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According to casting director Kimberly R. Hardin, an actor's job is to bring himself to the material. "An actor can only do his take on it," she said. Then her job is to make that fit within the concept of the film: "One of the most important things about being a casting director is having an understanding of your director so that you know what he's looking for and you can communicate that to the talent. That way the actor can take those notes and make the material come alive."
With credits ranging from CB4 to Baby Boy, Hardin has helped thousands of actors through this process. But the main ingredient she requires of any actor hoping to get to the next step is passion. "It's key on so many levels. I really enjoy meeting people who have passion and integrity for the work. When you have passion, it's not about how you look or about being a star."
Hardin asks no more of actors than she brings to the session herself. Her passion for the craft of casting is evident.
First Casting Job: I'm Gonna Git U Sucka, as assistant to Robi Reed-Humes and Jaki Brown Karman.
Road to Today: "I fell into casting. I originally thought I wanted to be a production manager. That's what I was involved with in my college days," said Hardin. She attended Pasadena City College and Cal State, L.A. "I had been involved in theatre in high school and at both colleges. A producer put a bug in my ear about casting, and that's how I learned there was even a job called casting.
"I worked as an assistant to Jaki on a couple of films and also worked on [the HBO series] Dream On. Then I worked with Gail Levin when she was partners with Lauren Lloyd at Paramount. I worked with them as an associate on To Sleep With Anger, The Hot Spot, and Switch," Hardin recalled. "I came back around to work with Jaki again as an associate, and we did the Jackson Five miniseries [The Jacksons: An American Dream] and Jason's Lyric, to name a couple.
"Everybody works differently," she said. "Working with so many different people helped me tremendously. Not only did I learn about different actors, I learned a work ethic with each casting director. I learned how to get that tough skin and find out whether I could hang in this industry. I was fortunate enough to work with really good people. I try to carry that over with my people, too."
Coolest Casting Gig: Friday. "I literally came from casting a film in Florida to being thrown into the situation where I had to cast Friday in three weeks. I had already cast Chris Tucker in the film I did in Florida. He was supposed to do one scene with Eddie Griffin. He had like two lines. He came in and auditioned for Friday, and he just wasn't getting it. I gave him some notes and told him to work on it, put his own spin on it. He came back in and blew us all away. I brought him in to Ice Cube and F. Gary Gray. Then I had to go through trying to pull him from the other movie. That other producer was George Jackson, and, after a lot of work, I was able to get him out of that one scene so that he could be the lead in Friday. Look at how that turned out."
Unable to stop at just one "coolest" gig, Hardin added, "I also had a lot of fun with a search that Fox hired me and Jaki and Leah [Daniels-Butler] to do for In Living Color right before they were going off the air. We did six cities in six weeks. We had an open call in each city and saw thousands of people in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit. I had an associate who did nothing but prep for the open call we would be having in the next city before we left the one we were in," Hardin recalled fondly. "They ended up not picking up the show that season, but Fox did pick up an option for the guy we found--Chris Kattan--through an open call. The next year, I put him on the pilot for Def Comedy Jam Prime Time with Cedric the Entertainer. A few months later, Chris got Saturday Night Live. That was great to see."
Currently Casting: The Fast and the Furious 2 for Universal Pictures and Biker Boyz for DreamWorks. Hardin is trying to segue into producing while continuing casting. "I've already got a couple of projects on the burner," she said, grinning.
