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You want to make changes to your home in ways that are healthy for your family and the planet. You've decided that you will remodel using green materials and methods. Good idea? Surprisingly the answer is not always yes. Sometimes there are alternatives to doing a green remodel that cost less and are far greener overall.
Often clients will begin by telling us they need another bedroom, a bathroom, a bigger kitchen, etc., essentially seeking an architectural solution to a problem they have.
To determine if this is in fact the best and greenest solution, we start by asking clients what isn't working for them in their home. Frequently there is an initial answer, and if we dig a bit more, there is another answer and sometimes even another answer after that. Frequently the problem does not really have to do with space, but is related to a shortage of time or energy. Sometimes the situation is the result of previous decisions that are no longer relevant and what is needed is a fresh look at the issues. More often than not, there are behavioral and furniture solutions that will significantly address the problem. These solutions are generally much less expensive and easier to implement than architectural solutions. We look for these behavioral and furniture solutions first because they are ultimately greener strategies than even the greenest remodel.
Here is a conversation we had recently with a client:
Client: We need a bigger master bedroom.
Designer: What isn't working for you?
Client: There isn't a place to sit down to relax because my clothes are all over the place.
Designer: Do you have enough storage for your clothes?
Client: Mostly. Generally I just don't have time to put them away.
Designer: Do you have time to relax?
Client: No, not really.
Designer: When you do relax now, where is that?
Client: In bed, before I go to sleep.
Designer: Does that work for you?
Client: Yes.
At that point in the conversation it became clear to the client and us that there might be solutions that did not require a bigger bedroom. It was decided that another dresser would allow for clothes to be put away more quickly and easily. Better bedside storage for books would make relaxation easier given that bedtime was the only time this young parent currently had time to relax. Finally we all concluded that the time and energy she was planning on directing toward a remodel would probably be best directed towards finding more time and places to relax, including places outside her busy home.
The fact is that the greenest solution is one that involves the least building possible. Changing behavior, attitudes, stuff, and furniture are almost inevitably greener strategies in terms of the impact on the environment, not to mention your pocket book. While there are times when a green remodel does make sense, there are a number of circumstances when it is best to determine if a green remodel really is the best overall strategy.
Today people in the U.S. live in about three times as much space per capita as they did in the 1950s. Older homes that housed a family of four are now seen as inadequate for two people. One reason for this is that we now bring into our houses many of the activities that once took place outside the home. In addition to sleeping, eating and socializing, many people now expect to have separate places for a media center, home spa, children's play space, home office, work-out space, party space, laundry facilities, guest room, plus storage for even more options.
The fact is that bigger homes, even very green ones, use significantly more resources than smaller conventional homes. In other words, living well within a smaller space is one of the greenest things you can do.
One way to find more space in the home is to let go of all of the unused and unloved things. Generally we find uncluttered spaces more beautiful and appealing which is why real estate agents recommend clearing out your home when you put it on the market. So why not live in your home at its best by getting rid of things you don't use frequently or love dearly. By de-cluttering you will likely find greater satisfaction and enjoyment of the all the space you do have.
Do the spaces in your home reflect and support the activities you do everyday at home? We see lots of under-utilized spaces taking up prime locations in the home, such as living rooms that are used occasionally for entertaining, while everyday activities like watching TV and videos are regulated to the musty basement. Another common example is the guest room that languishes on the main floor while the home office resides uneasily in the master bedroom or on a kitchen counter.
Space for less frequent activities can be found by temporarily converting a space to a new use. For example, kids can sleep together in one bedroom while their grandparents visit. Alternatively, experiment with taking activities outside the home. We had one client move out of her home office during a remodel to add another room only to discover that she much preferred working outside the home. The cost of a major bathroom remodel could pay for many visits to a spa. Likewise, a guest room addition or basement remodel may cost many times what a hotel might cost for your friends and family. One family found that spending a night or two in a local hotel along with their guests made it more fun for everyone.
Finally it is important to make sure that you have the right furniture for your home. Often we accumulate furniture in opportunistic ways (the free bookshelf, table, or couch) or hold on to it for sentimental reasons (Aunt Sophie's rocking chair). Properly sized furniture that functions exactly in ways you need is key to creating spaces that you can use and enjoy fully.
Another driver for remodel is a desire to convert a basement or attic used for utilities and storage into living space. Many basements and attics were not built with the qualities necessary for a healthy living space such as natural light, good air quality, ventilation, adequate head height, safe access to the home or outdoors, and well-proportioned spaces. It can require a lot of effort, time, and money to convert these areas into rooms that are wholesome places to live, and to do less than that is to create sub-optimal or dangerous places for your family.
In reality, bathrooms are some of the least used rooms in a house in terms of hours per day. Generally, the issues involve timing (the morning bathroom jam) and convenience to bedrooms. Sometimes cleanliness and storage are issues as well. Then there is the desire to have an inviting bathroom that beckons you to luxuriate in a big shower or tub. While it is true that the addition of a bathroom will likely address some of these issues, there may be more cost effective ways of solving these problems, especially if a new bathroom would require adding on to your home. Bathing at night, separating the toilet from bathing area, adding a sink in another location are strategies for improving bath facilities without necessarily adding another room.
Kitchens have moved from being backstage places where food was prepared to the center of family life and entertaining. Along with this shift there has been the desire for bigger spaces (to accommodate more people along with more and bigger appliances) and an expectation for higher-end finish materials. While the opening up of the kitchen to the rest of the home has many advantages, do not be seduced by glossy images designed to sell you products. While the kitchen can be the workhorse and heart of the home for those who cook and have time to gather together, lovely meals and times have been had in kitchens of humbler materials and dimensions. The key to kitchen design is a good layout with well positioned work spaces and easy-to-use storage. In this high functioning area, well designed spaces can trump lots of space, which often means more steps for busy cooks in any case.
There is a perception that building more space is less expensive than, or equal to, buying it. Our experience and the advice we get from real estate agents and appraisers is that buying space is almost always the most cost effective way to get the space you need. We recommend to one in four families we meet that they move to a different house, either because their current house is too small for them, or because it doesn't fit them in other ways. And while moving does take a lot of effort, it is still less effort and stress than a major remodel.
Buying the right size home to accommodate your family for the next several years is important. Remodeling when you are pregnant or new parents is extremely challenging and should be avoided is possible. First and foremost there are risks that during a major remodel, even a green one, that a pregnant mother or young children will be exposed to a number of toxins that may be hazardous. Trying to control dust and fumes to this degree may significantly increase the time, cost and stress for you and your builder. Additional issues that make remodeling difficult under these circumstances include the need to make many decisions when hormones, stress and time pressures may make this more difficult than usual, and the very real need to complete the work before a hard deadline like the arrival of a newborn, thus leaving no room for the unexpected and delays.
Another reason we advocate for moving versus adding on is because housing size and affordability are closely linked, and by enlarging the size of existing homes we are making housing less affordable. Given that most of the new housing is considerably larger than older homes, we think it is important to preserve 800 to 1,200 square foot homes whenever possible.
In sum, buy the square footage you need and then spend your energy improving the quality of the space.
From our perspective a truly green remodel is one that improves your quality of life while reducing your ecological footprint. Your ecological footprint measures the resources required and waste produced by your lifestyle choices. To calculate your ecological footprint, visit Global Footprint Network's calculator.
As we have indicated, there are many ways to make changes to your home short of an actual architectural remodel that can achieve that goal. A home remodel, even a green remodel, involves a lot of resources, time, money, and stress. For these reasons it should be undertaken only after consideration of other strategies. However, there are two situations when a green remodel is often the greenest and best alternative.
Most homes, particularly those built before the 1980s, waste a lot of energy and water. They are often poorly insulated with draughty walls and windows. Heating and cooling equipment is often inefficient, which is compounded by leaky air ducts. Energy gulping appliances such as refrigerators and freezers and incandescent lighting further contribute to energy waste. Water leaks out of toilets, showers, and faucets, while older washing machines and dishwashers use many times more water than their modern counterparts.
If this describes your home in any way, then you may be able to really benefit from remodeling work that improves these aspects of your home. Insulating and sealing up leaks in your home is a good place to start. There is a lot of excellent and detailed information available about how to evaluate the resource efficiency of your home. Start with the websites for your local utilities. The Department of Energy (yes, our federal dollars!) offers extensive information. At some point you may decide that you want to call in a professional to help you determine which bigger changes will make the most significant differences and save you the most money over time.
Instead of more space we are strong advocates of improving space such that it feels and functions really well. A well-designed space is much more satisfying and ultimately greener than spaces that are poorly-sized or awkward. Many older homes have spaces that no longer fit our lifestyles, and a remodel can breathe new life and use into an older home.
Opening up rooms to create bigger spaces with expanded sightlines is one strategy for a creating more functional and better feeling space. Connecting the indoors to the outside can also give you a greater sense of space without adding on. By bringing in more natural light with windows, skylights, and solar tubes a space can feel larger and more inviting too.
Another way we can make a home feel more spacious is by improving the flow between rooms, eliminating tight pinches and problematic transitions. In addition, many older homes were not designed to hold all the stuff of modern life and thus need more well placed and easily accessible storage of all types.
A common motivation for remodeling is to update materials. Good quality materials and craftsmanship can make a space more appealing and easier to maintain. In homes where the materials are wearing out or are no longer aesthetically pleasing, the goal is to replace those materials in a way that creates the least waste, re-uses existing materials where possible, and employs the least new material. New materials should be selected with an eye to long term viability in terms of aesthetics, cleaning, refurbishing, and disposal at the end of their useful life. Beautiful materials will inspire you and others to enjoy and take care of the space for years to come.
Ultimately the greenest and best strategy for making changes to your home is to find the type and scale of change that solves the issue with the fewest resources. By creatively applying behavioral, furniture, and architectural solutions, it is possible to make just the right changes that improve your home, your quality of life and the planet.
© Beth Meredith and Eric Storm, February 2008
This monthly slow essay is from Beth Meredith & Eric Storm of Create The Good Life.
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Compatibility: Requires iOS 4.3 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Joe Raedle/Getty Images [ Albany Post Office Branch To Close By "Brother" Lou Roberts April 4, 2011 It's always a sad thing to hear about something closing, especially when it affects so many people. Read More Category: News Tags: branch closing, pine hills, us post office Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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"Clearly it would be quite nice to get to 400 pence (but) that will only be a journey. The market will decide...what our earnings or potential earnings are worth and price us accordingly,"
Related quotes
"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins."
"The traveler that resolutely follows a rough and winding path will sooner reach the end of his journey than he that is always changing his direction, and wastes the hour of daylight in looking for smoother ground and shorter passages."


