I was in the Army from 1969 to 1978 and did not receive the same respect from many of the folks and media in this country.
I am, however, eternally grateful for the way all veterans are treated in the present and your supplement made me smile.
My wife and I retired in 2013 and moved to Heber City from KC. We visited this valley for years and fell in love with the people and the scenery.
Mike Altieri
Heber City
Obamacare, Fire Department and Starship
Editor: Government is performing just as a nation of ambivalent sheep would hope; giving out goodies to those who can keep them in office. Nationally, our socialist leaders are desperately trying to save the most ill-conceived alteration of our way of life ever attempted with Obamacare. Locally, our county council is in "ramming speed" mode on forcing us into their concept of doing good for the people no matter the need, cost or effectiveness.
We need only to look at the Summit county model to see where this will take us.
The Park City fire department budget is approximately $15 million. That is very close to the budget for ALL of Wasatch County, and a review of the build-out plan that our fire department is following will put us where Park City is today.
Beside the lawsuits against our fire department/county council, our leaders are taking us down the most expensive path with the lowest return imaginable.
Fires in the United States have been reduced by 50% since the 1970s. If population growth is included, fires have been reduced by 76% per capita. Projections from the National Fire Prevention Association (NFRA) are that the trend will continue.
The question is: if we have 25% of the problem we had 30 years ago, why have costs and manpower continued to increase at the same rate as everything else?
Don't be fooled by the "we haven't increased your taxes for years" yarn, the tax revenue to the fire department has increased almost every year because of growth and higher property values. It wasn't that long ago that I looked at the $300 thousand fire budget which is 1/10 of today's.
Any business looking at a 76% decline in demand and a 2000% increase in cost would be laughed out of town, but our leaders have a different plan which I will discuss later.
Zero percent of the fire departments in the U.S. are volunteer. Less than 15% are full time. Virtually all of the Full-Time departments were established around the turn of the LAST century—-(1800/1900, And they were the biggest cities with very large fire problems).
When the decline of fires began, those big departments could no longer justify their size so they began looking for other ways to exist. A few of the departments took on Emergency Medical Services with the proper amount of emphasis and training such as Seattle where "medic one" is the most elite and highly respected part of the whole department. Their training, management, medical oversight and accountability is outstanding. Most of the departments however, just grabbed medical through political fiat and treated it like a stepchild. The obvious result was poor medical service at the expense of a glitzy fire service. The medical arm brought in substantial revenue which the fire chief could use for a new ladder truck. That ladder truck would attend more parades, funerals and political events than it would go to fires, but hey, it looks good.
The National Institute for Health, along with emergency physicians across the land have been trying to get emergency medical services treated on a par with other first responders, but the fire lobby in Washington (and in state capitals) is extremely powerful. If you don't know the relationship between fire and political patronage, you are missing the biggest link in municipal debt/bankruptcy.
Our volunteer fire department has served us very well for many years. With good training and equipment, they have demonstrated a capability equal to or better than many larger departments.
There is no need to change that model now.
The line of people (Non-relatives of councilmen and firemen) ready to be of service is very long and very impressive, but as things are today, it's only about job protection and empire building by bringing family and close friends into the fold.
In summary, our County Council and fire department are taking us in a direction more similar to Detroit and Stockton than what the facts tell us we should do.
But quoting one of our councilmen: "it's not about facts, it's about politics".
When our taxes begin looking like Park City, remember what I have been saying to the council since 1999 when they started the Jordanelle fiasco. My comments are a result of many years of research into the international/national and municipal fire services, many interactions with NFPA and NFS statisticians and frequent disagreements with this county council.
Lee Murdock
Heber City


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"I have been listening to you on EWTN for about one year now. I left the Catholic Church 42 years ago and have been attending Protestant churches. After many struggles during this last year, I finally went to confession on Sunday. Thank you all so much for helping me on my journey home."
~ Peggy
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"If I have written anything erroneous, I submit all to the judgment and correction of the Holy Roman Church, in whose obedience I now pass from this life."
~ Thomas Aquinas; philosopher, theologian, author, Doctor of the Church, patron of Catholic universities, colleges, and schools; on the Real Presence


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The Jam Cruise Greening Crew and Conscious Cruisers will be back onboard to help minimize the environmental impact on Jam Cruise 15.
We model the efforts that a charter cruise can take to lower the environmental impact of a cruise. Jam Cruise Greening eliminates disposable plastics, sources sustainable products and improves onboard collection of recyclables. In addition, we partner with progressive compost and recycling facilities, offsets ships emissions and demonstrate solar power. We invite passengers to be engaged and conscious cruisers. Jam Cruise is the only large cruise in North America using biodegradable products and offloading them for composting. This is made possible though our partnership with Waste Management of South Florida. Jam Cruise is proud to align with Norwegian as environmental stewards with a core company value of Envinronmental Protection. Learn more about Norwegian's environmental practices including its Eco-Smart Cruising program and recent Gold William M. Benkert Marine Environmental Protection Award in the foreign vessel category.
"I should express first my being impressed by the initiatives already undertaken and accomplished on Jam Cruise. It is impressive to see the successes Jam Cruise has had in impacting the practice of the cruise line (especially in regards to reducing/eliminating use of plastic and styrofoam, a focus on recycling, and demonstration of use of solar power). I believe you have established a role model for others wishing to "green" cruise ships they charter for events or activities."
- Ross A. Klein, PhD, an internationally recognized authority on the cruise ship industry, commissioned to write four reports for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, two reports for Bluewater Network/Friends of the Earth.
