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Classical music does not exist in a vacuum. It is shaped by the age in which it is written, the politics of a composer's country and countless other societal factors.
This idea helped shape the Aspen Music Festival and School's (AMFS) theme for its eight-week 2013 season, "Conscience and Beauty," focused on the role of a composer in society and how composers reflect a social conscience. The season, running from June 27 to Aug. 18, will include more than 300 concerts and events.
AMFS president and CEO Alan Fletcher said the concept emerged as he and others at the festival discussed the 100th birthday of Benjamin Britten, whose work is a centerpiece of the summer lineup. In all, the lineup includes 25 Britten works, including the opera "Peter Grimes" in the Benedict Music Tent on July 27, which will employ projections, theatrical lighting and video.
When the legendary composer received the Aspen Award in Humanities in 1964, he took the opportunity to argue that music should be written for particular people in a particular time and place.
"Almost every piece I have ever written has been composed with a certain occasion in mind," Britten said at the Aspen ceremony. "And usually for definite performers, and certainly always human ones."
Work revolving around that theme and the interplay between society and musical composition will include performances of pieces by Shostakovich, Mahler, Debussy, Bernstein, Beethoven, Bartok and more.
"As a composer, it's the opposite of 'art for art's sake,'" said Fletcher. "And that's something we'll be looking at throughout the season."
The summer also will include helpings of orchestral performances of Berlioz, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Schumann, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and other audience favorites.
The festival opens with "Icarus and the Edge of Time" by Philip Glass, an ambitious multimedia composition tackling space travel, which premiered in New York in 2010.
"It's quite a fabulous multimedia piece," said Fletcher.
On Aug. 13, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Harris Hall, AMFS is staging a re-creation of the opening 1993 concert there, led by violinist Robert McDuffie.
The Aspen Opera Theater Center lineup of operas includes Leonard Bernstein's "Candide;" Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" and "Suor Angelica," and Monteverdi's "L'incoronazione di Poppea."
"As we planned the theme we said, 'What if it's all just very depressing?'" said Fletcher. "So we said, 'Let's do "Candide,'" which asks the question, 'How should we live?' and has a very happy, positive answer."
Along with Aspen favorites like pianists Wu Han and Conrad Tao, Fletcher noted two musicians making their local debuts at highly anticipated concerts that are drawing worldwide attention.
Joyce DiDonato, an American operatic mezzo-soprano, performs July 23.
"She is going to be one of the most important American singers in the next decade," said Fletcher.
Also making his Aspen debut is Daniil Trifonov, a 21-year-old Russian pianist who has won multiple international prizes, and plays with the Aspen Chamber Symphony in the Benedict Music Tent on Aug. 16.
"We think he is going to be one of the greatest pianists in the next generation and people should come out and see him now," said Fletcher.
Other highlights include: a collaboration with Jazz Aspen Snowmass, bringing Pink Martini to the tent on July 6; Gil Shaham returning to perform all of Bach's solo Sonatas and Partitas in one show on July 24; and a Wagner and Verdi bicentennial celebration featuring Grammy-winning bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Heidi Melton on Aug. 18.
The full schedule was released last week and is now online at www.aspenmusicfestival.com [1]
[1] http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com


