text:
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Wacom CS110 Bamboo Duo Stylus Pen for Tablets and Smartphones
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- Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
- Pen-like experience with soft-touch grip
- High performance both on display screen and on paper
- Compatible with all media tablets using the same capacitive touch technology as the iPad, iPhone and various other devices including Android
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Product Description
Bamboo Stylus duo
The Bamboo Stylus duo has two sides: a smooth, conductive rubber nib ideal for media tablets and an inking nib that allows you to write on paper. The straightforward, minimalistic lines and simple colour styling in black and silver are hallmarks of the Bamboo Stylus duo that underscore its refined style and reflect Wacom′s 25 years of experience in digital pen tablet development.
The Bamboo Stylus duo′s functions are as well thought-out as its design. The slim dimensions of its rubber nib allow for a high level of precision. The stylus cap fits both ends of the pen, protecting the nib that is not in use. The standard ballpoint cartridge can be replaced easily – as can the conductive rubber nib on the other end.
Apps for iOS
Note taking
Bamboo Paper – Take notes, draw or doodle. Always have your notebooks with you. Goodreader – great tool for managing files combined with the ability to add comments or sign your name on PDF documents. iAnnotate – Add comments and marks to your PDF in a simple way
Adobe Ideas – great if you want to add your own embellishments to an image
Autodesk Sketchbook Pro – great to create artistic sketches with wide variety of brush settings. Doodle Buddy – if you are just looking for a simple doodle pad that you can scribble on with your friends then try this.
ArtRage – great if you want to express your creative side, Inspire Pro – Paint and live your inspirations on your iPad.
Apps for Android
Note taking
Bamboo Paper – turn your media tablet into a paperless communication tool
Compatible with all media tablets using capacitive touch technology: iPad, iPhone4, iPhone4s and Samsung Galaxy Tab, 1st generation (limited compatibility, suitable for navigation purpose only)
Bamboo Stylus rubber nibs are produced with the highest quality materials to ensure the best on screen feeling and experience. However, as with most other things, after excessive or extended use it is possible that the nibs can show signs of wear. We rigorously test all Bamboo Stylus to ensure you get to enjoy them for as long as possible, however depending on your usage level at some point they may need replacing. The rubber nib design eliminates the need for users to apply heavy pressure when using on screen, which assists in extending the nib life. It is advisable to prevent the stylus from being dropped as this can cause premature nib damage.
Combined stylus and ballpoint pen without compromises to provide the best experience in both worlds. Improves experiences with applications for sketching. Elegant platinum silver and black finish with satin-textured plated metal body. 25% slimmer rubber tip than other solutions on the market (6 mm vs. 8 mm). Weight-balanced design. Soft rubber rings for a smooth fit of the cap on both ends.
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Bamboo Stylus Duo
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Even better, there are refills for both the pen& tip, so it can survive for (almost) as long as you like.
Of you're the kind of person who's happy with a crappy stylus from the pound store, keep walking, but if you can appreciate something well-made, that's a cut above... buy this.


text:
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — The College Football Hall of Fame will close Sunday with much less fanfare than when it arrived in South Bend 17 years ago amid high expectations, leaving city officials scrambling to try to sell the 58,000-square-foot downtown facility with its $2.8 million price tag.
"Of course you never want to see an attraction leave. I'm turning my attention on how to fill that property. You don't want to just have that property just sitting there," Mayor Pete Buttigieg said.
The mayor has described the building, which has a small football field out front covered by artificial turf, as an unofficial town green where people have gathered for road races and charity walks, to watch outdoor movies and to see football greats being enshrined into the hall.
The National Football Foundation announced three years ago it was moving the hall to Atlanta after failing to draw the crowds expected when it moved the facility from Ohio to South Bend in 1995. The original plan called for the hall to open in Atlanta in 2012, but because of funding setbacks, it is now expected to open in 2014.
The move leaves South Bend officials weighing the best uses for the building for which the city is still paying off $6.4 million of the $18 million in bonds it issued to build the facility.
While an attraction that would draw people downtown, such as a museum or similar exhibition, might be ideal, such a business likely would require a substantial investment, Buttigieg said. The next best option might be an office building or retail space that would bring people downtown, he said.
"Ideally you want something that is a catalyst for further investment and activity and energy downtown," said Scott Ford, the city's executive director of community investment.
Area residents have suggested the building be turned into everything from a Notre Dame hall of fame to an indoor playground and recreation center to a variety of shops. But so far, no one has made a formal offer to the city for the building.
Buttigieg said he is confident the city will find a good tenant for the facility, saying South Bend has shown it is resilient.
"One of the things South Bend is best at is taking old things and turning it into new things," Buttigieg said.
He pointed to the East Race Waterway, used by industry in the early 1900s and now serving as a water course that attracts kayakers from throughout the Midwest; the former Central High School, which was converted into apartments; an old train depot that now houses a data center; and a technology park at the site where Studebakers once were made.
City officials once thought the hall was a key factor in reviving the city. When the NFF announced in 1992 that it would move the hall to South Bend, then-Mayor Joseph Kernan, who later became governor, said the city could "bring 200,000 people a year to this facility in our sleep." But the hall drew about 115,000 people the first year it opened and about 60,000 annually after that.
Rick Walls, who served as executive director of the College Football Hall of Fame from 2005-07, said the hall was a victim of expectations that were too high. Predictions that people driving along the Indiana Toll Road would stop at the hall never materialized, he said.
"It just shows you the business is very difficult, no matter what your product is," said Walls, who is now executive director of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum. "The hall of fame is a great facility, there's no doubt about it. It's a fantastic building and the exhibits and the archives are all top notch. It's just hard to do."
Walls, who also serves as president of the International Sports Heritage Association, said most sports halls of fames and museums are getting by.
"They're fighting and the challenges are there like with any museum. The economy for most seems to have gotten a little better this past year," he said.
Though it didn't happen in South Bend, city officials are eager to move forward with the next chapter in the building's history. City leaders say they hope someone will make an offer on the building by the end of March.
"We're waiting to see what proposals come in," Ford said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Houma Junior High School's fall open house is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday in the school gym, 315 St. Charles St., Houma.
Pictures: Olan Mills will be taking family pictures for a church directory of all St. Eloi Catholic Church parishioners. There is no charge for the picture and each family will receive a 8-by-10-inch color photo and a pictorial directory for free. To schedule an appointment, contact Olin Mills at 1-800-866-2263. Deadline to call is Aug. 25. The church will need 200 families to participate, or the church will be charged a fee. For information, call Karen Lecompte at 868-4514.
Center hours: The Dularge Recreation Center, 1330 Dr. Beatrous Road, is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. For information, call 879-4340.
Knights news: The Knights of Columbus St. Eloi Council No 8779 are looking for food ideas for the upcoming fair, due to the lack of seafood. If you have any ideas, present them at the group's monthly meeting.
Library news: The Dularge Branch Library, 837 Bayou Dularge Road, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For information, call 851-1752.
Oil-painting classes with Gail LeCompte are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesdays at the library. You must bring a blank canvas, table top easel and a bag lunch. Registration is required.
Mexican train dominoes is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesdays at the library. The Sew/So Good Quilting group is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Thursdays at the library. You must bring your own supplies, sewing machines, scissors, threads, etc., and a covered dish.
The library has three public computers, which are available if you have your library card with you. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult to use the computer. Fax and copy machines are also available.
First-time library cards are available to all residents of Terrebonne Parish at no charge. Children must be able to write their first and last name and have a parent with them in order to get a card. Lost cards in good standing can be replaced for a $5 replacement charge.
Wood-carving classes with Gene Hebert are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays at the Dularge Branch Library. The class is available to adults and children 16 and up. Registration is required.
Story and craft time for pre-kindergartners through fourth-graders is scheduled for 3 p.m. Mondays at the library.
Birthdays: Chris Luke, Jonah Parfait, Aug. 19; Sinah Chauvin, Ray DeHart, Francis Malbrough, Mary Robinson, Tonya Romero, Aug. 20; Christy LeBouef, Maria Chaisson, Spencer Callahan, Aug. 21; Donnie Babin, Enola Bergeron, James Boudreaux, Tiffany Freeman, Ronia Fanguy, Joannie Verdin, Aug. 22; Charlie Foster, Lydia Lodrigue, Aug. 23; Jackie Boudreaux, Harriet Tabler, Aug. 24; and Kim Callahan, Aug. 25.
Anniversaries: Al and Betty Poiencot, Keith and Sherilyn Poiencot, Aug. 21; and Pat and Thelma Duplantis, Aug. 24.
DULARGE: School's open house is Monday
Houma Junior High School's fall open house is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday in the school gym, 315 St. Charles St., Houma.