Jam Cruise 14 Recap
Thank you Jam Cruisers for another great year with JC Greening. Special thanks to our compostable cup sponsors, Breckenridge Brewery and Lagunitas Brewing Company. Special thanks to the CAN'd Aid Foundation for the financial support towards the recycling program. Amazing recycling numbers from Jam Cruise 14, including 11.59 tons of glass and 1.55 tons of compostable cups offloaded for composting at WM's South Florida facility. We signed up another 100 conscious cruisers to pledge to bring awareness and action in their travel habits. I don't know about you, but we thought that the delicious beer at Brews at Seas tasted even sweeter knowing that the kegs were cooled by our solar energy demonstration project.
Conscious Cruiser Program
So you're an ethical cruiser, aka. a Conscious Cruiser on Jam Cruise with the desire to lower your environmental impact and support the local communities we visit on our journey. Read on my friends. Not only is it as simple as following the few steps listed below, but we have an entire Conscious Cruiser headquarters on board to answer your questions. There's no reason to leave your tree hugging self behind when you are on Jam Cruise. We encourage you to embrace it!
How to be a Conscious Cruiser?
- Volunteer - Positive Legacy & Greening need your help, email email@example.com
- Minimize the amount of single-use items you pack and remember your water bottle
- Offset your carbon emissions from your personal travel to/from Miami
- Put waste in its place – use the Cloud 9 resource recovery stations and cigarette butt receptacles
- Attend the Jam for Change panel discussion
- Visit Positive Legacy and Greening HQ learn more about our programs and excursions
- Donate an item for the Positive Legacy charity auction, then bid on an item!
- Reuse your towels and linens to decrease greywater waste
- Attend the Positive Legacy and Greening Celebration


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Di Stasi aims to restore UBS's fortunes in equities
Salvatore 'Chicco' di Stasi was a pioneer in finding complex solutions for clients using equity derivatives. His next trick: helping to get UBS's equities business back on track.
The former Goldman Sachs partner joined UBS in 2010, but it was in 2012 that his role really came to the fore. The bank decided in October that year to shift its business away from fixed income and place more emphasis on its equities franchise, giving di Stasi's role added significance.
He now has more job titles than might reasonably fit on to a business card. A managing director, he is global head of strategic equity solutions, head of equity capital markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and co-head of the bank's global client solutions group.
The recurring theme in each of those roles: to help get UBS back to what it considers its rightful place near the top of the equity capital markets league table, and make better use of its unique position in wealth management.
Packed schedule
The 45-year-old Italian, who is based in Zurich, travels almost constantly and can be a difficult banker to meet given the myriad commitments in his jam-packed diary. When he isn't working, di Stasi spends much of his time with his wife and two young daughters or, should a break from parenthood allow, sailing the yacht he keeps on the Amalfi coast in Italy where his parents still live.
A lynchpin between UBS's vast wealth management operation and two prime components of the equity capital markets business within its investment bank, di Stasi sits astride the bank's cash equities and corporate equity derivatives businesses.
It is the latter of these two business lines that di Stasi is best known for, and that perhaps in time UBS will be most closely associated with.
Given the nickname 'Chicco' by his parents as a child, di Stasi has spent most of his professional life in strategic equity solutions and was one of its pioneers in Europe.
An economics graduate from Bocconi University in Milan, and a qualified tax adviser and chartered accountant, di Stasi began his career as a trader with JP Morgan before moving to develop structured solutions for the US bank on behalf of clients.
With a reputation for structuring and originating innovative and complex deals, he then moved to Goldman Sachs in 2004 as a partner in the Wall Street firm. His move to UBS saw him establish a strategic solutions business for the Swiss bank.
Often a highly secretive business line, UBS's strategic equity solutions operation involves the sale of derivatives and other highly structured products to high net worth clients, as well as its sovereign wealth fund, private equity and corporate clients.
It is a market that has boomed in recent months with the return of equity transactions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and an increased appetite among clients for innovative derivatives trades. It is also a market that has the potential to deliver outsized returns.
Di Stasi said: "Strategic equity solutions is an extremely important business for us, not just in terms of the quality of the things we deliver to our clients in investment banking and wealth management, but also in terms of the revenues the business generates".
When the bank reported its annual results for 2013 earlier this year, it revealed that a single "large private transaction recorded in the first half of 2013" had helped push equity capital markets revenues 47% higher on the previous year to Sfr1.14 billion ($1.29 billion). Most assumed it was di Stasi's strategic equity solutions team that was responsible.
More recently, in a rare transaction to gain public disclosure, UBS provided funding arrangements to the government of Papua New Guinea for it to keep a stake in oil and gas company Oil Search. The deal included a $1.2 billion equity funding arrangement and UBS establishing a hedge position in Oil Search.
Reuters reported last week that an investigation from Papua New Guinea's Ombudsman Commission is under way to look at whether the government followed the correct legal procedure in entering into the deal. UBS declined to comment.
Given the bank's standing in wealth management – chief executive Sergio Ermotti has said UBS has "a penetration of one in two billionaires in the world" – the bank is almost uniquely positioned to originate equity trades from and distribute to these clients.
UBS has a team dedicated to strategic equity solutions and equity capital markets sitting within its wealth management business. High net worth clients gain access to capital market investment opportunities, while UBS benefits from this network in terms of the distribution services it can offer issuers.