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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Sensing technologies in mobile devices play a key role in reducing the gap between the physical and the digital world. The use of automatic identification capabilities can improve user participation in business processes where physical elements are involved (Smart Workflows). However, identifying all objects in the user surroundings does not automatically translate into meaningful services to the user. This work introduces Parkour, an architecture that allows the development of services that match the goals of each of the participants in a smart workflow. Parkour is based on a pluggable architecture that can be extended to provide support for new tasks and technologies. In order to facilitate the development of these plug-ins, tools that automate the development process are also provided. Several Parkour-based systems have been developed in order to validate the applicability of the proposal.
The capabilities of mobile devices for sensing real-world elements in their surroundings (ID-sensing) are becoming widespread. Some examples of these capabilities are the use of on-board cameras for decoding 2D barcodes or the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for reading RFID contactless tags. ID-sensing technologies alleviate the inherent I/O limitations of mobile devices by automating the linkage between physical and digital spaces.
When leveraging the ID-sensing capabilities of mobile devices, daily activities become more fluid for users. For example, users in a library can borrow a book just by taking a picture of its barcode with their mobile devices. Consequently, the information system of the library registers the loan and the alarm does not go off when the book is detected at the exit of the library. In this way, each user can avoid queues by managing his/her loans autonomously. By accessing the digital services associated with the book, users can also complement their reading with the opinions of others: users can post, rate and read comments about the book. Once the book is returned, the librarian can use an NFC-equipped mobile device to query where the book should be placed just by "touching" it with the device, and immediately the corresponding location is provided to the librarian.
This work is focused on providing support for Smart Workflows [
Based on the principles for Smart Workflow design introduced in [
The remainder of the paper is structured as follows. Section 2 presents the approach followed by Parkour for the support of smart workflows. Section 3 introduces the Parkour architecture. Section 4 provides some results from the use of Parkour in different case studies. Section 5 gives some insights about automation in the development of Parkour-based solutions. Related work is presented in Section 6. Finally, Section 7 presents conclusions and further work.
Most of the research in Ubiquitous Computing has been focused on supporting the informal and unstructured activities that are typical of much of our everyday lives [
When users participate in a workflow, they are under a constrained freedom. They can choose which tasks to perform, but they are limited in their decisions by the rules derived from the business process definition—e.g., a book can be returned by a member only if it has been borrowed. The freedom to choose a task can be due to the process definition (
When physical objects are involved in multiple workflows, a different set of actions can be associated to them in each workflow. For example, the same physical book can be involved in two workflows such as "lending process" and "cataloguing". In the lending process, the user is interested in borrowing the book. Conversely, in the cataloguing process the librarian is interested in locating the correct placement for a misplaced book. For each of the previous workflows, a given user needs different information and services about the same book.
Parkour is designed to offer at any time the functionality that users need for their participation in the smart workflow—that is, the information and actions about physical elements in the user surroundings that are relevant to the workflow. In order to achieve this, Parkour provides support to (1) general operation mechanisms that are useful for any smart workflow and (2) the possibility of customization in order to respond to the specific needs of a particular application. In the same way as Web browsers provide common concepts to the user regardless of the current web page being displayed—such as the back button or the add to bookmarks concept, Parkour provides some general operation modes and concepts regardless of the supported task in the smart workflow. Thus, users can become familiar with the use of the platform regardless of the task they are completing. In addition, given this common basis, the possibilities for customization remain high. The users—e.g., librarians, library members, maintenance technicians,
Two challenges are faced by Parkour for supporting the multiple user perspectives of smart workflows in a flexible manner. The solution that our platform provides is what distinguishes it from other already available ID-sensing solutions, as is detailed below.
Most of the available ID-sensing solutions for mobile devices such as QR Code readers are focused on supporting a single ID-sensing technology and they have no notion of current user activities. These clients normally provide access to information associated with a physical element—e.g., product price—regardless of the task in which the user is engaged.
In contrast to these solutions, our approach is capable of supporting multiple tasks and multiple ID-sensing technologies thanks to its pluggable nature. Plug-ins with a well-defined function-support for task—a technology or a data source—can extend the platform to specific requirements. For each task of the business process that a user is in charge of performing, the platform is extended with a plug-in that provides the adequate interaction mechanisms for completing this task. In addition, if a plug-in that supports a new ID-sensing technology is incorporated to the platform, any of the existing tasks in the platform can immediately take advantage of the new technology.
A common approach for augmenting physical elements with digital services is to include links to the digital services—e.g., URLs or e-mail addresses—in the tags that are attached to the physical elements. Since this information is embedded in the tag of the element, it is difficult to add, modify or customize services without altering this tag [
To confront this problem, our approach decouples the identification of elements from the services that are provided to each user. Tags are only used as identifiers for physical elements without including any reference to the services in which the element can participate. Parkour allows a physical element to be mapped with many digital services, and this mapping is dynamically filtered by Parkour in order to offer only the digital services that are relevant for the process state—
The following sections provide more detail on the Parkour platform and on how it supports user participation in smart workflows with regard to the extensibility of the platform and the flexibility in the physical-virtual linkage.
The architecture of Parkour has been defined following an architectural process introduced by Völter in [
First, the elaboration phase of the architecture defines the architecture by decoupling the technology-independent concepts from the actual technological solutions.
The iteration phase serves to consolidate the architecture by receiving feedback from its use. The Parkour-based systems developed in this phase are introduced in Section 4.
Finally, the use of the architecture can be improved by avoiding repetitive programming tasks with automation. In this way, software development for the architecture becomes more efficient. The tools provided for automating the development are introduced in Section 5.
The present section introduces the elaboration phase of the architecture. According to the architectural process followed, the elaboration of the architecture defines the architecture first at a conceptual level. This constitutes a technology-independent architecture. Then, usage guidelines for the defined concepts are established in a programming model. The technology mapping defines how artifacts from the programming model are mapped to a particular technology. A mock platform facilitates testing tasks for developers. Finally, the development of a vertical prototype helps to evaluate the architecture and provides feedback about non-functional requirements.
In this section, we present a technology-independent description of the architecture introduced in this paper. By using a description based on technology-neutral concepts, we obtain a sustainable software architecture—
For the definition of the architecture, we rely on the component concept since this is a well-understood concept that can be implemented in most of the implementation technologies available. Components are the basic software pieces that conform the system. Component functionality is described by means of interfaces, and the communication among components is performed asynchronously. We have opted for asynchronous communication since the business processes considered are usually long-running and involve human participation.
In the design of the architecture, it is assumed that external services are in control of the process flow. Services such as business process execution engines, calendar applications or personal task management software can require some task to be performed by the user. Our architecture is in charge of processing these demands and offers the appropriate mechanisms for the user to complete them making use of ID-sensing technologies.
The Parkour architecture is composed of a Task Manager, a Controller Component, and several Task Processors, Identification Components and Data Providers.
This component acts as a buffer where pieces of pending work are waiting to be completed. It receives messages from external services such as the information system of a library and waits for components to process them. The
The Task Manager handles messages of two kinds: pending tasks and notifications. Both kinds of messages provide information to the user, with the difference being that the pending tasks require some information to be provided as a response. This response message consists of (1) the confirmation that the task has been completed and, optionally, (2) additional information that is specific to the task. Conversely, notifications are announced to the user without requiring further interaction.
Task Manager has a central role in offering a flexible physical-virtual linkage since the information handled by this component—
These components are in charge of supporting the extensibility of the platform in terms of business functionality. A Task Processor is defined to handle a particular type of task—e.g., borrowing a book from the library as in the example. Task Processors provide the users with the required information, services and interaction mechanisms for completing the task. The interaction mechanisms provided are not limited to the classical display-driven user interfaces, since alternative user interfaces have proven to be successful for managing tasks with mobile devices [
These components are in charge of supporting the extensibility of the platform at the technological level. Identification Components provide mechanisms for accessing the physical environment and transferring identifiers between physical and digital spaces by means of some ID-sensing technology. These components provide facilities for capturing and generating identifiers with a specific technology. In the library example, two Identification Components are used for the capture of identifiers; one for accessing RFID tags, which is deployed in the librarian mobile device, and another for 2D Barcode recognition, which is deployed in the devices of the library members.
The Data Providers are in charge of transforming the identifiers provided by the Identification Components into information that is relevant for the user. The Data Providers are in charge of dynamically establishing the connection between the physical elements and their virtual counterparts. Thus, they are the basis for achieving a flexible physical-virtual linkage. Each Data Provider represents a possible projection of a physical element in the digital world. For example, a physical element such as a book can offer the access to the services provided by the library, the author who wrote it, or its publishers. Each of these perspectives is offered by a different Data Provider.
A Data Provider is in charge of (1) determining whether an identifier corresponds to an element of a certain kind, and (2) providing related information about this element. Digital services—e.g., EPC Information Services, product databases,
The controller is in charge of handling the extensibility of the platform by coordinating the above components. The Controller Component transfers the information among the different components in the architecture. The way in which information is transferred depends on the operation mode considered. Parkour supports two general operation modes: object-driven mode and task-driven mode.
In the object-driven mode, the physical context is sensed first and the related tasks are then proposed to the user. For example, a user touches a book with a device and the services associated with this book—such as borrowing it—are presented to the user. In this way, the user finds out what can be done in a given physical context. In the task-driven mode, the user explicitly indicates which task he/she is performing. The physical context is then accessed for completing this specific task. For example, the user decides to borrow a book and then he/she selects the book to be lent.
When developing a particular system that follows our architecture, some components are generic and can be reused, while others must be developed for the particular domain. In the current architecture, the Task Manager and the Controller Component are generic; therefore, they can be used in any domain. The rest of the components—Task Processors, Identification Components and Data Providers—are defined as plug-ins for the architecture that can be added to customize the platform to the specific domain needs.
The introduced components represent the building blocks that compose any system based on Parkour. The next section introduces usage guidelines for combining these components in the development of Parkour-based solutions.
Having defined this technology-independent architecture, we now define how this architecture can be used from the software developer's perspective. Since we have followed a pluggable model for the architecture, building a system consists in the assembling of the required plug-ins together. Thus, the construction of a Parkour-based solution consists in (1) determining the plug-ins to be developed—or reused if they are already available—and (2) defining how they are integrated in the platform.
In the current architecture, the Task Manager and the Controller Component are generic; therefore, they can be used in any domain. For determining the rest of the components, the analysis of the business process is required. The following aspects should be determined: the tasks that compose the business process, the ID-sensing technologies required for identifying the physical elements that are involved in the process, and the information of interest for these objects. Each of these aspects is supported by a different kind of plug-in in Parkour. A Task Processor is developed to support each of the tasks that require user intervention. Identification Components are developed for the support of ID-sensing technologies. Finally, Data Providers are defined for each information repository required.
Each Parkour plug-in includes some descriptive information that determines how it is integrated in the platform. The Controller Component uses this information to determine the behaviour of the system when multiple plug-ins coexist. This information is expressed by means of a set of attributes that are specific for each kind of component as described below.
Task Processors are normally activated by the Controller Component as a response to some existing pending task. However, it is also possible to activate them for starting new tasks. In this case, the presence of a pending task is not required for offering functionality of the Task Processor to the user. A Task Processor is considered an initiator if it can be activated at any moment for the creation of a new piece of work. In the library example, the return book task can only be accessed if the involved book is pending return. However, the book borrowing task is not performed in response to any pending work; it is performed by user initiative. Thus, the book borrowing Task Processor should be qualified as initiator.
In addition, Task Processors can provide a user interface or not provide one. When a Task Processor is qualified as silent, the actions required for carrying out a task are performed automatically without demanding interaction with the user. Silent Task Processors can access the physical environment in an unobtrusive manner without disturbing the user. Task Processors can also be qualified as requiring confirmation for their activation or not requiring it. In the case of requiring confirmation, the user is informed about the tasks that can be performed on a physical element and he/she explicitly accesses the desired functionality.
Identification Components are classified as capturers or minters according to their function. Capturers are in charge of transferring identifiers from the physical space to the digital one—e.g., a barcode reader. Conversely, Minters are in charge of transferring identifiers from the digital space to the physical one—e.g., a barcode printer. In this way, depending on the needs of the task—detecting or producing identifiers—only the relevant components are considered by the platform. In addition, Identification Components indicate the technologies that they support. When locating Identification Components, the search can be constrained to a specific technology for tasks where the identification mechanism to be used is already known.
Data Providers provide digital information associated with some physical elements that correspond to a given perspective. Data Providers indicate the namespace—
Having defined the technology-independent concepts that conform the architecture and the programming model that defines how to use this architecture, we now explain the technology mapping. The technology mapping defines how artifacts from the programming model are mapped to a particular technology. More detail about the target technology selected and how architectural concepts can be mapped to the technological solution is provided below.
Since we want to be able to deploy Pesto in a great variety of mobile devices, we have chosen the Java platform for its implementation. The requirements to be fulfilled in the development of Parkour were (1) to offer adequate user interaction in mobile devices, (2) to define a pluggable extension model, and (3) to integrate different data sources. More detail about the technologies used to cover these aspects is provided below:
For the definition of user interfaces that can be supported by a wide range of different devices such as mobile devices, desktop computers or TVs, we use JavaFX. JavaFX provides a declarative language for the definition of rich user interfaces based on a scene graph model that supports effects, arbitrary transforms, and animation. Facilities for the definition of triggers and data binding mechanisms make the user interface more responsive to changes in the data. Since it is a client-side technology, it provides an easy access to the local resources of the mobile device. Facilities for accessing remote services are also provided.
The Parkour extension model enables the customization of the platform to specific needs. We make use of the Java Plug-in Framework (JPF) to support the plug-in management. JPF provides a runtime engine that dynamically discovers and loads plug-ins. A plug-in is a software component—including Java classes and other resources—that describes itself by means of an XML file. Plug-ins can declare extension points for other plug-ins to extend them. JPF maintains a registry of available plug-ins and the functions they provide.
For data handling, Service Data Objects (SDO) are used. SDO provides a unified API for handling typed and untyped data, which makes it possible to hide the back-end data source, since it offers homogeneous access for XML, relational or file-based data sources, and others. In addition, SDO permits disconnected data access patterns with an optimistic concurrency control model. These properties are also adequate for the application domain being considered, since data portions from many sources can be combined and updated.
Having selected target technologies, we now define how the technology-independent concepts described in Section 3.1 are mapped to implementation assets.
This component is implemented in Java. It is a repository for pending tasks. Query capabilities are provided thanks to the XPath support that SDO offers. Pending tasks are formed by a header that includes some metadata—reception date, user group in charge of completing the task,
In this case, only tasks of the "Return book" type—which is identified by the "org.example.library.return_book" string—are considered. In addition, the payload information is used to filter the tasks in order to retrieve the tasks where a specific book is involved.
These components are implemented in JavaFX. Instructions for completing the task and mechanisms for user interaction are provided. The SDO API is used to compose the resulting message that is returned when the task is completed. To access the physical environment, the Controller Component can be queried for Identification Components that fulfill a given criterion. The queries can be adjusted to match the descriptive information provided with the Identification Component plug-ins—their minting or capturing function and the technologies supported.
In the implementation of these components, Java has been used to access the ID-sensing functionality, and JavaFX has been used to present their functionality and configuration options to the user. However, some technological bridges may be required for accessing ID-sensing technologies, depending on the drivers available for these technologies. For example, the functionality of a device that lacks Java libraries can be offered as Web Services that can be consumed by Java clients.
Data Providers are implemented in Java. In our current implementation, the pieces of information are represented by means of SDO DataObjects. In this way, data with different structures can be manipulated and queried in a homogeneous manner. The structure of the information is defined by means of XML Schema, which is imported at run-time by means of the SDO API.
The Controller Component is implemented by means of different Java and JavaFX classes. JavaFX is used to define the user interface parts that are generic for any Parkour application. Java is used for plug-in management by means of the JPF API. Extension points are declared in this component for extending the platform with new Task Processors, Identification Components and Data Providers.
As a result, a Java-based implementation for the Parkour platform is obtained. Furthermore, since the concepts defined for the architecture in Section 3.1 and the possibilities for combining them described in Section 3.2 are independent of the technology, the architecture can be easily translated to a different target technology if technological requirements change.
Having decided the technology for the architecture, we now define a mock platform for developers. With a mock platform, developers can run tests locally as early as possible. The choice of a plug-in infrastructure and SDO as target technologies offers good properties to be used as a mock platform.
A plug-in infrastructure allows components to be easily interchangeable as long as the replacing component provides the same interface as the replaced one. This allows for an easy definition of mock components for test purposes. A component with limited functionality can be used first, and then it can be replaced with a component with the complete functionality.
At the data level, SDO makes it possible to hide the back-end data source, since it offers homogeneous access for XML, relational or file-based data sources, and others. This allows a seamless migration from a mock platform for testing (e.g., based on static XML files) to a production environment (e.g, based on Web Services).
To validate this architecture, we have implemented an application for the resource management of the Department of Information Systems and Computation (DSIC) at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. This department plans to adopt ID-sensing to make the lending of different resources (such as laptops, multimedia devices,
In the development of the prototype, we followed the guidelines for infrastructure design and evaluation defined by Edwards [
For each task, a Task Processor was developed as a new plug-in. A user interface is defined for the lend resource task, while the return resource behaves silently and uses the notification mechanism to confirm that the selected resource has been successfully returned. The Task Processor corresponding to the resource creation task, which is in charge of labelling new resources and is qualified as an initiator since this maintenance task can be started at any moment.
Department resources were labeled with QR Codes for their identification. Two Identification Components were developed to support the prototype. One provides access to image capturing devices and wraps the ZXing library for decoding QR Codes. ZXing provides decoding capabilities for QR Codes and other barcode systems. We chose this library since it is open source and is available for different devices—supporting the standard and mobile editions of Java, the Android platform and iPhone. Another Identification Component was developed to cover the minter function. The Google Chart API was used for the production of tags. This API provides support for the generation of QR Code tags. In order to make the recognition as fluent as possible, we selected the "H" error correction level, which is the highest correction level defined by the QR Code standard—it allows the recognition of a code that is damaged up to a 30%.
The prototype was deployed in a Samsung Q1 Ultramobile PC, making use of its integrated camera for tag recognition. The department technicians who are in charge of the resource management evaluated the prototype. The two operation modes were used for the lending, returning and creating resources. Based on the prototype evaluation results, the technicians considered that the operation modes offered by Parkour—task-driven and object-driven—were natural for completing their tasks. They perceived an improvement in the business process efficiency in comparison with the web application they used for this task—which was accessed from a desktop computer. Although the prototype performance was affected by the resource limitations of the mobile device, the use of Parkour alleviated the technicians' burden of constantly correlating information between physical and digital spaces, making the process more fluent.
In order to validate the architecture concepts, better define the programming model and adjust the technology mapping, we have developed Parkour-based solutions to support different case studies. Some of these case studies were considered in a previous work [
The Smart Toolbox [
Each step in the MRO process—e.g., preparing the toolbox, performing maintenance and repair tasks,
The prototype was developed making use of the reacTIVision framework for the real-time detection of specially designed 2D barcodes using a video camera. The reacTIVision framework allows the detection of multiple tags at the same time. This permits the fast detection of several tools in a toolbox. However, the need for a direct line-of-sight required when dealing with 2D barcodes slightly limits the performance of the process. To cover this limitation, a new Identification Component plug-in was developed that supports RFID technology, making the process more fluid. This plug-in wraps the specific libraries of a Caen A828DKEU RFID reader. Thanks to the extensibility of the platform, the technological migration was achieved just by replacing the old plug-in with the new one.
This case study, which was introduced in [
For example, when something is broken, it is reported by a company member. Then, the infrastructure manager contacts the provider to get the required materials to fix the incidence. Finally, members of the technical staff are in charge of the repair. ID-sensing mechanisms are used for the tasks where requested materials and members participate. Since material reception and incidence repair can be separated in time, support is provided for locating the material and indicating where the repair should be performed. Each of these tasks is implemented by a different Task Processor plug-in.
Two Data Provider plug-ins were developed to achieve the required flexibility in the physical-virtual linkage. For each material, the infrastructure manager and the material provider are interested in different aspects. Thus, different Data Providers are developed to support each view. Since materials are tagged with RFID tags, the Identification Component already developed for the Smart Toolbox scenario was used for their identification. In this way, development effort is reduced by leveraging the extensibility of the platform.
Since much of the process correlation was previously performed manually, relying on human memory or e-mail mining for matching orders and materials, the use of ID-sensing improved the process performance. Technicians can access relevant information closer to where the process activities take place.
We also applied Parkour to support business processes in a library. This case study is used throughout the paper for illustration purposes. The extensibility of the platform enabled the creation of custom applications for the different business process participants just by combining plug-ins. The mobile client for the library members includes a Task Processor plug-in for each of the tasks they perform in the process—e.g., borrowing a book and comment on books—as well as an Identification Component plug-in to support QR Code-based identification. Librarians make use of the Identification Component that supports RFID technology for supporting a different set of tasks—e.g., notify return of books and place them to their shelf.
The book lending process is complemented by services enabling members to share book-related comments. While book lending concerns books at the item level, comments are not specific to the book itself but rather to its content. Thus, two different Data Provider plug-ins were defined to represent these views in order to offer flexibility in the physical-virtual linkage.
One of the main reasons for following the architectural process introduced in Section 3 is that it clearly separates system specification and technological solutions. When the description of the system is defined using a technology-independent specification, both the system description and the implementation details can be independently managed. For example, if the system must be evolved to a new technology, the technological mapping is updated, but the system description remains unchanged.
Furthermore, if the technology mapping is automated, developers can focus on specifying the system in an abstract manner, avoiding the accidental complexity that is introduced by technological details. Later, tools can be used to automatically obtain the corresponding software solution from the system specification. This development approach that follows the Model Driven Engineering [
This section introduces the tool support provided for automating the development with Parkour. Tools have been defined in order to (1) specify Parkour-based solutions making use of technology-independent concepts, and (2) automate the technology mapping. The overall strategy of the approach is shown in
We provide tools for supporting the definition of technology-independent descriptions (
In order to provide tool support for specifying Parkour models, the technology-independent architecture has been formalized using an Ecore metamodel. A metamodel captures the constructs that can be used to describe systems and the ways in which these constructs can be combined. For example, the Parkour metamodel determines that a Parkour-based system is composed by several Task Processors, each of them containing attributes such as name, initiator, silent,
We have defined the Parkour metamodel as the first step towards the automation of the development process. The use of EMF enables metamodels to be machine-processable. This allows other EMF-compliant tools to manipulate Parkour specifications with different purposes—check properties, define graphical editors for the specification,
The technology mapping introduced in Section 3.3 involves several repetitive tasks. For our target technology, the definition of each
To automate the technological mapping, we have defined rules that describe how one or more concepts in Parkour can be transformed into one or more concepts in the target technology. We have developed these mapping rules by means of the openArchitectureWare (oAW) toolset. We have defined mapping rules for the generation of the software artifacts that are required to support a Parkour-based system for the target technology selected in this work. In particular, from a Parkour specification, the complete plug-in descriptors and code skeletons for the required Java and JavaFX assets are generated. Developers must complete the generated skeletons with the application-specific functionality. Although a fully functional system is not obtained by the mapping rules, the produced assets are useful to guide the development. In this way, developers can focus on the business logic and avoid dealing with infrastructure aspects such as the particular format that JPF uses for plug-in descriptors.
The rest of the rule is a code template with static and dynamic parts. The static pats of code are transferred to the generated code directly. In the example template, the static parts represent aspects that are common to any Task Processor plug-in such as the plug-in header—see the plug-in descriptor from
The mapping rules defined in the present work provide support to generate code for our target technology based on the Java platform. However, the catalogue of mapping rules can be extended in order to translate the Parkour concepts into other mobile platforms.
Many of the clients supporting object hyperlinking are either generic or specific for a given task. On the one hand, the generic clients process tags in the same way according to different protocols that are indicated in the tag, e.g., accessing a given URL. This involves coupling the identification with the associated service [
Several research initiatives have had the goal of reducing the physical-virtual gap in business processes. However, much of the effort is focused on automating processes, and little attention has been paid to how to facilitate user participation. Wieland defines the Smart Workflows [
Workflow technologies have been also applied to integrate sensor information of different kinds. Business process engines have been effective when used as part of the infrastructure to process large volumes of Sensor Web data to feed geospatial services [
Another aspect of interest for this work is the use of mobile devices. Research in mobile business processes—
This work defines a platform for supporting user participation in smart workflows. We do not consider this as a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a solution that can be adapted to the specific needs of a business process. The extensibility of the platform and the flexibility of the physical-virtual linkage make it possible to offer users the functionality that they require according to their role in the process.
The architectural process followed in this work decouples the architectural concepts from the particular technological choices, improving the evolution capabilities of the resulting systems. The architecture has been used in several case studies and proven suitable for the automation of the development. In addition, a version for Android is currently under development, showing that the architectural concepts are translatable to different technologies. The integration of our platform with tools that are familiar to business analysts such as BPMN diagram editors would permit the development of Smart Workflows to be dealt with in a declarative manner. The development of tools and techniques for achieving this integration constitutes the final goal of this research.
The definition of mechanisms for discovering the plug-ins and the responsibility for doing so— the user themselves or a software system in their behalf—are aspects that fall out of the scope of the present work.
Architecture component overview.
Example of the role of identification components, data providers and task processors.
Plug-in descriptors.
Parkour-based prototype for the resource management in a department.
Set-up for the Smart Library scenario.
Automating the Development.
Example of mapping rule.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ok I've done that and it seems to be working thanks.
LAN is defined an ip under the interfaces tab, and OPT1 isnt which I
guess means they are bridged. Also both interfaces are assigning ips to
the computer with the same subnet and same ip range.
Do I have to define rules for both OPT1 and LAN under the rules section?
It's easy enough to do, but it seems unecessary as the interfaces are
Holger Bauer wrote:
> Simplest way is to bridge opt1 with lan. you have one subnet then
> without any firewall between the two ports. you also could do it with
> assigning each port it´s own ip and subnet, but then you would have to
> define rules. also some broadcasts won´t get from port a to port b and
> vice versa.
> I assume, that you only want to spare a hub/switch, so simply bridge
> the two interfaces if you don´t need any security between port a and
> port b. Don´t forget to use crossovercables to connect your pcs to the
> monowall, as the monowall is not a switch/hub.
> regards, Holger Bauer
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Pantheous [mailto:pantheous at hotmail dot com]
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 1. September 2004 12:14
> An: m0n0wall at lists dot m0n0 dot ch
> Betreff: [m0n0wall] 3 nics - a wan and two lans
> I have just added a third nic to my m0n0wall. I would like to have one
> nic accepting my inet connection, and the other two serving my two
> pcs. Obviously I would like both pcs on a LAN being able to share
> resources, and sharing the WAN connection. All three nics are showing
> up and being recognised.
> Do I need to bridge the Optional 1 interface (OPT1) with the LAN
> interface in order to get this to work, or assign the OPT1 interface
> its own ip, and create its own set of firewall rules?
> Thanks
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: m0n0wall dash unsubscribe at lists dot m0n0 dot ch
> For additional commands, e-mail: m0n0wall dash help at lists dot m0n0 dot ch
> ____________
> Virus checked by G DATA AntiVirusKit


