text:
The IVD Industry Connectivity Consortium (IICC) is a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and encouraging adoption of a unified connectivity standard to reduce the cost and variability of data exchange between IVD devices and healthcare informatics. This will improve healthcare efficiency and patient care. Member organizations include Abbott Diagnostics, Beckman Coulter, Becton Dickinson, bioMérieux, Data Innovations, Orchard Software, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, and Systelab Technologies, S.A.
"The potential to reduce the cost and time involved with lab device connectivity has been demonstrated with the IHE LAW Profile. As an industry, it's time we move beyond our interoperability challenges and refocus our energy on advancing healthcare."
Eric Olson, President, IICC, and Vice President, Portfolio & Product Management, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Inc.
"The publication of the LAW Profile as a supplement for trial implementation and the successful completion of the IHE European Connectathon 2012 are important milestones. The next step is implementation in the coming generation of IVD products, which will integrate the clinical lab into the mainstream of healthcare information flow."
Edwin O. Heierman, Chief Technology Officer, IICC, and Informatics Software Architect, Abbott Diagnostics Division
"Over the next 5 years, Meaningful Use will have a huge impact on the IVD world, and all stakeholders will benefit—especially the patients. Now is the time to act. We want to drive the change, not just sit back and let change drive us."
Jay B. Jones, PhD, DABCC, Board Member and Chair of the Provider Review Committee, IICC, and Director, Chemistry & Regional Labs, Geisinger Health System
"The incorporation of the LAW Profile allows for simplification and standardization across different analytical instruments. The challenge will be to continue to improve the pace of laboratory processes by means of such innovations to reduce costs, improve quality and provide better care for patients."
Patrick Collyer – Systelab Technologies, S.A.
Founding Members


text:
LG BSNQ246C4A2 Single Split Inverter V
Key Features
- Triple Filter
- 19 dB Quiet Operation
- Energy Saving Solution
- Auto Cleaning
Dual Protection Filter (Pre Filter)
The Dual Protection Filter is easy to remove making it easier to clean both the interior of the air conditioner and the filter itself. This means it is easier to clean and maintain.
Supreme Energy Efficiency
The revolutionary inverter technology of LG boasts powerful yet silent performance while minimizing energy consumption by as much as 60%.
Complete Silence
LG's unique optimized air flow and low vibrating compressor technology have achieved the world's lowest sound level.
10M Windblast
LG Air Conditioners provide fast and powerful cooling in your place. Enjoy the wind blast that reaches up to 10 meters.
4 Way
LG air conditioners deliver cool air to every corner of your room. The 4 way swing function blows the air quickly and efficiently in many directions.
Quick & Easy Installation
LG air conditioners are designed to be easier and more efficient to be installed, regardless of the surroundings and
the number of persons involved in the installation process.
Triple Filter
Eliminates Volatile Organic Chemical(VOC) and other odor emanating from different sources including tobacco.
Gold Fin
The Gold Fin™ prevents the surface of the heat exchanger from corrosion and wear. Gold Fin™ is an anti corrosion coating on the surface of the heat exchanger. This ensures that the surface is more resistant to corrosion and enhances the durability of heat exchanger for a much longer period.
Jet Cool
The optimized design of the air outlet provides a powerful airflow which cools the room temperature by up to 5 degrees in just 3 minutes.
Auto Cleaning
The comprehensive auto cleaning function prevents the
forming of bacteria and mold on the heat exchanger and
thus provides a more pleasant and comfortable environment
for the user.
Condenser Unit BSUQ246C4A2
|Inverter V
|Nominal (kW)
|6.3 kW Class
|Nominal (Btu/h)
|21,500 Btu/h Class
|Liquid - mm(inch) x No.
|9.52 (3/8) x 1
|Gas - mm(inch) x No.
|15.88 (5/8) x 1
|W x H x D (mm)
|1,030 × 325 × 250
|H / M / L (m3/min)
|H / M / L (ft3/min)
|Power Supply (V / Ø / Hz)
|230 / 1 / 50
|H / M / L / S-L (dB(A))
|45 / 40 / 35 / 29
Simply choose a support option from the icons below:
Call an LG Support Representative at
6512 0555
Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 6.00pm
Saturday: 8.30am to 2.00pm
Sunday & Public Holiday: Closed
No time to chat?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Baby hurt in 'pack' bashing
Page Tools
Two men accused of bashing a father carrying his five-week-old daughter, and fracturing the baby's skull in the process, were part of a group hunting as a pack, the NSW District Court trial was told today.
Eric McKenna, 25, and Lloyd Penrice, 22, are charged over the attack on the man and the infant, neither of whom can be named, in the eastern Sydney suburb of Maroubra in August 2003.
They have each pleaded not guilty to assaulting the father in company, causing actual bodily harm, and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on his daughter in company.
The two were allegedly part of a group who chased down and beat the man while he was carrying his baby in a pouch inside the front of his jacket.
The jury was told how McKenna and Penrice kicked and punched the father in the head and stomach so violently the baby's skull was fractured and she suffered bleeding on the brain.
The accused initially believed the man had earlier attacked McKenna's girlfriend, Crown Prosecutor Mark Hobart said.
Despite McKenna's girlfriend saying she did not believe the man was her attacker, Mr Hobart said the group pursued him anyway, hunting as a pack.
"Regardless of how many were kicking and punching him, those that weren't are equally guilty," Mr Hobart told the court.
It also was irrelevant whether or not they knew the man was carrying a baby, as their recklessness amounted to malice, he said.
"If they had taken half a second to look, they may have seen he was carrying a baby.
"But they didn't bother and they bashed (him) anyway, and as a result the baby was severely injured."
The trial before Judge Stephen Walmsley is continuing.
Get The Age home delivered for as little as $2.70 a week*


text:
Mail-Me messenger include a server and the respectly client, to store and view messages. Have the purpose to be installed on a home lan, company lan, etc. You can \"mail\" another employees, your friend, people on internet.The program have some security c
User Reviews
Be the first to post a review of Mail-Me Messenger!


text:
Shenyang Makes His Mark on Opera Stages
As part of our China in New York festival, from Sunday, January 22 to Sunday, January 29, WQXR Host David Garland interviews a different Chinese-born musician, composer or conductor who has lived in the United States and has become prominent to New York City audiences.
At 27, bass-baritone Shenyang is a powerful voice with an enormous classical music record collection.
In the spring of 2007, after winning the Cardiff Competition, he took a master class with Renee Fleming at the Shanghai Conservatory. And well, as they say, the rest is history.
He now resides in New York City, and is singing with the Metropolitan Opera.


text:
Local iwi gathered at the Matahiwi Marae, on the outskirts of Hastings, to discuss the proposed Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme, with some arguing the ecological and cultural impacts would outweigh any economic positives that would stem from the project.
Ngahiwi Tomoana from Ngati Kahungunu welcomed about 60 people who gathered at the marae and said although the iwi was not opposed to a water storage scheme it needed to be sustainable and not risk the marine environment. Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc chief executive Dr Adele Whyte said there would be potential employment opportunities to arise from the dam for mana whenua but the bigger picture should remain on the awa.
"We are aspirational that 25 per cent of jobs across all levels will employ tangata whenua," she said. "There are a number of tangata whenua overseas who are highly qualified that we will target to come back to work on a project at home."
However she said "the environmental impacts should be at the forefront of any project," and argued restoration and protecting the wellbeing of the Tukituki for future generations should be the priority.
One Bridge Pa resident said she wouldn't support a dam that would destroy the river system and feared intensive farming would suck the river dry in time.
"The rivers are used to serve the whole area and all the people, now they serve no one.
"The farmers up the river are taking it all for themselves, what about the people who live on the riverbanks."
Ngati Hawea hapu spokesperson Pohatu Paku said local government and their predecessors and processes had not been good stewards of taonga tuku iho.
"The Upokororo [fish species], is now extinct, what's next?
"Ngati Hawea has been asserting their voice through processes of submissions, advisory groups and committees, statutory committees, temporary advisers on resource consent for Napier City Council and Hastings District Council. "
He said Ngati Hawea proposed that advisers come directly to them to converse over historical, cultural and current issues which aren't effectively covered in the Cultural Impact Assessment of the Ruataniwha Water Scheme report.
"My intentions are to raise awareness within Maori community, specifically within hapu ... to include more than what the reports have suggested. In order to recognise tangibility of rights and interest that Maori have regarding lands, waterways and people and in the case specifically Tukituki River, we offer a way forward."
Meanwhile, Hawke's Bay Regional Council is to explore options to reduce the perceived conflict of interest by councillor directors on the council's investment company, HBRIC Ltd.
At yesterday's council meeting there was discussion on the perception of a possible conflict of interest for councillor directors being part of the HBRIC Ltd recommendation process around the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme and then taking part in HBRC decision-making process on whether to invest in the scheme.
Legal advice to council stated there did not appear to be any legal reasons to alter the current governance arrangements for the board of HBRIC Ltd to address conflict of interest and/or predetermination issues.
A further report on options to reduce the perception of conflict of interest by councillor directors, will be presented to the August Regional Council meeting.