Preparation Tips: As with nearly every CD we speak to, lack of preparation is Hardin's main pet peeve. She quickly shows the door to "actors who don't take the time to prepare for the meeting and who do not take the craft seriously. Especially out here in California, they feel if they're halfway good-looking they should be successful because of that."
Another peeve is a headshot that does not look like the actor. "It's a huge disappointment when you come in and don't look like that photo." And speaking of coming in, more advice: "Don't be chatty and try to shake my hand. I know you're trying to be nice, but I see 100 of you. I'm trying to get a job done. So, if I don't shake your hand, it's not personal."
Hardin doesn't mind if an actor needs to start over in a read. "If you need to make a restart, one is fine. Three to four times is not going to fly. I'm here to help you do the best job you can, and a false start is understandable."
Advice for Actors: "I tell every actor to spend six months to a year in New York doing theatre. If you don't want to do theatre, then what are you doing [acting]? That's the core of acting. You get your immediate response right there. You have immediate feedback, you get such direction in rehearsal, that's where you get it all," she insisted, adding, "Los Angeles is not strong when it comes to theatre. It's sad but true. New York is a great training ground for theatre. There's really great culture there."
Hardin also advises actors to get training. "Actors shouldn't be afraid to have coaching. Some people think they get past the need to train. The oldest actors, even, should always think of themselves as a work in progress," she explained. In Hardin's opinion, training is a cure for several traps of the industry. "Training keeps you humble and takes away the ego," she said. "Ego is so unnecessary. Life's too short. I will only bring someone to the director if they have the talent and skills. An untrained actor with ego will not go beyond the first session."
Best Way To Get Seen by Her: "Submit your headshot. I literally go through every picture. I go through everything that comes in. I make the time to do it. Ask any of my crew members. But don't send a submission unless I'm currently working on a project. Otherwise I have nowhere to keep your submission," Hardin explained.
Favorite Casting Tale: Putting Halle Berry in 1991's Strictly Business. "I was associate [casting director] on that one. From sessions we had it down to three people: Holly Robinson, A.J. Johnson, and Halle Berry. The director asked me, 'Who's your pick?' Halle was always my pick. They hired A.J. Johnson for her dance skills. For whatever reason, they fired the director and hired Kevin Hooks to take over a week before shooting began. He went back and looked at the finalists and selected Halle. Although she had done a small role as a crack addict in one of Spike Lee's films [Jungle Fever], this was her first lead. She skyrocketed from there," Hardin recalled proudly.
Her Operating System: It's about support: She relies on her associate Leah Daniels-Butler ("I'm lost without her," Hardin said) and assistant Billy Murphy, whom she called "a godsend."
"It's a creative process," said Hardin. "I want to cover all of my bases. I'll check out theatre, schools, I'll put Post-It Notes in magazines, and my crew will find these people for me."
Casting Nomads: Asked about alternative submission methods, Hardin said she can't use many of the new online resources because she moves around too much. "We'd use [Internet casting] if we had a solid office space," she said. "But we're gypsies. Have box, will travel. We move with each project. I like that element, but it makes technology difficult."
Hardin took a break from her nomadic tendencies for about six months as director of Talent Development Programs and Casting for ABC, a position she left in March 2002. "I'm very proud of what I've done in helping them get the diversity project going, but it felt different being in the same office every day in that corporate situation. I like the constant change and the travel."
Most Gratifying Part of Her Job: Said Hardin, "When it all comes together, we have an extremely happy director and an actor who went through a gazillion auditions and finally got it, and I sit there at the theatre with a real audience and see the enjoyment. That's really cool." BSW
Kimberly R. Hardin
3000 W. Olympic Blvd.
Bldg. 3, Ste. 2328
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at email@example.com.


