text:
SANTA CRUZ -- A key player in the debate over a future UC Santa Cruz campus expansion unexpectedly has been sidelined from an oversight body that could hold the key to whether the project goes forward.
As a member of the Local Agency Formation Commission, Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold proposed tough environmental conditions that some saw as an impediment to the project. The group holds sway over whether the city of Santa Cruz can extend water service to a proposed upper campus, adding thousands more students and staff to university rolls.
But when county reappointments to the board were made this week, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Chair Neal Coonerty -- who has supported UCSC's efforts -- decided to sideline Leopold.
"The Board of Supervisors is a political body and politics has consequences," said Coonerty, who represents most of the city of Santa Cruz and UCSC. "(UCSC) is a consideration, but many things were a consideration."
Leopold's appointment runs through April, but it isn't clear whether LAFCO will revisit the UCSC issue before then. The issue remains in limbo while a related lawsuit plays out.
Leopold, who is the secretary of a statewide LAFCO umbrella group, believes the decision was a direct result of the UCSC issue. He said LAFCO was working toward attaching "meaningful" conditions to any project.
"The chair decided to make a change right as we're about to do it. I'm very disappointed," Leopold said.
Under a 2008 settlement with the city, county and neighborhood groups, UCSC implemented water conservation measures and agreed to seek LAFCO approval for any campus water extensions. University spokesman Jim Burns said the school uses less water than it did 10 years ago, and projects its water savings at 30 million gallons annually.
"Our interest, however, is not in the precise makeup of the commission," Burns said in a statement. "Our interest is in an outcome that respects community and campus needs -- and that takes into consideration the efforts the campus has already made to address community concerns."
Coonerty pointed to two major South County issues on the horizon as reasons for appointing new Supervisor Zach Friend to replace Leopold: development of the Buena Vista neighborhood near the Watsonville Municipal Airport and Watsonville's potential annexation of agricultural land to convert it to big-box retail space, which Friend opposes.
"I think the Second District voters deserve to have the person that they just voted into office have a major voice in those decisions," Coonerty said.
Coonerty -- whose son, former Santa Cruz Mayor Ryan Coonerty, helped broker the 2008 compromise -- said he was not lobbied to replace Leopold, nor did he appoint Friend with any expectations on how he would vote. Friend, whose wife is the assistant city manager for Santa Cruz, also said the appointment comes without strings attached.
Don Stevens, a member of the citizen's group Habitat & Watershed Caretakers, was disappointed by the move. That group has a pending lawsuit at state appellate court over the city's environmental review of the project.
"It's a blatant political ploy to get approval of UCSC's expansion regardless of the merits of the application or its effect on endangered species or the city's water supply," Stevens said. "It's development over real environmental considerations."
All sides agree that conservation measures are needed to add to the city's already taxed water supply. The Water Department has been under state and federal pressure to reduce the amount of water it takes from local streams in order to protect threatened and endangered species.
In June 2012, both Leopold and Santa Cruz City Councilmember Don Lane, also a LAFCO board member, proposed a set of conservation measures to be placed upon the expansion. Leopold's are seen as more restrictive than Lane's, and both alternatives are being studied as the lawsuit plays out in court.
"What I've proposed are very reasonable conditions that assure a very adequate, reliable and sustainable supply," Leopold said, questioning how effective Lane's proposal would be.
Leopold was named an alternate to LAFCO. Alternates often attend meetings and can make points, but have no voting power.
However, Leopold's original proposals remain under consideration.
"Anything that was on the table in June is [still] on the table," LAFCO Executive Director Patrick McCormick said.
"We're very close and the issues were narrowed down significantly. I'm not sure how much this changes things," Coonerty said, who does support making the campus expansion water-neutral.
The upper campus expansion is a decades-long source of controversy and has been the subject of numerous student protests over the years. It is part of the university's long-range development plan, which dates to the school's origins, and has been revised numerous times over the years.
Follow Sentinel reporter Jason Hoppin on Twitter at Twitter.com/scnewsdude


text:
Dog No. 2: Franco Furter >
1. Almost-A-Dog
Where did the name come from?
"We were on the drive home from picking her up and I wasn't sure what name we were going to give her," Theresa says. "I looked down into my hand and there slept this one-pound piece of fluff so sweet and small. I said to my husband that she was almost a dog because she was so tiny. He looked at me and said, 'Almost-A-Dog, how's that for a name?'"
Dog No. 2: Franco Furter >
< No. 1: Almost-A-Dog | No. 3: Stinkie McStinkerson >
2. Franco Furter
Where did the name come from?
In addition to resembling a hot dog, Franco Furter is known to prop himself up on his haunches when he wants something.
< No. 2: Franco Furter | No. 4: Sir Seamus McPoop >
3. Stinkie McStinkerson
Where did the name come from?
"Kids love it," Mary says. "Also, since he is an Olde English bulldog, I've found that a fun name really puts people at ease. I think that children find him more approachable."
"Pets bring so much joy to a family," Mary added, "Their names should be joyful and fun too."
< No. 3: Stinkie McStinkerson | No. 5: Audrey Shepburn >
4. Sir Seamus McPoop
Where did the name come from?
By the time the Thompsons arrived home with their new pet, they had dubbed him Sir Seamus; little did they know he would make an entrance they would never forget. "He promptly 'did his business' on the front steps," Rob says. "At that point, no other name but Sir Seamus McPoop would do."
< No. 4: Sir Seamus McPoop | No. 6: Dewey Decimell >
5. Audrey Shepburn
Where did the name come from?
So when the time came for Jill to get her own dog, she was determined to find the perfect name. She assembled a team of friends for brunch and spent the time brainstorming names. "We considered Alpo Chino and Imelda Barcos, but since she is part Lab and part Germen shepherd, Audrey Shepburn just seemed to fit better," Jill says.
< No. 5: Audrey Shepburn | No. 7: Knuckles Capone >
6. Dewey Decimell
Where did the name come from?
"I have a friend who was a librarian who suggested Dewey Decimell, so it would rhyme with the others," Steve says. When he decided on the name, Steve hadn't had Dewey Decimell long enough to assess his personality. Now that he's familiar with the 4-year-old schnauzer, Steve has noticed one trait that Dewey Decimell may share with some librarians: "He's a grumpy butt."
< No. 6: Dewey Decimell | No. 8: Beagle Lugosi >
7. Knuckles Capone
Where did the name come from?
"Jeremy thought he needed a large, tough name," Carolyn says. "Therefore, he was named after the notorious gangster, Al Capone; the Knuckles part from one of Capone's enforcers."
< No. 7: Knuckles Capone | No. 9: Shooter Mclovin >
8. Beagle Lugosi
Where did the name come from?
It was this 1930s classic that inspired Elizabeth Roberts to concoct the name "Beagle Lugosi" for her new pup. "I adopted him from a local beagle rescue around Halloween," Elizabeth says. "He had dark rings around his eyes, and a friend of mine joked that he looked like the 'goth kid' of the litter. Not long after that, I came up with the name 'Beagle Lugosi' and it just stuck."
< No. 8: Beagle Lugosi | No. 10: Uzi Duzi Du >
9. Shooter McLovin
Where did the name come from?
Named after Southern rocker Shooter Jennings and the infamous Superbad character, McLovin, the pup gets plenty of attention for his unique moniker.
"People love it," Carol says. "When they read his name aloud at the vet's office, people just crack up." It wasn't the only time Katie's creativity earned attention for her pets. She also adopted Shooter's cousin and named her, "Jonsie Gwenovere."
< No. 9: Shooter Mclovin | Cat No. 1: Ozzy Pawsbourne >
10. Uzi Duzi Du
Where did the name come from?
Knowing that Akitas are notoriously loyal and protective pets, Ellen Stechshulte was determined to find something worthy enough to fit her new pup. Although she tossed around a few different names, she kept coming back to "Uzi" which means "my strength."
When the day came for Ellen to bring Uzi home, she was disheartened to discover that he was sick with severe diarrhea. She spent her entire first weekend of ownership in the emergency animal hospital with Uzi, while her furry friend fought for his life.
The original meaning behind his name proved appropriate, when Uzi persevered through his illness and was able to come home. But "my strength" was no longer enough on its own, and Ellen opted to accompany it with "Duzi-Du," in honor of his unfortunate, initial impression.
< Dog No. 10: Uzi Duzi Du | Cat No. 2: Mr. Meowgi >
Cat No. 1. Ozzy Pawsbourne
Where did the name come from?
It didn't take long for him to realize that there was only one name fitting for his wild and crazy animal: Ozzy Pawsbourne. "As a kitten, Ozzy was already a true madman," Christopher says. "He was constantly exploring and jumping on everything, including his siblings. And thus, he got his stage name."
< No. 1: Ozzy Pawsbourne | No. 3: Murderface >
2. Mr. Meowgi
Where did the name come from?
"My husband started calling him 'Mr. Meowgi' as soon as we brought him home," Katie says. "We considered other names, like Chairman Meow-Meow, but nothing seemed to fit quite as well."
< No. 2: Mr. Meowgi | No. 4: Fuglee >
3. Murderface
Where did the name come from?
"I wanted something edgy because he was so cute," says Heidi, who also tried shark-inspired names like "Mako" and "Tiger" for the cat. A fan of metal music and the Adult Swim cartoon "Metalocalypse," Heidi ultimately settled on Murderface after a character on the show.
< No. 3: Murderface | No. 5: Scruffernutter >
4. Fuglee
Where did the name come from?
"Prior to getting our cat, my boyfriend and I looked at hundreds of photos of available sphynx online," Stephany says. "I hate to admit it, but some were so ugly that the decision of 'Fuglee' was made before we even found one to adopt."
< No. 4: Fuglee | No. 6: Corporate Cuddles >
5. Scruffernutter
Where did the name come from?
When most people meet Scruffernutter, they have a hard time understanding how the pure-white, longhaired domestic could've earned the nickname "Scruffy." But the fluffy feline wasn't always so pristine. Before Deena Forcier and her husband adopted Scruffernutter, she had seen some troubled times. "She had a very rough upbringing," Deena says. "She was found next to garbage cans and she was pretty beat up." According to Deena, the now healthy cat was emaciated, she was missing teeth, her fur was in knots and she smelled terribly.
Although the once scruffy kitty made a full recovery, the name "Scruffernutter" stuck, and proved to be a fit in other ways. "She's a nut," Deena says. "She'll come jetting into the room, run in circles and dart right back out. She's energetic and very playful."
< No. 5: Scruffernutter | No. 7: Cat Masterson >
6. Corporal Cuddles
Where did the name come from?
Ask John Imperiosi what inspired his cats' names and he'll tell you, "We wanted a little kitty army." The only weapon these soldiers possess, however, is their ability to melt your heart. "Corporal Cuddles absolutely loves to cuddle," John says. "She also likes to roll around in freshly laundered clothes. It's very cute."
Though Corporal Cuddles is quick to cozy up with her owners and their other cat, Sergeant Snuggles, she is not entirely innocent. According to John, Cuddles favorite past-time is stealing money and receipts and stashing them around the house. "It makes cleaning day a lot more interesting," John confesses.
< No. 6: Corporate Cuddles | No. 8: Spam >
7. Cat Masterson
Where did the name come from?
When Charles Guerroro adopted Cat Masterson, he was determined to give her a name that was regal and grandiose. But his visions of kitty royalty quickly faded when he brought his rambunctious new pet home. "She would hide in the shadows, then jump out and ambush your ankles like a little hunter," Charles says. "She's feisty and fun and very down to earth."
He was inspired instead to name her after the 19th century gunslinger Bat Masterson, who eventually became a newspaperman in New York City – a dynamic persona he felt his cat resembled. "She had a very rough-and-tumble personality, but whenever I would sit down to write, she would curl up on my desk. The name is such a fit."
< No. 7: Cat Masterson | No. 9: Tape W. Orm >
8. Spam
Where did the name come from?
Additionally, Spam's orange and white markings made him look as if he had an awkward milk moustache. That's when it dawned on her: not unlike the mysterious canned meat, her new kitten was "a mixture of strange and wonderful things."
< No. 8: Spam | No. 10: Louisiana Purchase >
9. Tape W. Orm
Where did the name come from?
Meghan Tumolo and her husband were at a family party when they discovered a feral kitten in a barn behind the house. Not planning on adopting another cat, Meghan did her best to ignore him. But the weather was turning cold and her family was concerned that the tiny kitten wouldn't last much longer on its own. Unable to bear the thought of leaving him, Meghan and her husband brought him home. Not knowing where the kitten came from or what kind of health it was in, the couple jokingly referred to him as "Tape," short for – you guessed it – tape worm. Although the vet later assured them that their new pet was in perfect health, the Tumolos were hard-pressed to come up with a better name and "Tape" (forgive the pun) stuck.
Meghan attempted to make the offbeat name slightly more dignified, by spelling it, "Tape W. Orm" and occasionally addresses him as "Sir Tape Worm."
< Cat No. 9: Tape W. Orm | Dog No. 1: Almost-A-Dog >
10. Louisiana Purchase
Where did the name come from?
Shortly after adopting their new pet, Don and Meribe Campbell tried desperately to remember what the staff at the shelter had called her. Knowing only that it started with an "L," Don began listing names to his wife; and on his third attempt to guess her original moniker, he stumbled upon her new one. Was it "Lola," or "Lucy" or "Lilly"? Nope. It was "Louisiana Purchase." "We didn't consider any other names after that," Don says. "As soon as I said it, my wife and I just knew."
Though they later found out she was initially named "Ellie," the Campbells felt that "Louisiana Purchase" was a much better fit. According to Don, there is something very reserved and formal about her, and she rules the household with a quiet authority.
To view the full top 50 lists, visit wackypetnames.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A NEW business and investment zone is up and running in Brierley Hill and could create around 1,600 new jobs
Dudley Council has been working with property owners at The Waterfront to encourage new business into the 200,000 sq ft of available space.
The council has already had four enquires in just a few weeks from firms looking to relocate to the Dudley Business Investment Zone and take advantage of a two-year business rate free period.
Councillor Judy Foster, Dudley's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "These are still very much early days for the Dudley Business Investment Zone but we are really encouraged by the number of enquiries we have had.
"The new zone is now up and running and is part of our clear vision for bringing more business, investment and jobs into the area.
"There are huge economic benefits for the whole of Dudley borough by firms moving into the Waterfront with the scope for an additional 1,600 jobs.
"We are continuing to work with those companies who have enquired about the zone and with property owners at the Waterfront to ensure we make the very best of this exciting opportunity."
Dudley Council's cabinet approved the investment zone scheme in February this year to help fill the vacant space at the 650,000 sq ft Waterfront complex.
The cost of the business rate incentive will be shared equally by the council and participating Waterfront property owners.
Existing occupiers in the 'Waterfront zone' keen to expand their operations may be eligible for the discount but only on any additional floor space occupied, over and above the floor space occupied when the zone was declared.
To find out more about the investment zone call 01384 812001, email firstname.lastname@example.com or go to www.dudleybusinessfirst.org