text:
Financial Software
Financial Software Questions? Ask IT Support for Answers ASAP
I have windows 7 home
no last entry is 2012
no...2013 does not show
Mr expert..I suppose that I am just not understanding the process nd am ot relaying to you fhat I did. Subsequntly I asked for and received a non deposit from you. Thank you. After so many tris to download 2013 I gave up and went to Staples and purchased 2013 and it is now loaded on my machine. My next test it to see if I can jsoin 2013 on my Iphone and Ipad with the computer. I thank you all and now to the next test.


text: Hi all, I still encounter this problem. It seems the problem comes form the mpd.hosts. I use the following command to generate this file dynamically. sort -u $PBS_NODEFILE>mpd.hosts but sometime it is ok, sometime it failed and gives the following error: c0-0 cluster totalnum=2 numhosts=1 there are not enough hosts on which to start all processes does anyone know how to fix this problem? Many thanks! Best wishes, Chaucer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.supercluster.org/pipermail/torqueusers/attachments/20070628/96945793/attachment.html


text:
With a 63-59 win over California on Wednesday night, Utah's put itself in a position not many would've believed to be possible a month ago.
A win on Saturday over Stanford will give the Utes a more than decent chance at finishing fourth in the Pac-12 and garnering a bye to the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament next week.
A month ago, Utah was 3-6 in the league, coming off an overtime loss to Colorado, and having another one of those close-but-no-cigar kind of seasons.
Now here's the raw data: The Utes are 6-2 in the second half of the Pac-12 season. They are a team that absolutely nobody wants to see in the league tournament. And while their computer numbers are terrible, can the NCAA Tournament selection committee discount that this team has five RPI top-50 wins? Or that three of those wins have come consecutively?


text:
VERY LAST QUESTION AND I SWEAR I'M DONE TAKING UP YOUR TIME: (thanks for being so helpful)
The Social Engineering Toolkit in BT4 has the abilty to generate a 'website' which when browsed asks the victim sign a Java request, thingy (not sure what its supposed to be and if they sign it a payload is delivered. I tried this on my LAN and it worked, the victim must browse http://192.168.1.103:80 but if I want to target somone outside of my LAN if had to put my internal IP and in theory it should be possible to asign http://[My Internal IP]:[port] a hostname! E.g www.webpage.subdomain.com but since I have a dynamic IP it will eventually change, so when it does won't the hostname be invalid? Since I no longer have the IP the hostname was registered to?


text:
Japan cannot meet its budget-balancing target simply through its planned doubling of the sales tax over the next two years, a government draft estimate obtained by Reuters showed, indicating that more fiscal measures will be needed to rein in its snowballing public debt.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is struggling to balance the need to stimulate growth in the world's third-biggest economy - via his "Abenomics" policy prescription - and reining in the industrial world's heaviest public-debt burden.
The draft estimate, to be submitted to the government's top economic and fiscal policy panel, puts the country's primary budget - which excludes new bond sales and debt servicing - at a deficit of 2 percent of GDP in the fiscal year to March 2021, missing its goal of a surplus. The ratio is currently 7 percent.
The estimate assumes real economic growth of 2 percent and nominal growth of 3 percent on average over the next 10 years, and that the 5 percent sales tax will be doubled by October 2015 as planned.
The estimate contrasts with a separate draft fiscal plan, also drawn up by the Cabinet Office and due to be approved by the cabinet on Thursday, which retains the goal for a surplus by the 2020/21 fiscal year but calls for additional measures to achieve the target. It does not specify what those measures would be.
Under that fiscal plan, the government will seek to halve its budget deficit in roughly two years to help address the huge public debt, but the target appears elusive with a final decision still pending on whether to proceed with the sales tax hikes.
The planned doubling of the sales tax over the next two years, as mandated by a law passed last year, has become a focus of the fiscal reform debate.
The draft fiscal plan says only that a decision on whether to implement the tax hikes will be made after a comprehensive review of economic conditions.
Abe has said he does not want the fiscal plan to tie his hands over the tax decision.
Without sales tax hikes, the government could be forced to review its fiscal consolidation plan or cut several trillion yen more in spending.
Abe is expected to present the fiscal plan to his counterparts from the Group of 20 big industrial and developing countries at a Sepember 5-6 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.


text: hi, hi we've got a server with a lvm2 pv with a dozen of logvol in it. under the lvm we'd like to create a raid1 array on 2 disk. unfortunately we create raid0 under it. but the logvols contains a lots of important data. we'd like to - put 2 new disks into the system, - create the raid1 array on it, - put a new volgroup over the raid1, - create the same size logvols in the new volgroup, - and move the old logvols to the new logvols, but how can i do that? everything is ok, except the last step. is there any easy way to do the last step? can i use vgexport and vgimport for this? or can i use a simple dd for it? or? thank you for your help in advance. -- Levente "Si vis pacem para bellum!"


text:
Welcome to E-Books Directory
This is a freely downloadable e-book.
Distributed Systems for Fun and Profit
Read this book online or download it here for free
Custom Search
Distributed Systems for Fun and Profit
by Mikito Takada
Publisher: mixu.net 2013
This text provides a more accessible introduction to distributed systems. The book brings together the ideas behind many of the more recent distributed systems - systems such as Amazon's Dynamo, Google's BigTable and MapReduce, Apache's Hadoop and so on.
More Sites Like This
|Science Books Online
|Books Fairy
|Maths e-Books
|Programming Books


text:
When it comes to designing your own website, the sky is the limit! You can make the site look as abstract as your mind can imagine it. However, there are a few things to avoid when putting your site together. I've compiled a list of 5 things to be aware of when creating a good-looking and functional site.
1. Animation
Neat little animated GIFs are neat. But that's all. These type of graphics are fun for using as your image on MySpace or other community sites, but when it comes to your own website, their a no-no. Animated GIFs are outdated and make your site look otdted as well.
Flash animation is okay as long as it is kept to a minimum. I would recommend Flash animation only for the front page since many Flash features are large and tak awhile to load. You do not want your visitors to wait, everytime they click on a link in your site.
In any case, keep animations to a minimum. Of course, if you sell animated graphics or create Flash animation, then feel free to display your product!
2. Pop-ups
Instead, just build a new page (if it's within your site). If linkig to a site which is outside of your own, use the target="_blank" method to open up a new window or tab without the use of JavaScript.
3. Backgrounds
If you've ever been to MySpace, you know that there are several way to dress up a site. On of those is having a different background than white. Also, if you've ever been to MySpace, you'll notice that most backgrounds are very distracting and make text hard to read.
A good rule of thumb is if you are going to have a background image directly behind your text, make sure that:
- It is not the same (or close to the same) color as the text. Your background color and text should contrast. Some examles are haveing a black background with white text, or a white background with navy blue text.
- It does not distract from the message of your webpage. I page with intricate designs in the background may pull visitor's eyes away from the content.
- It does not conflict with other images within your web page. Let's face it an image on top of an image usually just does not work unless your background image was clearly designed to have other images on top of it.
Another thing to mention is that background patterns (or tiled background images) are outdated and make most web pages outdated. Most tiled background images I've seen these days are very subtle and give the illusion of a solid color. Look at the background image for OurChurch.Com. Very subtle and not distracting.
4. Images
Images can be animportant part of a webpage. Many times they grab a visitors attention or evoke some sort of emotion. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when using images on a site.
Images can be pretty big. I always recommend that a web master resize an image to the exact size it will be on the webpage. This does 2 things:
- It makes sure that an image size is no larger than it has to be. This directly effects how fast an image is loaded on a page.
- It does not cause the image to be distorted or "pixelated". Resizing images using the width or height parameters within the "img" tag may cause your images to look strange.
Some images may not be seen. Believe it or not, some web surfers turn off their images in order to load pages faster. Web designers that put a lot of text within images basically waste their time with these people. If an image is going to have a lot of text in it, you may consider using actual text instead of using an image. For logos or headers, you can always use the "alt" paramater to explain what the image is all about. For example the OurChurch.Com logo might be coded as:
Another reason to not put too much text information within images is because search engines do not see images. "Alt" parameters help to a point, but actual text is the best solution.
5. Multi-Colored Sites
We've talked about images and background images/color a lot, but I wanted to mention one other thing that can really make your site look horrible. Many people believe that highlighting text or colored text makes content stand out and grab attention. This may be tru, but it may also give a negative impression on your website as a whole.
A good rule to go by is to try to use no more that 5 colors on your page. Also make sure that these 5 colors go together well. A great site to visit for color scheme ideas is http://kuler.adobe.com. Just stick to the same colors, and your site will look great!
Please post your thoughts or feelings about these points or share any experiences you have had. And, as always, if you found this article interesting or helpful, please vote for it on Blogs4God and GospelShout so others will see it.