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HOUSTON Reggie McNeal threw for three touchdowns and ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 7:05 to play to lead Lufkin to a 38-24 victory over Austin Westlake for the Class 5A Division II state championship Saturday.
McNeal, who is headed for Texas A&M, threw two of the touchdowns to Jeremy Berry as Lufkin came from 18 points down the first half to win its first state championship. It was the third time in the playoffs Lufkin had rallied from behind to win.
"I wasn't really worried," McNeal said of the 21-3 second-quarter deficit. "We've been down so many weeks in a row it has no affect on us."
McNeal hit only 6-of-19 passes but totaled 215 yards passing. McNeal also carried 10 times for 140 yards
Ennis 21, Bay City 0
HOUSTON Graham Harrell threw for two touchdowns on Saturday night and ran for another to lead Ennis past Bay City for the Lions' second straight Class 4A Division II state championship.
Harrell hit 7 of 20 passes for 165 yards and rushed 13 times for 40 yards as the Lions (16-0) won their 27th straight game. Denard Cox rushed 17 times for 87 yards as Ennis captured its third state title overall.
Bay City, which won the Class 4A Division I title last year, finished 14-2.
Celina 41, Garrison 35
WACO Josh Sharrock's 1-yard run gave Celina a come-from-behind win over Garrison and the Class 2A Division II state championship.
The victory brought the Bobcats their fourth consecutive state title and extended Celina's winning streak to 57 games. The string of four straight state championships matches the mark set by Sealy from 1994 to 1997.
After Sharrock's fourth quarter touchdown run, Garrison regained possession on its 44 with just over three minutes remaining. Lee Griffith's halfback option pass sailed over Brandon Addison on fourth-and-10. Celina took over on downs and ran out the final 1:34 for the win.
Burkeville 27, Celeste 8
TYLER Burkeville claimed three turnovers and beat Celeste, winning the Class A state championship.
It was Burkeville's first state title since 1986.
Last year, Burkeville reached the championship game and was drilled 49-14 by Stratford.
"Last year, we were just happy to be here we were satisfied just to play in the championship game," Burkeville coach Roy Harper said.
"But this year we wanted to win. We stayed on course and rose to the occasion."
The win ended what had been a dramatic playoff run by Celeste (14-1), which had ridden an emotional tide to postseason victories over four straight ranked opponents.
Celeste had grown used to playing from behind in the playoffs, and could not overcome another deficit in the championship contest.
"We had played through all kinds of things this year, and had been able to come from behind," Celeste quarterback Brody Lipsey said. "But tonight, we made too many mistakes early. Fumbles, interceptions - it just wasn't our night."
Burkeville (11-3) claimed three turnovers on the game and held Celeste to 213 yards. Lipsey was sacked four times three by safety Erik Spearman- and was picked off twice by Brandon Lewis.
Spearman and Lewis were also playmakers on offense.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Strauss-Elite Plant in Sderot Fully Operational Despite Missile Strike
One worker hurt by shrapnel, several shocked and a car was destroyed as missile hit on Sunday
Strauss-Elite's (TASE: STEL) snack foods plant in Sderot is operating normally despite the Qassam missile landing in its yard on Sunday, the company said.
The missile damaged a parked car and one woman was hit by shrapnel. Some of the workers were treated for shock, but otherwise it's business as usual, says Strauss-Elite CEO and president Erez Vigodman.
"The Qassam didn't hit the plant," Vigodman points out, and the routine was restored quickly.
The Sderot plant, which employs 130 people, makes Tapuchips and Shosh snacks, turning over NIS 250 million to NIS 300 million a year.
Vigodman added that northern Strauss-Elite plants in Katyusha missile range up north are also producing to meet full demand. Strauss-Elite has manufacturing plants in Safed, Nazareth and Carmiel, all towns that have been pounded by Hizbullah missiles for the last two and a half weeks. It also has a plant in Ahihud, another northern town.
Strauss-Elite chairwoman Ofra Strauss had herself opened the Sderot plant on Sunday morning, then returned to central Israel. When the missile landed on the plant site, she returned to Sderot. Strauss said she admired the resilience of the Sderot workers, who have been suffering missile attacks from the Gaza Strip for the last five years.
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Has anyone had this procedure done? I have been doing some research and I have been hearing some negative things. The doctor said it is not true though. Can some of you tell me your experience with this procedure, if you are happy with the results, and did you have any bad side effects? Thanks
I had the procedure done in January this year, about two or three weeks after having my son (I had pneumonia the day after delivery, otherwise it would been done the next day). It was: 1.) an outpatient procedure done at the hospital 2.) painless 3.) final - no more babies. You have to have someone drive you from the hospital....most hospitals require the person to be there before they start the procedure. They give knock you out. No recovery time required. I was a little sleepy the day of, but back to normal the next day. NO SIDE EFFECTS NO REGRETS!
BEWARE: This is a final decision. Think long and hard before doing. I hope this helps.
I have not had it, but I have a friend who did this after her last baby in 2010. Her's didn't work. The coils didn't stay in. And she won't do it again after doing more research on it herself. Her DH just got snipped.
Thanks ladies. I am a single mom and am pregnant with my 3rd. My 2 children are 10 and 13 and I had not planned on having anymore, so I for sure know I want some form of permanent birth control. My doctor said I wouldn't be able to get it done till about 6 weeks after the baby was born. Also wondering how it would work since I will be breast feeding. Jackiewal10 do you know what your friend found out that made her decide against it? I appreciate your help :)
I've heard more negative things than positive. I'm really not for putting things inside my body. When we're done having kids, we plan on having him get a vasectomy, my body has been through enough.