text:
§16-18-24. Additional legislative findings.
It is hereby found and declared that (a) there exist in communities of this state slum, blighted, and deteriorated areas which constitute a serious and growing menace, injurious to the public health, safety, morals and welfare of the residents of the state, and the findings and declarations heretofore made in this article with respect to slum and blighted areas are hereby affirmed and restated, (b) certain slum, blighted, or deteriorated areas, or portions thereof, may require acquisition and clearance, as provided in this article, since the prevailing condition of decay may make impracticable the reclamation of the area by conservation or rehabilitation, but other areas or portions thereof may, through the means provided in this article, as amended, be susceptible of conservation or rehabilitation in such a manner that the conditions and evils hereinbefore enumerated may be eliminated, remedied or prevented, and that salvable slum and blighted areas can be conserved and rehabilitated through appropriate public action and the cooperation and voluntary action of the owners and tenants of property in such areas, and (c) all powers conferred by this article, as amended, are for public uses and purposes for which public money may be expended and such other powers exercised, and the necessity in the public interest for the provisions of this article, as amended, is hereby declared as a matter of legislative determination. A community, to the greatest extent it determines to be feasible in carrying out the provisions of this article, as amended, shall afford maximum opportunity, consistent with the sound needs of the community as a whole, to the rehabilitation or redevelopment of areas by private enterprise.