Di Stasi said: "It's a way to differentiate ourselves compared to other wealth management providers. With our tailored solutions, we are able to create value for our clients and on the other end, it also tends to increase the assets under management of the firm because of the stickiness of these assets."
In the coming months, di Stasi plans to redouble his efforts in expanding the business. As Financial News reported in March, his unit has been earmarked for expansion in the US, where at present UBS is only able to handle reverse inquiries and service clients from its teams located in Europe and Asia.
"It is one of my key priorities for this year," said di Stasi.
He added: "The business has been very successful so far but I like to think it is not job done, rather just the beginning."
Alongside its secretive strategic equity solutions business, UBS is also looking to make inroads into initial public offerings in Europe and other more straightforward ECM activities.
The bank was on the $952 million flotation of Russian hypermarket chain Lenta on the London Stock Exchange in February and was on several significant deals last year, including the $3.1 billion flotation of UK postal operator Royal Mail last October on behalf of the UK government.
There are more deals to come, according to di Stasi. "It's incredible the amount of demand we are seeing, so we are very busy with that."
The bank has also been an aggressive player in the accelerated bookbuild market. The bank ranked second for accelerated trades in Emea last year, with a market share of 11.3%, handling 41 deals worth a combined $12.9 billion, according to Dealogic. This was significantly up on a league table ranking of seventh with a market share of 5.9% through 26 deals worth $3.7 billion in 2012.
Strong performance
UBS currently ranks fourth for Emea ECM across all products, with a market share of 9.1%, having handled 16 deals worth $6.1 billion so far this year, according to Dealogic. The bank placed eighth last year, with a market share of 7.4% through 72 deals worth a combined $17.3 billion.
With the Swiss bank gaining ground in the league tables, di Stasi's star looks set to ascend further.
He ranks alongside the bank's global head of ECM Sam Kendall, who is responsible for the bank's cash business, while di Stasi runs the derivatives operation. He then has three lieutenants beneath him in Emea in a relatively unusual management structure, in the shape of co-heads of ECM cash in Emea Jasper Tans and Javier Martinez-Piqueras, and Jeremy Sloan, head of the strategic equity solutions group for the region.
The balance of power is one to watch, according to one former colleague, who advised: "Buy a ticket."
This article was first published in the print edition of Financial News dated March 31, 2014


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In the Old Testament Second Book Exodus, God was very angry with the Egyptians because he knew that he would have to send down 10 curses, the last being killing of innocent children, before they would release the Israelites from bondage.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) refers to Amendment II to the constitution of the right to bear arms "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
In my opinion what the founders had in mind was a defensive position whereby the people could keep muskets to protect their homes from the British. I doubt the founders had assumed military style rifles and clips holding 100 rounds.
Current Vice President Joe Biedon has recommended to the president various ideas for congress to consider including limiting clips to ten round, banning military type weapons, requiring everyone get a back ground check, more help for the mentally challenged, etc.
The current president of NRA says that guns do not kill people. Could the gunman who killed 26 people do the same thing during the same period of time with a knife.
I pray that the president, congress, the NRA, and fellow citizens support corrective action so that we have had our tenth curse, the killing of those 20 innocent children.
Justin Szalwinski, Sr.


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IntelliH2O - Wireless Water Metering by Capstone
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Area 51 DVD
The Area 51 DVD illustrates how pressure is mounting on the Air Force concerning their most secretive base. Area 51 is used to house elusive long-term visitors as seen on this DVD. Bowing to political and public pressure, Area 51 officials grant two reporters limited access to the facility. But, as seen on the DVD, when one of the visitors uses the visit as a chance to liberate himself and fellow captives, Area 51 morphs from a secure government base to a horrifying destination of terror. A fascinating DVD to add to your collection.
Read MoreLess
More Details
- Format: DVD
- Rating: R
- Run Time: 90 minutes
- Studio: Lions Gate
- Genre: Science Fiction
Availability: In Stock
Ready to ship in 5-7 Business Days


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Rain becomes stormwater runoff when impervious surfaces like streets, sidewalks, and parking lots prevent it from soaking into the ground. As stormwater runs off of these impervious surfaces and nearby properties, it can pick up pollutants like oil, fertilizers, pesticides, dirt, trash, and animal waste. If left uncontrolled and untreated, stormwater runoff can harm habitat, erode stream channels, and carry pollutants into lakes, rivers, and the Puget Sound.Statewide, WSDOT operates and maintains about 40,000 acres of impervious surfaces.
WSDOT must comply with federal and state water quality laws. These laws require WSDOT to have the following permits for discharging stormwater runoff:
Ecology develops TMDLs (water cleanup plans) for water body segments that do not meet state water quality standards for a specific pollutant. WSDOT performs actions assigned to us in TMDLs to help improve the quality of lakes, rivers, and Puget Sound.
WSDOT uses tools in our Highway Runoff Manual to design stormwater management systems for transportation projects. The manual outlines a process for selecting stormwater management systems which are approved by Ecology to control stormwater flow, treat stormwater pollutants, and when possible, mimic natural drainage patterns.
WSDOT finds and eliminates spills and illicit discharges and connections to our stormwater drainage system. This helps prevent pollution from reaching lakes, rivers, and marine waters.
WSDOT digitally inventories and maps its existing stormwater management system and new facilities built during transportation projects. This helps document facility locations, set level of service targets for maintenance activities, identify deficiencies and illicit discharges, and prioritize retrofits.
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WSDOT weekly inspects construction areas that have a potential to discharge stormwater carrying eroded soil or pH affected stormwater to water bodies.