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Hi I live in New York City. A friend sent me a few recpies form a web site called Anthony's Kitchen. They were all Italian recipies, Ez to follow. I went on the internet , I couldn't find it. Has anyone in the 5 boro's heard of this guy.My friend said every once in awhile new dish will appear on her e mail. If anyone knows how to get in touch with this person . I would really like to him to send me an e mail.
Here is a sample of what he sends
Brasied Chicken with olives
Sausage and polenta ( YUM)
Swiss chard and potatoes
Veal scalopini in a caper sauce
Eggplant and Pasta
Brined grilled pork chops with Rabe and a chick pea puree
Risstto with red wine and radichio
Some of the recipies he sent out I never had in any Italian rest, and they are so good and he makes them ez to prepare. Would love to get some more of his dishes.


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With a busy week behind you and the weekend within reach, there's no shame in taking things a bit easy on Friday afternoon. With this in mind, every Friday TriplePundit will give you a fun, easy read on a topic you care about. So, take a break from those endless email threads, and spend five minutes catching up on the latest trends in sustainability and business.
Whether you're on iOS or Android, your app store is likely crowded with "green" applications, each claiming to be next big thing. Sounds great and all, but on closer examination most of these apps receive dismal reviews and often aren't worth the download space. To save you some time scouring the app store, this week 3p rounded up seven apps that are actually useful for reducing environmental impact and spending your dollar where it counts.
1. GiveO2
In a crowd of carbon footprint trackers, GiveO2 stands out. Debuted at SXSW 2013, this bilingual app for iOs and Android allows users to easily monitor the carbon footprint of their daily commutes — whether it's by car, bike, public transit or a combination of the three. The app works with your GPS so you don't have to worry about typing in miles manually, and, miraculously, it also promises not to drain your battery life.
Users can also snag rewards and discounts at participating retailers for shrinking their footprints, or select from a pool of sustainable projects around the world to offset transportation-related emissions — putting sustainable purchasing power in the palm of their hands.
2. Leafully
Grand prize winner of the DOE's Apps for Energy challenge in 2012, Leafully goes beyond most energy trackers by connecting directly a user's local utility, automatically monitoring energy consumption, and notifying the user when they consume more energy than normal. Energy efficiency is the nation's cheapest energy source, proven once again by an April report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and helping users cut back will not only reduce peak-hour burdens for local utility companies but also ensure lower carbon emissions for all.
3. GoodGuide
GoodGuide makes it easy to find safe, ethical and environmentally-friendly products while on-the-go. Powered by the GoodGuide.com database, the app provides health, environmental and social performance ratings for more than 120,000 food, personal care and household products.
Users can also customize the app by selecting issues they care about most, such as the environment, animal welfare or organic certification, and see how products perform on their preferences — a win not only for consumers but for any company trying to draw attention to its latest sustainable offering. The app has been so successful that the GoodGuide team hooked up with Target last fall to rate thousands of products on the retail giant's shelves and develop an industry standard that allows consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.
4. PaperKarma
This top-rated app is bad news for pamphlet pushers but good news for socially responsible businesses that moved away from junk mail torture ages ago. The app not only helps save trees, but also puts control back in the hands of the consumer — further underscoring the need for companies to adopt new, clever advertising tactics that actually resonate with the conscious consumer.
5. Seafood Watch
The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface and contains 97 percent of its water, yet a growing number of factors continue to threaten the health of our oceans and, by extension, the sustainable future of our planet. Overfishing is one key concern, and it can be difficult for consumers to engage in this area and determine how best to take action.
Enter Seafood Watch, a top-rated app from Monterey Bay Aquarium that allows consumers to choose ocean-friendly seafood at their favorite restaurants and stores — and helps sustainable brands, eateries and distributors stand out.
6. Waze
Hate gridlock? So do we. It pollutes the air, diminishes productivity and, in some cases, can even bring entire cities to a screeching halt. So, if you haven't heard about Waze — the crowdsourced solution to spending two hours on I-95 — it's time to get with the program.
Originally developed in Israel and acquired by Google for an astonishing $1.1 billion last June, Waze is the world's largest community-based traffic app that lets users share real-time traffic and road information with other drivers in their area, saving everyone time, gas money and carbon emissions on their daily commute.
7. Carma Carpooling
Carma Carpooling from Avego is the No. 1 carpooling verification app in the U.S. and eight other countries around the world. By making it easy to connect with neighbors looking for a ride, Carma Carpooling helps commuters reduce both carbon emissions and urban gridlock.
Image courtesy of GiveO2
Based in Philadelphia, Mary Mazzoni is an editor at TriplePundit. She is also a freelance journalist who frequently writes about sustainability, corporate social responsibility and clean tech. Her work has appeared on the Huffington Post, Sustainable Brands, Earth911 and The Daily Meal. You can follow her on Twitter @mary_mazzoni.


