text:
Newlyweds, both hurt in Marathon attack, touch hearts online
Jessica Kensky Downes and Patrick Downes each lost a leg in Monday's bomb attack during the Boston Marathon.
Marathon Bombings
Onlookers applauded as Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, was taken into custody after a two-hour standoff in Watertown.
Jessica Kensky Downes and Patrick Downes each lost a leg in Monday's bomb attack during the Boston Marathon.
The president promised the perpetrators of the Marathon bombings would be brought to justice and that the community's resilience would carry it forward.
Thousands came to the South End to attend a memorial service commemorating those killed and wounded in the finish line explosion at the Boston Marathon.
WASHINGTON — FBI technicians poring over hundreds of scraps of metal, nails, and other debris collected from the Boston Marathon bombings — including shrapnel surgically removed from the victims — were closing in Wednesday on the make-up and design of the explosive devices to trace the source of the components, according to knowledgeable officials and forensics experts who have worked at the highly-secure facility. The explosive unit at the agency's state-of-the-art crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, located in a trio of large office buildings topped with what look like smokestacks, was also comparing the bombing materials collected from sidewalks, rooftops, gutters, overhangs, even the soles of victims' shoes.
Rescuers searched the smoking remnants of a farm town for survivors of a fertilizer plant explosion, checking smashed houses and apartments.
Officials in charge of building a new span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge questioned the work of companies involved in making long seismic safety bolts.
A 75-year-old Detroit-area woman who killed her grandson was sentenced to at least 22 years in prison, capping a wrenching case.
Terror at Marathon
Police arrested former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with a case involving his decision to fire senior judges while in power, authorities said.
Italian lawmakers failed to elect the nation's president during an initial two rounds of voting, the latest worrisome evidence of the political discord.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a crowded cafe, killing at least 26 and wounding dozens ahead of provincial elections scheduled for the weekend.
Derrick Z. Jackson
As Democrats and Republicans praised the courage of first responders and citizens who comforted victims in Boston, a bipartisan Senate gun-control compromise was killed in the Senate.
Opinion | Marcela García
The local Latino political presence is still in its adolescence, and it's an open question whether its various elements can unite to flex some collective muscle.
Sometimes a single word, in its use or omission, acquires so much meaning that entire views of the world, and possible courses of action, are embedded in it.
Letters | Terror at the Marathon
Letters | Terror at the Marathon
Letters | Learning from medical errors
Letters | Learning from medical errors
Letters | Learning from medical errors
Rising from his wheelchair, Mayor Thomas Menino seemed to embody the fortitude of his city, knocked down but fighting to stand.
The president promised the perpetrators of the Marathon bombings would be brought to justice and that the community's resilience would carry it forward.
Kevin Cullen
Upon seeing photos of the Marathon bombing suspects, Bostonians thought of the victims, not vengeance. That's how we honor Martin and Krystle and Lingzi.
Marathon Bombings
Neighborhood healing
Run to Remember
On the air
Two robots — "Chip" and "Connor" — were donated to the Moody School in Haverhill as a way to teach social skills to autistic preschoolers.
Even though the state lost 5,500 jobs, the unemployment rate went down mostly due to workers giving up job searches and dropping out of the labor force.
Venture capital funding of New England start-ups fell 10 percent as investment firms are putting less money into fewer young companies.
market movers
mass. movers
Health concerns
Mr. Williams — a former heavyweight champion who built a reputation for climbing into the ring with the best fighters of his era — died April 7.
Dr. Lawrence died Tuesday at his home in Mount Laurel, the university said.
Ms. Coburn, 64, worked with the Cambridge-based nonprofit Management Sciences for Health for more than two decades.
The Celtics player is a rare weapon in the playoffs, a tireless guard who bodies up to his adversary from tipoff to the final buzzer.
Christopher L. Gasper
The Celtics president knows the team can't just hop on the aging backs of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in the playoffs.
Red Sox 6, Indians 3
Jon Lester and the Red Sox beat Terry Francona's Indians, 6-3, for their sixth straight win.
Sports Media
Red Sox Notebook
on baseball
NFL draft preview | DL
Cate McQuaid's list of the top grads from Boston's art schools.
The art grad student came from Lahore, Pakistan, as a video artist, but then she put her camera down and made low-relief drawings.
Comedy, pathos, social history, art theory, and a fierce critique of marketing come together in Borusky's seven-hour performance video "The Posture Grid!"
Stage Review
Stage REview
Classical Notes
Television REview
Scene & Heard
Noisy Neighbors
Night Watch
Book Review
Annie's Mailbox
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Music Review
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text:
Car, Remains Hauled From Lake Bottom May Solve 1958 MysteryAP , Associated Press
Nov. 3, 1990 6:14 AM ET
GAINESVILLE, GA. GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) _ A car with human bones inside that was hauled from the bottom of a lake may have been the one that ran off a road in 1958, say officials still trying to determine what happened to the two occupants.
The 1950s Ford sedan removed from 110-foot depths of Lake Lanier on Thursday bore a 1958 license plate, and could lead to resolution of the ''Lady of the Lake'' mystery, Hall County Sheriff Dick Mecum said.
A car carrying two women ran off the road into the northeast Georgia lake in 1958. The body of a woman believed to have been one of the occupants was found about a year later, but the car and the other woman weren't recovered, Mecum said.
The rusted vehicle was found by workers building a bridge across the lake. The car was mangled by the construction equipment that dug it up.
Workers were washing mud out of the car when they came across the remains, Mecum said.
Investigators were checking with the woman's family for pictures of her car and its tag, hoping to find a match, but would not confirm the family's name.
Capt. Ed Barfield of the sheriff's department said his office has received ''dozens of calls'' from people claiming to know whose body it is.
Two Gainesville men said they believe the remains may be those of their mother.
James Roberts, 51, and his brother Hugh, 49, were teen-agers when their mother, Susie Roberts, then 38, disappeared.
''We believed she was in the lake, but then we heard she might be in Chicago, then in Florida,'' the younger Roberts said Friday. ''We wondered if she survived but had amnesia and never knew where to go.''
Authorities now believe a woman's body found near the bridge about a year after the accident is that of Delia Mae Parker Young, Mrs. Roberts' companion in the car. The decomposed body was buried unidentified in the 1970s, said John Ward, whose family mortuary kept the remains about 20 years in the hope someone would identify her.
A skull and other bones were found in the car, and authorities were hoping a dental record examination could produce leads, Barfield said.
Mecum said deputies couldn't rely on old case files because the sheriff's department's records for the years before 1961 have been destroyed.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tweets from @TBHomeTeam/writers
MORE from our HomeTeam writers.
Thu. December 16, 2010 | Adam Berry
After sitting out the better part of two weeks with an injured back, it looks like Plant quarterback Phillip Ely will return to the field Friday night.
The senior quarterback practiced with his team Wednesday, had a good therapy session Thursday morning and hopes to play Friday at 7 p.m. against the Raiders in Orlando. Panthers coach Robert Weiner said the final decision will be made during pregame warmups, once again making Ely a game-time decision.
"He's in about the same place as last week," Weiner said, referring to the Lakeland game that Ely sat out. "But we feel better about it now that he's gotten his feet wet."
Senior backup Nick Sanders started Plant's 48-6 rout of Lakeland last week, and he took all the first-team snaps earlier in the week. But Ely was back with his team Wednesday and felt better than expected Thursday morning. Weiner said he wasn't sure if Ely would be on a limited snap count, and the coaches will simply see how he feels before and during the game.