text:
Creating a Reference Model for the Creative Industries – Evaluation of Configurable Event Driven Process Chains in Practice
Lux, Johannes W. (2006) Creating a Reference Model for the Creative Industries – Evaluation of Configurable Event Driven Process Chains in Practice. Queensland University of Technology.
The Australian screen business is facing new challenges to stay competitive. Increasing globalization on the one hand offers new opportunities for service-related companies but on the other hand raises the competition in drawing the attention of production companies. Motivated by a lack of process-centered management support, this work aims to deliver a starting point for an application of Business Process Management principles and practices within the Creative Industries to help facing the new challenges. I therefore present a reference process model for the post production part of screen business productions. To allow for comprehensive adaptation to project-specific scenarios or a company's requirements the model is developed as Configurable Even-Driven Process Chain. The designated reference modeling language provides means to clearly specify process variations. In a second step I use the application in a real-life case to contribute to the empirical validation of the modeling language and to reflect on the relevance and completeness of the language.
Impact and interest:
Citation counts are sourced monthly from Scopus and Web of Science® citation databases.
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.
Citations counts from the Google Scholar™ indexing service can be viewed at the linked Google Scholar™ search.
Full-text downloads:
Full-text downloads displays the total number of times this work's files (e.g., a PDF) have been downloaded from QUT ePrints as well as the number of downloads in the previous 365 days. The count includes downloads for all files if a work has more than one.
|ID Code:
|Item Type:
|BPM, Business Process Management, Creative Industries, Screen business, Reference Model, Post, production, C, EPC, Configurable Event, Driven Process Chains, Reference modelling
|Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES (080000)
|Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > Faculty of Science and Technology
|Business Process Management Group, School of Information Systems
|Queensland University of Technology
|Copyright Owner:
|Copyright 2006 Johannes W. Lux
|Deposited On:
|01 Dec 2006 00:00
|Last Modified:
|09 Jun 2010 12:35
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text:
| 2002N-0278 - Prior Notice of Imported Food Under the Publich Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002; Notice of Availability of Joint FDA-CBP Plan for Increasing Integration and Assessing the Coordination of Prior Notice Timeframes
|FDA Comment Number :
|Submitter :
|Ms. Susan Hays
|Date & Time:
|05/17/2004 06:05:47
|Organization :
|Wild Bird Feeding Industry
|Category :
|Animal Feed Industry
|Issue Areas/Comments
| Comment on Question 5: To allow items imported under food product categories to qualify for expedited prior notice could easily lead to abuse of the system intended to protect us from terrorist attack. All food products should be treated in the same manner and subject to the same regulations.
The lack of knowledge of FDA and CBP inspectors in the area of agricultural commodities is resulting in more unnecessary delays and higher expense than the food product category classification. Since the implementation of the regulations, information from FDA and CBP is inconsistent and incomplete, with arbitrary decisions impacting US businesses at a time when most companies must operate on a JIT basis because of the slow US economy. It is difficult to impossible to resolve situations on a timely basis because of the work overload being experienced by these FDA and CBP individuals as a result of the hastily implemented Homeland Security regulations. We suggest FDA and CBP approach the situation in a businesslike manner to see competent solutions to the benefit of US businesses.
Comment on Question 6: We believe all timeframes under the Prior Notice (PN) final rule should be one hundred percent coordinated between US agencies. The entire prior notice process should be seamless, with an automated system. FDA timeframes for submitting the PN should be sortened to be the same as CBP's advanced electronic information timeframes. This will present a more streamlined flow of information and avoid unnecessary duplication.
In addition, the current FDA requirement of a separate PN for each product sku presents an overwhelming volume of work for exporters. By providing space to register a listing of products, sizes, colors, etc. for each shipment on one PN would resolve this problem. The FDA would still have advanced visibility of the items being imported while reducing the exporter's time and expense associated with the overwhelming administrative workload within the curent system.


text:
BP shareholders have called for a cash payout following the oil giant's $US27 billion deal with Rosneft after it emerged that the British company's new structure will see investor returns from Russia fall as much as 85 per cent.
The sale of BP's 50 per cent holding in Russian joint venture TNK-BP will see the British company receive about 19.2 per cent of Rosneft's stock, valued at $US13.5 billion. BP will also receive a cash payment of $US11 billion-$US13 billion.
BP said yesterday no agreement had yet been reached and that it was in advanced talks with Rosneft over the stake. However, the deal means that BP's dividend stream from TNK will vanish, leaving shareholders concerned about future payouts.
Last year BP's 50 per cent holding in TNK resulted in a $US3.7 billion payout, and in total BP has generated $US19 billion in dividends from the time it invested in TNK in 2003. Pay-outs from Rosneft following the new deal are likely to fall well short of those type of returns.
This is despite a promise from Rosneft that it will to pay 25 per cent of its earnings back to shareholders every year. Rosneft has assured BP that this return will be legally binding and has been sanctioned by Vladimir Putin but shareholders claim the deal will change BP's earnings profile dramatically.
Rosneft will vote on the return at a meeting on November 30 where it is expected to be rubber stamped.
According to Rosneft's 2011 net profits of $US10.8 billion, the Russian group would have paid a $US2.7 billion dividend. As a 19 per cent shareholder, BP would have received a $US540 million payout.
One positive for BP shareholders is that sources close to Rosneft have stressed that the company's president, Igor Sechin, has suggested the company's dividend policy will be expansive. Rosneft insiders also hit back at shareholder criticism by pointing out that BP's joint venture with Russian oligarchs at Alfa Access Renova (AAR) had become dysfunctional, leading AAR to freeze dividends this year as a means of trying to force BP to buy its 50 per cent shareholding.
Instead, Rosneft will now buy both halves of TNK. A deal between Rosneft and AAR is expected to be announced by Thursday. Rosneft's cash offer to AAR will be back-stopped by Citigroup, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.
Those in the Rosneft camp said that owning both parts of TNK would lead to significant synergies, thought to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Rosneft currently has pipelines and wells that sit alongside TNK's, a structure that will be radically restructured after the deal.
BP shareholders demanded that cash earned from the deal be returned via a share buy-back scheme.
The Telegraph, The Telegraph


text:
We gave it a B
Years before he gave ?us The Blind Side, Michael ?Lewis wrote one of the defining financial books of the 1980s, Liar's Poker, a riveting account of the heady bond-trading years at Salomon Brothers. His latest offering is an account of the subprime ?mortgage meltdown and origins of the global recession. The Big Short doesn't seem to be as nicely sourced as Poker, but its narrative has the same seat-of-your-pants, almost breathless feel. Still, the bottom line is that this is not the first book on ?the hot-button topic, and it's not ?the best, either. That honor goes to John Lanchester for his witty, elegant primer I.O.U. B