text:
UNPLUG: The Most Dangerous Game
image: Lisa S./Shutterstock
Is you house overloaded with electronic devices that are cutting into "family time?" Better yet, how many times have you stopped a conversation with your spouse or loved one to look at an alert or message on your phone? Do your children's face "glow" every night from being glued to a screen?
Last night, my girlfriend proclaimed that we are going to "unplug for a week" at our house. We're turning off the TV's, Kindles, iPads, XBox, even our cell phones... anything with a battery, cord or screen is going to into shut down mode to help our kids prepare for the "back to school" routine. I have to admit, when she said this I had HUGE doubts that this could be done. After all, there's probably a TV on somewhere in our house right now, even if there's only an animal in the room! (I'm kidding of course... kind of...)
I made the mistake of questioning my girlfriend after she made the initial announcement so my challenge of the "terms and conditions" of this event where not received very well. Actually, she went from being excited about the idea to scrapping it pretty quickly. It's not that I doubted HER, I had reservations that the kids would accept this. After all, her kids know how to push her buttons and I suspected that it would only take a day for them to break the rules.
The conversation ended about as quickly as it began but I have vowed to continue on. Mark the week on the calendar! Saturday, August 9th through Saturday, August 16th - I will play "the most dangerous game" by myself to make a point: we are not slaves to our technology. I'm not going to lie, it will be difficult for a person who is "The Web Guy" to turn off his phone, iPad and DVR at night to open a book or look to a person for entertainment and company. I believe it can be done.
As I type this, I consider the doubts that are rolling in my mind... seriously, how can I NOT check my email, Facebook or Twitter every night? My only solace in confronting this challenge is that this is the opportunity for the family to "connect" for a week.
Perhaps the best ideas come from the least likely sources.
I'll let you know. :-)


text:
The New School
Event Postponed - Vera List's Legacy: The Democracy of the Print
Due to Hurricane Sandy, the university is closed and all events have been postponed. We will announce another date for this event as soon as possible.
Championed as a medium for
reaching wide audiences, prints in the 20th century have drawn inspiration from
social commentary, popular culture, graphic design, and art history. Today as
print-making progresses with unrelenting force into the digital age, prints
remain a favorite opportunity for the enriching experience of living with
visual art—a mission at the heart of Vera List's vision as an arts patron and
Vera List (1908-2002), spirited
individualist and enlightened supporter of many of the most significant artists
of the late 20th century, was also a devoted philanthropist. It was the
generosity of Vera and her husband Albert that enabled the founding of the Vera
List Art Project at Lincoln Center in 1962, MIT's List Arts Center in 1982, and
the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School in 1992, among
In recognition of this
exceptional legacy and these institutional anniversaries, six internationally
renowned artists have joined forces with Lincoln Center, MIT and the Vera List
Center to create the Vera List Anniversary Print Portfolio. They are Dan
Graham, Paul Ramírez Jonas, Sarah Morris,
Matt Mullican, Fred Tomaselli, and Fred Wilson.
On October 30, Kathleen Goncharov, Curator of Exhibitions and Audience
Engagement, Boca
Raton Museum of Art, and former curator of The New School Art
Collection, Paul C. Ha, director of
the List Visual Arts Center, and artist Paul Ramírez Jonas examine the democratizing force
of prints through the lens of Vera List's legacy. The talk is moderated by Artspace.com
editor-in-chief Andrew M. Goldstein.
Organized and presented by MIT,
Lincoln Center, Artspace, and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, in
conjunction with the center's New School class Art & the Political.
VLC = 20 Years. Join us for a 20th
anniversary year, with free admissions to all VLC events. Stay tuned for more
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Auditorium, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, 66 Fifth Avenue
Free; no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served
Email Updates
Browse Events by School


text:
Swans lose Schneider and maybe Williams
Page Tools
Sydney's battle-weary side has suffered another blow with Adam Schneider ruled out of Saturday night's match against premiers Brisbane at the SCG.
Paul Williams, who is battling an Achilles tendon injury, is very doubtful for the match. Forward Schneider slightly strained his hamstring at training on Tuesday and was ruled out yesterday .
With the Lions having crushed their previous opponents, Adelaide, by 141 points, the Swans are facing a tough encounter.
Despite the new injury dramas and two recent losses, confidence levels have not dipped, according to Swans captain Stuart Maxfield.
"Certainly the morale amongst the group is still pretty high," Maxfield said yesterday.
"Obviously, we've lost the last two games but throughout both of those games you certainly couldn't question the commitment of the players. We are still feeling pretty good about ourselves.
"We've proved this year and certainly last year that we've got young guys that can come into the side and step up and play a role for us, and I expect that to happen again this week."
Swans coach Paul Roos indicated that Heath James might come into the side, as well as another "bigger bodied" player.
Both captain and coach agreed the players were looking forward to challenging the competition leaders.
"In the past, when we've had 22 guys playing up to their potential, absolute maximum, that's what we've got to rely on, and then it gives you a chance to beat an ultra-talented team," Roos said.
A high-possession style of football could be expected from the Swans if Brisbane played like they did in round one, he said.
That type of football got Sydney to within two points of victory over the Lions but did not please the Gabba crowd.
"If Brisbane flood like they did up there, we will play exactly the same way. Often you are dictated to by the opposition, the style of the game will depend on what [Brisbane coach] Leigh [Matthews] does a little bit," Roos said. "If he floods like they normally do, you are not going to bomb it into the extra numbers they've got back. You are going to work it around. There's every chance the tactics will be the same."
Maxfield expects an intense game and acknowledged the strength of the Lions' midfield - which includes Jason Akermanis, Michael Voss and Simon Black, all Brownlow medallists. He said it was crucial Sydney's midfield met the challenge.
"I think every game is won and lost in the midfield, and that's where, at times, we have dropped away, and other times that's where we have won the game," he said.
"So no doubt the midfield will be crucial. I think [when we've dropped away] it's more a mental thing. No doubt every side conditions its players to the same ability, everyone has the same fitness base, so at the end of the day it comes back to talent. And your mental application as well."
Roos said the Lions' midfield and the team's overall talent were the keys to their success.
"That's the reason why they've won three flags in a row," he said. "It's well documented, their three Brownlow medallists, and then there's [Nigel] Lappin and Power. Then you've got Shaun Hart who is a Norm Smith medallist.
"They are the most talented team in the competition by 10-15 per cent, you've just got to accept it. As a football follower, you love watching them play because they are a great team. As the opposition coach, it's not as much fun."