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England played much better against a very dogged Slovenia to score a goal by Jermain Defoe, who was called up to play in this match yesterday and vindicated the call up with a fantastic deft ball into the net after 23 minutes of the game. England had numerous chances to score, and was in possession of the ball most of the time, but just couldn't convert their opportunities to goals. Star player, Wayne Rooney, failed to make an impact. In fact, had one goal disallowed for off-side and had one of his sure fire kicks crashed off the post.
However, despite all the drama, it was a much better England side playing today, looking every inch like champions. It would have been nice to see another goal to cement their position, but one hopes this win will now spur them on to much greater things. Jermain Defoe was named Man of the Match. I guess he can write his own cheques now!!
In the other match USA appeared to have had a tough time against Algeria. We were all despairing in the 87th minute that the USA wouldn't make it (and lose me my prediction!!), despite their valiant tries.Then in the first minute of added time (91 mins) Landon Donovan made no mistake and pushed America in front. There was no chance of Algeria scoring after that and the Yanks were back in the game. He was elected Man of the Match.
Both England and the USA are now through to the next round, with the USA topping the Group. Having hung on in there, let's hope that USA will get far more home support than they've had already, because the next round is where the real excitement begins. It would be nice if some Americans rushed to South Africa to cheer on their team's next game! That should inspire them even more.
It was a lovely sunny day, there was tremendous support for England from the people of Britain and now we are heading for the next exciting round - and my avatar gets to wear the England team shirt a little longer. What could be nicer than that? :o)
Congratulations to both teams!
For comparison of each team's statistics and background
For a blog blow by blow account of the match: MatchCast
Video highlights of all the matches:
For ALL information on the FIFA football (soccer) World Cup


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Art and Love in the Italian Renaissance The Papacy during the Renaissance Woodcut Book Illustration in Renaissance Italy: Florence in the 1490s
Florence and Central Italy, 1400–1600 A.D.
Art and Love in Renaissance Italy Guide to The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 4, The Renaissance in Italy and Spain
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide provides a comprehensive view of art history spanning five millennia and the entire globe.
Experience the best of human creativity from every corner of the globe at The Met.
Explore highlights of the collection through a variety of tours.
The easiest way to see what's happening at The Met every day—wherever you are.


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Mac starts a club and tries to exclude T-Bone. Also: It's a beautiful day at the park, the birds are singing, the sun is shining, and the dogs are playing-much to Mr. Bleakman's annoyance!
There are no upcoming air times for this episode.
Funding for Clifford the Big Red Dog is provided in part by:


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Signal-Rated, Mechanical (Non-Mercury) Float Switches: "L," "N," "P," "V," and "X" Models
Orenco® Signal-Rated Non-Mercury Float Switches are used with pump control panels and alarms in areas where components containing mercury are prohibited. They're intended for low-amperage signals and aren't capable of carrying the current necessary to start or operate a pump. They have a "drawdown" value — the difference in liquid level between the switch's activation and deactivation points.
"L" Model
"N" Model
"P" Model
"V" Model
"X" Model
Technical Data Sheet


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Doctor insights on:
Corneal Wedge Resection
Could you use topical anesthesia in a wedge resection surgery?
Local / Topical: You may need to know that topical anesthetic is different with local anethetic. Topical anesthesia just numb the skin or mucosa and usually not a good choice for a wedge resection. You can use local anesthetic for resection, but it depends on the size of resection and other clinical consditions... ...Read more
Cornea (Definition)
...Window in ...Read more
How much does lung wedge resection hurt?
VAT: Video aided thoracoscopy (vat) has greatly minimized pain in lung wedge resection. The lung is first deflated by in injecting air into the space between the lung and chest wall and the lung is deflated. A fiberoptic scope and instruments are then inserted between the ribs and the wedge resection is performed. Special staplers and instruments are used to seal the lung. Hurts less this way. ...Read more
What's the average recovery time after lung wedge resection?
1-2 weeks: Most people recover very quickly after a wedge resection. ...Read more
How effective is a wedge resection for treating lung cancer?
Reasonable: Surgical resection is the best option for lung cancer cure, if the cancer can be removed in its entirety. The amount of lung to be resected depends on the patients ability to tolerate the removal of a substantial amount of tissue. Breathing tests are performed prior to surgery to figure this out. Removal of a lung, lobe, segment, or wedge can all lead to cure. A lobe is preferred. ...Read more
Had lung surgery vats wedge resection result necrotizing granulomatous inflammation what does it mean?
Probably good: Hope you are well. With the limited information, sounds like 1. You had a surgeon versed/skilled in modern techniques and 2. The nodule/spot was not cancer. Causes of granuloma are numerous. Best to discuss path report with your surgeon to confirm diagnosis and implications. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
How can a pneumothorax occur at the apex of the lung after wedge resection? Chest tube still in place since 1/15/15.
Not healed: The pneumothorax refers to air within your pulmonary cavity, external to your lung. This occurs during surgery when the pulmonary cavity was opened up to resect a part of your lung. The chest tube under suction is an attempt to drain this air and fluid until everything is healed. It just suggests things are not completely healed yet. At some point, there are other options for intervention . ...Read more
2 primary pneumothoraxes had vats, left lobe wedge resection, mechanical & chemical pleurodesis + air-leak for 2 weeks a/ surgery. 8 weeks a/ surgery developed dry cough, ongoing for 12 weeks - help!
See your doctor: With your relatively complex history, a lot could be going on. See your doctor for a workup. If you start feeling worse, go to the er. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
Wedge resection right lung 1/15/15. Still have chest tube in due to small air leak. Painful barking cough just started. What is it?
Nonspecific: Could be a normal reaction from the breathing tube you had during the surgery. Could also be an upper respiratory infection. Other than causing pain at the incision site, its probably not dangerous. Ask your doctor when he/she is making rounds, or at your next visit. Can try some cough suppressant in he mean time. Hope this helps! ...Read more
Vats wedge lung resection on solitary nodule. Results: multiple necrotizing granulomas negative for microorganisms afb & gms. Lymph nodes benign fibroadipose tissue. Tissue being cultured for what?
No cancer : It appears the biopsy suggest an old granulomatous disease in the past. This is usually a benign finding. If culture suggest ptb you may treated with anti tbd meds. Good luck. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
How do I know if I have a corneal tear?
Pain: A corneal tear or abrasion is very painful. The cornea has many nerve endings and when scratched or torn can be very painful. Corneal abrasions should be seen and treated as infections can develop that may lead to scarring and permanent vision loss. ...Read more