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Many existing highways either do not have any stormwater flow control or treatment facilities, or do not have enough to manage the runoff from all impervious surfaces. WSDOT identifies, prioritizes, and implements retrofit solutions to manage stormwater runoff from these highways.
WSDOT maintenance crews pick up litter and use mechanical street sweepers to pick up debris and sediment from highways and other transportation facilities. This helps keep pollution out of stormwater runoff.WSDOT also routinely inspects and cleans ditches, culverts, catch basins, and stormwater management facilities to make sure they are working properly to control and treat stormwater runoff.WSDOT's Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans identify best management practices (BMPs) to help keep pollution out of stormwater runoff during everyday operations at rest areas, park and ride lots, ferry terminals, and maintenance facilities.
WSDOT monitors stormwater quality to help characterize pollutants in the stormwater that runs off of highways and other transportation facilities. Stormwater monitoring also helps us evaluate and understand the effectiveness of stormwater management systems and stormwater pollution prevention plans.WSDOT uses stormwater research projects to help identify state-of-the-art, cost effective solutions for designing, constructing, and maintaining stormwater management systems.
Tracks actions taken to improve water qualityWSDOT's annual stormwater reports provide updates on what we are doing to protect and improve water quality in lakes, rivers, and marine waters. The reports include information on activities required by our municipal stormwater permit.


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Hawks best all other MEAC schools since 1999.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.—May 28, 2010-The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) was recognized during a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) reception at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside Hotel on Wednesday evening as the 2009 recipient of the MEAC Highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) Award. In addition to the recognition, UMES was presented a check for $10,000. UMES' 77-percent GSR is the highest among any MEAC institution spanning the 1999-2002 cohorts.
"I would like to congratulate the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for achieving the Highest Graduation Success rate in the MEAC," stated MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. "I applaud UMES for making a commitment to the student-athletes academic success and their ultimate collegiate goal of obtaining a college degree."
The NCAA Graduation Success Rate was developed in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflect the mobility among college students today. The GSR improves on the federally mandated graduation rate by including students who were omitted from the federal calculation.
"We are very proud of this award," said UMES Director of Athletics Keith Davidson. "Student-athletes compete athletically for this University, but first and foremost they come here to get an education and earn a degree. This award shows that we are doing our job of educating young men and women and exemplifies the total strength of our athletic program."
Also at the reception the conference presented Hampton University with its ninth consecutive Mary McLeod Bethune-Cookman Women's All-Sports Award and Norfolk State with its sixth consecutive Talmadge Layman Hill Men's Award.
Each institution was presented a $20,000 check during the event.
Hampton women's programs totaled 74.5 points in the All-Sports tally. UMES, runner-up to the award last season by just a half point, posted 64.5 points, finishing fifth out of the 11 conference institutions. They earned the full points in volleyball, 12, winning the northern division, and posted 10 points in bowling, nine and half in cross-country and nine in indoor track and field.
The NSU Spartans men's programs totaled 70 points eclipsing their closest challenge by 15 points. UMES was again fifth with 42.5 points, an impressive feat considering they do not compete in football and can earn no points in that category. They posted 10 points in outdoor track and field and eight in cross-country. Tennis tallied seven points to add to the total.
Points are awarded in a descending order beginning with 12 points for champions or first place regular season finishes. The second place teams get 10 points. Tied teams split the total points.
The Mary McLeod Bethune and Talmadge Layman Hill Awards
The Mary McLeod Bethune Award, named after the founder of Bethune-Cookman College, awards the top overall women's athletic program during the course of one full academic year. The first Mary McLeod Bethune award was giving in 1987 to Delaware State University. Florida A&M (1993-2000) and Hampton leads all MEAC schools with nine Women's Awards. The men's All-Sports Award is named after the late Talmadge Layman Hill, a former player and coach at Morgan State, and former Chairman of the MEAC Steering and Planning Committee, as well as the conference's first President. Howard University was the recipient of the first Talmadge Layman Hill Award in 1972. South Carolina State holds the men's record with 11 awards from 1973-84.
# # #
Stan Bradley, assistant director of athletics for external affairs/SID, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, 410-651-6499, firstname.lastname@example.com.


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An original Freedom Writer whose story is told in part in the 2007 hit movie "Freedom Writers" starring Academy Award winner Hilary Swank and "Grey's Anatomy's" Patrick Dempsey, Scott has energized over a million leaders, educators, volunteers and students worldwide with his authentic, inspiring messages of hope. Speaking to more than 125 groups a year for the past decade, he is the speaker of choice for conferences, conventions, schools, fundraisers and banquets.
The author of "Dream Now: How to Take Hold of the Life You've Always Dreamed About," Scott's unique message is one that has inspired, educated and empowered almost a million people, helping them make the most of their lives.
At the age of 14, Manuel dropped out of school, and his English grammar was so poor that he was classified as an English as a Second Language student (ESL). By the age of 16, he had already lived in 26 different places. At an early age, he began using drugs and alcohol.
He says, "When I look back, I now see that I was heading down a path that would have destroyed me."
However, due to an amazing transformation, Scott has defied all the odds stacked against him.
"I was once dismissed as 'unreachable' and 'unteachable,'" says Scott, "but something special happened, and I love sharing that message with others."
The high school drop-out now holds degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and Trinity International University. He is currently working on his Ph.D.