text:
FPS purists will finally get to return (once again) to the world of Wolfenstein with a new game – The New Order. Keep your eyes glued to this trailers page for footage of this new shooter.
Announcement Trailer
Wolfenstein: The New Order E3 2013 Trailer (Q4 2013)
Wolfenstein: The New Order – Boom Boom Gameplay Trailer
Wolfenstein – 'Nowhere to Run' Gameplay Trailer
'Wolfenstein: The New Order' Revealed For Late 2013 Launch
The OG of first-person shooters is making a return for 2013.Click here to read more


text:
OK, I can't be the only one on here with a raging case of AR. I'm 44 (!!!), not overweight at all, in great shape, nonsmoker, etc... yet I have a raging case of AR. Got scoped a few years ago when it was bad-- they found some prior signs of damage, but nothing bad or cancerous. I've been on Prevacid 30mg since then with good results.
Generally, I can eat whatever I want to-- but can't really tolerate any cola sodas, or combining chocolate and red wine. Other than that, I can go nuts.
Lately though, even without eating my 'forbidden' foods, it's been RAGING. It's miserable -- getting the 'burps, nausea, and that acid taste in my mouth. Waiting now for an appt with my GP to see whats going on.
Any other AR sufferers here? Any tips besides 'get a new stomach'??


text:
Asked by sherribeare at 12:50 AM on Jun. 22, 2011 in Crazy for CreditsLevel 52 (475,652 Credits)
Answer by Kathy675 at 12:52 AM on Jun. 22, 2011
Next question in Crazy for Credits
Next question overall
(General Parenting)
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Already Joined? LOG IN
© 2017 CMI Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.


text: National Weather Service National Weather Service Confirms Overnight Tornado In Clinton County By Ann Thompson • Jun 23, 2016 National Weather Service Update 6/23/2016 1:15 p.m.: The National Weather Service in Wilmington is confirming a tornado hit Clinton County early Thursday morning. The service says the storm had maximum wind speeds of 80 miles per hour. Record Rainfall Causes Rivers To Rise By Bill Rinehart • Dec 28, 2015 Bill Rinehart / WVXU Cincinnati received a record amount of rain Sunday. National Weather Service Meteorologist Brian Haines says the old record for December 27 was set more than 100 years ago. Rivers are rising, but high water typical for this time of year By Bill Rinehart • Mar 5, 2015 Bill Rinehart / WVXU **Updated March 9** The Ohio River crested at 53 feet, Sunday, according to the Associated Press. That's one foot above flood stage. The river level is expected to fall slowly through the rest of the week. The National Weather Service is predicting rain on Tuesday, and again Thursday and Friday. **Original story** With plenty of rain and snow this week, area rivers are expected to rise quickly. March snowstorm predictions downgraded for many By Bill Rinehart • Mar 4, 2015 Mark Heyne / WVXU News The rains came but the snow, it seems, may not be as bad as originally thought. Late Tuesday forecasters warned a winter storm could dump heavy rains on the area before mixing with and turning to heavy snow by Wednesday night. Seth Binau with the National Weather Service in Wilmington says moist air is streaming up from Texas but there's a definite border between it and drier air to the north. Snow gets deeper as you head south By Ann Thompson • Feb 16, 2015 Bill Rinehart / WVXU **Updated 4:37pm** Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has declared a statewide emergency, which frees up state resources, including the National Guard, to aid local jurisdictions. So far, Kentucky Emergency Management reports the snow has been "dry", and has not accumulated on trees and power lines, which means limited impact on the state's energy grid. Some parts of the Bluegrass State could receive up to 16 inches by the time the snow ends tonight. BRRRR! Let me shake this snow off my boots By Mark Heyne • Jan 21, 2014 Mark Heyne / WVXU News This definitely has been a colder, snowier winter than usual. Just ask the folks at the National Weather Service in Wilmington how much snow we've gotten. "So far this winter, not including Tuesday's snowfall but through midnight last night, 20.1 inches at our official observing location at the Cincinnati Airport," said Seth Binau, Science Operations Officer at the NWS. Winter storm for Tri-State By Jay Hanselman • Dec 26, 2012 National Weather Service website (Wilmington, Ohio) *Update 4:30 pm (From Metro)* All Metro service is operating. Three routes are on detour due to ice and snow (new addition in bold): Rt. 24 Anderson - UC (Liberty Hill) Rt. 31 West End - Evanston Crosstown (Hackberry Loop) Rt. 39 Western Hills - Uptown (Liberty Hill) Additional detours and delays are possible throughout the Metro service area as it continues to sleet and snow. For any further updates:


text:
Super Monkey Ball 2 Credits (GameCube)
Published by
Developed by
ESRB Rating
Critic Score
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
User Score
5 point score based on user ratings.
Super Monkey Ball 2 Credits
Other Games
In addition to this game, the following people are listed as working on other games. No more than 25 people are listed here, even if there are more than 25 people who have also worked on other games.
Toshihiro Nagoshi, 41 other games
Konami Yoshida, 18 other games
Haruyoshi Tomita, 14 other games
Hidenori Shoji, 14 other games
Yukinobu Arikawa, 13 other games
Tetsuya Kaku, 10 other games
Eiko Takahashi, 9 other games
Jun Tokuhara, 9 other games
Yukio Oda, 9 other games
Sakae Osumi, 9 other games
Hisashi Endo, 9 other games
Saizo Nagai, 9 other games
Kentarou Niina, 8 other games
Kazuhiro Izaki, 8 other games
Yoshinori Suzuki, 8 other games
Junichi Yamada, 8 other games
Eiji Takaki, 7 other games
Yōichi Ishikawa, 7 other games
Chigaku Fukuhara, 7 other games
Patrick Harlan, 7 other games
Hiroki Koike, 7 other games
Tetsu Yoshimitsu, 7 other games
Daisuke Satō, 6 other games
Miho Nakamura, 6 other games
Koji Tokieda, 6 other games
People who have worked on this game have also collaborated on the creation of the following games:
Super Monkey Ball, a group of 31 people
F-Zero GX, a group of 29 people
Yakuza 3, a group of 21 people
Yakuza 4, a group of 18 people
Binary Domain, a group of 13 people
Shenmue, a group of 11 people
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, a group of 11 people
Super Monkey Ball Jr., a group of 11 people
Yakuza: Dead Souls, a group of 10 people
Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll, a group of 9 people
Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll, a group of 9 people
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, a group of 8 people
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, a group of 8 people
Sonic: Unleashed, a group of 4 people
Shenmue II, a group of 4 people
Yakuza, a group of 4 people
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a group of 3 people
Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed, a group of 3 people
Credits for this game were contributed by quizzley7 (21127)


text:
Sliding pine barn board doors in the Harper Farm collection create a unique rustic wall system which would easily be as at home in an industrial setting as down on the farm. Executed in a Warm Pine finish on pine veneers and solids, this entertainment unit boasts open and closed storage as well as adjustable shelves and pullout bin-style drawers to meet every media need. Complete with Magnussen's attention to every detail, pier units feature LED lights and felt lined drawers while wire management and levelers are also included. All these details plus board and batten design showcase an ingenious View More Items in This Collection
Leave a review & win $100
For an extended warranty please click here
We assure the quality of our products with this LIMITED WARRANTY.
Magnussen Home warrants their products for a period of twelve months from the date of shipment to the retailer. The warranty covers defects against material and workmanship under normal use and service. Natural variations in color, material characteristics, appearance, texture and other inherent features of the materials and manufacturing are not to be considered defects. Deluxing, defined as touch up of small chips or nicks in the finish, cleaning, waxing or buffing of surfaces to meet consumer expectations is the responsibility of the Dealer.
Subject to the above limitations, Magnussen Home's obligation is limited to the repair or, at their opinion, the replacement of the defective product once a company representative has inspected the reported defect(s).
This warranty applies only to the original purchaser and will not apply to any products which have been improperly installed, repaired, altered, neglected or subjected to consequential, incidental or other damages or costs.