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Open daily from 10:00 to 17:45
Open Friday from 10:00 to 22:00
The front cover for an Edinburgh based Economics magazine 'Insight'. I was asked to make a front cover on the theme of Conflict. They fight to the top.. That is me at the top.
An ink drawing digitally coloured.


text:
Get an overview of this hotelGuadalajara bed & breakfast in Zona Minerva, near La Minerva
Collect 200 Nectar points!
Simply enter your Nectar card number when you check out. Your points will be credited 35 days after you return from your trip.*Offers may apply
Popular property highlights
Located in Zona Minerva, this bed & breakfast is within 1 mi (2 km) of United States Consulate Guadalajara, La Minerva, and University of Guadalajara Assembly Hall. Hospicio Cabanas and Plaza de Armas are also within 3 mi (5 km).
Property Features
Along with a restaurant, this bed & breakfast has a bar/lounge and a business center. Free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, a meeting room, a library, and tour/ticket assistance are onsite.
Room Amenities
All rooms are individually decorated and offer free WiFi and ceiling fans. For a bit of entertainment, guests will have flat-screen TVs with cable channels, and other amenities include showers and phones.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Casa Madonna La Providence Hotel Boutique
Bed & Breakfast Amenities
Bed & Breakfast Amenities
The bed & breakfast offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Business-related amenities consist of a business center and a meeting room.
Wireless Internet access is complimentary. This business-friendly bed & breakfast also offers a library, a terrace, and tour/ticket assistance. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
- Total number of rooms - 14
- Bar/lounge
- Business center
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free WiFi
- Library
- One meeting room
- Garden
- Terrace
- Restaurant
- Free self parking
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Ceiling fan
- Phone
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Shower only
- Hair dryer (on request)
- Cable TV service
- Flat-panel TV
- Free WiFi
- Individually furnished
- Individually decorated
Where to Eat
Onsite venue - This restaurant specializes in international cuisine.
Bed & Breakfast Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-in time ends at 11 PM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
- Cribs (infant beds) are not available.
- Pets allowed
- Restrictions apply
- For more information contact the property at the number on the booking confirmation
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No rollaway/extra beds available
No cribs (infant beds) available
Bed & Breakfast Name
- Casa Madonna Providence
- Casa Madonna Providence Guadalajara
- Hotel Casa Madonna Providence
- Hotel Casa Madonna Providence Guadalajara
- Casa Madonna Providence Hotel Boutique Guadalajara
- Casa Madonna Providence Hotel Boutique
- Casa Madonna Providence Boutique Guadalajara
- Casa Madonna Providence Boutique
We should mention
Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.


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The countryside of Ethiopia is littered with memories of former war conflicts. Farmers gather bullet casings scattered across their fields.
The artillery is added to a mixture of metals and melted down, then re-made into beautiful beads that are strung onto lengths of string for the women to use.
The women sort the beads, check to make sure they are of the highest quality, and divide them by style and shape.
They gather together in local workshops around Addis, Ababa to string the beads, creating a vast array of upcycled designs.
Artisans quality check each piece, then burn the ends to secure their work in place. They take great pride in every necklace, bracelet, and earring they make.
Purchase the Bethe Rope Necklace, Handmade with Love in Ethiopia.
In Guatemala, our resourceful artisan partners create their own bead looms using nails and a plank of wood. Men and women work together to create these hand-beaded cuffs. The women gather together to string delicate beads in intricate patterns. It's a social event, where the women chat and catch up while getting to use the skills that have been passed down to them for generations. Upstairs, the men craft the bases for the cuffs. After a long search for a material that would give their cuffs stretch and stability, they found just the thing—upcycled PVC pipe! The men stitch the women's beaded designs onto smooth leather, then wrap them around the cut bases and secure them with expert stitches to create the finished product.
Our Peruvian Artisan partners keep the traditional motifs of their country alive, while incorporating modern design.
They use the softest wool yarns, spooling the wool using a traditional wooden cone winder so it is ready to adorn a special piece.
Embroidery is a community affair. The women often gather to hand-stitch traditional and modern motifs onto wool fabric, with their children playing nearby.
When each piece is complete, it is carefully checked for any flaws and measured to ensure a perfect fit.
Purchase the La Bella Bag, Handmade with Love in Peru.
Many of our alpaca pieces are hand-knit by small co-operatives throughout Peru. The soft strands of alpaca fiber are spun into yarn, dyed, and knit into unique cold weather accessories. Alpaca is the second most common animal fiber used in warm clothing around the world. Domesticated for thousands of years, alpacas have always been used for their incredibly soft, warm, and lustrous hair. The women who work with us are able to integrate knitting accessories for Noonday into their daily lives in order to supplement their incomes. After spending time with the women who make these beautiful pieces possible, we can attest to the incredible skill, patience, and love that goes into every piece.
Some of our most complex and beautiful designs are made on manual knitting machines. These machines are run by hand and do not require electricity, which allows the artisans to create intricate patterns without having to rely on a source of power—an expensive and often unreliable resource. Because they require a high level of skill and detail to produce, our pieces are crafted in a workshop setting. The artisans not only receive guidance on their craft, but also have a safe place to come together to socialize while they work.
In India, men and women rarely work together, but at one of our Indian partner groups, they come together to combine their skills and abilities.
The artisans create the hardware for each piece from scratch, attaching metal rods to each delicate bead.
They then shape and bend each rod into a loop to create their own jump rings.
Finally, each delicate bead is attached to the chain and the jump rings are closed.
While waiting for dozens of the dangling beads to be attached, it can be hard to be patient!
But finally, the necklace is complete and ready to make the journey to the United States.
Purchase the Golden Rivers Necklace, Handmade with Love in India.
Fermin and his fellow artisans create beautiful, high-quality jewelry in the same way Fermin's father and grandfather did, completely from scratch.
They hand-cut sheets of metal to create unique and intricate shapes for their pieces.
Semi-precious stones are hand cut and polished to perfection for use in some of the workshop's most striking pieces.
The artisans press natural fibers found in local vegetables into the metal while it is still warm to create the distinctive patterns found in pieces like our Rain Drop Earrings.
These artisans are committed to creating each component from scratch, including the earring backs for their studs, which they hand roll from small pieces of silver.
Purchase the Dreamweaver Earrings, Handmade with Love in Peru.
Our artisan partners in Uganda are skilled at creating intricate jewelry using upcycled, brightly colored paper. They carefully cut the paper into tiny strips, then roll each strip around a toothpick to create a bead. The artisans can roll the paper in many different ways to create unique shapes and styles. They glue the end of the paper to seal the bead into place and then string them to be varnished. Each bead is varnished three times to ensure that they are durable and smooth enough. After allowing them to dry, the artisans assemble the necklaces and bracelets according to their particular designs, and finish them with cow horn centerpieces or hammered metal adornments.
Each of our Rwandan textiles is sewn on a manual foot pedal sewing machine by one of the 11 seamstresses we work with. With each new design the women receive, they travel to the Kigali market to find the brightest and most beautiful among the many thousands of fabrics sold there. After selecting the perfect fabric, they cut each piece according to the pattern they are working with, then stitch them together using manual sewing machines. They finish the pieces with fun pockets, trims, and contrasting details to create each vivid and unique handbag.
Our horn pieces begin as gigantic, ethically gathered water buffalo horns, which residents of this Vietnamese village have used for centuries to make unique arts and crafts. The artisans cut each piece in half and then stick patterns to the back side of the horn to indicate how it needs to be cut. Talented craftsmen maneuver the horn pieces over a table saw to carve them into different shapes. Once the basic shape is complete, another artisan buffs and smooths the horn, then hollows out the fibers inside using a special machine. The talented women of the group finish the pieces by stringing them into unique designs, adding paint and dyes, and shining each piece to perfection.
Weaving has played an integral role in the lives of over 25 Mayan people groups in Guatemala for centuries. The highly intricate designs communicate the personal identity, heritage, and ideological beliefs of the group that created them. In pre-Columbian times, only the elite classes could own or wear ornately woven cloth and clothing, but today, weaving has become a cornerstone in the economic survival of both households and villages. In addition to weaving, the art of natural dye making has been a longstanding tradition in the region. Local leaves, flowers, and bark are gathered and boiled so their natural colors can be extracted to dye the yarn. Each scarf in our collection is woven using handlooms the women make themselves. Each special textile takes anywhere from four to eight hours to create.
Our tagua pieces start out as a large pod. It may not look like much, but our Ecuadorian artisan partners are skilled at transforming these unsightly pods into works of art.
The artisans separate the seed from the pod and cut the seed with a saw to the perfect shape and size.
The cut pieces are placed in a tumbler where they are buffed and smoothed to perfection.
The tagua is cleaned and dyed rich colors in large tubs and then left to dry.
The artisans drill small holes in each piece, string the beads, and burn off all loose ends to create each special necklace and bracelet.
Purchase the Tamia Bib Necklace, Handmade with Love in Ecuador.


text:
Your donations keep RPGWatch running!
Din's Curse - Beta Patch 0.902
by Dhruin, 2010-02-11 20:20:05
Don't forget, this is only for pre-order beta access. v0.902 is out - grab it here and read the notes here.
Newsbit options: Add / View Comments (4) | Forward this newsbit | Link to this Newsbit
Information aboutDin's Curse
SP/MP: Single + MP
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: Hack & Slash
Platform: PC
Release: Released


text:
Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini (1808-1858) is a Catholic saint. He was a Lebanese Maronite father who living in Kfifane, Lebanon. He died in Kfifane on December 14, 1858.
Nimatullah was canonized on May 16, 2004 by Pope John Paul II. He is remembered on December 14, the date of his death.