Scott's appearance at CBC is made possible by the Title V Celebrando Educación grant. The grant's goal is to improve retention and completion rates and increase enrollment in technical and/or professional occupational fields of study at CBC.
"The purpose of the Leadership Symposium is to learn, lead and inspire. This symposium will provide information for dual enrollment adjunct instructors and staff that will enhance CBC's current student success initiatives," said Santos Jones, CBC Title V Cooperative coordinator.
"We strive to ensure that each student has the same access and opportunity to succeed at CBC. Manny Scott will provide new perspectives in working with students by shedding light on the various challenges that today's teens face as they navigate their way through college."
All CBC faculty and staff who attend the Leadership Symposium will earn professional development hours. In addition to Scott's motivational speech, participants also will receive information about Campus Connect, Blackboard and student retention best practices/strategies.
"I do not speak to impress people," Scott explains, "but to impress upon them some invaluable lessons that could literally change the quality of their lives forever. When I speak, I try to make sure audiences are crystal clear about how to 'turn the page'—to transform their lives. Whether I'm in Houston or Hong Kong, Kansas City or Cairo, Los Angeles or London, I carry a torch light of inspiration into the recesses of dormant potential and show the gems that are sparkling there."
For more information about attending the Leadership Symposium featuring Scott, contact Santos Jones at (361) 354-2426; faculty and staff can register online at www.coastalbend.edu/LeadershipSym/.
For more information on Freedom Writers, visit http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/.


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The Alkali RPD Team Roller Hockey Skates are a great choice for the player looking for a high performance skate without breaking the bank. The RPD Team Skate features a full composite glass outsole and a CNC Extruded Labeda Movement chassis for excellent responsiveness and aggressiveness.
The highlighted feature throughout the RPD Line is the Labeda Movement Chassis that was designed specifically for these Alkali skates. The chassis holds Labeda Millennium 74A Indoor Wheels with Abec 9 bearings to allow for abundant grip with supreme roll.
Internally, the liner is constructed of a hydrophobic anti-slip material that is soft to the touch and helps players get the most out of their stride by keeping their feet locked in. Alkali then widened the forefoot by 2 mm to provide even more comfort than before. Externally, the Pro White Felt Tongue is fully ventilated to provide good airflow and the high density foam lace bite guard offers excellent comfort and protection.
- Heritage: CA7
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text:
When the Phillies signed Contreras last winter, it was not the most newsworthy signing of a Cuban defector blessed with a thunderbolt arm, but it may have turned out to be the most consequential. Contreras, who turned 39 last week, is the latest in a series of starting pitchers the Phillies have successfully converted to relief stalwarts, including Chad Durbin, Brett Myers, and Chan Ho Park.
Contreras had last been a top-line starting pitcher in 2006, when he went 13-9 for the White Sox. With his fastball velocity in free fall, he caught on with Colorado in late 2009, and was excellent in seven appearances, five from the bullpen. Those 17 innings were enough to convince the Phillies to plug Contreras into Park's old spot in middle relief.
Contreras, despite originally stating a desire to start, took to his new role in middle relief with gusto. Contreras' fastball averaged 94 mph in 2010, up 3.5 mph from 2008. With his velocity back, Contreras was able to work in hard breaking stuff to great effect, including a high-80s slider that was worth 8 runs above the league average. This translated to better than a strikeout an inning and, despite a midsummer hiccough (caused in part by some bad luck with strand rates and BABIP), the Big Truck finished second among Phillies relievers in innings pitched, third in ERA, and third in strikeouts.
With so much of the Phillies' payroll tied up in a few superstar players, the key to building a successful team is filling in the gaps on the cheap, and this Big Truck certainly delivered.
Grade: 7.8/10–Contreras was an dependable, if not spectacular reliever all season long and earned his contract extension. He wasn't Mariano Rivera, but it's hard to go far in baseball without decent middle relief.
50 Comments
Finally able to logon, woohoo!
Either way, I enjoyed the Contreras signing. He seemed to be un-phased in high pressure situations, such as when he walked the bases loaded in a save situation, then retired the side on strikeouts. He did well as both an interim closer and a setup man, and I think Charlie trusts him enough to use him in situations that he'd use his best arm, Madson, in.
Well, lets's see if this works. Cool new look.
This new blog is freaking me out – in a good way…
I'm Ted Bell.
Nice new setup. Jose Contreras was pretty good last year. He was very good in the postseason. With his blazing fastball and nasty splitter, he was fun to watch. If you watch Aroldis Chapman, you can see that he has imitated some of the mannerisms of Contreras. He chews a big piece of gum and keeps licking his pitching hand. He has a nonchalant look on his face. I hope jose can make a strong contribution next year along with his fellow countryman Danys Baez. The bullpen, of course, is unpredictable, so I hope Contreras can keep it up and Baez can turn it around.
Chan Ho. There's a name I gladly forgot about.
just testing comments from my iPhone, yeah baby.
Loving the new site layout.
btw we should have a poll option now after games for the Jeltz or Ashburn awards. Since we've got a new layout would be a nice time to make those awards selectable by your readers. That way it's not just the bloggers' personal opinion, but census.
Contreras was highly valuable last season, especially when Lidge went down for a few weeks. I think he ran out of gas there a little toward the end. Charlie might have to check his innings, but I'm glad he's coming back.
First, I like the new look a lot, hoping the bugs get worked out pretty quick.
Contreras was a nice supporting cast pick-up, even with a bit of a mid season slump. A bullpen that wasn't used much last year may be close to obsolete this year.