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Her famous grandmother Elizabeth Taylor passed away three years ago and now Naomi deLuce Wilding opens up about the iconic actress in the May 2014 issue of Glamour magazine.
During her interview with the publication, Miss Wilding shared details about her grandmother's generosity and influence.
He's the hunky Irish heartthrob that millions of women adore, but Colin Farrell's heart was all about Elizabeth Taylor prior to her death.
Taking a note from Kanye West's playbook, Kim Kardashian compared herself to an ultimate icon in a recent social selfie.
The 33-year-old reality star shared a photo via Instagram matching a pose next to Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor.
She was known as one of the most fabulous Hollywood icons and now celebs of all kinds gathered together just to check out Elizabeth Taylor's collection of Bvlgari jewelry.
On Tuesday (February 19), some of Tinseltown's most beautiful ladies flocked to the luxury Italian jeweler brand's Beverly Hills location where they took a tour through the unforgettable collection of expensive bling.
She's well on her way to yet another career comeback, and Lindsay Lohan is having a blast playing the role of Elizabeth Taylor.
And in a newly-released official photograph, it seems the "Georgia Rule" actress has done a great job of morphing into the iconic actress.
Hopping aboard a posh sea vessel, Lindsay Lohan was hard at work on her new role as Elizabeth Taylor on Monday (June 4).
In what she hopes will be another step towards resuscitating her career, the troubled young starlet tossed on a leopard print swimsuit while shooting scenes for the Lifetime TV movie "Liz & Dick".
Making a big comeback in the acting world, Lindsay Lohan has officially announced that she is set to play Elizabeth Taylor's character in the new Lifetime original movie, "Liz and Dick."
Over the recent months there's been numerous rumors spread that the "Mean Girls" star would be playing the coveted role, but her recent run-ins with the law were expected to ruin any chances of the collaboration.
It's been one of the most exciting and enchanting years in the entertainment industry, but 2011 hasn't been without it's fair share of losses.
And as the year comes to a close, we remember those who made their mark on Tinseltown before being laid to rest in recent months.


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Fingers are crossed in Addingham this weekend as villagers wait to learn if their Britain in Bloom efforts have won them a national title.
Six members of Addingham Garden Friends will head to Guernsey tomorrow ready for the official announcement on Saturday.
While neighbouring Ilkley is an old hand when it comes to competing in the national contest, this is Addingham's first attempt.
The village was selected after winning a regional Yorkshire in Bloom title last year, and official Royal Horticultural Society judges were taken on a tour of Addingham's floral highlights in August.
Addingham is in the Small Town section of the competition, alongside Sedgefield, County Durham, Wood-stock in Oxfordshire, Wimbourne in Dorset and Ahoghill in County Antrim.
Garden Friends chairman, Carol Miles, says the group is excited about the results. She added: "We're excited but apprehensive. We had a good day on judging day, and the judges were extremely helpful and easy to talk to. We shall look forward to meeting them again. We're not expecting to win, but we are hoping we will have a respectable result."
Carol also praised the village community for rallying round in the summer to get Addingham looking at its very best for the judges. She said: "Everybody in the village, and from Addingham Parish Council and Bradford Council, really put their backs into it."
As well as clean-ups and work by the Garden Friends on various floral areas around the village, residents were encouraged to keep their own front gardens looking blooming lovely.
The judges also visited the grounds of Addingham Primary School, where children have their own garden. A special effort was made this summer to decorate the boarded-up Village Store in Main Street, dressing it up as a florist's shop.
Miss Miles says the Garden Friends have already come up with ideas for the future following the judges' visit.


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Still, there's a cautionary tale within the pages of the graphic novel.
A.D.: New Orleans After the Delugeby Josh Neufeld A graphic novel depicts the nightmare of Hurricane Katrina.
Her first book, Tina's Mouth, a graphic novel, will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2010.
But a good chunk of his inspiration comes from the 2010 graphic novel Superman: Earth One.
Lex Fajardo, creator of the graphic novel series Kid Beowulf, really likes Loki, too.
American Splendor artist Josh Neufeld tackles a weighty subject in his graphic novel A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge.
The New York Observer likened Bluewater to "the graphic novel version of TMZ.com."
Tyreese and Michonne are not in the first episode or in the first frame of the graphic novel.
He is co-author of the graphic novel Shake Girl , which was inspired by one of his articles.
A graphic novel of considerable ability, and more than usual interest.


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TB Jewelry - TB editor's pick: Leather necklaces
NOVICA unites you with more than 2,000 extraordinary master artists around the world. Read about their lives, explore their fascinating cultures, and select from more than 20,000 handcrafted works of art. Leather necklace, 'Pillar of Light' - Always original, Tomomi creates a stunning pendant from leather. A stainless steel rectangle frames a pillar of light. Crafted by hand, the pendant hangs from a narrow thong. $32.95
The low slung hammock coffee table designed by Case Real for E&Y of Japan offers a shelf for books, magazines, objets d'art or the occasional cat.Tags: furniture, storage, glass, tables, pets, home decor, Cats, decor, coffee tablesAdded 7 Years Ago from Blogspot


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I am very new to Mathematica and I am failing in trying to do
something very simple.
I am have the following data:
x = {8, 36, 74, 96, 123, 152, 201, 269, 415, 460, 444, 579, 711, 731,
602, 364, 151};
Which is a curve, similar to PDF function of Beta distribution:
And I am trying to fit it to:
PDF[BetaDistribution[\[Alpha], \[Beta]], x
finding Alpha and Beta values.
I will appreciate it somebody can give me a hint how to do this
properly using FindFit or
any other means. I am too embarrassed to post my modest attempts here,
but trust
me, I've spent few hours trying before posting :)


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I want to Talk about a great weekend in Carmel seeing old friends and making new friends, all who adore Doris Day…
The celebrants were finding their tables when a buzz from the entrance caught their attention. Then a voice … "she's here!" The room was electrified, tears were streaming down the faces of adoring fans, who were experiencing a major mass realization that their lifelong dream was about to come true.
For the first time in many years, Doris Day came to her celebration and surprised everyone. No one, NO ONE, not even those who worked with her daily, knew she would attend. Needless to say, it was a heightened evening full of film clips with her, as she says, "cream of the crop" leading men, and birthday messages from celebrated friends. The incomparable Peter Marshall had the adorable Sue Rainey join him with a musical tribute to Doris. Peter was the MC and also the Auctioneer (and I got to be pushy helping in the audience), with all the funds raised going to the Doris Day Animal Foundation, a private grant-giving organization that helps fund animal welfare groups all across the country. It was a good chance to thank Doris, and the members of the DDAFBoard of Directors, for its generosity to Actors and Others for Animals, the organization Doris helped establish in LA over 40 years ago. Some special old buddies, who are devoted to Doris, were with me and beyond thrilled at the quality time they had with her. Richard Jordan (who drove me up there) was so moved he decided to join the Doris Day Cruise. Christopher Escamilla, of Crystal Cruises (he signed me on for the D Day May 15th extravaganza), was a superb representative for the Cruise Line. And Pierre Patrick, author of The Doris Day Companion: A Beautiful Day, joined the bountiful bunch.
I do believe she felt the love. Doris stayed through the end and had a wonderful time. After the event was over, a cluster of fans formed a single snaky (long) line to meet Doris. She paid sweet attention and took pictures with each and every one. To say that the guests were glowing would be an understatement. And the afterglow lingers on …
The last day's event was a Doggie Fashion Show and Pet Adoption on a red carpet at the Cypress Inn. I was the lucky commentator, along with Daisy Day, one of Doris's own pooches. We shared the opinion that the dogs needing homes were marvelous models and much deserving of a loving forever home. Afterwards, I went home with Daisy and spent my last night back at the kitchen table with Doris and a few pals. She talked of how much she appreciated the fans and that she answers every letter.
My favorite moment: I caught Doris's eye at her table and pointed at her (like you rascal, you showed up!). She stuck out her arm and pointed back (with a gleam of mischief). I raised my arms and waggled. Doris did the same. I wiggled my fingers in my ears and stuck my tongue out. Guess who did the same! I wish we had a picture of that!
Doris really enjoyed her party. Truthfully, I saw what a difference a day makes. My dinner with her the night I arrived was a good reunion and very fun. But on my last night's visit, she was glowing like the rest of the gang. Really uplifted by the whole celebration.
What a gal, she gave many at her event the best day of their life. And the Internet was busy revealing that she is still lovely and in fine health. So many people on Facebook are thrilled to see her newest pictures and read of this amazing Sentimental Journey weekend. (Poor tabloids, they have to stop with their false and cruel stories about Doris).
Surprisingly, Doris has a yen to come back to Los Angeles. She lived in Toluca Lake, while working at Warner Brothers for so many years, and misses the territory. That would be nice. Que Sera …
Doris Day fans' secret love is no secret anymore! And if possible, she loves you more.
We'll Talk.