text:
Accurate P-47D Thunderbolt - The Hard Way
Back in 2003 before Tamiya had produced their wonderful 1/72 scale P-47D, the most accurate Jug in this scale at the time was Revell's P-47D Bubbletop. So being a fan of the P-47 and wanting to produce a more accurate Razorback version of the P-47 I started with the Academy P-47D and proceeded to modify it.
So what's wrong with the Academy P-47? Well the cockpit is a bit basic, the .50 calibre machine gun blast tubes are parallel with the wing, they should be parallel with the ground, and they are also too thick. Other problems with this kit are: the turbocharger outlet is far too narrow; the engine is a bit basic and the splitter plate beneath the engine is the wrong shape and sits too low; the wheel wells and doors are a bit basic; the intercooler outlet doors are simplified as are the oil cooler outlets doors and deflectors, the list goes on.
So having both the Academy Razorback and the Revell Bubbletop kit the logical step is to combine both kits using the most accurate parts from each. Now a sensible person would probably build the Revell kit, then cut of the spine from the Academy kit and attached this to the Bubbletop aircraft. Instead I decided to do it the long way and build the Academy kit using parts from the Revell kit as well as aftermarket parts to produce a more accurate P-47.
The first area to improve was the intercooler outlet doors, this was done simply by remove the kit detail and adding the ducting inside the fuselage from plastic card. The doors themselves were taken from the Revell kit.
The next thing to tackle was the narrow turbo-supercharger exhaust on the bottom of the fuselage. The Revell kit has a nice fat accurate exhaust so using a hot knife I carefully cut out the area around the exhaust and using a Dremel removed this area from the Academy kit. Once glued in placed and after a little filling and sanding this area was a great improvement.
The oil cooler outlet doors and the deflectors behind them are far too small on the kit, these were cut out and produced from plastic card instead. The cockpit was improved by using the Aires set for the Academy kit with a few little extra bits added.
The rather basic engine was replaced with a Pavla resin item which has the correct early type distributors and the ignition wiring all cast in place. The splitter plate that sits below the engine was replaced with the one from the Revell kit. Since the P-47D-10 I was building did not have the two lower cowling flaps either side reduced in width, thin plastic card was used to fill this area.
Next it was on to the wings, now Revell have a nice gear bays moulded in to the top half of their wings and the gun blast tubes, which are correctly done on the Revell kit, are moulded into the leading edge of the lower half. I wanted to use the Academy wing since this correctly matches the profile of the wing to fuselage fillet, but since the blast tubes were on the bottom of the Revell wing I decided to use the top of the Academy wing and the bottom of the Revell.
The gear bays were cut out of the Revell wing halves and the top sides were thinned as was the inside of the Academy wing till the gear bays fitted nicely. The panels on the leading edge of the wings, which sits around the gun blast tubes, were transplanted from the Revell wing to the Academy. Using a hot knife this area was cut out and the same area removed on the Academy wing. This is where I had to be careful to match up with the blast tubes in the lower wing section when the two wing halves are bought together, since this area has little cutouts which have to sit over the blast tubes.
Other improvements to the wing included adding the lower wing fences that are visible when the pylons are not fitted, producing wing tip nav light from clear sprue, shortening the gun bay panels by filling and rescribing the panel lines and removing the compressibility flaps from behind the gear bays and moving the landing light to this position. The shape of the wings from the two kits are a little different so a bit of trimming was needed here and there, but once completed the wing looked pretty good.
Once the wings were attached to the fuselage, it was about this time that the Tamiya P-47 appeared. So wondering why I was doing all this work I bought several of the Tamiya kits and put this project to one side. About a year and a half later I decided that since I'd already put in a lot of work it would be a waste if I didn't finish this project - and I have a lot of P-47 decals to get through!.
So the tail planes were added using resin items from Pavla, having separate elevators that can be posed in the nose down position, which is where the P-47's control column is held when the control surface lock is in place. The tail wheel bay was opened up slightly and the bay from the Revell kit was slotted in. The main wheels were replaced with items from True Details, which had their over bulging sanded off, the gear legs and doors were used from the Revell kit as was the tail wheel. Now the Tamiya kit was out I had another kit to rob bits from, so the aerial mast and the propeller came from this kit, as did the fuel tank which was modified from the paper type to the steel type.
At last it was time for paint. Humbrol Olive Drab 155 and Neutral Grey 126 were sprayed on with an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS, a thin roll of blu-tak being used to get a tight soft demarcation line between the two colours. Humbrol white 130 was used for the ID bands. The model was then weathered using chalk pastels.
After a few coats of Future the decals were applied. These are from Superscale sheets number 72-122, this aircraft being a P-47D-10-RE of the 63rd FS, 56th FG flown by Robert Landry and all so used by John Vogt. Having photos of the real aircraft the pirate nose art needed some attention, so it was out with the 0000 brush and I improved the look of the little fellow a bit.
The tail numbers on the Supercale sheet were too small so I used individual numbers carefully placed from the Aeromaster sheet instead. The final coat was Poly Scale satin with a touch of matt to get that waxed look, often used on 56th FG Thunderbolts.
Now at last this project is finished. I'm pleased with it, even though we now have the Tamiya kit which if built straight from the box is still more accurate in a lot of areas! But I did learn a lot of things on this project like if I want to build a 1/72 scale P-47 I'll only use the Tamiya kit in future!


text:
|EMMA COCKLEREASE was born ABT 1879 in IL. She married GEORGE ARCH ?ARCHIE? GRAY 29 MAY 1901, son of WILLIAM ALEXANDER GRAY and MAGDALENE ANN ATEN. He was born 28 MAR 1879 in BUTLER, MONTGOMERY, IL, and died BEF 1968.
Child of EMMA COCKLEREASE and GEORGE ARCH ?ARCHIE? GRAY is:
|Living GRAY (EMMA COCKLEREASE1). He married Living STEPHANSON.
Children of Living GRAY and Living STEPHANSON are:
RootsWeb.com, Inc. is NOT responsible for the content of the GEDCOMs uploaded through the WorldConnect Program. If you have a problem with a particular entry, please contact the submitter of said entry. You have full control over your GEDCOM. You can change or remove it at any time.


text:
Streaming Service Buys Canadian NFL Rights Bones Makes Debut As NBC Golf Analyst Boston Outlet Leaning On DK Pittsburgh Sports X Games Sees Lowest TV Audience Yet Summer League A Hit For ESPN, NBA TV Media Notes ESPN To Run Special On O.J. Parole Hearing Rockies Fans Unable To Watch Arenado's Career Game Media Notes Lance Armstrong Contributing To Outside Magazine
Upcoming Conferences and Events
SBD/March 22, 2013/Media
Peter King Signs New Contract With Sports Illustrated After Overtures From ESPN, NBC
Published March 22, 2013
PAY DAY: In N.Y., Keith Kelly reports King's deal "marks a big departure" for SI and Time Inc., "since the deal will involve not so much the SI brand but rather a single writer." The signing means SI "avoids getting another black eye as it did five and a half years ago when its reigning star, Rick Reilly, announced he was jumping to ESPN." That multi-platform deal "reportedly was worth" $17M over five years. The King deal was "seen as a key contract for Time Inc., given all the recent turmoil, and it was not an easy one to nail down." It is "estimated to value" between $1.2-1.5M annually. King is "expected to continue his commentary" on NBC's "SNF." Fichtenbaum, regarding the football-centric website, said, "It's still in the planning stages. Right now, we're just calling it Peter's site." He said that he "hopes to have it up and running by the time football training camps open in August." Meanwhile, Smith will be the new Dir of Photography "for the sports group." Janowitz will be SI.com Senior Editor, "focusing on sports and pop culture" (N.Y. POST, 3/22).
BOSTON BREAKER: BOSTON SPORTS MEDIA WATCH's Bruce Allen reported Bedard will "continue with the Globe through next month's NFL draft." Bedard "will be based in Boston, so we'll assume he'll still have a big focus on the Patriots." Bedard confirmed the news on his Twitter account, writing, "Yes it's true: I will be joining Sports Illustrated as a senior writer effective May 1. Love the Globe. This was just a terrific opportunity" (BOSTONSPORTSMEDIA.com, 3/20). In Boston, Chad Finn writes football more than any other sport is the "one in which self-starting reporters can build an advantage by becoming immersed in its nuances and complexities, then finding an accessible way to relate that depth of knowledge to an audience." Finn: "I don't know of anyone anywhere who has done that better than Greg Bedard since he became the Globe's national NFL columnist in October 2010." There is "no doubt he'll continue to provide original insight in his new gig" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/22).