text:
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - One person is dead and three were rescued after a boat capsized off Miami Beach Saturday night.
Multiple agencies, including the U.S Coast Guard, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami Beach Fire Rescue, and Florida Fish and Wildlife responded to the scene off 63rd Street and Collins Avenue.
Officer Jorge Pino said by the time the men realized water was coming onto the boat, it was too late.
"They made the decision that they were going to head back," Pino said. "Two of the guys started bailing out water that was already in the vessel. When they started heading due west because they couldn't make to the inlet a wave came over and swamped the entire vessel."
Three of the men were able to swim to shore, but one man was killed.
After searching the body of 48-year-old Ramon Ulloa-Rodriguez was found in the water around Collins Avenue and 59th Street.
Authorities say he didn't have a life vest on.
"A couple of factors came into play at the wrong time," Pino said. "One of them was horrible weather condition and the other was that it was at night. And the third is that these individuals were not wearing a life vest."
Police say that while the survivors are shaken by what happened, they are not hurt.
Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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A longtime educator and administrator from the East Bay has been selected to lead the Vacaville Unified School District, beginning July 1.
Kenneth Jacopetti, superintendent of the Byron Union School District in Byron, a three-school district near Brentwood and Discovery Bay, will replace John Niederkorn, who will step down on June 30.
Jacopetti's selection ends a six-month search that resulted in the interviewing of nearly three dozen applicants, a final grouping of three, and an agreement that he was "a good fit for the district," Larry Mazzuca, vice president of VUSD's board of trustees, said Tuesday.
The board will meet in open session Thursday in the Educational Services Center to approve Jacopetti's appointment and his contract, details of which likely will be made public at the 6 p.m. meeting. It is expected that he will earn considerably more than the $140,000 annual salary that he received for leading Byron Union for the past seven years.
"I'm excited," said Jacopetti, 60, a licensed marriage and family therapist. "Career-wise, this is just a nice step for me. I'm looking forward to relocating in Vacaville."
"He was an excellent choice," said VUSD board president David McCallum. "He's brilliant, he's a compassionate leader. He is respected by everyone who has worked with him, and he has a vast array of experience in the education field."
In his 27 years in education, Jacopetti, married and the father of two adult children, has worked as an assistant superintendent in East Palo Alto and served as the director of pupil support services and special education with Berkeley Unified. He was a principal in the Oakley Union Elementary School District and associate principal at Freedom High in Brentwood, to name a few administrator posts he has held.
As a teacher and counselor, Jacopetti worked in Pittsburg Unified. He's been a teacher, counselor and administrator in the Shasta County Office of Education in Redding.
But his first job in education was not in education. He worked as a counselor at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, after which he took a job for three years at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, working with emotionally disturbed youth and teaching high school seniors the life skills they would need to make the transition to college or the workplace after graduating.
Jacopetti has begun to familiarize himself with VUSD's "strengths and struggles," adding that he will devote much of his attention initially on student achievement, the so-called "achievement gap" between white, black and Hispanic students and challenges faced by English language learners.
His appointment comes a week after Education Trust-West, an educational advocacy group in Oakland, reported that far too many California school districts, including VUSD, Fairfield-Suisun Unified and Vallejo City Unified, are getting average or below-average marks for failing to adequately prepare students for graduation and college.
"When the day is done, it's all about student achievement -- how can we do better?" he said, adding that was "excited" by the pending Common Core State Standards and the guidelines. Announced Tuesday, the guidelines call for sweeping changes in the way science is taught in the United States, emphasizing hands-on learning and a critical scrutiny of scientific evidence, known as the Next Generation of Science Standards.
Among the 12,500-student district's strengths are its gradually rising Academic Performance Index scores and the board of trustees, seven elected officials who are "committed to student achievement," Jacopetti said.
McCallum said the new superintendent-designate brings a valued skill to the district. Because of his experience in special education, Jacopetti knows the response-to-intervention process, the method of academic intervention used in the United States to provide early, systematic assistance to children who are having difficulty learning.
"He has considerable experience in special education," Mazzuca agreed, adding that Jacopetti, personally, exudes warmth and congeniality.
Jacopetti's appointment comes one week after another Solano County school district picked a new leader.
Last week, FSUSD trustees announced that Kristin Corey, a longtime administrator and educator from Vacaville, would take over the district's top post on July 1, after Jacki Cottingim-Dias retires.
Follow Staff Writer Richard Bammer at Twitter.com/REBammer.