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Britney Spears Walked Off X Factor Already
With a dressing room stocked full of fried chicken, tater salad and all the Doritos a girl can eat hanging in the balance, you'd just assume Britney Spears would take her first day as an X Factor judge very seriously. (You keep saying she's also getting paid $15 million like that means something. I don't get it.) Instead she walked off in the middle of an audition which is exactly why Simon banned candy wrappers from being on set. "She can bloody smell them, you twits!" TMZ reports:
Britney Spears walked off the set of "X Factor" moments ago … and according to several people in the audience, she was upset after a contestant butchered her song, "Hold It Against Me."
Britney did not come back immediately … and four contestants auditioned in front of the remaining judges … and an empty seat.
Ha! I like how they pretended she can recognize her own songs. But, seriously, how the hell did they expect this to go down? You're dealing with a woman has a set routine every afternoon of chocolate milk, one episode of SpongeBob (Two if she doesn't let her kids play with the garbage disposal again.) then naptime. You interrupt that schedule and you might as well forget getting her to sit still during dinner. That's your funeral, bub.
Photos: Splash News


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Great Men Have Been Among Us
From Wikisource
Great men have been among us; hands that penned
And tongues that uttered wisdom -- better none:
The later Sidney, Marvel, Harrington,
Young Vane, and others who called Milton friend.
These moralists could act and comprehend:
They knew how genuine glory was put on;
Taught us how rightfully a nation shone
In splendour: what strength was, that would not bend
But in magnanimous meekness. France, 'tis strange,
Hath brought forth no such souls as we had then.
Perpetual emptiness! unceasing change!
No single volume paramount, no code,
No master spirit, no determined road;
But equally a want of books and men!
This work was published before January 1, 1923, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.


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Prometheus: I caused mortals no longer to foresee their own doom.
Chorus: Of what sort was the cure thou didst find for this affliction?
Prometheus: I caused blind hopes to dwell in their breasts.
For this, Prometheus was chained to a rock, his ever-regenerating liver to be devoured in perpetuity by an insatiable eagle.
Why was this such a heinous crime -- indeed, more heinous than the theft of fire itself -- and what does it have to do with the modern technological spirit? Fire illuminates the physical world, but it is hope that relieves people of their spiritual limits and entices them to impose themselves, blindly, on the future. When beings who are mortal by nature no longer foresee their own death, they begin to regard themselves as immortal: as having no natural limits, like gods, which they are not. Hope thus seduces human beings into overestimating and overreaching themselves, with tragic consequences. Beings who recognize their limits can use instruments such as fire (or computer networks) in a healthy and responsible way; but instrumental, hopeful beings who believe themselves to be free of limits are dangerous to themselves and, ultimately, to their gods. Fire was a significant instrument, but without the added fuel of hope its flames could be contained. With hope in their breasts, and brandishing a fiery torch, human beings thought themselves free to light the way to their own destiny, and would act accordingly. The dominion of Zeus was doomed.
Hope enlightens, but it also blinds. It lights the way to the future but, unmoderated by reason, it renders progress toward our self-made destiny reckless, delusional, and dangerous. Just as hope causes us to regard ourselves as more than we are, it also thrusts us into the future as irrational, that is, as less deliberative and reasonable than we are capable of being. Blindness is an extreme condition: blind hope is an immoderate, feverish, and desperate substitute for prudent, thoughtful, responsible deliberation. We hope for the best when we are unable or unwilling to think about what is best. Despair -- the absence of hope -- has its own pathological consequences for human agency in the world, but this does not mean that blind hope is the best, or even a good, disposition for beings in a world that gives them access to very powerful technical instruments. Far better would be a modest appreciation of the abiding human appetite for a good life, and prudent deliberation about appropriate means for achieving that end.
Nevertheless, it is hope that has consistently animated humanity's collective and public approach to the development of technology. It is not without reason that the Prometheus myth has been so resonant for those who have thought about the technological spirit of the modern age. Francis Bacon, the father of modern science, felt the need to recast Prometheus as a hero rather than a warning; Karl Marx, the great "progressive," invoked the Promethean creed in his earliest work; Mary Shelley, the romantic, subtitled her cautionary tale "The Modern Prometheus"; Friedrich Nietzsche, who saw clearly into the heart of modernity, found Prometheus waiting there. It comes as no surprise that one of the most influential studies of the Industrial Revolution -- the cradle of technological development in the West, referred to by the author as a "new age of promise" -- bears the title The Unbound Prometheus. In the modern era, Prometheus has been released from his chains, his spirit set free. The story of modern technology is the story of Prometheus's people writ large: the story of humanity blindly wielding instruments to command and transcend that which is given, in the hope of creating its own future. It is my contention that network technology is part of, rather than a departure from, this trajectory. In the age of digital networks, Prometheus is certainly unbound, but he is also wired. It is, I would suggest, imperative that we subject our hopes for this technology to the sort of thoughtful consideration that, in moderating hope, befits our nature as rational beings.
In the chapters that follow, I examine the political implications of network technology with a view to determining whether this technology and the world it makes are likely to live up to the hopes for change and democracy suggested by the discourse supporting it. This discussion is predicated on the understanding that technology and democracy share a relationship that is essentially ambiguous in character. In some respects, there is a strong affinity between technology and democracy: the technological urge arises from the human appetite for mastery and control of the future; genuine democracy does not specify any content to what is considered good, beyond that which people decide for themselves, as sovereign masters of their own future. Thus, in hope, technology and democracy seem to share common ground. However, there is also a crucial antagonism between democracy and technology: democracy does not require substantial expertise as a qualification for participation in decision making, but it allows for government by mass ignorance; technology, as it becomes increasingly complex, requires for its control and deployment levels of expertise that exceed the capacity of most citizens and, thus, it defies democratic governance. As Ronald Beiner has put it, "the possibility looms that technological society makes a nonsense of democratic theory. We are mocked by our own technical powers, while the very idea of democracy lingers on only as an embarrassing recollection." Apparently, though both democracy and technology spring from the hope for mastery, somewhere along the way their respective hopes cause them to collide. In what follows, I attempt to sort out where computer networks are situated in terms of the complementary and contradictory aspirations of democracy and technology, and to determine whether the present situation represents a significant change from previous technologies.
I begin by exploring the writing of five political philosophers -- Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Heidegger, and Grant -- all of whom thought deeply about the relationship between technology and politics. Blind hope attached to technology is essentially an opinion about what the outcome of our encounter with that technology might be; since its origins in ancient Greece, political philosophy has always presented itself as a means for proceeding from belief to understanding by asking questions of opinion. If understanding is our goal, the questions asked by these philosophers about politics and technology are the questions we should ask of the opinion that the politics of network technology are, and will continue to be, democratic and revolutionary.
© 2001 UBC Press
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In this installment of "You Write the Top, I'll Write the Bottom," I'm scratching my head, wondering if there were two errors in the sheriff's office: one on a rug and one on a sign:
Did anyone at yahoo.com read the article before writing this? Anyone? Maybe if they had, they wouldn't be producing conflicting information.


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|Home > Documentation > Developing > Tutorials > Developing EJB applications > Stateless Session Bean
Stateless beans are used in the case when the process or action can be completed in one go. In this case, object state will not be preserved in a series of linked invocation. Each invocation of bean will be unique in itself in a Stateless Session Bean. A stateless session bean in represented by @Stateless annotation.
Here is an example of Simple Stateless Session Bean:
As can be seen in the code, @Stateless defines a simple POJO as a Stateless Session bean.
The above gives a very high level idea of what is a stateless session bean and how is it implemented using EJB3 annotations. While working with examples we will try to make you understand stateless session beans in-depth.
This sample application will take you through the basics of Stateless Session Bean. This application will demonstrate how annotations like @Stateless, @Resource, @PostConstruct, @PreDestroy are used in an EJB3 application.
The application walks through a authentication page, where the user has to authenticate to move to the resource page of Apache Geronimo. In case of a new user, the user has to go through the registration process. Later the user will be directed to login page again once the registration is done. In the login page the bean class will check for the username and password entered by the user against a database.
Basically a Stateless Session EJB is used whenever there is a single step process and maintaining a session is obsolete. In this sample the user registration form is a one step process and hence we have used stateless session bean for its implementation. The login page is a misnomer and should not be considered as an implementation for stateless session EJB. This is because once logged in you have to maintain the session and stateless session beans are not meant to maintain the session.
To run this tutorial, as a minimum you will be required to have installed the following prerequisite software.
Details on installing eclipse are provided in the Development environment section.
This tutorial is organized in the following sections:
Due to some limitations in Geronimo Eclipse Plugin the generated deployment plan(
openejb-jar.xml) does not have the correct namespace. Replace the existing namespace as shown in the figure with the following
<openejb-jar xmlns="http://www.openejb.org/xml/ns/openejb-jar-2.2" xmlns:nam="http://geronimo.apache.org/xml/ns/naming-1.2" xmlns:pkgen="http://www.openejb.org/xml/ns/pkgen-2.0" xmlns:sec="http://geronimo.apache.org/xml/ns/security-1.2" xmlns:sys="http://geronimo.apache.org/xml/ns/deployment-1.2">
passCredentials.jsp (checkout the action in the form tag) to verify the authenticity of user credentials. In case the user is new he has to go through the registration process. This statement NewUser is used to route the user to registration page.
Why is the lookup name RegisterBeanRemote??
This will be explained in the deploy an run section
passVariables.jsp is called.
register.jsp and the register function in the bean class is called to populate the database.
openejb-jar.xml and add the following
openejb-jar.xml will look like this
Where did the above dependencies come from??
To make the datasource visible to EJB we need to add a dependency to the EJB deployment plan that is openejb-jar.xml. The above element can be obtained automatically from Geronimo Database Pool wizard. Select usage against the database pool jdbc/userds
geronimo-web.xml will look like this
Due to limitation with Geronimo Eclipse Plugin, you will have to export the Stateless Session EJB project and Web Application project as a jar and war respectively.
StatelessSessionEJB.jar and
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|Privacy Policy - Copyright © 2003-2013, The Apache Software Foundation, Licensed under ASL 2.0.