I always thought Ted Bell was the most interesting man in the world. Now there is proof.
Ok, that's better. I was wondering why there were no comments. I guess it does indeed take some time to work out the bugs and for everyone to get used to this.
Glad we have Contreras back….especially if Durbin isn't signed which looks more unlikely now.
Ted Bell's avatar is pretty funny. Pay no attention to mine. I was just playing around with images.
I wish you could blow up the Avitars some – Chuck, are you a lizard?
My suspicions were right about Ted – he's an old drunk (I love it!).
Nice job PN, Hopefully the burps we have been experiencing are gone for sure. I had no idea this was coming.
As amazing as the Phillies starting pitching is, nothing is a lock. Last year, I was convinced that the Phils had more than enough pitching (before Oswalt) to win the division and be in the WS for the 3rd year in a row. The offense rolled, as late as May 11th with a thrashing of the Bucks (12-2) and six rbi by Howard, 4 by Werth – I was in heaven. But then the injuries and most depressing, the long droughts of games scoring 3 or less runs. My heart was broken. Then came September, the marvelous month where 21 wins was one of the most exciting bursts I can remember (screw the 06 Rox), The Phils were mostly healthy, the pitching was tuned in but the bats were not dominant and it just seemed maybe the Phils had enough, even though the O was still mired in the so called "Year of the Pitcher". Regardless, the constitution of this team was such that they were built to not lose a series – then they ran into a good pitching staff and the O dropped off. The unthinkable happened.
So, I cannot get too pumped, yet anyway. We need to see some consistent run scoring, we need to see Jroll staying healthy, Utley, Vic, Poly, Raul, Ruiz and especially Howard hitting their averages – no one has to be outstanding – just their averages will do. And I believe a key ingredient will be what our designate RF will do. We can never expect too much from a rookie but his upside is amazing.
Optimistic, always, definitely cautious though.
Quick question: How do Brian and Pat both have 360+ posts?
Greg, my guess is because when they make blog posts on here it adds to their post count (sort of like how when you create a new thread on a message board it increases your post count.) All the old blog posts they made have likely been calculated into the new system and been added to their number of posts.
Brooks, it's part of a sunset picture I have on my computer. I've got this really cool pic of CBP during a storm with all kinds of clouds rolling in….but I can't seem to be able to upload it.
I don't like the new site. I think its too busy, difficult to navigate, and a bombardment on the senses. Also, being raised catholic, I really dislike cursive writing. While one of my favorite phrases is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", I am also aware of the other saying "ya can't stop progress". That said, I appreciate the time and effort the gang put into the site. It is really something and I can gladly suffer through knowing that everybody else enjoys it. I hope it goes over big. Kudos.
I'll have to agreed with Dipsy about this new layout for the site. I don't like it for the same reasons. There are more distractions with excess Phillie fodder and the annoying ads. Maybe in due time I'll adjust and see it as a positive rather then a negative.
By the way, I couldn't get in initially and had to create a new account and could only use "lowercase" letters for name, password, etc. Why? I also try to create my own avatar with difficulty. I hope the result is good with submission of my first post on the new site.
I see that my avatar is a disaster (chuckles). Can anyone tell me how to delete the unwanted avatar and create a new one?
I found a way to delete the previous avatar and created a new one. Let's see if anyone knows this picture of the person with trademark glasses. 😉
This is like playing with a new toy on Christmas morning. Thanks, Pat, Brian,. et al…!!!!
hmm… I really enjoyed PhilliesNation for it's bell/whistle-less approach! Now it looks a lot like every other blog out there. And for some reason it's running incredibly slow for me. Not that it's going to stop me from visiting!
It works! Beautiful layout.
Jose made like three bad pitches all year. The McLouth homer comes to mind, but what a super job he did overall. Great pick up.
There will be no deal between Phillies and lefty reliever Dennys Reyes, according to a source. Two sides have parted ways.
2 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Dipsy, what the hell is that picture?
Good stuff Phillies nation.
Reyes deal fell through. Not sure why, but Phils need to restart the search for a lefty arm in the pen.
Should have taken Sherrill. What about Fuentes? Probably too expensive though.
I want Fuentes! Not Tito. Not Daisy. Brian.
The Dipsy
You would take Brian Fuentes over Daisy Fuentes? Oh, wait a second…this is baseball and the Phillies we're talking about here.
Nice new look,
Like that it gives you an avatar, mine is not original…. Just me and my wife sitting 1st row behind the Philiies Dugout:)
Jose had a suprisingly good year and looking for another one as well.
I like the new site. I was shocked at first when i clicked my bookmark. I can actually log in now which is nice. Got a little frustrated with that.
I think Contreras had a nice year for the Phils. He will be a valuable contributor out of the pen this year as well.
Jose Contreras exceeded my expectations for the 2010 season. He found his lively fastball and control that made him a very effective middle to end reliever. Pitching coach Rich Dubee may have something to do with his effectiveness. Also another possible factor is the Cuban connection. His close friend and teammate, fellow Cuban defector Danys Baez provided support and the role of language interpreter. Those kind of intangibles can't be ignored.
This site has a whole lot more to offer and is not that bad to navigate either. Nice work guys.
Anyway we can blow up these avitars to see what they really are? I had to crop the hell out of mine to catch the
WS trophy in it but its my favorite pic. I want to lick another trophy…
You have to watch these YOUTUBE videos – the first is a conversation (animated) between Lee &
Jayson Werth and the others well, you'll remember fondly.