text:
"SMT" in the missing VIs stands for Spectral Measurments Toolkit. The NI Spectral Measurments Toolkit should cover the missing VIs.
<Joel Khan | Applications Engineering | National Instruments | Rice University BSEE>
01-24-2012 10:29 AM - edited 01-24-2012 10:30 AM
Hi Betty,
The Acquisition example uses functions from the Spectral Measurements Toolkit (SMT), which comes with NI's vector signal analyzer products.
Modulation Toolkit is another software dependency for the acquisition example, and the Mopdulation Toolkit comes with both our vector signal analyzer and vector signal generator products.
Here is a complete list of dependencies for these examples as listed on the software download page:
Andy Hinde
RF Systems Engineer
National Instruments
Thank you!
01-25-2012 09:28 AM - edited 01-25-2012 09:30 AM
Hello! Thank you for your response! I have successfully generated and acquired signals, particulary arbitrary signals. However, their I and Q waveforms are constantly 'moving'/changing amplitude. How can I generate I and Q waveforms with constant amplitude? I would also like to verify what you said in one of your replies in this thread that the phase offset in the code does not affect the I and Q data/waveform? I'm still confused Sorry for repeating my question Thank you so much for your time!
Maybe the Baseband Developers Kit will help you out. It's a great resource.
Hello, Sir! This is about the 'NI RF Phase-Coherent Multi-Channel' Generation VI. I would just like to ask if the phase offset button is the only way to compensate for the delay of the other I/Q vector modulator since the LO is connected in a daisy chain manner. I mean, the first I/Q vector modulator would be generating/operating 'earlier' than the second I/Q vector modulator so that there is an inherent phase delay/difference between the two. Thank you!
01-27-2012 06:04 PM - edited 01-27-2012 06:07 PM
Hello Betty,
What you are seeing is expected behavior, and requires a little explanation.
To start, assume you have a single RF generator and a single RF analyzer that are both locked to the same reference clock source. Locking Tx and Rx to the same ref clock source removes any frequency offset between the generator and analyzer. This is a requirement because frequency is a measure of how fast phase is changing - frequency is the first derivative with respect to time of phase. A frequency offset is the same as a constantly changing phase, so the first thing to do is make sure you are frequency locked.
Next, imagine the analyzer operating in a continuous acquisition mode, where it is continuously acquiring 'gap-free'data. In this situation, you are acquiring a sine wave with the analyzer that has no frequency offset relative to the generator, and therefore, the acquired data will show no phase change as a function of time. The I vs time and Q vs time plots would be unchanging horizontal lines, and the I vs Q plot would show a point with a constant magnitude and phase angle.
One important point to stop and think about though, is that this phase angle is not going to be 0 degrees (unless by chance it happens to end up at 0). Phase is a relative metric, and in a single channel Tx/Rx case, ask yourself what you are measuring when you measure the phase of a sine wave. The phase of the sine wave is constantly changing, so measuring the phase of a sine wave depends on when you start your acquisition. There is no such thing as absolute phase, phase is a relative metric.
Next, imagine the same setup except instead of continuous IQ data, you are acquiring multiple single-shot acquisitions over and over. Each acquisition will display the phase of the sine wave depending on when you start the acquisition. Every time you acquire a new set of data, the measured sine wave will be at a different phase and this is what will be displayed. This is why you are seeing movement in your I and Q waveforms vs Time. Each new acquisition results in each channel starting its acquisition at a new point in time of the sine wave. This is why you always still see horizontal lines on the I and Q vs Time plots, but over time these horizontal lines are changing the Y axis point at which they have 0 slope. If there were some kind of frequency offset, you would see some slope or sinusoidal change in the I and Q vs Time plots, and some curvature (like an arc) in the I vs Q plot.
You can try this out for yourself. If you set your IQ Rate to 10 kSPS, and the samples to acquire to 1,000, you will acquire 100 ms records. While running with these settings, you will see horizontal lines in I and Q vs Time (that move around from acquisition to acquisition) and a point in the I vs Q plot that has a constant magnitude but changing phase angle. Next, change the sample to acquire to 10,000, increasing the record length by 10X to 1 second. Notice there is no change in the slope of the I and Q vs time traces, and no increase in any arc length of the I vs Q point. Increase it again to 100,000 for a 10 second acquisition and see the same thing. If there were a frequency offset, you would see essentially a circle plotted in the I vs Q plot, and sinusoidal traces for both I and Q in the I and Q vs Time plots. By the way, any arc you see in the I vs Q plot in this case is showing you phase noise...
So, you will only measure the same phase value in a single channel situation if you synchronize the start of your acquisitions with the same phase of the incoming sine wave (resulting in non-moving I and Q vs time plots, and a point in the I vs Q trace that doesn't move).
Since we're talking phase-coherency here with multi-channel use cases, what is important is the phase relationship between each channel. This should stay stable in a phase coherent system. If you plot phase delta vs time, or a combined mag/phase delta on a polar I vs Q plot, these will stay stable since even though each channel is acquiring the incoming sine waves at a different phase, the changes are all the same across channels and the phase deltas stay constant.
Andy Hinde
RF Systems Engineer
National Instruments
Hello! I would just like to ask if I am missing something in my settings because the generator and analyzer are still out-of-phase.
The I vs time and Q vs time plots still show frequency offset (changing horizontal lines).
The master NI PXIe-5601/PXIe-5611 has a baseband module and LO module associated with it, with the remaining slave having a baseband module associated with it and LO source set to external.
For the master's reference clock source, I set it to 'PXI_CLK' in the front panel for both the generator and analyzer.
Thank you for your time!
02-03-2012 04:07 PM - edited 02-03-2012 04:09 PM
Hi Betty,
The goal of my previous post was to explain why what you are seeing is expected behavior. The only way to get the types of behavior you are expecting to see is to either look at the I and Q vs time plots for phase offset data (instead of the individual channel data), or to switch from repeated single shot acquisitions to a continuous, gap-free acquisition.
Perhaps some simple examples may help illustrate this.
I have attached a simple NI-RFSG shipping example that generates a CW signal and lets the user set the reference clock source, The default settings are a 1 GHz sine wave @ 0 dBm with the PXI backplane set as the reference clock source. This is RFSG Reference Clock.VI.
I have also attached RFSA Getting Started IQ.vi. This example acquires repeated single-shot acquisitions and plots the data on a I vs Q plot. The default settings are for 1 GHz center frequency, a 0 dBm reference level, and the PXI backplane as the reference clock source. The assumption is that the signal generator and analyzer are both locking to the same PXI backplane clock (meaning they are in the same chassis).
You are expecting a constant phase angle for the IQ data, and the RFSA Getting Started IQ.vi shows that this angle will move. Again as explained in the previous post, each new NI-RFSA acquisition will occur at some different starting point of the incoming CW sine wave. Since there is no such thing as absolute phase, the phase reference used is changing and shows up as a rotating point on the I vs Q plot.
I have also posted RFSA Acquire Continuous IQ.vi to illustrate this further. If I am performing a gap-free, continuous acquisition, there is only one acquisition instead of multiple, separate acqusiitions each with a different starting reference phase. You can see that with the continuous gap-free acquisition, the phase angle is constant.
Again, there is no difference in how the hardware is operating except for the simple difference of one case being multiple, separate acquisitions with slight breaks in time between the end of one acquisition and the start of the next acquisition, and the other case being a single acquisition with multiple fetches and no gaps in the data, meaning the starting reference phase is always the same and you don't see any change in phase angle.
In both cases, if you were to plot phase offsets between additional channels and a master, they will always have constant phase angles assuming the generator and analyzers are locked to the same ref clock.
Andy Hinde
RF Systems Engineer
National Instruments
Hello, Sir! Thank you very much for your last reply (and all others ). I would like to ask if the NI RF Phase-Coherent Multi-Channel acquisition code (main VI) is configured for repeated single-shot acquisitions. This is because when I choose CW in the generation front panel, I get changing horizontal lines for the I and Q vs t waveforms. On the other hand, I get 2 points (since I deal with 2 channels) which both move in circles for the I vs Q plot.
May I also ask if you have any suggestions on how I can fix my I and Q vs t waveforms when I choose Arb in the generation front panel. The resulting I and Q vs t waveforms are changing sinusoids which I thought to indicate frequency offset between the generator and analyzer. However, I already had my generator and analyzer both locked to the same reference clock source (they are in the same chassis and both set to PXI_CLK reference clock source in the front panel of generation and analyzer VIs).
Attached is a summary of the results I obtained.
Thank you very much for all the help!


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Here's some good news if you've been battling a craving for cherry limeade, tater tots, or a burger delivered by a carhop on roller skates: Sonic recently announced a goal to open 1,000 new drive-ins in the next 10 years (which would represent a 30 percent increase in total locations).
Whether or not the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants can accomplish this lofty target remains to be seen. According to the official press release, the chain has a long way to go. So far, plans are underway to open 56 new locations over the next six years, including five locations in Rochester, New York, by 2018, eight locations in Buffalo, New York, by 2020, 14 in the greater Seattle area by 2018, 15 in Los Angeles and San Diego by 2020, and an additional 13 locations in small towns in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
Are you excited for the possibility of Sonic opening in your town? Let us know in the comments.
About the author: Erin Jackson is a food writer and photographer who is obsessed with discovering the best eats in San Diego. You can find all of her discoveries on her San Diego food blog EJeats.com. On Twitter, she's @ErinJax
Love hamburgers? Then you'll Like AHT on Facebook! And go follow us on Twitter while you're at it!


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Engineer and producer Glyn Johns was born in Epsom, England, on February 15, 1942. He began his career as a performer, fronting the band the Presidents during the early 1960s. He became an apprentice to the producer Shel Talmy, who worked with the Who and the Kinks. By 1965, Johns was engineering Rolling Stones' recording sessions, including 1967's Their Satanic Majesties Request and 1968's Beggars Banquet. In addition to his work with the Stones, he engineered albums for Traffic, Procol Harum, Spooky Tooth, the Move and Billy Nichols in 1968 alone. Also in 1968, he found the time to engineer and produce the Steve Miller Band's album Sailor, which led to more production work.
By 1971, Johns had hit his stride as a producer, with Who's Next by the Who, the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers and the Faces' A Nod Is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse to his credit. He produced the Eagles' first three albums and is arguably responsible for creating that group's distinct Southern California sound. He was asked to rescue the Beatles' ill-fated Get Back sessions and worked on the tapes for months before the project was turned over to Phil Spector to complete as Let It Be. Johns' production and engineering throughout the Seventies included work with the Band, Joe Cocker, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and many others. In the Eighties, Johns worked as engineer or producer for the Who, the Clash and Jimmy Page. His Nineties credits include production for John Hiatt, David Crosby and Belly. Johns' most recent work is as mixer, engineer and producer of Ryan Adams' 2011 album, Ashes and Fire.
For more information on Glyn Johns, visit RockHall.com.