text:
Spiked Jones
Whip up this tipple to treat yourself and your sweetie, or double the batch for a small group of lonely hearts.
- Servings: 2
Source: Blueprint, 2008
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole coffee beans
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (61% Valrhona), chopped
- 2 tablespoons Kahlua
- 1 teaspoon confectioner's sugar
- 1 tablespoon dark chocolate-covered coffee beans, chopped
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, 1/2 cup cream, and whole coffee beans. Bring to a simmer, turn off heat, cover, and steep beans for 1 hour. Strain liquid and return to saucepan; discard beans. Bring the milk-and-cream mixture back to a simmer, add chocolate, and whisk until incorporated. Remove from heat; whisk in Kahlua. Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream and the confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Divide the hot chocolate between 2 cups and garnish each portion with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans.
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text:
Did You Feel Prepared for Missouri's Severe Weather? [POLL]
Severe thunderstorms, 60 mph winds and hail the size of ping pong balls battered Mid-Missouri on Monday (May 20). The nasty weather included a small tornado in Pettis County and Tornado Warnings for Sedalia, LaMonte, Smithton and Green Ridge. Some lost power and others sustained damage to their homes and vehicles. Those that were prepared for the weather rode the storm out and may have been a little more at ease than those who were not prepared for the severe weather.


text:
... Can be found in Spiderman 3.
1. Never trust your best friend with your girlfriend.
2. A man has to be understanding... and put his wife before himself.
3. Forgive your enemies and they will turn to sand and float away.
4. Toby McGuire is a bad spiderman.
5. "What ever comes our way, what ever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. It's the choices that makes us who we are and we can always choose to do what's right."
(Which makes me question, who should replace Toby as Spiderman... Collin Firth? Pierce Brosnin? Michael Bolton?)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Everything You Need to Learn...
Posted by rabidrunner at 10:40 PM
Labels: thots of randomness
3 comments:
- meg said...
We voted on it in Casa Peterson.
Michael Bolton for sure.
- July 26, 2009 at 1:22 AM
- megan said...
deep thoughts...seriously deep.
- July 26, 2009 at 3:25 PM
- The MacMizzles said...
I think spider man should be a real spider, that they cartoonify.
- July 27, 2009 at 9:54 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Published Saturday, September 4, 2004
PARIS, 4 Sept. (IPS) As international pressures increases on the Islamic Republic of Iran concerning its controversial nuclear projects, several Iranian opposition personalities and groups urged the Iranian clerical-led authorities to stop at once all suspicious atomic activities.
On Friday 3 September, the European Union foreign affairs ministers said from Valkenburg, in Holland, that Iran's nuclear program has cast a shadow over its relations with Europe.
"We want to send out a very strong signal that we mean business", said Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, whose country holds the EU presidency. "We cannot accept ... the development of weapons grade uranium by Iran", he added, referring to a U.N. report this week showing that Iran plans to process tons of raw uranium.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's former envoy to the IAEA said Iran's uranium conversion facility in Isfahan has a capacity of converting more than 300 tons of uranium ore into hexafluoride gas annually.
This has strengthened suspicions in the international community that Iran is involved in activities that could be used to make nuclear warheads.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report this week that Iran plans to process more than 40 tons of uranium into uranium hexafluoride gas. Experts said the amount was enough for four or five warheads.
On Thursday, Iran acknowledged it plans to process tons of raw uranium, but said the IAEA was informed long ago. Iran maintains its nuclear program is geared only toward producing electricity, not a nuclear bomb.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's former envoy to the IAEA said Iran's uranium conversion facility in Isfahan, in central Iran, has a capacity of converting more than 300 tons of uranium ore into hexafluoride gas annually.
"The agency knew the capacity of the facility before it was built. The facility is under IAEA safeguards", the AP quoted Mr. Salehi as having said, adding that the capacity of Iran's uranium enrichment plant in Natanz was 30 tons per year.
The facility in Natanz uses centrifuges to enrich uranium hexafluoride gas and turn it into pellets that are then used as fuel in nuclear reactors.
The Isfahan facility was inaugurated in March, but last year Iran suspended uranium enrichment in Natanz as a confidence-building gesture toward the international community.
Washington, Tel Aviv and some European countries fears that Iran's present atomic project for the construction of electricity plants are a lure to produce nuclear weapons aimed at destroying the Jewish States.
In a statement, the Union of Iranian Republicans (UIR) called Saturday on the authorities to respect its engagements with the IAEA, stay with the NPT and ratify the Additional Protocols.
At their recent meeting in the black Sea resort of Sochi, leaders of France, Germany and Russia stressed on their efforts and cooperation in stopping the Islamic Republic joining the Atomic Club by acquiring nuclear bomb.
Tehran vehemently denies all these allegations and insists that all its atomic projects are for purely civilian uses.
However, recent declarations by some high-ranking military officers and the test firing of the latest version of the Shahab-3 ballistic missile that can reach Israel have alarmed the international community the ruling ayatollah's real intentions.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he was "perplexed and saddened that the Iranian government" was sticking to its nuclear ambitions.
In a compromise deal with France, Germany and United Kingdom last October, Iran accepted to sign the Additional Protocol to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and suspend enriching uranium.
In a statement, the Union of Iranian Republicans (UIR) called Saturday on the authorities to respect its engagements with the IAEA, stay with the NPT and ratify the Additional Protocols.
"Our national interests make it necessary for Iran to convince the international community about its nuclear programs. We must remain within the NPT, continue suspending enriching uranium and build more centrifuges", the UIR added in the statement published by the Germany-based Iran-Emrooz website. (www.iran-emrooz.de).
"We must present the world a crystal-clear picture of all our nuclear activities, in order to build confidence, we must continue not enriching uranium and put in use more centrifuges, we must at the same time respect all our engagements concerning atomic programs", the organisation that fight for a secular and democratic Iran, said.
The UIR also expressed concern over present international atmosphere, the escalation of verbal threat between Tehran and Tel Aviv, the failure of all the last meetings between Iranian en European officials and above all, hawkish statements by Iranian militaries and clerical circles and calls in the Majles for rejecting the Additional Protocols to the NPT.
The Europeans know that if Iran masters the technology for enrichment it has a potential (military) nuclear capability and that will change the (political) equation in the region", Hoseyn Mousavian, the Head of the International Department at the Supreme Council for National Security told the State-run Television, assuring that Iran was prepared to guarantee that enrichment would not be used for military purposes.
"We are prepared to build trust and provide a guarantee that our enrichment activities will always be peaceful", he said without elaborating further.
Not only Iran does not need a nuclear weapon, but also the nuclearisation of Iran would certainly trigger a race for such arms in the whole of the Middle East
But for the Iranian Republicans, no trust could be build seriously without prior normalisation with the United States, the superpower that has placed the Islamic Republic in its "axis of evil" and is applying formidable pressures on the regime to abandon its ambitions to become a nuclear military power.
In an article published in the London-based Nimrooz weekly newspaper, Mr. Dariush Homayoun, a veteran Iranian political analyst notes that the idea largely shared by many Iranians that we need to become nuclear as a deterrent force is wrong.
"Not only Iran does not need a nuclear weapon, but also the nuclearisation of Iran would certainly trigger a race for such arms in the whole of the Middle East", he added.
However, and despite increased pressures by Washington over the Vienna-based international nuclear watchdog to transfer the case of Iran to the United Nations Security Council for sanctions against Tehran in the one hand and growing dissatisfaction of Europe's Big 3 with Iran, experts and diplomats said they doubt the IAEA, in its forthcoming meeting scheduled for 13 September, would oblige. ENDS IRAN NUCLEAR 4904
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text:
Posted by Cathy
I met Attorney Gresham Bullock 35+ years ago, she has been my boss, my attorney and she has become a great friend. I have shared a lot with her, regarding my personal life and also in business situtions. She is one of the most trustworthy person that I know, and I will continue to recommend her to all of my family and friends. If you are looking for someone who would be honors with you, she is the one! I wish you the best!


text:
Suite 1100
Washington, District Of Columbia 20005
United States
|Areas of Practice
|1) Intellectual Property
|Law School
|University of Virginia School of Law
|Most recent firm
|Fish & Richardson P. C.
|Relevant Jobs
Patent Search Analyst
Position Overview: Entry level; On the Job Training Provided Job Description: Patent Search Analysts specialize in conducting patent searches for clients. They utilize their technical backgrou...
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Patent Search Analyst - Mechanical
Patent Search Analysts specialize in conducting patent searches for clients. They utilize their technical background and experiences to understand each invention or patent disclosure; and apply critic...
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Intellectual Property Corporate Counsel
USA-TX-The Woodlands
Intellectual Property Corporate Counsel The candidate will work closely with scientists and engineers to obtain appropriate intellectual property protection by managing and developing domestic and f...
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|+ View more jobs
Coleen M. Meehan is a partner and trial lawyer in Morgan Lewis's Litigation Practice, resident in the Philadelphia office.
David W. Marston, Jr. is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Intellectual Property and Litigation practices and is a member of the firm's Class Action Working Group. He handles all aspects of litigation from inception through trial and post-trial appeals.


text:
|DEP Home
|About DEP
|Site Map
Mission & Goal of the Watershed Monitoring Program
Mission Statement
The mission of the Integrated Water Resource Monitoring Network is to establish and maintain an integrated network in order to monitor Florida's surface and ground water, using water quality measurements, aquatic biology, sediments and other pertinent aquatic media in an efficient, systematic and scientifically defensible manner.
The goal of the IWRM Network is to provide scientifically defensible, statewide data and information on the important chemical, physical, and pertinent biological characteristics of water for the major surface water bodies, the major aquifer systems, and the coastal waters of the state. Data on sediments will also be analyzed from certain surface water resources. The information generated by the integrated network is to be the basis for reporting and advising relevant Departmental and other governmental agencies on the status and trends of Florida's water quality.
For more information on the original IWRM program, go to the "Integrated Water Resource Monitoring Efforts and the Design Plan of the Status Network" document.
Last updated: September 21, 2011
2600 Blair Stone Road M.S. 3500
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
850-245-8336 (phone) / 850-245-8356 (fax)