text:
- This question has been deleted.
General Question
What is the top jobs site in world?
jobclickr.com service at a glance
jobclickr.com is a job search service provider firm from specificly South Africa,Ghana,Kenya,Nigeria and they focus on employer and employee connectivity that meets their customers requirements.
Name : www.jobclickr.com
Service Type : Job Search | jobs anywhere, everywhere Job Clickr
Service region : South Africa,Ghana,Kenya,Nigeria
Specializations : Job search & service
Customer satisfaction rate: High
masum multimedia rank: 4/5
WOT ( web of trust ) rank : Good
Social Networking Connections: Yes
Reasons you should choose jobclickr.com
Jobclickr is an excellent website offering jobs search for South Africa,Ghana,Kenya,Nigeria, Zimbabwe . It's the perfect place for the employers and employee to meet together . There are so many advantages with www.jobclickr.com.Some top advantages are here -
1. Faster job networking.
2. Manual CV posting.
3. Optimum job search by region based.
4. Faster query support.
5. No racial facts.


text:
Papermoons Announce 'No Love,' Stream Two New Songs
Papermoons have announced their new album, No Love will be released on September 17, 2013. You can check out two new songs, "Arms Length" and "Ghost" courtesy of Deep Elm Records after the jump. Purchase a CD here. Buy concert tickets here.
The following two tabs change content below.
Joel Pytynia
Latest posts by Joel Pytynia (see all)
- WATCH: The 1975 "Settle Down" Music Video - January 30, 2014
- Alive Like Me Sign To Rise Records - January 29, 2014
- Chiodos Post Song Titles For New Album - January 24, 2014


text:
Was contacted by one of the forum members Daren and asked if I could do a winter protection on his newly aquired 330ci to see it through till the spring.
Not a particularly pleasant start to the day weather wise, upon arrival and after a quick chat I made a start,
Wheels cleaned using Smartwheels and various brushes,
Hood cleaned to remove some staining with a mild cleaner,
Hood pressure rinsed of, shuts, arches and trim cleaned with various brushes and the above solution also, lower half of panels treated to a warm citrus pre-wash before rinsing of,
2 x applications of warm shampoo applied through the foamer and left to dwell shortly before washing,
Tar remover applied to areas followed by paintwork contaminents removed using Meguiars mild clay,
Paintwork re-rinsed and dried with plush towels,
Lime prime paintwork cleanser applied via the rotary,
With the paintwork cleansed the wax of choice was Swissvax Best of Show, applied to all painted areas and left to cure,
Hood treated with G-techniq fabric protector,
Arches and trim dressed using Megs all seasons,
Tyres dressed using Blackfire gel with added polycharger,
Glass sealed using carlack window sealant,
Chromework polished, rubber door seals nourished to avoid splitting in the cold and interior given the once over,
Alloys sealed using Collinite insulator wax.
Wax removed and given a final wipedown with Zaino Z8 (spray sealant and gloss enhancer).
Day wouldn't have been complete without the typical rain shower,
Re-dried and put away undercover.
Many thanks to daren for the supply of warm tea throughout the day and the company.


text:
Education and Reference Q&A
What does it suggest when something insists upon itself?
I've heard this term used lots times but am not sure as to what it means. What does it mean when something "insists upon itself"?
For example: "I do not similar to that movie because it insists upon itself".
It means that the movie moves around the same impression (plot, message, purpose, etc.) that is, that whatever is the point of the movie it is repeated and repeated and repeated, so much so that the outsider can feel tired and uninterested
Insist upon itself is pretty an unusual term. What it means is that it is trying to build support for itself... Sort of a self promotion. It could be a situation where on earth one person may be arguing in support of himself as an individual such as within an election campaign when a contestant insists on himself as the right choice.
Grammar - sexual characteristics of pronoun?
Does anyone count words??
On a forum, what does it denote when a post say "bumped" ?
4/5 + 3/4 =?
Descriptive words?
Financial Aid
Higher Education
Home Schooling
Homework Help
Primary & Secondary Education
Special Education
Standards & Testing
Studying Abroad
Words & Wordplay
General - Education
Copyright © 2007-2013 EducationAsk.com
Contact us
Terms of Use


text:
Collections Browse Untitled from the Passing/Posing series
- Image
- Courtesy Walker Art Center
- Rights
- Copyright retained by the artist
All content including images, text documents, audio, video, and interactive media published on the Walker website (walkerart.org) is for noncommercial, educational, journalistic and/or personal use only. Any commercial use or republication is strictly prohibited. Copying, redistribution, or exploitation for personal or corporate gain is not permitted.
For information on the use of reproductions for publishing and/or commercial use, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
- Title
- Untitled from the Passing/Posing series
- Artist
- Kehinde Wiley
- Date
- 2003
- Dimensions
- sheet 26 × 20-¼ inches
- Materials
- colored pencil, watercolor on paper
- Location
- Not on view
Object Details
- Type
- Drawings and Watercolors (Drawings)
- Accession Number
- 2003.18
- Inscriptions
- in pencil front BR "Kehinde Wiley 03"
- Physical Description
- A drawing of a kneeling man in which only the hand and head have been finished on blue paper
- Credit Line
- Miriam and Erwin Kelen Acquisition Fund for Drawings, 2003
- Object Copyright
- Copyright retained by the artist


text:
Odéon Single Vanity
$2125 Final Sale
$1700 Member
With its distinctive curved-front paneling, our handcrafted vanity is a handsome and practical evolution of the demi-lune shapes that were de rigueur in 18th-century France. Customize with the paint color and stone top of your choice.
Show Details +
- Vanity with Top: 48"W x 24"D x 34"H
- Backsplash: 47½"W x 1¼"D x 3"H
- Vanity Base: 48"W x 24"D x 32¾"H
- Countertop Weight: 100 lbs.
Shown in Obsidian with Italian Carrara marble countertop. Featured with Chatham Lever-Handle 8" Widespread Faucet Set.
Odéon Single Vanity
$2125 Final Sale
$1700 Member


text:
Hi Everyone, was at my dealer yesturday for warranty work (Paul Miller) and the sales manager verified that the new body style for the Cayman and 911 will be out for 2012 with orders being placed in 2011. He hasn't seen it yet but he did hear that there will be material body style changes to both lines of cars!
Anyone have any insight or guess/estimate of what the changes could look lik? Very curious.
My car is due in 2012 so I am constantly going back and fourth on whether I want a 911 (for better performance) or Cayman (MUCH better looks/bigger head turner).


text:
1. Economic Stabilization on the micro level - household budgets and price of staples, areas susceptible to fluctuating fuel prices.
2. We're running on finite resources which come largely from foreign sources which we don't always get along with and which are themselves, starting to run out. This entrenches us in dubious foreign policy and entangled us in endless wars.
3. The need to change our individual habits and attitudes towards fuel consumption. I'm a strong believer in intrinsic motivation - I can't force you to want something, but if you want it for your own reasons - then I can't talk you out of it. Objectively speaking, we should all want something better.