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And, of course, the fine print:
Get free shipping on your next order when you spend over $100. The discount will be automatically applied to your purchase; no promo code required. The subtotal of your purchase must be $100.01 or greater after any promotional discounts have been applied. Additional fees such as tax or shipping and handling do not apply toward your minimum subtotal requirement of $100.01. Offer applies to standard shipping only. Certain items that require additional shipping and handling are excluded from this promotion and do not apply towards your $100.01 subtotal minimum. Offer subject to change.
Your pancakes ain't seen nothin' yet. Not until they've been doused with a healthy splash of this wood-fired Vermont maple syrup, that is. Each quart-sized jar contains real maple syrup, condensed into its most sweet and sticky form before being bottled up and sent to you. Oh, and you won't find any ingredients labels here, these guys don't need 'em.
Choose from the following:
Amber & Rich (1 qt.)
An even-keeled syrup with a golden color and a buttery texture. We cheer when it comes in! Carrying a lighter maple flavor, it versatile, charismatic, and Bobo's go-to choice for switchel, stews, and dressings. It is delicious on waffles, vanilla ice cream, and over sauteed greens. Shimmery and sunny, it won't disappoint.
Dark & Robust (1 qt.)
Big, bold, and sporting a dark red color, Dark Robust has a strong maple flavor and a thick, rich texture. Coveted by chefs and maple enthusiasts, this is a dark, rich syrup which is both breakfast worthy and holds its own in any baking or cooking situation. We drink it in coffee, glug it into our barbecue sauce, and pour it lavishly over strawberry pancakes. Not to be missed.
This product ships from the maker within 4 days, via USPS
Unused and unopened items may be returned within 14 days


text: Duke Nukem, the politically incorrect celebrity and ultimate alien ass kicker, defends Earth and its babes from alien invasion. Take the fight to the aliens in Hollywood, Los Angeles, a moon base and alien spacecraft. Defeat the aliens, so Duke can get back to some R&R with a stogie, a warm belly and a bottle of Jack.


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MIAMI - A man who built a 16-foot, 2-ton elephant sculpture in his front yard is fighting to keep it.
Reinol Fernandez, a retired truck driver, built Luiyano the elephant out of rebar, chicken wire, and concrete.
Fernandez said he had the idea since he was a child when he decided he'd one day make an elephant.
Damaris Fernandez, his daughter and an elementary school art teacher, is impressed.
"I think it's great considering that he never went to school for anything like this and this is his first sculpture so I think it's amazing," she said.
The elephant has been in Fernandez's front yard since October. A complaint about it was recently filed.
"Someone called 311," said Damaris Fernandez. "We were told that it had to be removed from the property. We did receive a notice of violation that it is encroaching on the setback."
Damaris Fernandez said their county commissioner is fighting on their behalf, and Miami-Dade County Parks and Coral Park Elementary have expressed interest in taking the sculpture.
"Ms. Nunez, who is the principal there, said that she would love to have it," she said. "She actually came this morning to see it."
Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text: Home court key in girls regional co-finals By Tommy R. Atkinson February 24, 2013 Story Share CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Home has never sounded sweeter than this week.The prize for last week's sectional tournament champions is hosting the biggest game of their season while the runner-ups must find a way to win on the road when the regional co-finals tip off Tuesday (Class AAA), Wednesday (AA) and Thursday (A) around the Mountain State.The winners of the two co-regional games advance to the state tournament, which will take place March 6-9 at the Charleston Civic Center. (See Page 2B for regional co-finals pairings.)George Washington, which finished ninth in the final Associated Press poll, will host No. 7 Princeton in AAA Region 3 while Capital visits No. 1 and defending state champion Greenbrier East.In AAA Region 4, St. Albans hosts Logan and Winfield visits No. 2 Spring Valley. Charleston Catholic makes a trip to Williamstown in Class A Region 4.The other two defending state champs are still alive, with top-ranked Westside hosting Bluefield in AA Region 3 and No. 1 St. Joseph, the four-time defending titlist, is home against No. 6 Parkersburg Catholic.Logan may be the most comfortable team on the road this postseason after dispatching No. 3 Huntington on its home floor in the semifinals of the sectional tournament, then falling by one point to No. 2 Spring Valley in the title game.Other notable ranked teams dispatched during sectional play include No. 3 Robert C. Byrd in AA and No. 5 Clay-Battelle and No. 10 Meadow Bridge in Class A. SA coach Scott James knows exactly how important it is to be on your home court this time of year. The Red Dragons also captured their first sectional title in quite some time."It means everything in the world,'' he said. "[Our players] didn't have the confidence and the energy they should have had with an opportunity to go to the state tournament [the last several times we played the regional co-finals away from home]."The girls are fired up. We've got a lot of momentum. They've exceeded a lot of people's expectations. I want the people of St. Albans to come out and support the Red Dragons. We need a packed gym.''GW is getting on one of its patented rolls as it has the past two years when it went all the way to the AAA semifinals."I feel a whole lot better playing here in Kanawha County at GW than going down the turnpike, and that's something we addressed,'' said Patriots coach Jamie LaMaster. "We like to play here. We don't want to travel for that game."The Patriots should be brimming with confidence after strolling through their sectional tournament, winning two games by an average of 311/2 points. GW has also already defeated Princeton at home a couple of weeks ago to lockup the East Division of the Mountain State Athletic Conference."That's huge," said GW junior post Kelli Jo Harrison of the home-court advantage. "Traveling all the way down to where we would have to play wouldn't be good for us. Being here is good for us. We'll have confidence" Staff writer Ryan Pritt contributed to this article.Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at firstname.lastname@example.com or 304-348-4811. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 'Heroin(e)' spotlights women helping combat Huntington's drug crisis 2 New company planning $73M synthetic fuel plant in Greenbrier County 3 Philanthropist Betty Schoenbaum of Shoney's fortune turns 100 4 WVU pulls away from Kansas for 56-34 win 5 Deer in 8 WV counties found dead from EHD Keep wrestling, drop javelin from Olympics Previous Story Senior Morrison providing Poca with more than points Next Story


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Mother and Child Were Saved:
The Memoirs (1693-1740) of Frisian Midwife Catharina Schrader
translated and annotated by Hilary Marland
Catharina Schrader's memoirs span 52 years and an estimated 4,000 deliveries, which she carefully documented throughout her life as a midwife. When she was 88 years old, "Vrouw" Schrader recorded her last birth. On October 30, 1746, she died in her hometown of Dokkum.
This is one of the most compelling life stories I have ever read. Among the details that Vrouw Schrader recorded are the fees she charged. She described the social status of her various clients, and charged on a sliding scale according to what each woman could afford. We get a glimpse of the morality surrounding marriage, as well as some folklore and superstitions about pregnancy and delivery in this era. Vrouw Schrader reflects on the very important role of community and close friends and neighbors, and her strong sense of duty is evident in her writing.
Vrouw Schrader's innermost feelings and religious experiences are expressed most clearly in the prayers which she made at the commencement of every year. She prays for "bodily strength to assist her fellow-man in their need."
Vrouw Schrader attended the births of 64 sets of twins and three sets of triplets. Successful births with placenta previa are recorded as well as many types of breech deliveries. Other presentations she described are face and posterior. Third-stage complications such as retained placenta and hemorrhage are noted. She used herbs as well as manual removal in some situations.
Herbs in general were used to speed labor, support the woman, stop bleeding and expel the stillborn. "Steaming the mother over an herbal bath to relax and soften the opening" was popular with Vrouw Schrader.
Interesting to note is Vrouw Schrader's destructive rather than constructive criticism of other midwives, which may have been the result of competitiveness and professional jealousy. However, she was called many times by other midwives to aid in difficult deliveries, completing births successfully where other midwives had given up.
Through Catharina Schrader's carefully kept memoirs we are able to take an in-depth look at midwifery's past. This book gives me confidence in old ways. However, not all of Vrouw Schrader's stories were successful, and I would caution aspiring midwives not to practice her techniques without first getting proper instruction. Overall, this is a fascinating book that I very much recommend.