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Wedding Anniversary aboard the Carnival Liberty!: Carnival Liberty Cruise Review by Tapi
Overall Member Rating
Wedding Anniversary aboard the Carnival Liberty!
Destination: Eastern Caribbean
Embarkation: Miami
First of all, let me say that this was yet another great cruise vacation, this time to celebrate our wedding anniversary!
We had the chance to sail on the Liberty during its inaugural season in 2005. After 3 years in service, the ship is still just as beautiful, polished, and clean as the first time we sailed aboard it. Signs of wear and tear are almost non-existent. In our opinion, it's one of the most tastefully decorated ships in the Carnival fleet with its European inspired interiors, iron accents, rich wood throughout, and hand painted murals.
My cruise review will focus mostly on changes since the last time we cruised, most which we considered to be positive ones. These include: New Cruise Terminal, Platinum status, Total Choice Dining, Elegant nights, Harry's Super Club, and entertainment.
Check In The new Cruise Terminal in Miami is not only a modern and attractive More facility, but is also very efficient. We arrived around 11:00am and there were already hundreds of passengers checking in. Thankfully, this was our first cruise as Platinum members which meant no lines for us! VIP treatment begins at the security checkpoint. After that, we proceeded directly to the VIP lounge. The actual check-in process took less than 5 minutes. The lounge is nicely appointed with comfortable, big, red chairs and smart furniture, but we didn't spend enough time there to enjoy it. We were onboard the ship within 15 minutes of arriving at the port!
Embarkation We have a wonderful Personal Vacation Planner who not only met us at the port, but also signed up for an employee ship visit. This allowed us to invite some of our friends who live in Miami to come onboard during embarkation as well. We were very grateful for this opportunity and are glad to have developed such a wonderful relationship with our PVP over the years. Having our friends with us on embarkation day was the perfect beginning to a memorable cruise.
At the gangway, we were asked for our Platinum cards and once again went straight to the front of the line. Even though we were on the ship around 11:15am, our cabin was still being cleaned, so instead, we went to Emile's for lunch (the buffet style restaurant). We agreed that food quality and selection has improved since our last cruise (not that it was bad before, but there were even more (and tastier) selections at the buffet).
Cabin We booked one of the larger 6B (oceanview) cabins in the aft section of the Main Deck. These cabins are a great bargain. It didn't have a sofa, but it had a convertible king size bed (with the Comfort Bed System) and a table & two chairs. The extra space was definitely a nice perk. We loved having TWO large windows instead of one. The only negative is that during rough weather, the cabin rumbled quite considerably (more on that later).
Departure from Miami After saying goodbye to our friends, we went to the Lifeboat Drill. What is normally the most dreaded part of the cruise (at least for us) turned out to be one of the quickest, most efficient drills we've ever attended. Also, the life preservers seem to be brand new, probably from the recent drydock. We departed promptly at 4pm.
Time onboard. , Fellow passengers, and Days at Sea Fellow passengers were somewhat older, diverse, and more low key than on other Carnival cruises we've recently taken. In addition to cruisers from the US, we also met several cruisers from Europe (specifically Germany and Italy), as well as many from South America. It was common to see guests enjoying a book or card game quietly throughout the ship. Families with children were only a small percentage of the passenger count (the Cruise Director even made a joke about it when he called a 10 year old kid to the stage and asked him if his parents had pulled him out of school for this trip, and he said yes. The Cruise Director said to the parents jokingly "Way to give your kid a good example! Not only are you jeopardizing his education, but you should be home voting! " (the cruise was on election week). I don't think the parents appreciated the comment, but everybody else got a kick out of it. Since we came looking for relaxation, we thoroughly welcomed the more calm and to a certain degree sophisticated atmosphere onboard.
We didn't have perfect weather. Some days were beautiful, others were rainy. Still, no complaints. On the first day at sea, it was storming and we had to deal with huge waves. You know it's getting rough when there are seasickness paper bags tucked in every corner of the ship for easy access. Our cabin rumbled and pieces of the ceiling creaked all night long. There's a weird sideways motion when riding in the back of the ship during rough seas which we are now familiar with, but it can be a bit startling for first time cruisers, or cruisers who have never had a cabin in the back of the ship. Besides the first day, we had wonderful, smooth seas, and the rumble stopped (although we did have to deal with rain later on in the week).
Sea Days were mostly lazy days (at least for us). We truly enjoyed getting up early and having fresh breakfast at Emile's before the late risers would invade the place. After that, we would have the pool deck and hot tubs pretty much all to ourselves. It was especially nice to sit in one of the hot tubs under the glass ceiling in the back of the ship, and just watch the world go by or to go for a morning walk on the jogging track high above everything else.
We found ourselves enjoying the music provided by a classical music trio on some days (and a pianist other days) at the Flowers Lobby. It truly gave this cruise a touch of class to enjoy an hour with a cocktail while listening to beautiful music on our days at sea.
Total Choice Dining This is Carnival's new dining option where you don't have an assigned table or time. You just show up sometime between 5:45pm and 9:30pm. This is currently being offered on only two vessels of the fleet. This option was being offered at the Golden Olympian Dining Room while the Silver Olympian Dining Room was operating as a Traditional Dining option. We absolutely, 100% and without a doubt loved, LOVED Total Choice Dining!! No matter what time it was, we had a table for two available for us either immediately, or within 5 minutes. If there was a small wait, they would give us a beeper, but normally we would start walking away, only to turn around because a table would become available almost immediately. As much as we loved this option, it's NOT for everybody. We witnessed an irate couple on formal night insult the Maitre'D when they were informed that there was a 5 minute wait. It was somewhat embarrassing to watch (the loud tone and choice of words was completely inappropriate). They had cruised on Carnival before and were telling the Maitre'D that they had NEVER had to wait for a table for dinner and that they were going to miss the comedian. I believe that these guests might not have been the only ones unhappy with Total Choice Dining because after the 2nd night, the Golden Olympian Restaurant first floor started accommodating Traditional Dining, while the second floor was still offering Total Choice Dining. We do hope that they continue Total Choice. We spoke to the Maitre'D one night and he said that the plan is to make it available in every ship and that they hope to have it rolled out fleetwide in one year.
Harry's I had read the arguments in favor and against dining at the $30 per person, reservations only Harry's. Some people may argue that the food served at the main dining room is good enough, or that paying extra for dinner is a waste of money. After celebrating our anniversary at this venue, I tend to believe that those against this type of option have never had the chance to experience this wonderful place. The food was absolutely phenomenal. There's a HUGE difference between the flat iron steak served at the main dining room, and the filet mignon or 24oz Porterhouse served at Harry's. The cuts served here rival those at high end steakhouses at major cities. In addition to the main entrEe's, the ingredients and recipes used for other dishes are truly exceptional. Every bite is a treat to the palate. We had 3 servers taking care of our table for over 2 hours (service is polished, professional and unhurried.) The atmosphere is elegant without being overly pretentious. Truly a highlight of our cruise!
Elegant night Even though formal night has been re-named and the dress code has been relaxed a bit, we found it to be basically the same as when it was called formal night. Guests ranged from the very formal (tuxedos, night gowns, etc) to the not so formal (jeans and t-shirts), although we didn't see anybody venture into the main dining room in less than a jacket or long sleeve shirt and tie. In my opinion, all that Carnival did by changing the name of the night and dress code was to give the green light for people to wear what they've been wearing all along...!
San Juan, Puerto Rico First of all, let me start by saying that I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. My family still lives there and we visit several times a year (last time just 3 months ago). However, this is the first time I had the chance to visit my own island aboard a cruise ship as a bona-fide tourist! Entering the San Juan bay and seeing the El Morro Fortress from our ship was truly exciting. It's without a doubt one of the most beautiful arrivals to any Caribbean island.