text:
Altec Systems celebrates 20 years in business! Click for full article from Security Systems News.
04/05/11 — Altec Systems Announces New Cloud Hosted IT Offerings
Altec Systems IT-Cloud Services Altec Systems today announced it is now offering hosted IT cloud solutions as a complement to its hosted and traditional commercial security solutions. As more and more clients request the ability to work from anywhere, only pay for what services they use, reduce their IT costs, … Continued
10/15/09-Altec Systems, Inc. Celebrates 15 Year Anniversary
Altec Systems proudly announces 15 years of client-focused service as premier technology and security solutions provider in the Metro Atlanta Area. Tim Feury founded Altec Systems in October 1994, and opened its doors in Marietta, Ga., to a hand-full of clients in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Since then, Altec … Continued
07/09-Case Study: "Surprised Crooks Leave Stolen Truck Behind"
Roofing and Insulation Supply – Marietta, GA – June 2009 – Regional Vice President & General Manager, Paul D. Smith, of Roofing & Insulation Supply was pleased when his security system returned his investment and saved him thousands within just a few weeks time. Roofing & Insulation Supply is a … Continued


text:
It was all over for India at the Australian Open after Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi crashed out of the mixed doubles quarterfinals on Thursday.
Third seeds Sania and her American partner Bob Bryan were stunned 5-7, 4-6 by the unseeded Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak.
Fifth seeds Bhupathi and his Russian partner Nadia Petrova lost 3-6, 6-3, 11-13 to the Australian combine of Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden.
Sania and Bryan frittered away seven of eight break points and were broken twice, losing the opening set in 37 minutes. The second set unfolded in similar fashion as Hradecka and Cermak closed the match after another 28 minutes.
In contrast, Bhupathi and Petrova were in for a more gruelling battle that lasted nearly one and a half hour, but ended up paying for five double faults in the decider to lose out narrowly.


text:
Tim Thomas defends role in altercation with Carl Soderberg
|01.28.14 at 11:04 pm ET
Things hadn't gone great for Tim Thomas after he had allowed six goals in what would eventually be a 6-2 Bruins win Tuesday, and they got worse when he went after Bruins forward Carl Soderberg with 3.4 seconds left over a play and could put himself in Brendan Shanahan's phonebook.
Soderberg was going for a rebound in front of the net his stick appeared to make contact with Thomas' mask. Thomas didn't like it and struck Soderberg in the head with the paddle of his stick.
"Soderberg, the play before that he did quite a hard jab and then all of the sudden the puck is up in the air, you're catching it, and his stick is in my throat," Thomas said after the game. "With less than a minute left in a game and they're up by four goals, 6-2, I took exception to that."
The idea that a player shouldn't go for a rebound late in a blowout is preposterous, especially coming from as hard a worker as Tim Thomas. There's no unwritten rule about players letting up in already decided games, just like there's no unwritten rule about batter striking out in the top of the ninth inning when their team is winning.
Told of Thomas' suggestion that there was something wrong with playing until the final whistle, Soderberg found the logic rather silly.
"We can't stop playing just because the game has like 30 seconds left," Soderberg said. "We have to try to score the whole way."
Thomas has never been suspended in his career, but Tuesday's whack at Soderberg's head is a strong candidate to be his first.
Claude Julien agreed with Soderberg, taking no issue with the player going to the net as he usually does.
"Well Carl does that even in practice," Julien said. "I'm not going to say he's reckless, but he has no fear. It's great to see a guy like that just go in there and get his nose dirty. It doesn't matter what time of game; you tell your players to play until the final whistle, and that's what he does."
Soderberg said that Thomas hit him in the ear but that he was OK. He disagreed with Thomas' assertion that he put his stick in Thomas' throat.
"Oh, not really," Soderberg countered. "I was just going for a rebound."
Tuesday's game was the first Thomas had played against the Bruins in Boston. The first question asked to him in a heavily attended postgame media scrum was whether he'd had fun in his return to the Garden.
"Well, no," Thomas said. "I think I might've enjoyed myself watching the State of the Union more. No, probably not."


text:
CHICAGO The number of consumers purchasing gift cards has increased significantly over the past six months, shopping survey experts announced.
The National Research Network and consumer anthropologists The Hartman Group reported that over half of American consumers (57%) said they purchased at least one gift card within the past year, an increase of 5% from six months ago (when last measured). Surveyed during a time when the national unemployment rate is staggering, under 9% and the economic recession continues to linger, gift cards continue to sell. The top three most purchased gift cards are big box retailers, restaurants and department stores.
"Surprisingly even with the unfavorable economic conditions almost half (48%) of gift card recipients spend more than the amount on the gift card," said Keith Maladra, VP Consumer Intelligence at NRN. "We found that gift cards are still encouraging personal spending. In fact, far less (16%) of gift card recipients spend less than the amount on the gift cards."
The report finds that while more American consumers are purchasing gift cards, the average amount per gift card has decreased. Consumers who purchased a gift card within the past year spent $46 per gift card, on average, compared with $52 spent on average per gift card between September 2007 and August 2008. Gift Card Buying Trends compares shopper intentions pre-holiday shopping season with their actual purchase behavior post-holiday 2008.
"Gift cards are an important element of how gifting itself is changing," said Michelle Barry, Ph.D., SVP at The Hartman Group. "For diverse marketers in retail, restaurant and financial services, the opportunity to make the gift card experience more meaningful—both in giving and receiving—is substantial."
For more information on the NRN-Hartman Group Gift Card Buying Trends: Shopper Intentions and Purchase Behaviors 2009 report, visit:http://www.hartman-group.com/publications/reports/gift-card-buying-trends-shopper-intentionsand-purchase-behaviors-2009.