text:
|You are in: Middle East
Wednesday, 4 December, 2002, 21:59 GMT
Iraq declaration: The key tests
The Iraqi declaration on weapons will be subject to detailed tests against intelligence information and by on the ground inspections.
However it should not be an immediate trigger for war even if Baghdad does not declare the weapons of mass destruction which the United States and Britain says it has.
The National Security Council in Washington is expected to send the declaration to the various agencies which have the expertise to examine it - especially the CIA and the Defence Department.
In London, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: "Even if Saddam makes the mistake of lying once again, we will want to nail his lies."
He said that "robust inspections and hard questions" would help test the truth of the declaration.
Thirty more inspectors are being sent to Iraq this weekend to add to the 17 there already.
Mr Straw called the declaration a "career choice" for Saddam Hussein.
Of course if significant lies are established, then Iraq might be found by the United States at least to be in material breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1441, in which case war could follow.
In advance of the Iraqi document, Washington is keeping up the pressure.
"Iraq has lied before and is lying now," said the White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
President Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice has urged Dr Hans Blix, the head of the UN weapons inspection organisation Unmovic, to get Iraqi scientists out of the country to question them away from the influence of Saddam Hussein's security agents.
This is allowed for in the Security Council resolution.
Only in that way, it is believed by some experts, will the real extent of any weapons programmes be uncovered.
Iraq has indicated that its declaration will be thousands of pages long.
This is partly because it has to declare not just any weapons of mass destruction - which it says it does not have - but also details of its ballistic missile development, its efforts to build unmanned aerial vehicles and other chemical dispersal systems.
It also has to disclose all of its civilian chemical, biological and nuclear programmes.
According to US intelligence, Iraq possesses:
Other key concerns include the following:
According to the British dossier, "facilities of concern" which should be explained include:
Delivery systems
The list of questions is long.
The British Government says that time will have to be taken to study Iraq's declaration.
Junior Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell, who has just returned to London after consultations at the UN in New York, said: "We should not rush to judgment."
In other words, it will have to be tested in the field.
He said that Dr Hans Blix, head of the inspection organisation Unmovic, would probably give a preliminary assessment to the UN Security Council next week.
See also:
04 Dec 02 | Europe
04 Dec 02 | Middle East
03 Dec 02 | Middle East
04 Dec 02 | Middle East
03 Dec 02 | Europe
03 Dec 02 | Politics
03 Dec 02 | In Depth
Internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Top Middle East stories now:
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text:
NaturallyCurly: Introduce your company!
YOU® Be Natural™: We are the leading African-American owned and operated manufacturer of premium personal care products servicing people with textured hair throughout the world. Our products have inspired beauty in women from the inside out and we are dedicated to practicing and expanding that philosophy through innovation and new products that meet the needs of our targets.
NC: Can you tell me a little bit about how this line got started?
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text: Kara Convertible Earring Style: 570098199 Out of Stock Love it? Everyone else did too. This item sold out! Use our search tool, chat online or call 1.888.855.4986 to find something equally desirable. The convertible earring: faux diamonds sparkle in a geometric cluster, or sway in chic long design. Glass and metal. Post. Imported. Read More… Share on Facebook Tweet Pin


text:
Trying to talk to someone whose eyes endlessly slip down to their iPhone screen would appear to have little to do with Lady Grantham's cheese knife being laid in the wrong place.
But both are symptoms of Britain's dying sense of etiquette. The Downton cutlery issue has got so, er, unbearable that Lady Carnarvon, the countess who owns Highclere Castle where the period drama is filmed, has started a blog. "Glasses are set back to front and things are set wrong," she says. Gasp.
I don't give a candied fig whether Carson's crew boobed with their table-laying. But there is a real need for those social rules we call etiquette. It becomes more pressing after every meal with a friend's dandruff, not them, since their head is bowed, prayer-like, over their smartphone. And every time someone thinks gazing at Twitter while on the Tube makes it okay to ignore the standing elderly. And every time a trip to the cinema involves sitting next to someone who spends the whole film firing off texts or noisily, unendingly, stuffing their face.
Debrett's, the posh people's bible that reckons it's the "authority on all matters of etiquette, social occasions, people of distinction and fine style" (it clearly doesn't reckon humble has a place in the modern-day personality), is worried about slipping standards. Really worried about them. Or perhaps just keen to capitalise on them. Anyway, it's launching a "modern finishing" course for the under-30s.
The tenets seem to be stop phubbing (aka phone-snubbing) and start thinking of the perils of what Debrett's calls "the hectic informality" of technology that mean "social graces can be a casualty". For such gems, the five-day course costs £2,000 and includes a module in posture.
I reckon the kind of people who would shell out two grand on a "modern finishing" course, with role play, are just one harem of wasps short of a picnic. We don't need to codify this stuff: guides to social conventions are the unwanted gifts that become toilet books — and even there, the spines remain untroubled. But whether it's parents, schools (I hear teachers moaning already), or the occasional lunatic plonking a stranger's rudely used phone into a tub of water, something must be done.
Our technological addiction developed Concorde-fast; now the repercussions are creating social turbulence. A decade ago we could easily go out for a meal without checking our nascent mobiles or they-were-cool-once pagers every few seconds. And yet nothing at the core of our lives has changed: we have not all become on-call surgeons; no one actually wants to see photos of Bob's every meal, nor his tweeted post-meal report of indigestion. In any case, it will all still be there in half an hour, when the bill has been paid.
Despite Debrett's best efforts, our technological addictions are unlikely to be reversed. We're used to instantaneous responses to communication and feel dependent on the constant drip of social networking.
Yet etiquette, even though it sounds old-fashioned and is frequently hijacked by the pony set, doesn't have to die out. Ranking real people above little bundles of electronics is a good start. And the castle-owning countess had one thing right: laying cutlery in the right place at a table at least puts a knife or fork in a diner's hands, not a phone or camera.
Twitter: @lucytobinReuse content


text:
About Us
Since its establishment, MyHostCenters.com has helped clients and their businesses thrive. Based in the city of Los Angeles, the epicenter of cutting-edge technology and modern culture, we continually strive to provide the highest quality of innovative products and reliable solutions at cost-effective prices.
Our philosophy has always been to deliver custom hosting solutions to our clients to help reach their business goals. With our years of experience and extensive knowledge in the industry, we can provide you the best deal in web solutions. We specialize in low cost domain names, web hosting, VPS hosting, e-mail, SSL certificates, and dedicated hosting services.
Who We Are
Our professional team consists of highly talented specialists that are familiar with the ins and outs of the web. We are constantly researching the field to figure out the latest web hosting technologies for our clients' business needs. Our support staff receives comprehensive technical and customer service training to provide you with courteous and accurate responses.
Our quality of service is unmatched in the industry. We take pride in our team's dedication to our clients from the moment they begin the consultation process. We help our clients understand the best hosting solution for their needs. We also seek to maintain long-term relationships with our customers.
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For more detailed information on our data center and equipment, please contact us. We know you will be pleased with our fast, secure, and reliable hosting solutions.