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Dimon, the CEO of Morgan Chase, should not be on the full board. Full stop.
Here's why:
• The board of the New York Fed picked the current president of the New York Fed. The president of the New York Fed is perhaps the most important regulator of banks like Morgan Chase.
That is a conflict, pure and simple.
• Dimon sits on committees that oversee the performance of senior members of the New York Fed. That is a conflict, pure and simple.
• Dimon is lobbying to relax rules that the New York Fed will adopt, implement and impose on banks like his own. That is a conflict, pure and simple.
• JPMorgan Chase has received special loans from the Fed, such as when it acquired Bear Stearns. That is a conflict, pure and simple.
• Dimon's bank is under regulatory examination by the New York Fed. That is a conflict, pure and simple...
Bollinger says that the law requires that there be bank representatives on the board.
Two responses: first — the law should be changed. Second, the law doesn't require that the bankers be the CEOs of major entities then the subject of regulatory examination by the Fed.
Other bankers — academics or retired — are available. They would not have the conflicts that Jamie Dimon brings with him.
Jamie Dimon on the New York Fed board is a 'conflict, pure and simple,' says Eliot Spitzer - Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer // Current TV
Current Status: Blessed (1)
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Be aware of racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism, and other issues of privilege and oppression.
"Mainstream feminism is riddled with classism, racism, and sexual orientation discrimination," she wrote.
But I do think that system of justice has been corrupted by racism and classism.
Not a bad run for a subtle commentary on South Korean classism.
You starred on Entourage, but also seem to be cognizant of classism.
The rule of law, you see, buckles, bends and sometimes crumbles under the weight of racism, sexism, and classism.


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Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has lately found himself fielding questions from colleagues and others about his health and changes to his appearance.
His face has grown bloated and puffy, and he's gained a significant amount of weight.
In a bid to quell concerns, he's going public in a deeply personal interview with The Globe and Mail, explaining that he has a rare skin disease that requires strong steroid treatment.
Mr. Flaherty said he is reluctant to speak about his health, but is taking this step to assure Canadians that neither the disorder, bullous pemphigoid, nor the medication is undermining his ability to do his job as federal treasurer.
"Of late, I've been getting too many questions about my appearance and the weight gain," he told The Globe and Mail.
The 63-year-old Whitby-Oshawa MP spoke in his Parliament Hill office on Wednesday, and was clearly uncomfortable divulging a private matter.
"Most people are quite cautious about what they say, but a few people have said to me, 'Do you have cancer? … What's going on? Are you going to die?' That kind of thing," he said.
"And, obviously, I am not. I mean, I will die eventually, but not over a dermatological issue."
Pemphigoid is a rare blistering skin disorder that can produce lesions on parts of the body. The Finance Minister is being treated with prednisone, a strong steroid.
Mr. Flaherty said he informed Prime Minister Stephen Harper of his condition and treatment late last year before Christmas.
"I won't talk about the nature of my conversations with the Prime Minister privately, but I spoke to him about my health and the change in my appearance and [said] that this was a passing thing and it did not affect my ability to do my job. Because his concern is always the capacity to perform," Mr. Flaherty said.
Mr. Flaherty's changing appearance has been the subject of speculation on Parliament Hill for months. He has at times seemed flustered at news conferences and in Question Period, which is out of character for the career politician, who usually speaks clearly and confidently.
He said the prednisone has led to side effects that include facial swelling, bloating, puffiness, difficulty sleeping and significant weight gain. He described himself as a "classic case" in this regard.
"I've had a couple of stakeholders say, 'You've put on a lot of weight; you should get more exercise,'" he recalled. "I don't talk to them about this."
Pemphigoid is a rare autoimmune disease. According to William Zrnchik, the CEO of the International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation in Sacramento, Calif., many of the people who live with the disease say its flare-ups can be connected to stress.
Until now, those close to Mr. Flaherty have simply said the minister was tired due to his heavy travel schedule. The minister has travelled abroad frequently in recent years. He has played a senior role in international meetings of the G20, a body that took on greater prominence after the recession of 2008-09.
"I would like those people who have been concerned about my health to be reassured that it is a skin problem that is getting better and will pass with some more time, and that my ability to do my job is not affected by this condition," Mr. Flaherty said.
He said he developed the condition in January, 2012, and that it took nine months for doctors to correctly diagnose it and start proper treatment.
"I can't do a cause and effect, but I had knee surgery a little over a year ago, and then after that I developed a dermatological condition," the Finance Minister said.
Early drug treatment proved ineffective, but by September, 2012, Mr. Flaherty said, his doctor settled on the stronger medicine he's using now.
It's been "relatively effective, not perfectly effective," he said.
While not commenting on Mr. Flaherty directly, Jan Dutz – a physician with the University of British Columbia's Department of Dermatology and Skin Science – told The Globe and Mail that the side effects Mr. Flaherty reports are common with that medication.
The Finance Minister acknowledged he's also being asked about a Jan. 25 interview in Davos, Switzerland, on Bloomberg TV in which he appeared red faced, sleepy and spoke in a distorted voice.
He said he was still exhausted after an overnight flight to the World Economic Forum two nights earlier, and the impact of the medication, which leaves him less well rested. "One sleeps, but it's not as refreshing as it otherwise would be," the minister said.
His staff later added that Mr. Flaherty also had flu.
Mr. Flaherty's schedule the day before the Bloomberg interview included a full day of meetings immediately after a red-eye flight from Canada. He had a glass of wine at dinner with his wife, and then a beer while meeting with the Irish Prime Minister and Finance Minister afterward.
He chalked up his thick-tongued voice in the TV interview to a "side effect of the meds." Other side effects of prednisone include dry mouth and mouth sores.
Asked to describe his drinking habits, Mr. Flaherty said he limits himself to one or two on doctor's orders.
"I drink socially. Since I've been on my medication, I drink less, because I have to listen to what my doctor tells me when he says it's okay to have a glass or wine or two – or a beer or two – but that's it."
The minister said he's not making plans to retire just yet. He wants to stay on until the federal budget is balanced again. The Conservatives are vowing to have Ottawa's books back in the black by 2015.
"I am a pretty tough guy. I'm an old hockey player," Mr. Flaherty said.
"This will pass and it's much better now than it was before, so I have more confidence now that this will pass," the Finance Minister said.
"I don't have any problem doing my budget work, which I have been doing, including all the month of January. I would still like to stay until the budget is balanced."
He said he would like to see the restraint plan sketched out in the 2009 budget bear fruit.
"And I would like to see it through. That's maybe just my personality, but I would like to see the Alpha and the Omega."
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text:
Preview: Bring Your Own Configuration Management from RightScale
Configuration management software can help automate the creation of cloud servers and manage their configuration details, saving organizations time when launching new clouds and administering existing ones. As cloud configuration management solutions have matured and their adoption has increased, we have been evolving the RightScale platform to make it easier for our customers to use third-party...Read more
Service as Software
I had a chat this morning with Doc Searls , who mentioned "Service as a Software," obviously as a reversal of the common "Software as a Service." A little Googling reveals that Netsuite has used the Service as Software term for a while now, but I had not heard it before. Obviously RightScale is a Software as a Service business; we sell the RightScale software in the form of a monthly subscription...Read more


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Oct. 16, 2013
LARAMIE, Wyo. -
Match Notes | Live Video | Fresno State Live Stats | San Jose State Live Stats
The University of Wyoming women's soccer team continues its four-game home stretch this weekend as Fresno State and San Jose State visit the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex. Kickoff against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, as Sunday's contest with the Spartans will begin at 1 p.m.
Wyoming (6-8-1, 3-2 Mountain West) is coming off its best two-game stretch of the season, rallying from second-half deficits to defeat New Mexico and San Diego State last weekend. The victory over the Aztecs snapped SDSU's 14-match conference win streak.
Against the Lobos, senior forward Lucie McDowell scored the game winner for UW with less than a minute left in double overtime to give Wyoming the victory. Junior midfielder Sheree Small recorded her first goal of the season with six seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Junior defender Kasey Curtis recorded her second goal of the season in the 50th minute, as junior Sara Paul had two assists during the game. McDowell also recorded one assist, while junior goalkeeper Alex Boehm tied a career high with seven saves against the Lobos.
Against San Diego State, junior Loren Mahoney scored her first two goals of the season, both from free kicks. She garnered her first MW Player of the Week award due to her play over the weekend. San Diego State had come to Laramie averaging 18 shots per game and the Cowgirls limited them to 10 during the match. Boehm had five saves against the Aztecs, three of which came in the second half.
McDowell has 34 shots, seven goals and 16 points this season. Sophomore Mollee Ramsay and juniors Boehm, Curtis and Alison Clarke have started every game for Wyoming. Ramsay and Paul each have recorded three goals in 2013. Paul not only leads the team in assists but also leads the MW with seven. Boehm has played every minute and recorded 61 saves as goalkeeper, which is the fourth-best mark in the MW.
Last year, the Cowgirls recorded 30 goals, a single-season record. With five regular-season games remaining, Wyoming has 25 scores, which leads the MW. UW also leads the MW in points with 65 and sits third with 15 assists.
Fresno State (7-7-1, 4-2 MW) is on a four-game winning streak, the longest for the Bulldogs since 2010. In their most recent action, they defeated Boise State 2-1 last Sunday after defeating Utah State 1-0 in overtime. Senior midfielder Morgan Castain leads the Bulldogs and is tied for the conference lead with nine goals, while junior goalkeeper Katie DeVault has started every game for Fresno State and leads the MW with 69 saves.
San Jose State (2-12. 1-5 MW) dropped a pair of matches last weekend by falling to Boise State 3-0 and Utah State 2-0. Sophomore forward Lupita Estrada leads the Spartans with four goals and nine points, as sophomore keeper Zoe Makrigiannis has recorded 32 saves protecting the goal.
Wyoming will be looking for its first win against both teams this weekend. The Cowgirls are 0-2 all-time against the Bulldogs and 0-3 against the Spartans. The last meeting between UW and Fresno State was Oct. 6 of last season where the Bulldogs took a 2-0 victory. The Cowgirls traveled to San Jose for the last meeting with the Spartans in 1997, but SJSU came away with the 6-1 victory.