text:
N.J. Gov. Christie revises bid for education grant; throws out compromise
Governor Christie threw out the school reform blueprint endorsed by the state's biggest teachers union last week and filed a new bid Tuesday for a high-stakes federal grant known as "Race to the Top."
Christie said his education commissioner had compromised too much in order to win the union's blessing for a contest that could bring $400 million to the state. Christie said the new proposal reinstated key elements of earlier plans, such as merit pay for individual teachers, putting job performance over seniority when laying off staff, making it easier to fire poor teachers, and giving bonuses to successful faculty who relocate to failing schools.
The eleventh-hour change came as a shock to officials at the New Jersey Education Association, who said they learned on Tuesday afternoon – the contest deadline – that the governor had changed the application and taken off their signatures of support.
Union leaders and education commissioner Bret Schundler had spent weeks hammering out compromises on the plan, and on Thursday both parties expressed satisfaction that they had come up with a collaborative blueprint. Union buy-in wins points in the stiff competition.
NJEA President Barbara Keshishian reacted "with a mixture of deep disappointment, utter frustration and total outrage" to the news that the application had been rewritten, she said in a release. "The biggest losers in this entire fiasco are the state's 1.4 million students."
Christie told reporters Tuesday that he was not involved in the past weeks' discussions between the union and commissioner Schundler, and that when he learned the details of the compromise on Friday, he told Schundler to spend the holiday weekend restoring principles such as individual merit pay. The union-endorsed plan had focused on school-wide bonuses for schools that made strong gains, and it kept seniority-based job protections.
Christie said he retained faith in his education commissioner and wanted "creative tension" within his staff.
"This is my administration, I'm responsible for it and I make the decisions and I'm happy to hear recommendations anytime that my cabinet officials want to make" them, he said. "But they need to understand, those are recommendations. I take them with real serious consideration but in the end, these are core principles that I've been campaigning on since I decided to seek this job."
Schundler, reached by cellphone, said of the last-minute revision, "We made the decision together."
"Clearly there are enormous disagreements within the administration on how they want to proceed," said NJEA spokesman Stephen Wollmer. "That doesn't engender much confidence among the ranks of teachers."
The governor stressed that his Race to the Top application reflected President Obama's push to tie teacher pay and evaluations to student achievement, judged in part by test scores. Christie's office posted the massive application online for public review after 6 p.m.
In a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Christie noted that the application "recognizes that after a child walks through the school house doors, no single factor influences that student's academic success more than the quality of his or her teachers. … Special interests that have selfishly thwarted reform should not be permitted to hold good ideas hostage."
Christie, who has sparred for months with the NJEA, wrote that he wanted to enhance schools' abilities to measure student learning and use that data to evaluate teachers; merit pay would reward the best teachers and give "adequate teachers" an incentive to improve. Such evaluations would be the basis for tenure, promotions and job retention.
The NJEA has long fought merit pay, saying it undermines teamwork. The union also argues against relying on standardized test scores to judge teachers; it says doing so pushes them to "teach to the test" and penalizes teachers facing challenging kids. The NJEA's rejection of the first-round Race to the Top application in January was one of several factors that hurt New Jersey's bid.
Last week's compromise plan called for a committee of educators that would take a year to formulate fair ways to assess teachers and school leaders using a combination of test scores, written assignments and other measures, with student performance accounting for 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation.
Charles Barone of Democrats for Education Reform, a pro-merit pay group based in Manhattan, said Christie's approach has been "ham-handed," but the state's application still has a chance for success despite the lack of union sign-on. A number of states, notably Louisiana and Illinois, have submitted proposals that don't included full union support, he said.
Barone said he had been surprised Schundler had agreed to so many concessions since they seemed at odds with Christie's agenda. "Why did they feel they needed NJEA support so badly that they shredded their application?" Barone asked. "Now they have a strong application but a lot of collateral damage."
Frank Belluscio of the New Jersey School Boards Association said the compromise version of the application had "watered down" initiatives like merit pay, plus changes in seniority and tenure rules that his group supported.
The latest version – without NJEA backing — provides stronger support for those concepts and still has a good chance of winning the federal funding, he said. "Early on, Bret Schundler said union support was not integral to the application," Belluscio said.
Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver and the heads of the Senate and Assembly education committees Tuesday blasted Christie's "abrupt about-face," saying it seriously jeopardized New Jersey's chances of winning the aid. They said Christie was pressured by conservative pundits who criticized the compromise plan.
"The governor has apparently decided that hearing good things about himself over the radio is more valuable than $400 million for our schools," said Sweeney, D-Gloucester. The compromise application "was crafted in good faith among everyone involved, and now that unity's been blown up because some talking heads disagreed. If the governor was as thick-skinned as he likes to make people think, he would shrug off the criticism and stand by the team that put together the state's application."