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Pursuing Sustainability With VFDs
We'll Never Replace the Control Valve, or Will We?
In the article, "Eliminating the Control Valve," I reminded control systems engineers that the electronic variable frequency drive (VFD) was an alternative to the control valve as the final control element in liquid flow control applications (Figure 1). Not only is this application less complicated than the more conventional use of a control valve, but it is also widely known to save energy.
Some control engineers have known this for many years, but have been reluctant to specify use of the VFD chiefly because they're unfamiliar with it. The primary incentive to use a VFD for flow control has been energy savings by elimination of the need to pump liquid to a high pressure, only to waste that pressure as energy loss through the control valve. Using a VFD to drive the pump motor allows the use of the pump speed rather than control valve plug position as the controlled variable.
Not only is there a significant potential operating cost saving by elimination of the pressure drop across the control valve, but also there is a strong potential to gain operating efficiency by virtue of improved process control. Improved control would result from elimination of the hysteresis of control valves that we call "stickiness," which often requires control loops to be de-tuned from optimal tuning settings. Another factor is the speed of response of modern VFDs in changing flow in response to the controller's output signal; control valves move slowly at mechanical speeds, while the VFD changes speed almost instantly. Faster response and elimination of hysteresis/dead time typically lead to reduced process variability that allows setpoints to be set closer to optimal conditions, thereby improving control loop performance. Optimal setpoints are necessary to improve process performance to gain such benefits as improved yield, reduced waste and more consistent product purity.
Support and Skepticism
As expected, response to Part 1 varied from complete support to outright skepticism. In that article, I asked for people who have tried closed-loop process control using a VFD driving the electric motor powering a centrifugal pump for liquid flow control to share their experience. The energy savings are so well-documented that there was no doubt. However, a few respondents did wonder whether the magnitude of the energy savings might not be enough to justify conversion of a working flow loop to actually remove the control valve. In one case, I suggested that the control valve may not need to be removed if a bypass was already present, which is normal for most petroleum refining and petrochemical processes. This was mentioned as a temporary means to test the quality of control, but elimination of all piping pressure drops is necessary to maximize the potential energy savings.
The Pump Affinity Laws
I continue to be amazed that control engineers are still confused by the pump affinity laws that show flow rate through a centrifugal pump is directly proportional to pump speed. In other words, changing pump speed causes a proportional change in flow rate. A few correspondents argued that since the head changes at different flow rates due to pipe friction, a real installation could not be exactly linear. However, the controlled variable—flow rate—is linear. The uncontrolled variable that changes in a non-linear way is power consumption. The pump affinity laws say that the power consumption will vary by the ratio of the speeds cubed. In fact, this is the very reason that substituting a VFD for the control valve saves so much energy.
Several respondents have told me that they routinely design their processes with VFDs for very large flows, such as for cooling water circulation or in wastewater aeration. However, it has not been documented that these applications are ever used to control the liquid flow rate. They have the capability to manually change the flow rates in response to plant needs, but generally there is no flow controller.
At one petroleum refinery, my contact reported that his group tried installation of VFD and actually used it to control pump speed manually, but the operations department would not let the control valve be removed "just in case the VFD failed." In several years of operation, the VFD has not failed, but the bypassed control valve remains in place.
More than one respondent suggested that the VFD may not be reliable enough for use as a process final control element. As we spoke, it became apparent that their previous attempts used a VFD produced in the early 1990s. These VFDs were probably based on use of GTO (Gate Turn Off) thyristor technology, or were among the first VFDs using IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) that replaced GTO thyristors. GTO thyristors and early IGBTs were not very reliable. Improvements in IGBT technology have been remarkable, but these are high-power devices. Modern drive design uses several IGBTs in parallel to achieve both peak power capacity and reliability through resiliency, thereby keeping the mean time between failures (MTBF) low. Maintenance improvements on modern drives alarm on IGBT failure and allow rapid on-line replacement to keep the mean time to repair (MTTR) low. This compares well with the operation of sticky control valves that require extensive repair time, but allow the process to continue operation with suboptimal tuning.
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oane offices will be close for the Independence Day holiday July 3-4. Corn futures weakened again Wednesday morning. The corn market declined Wednesday, with the industry seeing well-supplied conditions. The fall crop is likely to set a record, but traders may have added to short positions before the July 4 holiday since short-term forecasts suggest very benign Corn Belt weather during the critical pollination period. September corn slipped 3.75 cents to $4.1225/bushel in late Wednesday action, while December lost 4.75 to $4.18.
The soy complex couldn't sustain early firmness. The tight old-crop situation for beans and meal supported those prices Tuesday night, but the soy complex turned unanimously lower this morning. That probably reflected the massive planted acreage total posted Monday, as well as the favorable weather now dominating the Midwest. August soybeans fell 13.0 cents to $13.1475/bushel at their Wednesday settlement, while August soyoil slid 0.40 cents to 38.57 cents/pound, and August soymeal sagged $3.3 to $426.7/ton.
The wheat markets diverged somewhat Wednesday. Little fresh news concerning wheat emerged at midweek, but one has to wonder if the latest forecasts are weighing on the KC & MWE markets. That is, the northern Plains are looking drier and warmer, which will be welcomed by spring wheat. Southern areas may get additional rain, which might actually hamper the winter wheat harvest. September CBOT wheat futures edged up 3.0 cents to $5.755/bushel as Wednesday's CBOT session ended, while September KCBT wheat fell 7.0 cents to $6.8175, and September MWE futures slumped 5.25 to $6.65.
Cattle futures resumed their advance Wednesday afternoon. The cattle/beef industry worries about a summer price drop, since the markets often hit their annual lows in the weeks ahead. Surging beef prices have spurred CME buying lately, but late-session news of fresh cash gains sent CME prices even higher. August cattle officially settled up 0.83 cents at 152.32 cents/pound Wednesday, while December gained 0.20 to 155.57. Meanwhile, August feeder cattle advanced 0.42 to 216.20 and October feeders climbed 0.10 to 217.37 cents/pound.
Fresh wholesale strength sparked fresh CME hog gains. This week's early cash and wholesale action was mixed at best, thereby curtailing the bullish reaction to last Friday's Hogs & Pigs report. However, pork prices spiked at midday Wednesday, which spurred renewed Chicago buying of deferred futures. August hog futures actually declined 0.07 cents to 130.35 cents/pound at their Wednesday closing, while December ran up 1.20 cents to 101.05.


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Midfielder Alan Judge wants to balance his CV by countering relegation with
Plymouth Argyle, with promotion at Brentford.
The 25-year-old former Notts County midfielder was part of the Argyle squad relegated from the Championship during a loan spell at Home Park from Blackburn Rovers in 2010.
Judge, scorer of a spectacular brace in Saturday's 3-1 win at Crewe Alexandra, is at Griffin Park until the end of the season, having been deemed surplus to
requirements in Lancashire.
And the Irishman, back enjoying his football in west London and living with his family in Kew, hopes firing the Bees into the Championship can go some way to helping him continue his love affair with the game.
"Not playing for three or four months at the start of this season was difficult to take," said Judge, below.
"There is nothing worse than training all week knowing there is not a game for you at the weekend.
"I'm really enjoying it again and once that happens you realise how much you love playing the game.
"I'd love to get a promotion on my CV. I've been relegated before, which was horrible, so to win promotion would be great.
"I'd definitely be keen to stay here if we go up, particularly if the situation does not change at Blackburn. There is no point me not playing football.
"Even if we don't go up I'd like to think staying was still an option. I turned down one or two Championship clubs to come here because I could see what the club was trying to do.
"As long as I'm enjoying my football and playing regularly I'm happy to be here."
Judge took his Bees goal tally to four at the weekend putting boss Mark Warburton's men in prime form ahead of tomorrow's visit of third-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, which is anticipated to be a sell-out.
Brentford, top of the League One table by two points ahead of Leyton Orient, are unbeaten in the league since October – a run that features a 0-0 draw at Molineux in November.
And, with weather postponements causing congestion in the fixture list, Judge reckons the squad are fit and ready to ensure they avoid a repeat of last year's end of season heartache.
"I think everyone in football saw the Doncaster game. It was an unbelievable and horrible way to end the season," he added.
"We don't want that to happen again and that is the mentality of this squad.
"The cancellations mean we are going to be playing a lot of Saturday-Tuesday matches over the coming weeks, but, unusually for this time of the season, I think we are all fully fit.
"When I came to the club I think we were 13 games unbeaten, which is an unbelievable run and I can't quite believe it is still going.
"We have just got to concentrate on keeping it going for as long as possible and make sure we do not lose any momentum.
"That is why it was so important to get back to winning ways on Saturday after the postponed games."
Sam Saunders underwent keyhole surgery this week to assess the extent of a knee problem.


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Walnut Currant Cornbread Stuffing
Created By Cindy Pawlcyn - Executive Chef at Mustards Grill and cookbook author
Reviews(0) See all Reviews
Whether part of the Chicken Roulade with Walnut and Currant Cornbread Stuffing recipe, or on its own, this dish is a great addition to any meal.
- Half (about 2 1/2 cups) of the Walnut and Currant Cornbread recipe
- 2 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 cup diced fennel or celery
- 2 tablespoons fennel leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- Place the diced, crumbled cornbread into a medium-size mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Over medium heat, cook onions and celery or fennel in butter or olive oil until tender, stirring occasionally, but do not brown. Add garlic, fennel leaves, rosemary, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes.
- Pour this mixture over the cornbread crumbs, mixing well. Cool before using.
New Review