text:
Arts spaces get City of Vancouver's attention
The issue of performance and rehearsal space in Vancouver will be under the spotlight in the coming weeks. On January 15 and January 17, the city's Cultural Services is holding open houses to discuss its regulatory review of live performance venues, and a set of recommendations addressing outdated and incompatible bylaws will go to council February 3.
On January 26 in a follow-up event that came out of the Making a Scene 2010 conference, the GVPTA is partnering with the city in a workshop to discuss the perceived lack of viable production, rehearsal, and performance space.
"Although the city's been doing a lot of work in developing cultural facilities in the region, there's still a real perception in the arts community that there's a lack of available space," explained GVPTA executive director Sue Porter, who sits on the city's cultural-facilities advisory panel. "I think that it can be frustrating on the city's side because they're not quite sure why that's still the case and where the lacks are."
Last month, the city awarded an $84,000 cultural infrastructure grant to Progress Lab 1422, a collective of four independent theatre companies including Boca del Lupo, Neworld Theatre, Rumble Productions, and Electric Company Theatre Society. The grant will go toward renovations to the collective's shared rehearsal, creation, storage, and administration space, which it opened in 2008.
"We did definitely take the space on in response to the dearth of adequate rehearsal space in Vancouver," noted Rumble Productions' general manager Laura Efron. "We did attempt to fulfill not only the need for our four companies that are a part of this endeavour, but also for the community at large. So when we're not using it we're happy to rent it out at reasonable rates to the community."¦What we're doing this time is sound proofing, we're working on some ventilation and plumbing, some carpentry and finishing, wheelchair ramp, and we're looking at a dance floor."
The Hard Rubber New Music Society will also be addressing the space issue after receiving a $5,000 infrastructure grant from the city to support a needs assessment study for a music centre for world, jazz, folk, and chamber music in Vancouver.
"The city has advocated for multipurpose venues which, in my experience, hasn't really worked for music," explained Diane Kadota, an arts manager who works with the Hard Rubber Orchestra. "They've kind of been more geared to theatre because of the longer bookings perhaps, or maybe because the needs are more general. But we need a good acoustic venue with technical support, and just an understanding of the needs of musicians and music presenters and audience members as well."¦ The three key elements from my point of view are the acoustics, making it friendly to music; accessibility, both for audience and for presenters and musicians; and affordability for both the presenters and the audience."
The first meeting to discuss the proposed centre and needs assessment will take place January 20, said Kadota.
The city's cultural services staff declined to comment on the issue before it delivers its report to council.
4 Comments
East Van Arts
Jan 11, 2011 at 5:57pm
What about the Pantages Theatre on Hastings? I attended a concert there a couple of years ago. Best acoustics in the city.
It would change the whole neighbourhood, and be a great asset to theatre in the city. 600 seats, and a beauty. Vision should get the job done. Gregor promised.
Nou Dadoun
Jan 12, 2011 at 7:42pm
Last I'd heard the Pantages was run down beyond repair although there was talk about a decade ago of putting some work into it; hard to believe there might have been an event there in the last couple of years from what I've seen of it ... N
Jessica Werb
Jan 13, 2011 at 10:48am
Nou Dadoun is correct. Plans to renovate the Pantages have fallen through. You can read about it at the following links:
Safe Amplification Site Society
Feb 1, 2011 at 6:51am
Thank you for writing this article on the City of Vancouver's Regulatory Review on Live Performance Spaces. The open houses have now passed, and Cultural Services has published their Phase I Report which they plan to bring before Council this Thursday. I'm from a local non-profit music advocacy group and we've been studying this issue quite closely. We've read the Phase I Report and have written a statement on the matter. It's too long to post here, but it can be found at http://safeamp.tumblr.com/ . Perhaps the Georgia Straight would be interested in running it as a letter to the editor?