text:
Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
The staff were very helpful, and had could speak good English. The hotel also offers free internet, which we found very useful. The room had a balcony and was very pleasant. I would classify the hotel as a 3*, not a 4*, as although our stay was pleasant, it was quite basic. The indoor pool was very shallow and cold, so I could not use it, and the outdoor pool is situated at the front of the hotel, so there is little privacy !! The only other thing that we did not like was that there was a shower (no bath), and the shower was tiny. There was literally no room to move.
bathroom needs renovation
I expected a little bit more from this hotel from its description. I would say it is overpriced for this period of the year (April) having into consideration its location, shape and offer. It is an average building in the third street counted from the beach, nothing special. The room is average, breakfast was quite OK, although the coffee was terrible and the milk was actually more wather than milk (I hate this kind of tricks for cost saving). In my view this is not a 4 star hotel. There is not really an indoor swimming pool. It is a little big bigger bath in the same room with the gym. It was not working at all, everighing was dirty and cold. Same is valid for the room with "billiard" - it was completely abandoned. The toilets in the rooms really need a reconstruction, everithing was cheap, plastic, small and old, quite damaged.
Excellent staff, nice hotel, good realation price/comfort
The room was spacious so it it a plesure to rest there. The breakfast was not rich.
Location, Spacious rooms Poor breakfast
I liked everything: very nice and serviceable staff, good and clean rooms. Breckfast was ok.
Nothing. We only stayed for one night. No.
very nice and big rooms,breakfast ok.
Very kind and supportive staff. Clean and comfortable rooms. Close to the beach and on the main street at the same time. It was pleasure to stay at this hotel. No.
The apartment was spacious, clean and comfortable. I don't think I can say anything else good about the hotel. It's a fair intermediate stop on your route. The breakfast was really poor and the coffee awful. And there was no bottle of wine waiting for us in the room as the hotel add said.
I liked the hotel staff, cleaning was done daily and they were helpfull and always ready to answer any questions. The location was good too, only 2 minutes far from the beach even though not on the beach with all the noise, it was quiet and nice. Though breakfast didnt give mutch to choose from, if you dont eat pork.
Excellent location, close to the sea and nearby souvenir shops. Clean rooms with air conditioning included in the price. Hotel staff very friendly.
Prime location, very nice view on both sides, clean, very good value for money... Room little small but still functional and comfortable.
The location is great, in the center of Paralia and practically on the beach.Great view.I saw 3 rooms, very different types. One of them (1st floor) had a really small bathroom, but it was ok for a one night stay.Another room at 3'rd floor was great, big bath, nice wood decoration.Both rooms had the same price.So I recommend that you ask for a room ar 3'rd floor. Small bathroom.
Perfect location (on the seaside and in the center at the same time), friendly and helping staff, very clean and nice smelling, well equipped rooms, a beach bar. WiFi only on public places, not in the rooms nor on the beach. But I'm not sure if this is a disadvantage, when on a vacation and trying to have some rest of the everyday life :)
Very clean, great view, friendly staff, as described. Ciao Dragan No internet in the rooms, but you can use free wireless in common areas
The hotel is located by the sea. The staff is friendly and helpful. Amenities are good value for money.
The location was delightful The staff and the taste of the breakfast items could be greatly improved
It is a very beautiful, peaceful and relaxing place to stay. The bar staff is not friendly and was rather poor service, but the girl at the pool (Melida) was very attentive. We requested a certain type of room and they didn't have it, didn't tell us it was not available, and charged us for the other rate.
Very nice place, closed to the beach. Room with veranda and sea view, clean and comfortable. Quietly and ideal place for relax. I had unforgettable weekend.
I like the views from the windows. The rooms of the hotel are very small, the breackfast is very poor. They sayed they have wi-fi, that wi-fi is just in the restaurnat, not into rooms. I wanted to go somewhere else, but they took my money from my credit card at rezervation and they didn't wont to give me back.
This is a very professional family run hotel. The staff were incredibly nice. They made phone calls to bus companies for us, asked sincerely if there was anything more they could do to improve our stay, and knew us by name. The buffet breakfast was the best we had during our 2-week trip through the region. I highly recommend the Kymata Hotel.
Staff was friendly and courteous, made our stay extremely enjoyable. Bed for 2 people was too small.
Staff was nice and helpful. Good location, right on the beach. Far too noisy, very difficult to sleep. Lots of commotion and noise very late at night outside the hotel, it's on a busy pedestrian street. Also, walls seemed to be paper thin, could hear everybody coming in and out. Breakfast also was not very good.
Very good location in the centre of the village. There is a free public parking with lots of parking spaces in a location nearbay (200m). The hotel facilites are corresponding perfectly with the information, written in booking.com. The breakfast was good as well.
swimming, running along the sea coast, just lieing on the chaise-longues a little bit noisy at evenings
Good services, kindness of the personnel and an excellent placement on the beach.
Ambience, seaside hotel, ideal for family holidays. Internet does not working, no private parking
Clean and comfortable rooms, magnificent location. Very noisy Saturday night (and probably every night in the active season), no parking place.
It is located in a quiet area close to each side of the beach (between 7-10 min). It has elevator that is very useful for the 3rd flour. The staff is very friendly. There are free parking places around the house. The kitchenette could have more tools. Dish soap was missing and we got a fryingpan from the reception. We stay for 7 days but the room was not cleaned during the entire week. Maybe if we have had request this we would get it. We didn't know from the begging that towels/lines are also changed at request. Our conclusion was that if you ask for a thing probably you will get it.
good value for little money. recommend...
Friendly, helpful, good english speaking staff. Clean, good-looking quiet room, nice panorama, good air condition. Nice new building with lift. Strong and stable wifi in the room and on the balcon. Really recommended. The sound isolation could be a bit better.
Staff members were very nice and always willing to help. Casa di Mare is situated in a quiet area, which makes it a good place for relaxation. No.
it very clean and comfortamble, excellent for this price! none
Wonderful intimate, cozy hotel, quiet location for relaxation. The food was good, overall - this hotel is an oasis in its location. I loved it! The beach is 500 meters walking distance, very crowded and noisy, so we had to go to other beaches where we could relax and enjoy the sea ...
My stay at Danai was excellent. A real good surprise, as it's a different world, compared to the rest of the hotels in Olympic Beach. The rooms are big, with huge balcony and the staff is really nice. Nothing to complain.
Excellent Hotel,Nice Staff,Good Food.
The entire hotel was beautiful! The rooms were clean and modern! The location. The village is not very beautiful.
polite staff, new clean hotel, very spacious room, nice pool bar they should not charge for using jacuzzi 15 euro per person-its too much! the evening buffet,even at a very good price, not suitable for a 4-star hotel
The staff was hospitable, flexible and friendly. We used the hotel only as a one-night accomodation in way to Sporades. Katerina Beach is not the holiday location of my choice anyway.
Very pleasant and helping staff. Good breakfast for a continental type. Nice hotel terrace to stay on with friends, even late in the night. Close to beach (aprox 100m). Very comfortable mattresses. Excellent value for the money. A bit noisy at weekend nights, because of the street and the disco near by. A couple of times we saw a cockroach, never in the room, though. Pretty small quadruple room (it didn't really bother me). Bathroom should be cleaned more often.
Very good location, into the very center of the city, near the sea. Very beautiful view. The breakfast is good
Staff was very friendly and helpful. It was very clean and neat spot. No parking.
Central location, spacious and well maintained rooms, good breakfast and if you're lucky enough to get room 104 or 105 you'll get a huge terrace. No parking space near the hotel.
Hotel is situated in central Paralia Katerini, a short walk from the beach; friendly staff. The air-conditioning did not seem to be working though (it is centralised, not individual). Fortunately we did not need it since it was rather cool at night.
Its proximity to the beach. The small beach town comes alive during the summer. The Hotel is very conveniently located. The air conditioning is controlled by the hotel staff. They keep it very warm. We complained and tried three different rooms to no avail. Bathroom was not clean (mold). Beds were uncomfortable. There's no parking available.
The hotel was fairly clean but as Paralia is a congested little beach town, it was a little difficult to find at first. Hotel staff / owners were pleasant. We had our 9 month old baby with us and the owner upgraded us to triple room from the double. Breakfast was a Greek standard and just ok. Parking in this little crazy town was not great but could usually always find a spot just around the block from the hotel.
I liked its large rooms, very nice balcony and especially its beautiful park. The stuff was very friendly. It is a good hotel for the children who can play in front of it in the park i was talking about. It is situated very close to the beach.It is very clean and the personnel can speak good English. The breakfast could be more variate.
The owners were very careful to us to have what we needed or wanted. They were always with a smile on their face. It was very nice. Thank you again. We stayed at 4 hotels in Greece, during our journey, and hotel Ioni was the best at similar prices The GPS coordinates are not exact. The name of the street is not exactly as we saw on the street-label there. It should start with a "V" instead of "B".
very quiet area, quiet neighborhood, anger that it is in the center Is very difficult to park near the hotel.
very friendly people and location in lively surrounding, but quiet enough, the only hotel in the area with a garden, very nice breakfast is o.k., but could be better
We arrived late after all day drive. Had a hard time finding a hotel first - GPS gave me wrong direction so I've parked few blocks away from hotel. But everyone there knew where the hotel is and gave us right directions. Staff was extremely friendly and helpful - I had troubles with my bank - they blocked my cards for some reason. We tried few cards but all of them has failed. They even proposed me to pay later but then I found a card that worked. Location is perfect - 2 blocks away from a beach but street is quite and not crowded. We had a peaceful sleep. Room has everything you may need and everything is a good quality. Breakfast was awesome - we liked everything! Thanks again for our stay - will try to stay again on our way back. nothing
The staff were very nice and helpful, and the location of the hotel is excellent - it is right on the beach, you just go out of your room and you're on the sand. I really enjoyed the breakfasts facing the seaside! The room facilities are also good considering the price you pay. The location is quite noisy, because the one side of the hotel faces the main market street - therefore it might be sometimes hard to sleep with closed window and practically impossible with open window.
New and clean hotel with friendly staff !
we like very much the servise and the breakfast. the view to sea side was fantastic! and the hotel was new and very clean. all persons there was very friendly.we hope visit again dion !!
We were on our way back to Romania therefore we have stayed only one night. Staff very kind to us. Location very good, 5 m away from beach
The location: right (!!!) on the beach! Our room had sea view and it worth it! Sunrises and moonrises were very nice! Entire ground floor was a bar open both to the beach and to the main street and the cocktails were excellent. Fair breakfast. The owner tried to do anything to please us! The surroundings were crowded and noisy especially in the evenings. It is far to be a rest place.The beach facilities were to close one to another! We had two days with a sea full of medusa and it was impossible to go into the water.The cleaning lady has insisted once to do her job at 3 PM while we were into the room!


text:
My sister is in River Edge and lost power about an hour ago. PSE&G told her that it would be back on Thursday. She's packing up her infant and heading to my mom's house.
How is the rest of the county?
turtle520:My mom heard on the radio that River Edge / Oradell was one of the hardest hit area's in the county and that over 100 trees were down and something a crazy # of people are without power. I am AMAZED that my sister has power. After the debacle 3 years ago with the damn and the flood and no power for 3 days we were shocked all she had was no cable. Crossing my fingers it stays that way for her and my mom.
My MIL lives in Oradell & has been out of power since this started. I work in Midland Park & no power there either,
04/07/11- PCOS Diagnosis w/GYN. Put on Metformin (1500 mgs)
04/25/11- 1st consultation with RE (Confirmed PCOS & Anovulation)
05/09/11-HSG-All clear! 05/13/11-SA-Normal. Found out on 2/14/12, low Morph (1%).
06/17/11-10 days of Clomid (100, 150) No response.
07/10/11-03/20/12- 5 Injectable (Follistim) IUI cycles; 4 BFN, 1 C/P. (stims ranged from 11 days to 25 days)
05/28/12-Diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. 75 mcg Synthroid.
IVF with ICSI in June. BCP June 6-15. Stims (Follistim + Menopur + Ganirelix + PIO) 6/19-6/29. Trigger 6/30. ER 7/2: 47 retrieved, 45 mature, 42 fertilized with ICSI! 18 frosties. ET 7/8 (1 6AA) BFP! (+ HPT 7/13, 5dp6dt). 7/16 Beta #1: 123. 7/18 Beta #2: 252. 7/25 Beta #3: 3488; Ultrasound confirmed gestational & yolk sac!. 7/27 Beta #4: 8247. 8/2; Heard heart beat!! 6w3d=122.Beta # 5: 30,890. 8/9 U/S shows baby measuring right on track with a hb of 158. 8/16 Graduated from RE! HB 181. Elective ultrasound on 10/10 to find out gender. It's a boy!! A/S on 11/13 showed baby boy perfectly healthy & weighing in at 1 pound. 11/29 Diagnosed with GD @ 23 weeks.
We are in Bergenfield and have power, but lots of people we know in town do not. We got lucky this time.
We were driving through Teaneck last night and it was creepy how dark it was with street after street with no power.
I was just at my moms in Bfield and no power yet. But she wont for a week or something because she had her tree ripp the lines off her house.