My parents live on the west coast of the island (about 2 hours away), so they reserved a room at the Sheraton Old San Juan and waited for our arrival along with one of my sister and my two nieces. We arrived in San Juan about 1 hour early (4pm), and were off the ship within minutes and met at the Sheraton. Contrary to what I had read before, many stores remained open late into the night to accommodate the cruise passengers. We walked around, shopped, and made a cocktail stop at the outdoor bar located at the Hotel El Convento (a historical landmark and former nun's convent turned luxury hotel). After that, we worked our way to the Parrot Club (a Nuevo-Latino restaurant) located in SoFo (South Fortaleza street, which is also where other trendy restaurants where the hip and chic crowd of San Juan hangs out). Food here is truly exceptional. After that, we headed back to the Sheraton where we spent some time at their Casino and socialized before going back onboard the ship around 11pm for a midnight departure. Truly a memorable stop! However, it made me realize how little of my wonderful island of Puerto Rico the average cruiser gets to experience on these itineraries. Also, some excursions seemed to be a rip-off. For example, the ship was charging $79 for an otherwise FREE tour of the Bacardi Rum Distillery. Granted that the only way to visit the distillery at night is on an organized shore excursion, but $79 to visit a place that normally doesn't charge admission and can be reached by an inexpensive water ferry??
St. Thomas, USVI We woke up early and were off the ship by 9am. The last time I had been to St. Thomas was 14 years ago, and even though the island still looks similar, it has definitely developed more (with indoor malls, Home Depot, Mega-movie theatres, more Pizza Huts, McDonald's, Wendy's, etc). We took a cab to Charlotte Amalie to do some shopping. Traffic is bad going and coming back to the ship (literally stopped for a long time). The downtown area and shops look almost identical to the last time I visited. We looked at some watches and sunglasses that we had checked out prior to leaving on this cruise to see how the prices compared . We were surprised to see that even with all the discounts, they were either the same price or more expensive than what we had found back home (in Atlanta).
Around 12pm, we headed back to the ship for a quick lunch before taking the Discover Scuba Diving tour at Coki Beach. The tour by itself is well worth it. It was truly a wonderful experience. After filling out a medical questionnaire and signing our lives away, we boarded an open air taxi for the 20 minute picturesque drive across the island to Coki Beach. The first part of the tour is spent with an instructor who gave us the basics of diving. After that, we were fitted with our SCUBA equipment. The water in St. Thomas is beautiful and clear and we went to depths around 30-35 feet. However we didn't see as much fish or corals as we would've liked. Even though we enjoyed this tour quite considerably, Coki Beach is way too crowded these days. It's a shame, because it's such a beautiful place, but better enjoyed without so many others. Oh well!
After that, we returned to the port area, looked around the Havensight shops and were back onboard about 1 hour prior to departure. We skipped dinner this night. We were exhausted!
St. Maarten, NA We woke up to a rainy and foggy St. Maarten. This was our first time docked at the new port facility. Although convenient, I personally missed taking a tender from the ship right into downtown. Although not as convenient, for me, tendering was part of the "island" experience in St. Maarten. We did however take the water taxi from the new port facility to downtown (we were dropped off at the original pier right in front of the courthouse).
Our plan was to walk around downtown before heading to Maho Beach to watch the airplanes come in low over the beach (I'm an airplane enthusiast). I had even pulled the flight itinerary for the day. Unfortunately, the rain would not stop. We decided that we would go to Maho Beach anyway. We hailed a cab driver who actually discouraged us from going there. He told us that the beach had been damaged with the last hurricane and had been blocked off, and that there were few covered spots to actually enjoy the views. By this time, we had decided that the bad weather, beach conditions, and negative reviews from the cab driver were enough to cancel our plans, so we stayed downtown. The rain kept getting worse, so we took refuge at the Barefoot Terrace restaurant, with an open terrace overlooking the bay. We had jerk chicken wings (very good, but also VERY spicy). After that, there wasn't much to do so we headed back to the ship. We were back onboard around 2:30pm and somewhat disappointed that we couldn't enjoy St. Maarten more. I guess we'll have to return some day!
Last 2 days at Sea, On Deck for the Cure We thoroughly enjoyed our last 2 days at sea. Initially we were a bit skeptical about spending 2 full days at sea, but it turns out that we wish we would've had at least one more day! On Friday, we participated in the On Deck for The Cure walk. About 250 passengers signed up. This was definitely something different to do on vacation, but completely worth it!
Debarkation The ship docked back in Miami a little before 6am. Because I was planning on standing by on a 9:00am flight out of Ft. Lauderdale. (I had to go to work straight from our cruise, yuck!), we were packed up, showered, and ready to leave our cabin at 6:45am. We walked to the Lobby to do Self Assist Debarkation only to find out that a hundreds of other passengers with their huge suitcases had the same idea. Staircases, elevators, and the entire lobby area were jammed pack with people. We opted for plan B which was to head to the Venetian Palace, deck 5, where Platinum members could wait to be called and escorted off the ship during Traditional Debarkation.
However, we didn't have to wait for Traditional Debarkation to begin. From there, we were taken immediately back to the Lobby using a different set of stairs and we were off the ship and through customs within 10 minutes. Not bad! If there's a Platinum perk that we enjoyed, it definitely was Priority Embarkation and Debarkation!
We arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale airport at 8:25am, and we made our 9:00am flight to Atlanta!! We couldn't believe it!
Final thoughts Our cruise aboard the Carnival Liberty was definitely an AWESOME vacation. It wasn't perfect, but which vacation is? We thoroughly enjoyed it and we're already planning our next cruise. As the airplane took off from Ft. Lauderdale and we started heading north, I couldn't help but to feel a bit saddened that the cruise was over so quickly. We will definitely be back! Less
Published 11/28/08
Cabin review: 6B Ocean ViewOcean View (6B) Reviews >>
Read Cruise Critic's Carnival Liberty Review >>
Never Disappoints
Sorry to report
A very pleasant surprise
Best Cruise Available for the ...
Liberty 3 night cruise
Uneven experience
Never Disappoints
A very pleasant surprise
Lots of winners and few losers...
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Create Your Own Video Game With GLBasic
Wish to create your own video games that have high quality on your own with little time to waste creating a game engine, a 3D framework or network components, then GLBasic could be a good choice. Try create your own video game with GLBasic by downloading the free demo.
- It gives you all you need to write high performance games with the easiest basic-like language available.
- All the commands have been chosen carefully and feature a consistent, logical low-keywords syntax, which is very easy to learn.
- Create your game once, then compile for PocketPC and Linux without changing the source code at all.
- Don't waste time that you don't have, concentrate on the essentials.
- We've written a PONG game within 30 minutes.
- a space shooter in 2 hours.
- a boulder dash clone in 60 minutes. (all times including graphics design!)
- What can GLBasic do?
Download GLBasic
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Since the September 11 terror attacks, over 190,000 men women and children have died in America as a result of drunk driving. Laws providing a deterrent are not enough. We need to address the behaviors in our culture that put drunk drivers on the road. It is time to stand up and admit that as a culture, we drink together and LET each other drive away. - Allen D. Porter 9-11-2016
The SoberDrivers Pledge is a promise worth keeping. It's your promise to BE PREVENTION by preventing your own drunk driving and preventing those around from driving too soon after drinking.
The National Directory of Designated Driver Services (NDDDS) is a list of companies that will come to where you have been drinking and drive you home in your own car. [updated 06/30/17]
The DUI Avoidance Lesson Plan lays out in simple terms what what drunk driving is and why you should avoid it with detailed tips on how to avoid driving under the influence.
Recent DADO blog entries explore what's next for a Super-Extreme drunk driver after a lax prison stay and a liquor board chairman's fall from grace.
We Aren't Even Safe from Drunk Drivers ON the Beach. https://t.co/X28R4FqDIT #OK2H8DrunkDrivers— DADO President (@DADOHELP) July 21, 2017
The SAFEKEY System Stops Impaired Driving, Keeping Your Roads and Your Loved Ones Safe.
SafeKey is an innovative Ignition Interlock System which does NOT use a breathalyzer. You can read about it in our "Personal Tech - Avoiding DUI with Devices" article.
1. Blood Alcohol Content - A.K.A. BAC (article)
2. The Truth About B.A.C. (lesson)
3. If You Are Under 21 (lesson)
4. DUI - A Costly Mistake (lesson)
90% of All Drunk Driving Happens After Drinking With Family, Friends, and Coworkers. There is almost always somebody around who could be part of the solution. Don't let drunk driving happen right in front of you.
"I never worry about being driven to drink,
I only worry about being driven home."
W.C. Fields