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Superior Equine Sires
P. O. Box 4035
Spokane, WA 99220
Contact Carol Austin:
phone: 509-838-9922
fax: 360-758-4994
cell: 360-758-2808
(cell phone not preferred contact,
please call
509-838-9922) or
toll free: 877-833-1666
Email SES
Roadster is an elegant, Thoroughbred type youngster by the multi-champion, Rohdiamant. Having a perfect exterior, Roadster also stands out because of very good interior values. Expectations were high regarding his hereditary traits in rideability, willingness to work, and dressage ability. Added to that are ground covering movements that swing through his whole body - all of which make him a promising young sire. In 2000, these expectations were fulfilled at his performance test in Neustadt/Dosse where he scored 130.98 points, taking an outstanding fourth place. He received 140.53 points for dressage alone with grades of over 9 for basic paces, rideability, character, temperament and jumping. The dam, Malta, represents the proved line of Erika. Her sire is the legendary "sire of the century" and Cappeln's own, Furioso II, who had a lasting influence on all German riding horse breeds (his offspring have won more than 5.53 million DM). Roadster as well as his full sister, Reine Seide, Champion Mare of the 1998 Elite Broodmare Show in Rastede, came to Cappeln through the Vechta auction. In 2001, Roadster's first crop produced very good type foals and he himself became the highest winning four year old riding horse in Germany, earning € 997.00 in prizes. In 2002, he won or placed in numerous dressage horse tests up to elementary level with scores of up to 8.9, qualifying for the Bundeschampionat. In 2003 Roadster achieved many first and other places in dressage horse tests up to medium level, became Vice State Champion in Rastede and qualified for the finals at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden. He sired the Champion Filly at the British Hanoverian Show (England)the same year. In 2004 he won and placed in medium and advanced level and qualified for the 2004 Nürnberg Burgpokal. Royal Touch, out of a Don Gregory dam, was licensed in Oldenburg. In 2005 Roadster won and placed in numerous advanced level dressage tests and also won the gold medal in dressage at the Oldenburg State Show in Rastede. In 2006 he again won numerous tests at the highest level.
1987 dark bay 16.2-hand Oldenburg
Approved for: Oldenburg, Hanoverina, Westphalian,
Stallion Performance Test 2000, Neustadt/Dosse
Overall score 130.98 / 4th
Dressage score 140.53
Jumping score


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US billionaire businessman and philanthropist, David Rockefeller has died at the advanced age of 101 at his home in Pocantico Hills due to a congestive heart failure in his sleep.
David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20, 2017) was an American banker who was chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation.
Rockefeller was the family patriarch since July 2004, the only surviving child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and the last surviving grandchild of John D. Rockefeller and Laura Spelman Rockefeller.
Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller dies at age 101 in New York https://www.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-philanthropist-david-rockefeller-...
David Rockefeller, Philanthropist, and Head of Chase Manhattan Dies at 101 https://nyti.ms/2mI1q1F
David Rockefeller, a billionaire a businessman and philanthropist, dies at 101 http://ti.me/2nKaYL5
David Rockefeller, Banker, Philanthropist, Heir, Dies at 101 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-20/david-rockefeller-ban...
Rockefeller shared his wealth... Trump exaggerates and lies about his.
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Here - have a title
The Deloitte article is all well and good and perhaps better than I would expect from consultants but ignores one crucial element. You have to have absolute faith in the numbers you're using. Any lack of faith, whether from statistical skewing, improper weighting of relevance or a whole host of other problems, will kill the confidence the decision maker has in his numbers. And we're back to good ole human intuition.
Billy Beane's baseball scouting methods only worked because he had a crack number cruncher who gave him numbers he had the confidence to trust and act upon. The doctors in Blink (God I hate that book) got lucky that the tree worked the first few times around and gave them the confidence to rely on it more. That thing about the wine is just nonsense though - but then again most of the Vintner biz is just nonsense anyway so I'll give it props.
I'm afraid I just don't have the same faith in most of the numbers that cross my desk.


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Much to the chagrin of their customers, AT&T saw fit earlier this year to jack up the price of their early termination fees, or ETFs… and now they want to do the same thing to customers who feel the lure of a new iPhone before their existing two-year contract is up.
Up until now, AT&T usually charged $75 to upgrade to a new phone early if you qualified. This only went for non-iPhones, which were treated as a special exception by AT&T: back when the iPhone 3G was bumped up to the iPhone 3GS, users were charged about $200 for an early upgrade, while conversely, the 3Gs being phased out for the iPhone 4 saw many users upgrading without having to pay any fee at all.
Now, AT&T is announcing that they will officially bump the early upgrade fee from $75 to a whopping $200 for smartphones, and blamed the increased price of smartphones like Blackberries and Androids.
If you're an iPhone user, though, take heart: the new $200 fee won't apply to you, as the iPhone will continue to be treated as a special case by AT&T. Given Ma Bell's confusing early fee policies for past-gen iPhones, though, it's unknown whether that means your upgrade to the iPhone 5 will be free… or cost considerably more than $200.
Read more at Boy Genius Report