text:
What Does Normal Mean Anyway?
tfeeney 1200005AKR Visits (1413)
quote from Forrest Gump! I was reminded of it on a recent trip to Minneapolis where we ate out at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., a restaurant themed after the Tom Hanks movie. The title of this blog was to be "Mainframe's not so scary after all", however, I liked the movie quote so much I wanted to find a way to use it.
I've been using Rational Team Concert (RTC) and supporting customers evaluating or adopting it since before it was released five years ago. In my world of RTC, 'normal' meant using RTC for Eclipse-based development then later expanded to include Visual Studio. However, this was all in the context of supporting development of distributed systems on operating systems like Windows and Linux. We soon added support for System z and i, however, when opportunities came up in those domains, I deftly (and desperately) delegated them to someone else as I could only spell the 'z' in 'System z'. I thought that environment was so outside my 'normal', so different and such a mystery to me, I couldn't possibly speak the language of mainframers let alone support our products there.
As more and more of my enterprise customers are building multiplatform systems and as RTC and other Rational products have grown in their support for mainframe, I've had a change of heart, an epiphany of sorts. Mainframe is here to stay and for me to be more effective supporting my customers, I need to redefine my 'normal'.
So I have ventured into the mainframe world and have been pleasantly surprised to find it isn't so different from what I knew after all. Yes the terms are different and mainframers do think a little differently, but it all does really relate to the distributed foundation I'd already built.
When we talk to mainframe customers about RTC, we talk about Build, Promotion, Packaging and Deployment. Okay, so Build and even Deployment to some extent sound familiar, but what about Promotion and Packaging? Well, all of these processes are built on the foundational RTC concepts and structures of Components, Streams, Repository Workspaces, Sandboxes, Change sets and Build Definitions.
Let's explore some of these further.
Core RTC terms:
Component: Collection of related artifacts under source control. For example, all of the source for an application or particular product feature or that can be compiled to build a deliverable; all of the documents making up the content for a website might be collected together in a single component.
Stream: Collection of one or more components at a given state. This is where artifacts are shared between team members. A stream can include at most one version of any component. By using multiple streams, a development organization can work on projects that use different versions of the same components.
Repository workspace: Mechanism by which individual developers can isolate and backup their changes until ready to share with rest of team. Repository workspaces are usually created for development and build purposes.
Sandbox: File area where resources can be created, edited, and refactored. This is outside of the repository. Examples: eclipse workspace, PDS on MVS
Change set: Modifications made to one or more files within a component. Fundamental unit of change in RTC source control.
Build Definition: Identifies a particular build and its characteristics such as property values, location of versioned source, schedule, build script, etc.
RTC for mainframe terms
Language Definition: Defines a distinct language type that has its own set of build configuration information. Examples: COBOL, COBOL_CICS, COBOL_DB2. You can think of Language Definitions as kind of like JCL defined to build certain kinds of source.
Translator: Defines the steps required to build source for a specific language. One or more translators are associated with language definitions. You can think of Translators like job steps in JCL.
Data Set Definition: Defines a data set used during a build and include the typical characteristics related to allocating a PDS.
Promotion Definition: Defines the promotion specifications for a source stream to a target stream and where to move the build deliverables on the host.
Package Definition: Defines specification for packaging an application in preparation for deployment
Deployment Definition: Defines specification for deploying a package to a target environment.
Language Definitions, Translators and Data Set Definitions form what we call the System Definitions. These are the building blocks that, once defined, one can use to create Dependency Build, Promotion, Package and Deployment definitions. Though these all vary in content, they are all similar in structure to the 'normal' build definitions used on the distributed side. In fact, when submitting a dependency build, promotion, package or deployment request, it is all handled by the same Jazz Team Build infrastructure that we already know. For building on z/OS, instead of using the Jazz Build Engine, you use the Rational Build Agent which supports the dependency build, promotion, packaging, and deployment definitions.
Just as we do in distributed environments, a stream structure is created that often mirrors the various test or quality level environments a system/application must pass through on its way to production. It is common to have Development, Integration, QA and Production streams. Dependency builds, which are smarter in that they only build what needs to be built based on what has changed, are typically performed against a development stream. There are also 'personal' dependency builds, much like the 'normal' personal builds, whose goal is to ensure a developer doesn't break the team build by executing the team build against the developer's changes before they get delivered to the development stream.
Once the software has reached a certain level of maturity and has been sufficiently tested, it is time to begin promoting the changes through the development hierarchy. This involves moving source changes from one stream to the next in the hierarchy AS WELL AS the build deliverables between data sets on the host. The goal here is to maintain consistency between levels, minimize rebuilds and reduce the risk of introducing an error and invalidating the test results achieved at lower levels. On the distributed side, similar activities occur, however, it is done so through explicit stream to stream deliveries, rebuilds at each level, and manual and/or scripted movement of build outputs.
To help with the transition to concepts and thinking in the mainframe world, check out these useful resoInt
z/OS basic skills information center
While I've compiled a vast network of RTC experts, it's now expanding to include those passionate about and very knowledgeable in my new 'normal' world inclusive of System z. For IBMers venturing into RTC for mainframe, these are the people to know. For customers, pay attention to blogs, articles, forum posts and conference presentations by these folks. With their help, hopefully soon I'll be included in someone's similar list.
Now if only I can find a way to use 'Stupid is as stupid does'.....


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The Rule requires schools and communities, of identified districts, to work together to design solutions and implement educationally justifiable, effective and voluntary strategies that provide meaningful choices of integrated learning environments for students and their families. If a district or school is identified as racially isolated, the district must work with neighboring districts to create a voluntary desegregation plan.
NWSISD envisions a global community learning and growing together, by providing students, parents and staff educational opportunities that are multicultural, diverse and promote racial integration.
In order
to achieve these goals, NWSISD has worked with its member districts to make
several programs available to students living in the eight member school
districts. More information about these programs can be found by clicking
the links to the left.


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Fueled by concerns about masonry's continued viability as an economic construction method, engineers from the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories, Champaign, Ill., initiated a Cooperative Research Development Agreement to design a better building unit. "The goal of the CRDA was to find a way to help increase worker productivity and thus lower capital construction costs," says Steve Sweeney, the CERL research structural engineer who coordinated the project. This CMU had to be compatible with a producer's existing block-making equipment. The result was a smooth, uniformly-textured lightweight CMU that weighs about 19 pounds, has an average compressive strength of 4000 psi and is more durable than a standard unit. Researchers developed mix designs for high-strength lightweight block that provided good texture along with durability. Their final election of the mix designs was based upon workability. Researchers finally had to develop data to convince producers and contractors of the benefits of the A-Block. While contractors paid higher initial costs for the redesigned A-Block, the study indicated that they would lower their ultimate construction costs by 3.8%. In addition to ultimate cost reductions, researchers believe lighter blocks should help contractors in other intangible ways such as reduced labor-related losses due to injuries and workers' compensation and disability claims. The masons who participated in the field tests found that workers place more units during each shift and lessen muscle wear and tear. The new shape also offers producers intangible savings from potential lower transportation costs. With a different shape, operators may need to change standard cubing arrangements. Even so, lighter block can increase delivery truck utilization because trucks can carry more CMUs on each trip. The research results, including mix-design and mold-design information, are available from the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. Keywords: A-block, University of Nebraska, enhancer, lightweight block
Precast & Block
The Attack of the Modified A-Block
Download the PDF version of this article. (59.22 kB)


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G and I arrived in Shanghai on 10/22/2015 and left Shanghai on 11/16/2015. During our 26 day visit in addition to time spent in Shanghai, we also visited Datong, Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Huangshan. More than half of G and I's trip was dedicated solely to confirm facts for our book. The rest was to explore China and to show both G's parents and my parents around Shanghai. Even though both sets of our parents were born in Shanghai and lived there until their 30's, they no longer recognize 80% of today's Shanghai despite have visited every several years since the 1990's. It is no wonder as China is the third largest country in the world with over a billion people mostly concentrated in the cities and has undergone such a huge economic change during the past 30 years that it is a big puzzle to the world and even its own residents.
Myself, I was born in China (Shanghai) and lived there until I was 6 and visited in 1992 (month plus), 1994 (month plus), 1998 (month plus), 2002 (2-3 weeks?), 2006 (2 weeks), 2008(3 month stay), 2010 (1 week), 2011 (2 weeks), 2011-2012 (lived 14 months in Hong Kong), 2014 (23 days), 2015 (26 days). I speak Mandarin and Shanghainese like a native and read Chinese newspapers and books without problems. What I have discovered about China is that the more I learn the more I find there is to learn and that things change so quickly that what was in vogue or the way to do things this year will not be in the next year.
For our 26 day trip I probably spent almost 2 months to planning the trip with Plan B's and Plan C's in case Plan A fails. All major activities, all hotels, and all train tickets were purchased/booked in advance. 85% of my meals was planned prior to my arrival in Shanghai because there is too much good food in China to be wasted just eating out at random restaurants and stalls. Despite eating every single meal out for all 26 days, I only gained 3lbs during the entire trip due to walking 203 miles during the 26 days in addition to 25 minutes of yoga a day and weighing myself nightly to keep my weight in check.
Join me as I take you through a 26 day tour of China as seen through my eyes. Below is one of my favorite shots (unedited, shot with my Samsung Note 4 with HDR off) taken during my trip in China. Can you guess the location?