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Jim Byrnes and Babe Gurr at the Deep Cove Shaw Theatre
by Staff on January 24th, 2013 at 3:02 AM
1 of 1 2 of 1
Deep Cove's First Impressions Theatre is seeing its annual fundraising concert turn into an in-demand tradition. And it carries with it a serious case of the blues: this year's event finds Jim Byrnes sharing a double bill with singer-songwriter Babe Gurr. Tickets are only available for Friday (January 25); the Saturday show is already sold out.


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Browse other items in the Walton collection from Wayside Furniture in the Akron, Cleveland, Canton, Medina, Youngstown, Ohio area.
Far from your standard dining table, this dining table has a unique sense of style that incorporates industrial and rustic elements. The Natural finish table top provides a refreshing feel to the overall style of the table. The metal supports contribute a industrial tone to the table that define it and make it unique. The table stands on four casters, adding a strong visual element in addition to the functionality of being able to move the table with ease. Additionally, this table includes two 16-inch leaves to allow for expansion to include more seating and table space.
The Walton Rustic Dining Table with Casters and Extension Leaf by Magnussen Home from Wayside Furniture. We proudly serve the Akron, Cleveland, Canton, Medina, Youngstown, Ohio area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
Seat more people, serve more food and enjoy time with guests around your dining table when using leaves to extend the length. Accommodate a larger number of people with table leaves or make your table smaller by taking the leaves out. Create a space that is perfect for your family size or dining room with the use of extension leaves.
Not your typical dining collection, the Walton collection has a very interesting style that will bring lots of flavor to your dining or bar area. Combining both industrial and rustic elements, this collection is both unique and refreshing. The natural finish over distressed, dry-aged poplar veneers establishes the very relaxing tone of the collection. The commercial grade metal composites, exposed rivets and open wheel casters contribute the industrial character that helps define the entire collection, making it a one of a kind group for your home.
The Walton collection is a great option if you are looking for Relaxed Vintage
Relaxed Vintage
Cottage furniture in the Akron, Cleveland, Canton, Medina, Youngstown, Ohio area.
These images are representative of this group as a whole and may differ from this item.
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This review is from: LSI Internal SATA / SAS 9211-4i 6Gb/s PCI-Express 2.0 RAID Controller Card, Single)--Avago Technologies
Pros: The card is affordable and is a true hardware RAID.
Cons: This card has NO cache memory. Be careful you don't make the mistake I did before ordering. I didn't realize this card has no cache memory and therefore write operations on the hard drives result in huge performance issues. This card is really underwhelming in the performance department. While writing a big file to a RAID 1 array you will have an almost unbearably slow response for all other disk related activities.
Make sure you get the breakout cable if you use this card. That is another negative because the higher end, better performing cards come with the cables already.
Other Thoughts: It gets 3 eggs because its really not a bad card, but for a few dollars more you can get a much better performing card with cache memory.READ FULL REVIEW
This review is from: APEVIA CF7025S 70mm Case Fan
Pros: Quiet. Seems to work well. It doesn't spin so fast you think its going to fail in a couple of days.
Cons: Not sure what kind of bearings this uses? Can't find the info anywhere, even on the manufacturer's website. I always try to avoid sleeve bearings.
Other Thoughts: Its a nice fan, especially for the money.READ FULL REVIEW
This review is from: SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C204 Micro ATX Intel Xeon E3 Server Motherboard
Pros: SuperMicro tech support is great. No where have I ever experienced working with a manufacturer where you literally talk to the guy sitting on a work bench reproducing your problem and figuring things out for you.
Cons: Unfortunately, this board is NOT compatible with Server 2012 Hyper-V. This board has a fatal flaw with the network adapters. If you install the Intel drivers for the network cards with advanced networking services (so you can use teaming, vlans, etc.) and install Hyper-V the system will become unstable. Whenever accessing the network adapter properties of the Intel 82574L or trying to create a team, or other configuration the motherboard will instantly reboot. The problem has been submitted to SuperMicro, it has been reproduced, it has been escalated to Intel, it has been 3 months, there is still no solution.
In addition, at this time Intel has NO drivers for Server 2012 R2.
There is a thread in the Microsoft forums where we are tracking this issue and desperately waiting for a solution. If you intend to use this board with Server 2012 Hyper-V you MUST use the built-in windows drivers for the network adapters which do not have any advanced networking services.
Other Thoughts: There have been some other minor issues I have experienced with this board that were not show stoppers. It has trouble with detecting boot devices unless you change some really strange settings in the BIOS.READ FULL REVIEW


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The Cranberry Plan has been updated.
Want to know more and read about the Township's progress?
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On April 2, 2009, Cranberry Township's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a new comprehensive plan which was developed over a period of several years, extending to 2030.
The Cranberry Plan
, will guide the Township's policies and legislative agenda throughout that period. Developed with extensive input from local residents as well as Township staff and outside consultants, the plan is comprehensive, detailed and flexible.
During the next 25 years, conditions in the community will change, due to unexpected economic, social and technological changes. In some instances, these factors may prove to be dramatically different from present conditions. Close monitoring and regular public updates will ensure that this plan remains a useful guide.
Vision: Building a Better Connected Place
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9 responses to "Deena Cortese Black Bikini: Seaside Heights"
Nice ass!
She has a smoking hot body!!!! Deena you ready to make babies?? – says my cock…
I'm not a fan of this bunch of morons, but if I was sitting on a beach and she walked by looking like that, I'd have my eyes planted on her.
Her face isn't that great, and she is obnoxious, but to be honest, I love her body. I like a little extra on them like that, and I would be happy to take the flesh boat to tuna town with her.
Hulk smash!
Say what you want about her face or the way she acts on the show but, come on, lets be real. If anyone of her saw her in the mall we would take a long look at that ass and think about hitting it. I'm not going to front, her body works for me. Great 'regular woman' body. And she could be very nice for all I know. everybody can't be 87 pound Miley Cyrus. Some women actually eat food