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here's the contact form). Anyway, where was I? At the beginning of the season Arsene had belief in a team which finished fourth in the league, a team who then sold their talisman, their va-va-voom, a 30 goal a season player in Henry, a legend, an experienced member of the team in Ljungberg, Aliaidiere, Baptista and Reyes also sold, and the youth players were promoted. An exciting young player called Bendtner and an unknown player called Eduardo filled in the berth. No wingers were brought in, despite it being an area that was highlighted the year before.
Arsene Had BeliefHe proved that it was warranted as the team grew in the absence of the previous season's main players and the absence of one of the star players in Van Persie. Our form saw us go to the top of the table early on and recently be 5 points clear. We've knocked out the Champions League holders on the way to the CL quarter finals, our team believes in itself. But, it's the wrong time for us to stop believing. Our recent draws do show the fatigue and limited depth of our squad, albeit plighted with injuries. But after four successive draws, we can and will get our season back on track. It's crazy how many people write us off again. We were tipped for mid season wilderness by the experts, but we have the ability to start winning and games against the team or teams above us, the ball is still in our court. We have 8 remaining games, that's 8 games to win, a possible 24 points to go, and if we do we will be champions and even if we don't we could be champions.
Van Persie BelievesHe believes we have the quality and knows we in the position to challenge.
"We have to win at least one trophy this season. If we don't, then we would have played all the fantastic football for nothing. This is our moment and we need to win something. We all realise we are in a fantastic position and this has to be our year." "I am not a day dreamer. I really think we can win the title and the Champions League this season. Why not? We have the qualities and we just have to stick together and believe in it. Belief can take you very far in football. It is still in our hands to win the double and we have to take these opportunities because we have something special here at Arsenal."Van Persie is an awesome player, who when 100 fit can change a game in an instant, can finish with aplomb and set up goals for his team mates. He's a player who is back now after a 5 month lay off, and although not fit, he is fresh. His ideas are fresh, his magic is fresh – remember the goal against Inter Milan in the Emirates Cup? If he stays fit, he should be returning to his best after a few games, which coincides with our triple whammy against Liverpool and an away trip to United.
Young Theo BelievesYoung Theo, who turned 19 on Sunday, believes we will soon get back to the form that saw us rise to the summit. It feels that Theo has been with us for years and years, but it's been just two years, and he is still a little nipper.
"We have been playing some brilliant football but just cannot get that penetration to finish it. That will come – you have bad patches through the season, although it does not help at the end. "But hopefully if we keep on doing the right things then we will get the results we want. The finishing is the main issue at the moment but we just have to take the positives out of games, and continue to train hard."Wise words from someone so young. It's time to get behind the team. Three points at Stamford Bridge?


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A WINDOW cleaner has described how he chased two robbers as they fled on a scooter after snatching cash from a security guard outside a Hampshire bank.
Graham Gore-Thorne was among half a dozen have-a-go heroes who tried to stop the pair who escaped with what is thought to be around £25,000.
One robber wrenched a cash box away from the guard as he arrived to make a delivery in a busy High Street.
He then jumped on to the back of his accomplice's scooter as a group of bystanders chased him.
The robbers sped off up Mansfield Road towards the A31 dual carriageway, removing the money and throwing the box away.
Staff were inside the Lloyds TSB bank and lots of shoppers were already in Ringwood High Street yesterday morning when the raid happened.
Graham said: "I was walking down the road when I noticed a scooter with its headlights on.
"I heard a commotion and somebody shouted and this man outside the bank grabbed a case from the security guard. "He jumped on the back of the scooter and as he got on, he opened the case up and took the money out.
"Then he threw the case on the floor."
The Black Honda SH300 scooter-style motorbike they used was later found abandoned at Narrow Lane in nearby Poulner, near the slip road on to the eastbound side of the A31.
Witnesses said the robbers wore dark clothing and police believe the pair travelled from outside the area to commit the robbery.
A Hampshire police spokesman said no one was hurt in the incident but "bank staff and the guard were left shocked by what happened".
A G4S spokesman confirmed the courier was not seriously injured, but was shaken by the attack.
He said he has been offered counselling and management is on hand to support him.
"The psychological impact that attacks of this nature can have on individuals should not be underestimated," he said.
Staff at Lloyds told the Echo they heard a lot of shouting when the robbery happened outside.
Chris Patterson, of nearby W Patterson Butchers in High Street, said he saw the robbers flee past the security guard's van. He said: "The case came flying out open into the street when they left.
"Someone from Lloyds told me they got £25,000.
"The guys at the bank said those cash cases just pop open and they were gone in seconds." n Police are appealing for witnesses to the robbery, which took place at around 9am.
Anyone with information should call Lyndhurst CID on 101 or or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