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click a winner to view more information about their innovation.
The Apollo MilkSystem is a revolutionary milking unit that automatically applies post dip to the teat through the liner, and then sanitizes the cluster before it is attached to another cow. In addition to providing a better and more consistent application of the teat dip, it also helps to improve milk quality while at the same time reducing labor and increasing parlor throughput - the factors most critical to today's commercial dairy producers.
The economical high performance AX 51 Aerotech fans with "air-foil" technology allow for customized ventilation based on the application and building requirements, which maximizes efficiency and performance with significant energy savings. The direct drive component eliminates costly maintenance items, with no bearings to grease, belts or pulleys to replace.
With new genetic technologies readily available to dairies and feedlots searching for uniform, high-quality feeder cattle, the timing seemed perfect for Genex Cooperative and Wulf Cattle to partner in Breeding to Feeding. This program creates quality, efficient feeder calves from dairy cows and assures dairies will receive a premium for these calves. Genex representatives work with dairies to provide long term genetic consulting and develop a customized breeding strategy, while Wulf Cattle provides the genetics from Limousin and Limousin-cross sires, and facilitates the contracting of these calves to Wulf Cattle approved calf ranches at a guaranteed premium purchase price. Dairies can now create more profitable future replacements from top-end females while adding feedlot value to calves from lower-end cows, in addition to addressing the top priorities of conception and calving ease.
The Dairy Care365 Training Series was developed by Merck Animal Health to train, equip and support dairy producers in their continuous efforts to provide the best care possible for their dairy animals. The ongoing series includes best-management practices for animal handling and movement, animal health diagnosis and treatment, and other topics related to animal care on dairy farms. The training courses are offered in English and Spanish and allow managers to identify specific areas for improvement and additional training needs, as well as identify opportunities to provide one-to-one mentoring if needed and offer positive reinforcement to the workers.
The farmBolus represents a technology previously only available to research institutes, which is now available to farmers and vets for use in diet suitability studies to understand the early stages of sub-acute ruminal acidosis. Each farmBolus will provide 5 months of continuous pH and temperature monitoring per animal and data is recorded and stored on the bolus until it is obtained & evaluated through the antenna & tablet system.
The SCR Heatime HR-LD System is the first solution that combines activity monitoring and rumination measurement from a single tag, in an integrated system with long-distance communication. This unique combination delivers unmatched accuracy, in both heat detection and cow health surveillance, as it continuously tracks and records, in real time, the reproductive, health, nutrition and well-being status of each and every collared cow. The Heatime HR-LD System can be set to send text and email alerts of each cow's health and heat status, at specific time intervals or as statuses change. This allows farmers to manage critical reproduction and health events from anywhere, at any time, via their mobile phone.
The IDEXX Milk Pregnancy Test is a new tool for accurately confirming pregnancy in dairy cows from 35 days postbreeding. Dairy producers now can get early, accurate identification of open cows by sending milk samples directly to their milk testing laboratory or by simply requesting the test for samples they already submit for milk-quality testing. The IDEXX Milk Pregnancy Test is a laboratory-based test, validated for use on bovine milk samples. With 99% sensitivity and 97% specificity, it provides accuracy similar to that of palpation and ultrasound.
Neogen's new Igenity Dairy Heifer Program offers the dairy cattle industry an unprecedented level of information on the genetic potential of replacement dairy heifers. The new genetic profile uses hair follicles to produce DNA test results that provide information on a heifer's potential in key traits. Those traits are performance and health traits such as net merit, pregnancy rate, productive life in months and somatic cell score; and yield traits, such as the animal's milk in fat pounds, fat percentage, protein pounds, and protein percentage; and numerous calving and type traits. The test can be performed soon after a calf is born, and is another tool in the decision-making process for breeding and heifer selection.
Using a patented technology, Semex is now able to measure an animal's immune response and their ability to combat infection and disease. These animals are considered High Immune Responders, and Semex's HIR sires are known as Immunity Plus bulls. This sire line gives dairymen the opportunity to breed healthy cattle that are naturally disease resistant. By using Immunity Plus sires, dairymen can incrementally reduce the disease incidence in their herds with each generation, since immune response is highly heritable at 25%, making genetic gain much easier.
The M I one sets itself apart from other milking robots because it utilizes one robotic application arm to service multiple milking boxes "" providing the highest capacity for the investment cost. It means that dairy producers only need to invest in one vacuum pump, one computer system and one washing system with their robot. The MIone also features revolutionary cow milking technology. A 3D camera simultaneously "sees" the teat cup and teat, for precise attachment. Once the teat cups are attached, teat cleaning, pre-dipping, drying, a milk quality check, stimulation, and milk harvest are executed in sequence - within the teat cup "" without reattaching the unit.
The People's Choice winner is the IDEXX Milk Pregnancy Test. This inaugural award garnered well over 3,000 votes.
Winners were announced Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the Dairy Herd Management reception at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. We are looking forward to seeing you again next year.


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Adonis Just Style Baby Bodysuit
Product Color:
Product information
Use this Baby Bodysuit Adonis Just Style and your need for a babysitter will dwindle rapidly. Whether you are having a nice meal at a fancy restaurant or going to a friend's dinner party: Use our Adonis Just Style outfits and your baby will become the center of any party.
This Adonis Baby Bodysuit is made of 100% Cotton, ensuring durability, quality and all the softness needed to make your little one feel comfortable. Our wide variety of cheerful colors ensure that your baby is always dressed for the occasion.
Sku: BB0RE0000001591717170041VRLG00000


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Nature's Life has a simple goal: To deliver natural supplements that work. From their first product 40 years ago to over 400 products available today, they partner with the best to provide the best. Nature's Life searches the globe for the best natural raw ingredients with minimal processing. Fostering a culture of health is of utmost importance, which is evident in each of their products, from minerals and probiotics to women's and men's health formulas. Some of their most popular items that can be found on the Swanson site include Prostate Maintain 600 Plus, Taurine Powder and Vitamin D3 Drops.
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With eight days to go before Election Day, 2nd District Republican Rep. John Kline and his DFL opponent Mike Obermueller met for their first and only debate Monday on the Daily Circuit on MPR News, moderated by host Kerri Miller.
The pair sparred over President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Kline said Republicans will repeal the law after the elections, if they are able to.
When asked how Republicans would replace the law and address issues such as health care affordability, Kline said a GOP plan would try to offer some of the features of the current law, such as coverage for pre-existing conditions. But Kline said Republicans would focus on incremental changes.
"You start by not trying to replace it with another 2,700 page monstrosity that's jammed through that's full of backroom deals, that's what happens when you put together a giant piece of legislation like that," Kline said. "You take it in pieces."
Obermueller said that repeal of the health care overhaul would have dire consequences for many people who are already taking advantage of some of the law's benefits.
"When these folks like John are voting to repeal this law, they're essentially voting to kick kids off their health insurance before they turn 26," he said. "They're voting to make it harder for seniors to pay for prescription drugs."
On the topic of government spending, both Kline and Obermueller agreed that some spending cuts are necessary to rein in the budget deficit. But Kline said spending cuts should by the only way to try to balance the budget.
Obermueller echoed Obama and national Democrats in arguing that some taxes should also rise for the wealthiest earners. Kline said a major source of the deficit is spending on programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
"Social Security has to be addressed," he said.
"In what way does Social Security have to be addressed? Do you approve of raising the benefits age?" Miller asked.
"You've got to do something and so you could do that, which was done in the 1980s, you could slowly start raising the retirement age, that will address the problem," Kline said.
"What do you think of that idea? Is it a good one?" Miller asked.
"Well, I think it's the mostly likely to have bipartisan support," Kline replied.
Obermueller disagreed, saying that those who have worked hard for many years should not have to wait even longer for retirement. He said that Republicans like Kline are responsible for the legislative gridlock on Capitol Hill.
"This Congress, especially the last couple of years, has been more focused on fighting with each other than getting anything done," Obermueller said. "This system is hopelessly broken the way you guys are running things now. I mean, John, you vote 95 or 96 percent of the time with your party. That's more partisan than Michele Bachmann."
Obermueller is a lawyer who served one term in state House.
Kline is running for his sixth term in office. He chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee.
Submit your questions for upcoming debates at The Daily Circuit blog.


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Glen Allen, Virginia: President Obama "gets it"
Supporters stuck it out through a rainstorm to hear President Obama speak in Glen Allen, Virginia. As the President continued on to Clifton, a few audience members reacted to what they heard:
"When I compare Mitt Romney to President Obama, there is a stark contrast. It's so clear that President Obama has the backs of middle-class Americans. My family and so many other families in Glen Allen are seeing the benefits from things like the Affordable Care Act and middle class tax cuts."
"This is a once in a lifetime experience—to hear the President speak in your own community. This is a huge battleground county in the state, so it goes to show that he's fighting hard to win this election. He's fighting hard for us."
"The economy is picking up slowly but surely. We're heading in the right direction with President Obama. We've got to re-elect President Obama to finish the job. Middle-class America can't wait, and we can't afford go with the alternative."
"President Obama is the only candidate who understands middle-class America. I'm going to fight to make sure he stays in office. I will volunteer, knock on doors, and make those calls. I have one thing to say to Virginia: 'Don't go on the hype—go on the facts.' President Obama gets it. Four more years."
"I think the proposed middle class tax cuts and ending the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy is only fair. I think we've all come to agree that people of means should pay their fair share—we should all pay our fair share. That's what's needed to rebuild the infrastructure in this country and rebuild the economy."
"As a retired Spanish teacher and someone on Medicare, I think that the President has done his best to implement policies that help me—from the Affordable Care Act to middle class tax cuts and education reform. It is all so important, and I know he has my best interests at heart."
Stay tuned for more from the President's trip through Virginia.