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X1 not a part BMW's "diesel barrage"
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Private First Class
Drives: DZL
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Iowa City
iTrader: (
Originally Posted by
"Even at"? Back when I lived in inland Scandinavia, -20C to -30C (-4F to -22F) was the common January temperature range, and you could count on hitting -40 (either scale) at least once. That's real temperatures, none of that "feels like" windchill stuff the sissies over here reckon.
That's a No Go for diesel engines without an electric or gas powered engine block heater. So as you can imagine, there's a big market for 3rd party engine block heaters, and a fair amount of cussing over the many BMW models where you can't even fit one, and the best you can do is an oil pan heater (which won't help when the engine block sucks the heat right out of the pistons so the diesel won't ignite).
Your 335d must be an older model, because from what I can tell, you can't even fit one on the newer models.
For inland Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and non-border-hugging Canada, BMW diesels just aren't really the best option for winter use, and it's a shame that they've become
heavy winter friendly over the years, both with the lack of block heaters and winter wheel/tyre combinations with no sidewall, low rolling resistance and great wet grip, which is exactly the opposite of what you want for truly cold weather. I was surprised that I couldn't even get studded tires for the X1 from BMW anymore. But at least they sell a petrol version.
I think you didnt read my comments properly. I didnt talk about feels like temps or external heaters. BMW diesel cars come with electric block heaters and there is no NEED of 3rd PARTY heaters. This equips BMW diesels (offered in NA) hassle free starting in cold environments and makes it competent with BMW gassers. All my comparisons were based on 35i and 35d engines. I have no knowledge of other diesel engines but I am pretty sure they too have electric block heaters.
X1 is not offered with Diesel variant is because of marketing reasons. Let X1 enter FXX series and you should be seeing diesel variant (provided mindset of average north american changes).
Avg NA driver doesnt like diesel and it requires mind drift to accept diesel. I have met numerous people who have admired my car for its performance but as soon as they realize its diesel they wouldnt believe coz they see no black smoke and no starting issues. They have never realized how far technology has advanced in diesels specially BMW.
I was lurking in this pond to help my friend get X1 and saw this thread. It amazes me even most BMW enthusiast fail to understand how far diesel technology has come.
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Best Of :: Food & Drink
To have a cocktail by the ocean and watch boats sail by is truly one of life's sweetest pleasures, and the back patio at McKenna's On the Bay, a restaurant docked on the border between Seal Beach and Long Beach, is as good as it gets. Happy hour starts at 3 p.m., live bands perform nightly (everything from calypso music to rock covers), and the drink menu includes libations ranging from champagne to beer to top-shelf liquor. But it's the location that really makes McKenna's shine: nestled along the edge of the marina, across from multimillion-dollar homes and adjacent to the mouth of the harbor, opening up to the great blue beyond.
Seven small tables, one of them covered with cookies, pastries and other Filipino desserts in plastic boxes. Not a single white face in the place. All good signs you're going to be eating the real deal. Go to the counter and tell the woman behind the glass what you want. Served turo turo (cafeteria) style, she drops two huge scoops of rice on a plate and looks at you patiently while you try to decide. Two large barbecue pork skewers, generous with smoky, flavorful meat, not too fatty? Or kaldereta, a hearty, chunky beef stew with bell peppers, chile and other veggies? Beef mushroom overflowing with large sliced mushrooms and slices of beef reminiscent of boeuf bourguignon? The calamares is a little more of an acquired taste for a white palate, but the tender squid is cooked in its own delicious, salty ink.
If you'd like to get away from the standard artery-cloggers posing as fast breakers 'round town, the Blue Frog Bakery's Vegi-Burrito will stuff your gut without stopping your heart. The O'Brian potatoes, scrambled eggs, avocado, zucchini and tomatoes stuffed into a large tortilla is a two-fister topped off with a side of salsa perfection. If cholesterol isn't an issue, the breakfast machaca's shredded beef, eggs, bell peppers and onions or the insidiously addictive Egg Muffin Breakfast—scramblers, meat and cheese on an English Muffin—beats the hell out of any fast-foody junk you'd pick up elsewhere. The inside can get full quickly some mornings, so get in early and snake out one of the four small café tables under the Bakery's eave. Catch up on your reading, drink a latte and start your day with a full stomach (and mind). Inside tip: If you're into anime or all things nerdist, chat up friendly and funny counter girl Red. She's our favorite.
"This is my favorite bar that isn't a bar," says a regular inside Left Coast Brewery's tasting room as he sets down two empty growlers and sits at the bar. He picks up a pint glass with the brewery's logo on it and asks if it's the biggest glass they have. It is. You can taste whatever's chalked on the brew board in 5-, 10- or 16-ounce vessels. As the bartender fills the guy's glass with Left Coast Baltic Porter, there's a general discussion about how to pour a black and tan and which Left Coast selections would make one best. Everyone happily disagrees. The guy loves his porter so much he says he'd pour it over ice cream, which leads to a unanimous desire for a stout float. It's Saturday afternoon, and people flow in to get their growlers filled, and all of them stay to have a big glass of something barrel-aged (not available to-go) or dark or hoppy or even double-hoppy—Left Coast claims it's one of the pioneers of the double IPA. Its version is an award-winner called Hop Juice that lures you in with a sweet maltiness, then delivers a multihop wallop of fun bitterness, followed not too long after by the full-body effects of its 9.7 percent ABV.
Whichever individual 5-inch pies you choose at this Aussie newcomer, comfort food meets up-to-the-minute freshness and inventiveness. "Shortcut pastry shell with a puff-pastry lid" is how Pie-Not describes the perfect enclosures for the tender, juicy fillings. The Dog's Eye is the place to start, a ubiquitous meat pie Down Under; it's like having the best tomato-basil-mozzarella panini of your life at a Rome train station. The filling comes in many lively variations: two we liked are Shroomin, with crimini and field mushrooms, and the premium Drover, which has petite peas and carrots, topped with garlic mashed potatoes instead of the puff pastry.
The fresh peach pie is a mountain of sliced-fruit perfection altered only enough to be called pie.


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text: 22 photos $395,000 0.68 acres 100 Van Buren St, Keosauqua, IA 52565 - Van Buren County 0.68 acres Keosauqua, IA Own a piece of Van Buren County, Ia history. The fully operational Historic Hotel Manning is for sale is located in the Villages of Van Buren County, IA. It is a 38 room hotel/motel business with fully functional kitchen in Keosauqua, Iowa. The original building was built in 1899 and is a classic example of Steamboat Gothic architecture that has stood on the banks of the Des Moines River and welcomed guests continuously since. Just across the river is Lacey Keosauqua State park where you will find hiking trails, bird watching, freshwater fishing, whitetail deer & geese. Mossy Oak Properties Iowa Mossy Oak Properties Boley Real Estate


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Middle America believes in fair play, an equal opportunity to succeed or to fail.
fair play seems to resemble the life that Jansson lived with her partner, the Finnish artist Tuulikki Pietila.
So fair play to Kate for not taking any chances with the wellbeing of the future king or queen.
Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.
Lying under oath is poisonous to a society rooted in fair play and rule of law.
The fat publican subsided, seeing his little ripple of protest flattened out by the spirit of fair play.
fair play is wasted on you, so back you go to the Land of Nod.
There must always have been treachery, or vastly superior numbers, or some other circumstance destructive to fair play.
Our traveler interfered, to see that the squirrel had fair play.
But the men are alarmed, and begin to say that the captain has not got fair play.


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Sheriff's Office Is Under Investigation
2/21/2013 by
ERICA WALKER, member of Freestone Community 4-H Club, is shown sitting in State Representative Byron Cook's chair during "4-H Day at the Capitol." Erica had the opportunity to share her 4-H career with Byron and how much she likes 4-H. She was among 500 4-H youth and adults promoting 4-H on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at the Capitol in Austin, TX.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) is remaining tight-lipped concerning a criminal investigation they are conducting of the Freestone County Sheriff?s Office.
The investigation is believed to concern a training class the Sheriff?s Department conducted late last year at the Sheriff?s Training Center on Hwy. 84 East, but was not confirmed by TCLEOSE Executive Director Kim Vickers. ?We are in the process of an active and ongoing criminal investigation in Freestone County,? said Vickers. ?In order not to compromise the investigation, further information will not be released until the investigation is complete and we?re not far from reaching that point.? Vickers added that their findings would be released as soon as the investigation concludes.
According to newly elected Freestone County Sheriff Don Anderson, who served as Chief Deputy and Training Officer for the Sheriff?s Department since 2003, the department?s training has been suspended by TCLEOSE until their investigation is completed. Sheriff Anderson reported that the FCSO has fully cooperated with the investigation and that he takes full responsibility for any problem they may find since he is the training officer for the department.
Known as ?The Black Hats? in law enforcement circles, TCLEOSE is the state administrative agency for training and local TCLEOSE agents perform regular training record checks each year at the department to make sure that it?s being done correctly. Anderson said the training record checks are ?like an audit or inspection? that a business might encounter. Law enforcement officers are required to qualify in various areas at least once a year.
According to TCLEOSE Executive Director Vickers, his agency administers and enforces the Texas Administration Code and is the regulatory agency for law enforcement having to do with licensing, credentialing and investigations that in a broad sense polices the police.


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Rexite 'Hannibal' Tape Dispenser
Cute yet scary, this tape dispenser brings to mind elephants of an alien kind. Weighted for one-handed use, it comes with 5 yards of tape. By Rexite design of Italy.
Great office present or stocking stuffer. Need something nice for hubby!Tags: office, Christmas, Cool Hunting, desk accessory, gift under 30Added 8 Years Ago from Theafternoon
a fun way to get your mind off of work but still feel productiveTags: office supplies, walnut, Design Within Reach, glam, Cool Hunting, desk accessory, SheFinds, work tools, Wood Blocks Puzzle OctogonAdded 8 Years Ago from Design Within Reach
Roooaaar. Staple remover gone wild.


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The Basketball Wives drama is brewing off screen now that NBA player Chris Bosh is trying to block his baby's mama Allison Mathis from joining the cast. However, Shaunie O'Neil, who is the executive producer of the show, doesn't seem concerned.
When TMZ asked her thoughts about Bosh taking the show to court, she shrugged the whole matter off: "I don't know why, because that girl's not even on the show. Maybe people like wasting money on lawsuits, I don't know," she added.
Bosh filed a lawsuit on May 2nd in Los Angeles federal court and seeks damages and an injunction to block Mathis and Shed Media—the parent company of the VH1 hit--- from trade mark infringement by using his name and disclosing private facts about his life according to the Associate Press.
"Though the reality television show is titled, 'Basketball Wives,' the featured women in the show are not the current wives of NBA players," the lawsuit says. "Instead, the show follows the lives of women who are dating or who dated NBA basketball players or who were formerly married to NBA players." It says the show, "provides these women with a vehicle and worldwide platform" to use the names of players without permission for commercial gain.
(Photo: Gary Miller/Getty Images)