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Oh, Canada: Jonathan Duhamel Wins 2010 WSOP Main EventNovember 9, 2010 - 8:43am
Jonathan Duhamel became the first Canadian to win the main event at the World Series of Poker when the 23-year-old from Boucherville, Quebec defeated Floridian John Racener in heads-up play to capture poker's signature event and claim a payday of $8,944,310 along with it.
Duhamel began heads-up play with a 6-to-1 chip lead, which meant that Racener would have to make a move soon to avoid being eaten alive by the large blinds and antes. Duhamel, however, could afford to play cautiously; he had time on his side.
Why Selective Aggression is the Key to Winning PokerNovember 7, 2010 - 6:17pm
Poker is a highly textured mosaic of skill, luck, strategy, tactics, and character. What works in one situation fails in others—and following a fixed, immutable strategy only ensures success against the weakest opponents. Nevertheless, every credible expert stresses selective and aggressive play as a rudiment of winning poker.
Semi Bluff: Part 2September 28, 2010 - 1:44pm
In the last column, we introduced you to the concept of semi-bluffing—a bet with a hand that's probably not the best one right now, but is a hand that can win if your bet induces your opponent to fold, or stands a good chance of outdrawing any opponents who call. Though semi-bluffs can be quite varied, the most common Semi-bluff by far is to bet the flop with a flush draw or a straight draw. Here are some factoids about semi-bluffing:
Semi Bluff: Part 1August 30, 2010 - 8:05pm
Most poker players know they can't bluff too much of the time and they can't hang back and never bluff either.
If you bluff too frequently others will quickly become aware of it and call with any hand that stands a chance of winning. They'll also take shots at you by raising with nothing. They'll do this because they figure you bluff so much of the time that you frequently don't have much of a hand when you come out betting and therefore aren't able to call a raise. When running a bluff and raised, most players accept the fact that they've been caught speeding, and fold their hands.
2010 WSOP: And Now There Are NineJuly 19, 2010 - 1:02am
It took two weeks, but the WSOP's main event has finally been whittled down to nine remaining players: the November Nine, the Novembrists, the final nine, the final table—call them what you will—but just nine remain from a field of 7,319 starters, and one of them will be world champ this November.
Florida Poker Poised for Growth Surge!July 7, 2010 - 9:15am
Florida recently expanded its gaming laws to incorporate a revenue-generating deal with the Seminole tribe. While the tribe obtains exclusive rights to run poker, blackjack and other games at seven Florida casinos, the Seminoles are not the only ones who figure to benefit from the new law. Other poker rooms are anticipating a poker boom too.
Be Quick, But Don't Hurry: Poker Wisdom From The Late John WoodenJuly 5, 2010 - 6:01pm
"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." These are telling words from the late John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach who died recently at 99.
Enjoy YourselfJune 14, 2010 - 8:17pm
With the 2010 World Series of Poker upon us, Nolan Dalla appeared May 13 on my Internet radio show, Keep Flopping Aces. The show airs live every Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, 6 p.m. Pacific Time, and corresponding times worldwide, on Rounder's Radio—located at www.roundersradio. com. It can also be downloaded for on-demand listening anytime, so if you missed the show when it originated, you can still hear it whenever you'd like.
Reno-based pro Steve Brechre took charge at the Nevada State Poker Championship's main eventJune 1, 2010 - 3:53am
Reno-based pro Steve Brecher took charge at the Nevada State Poker Championship's main event, a $500 + $40 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament, defeating Alameda, CA professional poker player and writer Matt Lessinger en route to a $22,100 payday. For finishing second, Lessinger took home $12,180, while Adam Hutchinson of Reno finished third, which was good for $6,700.
Paul Liu the 'Century Man'.June 1, 2010 - 3:53am
You can call Paul Liu the "Century Man." The opening event at Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championships marked the one-hundredth time Liu cashed in a poker tournament, and his milestone win was worth $125,000 at the first event of Commerce Casino's three-week long tournament series. The $500,000 series opener, which allowed people to buy-back in each day when they busted out, was the largest guarantee ever for a low-stakes poker tournament.


text: Hi guys I have a 20g and its got an internal wastegate. I have a full turboback exhaust, up pipe downpipe, catless blah blah. well I just bought and external wastegate where would it go, I do know I can buy the grimmspeed bracket and have it pinned shut but after that how would it go on?


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Media Contacts:
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Go to Bat™ for Charity and Help Them Win $18,000 a Week
Third State Farm Go to Bat program helps charities "get to a better state®" and gives fans a chance to win a VIP trip to a World Series game
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (July 9, 2012) /PRNewswire/ — For the third consecutive year, State Farm and Major League Baseball (MLB) are rallying fans to swing for the fences to benefit outstanding charitable organizations. Fans can support causes that make a difference in communities across the nation through the Go to Bat program, an online, charitable giving initiative driven by a commitment State Farm makes to helping communities "get to a better state." Fans can win a VIP trip for two to the 2012 World Series in addition to winning an $18,000 donation to the charity they choose to support.
Starting today, fans are invited to visit www.statefarm.com/gotobat and play the State Farm Go to Bat game. Each participant selects one of four deserving charities: the American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity or Teach For America, all of which represent charities State Farm supports to help build safer, stronger and better-educated communities. Once a week for 10 weeks, one participating fan will be randomly selected and the charity they chose to support will receive an $18,000 donation. The lucky contestant also will receive a VIP trip for two to the 2012 World Series. A total of 10 winners will be drawn throughout the program, spanning the second half of the MLB season, concluding on September 17.
"State Farm has always been committed to helping communities "get to a better state." Giving baseball fans the opportunity to go to bat for causes that make a difference in their neighborhoods is a perfect example," said Tim Van Hoof, Assistant Vice President-Marketing at State Farm. "We're excited about giving back with every home run hit and encourage everyone out there to go to bat online and swing for the fences."
Simply playing the game gives fans and their chosen charity a chance to win, but each home run hit is an additional entry to win, so every long ball counts. Fans also can increase their chances of winning by playing the Go to Bat game up to three times per day, as well as earning extra home runs each week by inviting friends to play online and sharing their results through online platforms.
To launch the 2012 Go to Bat program, State Farm and MLB will team up to support Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other deserving charities by donating money for each home run hit in the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. For each home run hit with a "Gold Ball," State Farm and MLB together will combine to donate $18,000. For all other home runs hit during the Derby, State Farm will donate $3,000. Members of Kansas City-area Boys & Girls Clubs will be paired with Home Run Derby participants, and the boy or girl paired with the Derby's winner will receive a $50,000 donation from State Farm for his or her individual club.
The State Farm Home Run Derby festivities will be broadcast live on ESPN at 8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT on July 9.
The Go to Bat program will culminate at the 2012 MLB World Series with a pre-game ceremony showcasing its collective impact and recognizing the individual winners and their chosen charities.
Fans can get more information and play the Go to Bat game online at www.statefarm.com/gotobat.
About State Farm
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
About Major League Baseball Properties
The Major League Baseball Clubs formed Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) in 1966 as the Club's agent for marketing and trademark licensing and protection. Major League Baseball Properties is responsible for managing consumer licensing activities, developing national advertising campaigns, cultivating sponsorship opportunities with major consumer brands and corporations, growing the game and the business of baseball outside the United States and creating national marketing programs in conjunction with Clubs, broadcast rights holders and national sponsors. MLBP also operates a full-service video and audio production unit (Major League Baseball Productions), a publishing division and stock photo licensing agency, and manages logistics for the All-Star Game and World Series as well as all other special events. For more information on Major League Baseball, log on to www.MLB.com.
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original color. does it really matter?
some people dont want to change a stinkin thing about the way a car came from the factory. in concourse you get marked down for it if your car isnt it's stock color.
Does anybody out there actually really think a car is worth less if it's been painted a non original color. i'm not talking pink or lime green here. the car to the right is almost but not quite original color but a million times better paint. i am not talkin about it tho, i'm talking about my gold camaro. i have a white interior with brown carpet so i have seen black camaros with white interior that look great, and know yellow or orange or red would match the brown dash as well.
***k the factory boss, paint that sucker HOK rootbeer with big nasty flake with silverwhite flames. That would beat any factory paint 100 to 1.
I've seen pictures of that HOK root beer. It looks cool, not like you would expect brown to look. I would rather see a car painted HOK root beer than MGD light beer.
Paint the damn car and be happy with it, it's your car anyways. While you're at it take care of the interior too, cause last I knew white with brown carpet/dash is goddy and deader than disco.
speakin' of the root beer color, Indian Larry (the bike builder) just did a bike in that color for the Great Biker Build-Off, it was BEAUTIFUL!!
Bull, if your not going to show it in the Concourse De' Elegance then paint it the color you like. It's your toy, enjoy it the way you like it.
WELL thats just it, i could, cause it, like my tempest is 100% original. but i havent even seen any car shows around here that even judge concourse so it's kindof a waste. i guess i hadnt decided on whether im keepin the camaro or not. but now i am, it's at the body shop right now getting a new taillight panel installed from the insurance money i got for getting rear ended. almost the same price as for fixing the old one, and every tail light was rusting out of it. he's just going to repaint the ***-end gold for now, he's too expensive to have paint it right now. when that day comes i think i'll go with orange. but i havent seen that root beer you are talking about yet tho. HK could you give me a link to it??
went to HOK's web site, didnt help. might not be working right now
Last edited by bullheimer; 09-09-2003 at 09:39 AM.
We, the colorblind Americans, think color is a state of mind. Do what your mind tells you!
Maybe it's just because I'm younger, but I don't really understand the "fresh off the factory floor" restorations. To me, there's nothing too cool about a stock car, other than they are the cleanest automobiles around. But IMHO, with that much attention, a set of rims, lowered and a clean looking engine bay look 1000 times better. The same for the paint! There's a ton of great looking colors now compaired to the 60's, so why not take advantage of them!
yeah i have to agree, hence the 95 Ford Medium Calipso vehicle to your left. i guess i really need to pull my head out. or that i'm looking for justification not to be trying to save my money up for a 5000 dollar paint job i dont need. i want to keep this car, i have just been trying to figure out if i can. i need my stupid financial adviser to get back to me. he's gonna tell me if i have to refinance my house or not. btw, on the HOK site there is a lamborgini that looks to be rootbeer. pretty cool
Bull, I'd sayif there was any chance at all you were going to the Concourse with it. I'd stay original all the way, then when the time comes your ready Freddy! If not it's a huge outlay of cash for something you don't really want. It's your call.
Bull, I'll see if I can't dig up a good shot of it for you, send me an e-mail, I think I might have one.
There was a saying for painting a restoration car.
1. Paint it the original color.
If not.
2. Paint it an original color that is what you like.
If not
3. Paint it red.
If not
4. do what you want.
Thought was the restored car was worth most exactly how it left the plant. If that color was not attractive than painting it an original color would make the car look all original till numbers where decoded (or find VIN later that fits your vehicle!) If that did not work than paint it red. Red cars sell faster! Lastly if you just want it a color than do it!
There was a debate about all the 1930's luxury cars painted pretty fancy colors. People would paint their expensive cars to match the advertisements back then. Fancy oranges and other bright colors. The debate is that most of those cars were painted less eye catching blacks drk greens because of the economic situation (depression).
If you are building it for yourself do what you want! if you are building to sell-don't!
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Hospitality Information Technology Association (HITA)
The Hospitality Information Technology Association (HITA) is an international association of hospitality educators, hardware and software vendors, information technology users, and consultants to the hospitality industry. There are three levels of membership: student, individual, and corporate. HITA provides members with workshops, seminars, newsletters, and an annual technology conference presented by Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, New York.
Know Thy Customer: Sales Analytics, Forecasting and New Tools
Customer data analytics can reap significant financial rewards for your organization's sales, marketing and customer service departments. With so much data to contend with, companies often struggle with making sense of information from customers, public records and external databases. Luckily, we evaluate the newest sales and marketing tools making the process easier for IT managers and sales executives.
By submitting your personal information, you agree that TechTarget and its partners may contact you regarding relevant content, products and special offers.
You also agree that your personal information may be transferred and processed in the United States, and that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.
HITA's objectives are to develop technology curricula for hospitality educators, to help hospitality educational programs implement technology curricula, to establish a network of members to share information, to act as a forum to acquire skills and resolve common problems, and to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to further their studies in information technology through scholarships and sponsorships.
Each year, HITA and PKF Consulting conduct a survey to determine the use of technology within the United States lodging industry. They use the survey's results to provide information and resources to further train individuals in the lodging industry to take advantage of technology especially the Internet as a marketing and management tool.
Continue Reading About Hospitality Information Technology Association (HITA)
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I just heard that Deftones bassist Chi Cheng just passed away, and wanted to share a short story with you. In the early 2000s, we went out on a European tour opening for Deftones which we jokingly called the "Endless Winter Tour" because we followed cold weather around the globe for what seemed like forever. Spirits were a bit down, because it was always freezing and we kept getting sick.
One afternoon, we had a cover photo shoot for some rock magazine, and Chester was late. We were just starting to be discovered by fans in Europe, and the photographer wasn't familiar with our band.
As we were waiting for Chester, Chi was walking by, and in his typical warm, friendly style, stopped by to hang out and mess around with us. The photographer, seeing the new person there, and watching us together, assumed the guy must be in the band. "Okay, is everyone here?" I remember him saying.
We looked at each other, laughing, and told the photographer: "yep, this is our singer, Chester."
We proceeded to do an entire cover photo shoot for the magazine with Chi from Deftones standing way out in front, pretending to be the singer of Linkin Park. Chi was hamming it up, doing exaggerated rock star poses. It was hysterical.
My love and deepest condolences go out to the Deftones family, and hope that fond memories like these can stick in our minds during this tough time.
RIP Chi