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YOU'VE made it clear to grandma there's no "someone special" in your life you want to talk to her about. You've told dad that, no, you don't think you should switch to a more "stable career. And you've only been home for two days.
We've put together a list of the perfect TV shows to sneak away and catch up on during your holiday break after you're maxed out on uncomfortable small talk with the fam.
The Returned
This surreal French miniseries about dead people who come back to life aired on Sundance this fall. But even if you're not a zombie show kind of person, "The Returned" is worth watching. Seeing a teenager who has been dead for years reappear is more about grief than it is about blood-and-gore scare tactics. The show even won the International Emmy award for best drama series. Tres importante! Sundance is reairing the all eight episodes December 22 beginning at noon. Or you can buy the series on iTunes to watch at your leisure.
Breaking Bad
If you haven't already, now is the time to binge on the saga of Walter White & Co. The series ended in September, so you won't encounter any spoilers mid-binge. And even better – AMC will be airing every single episode of the show during an eye-popping, brain-melting four-day marathon. So you can get totally caught up for free. It kicks off at noon December 27 and runs through December 30. Merry Christmas to you.
Summer Heights High
If you've been watching Season 1 of "Ja'mie: Private School Girl" and are obsessed with the hilariously bratty star, go back to where it all began. "Ja'mie" is a spinoff of Chris Lilley's genius "Summer Heights High." Lilley, the grown man who stars as the teen girl Ja'mie, also plays two other characters in the high-school mockumentary. As Ja'mie would say, it'll be a quiche escape.
Orphan Black
TV critics were buzzing about this sci-fi series last summer. But don't worry if you missed it, you only have one season to catch up on before it comes back in April. The show starts with Sarah (played brilliantly by Tatiana Maslany seeing a woman who looks exactly like her committing suicide. She eventually finds out she and the woman are clones. Sold? You can catch it on BBC America OnDemand or buy the season on iTunes.
House of Cards
This Netflix show begs to be binged and there's no time like the present. The addicting political drama was released in February and was nominated for nine Emmys and won three. Kevin Spacey stars as a ruthless House Majority Whip Frances Underwood and Robin Wright plays his powerful nonprofit-running wife. It's worth watching for Wright's portrayal of the shrewd, compelling Claire Underwood. Check her out in the mysterious (non-spoiler) teaser for Season 2, which will be available for streaming February 14.
While you're bundled up in your brand-new fleece jammies, escape to warmer days with Syfy's summer campy made-for-TV movie "Sharknado." The social media sensation about a tornado that lifts sharks out of the ocean and deposits them on the shore is now available to stream on Netflix. There will be a second one, aptly called "Sharknado 2: The Second One," scheduled to air next summer. So, better catch up so you understand all the nuanced themes sure to be carried on in the sequel. Right…
This article originally appeared in The New York Post.


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Mystical Solitaire!
All of your favorite classic solitaire games in one. Play these timeless games, set in the fantastic woodland backdrop of the Mystical Forest.
In this new twist on a traditional game, the focus is on smooth game play, beautiful visual effects and pleasant music. Mystical Solitaire is quickly becoming the most downloaded solitaire game in the world!
Six games in one!
Select your operating system:
System Requirements:
Windows 7/Vista/XP
Mac OS X Lion, Snow Leopard
Welcome to Pucker Up Games!
We're PC, Mac and Linux Friendly!
Our games are designed to work on ALL systems! Explore our latest game, Mystical Sudoku, today!
A new twist on the traditional Chinese game of Mahjong is now available. Learn more about the exciting new game of Mystical Mahjong, here.
Find answers in our growing FAQ.
Learn the lingo of this timeless game, here.
Helful tips to mastering Word Galaxies, here.
Supported Systems


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I'm going to present in the [[http://www.obi-forumlive.nl/|OBI Forum Live]] the next week on the 3th Wednesday of Juny 2009.
This second edition is really impressive and as I see that we will have parallel sessions, I'm already very disappointed because I couldn't assist to all presentations :
* Multi-Language Dashboards, [[http://obiee101.blogspot.com|John Minkjan]]
* Oracle BI EE en Oracle Mapviewer, Daan Bakboord
* OBI-EE, The Rising Sun [[http://www.bifacts.com/|Emiel van Bockel]]
* Understanding the Oracle BI Server Engine, [[http://it.toolbox.com/people/gbraat|Gerard Braat]]
* Creating Hybrid Essbase/Relational Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Logical Models, [[http://www.rittmanmead.com/author/mark-rittman/|Mark Rittman]]
I have landed now one year ago in the Nederland and if feel a little bit in the same way that Emiel in [[http://www.rittmanmead.com/2009/05/17/the-rittman-mead-bi-forum-2009-brighton/|the Brighton BI Forum]] : as [[http://www.bifacts.com/2009/05/22/review-of-rittman-mead-bi-forum-brighton-uk/|a strange duck]].
I will speak about how [[dat:obiee:start|Obiee]] can help us in a [[dw:data_quality:master_data_management|Master Data Management Project]]. It's a really important project because it contain a data quality step which is the only part in a ETL process which add values. And in this way, for instance, it can influence the business process according to the business strategy …
And if you are a little bit more curious, that you are around de Meern (Utrecht, Nederland) next Wednesday and that you want exchange or simply see what is going on in the Business Intelligence, [[http://www.obi-forumlive.nl|sign up / schrijf je nu in !]].
Spannend !
Tags: OBIEE