text:
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Drivers who use the Interstate 90 floating bridge between Seattle and Bellevue have until Feb. 22 to provide input for a Washington state study about potential tolls.
The Legislature told the state Transportation Department to do an environmental assessment of the potential effects of tolling the I-90 bridge across Lake Washington to help pay for the nearby State Route 520 bridge replacement. That construction project for the other Lake Washington crossing has a funding gap of about $1.4 billion.
The state says public comments will help determine the range of issues covered in the assessment.
Meetings are set Jan. 29 in Mercer Island, Jan. 30 in Bellevue and Jan. 31 in Seattle.


text:
As Auckland merges to create a supercity, the Herald looks back at how Auckland has changed over the years. Click here to view the full series.
His was a childhood encircled by boundless sea.
He had grown up in a Bayswater bungalow on the edge of the Waitemata Harbour, and spent his holidays camping next door to his grandparents' beach-side house at Mairangi Bay, or sailing with his family on one of their cruising boats.
At age seven, he helped his father build a P-Class, a pugnosed wooden dinghy in which he learned to sail. So far, so like many other Auckland kids.
Sir Peter Blake's upbringing on and around the sea was not unusual but his enthusiasm quickly swelled from Auckland's sheltered waters to the
vast oceans beyond.
Ocean sailing made him a victorious and inspiring leader, qualities he brought closer to shore for the America's Cup and finally on-shore to construct Auckland's waterfront showpiece, the Viaduct.
His round-the-world races pulled thousands of Aucklanders out to line cliff tops or greet him from the water as he sailed into his home port. He had a calm, clear-eyed presence that inspired the confidence of corporate sponsors and sailing crew.
He aimed high and challenged others to come with him. If the task was not hard, he told them, it would not be worth doing.
When he brought the Cup to Auckland he was determined that it had to defended from a downtown yacht harbour. He ignored the prevailing wisdom
that public money should not pick winners and his advocacy ensured
the Auckland City Council turned an old fishing dock, known as the
Lighter Basin, into a world-class sailing village.
Murdered by Amazon pirates in 2001, Blake's life continues to inspire Auckland's yachting and wider identity. The City of Sails contains over 80,000 privately owned boats - one for every 15 Aucklanders.
There are 50 yacht clubs, from Omaha in the north to Clarke's Beach at the southern end of the Manukau Harbour, with more than 17,000 members.
They sail craft of all sizes and vintages, from 100-year-old kauri classics, like Rainbow and Rawene, to ultramodern carbon creations; from pint-sized Opti dinghies and sailboards, to high-flying multihulls and multimillion-dollar maxis the calibre of Alfa Romeo II. Others come to visit - every summer, immense superyachts cruise in from all corners of the globe to sightsee, smarten up and sometimes race.
Blake's first boat, Pee Bee, was the P-Class, Harry Highet's famous
design, but today the class wrestles for popularity with the Optimist when it comes to giving kids their first taste of singlehanded sailing.
Blake graduated to a "Zeddie" called Tango - the twohanded Z-Class dinghy was the major training boat for teenagers through the 1950s, but died out in the 1970s. Today's young sailors move into a Splash, Starling or Laser Radial, or the double-handed 420s and 29ers.
After years of sailing with his family on their 34ft Woollacott ketch, Ladybird, Blake built his own keelboat, a 23ft (7m) Van der Stadt design in the Bayswater backyard.
It was a rite of passage for many young Kiwi sailors to build their own craft, and even Blake had to learn the hard way - ruining his mum's garden when a bathtub full of molten lead split.
It was on the keelboat Bandit that Blake discovered his love of offshore sailing. He was winning with one of the smallest boats in the fleet.
Soon he was invited to crew on bigger yachts in bigger events like One Ton Cup races - the ultimate in round-the-buoy racing for Kiwis at that time.
New Zealand had a fine history in these regattas, which began when Aucklander Chris Bouzaid mortgaged his house to build Rainbow II and win the 1969 One Ton Cup off Germany on the day of the first moon landing.
The event was held in Auckland in 1977. That same year the city was, for the first time, a stopover port in the Whitbread round-the-world race, the supreme test of bluewater seamanship.
Blake was a watch captain on Heath's Condor which headed the fleet into his home port.
But it wasn't until the next race, in 1981-82, when he skippered the Bruce Farr-designed sloop Ceramco New Zealand, that Aucklanders truly fell in love with the round-the-world race.
Hundreds of boats filled the Waitemata Harbour to welcome the big boats from Cape Town - even at 1.30am to greet Outward Bound, the classic Kiwi-DIY boat built by Digby Taylor in his Auckland backyard.
When the fleet left on the next leg to South America thousands of people lined the headlands along the waterfront and North Shore in farewell.
It became an Auckland tradition.
The city's greetings and send-offs for sailors were like no other. In the ensuing years, there was a fair chance there would be a Kiwi sailor aboard almost every boat in the fleet (189 have competed to date), and a boat with a New Zealander at the helm would be leading the race "home".
In the 1989-90 race, it was Blake's Steinlager II that inched across the line first, ahead of Grant Dalton's Fisher & Paykel, after getting a heads-up on a squall from an Auckland radio station's weather report.
In 1993-94, Dalton's maxi NZ Endeavour triumphed in a 4am finish-line duel with another Auckland sailing legend, Chris Dickson, on board the 64ft Tokio.
After a decade's absence the round-the-world event, now known as the Volvo Ocean Race, is returning to Auckland in summer 2011-12 for the eighth time, and will tie up in the lively Viaduct Harbour.
When Team New Zealand, with Sir Russell Coutts at the wheel, won the America's Cup in far-off San Diego the Viaduct had been packed with revellers.
At that time, 1995, the basin had little more than the odd pub and
a string of dilapidated fishing boats, though deep-drafted yachts would sometimes call there.
Blake envisaged a village where not just the defender, Team New Zealand, but all the challengers could be based, and all of Auckland and beyond could come to visit.
It came to fruition through force of personality, diplomatic persuasion and determination.
Blake, as Sir Tom Clark described him, was a "shaggy-haired sheepdog, barking and snapping at their heels" to build syndicate headquarters flanked by glittering apartments and cafes.
The first America's Cup defence of 1999-2000, was an unqualified success on and off the water; Team New Zealand retained the Auld Mug with a 5-0 conquest of Italians Prada after a regatta that brought fair and friendly competition between 11 teams from seven nations.
Three years later, the New Zealand defence was hamstrung by defections and a lack of direction. The Cup went to Switzerland and the Viaduct changed face again.
Today, only one boatshed still stands along "Syndicate Row" - the home base of Emirates Team New Zealand who are preparing for another shot at the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.
But the area is still busy with boats, home to the Auckland International Boat Show and the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta, giving new incentive to America's Cup crews.
The New Zealand Maritime Museum has made its home in the basin, and devoted a huge chunk of his exhibition hall to honour Blake.
Outside, on the Waitemata, keelboats cross masts in weekly rum races and class regattas.
Races held after work on weekdays have taken precedence over weekend sailing at clubs like Richmond, Ponsonby and the queen of Auckland's yacht clubs, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The squadron's youth training programme continues to turn out winners like Adam Minoprio and his world champion matchracing team, BlackMatch, and more and more kids are getting a taste of the ocean through programmes like Waterwise and Sailing Have A Go. Sir Peter would be proud.
Suzanne McFadden is an Auckland writer.