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When My Marriage Is On The Rocks
Often someone will ask if it is possible to stop divorce, and if so, how can I stop my divorce? All relationship issues are emotional but I think divorce is one that tears at the heart more than many of the others.
There are so many questions we really need to ask just to get enough background to move forward:
- Did the two of you rush into marriage?
- Was the marriage ever really considered successful?
- How long have you been married?
- Are there children in the family?
And these are just for starters.
There are times when two people really are incompatible and maybe should not have ever been married. But when one of them is passionate enough about the marriage to ask "how can I stop my divorce" then I have to think that at least one spouse feels the marriage is worth saving.
So let's go from there and presume that there can be a loving marriage. What is the next step?
What do the two of you have in common, besides a home and maybe some children? Do you share the same interest all? Are there predominant hobbies in either of your lives that pretty much over shadow everything else, perhaps even your mate?
If that is the case, then is it your hobby? Is there any way to get your spouse involved in it with you – have you ever asked or invited them into that part of your world? Maybe you have been excluding him or her from your golf or fishing, or shopping and antiquing.
Married couples do not have to share every interest or hobby, but things certainly go better when you have common interests and ways of spending time together where you are doing something enjoyable.
Maybe you do not really have any hobbies and perhaps your spouse does. Is there some way you could sincerely show some interest and see if there is a common ground there? If there is, any time you spend doing that you should try to be upbeat, happy and look for opportunities for showing affection.
Over time, couples can simply drift apart, and if they drift long enough one will get frustrated enough to start talking about divorce; maybe they would never even go through with it. Do, however, take such talk seriously as perhaps even that is why you are reading this.
When drifting has separated two people in a marriage, you can sometimes stop divorce with just a little effort to see where your spouse is in life and "paddle" over toward them. Often, your effort will reignite some dormant flame in your spouse and encourage them to "paddle" towards you and you can meet half way.
Other times, only one spouse is really willing to make the effort. Go ahead and be that person anyway and make the effort.
Sure, you can try marriage counseling, but that is expensive and not always effective, either. Counseling will have a greater chance if one or both of you have already been making a serious effort to show your mate your interest in them, their life and your marriage.
Everyone enjoys knowing that someone is sincerely interested in them, especially in a romantic way. Do not overdue it right off the bat, always be sincere and never do anything just for show. I am not implying you should be a doormat to them either. You can still be your own person, but be thinking how your life and your actions impact your spouse. In short, be considerate.
There can be long road ahead when you have to stop divorce and heal a broken marriage. What I have tried to do here is give you a good start with some honest advice I think will help.
A more complete solution for someone asking "Can I stop my divorce" is part of the robust relationship manual that is offered as The Magic of Making Up. In it you will find extensive relationship healing tactics and little known secrets to stop divorce and bring the love back between the two of you.
Why don't you take a look right now at the video preview and see if you can relate to the types of marital issues they have answers outlined for. The link is right here.


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This email was created by [MemberName] <[MemberEmail]> who thought you would be interested in the following Article:
"Creating your own animation format" Learn how to create your own animation format, capable of doing basic compression.
CodeProject also contains hundreds of articles, free source code samples and applications to help in your day to day programming. Why not give it a try!