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The report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which found that the cost of employer-provided family plans increased by 9 percent to an average of $15,073 in 2011, put the White House on defense a day after it became more likely that the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the law before the 2012 election.
It showed healthcare costs are rising much faster than U.S. wages and salaries or the rate of inflation. The steep costs could put an extra pinch on households struggling through an extended housing crisis and high unemployment.
Republicans were quick to point out that President Obama during his presidential campaign made the ill-conceived promise that health reform would lower premiums by $2,500.
"As this survey shows, the president's promise that his partisan health law would lower costs was just empty rhetoric," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the top Republican on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement. "The fact is employers aren't hiring, in large part, because they have to spend more and more money on health insurance."


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[ 2 syll. al-ly, all-y ] The baby girl name Ally is pronounced AEL-iy- †. Ally is of Old Greek, Arabic, and Germanic origin. It is used mainly in English.
Ally is a familiar form of Alexandra.
Ally is also a variant form of the English, Spanish, and Arabic Ali.
Ally is also a variant form of Alice in the English language.
Ally is also a familiar form of the English, French, and Scottish Alison in the English language.
Ally is also a spelling variant of the English Allie.
See also the related category arabic.
Ally is somewhat popular as a baby girl name. The name grew in popularity during the 1990s; prior to that, it was of only very modest use. At the height of its usage in 1998, 0.033% of baby girls were named Ally. It was #416 in rank then. The baby name has seen a decline in frequency since then. In 2015, it ranked at #869 with a usage of 0.016%. Within the family of girl names directly related to Ally, Alice was the most popular. It was 11 times more regularly used than Ally in 2015.
Baby names that sound like Ally include Alley, Alli, Allie, Aello, Aelo, Ahlai, Aila, Aili, Ailsa, Ala, Alah, Ale, Alei, Ali, Alie, Alla, Allei, Aloe, Alya, and Awel.
† Pronunciation for Ally: AE as in "at (AE.T)" ; L as in "lay (L.EY)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)"
A famous person named Ally is TV Personality Ally Hilfiger, born 26 February 1985, New York, New York.


text:
Latest question:
How do you think the new GigE standards will influence the machine vision industry?
Respond or ask your question now!
STS is the market leader in deep silicon etching for the growing MEMS market, offering patent-protected technology. In addition, STS has a strong presence in each of its other served markets and distributes its process solutions worldwide through an experienced sales and service operation. The Group currently markets in over 30 countries and has an installed base of over 850 systems. For more information about STS please seehttp://www.stsystems.com .
About DALSA Corporation
DALSA is an international high performance semiconductor and electronics company that designs, develops, manufactures, and markets digital imaging products and solutions, in addition to providing semiconductor products and services. DALSA's core competencies are in specialized integrated circuit and electronics technology, software, and highly engineered semiconductor wafer processing. Products and services include image sensor components; electronic digital cameras; vision processors; image processing software; and semiconductor wafer foundry services for use in MEMS, high-voltage semiconductors, image sensors and mixed-signal CMOS chips. DALSA is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "DSA." The Company has itscorporate offices in Waterloo, ON and approximately 1000 employees world-wide.
SOURCE Surface Technology Systems plc
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Federal officials have cleared a second clinical trial of a human embryonic stem-cell treatment, a company announced Monday, for a progressive blindness syndrome affecting young people.
Twelve patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy, which causes vision loss in children after the age of ten, will be enrolled in the combined Phase I/II (safety and effectiveness) clinical trial, announced Advanced Cell Technology of Marlborough, Mass. The syndrome destroys retinal cells, and the new treatment will inject new ones derived from stem cells into the eyes of the patients.
"There is currently no treatment for Stargardt's disease," said ACT's Robert Lanza, in a statement. "Using stem cells, we can generate a virtually unlimited supply of healthy (retinal) cells, which are the first cells to die off in (Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy) and other forms of macular degeneration."
The Food and Drug Administration go-ahead removes a stay on the experiment, which will be conducted at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Ore., University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, and UMDNJ -- New Jersey Medical School in Newark. The firm hopes to gain approval for similar trials to treat macular degeneration, which affects the vision of perhaps 10% of the elderly nationwide.
By Dan Vergano
Visit Science Fair for your daily dose of scientific news, from dinosaurs to distant galaxies. Science Fair is written by science reporters Dan Vergano and Elizabeth Weise and weather reporter Doyle Rice. Their subjects are often controversial -- and always fascinating -- be they stem-cell research, slime mold, or underground slush on Mars. More about the team


text: THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE "Turrets Of A Forgotten Castle" by EARSPLIT published on 2014-07-30T22:29:07Z Formed in 2007 by Roger "Rogga" Johansson, Swedish death division THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE has since released three albums. Their self-titled debut album was disbursed on their year of formation via No Colours, their 2008 follow-up, Tank Gasmask Ammo, released via Pulverised, and after disbanding in 2010, the band reformed two years later, TWBTT released Lullabies For The Deranged via Metal Inquisition in 2012. Having inked a new deal with Poland's blast metal specialists, Selfmadegod Records, THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE strikes out with their fourth full-length album, Piling Up. The band is currently comprised of founder Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, Putrevore, Revolting, Down Among The Dead Men, Megascavenger, Bone Gnawer) on guitars, bass and vocals, and Dennis Blomberg (Down Among The Dead Men, Paganizer) providing guitars and bass. The material, recorded at The Rotpit and Studio Roadkill in late 2013, and mixed/mastered by Brynjar Helgetun at Studio Brainjar early this year, features ten songs of powerful, sinister death metal that will categorically satisfy fans of Hypocrisy, Malevolent Creation and Grave. Finalized with artwork by Roberto Toderico (Sinister, Asphyx), Piling Up proves to be the fiercest material from THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE to date. http://www.selfmadegod.com http://www.facebook.com/selfmadegod https://www.soundcloud.com/selfmadegodrecords http://www.youtube.com/user/SelfmadegodRecords http://www.earsplitdistro.com Genre Death Metal


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There are few cuddly toys more loved than the classic teddy bear. ArenaFlowers can deliver a gorgeous loveable bear with any of their fabulous floral bouquets, or even just send a teddy bear on its own. One day of the year where teddy bears are most commonly given as tokens of love is on Valentine's Day. A red heart being clutched in the fluffy paws of a soft toy is the perfect accompaniment to a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates. Unlike the flowers and chocolates – which will only have a limited life – the cuddly friend can be treasured for years to come, making it a lasting memento of love.
Sometimes the biggest surprises are the biggest bears and ArenaFlowers specialise in delivering wonderfully big bears, which make great birthday or Christmas presents for nieces, nephews or grandchildren. Add to these giant teddies a celebratory helium balloon as well and there's not a child anywhere who wouldn't be blown away on their special day. As much as everybody loves a bear sometimes a pink fluffy kitty cat or a floppy eared bunny rabbit might be a nice alternative. There's even the loveable favourite of Garfield for those who are young at heart and remember the much-loved exploits of the lasagne addict.
It's not always happy occasions where flowers and gifts need to be sent, for anyone who's been a bit under the weather or having a spell in hospital then a 'get well soon' bear and accompanying card will mean the world. Flowers are the perfect gift to brighten up a dull hospital bedside, especially if they're sent with their own vase, although in some wards they aren't allowed: this is when a friendly smiling stuffed toy can be a great alternative.
Many new mums are overwhelmed with blooms once their little one arrives, so it's often nice to add a little pink or blue bear with the flower delivery so that there's something for the baby as well, meaning both gifts can be sent at once. There are few gifts as timeless as a teddy bear, which is why they continue to be so warmly received and adored for years to come.


text: Lastly, for the speculative investor out there, take a look at Steve Madden ( SHOO). This company has been battered lately and has likely fallen as low as it will go. The big upside potential here is that this company is a likely buyout target. Even if the debt markets make a buyout less likely, look for a stock buyback announcement from SHOO sometime soon. I like the big upside if someone moves in, especially with little risk of the stock falling much farther than it already has. Shares closed Friday at $16.69. For those true risk-takers out there, buy some longer-term, out-of-the-money call options to cash in on a nice buyout offer. All three of these companies have good track records and reason to have faith in them even in tough markets. My advice in a market like this is to pick your spots. Find companies with growth opportunities whether recession strikes or not. I'll be throwing out a few of my best ideas here weekly on TheStreet.com, and sharing insight on how I'm managing my broader portfolio, so make sure to tune back in for some investing advice.