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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase (HIV-1 RT) has been the target of numerous approved anti-AIDS drugs that are key components of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapies (HAART). It remains the target of extensive structural studies that continue unabated for almost twenty years. The crystal structures of wild-type or drug-resistant mutant HIV RTs in the unliganded form or in complex with substrates and/or drugs have offered valuable glimpses into the enzyme's folding and its interactions with DNA and dNTP substrates, as well as with nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTIs) drugs. These studies have been used to interpret a large body of biochemical results and have paved the way for innovative biochemical experiments designed to elucidate the mechanisms of catalysis and drug inhibition of polymerase and RNase H functions of RT. In turn, the combined use of structural biology and biochemical approaches has led to the discovery of novel mechanisms of drug resistance and has contributed to the design of new drugs with improved potency and ability to suppress multi-drug resistant strains.
The reverse transcription of the viral single-stranded (+) RNA genome into double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is an essential step in the replication of HIV. While several viral proteins and enzymes participate in the process of conversion of RNA to DNA, the reverse transcription is entirely dependent on the activities of an enzyme called reverse transcriptase (RT) [
HIV-1 RT is a heterodimer composed of two subunits, a 66 kDa (p66) and a 51 kDa (p51) subunit (
The crystal structure of HIV-1 RT bound to double stranded DNA (PDB code 2hmi). HIV-1 RT functions as heterodimer of p66 and p51 subunits. Due to the resemblance of p66 to a closed right hand, subdomains of p66 have been named as the 'palm' (red), fingers (blue), and thumb (green). The p66 subdomain contains two active sites, the polymerase and the RNase H active sites (orange). The region between the RNase H and polymerase active sites is known as the connection (yellow) subdomain. The p51 (dark brown) subunit is derived from the proteolytic cleavage of RNase H from p66 and has identical primary and secondary structure. However, the tertiary structure of p51 is markedly different than p66 leading to a non-functional arrangement of catalytic residues. The template/primer (white/gray) is seen in the DNA-binding cleft formed primarily by the p66 subunit of the enzyme. Figures 1, 2, 3, 7, 9 and 11 were generated using PyMOL [
HIV-1 RT converts the viral RNA into dsDNA in the cytoplasm of the infected cell. The resulting linear double-stranded viral DNA is transported into the nucleus where it is integrated into the host genome by HIV integrase (IN). This integrated DNA copy, called a provirus, is the source of both viral genomic and viral messenger RNAs, which are generated by the host DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Although other viral proteins (notably the nucleic acid chaperone nucleocapsid and perhaps IN), and probably some cellular factors, help RT to carry out the reactions that convert the viral RNA into DNA, RT contains all the necessary enzymatic activities for such conversion.
Similar to other template-dependent DNA polymerases, RT requires both a primer and a template to initiate DNA replication. After fusion of the HIV particle followed by un-coating of the capsid, the DNA replication by HIV-1 RT is initiated from the host tRNAlys3. An 18-nucleotide sequence near the 5'-end of the HIV genome is called the primer binding site (PBS) and is complementary to the 18 nucleotides at the 3'-end of tRNAlys3. The viral RNA genome, which acts as the template, is plus-strand. During the first (minus) strand DNA synthesis, RT uses the tRNAlys3 as a primer and copies the 5'– end of the viral RNA genome, generating an RNA/DNA hybrid that is a substrate for RNase H. The RNA/DNA hybrid is degraded to generate a nascent minus-strand single-stranded DNA. The sequences at the 5'– and 3'–ends of the viral RNA genome are identical (repeat or R). This allows the minus-strand DNA to hybridize with the R sequence at the 3'-end of one of the two viral RNAs in the virion. This step is called the minus-strand transfer. After the hybridization of nascent DNA to R sequence, the minus-strand DNA synthesis continues using viral RNA as a template. As DNA synthesis proceeds, RNase H degrades the RNA strand. Although most of the RNase H cleavages are not sequence specific, a specific sequence rich in purines (called the polypurine tract or PPT) near the 3'-end of the viral RNA is relatively resistant to cleavage by RNase H. Therefore, it serves as the primer for second (plus) strand DNA synthesis. Plus-strand DNA synthesis proceeds and is followed by the removal of the tRNA primer by RNase H. This leads to the second (plus-strand) transfer, which is followed by extension of both the minus and plus strands until the entire DNA is double stranded, creating a DNA that has the same sequences at both ends (these repeats are called long terminal repeats or LTRs).
During the past 18 years, numerous crystal structures of HIV-1 RT have revealed the molecular details of the mechanisms of DNA polymerization, RNase H cleavage, inhibition, and drug resistance [
The 3.2 Å structure of unliganded RT [
A key landmark was the solution of the 3.2 Å structure of HIV-1 RT in complex with DNA and dTTP [
The nucleic acid binding cleft of HIV-1 RT is formed by the fingers, palm, thumb, connection, and RNase H subdomains of the p66 subunit. The p51 thumb and connection subdomains form the floor of the cleft (
The interactions of RT with the nucleic acid involve primarily the sugar-phosphate backbone and therefore these interactions are non-specific. Most interactions are between the six primer, and eight template nucleotides proximal to the polymerase active site, with the fingers, palm, and thumb subdomains of p66. Residues of the p66 fingers form the 'template grip' (V75, R78, N81, E89, P157, and G93), have close contacts with base-paired residues of the template strand and help position the template at the polymerase active site [
The contacts between RT and the primer strand are very similar in RT structures with various DNA/DNA substrates. However, in the RT-RNA/DNA structure almost half of the RNA template residues have additional interactions with RT through their 2'-OH group (
Interactions of RNA/DNA and DNA/DNA template/primers with HIV-1 RT. The two different template/primers (cyan/red) bind in the nucleic acid binding cleft of RT in a similar way. The RNA/DNA (panel A; PDB code 1hys) maintains the protein contacts seen in the complex with DNA/DNA (panel B, PDB code 2hmi) (these contacts are not shown in panel A. and has thirteen additional contacts. Nine of these contacts are through the 2'-OH group of the RNA sugar backbone (blue), whereas four are mediated through phosphate-backbone of RNA/DNA (plum). In panel B, the template-protein contacts are colored yellow and the primer-protein contacts are colored magenta.
Comparison of the structures of binary (RT-DNA/DNA or RT-RNA/DNA) [
A. The effect of sugar ring conformation on catalysis of DNA synthesis by HIV-1 RT. Sugar-ring conformation of the nucleotide at the 3'-primer end (panel A). For efficient DNA synthesis to occur, the sugar ring conformation of the nucleotide at the 3'-primer end should be in the north (2'-exo/3'-endo) conformation (panel A, shown in yellow). The south (2'-endo/3'-exo) conformation (panel A, shown in cyan) of the sugar ring at the primer terminus mispositions the primer 3'-OH away for an in-line nucleophilic attack on the α-phosphate of the incoming dNTP (green), thereby resulting in inefficient catalysis.
Three aspartates form the catalytic center of the RT polymerase active site, the 3'-OH group of the primer strand and the phosphate groups of the incoming dNTP, bind two divalent metal ions (
Stereo-view of the polymerase active site of HIV-1 RT. The primer strand is shown in gray, the incoming dNTP in orange, and the RT active-site residues interacting with substrates or metal ions in cyan. Metal ions A and B are shown as magenta bullets. The Cα-traces of the p66 palm and fingers subdomains are shown in red and blue, respectively. The yellow dotted lines depict the coordination geometry of the metal ions and the interactions of p66 fingers-subdomain residues with the incoming dNTP. The coordination geometry of metal ion B (also known as structural metal ion) is octahedral. Due to lack of the primer 3'OH group in the crystal structure (PDB file 1rtd), the coordination of metal ion A (known as catalytic metal) is incomplete. Interactions of fingers-subdomain residues K65, R72, and Q151 with dNTP are also shown in yellow dotted lines. Figures 4, 5, and 7 were generated by MolMol [
Conformational changes of p66 fingers and thumb subdomains during DNA synthesis by HIV-1 RT. Similar to other nucleic acid polymerases, HIV-1 RT undergoes conformational changes at various steps of the catalytic cycle. In the unliganded HIV-1 RT (E, shown as red tracing), the fingers and thumb subdomains fold over the active site to render it inaccessible. Binding of the template/primer opens up the fingers and thumb subdomains to accommodate the DNA/DNA or RNA/DNA substrates (green tracing). The binding of incoming dNTP causes the p66 fingers subdomain to move to a closed form and trap dNTP in a catalytically competent conformation (cyan tracing). After incorporation of dNMP, release of PPi, and translocation of the elongated template/primer, HIV-1 RT assumes the conformation seen in enzyme-DNA bound structure (green).
The mechanism of DNA synthesis by HIV-1 RT has been studied extensively. Early crystal structures have aided to the characterization of the mechanism of DNA synthesis by providing structural insights and by guiding the design of biochemical experiments. The minimal kinetic mechanism of DNA polymerization by RT is similar to that established for other DNA polymerases [
Due to its essential role in the viral life-cycle, HIV-1 RT has been a prominent target of anti-AIDS therapies. For this reason nearly half of approved anti-AIDS drugs inhibit the polymerase activity of RT. Inhibitors of HIV-1 RT belong to one of the two broad classes: the nucleoside RT inhibitors (NRTIs) and the nonnucleoside RT inhibitors (NNRTIs). While some specific inhibitors of the RNase H activity of RT have also been described, none has yet been approved for the treatment of HIV infections.
The first anti-AIDS drugs were 3'-OH-modified NRTIs aimed at exploiting the requirement of free 3'-OH by HIV RT. Currently, all approved NRTIs (
RT incorporates NRTI triphosphates with variable efficiencies. For example, RT incorporates zidovudine-5'-triphosphate (AZT-TP), a thymidine analog (
The crystal structures of the catalytic complex of RT with DNA/DNA and tenofovir diphosphate highlighted the role of K65 and R72 in binding the phosphonate and phosphate moieties of the incoming inhibitor [
Recently, it was shown that 4'-ethynyl-2-fluoro-2'-deoxyadenosine (EFdA) (
NNRTIs are important components of several combination therapies. They bind in a hydrophobic pocket of HIV-1 RT, close to the polymerase active site and at the base of the p66 thumb. This pocket is formed by residues L100, K101, K103, V106, T107, V108, V179, Y181, Y188, V189, G190, F227, W229, L234, and Y318 of p66, and E138 of p51 [
Nucleoside inhibitors (NRTIs) of HIV-1 RT: Chemical structures of NRTIs. With the exception of EFdA, all NRTIs lack a 3' OH moiety. After their incorporation into DNA by HIV-1 RT, they act as chain terminators. In contrast, EFdA contains a 3'-OH and acts as a translcoation-defective reverse transcriptase inhibitor. FTC is 5-fluoro derivative of 3TC; the latter has not been included in this figure. Chemical structures were drawn with Chem Sketch 3.5 [
Stereo-view of the NNRTI binding site. NNRTIs bind in a pocket formed primarily by hydrophobic residues, which are rendered as cyan sticks with N and O atoms colored blue and red, respectively. A recently approved NNRTI, etravirine, is shown in gray. The p66 palm, thumb, and connection subdomains are shown in red, green, and yellow, respectively. Structural coordinates are from PDB code 1sv5.
Biochemical data have shown that NNRTIs are non-competitive RT inhibitors with respect to either dNTP or nucleic acid substrates. Based on transient kinetics data, it has been proposed that binding of an NNRTI interferes with the chemical step of DNA synthesis [
Mechanism of NNRTI inhibition: NNRTI-binding alters the geometry of the p66 thumb subdomain, changes the position of the 'primer grip', and causes misalignment of important components at the polymerase active site. The structure of RT in complex with TIBO (cyan and gray ribbons) is superposed onto the DNA-bound RT (red) to demonstrate the shift in the position of 'primer grip' as a result of NNRTI binding. Residues Y181 and D185 are shown as reference points for the NNRTI binding pocket and YMDD loop, respectively. The TIBO inhibitor is shown as orange balls and sticks, whereas the template/primer (gray/blue) is shown as ribbons and plates.
The above mechanisms of action of NNRTIs have been extrapolated from the comparison of apo RT, NNRTI-bound RT and ternary complex (containing nucleic acid and nucleotide) of RT. A key missing structure of RT complexed with template-primer, dNTP, and NNRTI would elucidate the structural changes that NNRTIs cause to the catalytic complex.
The emergence of HIV strains that are resistant to antiretrovirals is a consequence of incomplete virus suppression, high replication rates, and error prone DNA synthesis. There are known resistance mutations for all approved NRTIs. The availability of extensive structural information with wild-type and drug-resistant mutant RTs has helped to understand the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance to NRTIs and NNRTIs. These structures have also provided valuable insights toward designing novel inhibitors with improved resistance profiles. In this review we examine briefly the contribution of structural information in the elucidation of the mechanisms of RT resistance to NRTIs and NNRTIs.
All approved NRTIs lack the 3′-OH found in the canonical dNTP substrates. Once incorporated, NRTIs act as chain terminators, blocking further DNA synthesis [
Residues that interfere with the incorporation of NRTIs reside in the p66 fingers or palm subdomains of RT; all are in positions that could affect the binding of an incoming dNTP or NRTI. A classic example of this mechanism is the high-level resistance to lamivudine (3TC) and emtricitabine (FTC), which is imparted by a single mutation at codon 184 of the RT polymerase active site (M184V or M184I) [
Other examples of mutations affecting the incorporation of NRTIs include the Q151M complex (Q151Mc: Q151M followed by A62V, V75I, F77L and F116Y), L74V, and K65R. The Q151M complex mutations cause multidrug resistance to AZT, ddI, ddC, stavudine (d4T), and ABC, but the mutant enzyme remains sensitive to adefovir-diphosphate (an acyclic NRTI related to tenofovir-diphosphate) and to 3TC-triphosphate [
The L74V mutation causes resistance to ddC, ddI [
The K65 residue is located in the fingers subdomain of RT and interacts with the γ-phosphate of the incoming nucleotide substrate in the ternary complexes of HIV-1 RT [
In the case of some NRTIs, the resistant enzymes readily accept the inhibitor as a substrate for incorporation into the DNA chain. However, these mutant RTs have an enhanced capacity for removing the chain-terminating nucleotide from the DNA terminus to generate a free 3'-OH and allow elongation of the formerly terminated DNA strand to resume [
AZT and d4T-resistance mutations M41L, D67N, K70R, L210W, T251Y/F and K219Q/E are the most common examples of excision enhancing mutations (EEM). Although not selected by TFV, these mutations also confer cross-resistance to this inhibitor. These residues are not located at the dNTP-binding site [
A structural model has been proposed to address the biochemical data of the excision reaction [
For excision to occur, the chain-terminating nucleotide must be located in the nucleotide-binding site (the N-site) (
Excision of NRTIs is susceptible to the presence of the next incoming dNTP. This is because the presence of an incoming dNTP at the N-site stabilizes the NRTI-terminated primer to the post-translocation priming site (P-site) where it is not accessible for excision by nucleophilic attack by ATP [
The excision reaction is also affected by the presence of specific mutations. When added to RT with EEM mutations, the M184V mutation causes a decrease in AZT excision [
The K65R and L74V mutations [
The "fingers insertion complex" consists of an EEM mutation backbone with an additional T69S mutation and an insertion of two or more amino acids (usually SS, SA, or SG) between residues 69 and 70 of the fingers subdomain. This mutational pattern confers resistance to all NRTIs [
Structural components of NRTI resistance by the excision mechanism: Molecular model showing the binding of ATP (red) to AZT-resistant HIV-1 RT and unblocking of AZTMP-terminated primer. Van der Waals surfaces are drawn for polymerase active site residues (magenta) and residues involved in ATP binding and AZT resistance (yellow). Mutated amino acids M41L, K70R, L210W, and T215Y are shown with black labels. The two terminal nucleotide base pairs of the template/primer are shown. The 3′ end of the primer is AZTMP and is positioned at the N site. AZT-resistant enzyme has the amino acid substitutions M41L, D67N, K70R, T215Y, and K219Q. Y215 is likely to have aromatic interactions with the purine ring of ATP (red). R70 is likely to interact with the ribose ring and/or the α-phosphate of ATP. The wild-type amino acids at K219 and D67 were retained in the figure to show a potential salt bridge between the residues.
Other RT mutations affect the specificity of the excision reaction in a different way. Such mutations are usually selected during HIV-1 treatment with multiple NRTIs. For example, while the excision enhancing mutations (EEM: M41L, D67N, K70R, L210W, T215Y/F, and K219Q) cause resistance to AZT, addition of the E44D/A mutation in the EEM background confers additional moderate resistance to 3TC [
Mutations at the connection subdomain of HIV-1 RT have been reported to affect drug resistance [
Wild-type HIV-2 RT has reduced ATP-dependent phosphorolytic activity in comparison with HIV-1 RT. When HIV-2 is challenged with AZT, it acquires resistance mutations that cause reduced AZT incorporation rather than enhanced excision of AZT-MP [
Unlike the NRTI resistance mutations that are dispersed throughout the polymerase subdomain of RT, mutations conferring resistance to the four approved NNRTI drugs (etravirine, nevirapine, delavirdine, and efavirenz) are all located in, or around the NNIBP [
The NNRTI binding pocket (NNIBP) in various RT/NNRTI complexes. Clockwise from top left: RT/Etravirine (PDB Code 1sv5), RT/nevirapine (1vrt), RT/delavirdine (1klm), and RT/efavirenz (1ikw). Mutations conferring resistance to these drugs occur primarily in and around the NNIBP. Residue D185 of the YMDD loop is labeled as a polymerase active site reference point. The p66 palm, thumb, and connection subdomains are shown in red, green, and yellow, respectively.
Amino acids Y181 and Y188 are key residues of the NNIBP that interact with "Wing I" of the butterfly-like NNRTIs (
Binding of TMC-278 at the NNIBP results in a conformational change of residues Y181 and Y188. In panel A, comparison of unliganded RT (green ribbon and side chains) and RT/TMC-278 complex (blue ribbon and white side chains) shows that the aromatic rings of Y181 and Y188 "flip" as a result of TMC-278 binding to HIV-1 RT. Panel B shows the comparison of WT (blue ribbon, white side chains, and gray TMC-278) and Y181C/K103N (cyan ribbon, yellow side chains, and orange TMC-278) RT complexes with TMC-278. The yellow side chains belong to the TMC-278 bound K103N mutant RT. This figure also shows that the loss of interaction due to Y181C mutation is compensated by the interaction between cyanovinyl group and conserved Y183 (based on structures from pdb codes: 1dlo, 2zd1 and 3bgr).
The L100I mutation can cause steric interference between the β-branched isoleucine and an incoming NNRTI. Similarly, the G190A mutation can cause resistance through steric conflict of the alanine side chain and the bound NNRTI. For example, in the crystal structure of the WT RT/[(S)-4-isopropoxycarbonyl-6-methoxy-3-(methylthiomethyl)-3,4-dihydroquinoxaline-2(1H)-thione] (HBY097) complex [
Amino acids K101 and K103 are thought to be at the site of NNRTI entry to the pocket. Mutations K103N and K101E cause strong resistance to multiple NNRTIs, including the first generation NNRTI nevirapine. Comparison of the crystal structures of WT and K103N RTs in complexes with efavirenz [
In summary, NNRTI-resistance mutations appear to affect NNRTI binding directly, by altering the size, shape, and polarity of different parts of the NNIBP or, indirectly, by affecting access to the pocket. To overcome the binding deficiency of NNRTIs to resistance mutants, more flexible NNRTIs were designed with so-called strategic flexibility [
Continuing advances in HAART appear to make a significant impact on life expectancy of HIV patients. However, the emergence of viral strains that are resistant to all known anti-AIDS drugs threatens the success of current antiviral therapies. Using structural studies to study the biochemical mechanisms of reverse transcription and to understand the mechanisms of inhibition and resistance to antiretrovirals has been a remarkably rewarding enterprise. To date, dozens of RT structures have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank (www.rcsb.org). These structures have contributed extraordinary details of the mechanism of viral replication, have inspired an enormous body of biochemical experiments that further expanded this knowledge, and have led to the design of new and improved therapeutics that are more potent against current multidrug resistance strains.
This work was supported in part by NIH grants AI076119, AI074389, AI076119-S1, AI079801 and AI076119-02S1 (S.G.S.). B.M. is recipient of the amfAR Mathilde Krim Fellowship.