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Power supplies from China cut costs considerably
Competitive pricing from Asian manufacturers has prompted market growth of power supplies and considerable cost cuts. CONTROL Senior Technical Editor Rich Merritt provides a Product Roundup.
By Rich Merritt, Senior Technical Editor
My son, Rob, lives in New York City. He brought home a purse as a Christmas present for his sister. Although he paid only $40 from a street vendor, it is virtually identical to a $700 purse that is all the rage among rock stars and movie stars. I suspect that when the Chinese factory that makes the purse for the name-brand vendor completed its contract, it kept the production line running to supply all the discount stores, New York City street vendors and other outlets with lower-cost yet identical versions.
The same is happening with running shoes, designer clothing and, most likely, with industrial power supplies. There's a good chance the power supply you are considering is made in China so, if you look hard enough, you'll find the exact same power supply being sold under another name at a fraction of the price by a wholesale outlet or a New York City street vendor. Such are the realities of having products built in China; that is, they build your product on the day shift, and then build it for discount vendors on the night shift.
Mainland China and Taiwan will produce 3.7 billion power supplies in 2005, according to Global Sources (Hong Kong). This is a 10 percent increase over 2004. The production of switching power supplies (SPS) is expected to reach 900 million units in 2005 and 1.2 billion in 2006. This represents 40% of all SPSes sold worldwide. Mainland China has 2,800 SPS manufacturers, and Global Sources says 200 more companies will start up in 2005.
One immediate effect of this competition is a drop in prices. As you can see in the product roundup that follows, we list power supplies costing $30, $40 and $99.
Not only are the costs of power supplies dropping fast, but the Chinese manufacturers are hip to current equipment trends. "Suppliers are upgrading their production processes to increase their competitiveness in the key European and United States markets," says Mark Saunderson, publisher of the report. "By 2007, more than 50% of companies will have implemented lead-free production. Many will have started using more environment-friendly raw materials."
We were unable to find any recent market studies concerning power supplies, surge suppressors, power conditioners and UPSes, probably because the market segment is falling rapidly in the U.S. and Europe as production shifts to China. Market researchers only write glowing reports they can sell, and few companies are willing to fork out $4,000 to read what they already know.
The most recent studies were published in 2002 and 2003. Frost & Sullivan noted in 2002 that "intense competition" (from the Chinese, we presume) was causing price drops in transient voltage surge suppressors and power conditioning markets. Even so, F&S predicts that both markets will enjoy healthy growth rates of 5.7%.
Venture Development predicted a 5.8% increase in power line surge suppressors in the North America market in its 2003 study.
Power Supplies and Controllers
For more information about any of these products, click on the description of the product below to view a longer description and all contact information, including phone numbers, e-mail addresses, websites, and a photo where available.
Fieldbus Power Supply Runs Redundantly
The FPS200 provides isolated and conditioned DC power with built-in surge protection. The module mounts directly onto a standard DIN rail, has duplicated connectors to accept DCS systems cables for Foundation fieldbus segments, and is compatible with all FF devices and systems. It delivers 350 mA per segment for 1-4 redundant fieldbus segments, or eight segments in simplex mode. Hawke International
DC Power Supplies Power Panels
Four regulated 24VDC power supplies provide enough power to drive automation control panels. Models include a single-phase input, 20 A/24 V output power supply, and three-phase input, 10, 20, and 40 A/24 V output power supplies. All are space-efficient, easy to install, use and maintain, and able to handle the type of signal transients commonly found in industrial processes. Weidmuller
Switcher Provides Passive Power Factor Correction
The PAS150 switch-mode power supply provides a universal 115/230 VAC input, choice of 3.3, 5, 12, 24 and 48V output voltages, or a single output of 150W continuous power. It employs passive power factor correction technology that meets Class A EN61000-3-2 harmonic distortion standards, and is protected against overload, overvoltage, reverse voltage and thermal conditions. Options include current-sharing capability for 1+1 redundancy, remote on/off, and droop or single-wire current sharing with OR-ing diodes. Prices start at $40.00. Taiyo Yuden
Power Supply Provides Maintenance Data
The S8VS switch mode power supply has a LED display with lifetime and run-time monitors. The lifetime monitor shows an estimate of the remaining service life in years, while the run-time monitor displays how long a load has been operating. The power supply has overload and overvoltage protection, and is The S8VS is available in 60, 90, 120 and 240W versions. Prices start at $99. Omron Electronics
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One of the most enjoyable parts of my job at Bob's Red Mill is the diversity of projects with which I am tasked. On any given day, I might spend four hours proofreading, two hours writing, an hour photographing products and an hour surfing our little portion of the web. Some days, however, are filled with projects that I never would have dreamed I would get paid to do.
Over the last few weeks, I have been helping Bob prepare his presentation for Oregon State University's nutrition students. I have spent the last few days sprouting grains and beans and documenting their growth progress.
I was skeptical that our grains would not hold the same life that seeds purchased specifically for sprouting might. I was wrong. Check out what a little bit of water, darkness and warmth can do for these grains!
Day one: Skeptical that anything will sprout- from left to right, Kidney Beans, Wheat Berries, and Mung Beans.
Day two: after only 24 hours- look at the root formation! Clockwise from left: Kamut® Berry, Flageolet Bean, Mung Bean, Wheat Berry, Baby Lima Bean and Kidney Bean (middle).
Day six: Look at how big they've gotten in just a few days! From right to left, we have mung beans, wheat berries and kidney beans. You can clearly see the formation of wheat grass.


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CM Punk, The Best in the World (?)
by, 03-29-2013 at 05:12 PM (15570 Views)
After CM Punk "turned on the WWE Universe" by clotheslining the People's Champ out of his boots, he kept self-indulgently advertising himself as the "Best in the World" to aggravate the fans. Despite that Punk exceeded John Cena's merchandise sales while a babyface, and also was still being significantly cheered even as a heel, Vince McMahon, for whatever reason, still wanted him to be an antihero.
Thus, WWE tried everything to make him a hated antagonist. They provided him with one of the most narcissistic, insufferable, and obnoxious managers of all time--Paul Heyman. In addition, they incorporated him into segments with some of the biggest babyface legends in WWE's history to receive tons of heat. Because of all the effort they put into his heel persona, Punk finally developed into the most hated wrestler in WWE.
Whether babyface or heel, CM Punk is never shy to call himself the best wrestler in the world. However, wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Kevin Steen, and Bryan Danielson have proclaimed that they are the best in the world too. Anybody can say it, but that clearly doesn't prove it.
So, is CM Punk truly the best in the world? Furthermore, if not, who is?
In order to be the best wrestler in the world, there has to be a criteria behind it. After all, what makes a wrestler better than the rest? Is it their popularity, in-ring performance, ability to talk on the microphone, significance to the company, charisma, desire, or long-term influence?
The answer is all of the above.
In his recent DVD, also called "Best in the World", CM Punk talks about how he much he is proud of what he has already accomplished in WWE since he was an individual that did not belong there. As someone who was so versatile, could play both a fan-favorite babyface, and a hated heel, combined with the ability to talk and work in the ring, why would someone like CM Punk not be welcomed with open arms?
Well, it was primarily because of his appearance. Mr. McMahon has always had a compulsion with big wrestlers because of their larger-than-life, carnival side-show appearance. To his credit, his philosophy that big men sell has made him bundles of cash. His obsession however, at time went too far, and resulted in the roster that consisted of too many gigantic wrestlers that all talked, acted, and wrestled identically.
In a company that is filled with yes men, there was someone who stuck up for whatever he believed in, no matter the consequences. His name was Paul Heyman, the same man that fought and clawed for the Chicago native to become a WWE superstar because he knew the kid had talent. Heyman was eventually able to convince McMahon that CM Punk was worth signing, which, of course, ended up being one of McMahon's best investments ever.
Now, we must determine if CM Punk is what he claims to be--the best in the world.
CM Punk's popularity is bar none, as no matter what role he is playing, he is still getting a massive reaction from the crowd. With the exception of Cena, he is the most well-known and most over full-time wrestler in the company. His massive growth of popularity all started after his infamous "Pipebomb" catapulted him to the top-tier of WWE. Fans, largely the older demographic, started to notice him more. After all, many of them saw him as a modern-day Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was the first genuine anti-establishment star of WWE, as well as the wrestler who drew many, myself included, into professional wrestling.
I find Daniel Bryan's work to be unparalleled in the ring. His fluidity and execution are so high-caliber that it's fathomable to put him on the list of all-time top-tier technicians alongside workers such as Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and so on. With that being said, CM Punk is still one of the best in-ring wrestlers in the world today.
Ric Flair, who is one of the greatest of all time, created a formula referred to by many as the "Flair formula". Ideally, Flair would have the same match almost every night. That sounds uninteresting, right? Actually, it was the complete opposite. Flair had essentially impeccable timing, ring generalship, pacing, ability to the crowd, bumps, and was unparalleled as a feeder for the babyface.
Then there was Bret Hart, who was someone that did the same moves every match with most of them being in chronological order. What made him stand out were his exceptional execution, realism, and ability to adapt to his opponent's style, though
Punk has all the intangibles that Flair and Hart had, just to a lesser degree. He also has an attribute that neither of those legends had—tons of diversity in the ring. He has a state-of-the-art hybrid style as it has so much complexity and range to it. He adds fresh spots and ideas to his matches every time he wrestles which makes his matches tremendously unpredictable.
This, though, is not up for debate--CM Punk's forte is talking and no one comes close today. I can say that I have witnessed nearly every extraordinary talker in this business—from Ric Flair, to Terry Funk, to, Jerry Lawler, to Roddy Piper, to Mick Foley, to Stone Cold Steve Austin, to Jake The Snake Roberts, to Michael Hayes, to Dusty Rhodes, to Chris Jericho,to Jim Cornette, to Paul Heyman, all the way to Arn Anderson and Raven.
I can also honestly say that CM Punk belongs at the top of any promo list. He is one of the best trash-talkers of all time, and what is so fascinating is that he does not yell or scream in order to strengthen the promo.
Instead, he does his promos in a subtle, calculating manner as he methodically justifies himself in a glorious, narrative manner. His promos are so outstanding that they could be examples of modern-day art insofar as how to articulate resentments in an ingenious manner. As well, his character has absolutely revolutionized the blueprint of a heel to fit the modern era. It's someone who's not naïve enough to fall for trite babyface shenanigans and someone who is dominant not because of their stature but rather their knowledge.
CM Punk can portray so many roles. His best role is the pompous, in your face antagonist. His most infamous persona is the "I'm straight edge, which means I'm better than you" character. He has used it from the indies all the way to WWE.
Punk has also played the sadistic dictator and leader of the cult known as the Straight Edge Society. He has been the much-loved anti-establishment babyface as well as a sympathetic babyface—as seen in his feud with Jericho. His passion and credibility are so impeccable that he could pull off the monster heel role as well.
What's more, Punk has become a pioneer in WWE. He was one of the first men in WWE's modern era to tear up a promo some writer wrote for him.
It seems as if he one of the few men in the company who understands why writing an entire promo for someone else lacks emotion and believably and comes off as overly choreographed and rehearsed.
Hopefully over time, Punk will be the reason word-for-word scripted promos are eliminated from WWE (at least for the main eventers). Basically, he is someone who is unafraid to express himself, regardless of the consequences.
Additionally, the Straight Edge superstar has turned almost everything he has been handed into gold. He even made the best out of ECW, in spite of jobbing countless times as champion. He overcame his paper championship run, where he was not allowed to seem as if he was on the same pedestal as the higher-profile wrestlers.
And after solidifying himself as one of the best heels in wrestling during his feud with Jeff Hardy, The Undertaker came back and in their feud, Punk was booked as inferior to The Undertaker. Instead of being WWE's flavor of the month and then getting "lost in the shuffle" in the midcard, CM Punk created the Straight Edge Society, which skyrocketed past anyone's expectations in WWE.
Punk also restored honor and prestige to the WWE title (which, prior to his remarkable run,was being treated as a subplot for top-caliber feuds) by emphasizing the importance of being champion in the biggest wrestling company. He showed that it solidified the champion as someone who is at the very top of their game.
Ultimately, CM Punk is one of those who absolutely loves wrestling. His passion and charisma are so off the charts that his actions speak much louder than words. He is truly one of the most passionate wrestlers I have ever seen.
Currently, CM Punk's character desires to do something nobody has done yet: terminate The Undertaker's flawless record at WrestleMania. A number of people think that The Undertaker and CM Punk have nothing in common, but just like Punk, The Undertaker made the best of a bad hand from WWE.
After all, he took one of the most ludicrous gimmicks on paper and ended up turning it into one of the greatest, most mysterious, bone-chilling gimmicks of all time.
It seems a foregone conclusion that he will become another victim in the Devil's playground. It is almost a certainty that CM Punk will be getting his comeuppance for mocking Paul Bearer. Despite the predictable finish, we will probably be on the edge of our seats while holding our breath during every close near-fall due both wrestlers' skill at making us suspend our disbelief.
I predict that The Deadman will have his hand raised high and remain perfect, while CM Punk will be laying down while looking at the lights as the referee counts to three and then walk off in disappointment. The Undertaker's record will move to any Blackjack player's favorite number, but after the match, the people backstage will not be talking about the streak.
They will be talking about CM Punk's performance, as he will have proven once again why he truly is the best in the world.