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Thermal requirements, field mortality and population phenology modelling of Paropsis atomaria Olivier, an emergent pest in subtropical hardwood plantations
Nahrung, Helen, Schutze, Mark, Clarke, Anthony R., Duffy, Michael, Dunlop, Elizabeth A., & Lawson, Simon (2008) Thermal requirements, field mortality and population phenology modelling of Paropsis atomaria Olivier, an emergent pest in subtropical hardwood plantations. Forest Ecology and Management, 255(8-9), pp. 3515-3523.
Accepted Version
(PDF 195kB)
Paropsis atomaria is a recently emerged pest of eucalypt plantations in subtropical Australia. Its broad host range of at least 20 eucalypt species and wide geographical distribution provides it the potential to become a serious forestry pest both within Australia and, if accidentally introduced, overseas. Although populations of P. atomaria are genetically similar throughout its range, population dynamics differ between regions. Here, we determine temperature-dependent developmental requirements using beetles sourced from temperate and subtropical zones by calculating lower temperature thresholds, temperature-induced mortality, and day-degree requirements. We combine these data with field mortality estimates of immature life stages to produce a cohort-based model, ParopSys, using DYMEX™ that accurately predicts the timing, duration, and relative abundance of life stages in the field and number of generations in a spring–autumn (September–May) field season. Voltinism was identified as a seasonally plastic trait dependent upon environmental conditions, with two generations observed and predicted in the Australian Capital Territory, and up to four in Queensland. Lower temperature thresholds for development ranged between 4 and 9 °C, and overall development rates did not differ according to beetle origin. Total immature development time (egg–adult) was approximately 769.2 ± S.E. 127.8 DD above a lower temperature threshold of 6.4 ± S.E. 2.6 °C. ParopSys provides a basic tool enabling forest managers to use the number of generations and seasonal fluctuations in abundance of damaging life stages to estimate the pest risk of P. atomaria prior to plantation establishment, and predict the occurrence and duration of damaging life stages in the field. Additionally, by using local climatic data the pest potential of P. atomaria can be estimated to predict the risk of it establishing if accidentally introduced overseas. Improvements to ParopSys' capability and complexity can be made as more biological data become available.
Impact and interest:
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These databases contain citations from different subsets of available publications and different time periods and thus the citation count from each is usually different. Some works are not in either database and no count is displayed. Scopus includes citations from articles published in 1996 onwards, and Web of Science® generally from 1980 onwards.
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|ID Code:
|Item Type:
|Journal Article
|Eucalypt, DYMEX (TM), Voltinism, Seasonal plasticity
|Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES (070000) > HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTION (070600) > Horticultural Crop Protection (Pests Diseases and Weeds) (070603)
|Past > Schools > Biogeoscience
Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > Faculty of Science and Technology
|Deposited On:
|12 Feb 2010 12:50
|Last Modified:
|29 Feb 2012 13:51
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Be sure to include your community- and youth-oriented sports teams' and young athletes' accomplishments on the Indiana County Sports page on The Indiana Gazette Online.
To put your team on the page, email photos to email@example.com; send them by stamp mail to Indiana Gazette Sports Department, 899 Water St., Indiana, PA 15701; or drop them off at the Gazette weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
For information, call (724) 465-5555, ext. 266.


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Again she looks at him, waveringly this time, and thence to her turf.
He went, waveringly, along the corridor, brushing the hangings with his shoulder.
He was waveringly conscious, but he had lost all interest, all sense of personal connection, with the proceedings.
Miss Townly went into a very large arm-chair and waveringly selected a crumpet.
The small stuffed shop appeared to grow portentously cavernous and waveringly illumined.
"I ain't never promise not to black up and go down to the depot," said Billy waveringly.
Indistinctly, waveringly as in a vision, dusky heads could be made out.
His wife was coming downstairs, querulously, waveringly; her eyes red from weeping.
"But supposin' Mrs. Macintosh wants another helpin'" (waveringly).
Again, they moved on waveringly, when suddenly a small piece of cracked rock detached itself from above, and came rolling down.
late 13c., weyveren, "to show indecision," probably related to Old English wæfre "restless, wavering," from Proto-Germanic *wæbraz (cf. Middle High German wabern "to waver," Old Norse vafra "to hover about"), a frequentative form from the root of wave (v.). Related: Wavered; wavering.
Related Terms


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A Murder Puts Focus on Holy Land U.S.A.
WATERBURY, Conn.— Chloe Ottman, 16 years old, was strangled to death at the foot of a giant cross looming over this city of 107,000 people.
One week later, some Waterbury residents are looking warily at the crime's setting: Holy Land U.S.A., a park built by a devout Catholic, John Greco, in the 1950s. The park drew busloads of tourists before closing in 1984 for a redesign and renovations. Mr. Greco, who had been an attorney, died two years later and left Holy Land to an order of nuns, who never reopened it. The nuns have been considering selling the 17.7-acre parcel of land dotted with religious symbols and replicas of biblical scenes.
It was here that police say Ms. Ottman arrived on the evening of July 15 with a friend, Francisco Cruz. Police said Mr. Cruz, 19, delivered a detailed and gruesome confession Saturday of raping and killing the young woman.
According to a sworn confession by Mr. Cruz that was released by police, Mr. Cruz and Ms. Ottman walked into the park with four cans of a caffeinated malt liquor called Joose. They headed for the peak of the hilltop park, where neighbors and city officials say area teenagers have been hanging out for years. On their way up, Ms. Ottman and Mr. Cruz passed fraying replicas of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. They likely passed the "Bethlehem Our Hope" sign and a headstone inscribed with the words "Jesus is Condemned to Death."
At the end of their walk, the pair came upon a clearing at the top of the hill. Above them was the giant cross, at least 50 feet high, lit up by floodlights. Below was a sweeping view of Waterbury.
"How could you do something like this in a place like this?" said James Zimmerman, Ms. Ottman's step-grandfather. He used to live below the park and pick blueberries that grew there.
"No Trespassing" signs mark the park's entrance, but there's nothing keeping visitors from walking around the gate and up into the park. Two nuns, members of the Catholic order Religious Teachers Filippini, which owns the site, live just outside the gate. Betty Jean Takacs, the head of the order, said the members are "very upset" by the murder. The group for some time has been reviewing all of its landholdings, including Holy Land, to decide whether it should sell some of them. It did not give any indication of its plans for the land, which is valued at $1.24 million, according to city records.
On the night of the murder, Mr. Cruz made sexual advances toward Ms. Ottman, according to the confession police say Mr. Cruz signed. Ms. Ottman rebuffed him, telling Mr. Cruz that she had a boyfriend. In the confession, Mr. Cruz describes how he raped and murdered Ms. Ottman.
Mr. Cruz ignored Ms. Ottman's protests, the confession says, and kept trying to grab her. Ms. Ottman got angry and swung her elbow. She hit Mr. Cruz in the face and knocked off his glasses. "I got so mad at her," Mr. Cruz told police, according to the confession. "I hate when people hit me on the face."
Then he strangled, raped and murdered Ms. Ottman, police say. Mr. Cruz is charged with capital felony, murder, sexual assault and strangulation. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Mr. Zimmerman and other family members on Tuesday drove to Holy Land U.S.A.'s chained-up gate, where mourners had set up a makeshift memorial of photographs, candles and notes.
City officials say they don't know what will happen to Holy Land. There have been efforts to restore the park or develop it, but they never got off the ground. Steve Gambini, an aide to Waterbury's mayor, said he remembers growing up in the heavily Catholic city when Holy Land was still open. Families would head to the park after Sunday Mass. Since then, the city's Catholic population has shrunk as the number of Evangelical Christians, fueled partly by immigration, has grown, Mr. Gambini said.
Since it closed, he said, the city's residents have had a largely sentimental relationship with the park and its large cross, which is visible from I-84.
Questions about the park's future have to start with the order of nuns, Mr. Gambini said. "We're more than happy to sit down with them at any time and have those discussions," he said.
Waterbury police say they've received fewer complaints about people trespassing in the park in recent years. They say it's no different from other wooded parks that can sometimes be magnets for illicit behavior after dark.
"This is an isolated incident," police Capt. Christopher Corbett said. "This is not indicative of any widespread problem up at Holy Land."
Write to Andrew Grossman at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Back in November, that popular octogenarian perv, Hugh Hefner, threw out that he was looking to sit down with former "Coronation Street" actress and sometimes Page 3 model, Helen Flanagan to discuss her possible modeling spread in an upcoming issue of the seminal men's magazine, Playboy.
Seems as if Hef might be closer to getting his wish. Flanagan recently told British publication, The Sun, that she's heavily considering taking up his offer. "I'd love to do Playboy. I mean Marilyn Monroe did Playboy and she's my idol. I've always enjoyed modeling - you can play with it and have fun and all my work is tasteful."
Over the holiday, Flanagan took to her Instagram and Twitter accounts, posting images of herself dressed up in the iconic Playboy bunny ears and tail, hinting that her spread might be in the works as we dream and spank. While these lower quality images don't capture the potential awesomeness in its full glory, they'll certainly do until the real deal shows up in 2014, one can only hope.


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Simple Review is now on twitter. Check us out.
Month: August 2011
Drop PHP 4 Support?
I am considering dropping support for PHP 4. Please vote in this pole so I can make a decision.
3.0.10 Released
Simple Review 3.0.10 has been released (download). An upgrade is available for 3.0.9 users (download, unzip and then follow instructions).
The main new features are support for Joomla 1.7 and paging in reviews.
Release Notes:
- New. Support for Joomla 1.7.
- New. Support for page breaks in reviews. Uses the standard Joomla page break button. Your templates template.css may require a new class to force the pager on a new line: .pagination{clear: both;}
- New. Basic Joomla 1.6 ACL support.
- New. Added support for getting comment avatars from phpBB via p8pbb.
- New. Added a setting for the date format in comments.
- Fix. Real name display not working in comments.
- Fix. Export comments. Not working in PHP4. Not working if using non-default database name. Export getting cached.
- Fix. Category page, Undefined variable: link.
- Fix. If you have switched Avatar Providers, try using the previous avatar if the Avatar Provider can't find one for the user.
Updated User Review Help
The help for setting up user reviews has been updated with some screen shots.