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What kind of a public debate can we have on the most vital issues of the day in the United States? A lot depends on the media, which determines how these issues are framed for most people.
Take the war in Afghanistan, which has been subject to major debate here lately, as President Obama has to decide whether to take the advice of his commanding officer in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to send tens of thousands more troops there; or whether to heed public opinion, which actually favors an end to the war. This month, one of America's most important and most-watched TV news programs, NBC's Meet the Press, took up the issue.
The lineup:
Retired General Barry McCaffrey, former Army General and Drug Czar (under President Clinton) turned defense industry lobbyist. In a news article on McCaffrey entitled "One Man's Military-Industrial-Media Complex," the New York Times reported that McCaffrey had "earned at least $500,000 from his work for Veritas Capital, a private equity firm in New York that has grown into a defense industry powerhouse by buying contractors whose profits soared from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." McCaffrey has appeared on NBC more than 1,000 times since 9/11/2001.
Retired General Richard Meyers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bush (2002-2005). He is currently on the Board of Directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation, one of the largest military contractors in the world, and also of United Technologies Corporation, another large military contractor.
Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican from South Carolina, a pro-war spokesperson that is one of the most regular guests on the Sunday talk shows.
Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, a Democrat, was apparently intended to represent the "other side" of the debate. Here is what he said:
"Clearly we should keep the number of forces that we have. No one's talking about removing forces."
"No one," in the above sentence refers to the American people, whom Levin understandably sees as nobody in the eyes of the U.S. media and political leaders. According to the latest (September 24) NYT/CBS News poll, 32 percent of those polled wanted U.S. troops out of Afghanistan within one year or right now. That was the largest group. Another 24 percent wants the troops "removed within one to two years." For comparison, the leadership of the Taliban is willing to grant foreign troops 18 months to get out of their country.
In other words, a majority of 56 percent of Americans wants U.S. troops out of Afghanistan about as soon as is practically feasible or even sooner. Yet Meet the Press - a mainstream network news talk show since 1947 -- does not see fit to find one person to represent that point of view. The other major TV and radio talk shows that the right also labels "liberal" in the United States make similar choices almost every day.
When asked whether the U.S. should set a timeline for withdrawal, Levin answered "no."
I know, if you have enough time you can still find an anti-war, public interest viewpoint and the facts to support it -- on the Internet and even among some of the news stories in major media publications. But most Americans have other full-time jobs.
If the media's influence stopped there, the damage would be limited. After all, Americans can often still overcome the tutelage of the media's opinion leaders, as the above poll demonstrates. But the media also defines the debate for politicians. And that is where the life-and-death consequences really kick in.
If you want to know why President Obama has not fought for a public option for health care reform; why he has caved to Wall Street on financial reform; why he has been AWOL on the most important labor law reform legislation in 75 years (despite his campaign promises) - just look at the major media. Think for a moment of how they would treat him if he did what his voters wanted him to do. You can be sure that Obama has thought it through very carefully.
President Obama's whole political persona is based on media strategy, and on not taking any risk that the major media would turn against him. That is how he got where he is today, and how he hopes to be re-elected. Many analysts confuse this with a strategy based on public opinion polling. But as we can see, these are often two different things.
Seventy-five percent of Americans support a public option for health care reform. (A majority would support expanding Medicare to cover everyone, but over the years the media, insurance, and pharmaceutical companies made sure that this option didn't make it to the current debate). President Obama has the bully pulpit: he could say to the right-wing Democrats in the Senate: "Look, you can vote against my proposals, but if you do not allow your president to even have a vote on this reform, you are not a Democrat." In other words, you can't join the Republicans in blocking the vote procedurally. He could probably force Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to join him in enforcing this minimal party discipline that would come naturally to Republicans, which would allow it to pass the Senate even if conservative Democrats voted against it.
But to do that would risk losing some of President Obama's "post-partisan," "non-ideological," aura that guarantees his media support. Of course, the media is not the only influence that hobbles health care reform. The insurance, pharmaceutical, and other business lobbies obviously have more representation in Congress than does the majority of the electorate. But President Obama does not feel this direct corporate pressure nearly as much. After all, he was the first president in recent decades to get 48 percent of his campaign contributions from donations of less than $200 - a very significant change in American politics, made possible though Internet organizing.
There are other powerful elite groupings, such as the foreign policy establishment - which is more ideologically driven, like the medieval Church, than a collection of lobbying interests - that thwart reform on issues of war and peace. But the major media remain one of the biggest challenges to progressive reform in the 21st century.
This column was published by The Guardian Unlimited on October 23, 2009