text:
The Russian connection: See all our coverage | Read about our investigation
Since Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA is scooping up the phone records of law-abiding Americans in bulk, the program has had a stalwart defender in Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). She has supported the program's continuation as recently as last week, criticized a judge who ruled it may be unconstitutional, and pushed a bill through the Senate Intelligence Committee to codify its existence, with some reforms. But now, her bill may be dead in the water. Late Monday, news broke that President Obama is expected to propose ending the program as it currently exists. In response, Feinstein issued the following statement:
"I believe the president's plan is a worthy effort. I have said before that I am open to reforming the call records program as long as any changes meet our national security needs and address privacy concerns, and that any changes continue to provide the government with the means to protect against future terrorist attack."
The way the bulk collection program works now, the NSA systematically collects metadata from the phone calls of millions of Americans. (Metadata, which includes phone numbers and call dates, is highly revealing, but it doesn't detail the contents of conversations.) The NSA retains that data for five years. According to the New York Times, the Administration's new proposal will recommend that phone companies hold onto this data instead of the NSA. Phone companies are only required to retain this data for 18 months. In order to get specific records, the NSA will have to get permission from a judge. In January, civil liberties advocates told Mother Jones that they considered ending the bulk collection program a top priority in reforming NSA surveillance.
Last week, Feinstein said she would consider reforms to the bulk collection program that "preserve the operational effectiveness of the call records program," but said it should continue. In December, when DC District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled that the NSA's phone collection program was likely illegal, calling it, "almost Orwellian," Feinstein quickly denounced the ruling. "Those of us who support the call records program do so with a sincere belief that it, along with other programs, is constitutional and helps keep the country safe from attack," she wrote.
She also introduced the FISA Improvements Act which was quickly approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee in October 2013. The bill would require more public reporting and court review, while codifying the program's existence, largely in its current form. More than 50 civil liberties and public interest organizations signed a letter opposing the bill in December.
But thanks to Obama's new announcement, Feinstein's proposal may be dead in the water: "Senator Feinstein's FISA reform bill is a nonstarter now that the President has confirmed his commitment to end the bulk collection program," says Alan Butler, the appellate advocacy counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center. In contrast, two other bills—the USA FREEDOM Act and the FISA Transparency and Modernization Act, which was introduced on Tuesday by Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.)—would both end the bulk collection program in its current form. Feinstein said on Tuesday she plans to schedule a hearing on both the president's proposal and the new bill from the House Intelligence Committee.
On Tuesday, Glenn Greenwald, writing for the Intercept, harshly criticized "pro-NSA Democrats" for following Obama in his support for NSA surveillance. "They have spent the last 10 months defending the NSA (i.e., defending Obama) by insisting that the NSA metadata program is both reasonable and necessary to Keep Us Safe™," he wrote. Earlier this month, Snowden called Feinstein hypocritical for continuing to support NSA surveillance while denouncing the CIA for searching Senate Intelligence Committee computers. "Suddenly it's a scandal when a politician finds out the same thing happens to them," he said.


text:
News By Tag
Industry News
News By Location
Industry News
AltexSoft announces opening of new office in Lviv, Ukraine
Lviv is the economic, cultural, and intellectual capital of Western Ukraine. The city has a large pool of highly educated people and houses several leading educational institutions. Lviv is culturally aligned with, and geographically near, Western Europe. The city is located approximately 70 km (43 mi) from Poland. Lviv is also logistically well-connected to the rest of the world and only a two-hour flight from most European capitals.
According to the recent report by a leading global professional services firm KPMG, Lviv was identified as one of the best IT-BPO destinations, along with 30 other cities, in the world and among 11 cities in the EMEA region.
"Headquartered in Kharkiv, Ukraine, AltexSoft also operates R&D centers in Kremenchuk and Severodonetsk. Our company is growing rapidly both globally, and locally. AltexSoft has opened two sales offices in USA within the last six months. The opening of the office in Lviv is a key component in our local strategy to hire great talent for providing the best software development services." – says Alexander Medovoy, AltexSoft Founder and CEO
About AltexSoft
AltexSoft is a boutique software R&D engineering company providing custom solution development and IT-Consulting for ISVs and Cloud-based service companies. Our key domain expertise is in, but not limited to, the following industries: E-commerce & Retail, Travel & Booking, Finance & Banking, Marketing & Advertising, Aviation & Transportation Systems. Rooted in its engineering background, AltexSoft provides streamlined solutions to manage critical issues effectively and reduce risks related to future technical changes or inevitable business evolution.
AltexSoft provides full cycle development, hand-in-hand with their clients at all stages: idea development, business analysis, architectural consulting, structural and functional design, prototyping and documentation, software development and testing, maintenance and support. As a result, clients receive a full range of software services from one company.
For a complete picture visit http://www.altexsoft.com
Media Contact
Account Email Address Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse


text:
Bergen County dogs make the starting lineup in Sunday's Puppy Bowl
3 p.m. Sunday, Animal Planet
They're not running backs, exactly, but four formerly stray Bergen County puppies will get into the game Sunday on Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl."
Cruz, Prince, Eli and Tuck, German shepherd and pit bull mixes from the Bergen County Animal Shelter in Teterboro, were all selected to participate in this year's game. Tuck and Eli made the game's starting lineup. The two-hour special features a bevy of puppies scoring "touchdowns" on their own turf field by crossing the goal line with a toy. One player even gets awarded "Most Valuable Pup."
TV stars Tuck and Eli, who along with the other two have since been adopted into new homes, reunited for the first time since last fall at a press conference Friday at the shelter.
As they rubbed noses and barked at each other, a shelter manager noted how far Tuck and Eli had come since appearing at the shelter's doorstep in October, when all four were found abandoned in a crate. "I can't say they were quieter but they were definitely smaller."
Kathleen Peruta agreed. Hoisting Eli into the car on their way to the press conference, she realized he was no longer the 12-pound puppy she adopted in December.
"I'm guessing he's at 40 pounds now," Peruta said.
She and Tuck's owner, Kerry Dunn — who adopted him two weeks ago — were presented with certificates of appreciation by Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan. Both Peruta and Dunn are all set for game day — star Eli can look forward to a special steak dinner when the family sits down to watch his debut, Peruta said.
Petfinder.com, an online database for pet adoptions that casts the Puppy Bowl participants, had contacted the shelter about available dogs. Because the game is filmed in New York City, the proximity of the shelter made it easy to get the dogs to the studio.
This year's show was postponed a week because superstorm Sandy knocked out the power in the New York studio where the game was supposed to be taped. Producers couldn't delay too long, or the players would no longer be puppies. An uptown studio with power was found and the game was taped just a week later.
This is the ninth year of the Puppy Bowl, whose other purpose — aside from offering cute pre-Super Bowl entertainment — is to raise awareness of the thousands of shelter dogs and cats looking for loving homes (kittens participate in the game's halftime show).
"The whole point of the show is to show the public that there are a ton of great dogs out there in shelters that need to be adopted," said John Gil, a county spokesman.
A total of 84 animals participated in Puppy Bowl IX: 63 puppies from 23 shelters and 21 kittens from a New York shelter.
Staff Writer Elyse Toribio contributed to this story. Email: email@example.com


text:
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond Spiders held their final practice of training camp on Friday afternoon at Robins Stadium.
The Spiders practice for about 90 minutes on a cloudy, humid day in Richmond before having to leave the field due to lightning in the area. The team focused primarily on special teams, working on punting, kickoffs and field goals.
Both punters – David Braodus and Joe Gulli, Jr. – looked good on Friday. Gulli was particularly impressive, booming three punts well over 40 yards. Broadus continued his solid camp at punter, consistently totaling punts around 40 yards.
On field goals, Brandon Jordi had a good day, hitting 6-of-8. The sophomore was consistent from mid-range, missing only from 32 and 40 yards.
The Richmond Spiders football team will hold its media day on Saturday at Robins Stadium. The team will take team pictures and head coach Danny Rocco and the team captains will address the media.
Post-Practice Quotes
"It looked pretty good. We covered a lot of situations and a lot of it was a good mix of fast tempo and teach tempo. There are so many different things that happen in the kicking game that you have to be prepared for: fakes, tricks, gimmicks and obviously when the ball bounces funny during the kicking game as well. Our punters continue to improve and I think we have two guys we can put in the game. Our kickers continue to improve and we have two guys as well to put in the game and we have a couple guys that can return the football, so I feel pretty good about that."
-- Head Coach Danny Rocco