I had to change my avatar. Brooks thought I might be a lizard in the other one!! Not that I hate lizards or anything. Anyway, yeah, this site is…well…interesting. I agree. At first, I was sort of like wondering what was going on. What happened to my PN??!! I am
oops. hit submit by accident. Anyway, I am a creature of habit. Change can be awkward sometimes. But, like Dipsy said, in the name of "progress" I guess it's necessary and very good in the long run.
test – the great unknown
I too had some difficulty in cropping an image for the avatar. Best bet is to use a smaller pic from your file or website which will reduce the need for cropping.
took me a while to post also, I am a person who likes routines, but just like getting used to my new tivo I guess I will get used to it eventually, Like Jose's signing a lot he can pitch at anytime in the game and it seemed to me the more he was used the better he did, and he can pitch the 8th or 9th when Madson and or Lidge need a day off. And he just looks mean out there witch is good for a reliever. Can not wait til April
Sherril was perfect as was Randy Choate. Both are going to be a pain in the Phillies LH butt's in 2011. I honestly didn't like the Reyes signing because of his bad year against lefties last season. Fuentes wants 3/$15 which is too rich for the role he'd play in Philly. Not sure exactly what else is out there, add in the Sox and Yankees looking for Left BP help. Situation just got a lot tougher.
Fuentes wants 3y/15m? Pay him. Honestly, I thought he would be asking for more. He's a lefty and closer. If you sign him, that would afford the team some flexibility when Lidge splits after the season. I imagine that the Phils would sign Madson, and Fuentes could either A) be the 2012 closer B) be part of a nice Madson/Fuentes closer combo, or C) be the eighth inning guy. He is better than Downs who signed for the same money. 3y15m is decent value and if he were to pitch to form it would fix our bullpen problems. No money left? First of all, "bull". Nextly, OK….backload the contract.
The Dipsy
They won't do it. 3/15 is too much for a reliever…IN THE EYES OF THE PHILLIES….after the Lee signing. Would love to have him though…
Chuck, the Phillies are "all in" this year. Big time. It doesn't make sense to leave an area weak. When people say 3/15, what does that really mean? How about 2/9? How would you feel if we had all these starters and then blew the WS because of a shaky bullpen?
If the Phils can get rid of Blanton the Payroll situation is actually in great shape. 2011 would be at about $150 million, but still needing 3 more players. They'll get about 8-9 million in increased ticket revenue from the increase. 2012 they'll have extra money to play with, especially if Oswalt departs. I'd sign Fuentes, but I doubt it happens. What lefty specialists are left?
I see your point, Dipsy. But I just wonder if they (the Phillies) feel as though they've blown their wad and can't bring them selves to sign a reliever for 3 years??
I think the new site will be great once we all get used to it. Progress is painful but usually worth it.
Moreover, what are the Phils doing about an outfield bat, a serviceable utility player and the bullpen. I am not hearing anything, and that either tells me that nothing is happening. OR that something B I G is coming down the pike.


text:
The American Red Cross is helping a Windward Oahu family after a fire ripped through their home.
The flames broke out around 11:45 a.m. at Hui Iwa Street in Ahuimanu.
"I just saw a fat flame when I came up. I couldn't see the mountains," said neighbor Kameron Yano. "I heard explosions a lot."
Flames and smoke was all neighbors could see of the home.
Neighbor Linda Debo heard explosions, saw the flames and immediately called 911.
"It was huge and it went very quickly. It went from the back of the house all the way to the front within a matter of minutes," said Debo.
About 40 Honolulu Fire Department personnel responded to the blaze.
One man, the son-in-law of the homeowners, was home at the time and was able to escape uninjured.
"The person who was home told us that he heard what he thought was a loud... he described it as an explosion, but we don't know if it was just something bursting from heat," said Capt. Terry Seelig of the Honolulu Fire Department. "The fire rolled through the bottom floor and extended up to the second floor."
Homeowners George and Mits Higa were at Longs Drugs when a neighbor called them.
"I wasn't about to answer the phone," said George Higa. "I didn't recognize her number. Good thing I answered. She said, 'Oh, your home is on fire!'"
The Higas say they are thankful their son-in-law got out. Their daughter wasn't home.
The fire caused an estimated $450,000 damage to the six-bedroom home.
"The home could be replaced. We'll have to check with the insurance company and all that. Good thing nobody was hurt and that's what we were thankful for," said Higa.
The Higas have lived in that home for more than four decades and say they are thankful they have good neighbors who called them as well as 911.


text:
My friend, Nadya, has unwittingly helped me on my quest to prove the genealogy of digital photo restoration! There's no denying that photography is the top of the tree, the ground zero of digital restoration; after all, the image had to be taken first, right? That's undisputed. From there it goes awry. People assume, for some reason, that digital restoration is something that goes hand in hand with photography; that being a photographer makes you able to do digital photo restoration….but…why? The only thing they have in common is that the photo, as previously mentioned, was taken in the first place! If the photographer has experience with photo editing software, such as Photoshop, there's a better chance they'll be competent at restoration., but that's still not a given.
I've had a theory for some time now that neither photography, nor expertise in Photoshop, guarantee you success in photo restoration. There's a certain something else that's present in all the really great restoration experts, and that's an artistic eye. I'm not saying photographers don't have an artistic eye, but I'm talking about a certain kind of artistic eye, the kind traditional artists have. The ability to know when something isn't right about a composition, a face, the placement of the eye, more than a passing familiarity with forensic anatomy…the wrist bones connected to the arm bone sort of knowledge. Now, I'm pretty good at this photo restoration thing, but my photography skills? I don't have any. I think I could learn, maybe even be good, but right out of the box? I pretty much suck.