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(July 1997)
At 6:50 PM -0700 6/24/97, Mark E. Taylor wrote: >The numbers of fake subscribe attempts has risen dramatically and is >causing me to rethink the wisdom of web page signups. Yup. I've decided to go back to a mailto, or something similar. not necessarily becuase of spam -- it's a factor, but subscription confirms will take care of that, too -- but because too many folks *can't type an email address in correctly* and web clients won't let me authenticate from their configuration. I'm at least going on the assumption that SOMEONE configured their mail client correctly for them, and do away with all of those @#$@#$@!#! typos. chuq chuq.plaidworks&com. -- Chuq Von Rospach (firstname.lastname@example.com) Apple IS&T Mail List Gnome <http://www.solutions.apple.com/> Plaidworks Consulting (email@example.com) <http://www.plaidworks.com/> (<http://www.plaidworks.com/hockey/> +-+ The home for Hockey on the net)


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Whole Foods Market
1026 NE 64th St, Seattle, WA 98115
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General InfoWelcome to your Seattle, WA Whole Foods Market! Founded in 1978 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the leading retailer of natural and organic foods, the first national "Certified Organic" grocer, and uniquely positioned as America's Healthiest Grocery Store™.
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Parking: Garage, Lot, Private
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
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Good meat depertment01/20/2012
I like the rating system, it makes it easy to choose good quality meats from farms where the animals were treated with respect.
great for making something quick11/19/2008
easy, fresh food. friendly service, willing to help me always.
has the best cat food (at a great price).
and especially: it is on the walk home from my bus.
everything--at a price10/30/2006
this place is clean and offers premium foods at high prices...overall it is a good value--just be prepared to drop a Whole Paycheck on 2 bags of groceries
Great for the health-conscious, vegans, vegetarians, and even you!09/19/2006
What a selection of vegan and vegetarian foods, organic selections of just about everything! The organic meats look great and taste absolutely delicious! Hamburgers with the organic ground they offer are definitely tastier than your standard burger! Lots of great store brand (365) items to save you a little bit of cheese. Oh, the cheese section is fantastic! Bakery has some scrumptious treats your mouth will be watering for and the deli offers some great selections for ready-to-eat items!
The Best Damn Store in Seattle01/31/2003
Whole Foods Market stands head and shoulders above any other grocery store in Seattle. Their Meat Shop is especially nice. All natural meat that is not only appealing, but absolutely amazing. Steaks almost as thick as they are wide, all kinds of sausage, and the best damn acon in the world. I am serious, if you were to put a plate of this stuff on the top of your head, your tongue would beat your brains out trying to get to it. And don't even get me started on the Specialty dept. They have amazing cheeses, an awesome olive bar, and spirits to go with anything. They can match a wine with any cheese, and vice versa. Eight thumbs up.
Whole in one12/21/2002
it is yummy and nice selection...but on the expensive side.
This place has it all! The produce is the best I've seen in the Seattle area. The customer service is top-notch as well.
I mean what more can you say about this place. I love the atmosphere and the people that work there. They always seem to really care about the things they sell and the way they display the products. Thank you Whole Foods for the great job you do .
P.S. When are you going to open up on the eastside???
The Best Market Eva!!!!08/28/2002
This place is so great. Go here and be amazed at the plethora of organic foods down every isle. If you have a pention for dropping mad cash on expensive cuts of meat, cheese, and misc. ingredients, be warned. You will go crazy here.
Whole Paycheck Market08/15/2002
It's difficult to get out of Whole Foods without a huge bill because everything looks good.
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He's decided he really wants to hang around us a lot socially. He turns up at the kids' bed time and wants to sit and chat out the front of our house. He swears a lot in the kids' earshot, with F and C featured heavily. (Say if they're inside and he's outside)
Last Friday night, he told DH that he was bringing some drinks over in half an hour. DH is only allowed to drink one standard drink per day, and usually doesn't drink at all. He brought over lots of bourbon and coke, and DH ended up having more than one, but not as much as this guy. DH was ok, but said he would probably just have one in future.
This guy ended up hanging off the outside edge of our verandah, holding the rails with both hands, just hanging his penis out for the world to see and urinating like that. (Where he was standing, was in full view of a neighbour who has three daughters, I hope they didn't see!) He ended up taking off for his mate's drug bust that was going on at the time and didn't come back for ages. We were watching TV much later, and heard him come back for his car and drive off. He was sh*t faced when we'd last seen him, so can only imagine how bad he was by then. We also found out the next day that he'd fallen over and twisted his ankle when he'd been wandering in our backyard (we didn't know he was there)
He's always telling us he 'doesn't have a good relationship with the cops' and how he's being picked on for speeding, picked on for DUI, picked on for assault charges and so on.
I have been in a car with him once. He drove me to the pub for two minutes so I could get some coke. He was driving so dangerously, that by the time I got home, I was nearly vomitting.
He wants DH to go four wheel driving with him. Mentioned that they usually do $1500 worth of damage to the cars on a given trip, and went on to say how dangerously they drive, and taking really bad risks.
DH has said to me he won't be going.
They have three kids, one is a 4 year old boy. I have a son, who is 6, and they met in our backyard one day, when he brought him over. They got along well.
One night, as we were getting the kids to bed, he brings his son over to ask if my boy can have a sleep over on friday night (today). I said no, because we don't let them have sleepovers at this age, but he could go over to play after school.
The father hung his head, and went, 'well, that was kind of the whole point!' but we stuck to our guns. Then he asked his son (who is 4) if he was going to have some of the smoke in his hand. The boy said no.
Anyway, DH and I have been stressing about this playdate, but thought we'll just get through it etc. I find the house, and the outside is a total slum. I'm a pretty bad housekeeper, so I'm not just being stuck-up here. The whole veranda was piled waist high in rubbish. I acted like I didn't notice, and my son pointed to it and said, 'mum, look at all that!' I told him to shoosh.
Half an hour later, she shows up, and seems pretty out of it. DH and I both think it could just be because she got back from work.. we hope. She told me she'd just have the kids playing out the front and she was looking forward to a drink with her DH.
The inside of the house didn't seem so bad, but I didn't want to be inspecting it, so I'm only going from a five second glimpse through the door to say goodbye.
When I went to pick up my son an hour later, I couldn't find the mother. She was next door, and came back in about five minutes. The 4 year old boy started saying, 'why can't he sleep over?' and I said, sorry, he's not allowed. And he said, but my dad said he could. I said sorry, he's too little, but you got to play with him. He told me to wait til his dad came home, and I said, sorry, I have to go.
He threw a tantrum because of this, and his mum said, don't worry, maybe you can go to his house tomorrow. (nice to wait til you're invited huh?)
We got out of there, and as we get home, her DH is driving his truck through our backyard (there's a row of trees planted tightly together) and in front of our garage. I don't know how he did this, but we're both really p*ssed off.
We're happy to give him work and they seem as though they're nice to us, but how do I handle this? I don't want to be nasty to them. I really don't want any of my kids going over there to play, ever again.
Edited by Harried, 12 October 2012 - 07:08 PM.