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Here's a quick tip that may save you time and a headache. Most of the time when I am arranging in Ableton Live I create a large amount of volume automation. When I get to the final mixdown stage I watch the mixer in Session View to see if any channel is too loud or soft. Often a channel that needs an overall adjustment contains large amounts of volume automation envelope breakpoints. Instead of selecting all the automation envelope breakpoints and lowering them I add the Utility plug-in at the end of the channels device chain and lower the gain a few db.
"You are the music while the music lasts." – T.S. Eliot
Utility is found in the Live Device Browser in the Audio Effects folder. It can also help you with Phase issues, add or remove Stereo imaging and apply DC offset filter.
Happy mixing!


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I was talking to a friend who throws forehand drives pretty well. He commented that he can throw farther with a higher release point. For his longest throws, he actually releases at shoulder height or even higher. I found this especially interesting because I do the opposite. I lean down and release the disk below my waist.
I am a little concerned about this. I had been told that you can avoid arm problems by keeping your elbow close to your body. I don't see any way to release at shoulder level and keep your elbow by your body.
Yesterday I tried a more upright position and I released the disk about waist level. My drives were inconsistent (not surprising since I am changing my technique), but the good throws went farther than my low release throws by 30 feet or so. Plus the upright position seems more balanced and I think I could be more consistent with it.
So that raises a few questions for the forehand experts out there:
1) Is it really safer to throw with your elbow close to your body?
2) Would you gain more distance if you threw with your elbow farther from your body? This is a scary thought to me, would I risk injury to my arm to gain more distance?
3) For forehands, does release height affect distance?
4) Did my 30 foot gains come from release height or upright position?
Or does it all depend on the thrower. Try different heights and body positions and find out what works best for you?


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Music Cake
I made this for a competition. Unfortunately, I didn't win. But I did get to meet Mauro and Buddy Jr. from Cake Boss and they both said my cake was very good. That makes me happy. The 2nd tier has inlays (I don't know what you would call it) and there are fondant sculpted instruments in each one. I LOVE this cake.


text: Girls' colorblock marshmallow puffer jacket in neon Item F4384 Color: NAVY PEONY Size: 16 All sizes are US sizes. 16 Size Charts Quantity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Prices do not include taxes. Add to Bag Wishlist Add to Bag Add To Wishlist share: size & fit Hits at hip. Product Details The cutest, marshmallow-iest (hence the name) neon colorblock puffer coat ever, made even more awesome with extra-cozy and cool details, like fleece-lined pockets, a hidden zip closure and mitten loops, just to name a few. Ripstop nylon. Zip closure. Pockets. Mitten loops. Lined. Machine wash. Import. Select stores. Item F4384.


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The Hallums Family
Hallums' Slide Show
The Hostage Video
Reward Flyer for Roy
Some Photos
More Photos
Even More Photos
Recent Articles
SanFrancisco Trip/Giant's Game
O.C. Register Article-6/4/05
Candlelight Vigil For My Dad-6/23/05
Poem for My Dad
Contact Us
Favorite Links Page
The website for Hostage Family Matters is: http://www.hostagefamilymatters.com
Please feel free to visit this website also. If you would like to become involved in some way with this organization, please feel free to contact us about this.
The new website for
Roy IS FREE!!!!!! 9/7/05
This website was created to honor my father who was held in Iraq as a hostage by Iraqi insurgents.
On November 1, 2004 around dinner time, my Dad was taken hostage in a hail of gun fire by about 20 armed attackers. Some of the Iraqi insurgents covered their faces and some didn't. Also, some wore their traditional robes. They all carried automatic weapons and a few carried rocket launchers, some reports say. My Dad was among six taken in an upper class area of Baghdad. He was the only American taken that day, and there are some reports that say another American got away. This detail has never been verified to me however. People who knew my Father witnessed him being abducted, and they reported it to authorities. From what I understand my Dad lived and worked in the compound from which he was taken. I sound unsure of myself because I did not know he was in Iraq when the kidnapping occurred. I never knew he had moved there and was working there. My Dad had lived in another country near-by (that is somewhat safer) for many years, so naturally I assumed he was still there. I was shocked to hear he was kidnapped and living in Baghdad. At first I didn't believe it was he that was taken hostage, because my father lived in a different country (or so I thought). Well, as it turned out, it was my Dad and from there my shock disapated into a variety of emotions that I go through daily: Anger, frustration, grief, depression, and at times, denial.
I can only imagine what my Dad was feeling as he was forced from his compound that November day. I don't want to imagine how he has been treated since that day as I hear of "Torture Houses" being found in Baghdad that held American hostages. Picturing in my Dad in those conditions is too much to bear.
-Now with the release of my Dad's hostage video. My nightmares have become a reality. (I wrote the previous in January of 2005.)
Click on the picture to the left to see my Dad's video that was released by his captor's in January.
The article below gives you a glimpse of how some hostages are treated in Iraq.
"MG Natonski: The room was small. There were no windows, just one door. Inside the flag (the terrorist's banner) was on the wall. There were two thin mattresses and straw mats covered in blood. There was a computer and many computer discs found inside the room. There was also a wheelchair, which we believe was used to move the prisoners around. We believe they were bound and moved around the complex in a wheelchair. There were several plastic chairs we believe belonged to the guards and we are now currently exploiting the material that was found in this room to see whether this was in fact a room that was used for execution by the insurgents of innocent Iraqis and foreigners." I have read other horrible things that they have found in these houses, which I will not go into.
From watching the video of my father, I can tell he is most likely usually bound (because he has plastic ties/cuffs around his wrists that are cut so that he may use his hands during the video). It appears as though he may have a black scarf around his neck, which most likely is used as a blindfold. My Dad has very poor eye sight, and is not wearing his glasses. So, besides being very ill he can not see even while making the video. I see bruises on my father's head and he is practically gasping for air as he speaks. I believe he does not have much longer to live due to the state of his health and the dangerous situation he is in. I just hope someone helps him very soon, or it will be too late.
How to contact us:
Carrie Cooper
PO Box 947
Westminster, Ca. 92684
zikul prayers and concerns are what gave us strength during the most painful time of our lives.
Tell a Friend About This Site!
Carrie and Susan on "Good Morning America" to talk about my Dad
On December 19th, 2004, my Mom and I flew to New York to be guests on Good Morning America to talk about my father. It felt good to talk about our tragedy after holding it in for so long, and to bring attention to my Dad's situation. Since that time we have been back to New York and been on various other shows all in an effort to bring attention to my father's situation (and to keep the focus on his situation). I believe that the more attention my Mom and I are able to bring to my Dad's crisis, the more likely something will be done about it and the more likely he will be released.
Please View Family Photos & Some News Articles I've Included
Click on the photo pages and share our family memories with us.
I thank people who have contributed to supporting our cause on the "What's New" page and in various other places in the site. If I have forgotten anyone- Thank you!
Our mailing address:
Carrie Cooper P.O. Box 947 Westminster, CA 92684


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Fishing Reel Parts. Round and T Bar Reel Handles, Round and T Bar Reel Knobs for most fishing reels including Shimano, Penn, Daiwa and Abu Garcia We also offer a large selection of fishing gear and supplies including tackle bags, boxes and cases, lures, jigs and baits, hooks, leaders and rigs, saltwater rods.
Replacement Knob fits SHIMANO Saragosa & Spheros Reel
On Jun-02-07 at 11:42:58 PDT, seller added the following information:
Powered by eBay Turbo Lister
The free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items.


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We're no strangers to pumpkin ice cream and gelato. Between the months of October and December each year, my love for any other flavor takes a backseat. We've done roundups on ten spots for pumpkin ice cream and the occasional feature on pumpkin gelato around town. But now there's two more we must add to the growing list.
First, Pumpkin Gelato by the pint at Otto. Any gelato from the kitchen of Meredith Kurtzman, Otto's gelato wizard, is guaranteed to be great. And this pumpkin gelato is no different, with a perfectly rounded and balanced profile, rich and easy-melting on the tongue. The focus is pumpkin itself and not so much the spices that typically come with it.
A few blocks south on Great Jones Street is il Buco Alimentari. The gelato stand is near the entrance of this market/restaurant/espresso bar. Pair a paddle of housemade Pumpkin Gelato with the Salted Caramel Gelato. The two unexpectedly go hand in hand, the savory, almost smoky notes of the salted caramel balancing the sweeter, creamier pumpkin. Do note that the gelato here is noticeably more dense than most places in the city; whether that's a good or bad thing is a matter of preference. Alternate spoonfuls, and it'll be pumpkin gelato like you've never had before.
1 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10003 (map)
il Buco Alimentari
53 Great Jones Street, New York NY 10012 (map)
About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.