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Good Reads, Great Kids - Wilton Library
Hours: 4-4:45pm
Ages: YE
137 Old Ridgefield Road - 203-762-3950
Wilton, CT 06897
Description: Children in grades 2 and 3 and their parents will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the book Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse by George Selden. Children are also invited to bring a book that they have read recently to talk about in this group setting. Snacks will be provided and a craft will be made.


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1776-1976 Jim Beam Evergreen State Whiskey Decanter!
- Sold for: Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Item Category: Alcohol & Smoking
- Source: eBay
- Sold Date: Dec 14, 2007
- Channel: Auction House
You are bidding on a 1976 James B. Beam Whiskey Decanter, celebrating 200 years for the Evergreen State of Washington. This Decanter is in perfect condition. No scratches or cracks. The bottom is embossed with: "Creation of James B. Beam Distilling Co. KY-DRB-230 Genuine Regal China 1976 C. Miller Regal China Corporation 145 Liquor Bottle ". T is also a "DHN" and "11-" marking on either side. The information on the bottom front, is a label. Decamter measures 10" tall. What a great addition to any collection!If you have any questions, please email or give Carrie a call at . Buyer pays shipping costs. Payment terms: Cashiers Check or Money Order ONLY! Sorry NO PayPal, personal or company checks. We look forward to hearing from you. Happy Bidding!


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Mother/Daughter possibilities in the wonderful Shelter Cove Waterfront!! Two kitchens, large deck, newer bulkheading, updated baths, hardwood flooring and quick closing, too!!Listing Courtesy of homAkcess, Realtors
For more than 35 years, Ward Wight Agency represented Buyers and Sellers of residential real estate in Southern Monmouth & Northern Ocean counties. In April of 2005, we announced with pride our affiliation with Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC, one of the truly unique brands in Real Estate brokerage. Our affiliation provides our associates with cutting-edge tools and innovative techniques to better serve the needs of our clients and it enables us, as a company, to offer our services to an expanded clientele.
We are consistently among the leaders in our market area, which includes several of New Jersey's finest seashore communities including Asbury Park, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Brielle, Lake Como, Manasquan, Neptune, Neptune City, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights & Wall. Monmouth & Ocean Counties are centrally located on the Jersey coast, featuring beautiful beaches, world class sport fishing, golf, & sailing. All of this, together with top caliber private and public schools make it easy to understand why our area is consistently rated one of the highest in the nation for its "quality of life".
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J by Jasper Conran Designer baby's navy logo sweat jacket
Item No.2230208205
Item No.2230208205
Brought to you from Junior J by designer Jasper Conran, this baby boy's cosy sweat jacket has a zip through fastening with two buttons on the neck. It has a white logo applique on the arm and two front pockets.
Sunday to Friday - order by 9pm
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A Cautionary Tale*
I've just returned from a couple of days with my mother-in-law, Jill. The first day was fine, as my wife's alcoholic aunt was coming for lunch and we decided to hide the booze until after she'd gone. This had the added bonus of ensuring that Jill remained sober until the evening.
On the second day I had to pick Jill up from lunch at her cousin's home – an absurdly large Tudor house with a quarter-mile-long drive – and she was a little the worse for wear: "Hugh bought the most glorious champagne and then we moved on to a very unusual Aliot Chene Bleu…"
I was then given a detailed account of the grape involved, what region of France it came from and why the 2010 was a good year. I knew that the rest of the day was going to be a challenge, but also felt glad that Jill was more like her old self again.
Until recently, Jill went everywhere with her partner Robert – the man she left my wife's father for. Sadly, Robert died last year after a short illness and although she has made the best of things, I knew that it must be hard for Jill. Robert was an extraordinary man.
Jill and Robert were something of a golden couple within London's theatreland. Jill was a former opera singer who'd found a new career in a design business, while Robert was a director at one of the leading entertainment companies in Britain. Both possessed a charm that gained them a wide circle of friends.
Everybody knew Jill and Robert. If there was a premiere or launch party, their names were usually on the guest list and when The Phantom of the Opera had a year-long waiting list for tickets, Jill was always able to secure a booking for the next day with a single call.
Many years ago, shortly after we first met, my wife invited me to meet her family, who lived in rural Essex: "We just have to go into London, then we can get a lift. Mum and Robert live in town during the week, but drive up to her cottage on Fridays."
A few days later, we made our way to Islington, where Robert was waiting for us in a gleaming Jaguar. "Is this another new car?" my wife asked. Robert grinned, "Well, the old one needed washing." We climbed in and were hit by the pungent smell of new leather.
Jill was full of plans for weekend, most of which seemed to involve "drinks with Mummy and Daddy", while Robert effortlessly dodged through the London traffic. I felt as if I had fallen into a strange but rather exciting alternate reality, compared to my family in Teddington.
Before long, we had left London behind and the Jaguar rushed past farms and villages, barely visible in the dark of the countryside. After an hour, the car slowed to a halt and my wife announced that we'd arrived.
We all got out except for Robert, who wound the window down and said something to Jill. Then he drove off, leaving the three of us standing in the dark at the beginning of a long, gravel pathway.
I asked Jill where Robert had gone. "Oh, he spends the weekends with his wife. It's all rather complicated."
It was many years before I heard the full story about Robert. The short version is that as a young man, Robert rashly got engaged to a local girl, the daughter of his parents' friends. Both families had actively encouraged the union and Robert didn't feel that he could let them down. They married and had several children, but any mutual attraction there was quickly waned.
In the meantime, Robert's career went from strength to strength, taking him all over the world. He took on a flat in London and began to live a completely separate life, returning home at weekends to play the dutiful son and family man.
After a string of affairs, Robert met Jill and they decided to move in together. Robert told Jill that his marriage had died many years earlier, but he and his wife maintained the façade of a happy couple for the sake of their family, particularly his mother. "It would kill her if we got divorced."
Robert promised Jill that as soon as his mother died, he would marry her. As the mother was in her early 80s, Jill felt that she wouldn't have long to wait.
Occasionally, it all became too much for Jill and she announced that she was going to issue an ultimatum to Robert: either get a divorce or it's over. Then we would hear that Robert had taken her to The Ivy or bought a very expensive necklace and suddenly, everything was fine again; for a while.
In the end, Robert and Jill lived as man and wife for 40 years without ever getting married. Robert's mother celebrated her 100th birthday, while Jill quietly despaired. When the mother finally died, at 102, Robert quickly found another reason to procrastinate and continued to maintain his absurd double life.
During the last years of his life, we learned that Robert's real name was Michael, but he was known to his family as Bill. It was hard to know what was true and what wasn't. At one point I even wondered if there was a third woman.
When I got to know him better, I would occasionally press Robert about what his wife thought he did during the week. "Doesn't she ever wonder who the woman that answers your phone is?" Robert shrugged his shoulders and quickly changed the subject.
A few months before he died, at the age of 85, Robert turned to me and said "I've really fucked things up, haven't I. I tried to keep everyone happy, but I should have realised that you can't do that." What could I say? I just nodded in agreement.
When Robert died, Jill learned that she had not been left any money and wouldn't be welcome at the funeral.
In hindsight, I can see that while Robert was the guilty party, Jill was partly compliant. Although she protested, there was also something exciting about their illicit relationship and she enjoyed having the weekends to herself. Both of them lived in the moment, avoiding making any uncomfortable decisions that might threaten their standard of living.
When Robert consulted a solicitor about the financial implications of a divorce, Jill was horrified to learn that they would have to cut back on their treats. Faced with the prospect of fewer holidays in the Caribbean, Jill's enthusiasm for marrying Robert suddenly waned.
If this is a cautionary tale, I'm not sure what the moral is (apart from the obvious one). They made bad choices and put their own needs above those of others, but they also enjoyed life to the full and would probably do it all over again if they could.
Frankly, it's as much as I can do to manage one household, let alone two. I still marvel at the way Robert, aged 85, continued doing his absurd three-hour drive, occasionally stopping off for a whisky en route.
Perhaps that's what kept him going.
*Names have been changed


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CANADA STOCKS-TSX briefly turns higher on strength in banks, energy shares
TORONTO, June 7 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index briefly turned positive on Friday, with gains in energy and financial shares offsetting weaker gold producers, as investors analyzed the U.S. jobs report. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index soon slipped back into the red and was down 9.10 points, or 0.07 percent, at 12,400.23 in late morning trade.
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