If anyone's seen Nadya Neklioudova's artwork, they automatically know she's got that sort of artistic eye. Her wildlife art is amazing and there's nary a wonky eye to be seen! She knows what bone another bone is connected to! Seriously, take a look at this! This is one of my favorite's (along with the Koala Bears…and that one of the zebra's…and…). We're talking major talent, here!
When I saw examples of her restoration work, I was astounded! I usually refrain from saying much when I see digital restoration because I see ways it could be better and the person doing the work hasn't asked for my opinion. I might say something about a part I think was done well, but I'm not going to gush over something if I don't feel it was exceptional. When I saw saw Nadya's restoration work, I gushed. I gushed all over the place! She's good, really good. The kind of good that inspires me and makes me think there's hope out there that digital photo restoration will be one day seen as an art form in it's own right, not just a hobby or something anyone with editing software can do. Nadya also happens to be a great photographer, but I believe, rather than the photography making her a great restoration artist, it's the art which makes the restoration and the photography great.
Why do I think this is so good? She brought put the detail, beautifully, yet kept it subtle. It looks like the original picture, only 20/30 years ago. Period. She didn't try to make it new. It's gorgeous. Nadya understands shadow and light and the power of a light hand. In all the photo restoration work I've seen, and I've seen a lot, it's my opinion that there are only three truly great digital photo restoration artists, and I mean that in the truest sense of the word, in the world today. One is Nadya Neklioudova.
I'm still working on my digital photo restoration family tree, but I'm pretty sure that great-grandpa Photographer was really just an uncle and Traditional Artist was the real direct ancestor…


text:
With cool and electric stuff, two pitchers lead Bucs rotation
Last season, the Pirates pitching staff compiled a 5.00 team earned run average.
2 Comments
Honestly, I think control and pitch placement are more important than stuff. The guy who has all three is obviously something special, but it's the first two that give you a better shot at consistency. Its sounds like the Pirates have made some good changes.
This is a very simple game…
It's a very good start for the Pirates. They've got plenty of young and impressive hitters, but these pitchers may help them stay in the hunt all season long. The Roy Halladay comparison is huge too. If he is half as good as Doc, then a 15 win season is a lock.


text:
The last time Prince Charles took the London Underground, the driver wore a peaked cap. But decades after that journey, the prince renewed his acquaintance with the rail network that moves three million of his fellow Londoners every day, celebrating the Tube's 150st anniversary. ITV's Damon Green reports.
All forms of human life can be spotted traveling on London's underground 'Tube' network, but there was a rare appearance Wednesday by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla.
The heir to the throne made a journey on the system's Metropolitan line to mark the 150th birthday of the Tube.
Unlike most commuters on the creaking system, the Royal couple were able to find a seat for their one-stop journey, because the train was empty, according to BBC reporter Peter Hunt.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, as the pair are formally known, traveled one stop westbound from Farringdon to Kings Cross.
It is the first time Charles has used the Tube in 33 years, according to the Daily Telegraph. The last time was in April 1979 when he opened the first stage of the then-new Jubilee line.
The royals were presented with special commemorative Oyster swipe cards by staff to use to open turnstiles at each end of their journey.
The cards were each loaded electronically to the value of £10, Hunt reported. However, neither needed to pay as everyone over the age of 60 is entitled to free travel on public transportation in London.
@bbcpeterhunt @drearyagent Unless he's on it at 8am, he will still have no idea. "Experiencing" the tube at 11am is cheating.— Sarah Churchwell (@sarahchurchwell) January 30, 2013
At Kings Cross, the couple returned above ground to the main line station where they saw a plaque marking 'Platform 9 and ¾' – the fictitious departure point for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter novels.
A record 1.171 billion passenger journeys were made during the 2011-12 financial year, across a city-run network that now covers 249 miles and connects 270 stations on 12 lines.
It is a remarkable milestone for the network, carved from the hot clay beneath London's streets and which survived the bombs of World War Two.
Abraham Lincoln was president when the world's first subterranean passenger service opened between Paddington and Farringdon on Jan. 9, 1863.


text:
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/232654
- Title
- Microbes orchestrate life on Earth
- Author(s)
- Kowalchuk, George A.; Jones, Susan E.; Blackall, Linda L.
- Abstract
- In the past decade, global climate change has come to the forefront of the political and social agenda owing to the growing realization that the Earth's resources are being used in an unsustainable fashion. There is an urgent need for changes in policy and human behaviour to tackle this problem, as well as a global initiative to develop a better understanding of global change processes and potential remedies for the future. Microbial ecology lies at the heart of any discussion on sustainability. Indeed, from the natural environment to engineered systems, we rely on microorganisms to keep the globe turning and to sustainably maintain it, through the essential involvement of microorganisms in all biogeochemical and elemental cycles of the planet.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Source
- ISME Journal, Vol. 2, no. 8 (Aug 2008), pp. 795-796
- Publication year
- 2008
- FOR Code(s)
- 05 Environmental Sciences; 06 Biological Sciences; 10 Technology
- Keyword(s)
- Astronomy; Ecosystem; Environmental microbiology; Life; Microbiology; Planet Earth; Sustainability
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- 1751-7362
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2008 International Society for Microbial Ecology. All rights reserved.
- Peer reviewed