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FranklinCovey Moves All Wireless Services to AT&T
FranklinCovey Renews and Expands Contract With AT&T for Highly Effective Voice, Data and Wireless Solution
Salt Lake City, Utah, September 5, 2007
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has announced that FranklinCovey (NYSE:FC) has awarded AT&T a contract worth more than $3 million. The three-year agreement will enhance FranklinCovey's voice, data and wireless capabilities with local and long distance voice, AT&T wireless services and Managed Internet Services (MIS).
FranklinCovey is a global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools and assessment services for organizations, teams and individuals. FranklinCovey helps a company succeed by unleashing the power of its workforce to focus and execute on top business priorities.
In addition to new wireless services, FranklinCovey has renewed its contract for AT&T's OneNet® voice services, which provide voice and data connectivity to each of FranklinCovey's 87 domestic retail stores and consultative sales offices to the corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City. The company's Point-of-Sale (POS) applications use AT&T's DSL service to communicate customer account and inventory information on a real-time basis so that the store employees can provide the highest customer service possible.
As part of the new contract, FranklinCovey is moving all of its wireless services to AT&T. By using AT&T's wireless services, FranklinCovey will now have the ability to streamline its wireless voice and data usage to one device. The company's previous wireless provider required FranklinCovey to have separate devices for each application. AT&T's wireless solution will simplify FranklinCovey's wireless process, as well as reduce its costs.
"As a company that offers our own customers effectiveness training and productivity, it is crucial that we have the most efficient and reliable technology available to deliver the best results," said Mike Connelly, chief information officer, FranklinCovey. "FranklinCovey has been pleased with the voice and data services provided by AT&T, and we are extremely happy that the new streamlined wireless offering will provide us with cost-efficiencies and ease of use and will contribute to our bottom line."
The agreement renews and expands a relationship between the two companies that spans more than 10 years.
Note: This AT&T release and other news announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss.
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About FranklinCovey
FranklinCovey(R) (NYSE:FC) is a global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools and assessment services for organizations and individuals. FranklinCovey helps companies succeed by unleashing the power of their workforce to focus and execute on top business priorities. Clients include 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. Organizations and individuals access FranklinCovey products and services through corporate training, licensed client facilitators, one-on-one coaching, public workshops, catalogs, 87 retail stores and http://www.franklincovey.com. FranklinCovey has nearly 1,500 associates providing professional services and products in 39 offices and in 95 countries.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com.
© 2007 AT&T Knowledge Ventures. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Knowledge Ventures.


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If you're looking for signs that the economy is sputtering, look no further than the retail sector. August retail sales were flat and July sales were revised downward. Even worse, the jobs outlook remains grim, with unemployment stubbornly stuck at 9.1% and little new hiring planned for the holiday shopping season.
Add to that the news that new housing starts fell by 5% last month — the largest drop since April — and it's clear that consumers have a lot of reasons to hold onto their money. And since consumer spending accounts for a whopping 70% of the U.S. economy, the frugal consumer is the enemy of recovery.
All retailers are feeling the pinch of the sluggish economy, but the pain index is different. While shares of many mid-level retailers are struggling, some high-end companies are soaring. Here are three retail winners and three losers in this sluggish economy:
Lululemon (NASDAQ:LULU). Shares of the high-end women's athletic apparel company have been on a tear this year. At $61.39, the stock is trading nearly 196% above its 52-week low last September. With a market cap of $8.80 billion, LULU has a price/earnings-to-growth ratio of 1.84, which indicates the stock is overvalued. The debt position is good: $264.73 million in total cash and no debt.
Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL). RL is an ultimate American luxury brand that specializes in classic elegance — and its international growth strategy isn't priced in yet. Shares set a new 52-week high of $151.70 on Monday — more than 78% above the 52-week low last September. With a market cap of $14.01 billion, RL has a PEG ratio of 1.78, indicating the stock is overvalued. The balance sheet looks good, with total cash of $951.5 million versus total debt of $304.4 million. The dividend yield is 0.5%.
Coach (NYSE:COH). This American accessories brand is a fashion thoroughbred, and its stock is running pretty well, too. At $60.25, the stock is trading more than 47% above its 52-week low last September. With a market cap of $17.41 billion, COH has a PEG ratio of 1.29 — slightly overvalued. Coach's debt position is good: $702.04 million in total cash and $24.16 million in total debt. The dividend yield is 1.5%.
The Gap (NYSE:GPS). The best news here is the chain's expansion into Russia. At $17, GPS is trading more than 28% below its 52-week high of $23.73 in May. With a market cap of $8.68 billion, The Gap has a PEG ratio of 1.41, meaning the stock is slightly overvalued. The company has total cash of $2.18 billion and total debt of $1.65 billion.
Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN). The best shot for recovery is this chain's online expansion. At $24.88, URBN set a new 52-week low of $23.50 on Sept. 7 and is trading more than 36% below its 52-week high of $39.26 in March. With a market cap of $3.82 billion, the stock has a PEG of 0.92, indicating that it's slightly undervalued. The company has $285.73 million in total cash and no debt.
Kohl's (NYSE:KSS). Kohl's same-store sales slipped by 4.6% in July and another 1.9% in August. KSS will come back into favor, but likely not until 2012. At $47.37, KSS hit a new 52-week low of $42.14 earlier this month and is trading more than 18% below its 52-week high of $58 last November. With a market cap of $12.76 billion, the stock has a PEG ratio of 0.8, indicating that it's undervalued. Kohl's debt position warrants watching: The company has total cash of $1.17 billion versus total debt of $3.69 billion. For the first time, KSS began paying dividends in March — the current yield is 1.9%.
As of this writing, Susan J. Aluise did not hold a position in any of the stocks named here.


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Focus on the Family
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by Fern Nichols
I hugged my sons and scooted them out the door. Seeing them head off for another day of junior high school stirred my motherly concern, so I prayed, "Lord, protect my boys. Help them see the difference between right and wrong and make godly decisions." At that moment I realized my children and the children at their school needed the covering of corporate prayer. I asked the Lord for one other mom who would pray with me, and by the next week there were five women in my home praying together for our children and their school.
As mothers we prayed with the fervor of the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote: "pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children" (Lamentations 2:19). When I started praying with other moms, I had no doubt that praying together was both important and powerful, but then I found that it could also make a mother's burdens lighter.
When my son Ty started down a road of rebellion, my prayer partners cried out with me in faith for him. Jesus taught that we "should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1). When we talk to Him, God does answer — in His timing and according to His perfect will. God's part is to change hearts; our privilege and responsibility is to pray. For years we prayed for Ty, and then one glorious day, he gave his life to Christ.
Our prayers live before God, and we're changed when we participate in His call to prayer. As mothers gather together, we not only make a difference in the lives of our children, but we also reap immeasurable benefits:
It's a continuing joy to pray on behalf of my now grown children. After all, the best investment and the greatest legacy I can leave my family is the gift of my prayers.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2010 issue of Thriving
Family magazine. Copyright © 2010 by Fern Nichols. Used by permission.
Moms In Touch International (MITI) impacts children and schools worldwide for Christ by gathering mothers to pray. To find out about MITI, visit MomsInTouch.org. For more inspiration, read Fern's newest release, When Moms Pray Together.
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