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Written on: 09/05/2005 by triumvirat (1 review written)
Good Points
Looks Pretty!
Bad Points
My CPU is running at 65C. I can't install, or boot.
I've had nothing but trouble since I got it 6 months ago.
A useless PC.
General Comments
Errors, file loss and freeze-ups pretty much sums up the Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro 2 motherboard. These issues are a never ending problem. Cannot accomplish anything, like burning a CD. Just when you think it's running good and smoothe it crashes.


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Karl Lagerfeld For Fossil
Karl Lagerfeld x Fossil: Sneak a Peek at the Watches Now
Lucky magazine is one of our favorite sources for great shopping tips. We're thrilled to share this fabulous story from our friends at Lucky!
A little over a year ago, we heard that Karl Lagerfeld was working on a line of watches for Fossil. Then, as the designer proceeded to appear in a Snoop Dogg music video, adopt Choupette and create makeup with Shu Uemura, it totally slipped our minds—but that won't happen again. WWD shared some early pictures of the collection this morning, and it's unforgettably cool.
There are seven styles in all, but we only got a glimpse of "The Chain" and "The Manchette" timepieces. It's reported that the rest will come in an assortment of colors and be decorated with pyramid studs, metallic leathers and shiny chains. Also, each one will incorporate an engraving of the Kaiser's unmistakable ponytailed profile.
"Like beautiful bracelets," Lagerfeld explained by way of description. "I love watches as beautiful objects."
Click over to Lucky for more details and more photos!
For more fashion and style from Lucky, here are more Lucky stories.
Lady Gaga's Stage Costumes Hit the Auction Block
Trina Turk Shares Her Favorite Vintage Shopping Destinations


text:
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1943 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Libraries that Have It: The WindWORD. (Kailua, Hawaii) 1974-1978
Kailua, Hawaii (1974-1978)
HOLDING: Hawaii State Libr, Honolulu, HI
View more titles from this institution
Available as: Original
- <1977:6:16-1978:4:20>
Last updated: 11/1985
HOLDING: Univ of Hawaii At Manoa, Honolulu, HI
View more titles from this institution
Available as: Original
- <1974:8:15-1978:4:20>
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Available as: Microfilm Master
- <1974:8:4-1978:4:20>
Last updated: 07/1990
Available as: Microfilm Service Copy
- 1974-1978
Last updated: 07/1990


text:
|IFP is the animation format of the Grand Theft Auto series since GTA III. With GTA San Andreas there came a new version of the file format, but it still supports animations with the old version. IFP files can contain several single animations which are split up to objects and linked to the animated object or actor in that way. Each object contains a certain number of frames including a time key. Two frames are interpolated by the game.
Why create a new IFP?
Well, if you dont do it ,you will need to replace existing animations. And that sometimes is annoying for Modders, specially when creating Total Conversions. So with this tutorial you will learn how to Create your own IFP or Add new Animation slots in an existent IFP.
Wait a minute! I can add new anims to SA original IFP's?
Sure!, if you know how to create an IFP, you will know how to add new anims to an existent IFP file.
1. Reqerimients
In order to do this you will need a copy of 3D Studio MAX, in this tutorial i will use version 9. And in order to import/export Skeleton Data and Aniamtions you will need the KAM Max Scripts. To convert a Dumped IFP back to IFP you will need the TSB from GMAX scripts by KAM.
You can get a useless free 30-Trial version of 3D Studio Max from here:
And you may download the KAM scripts from here:
Or here:
You will need this tools too, from KAM's GMAX scripts:
Note: If this is your first attempt with 3D Studio Max, i recommend you to read some tutorials in the Net to cover the basics of the program. Or read the Help and mini tutos that came with the program Itself.
2. Loading an IFP
To make your own IFP, you need another one as a Base. So, open up 3D Studio Max. Once done run the IFP IO Kam script and load a DFF model.
Select the whole model + bones and hit the "M" button in the IFP dialog box.
Now click on Load IFP and open any IFP from gta3.img
We wont work with the "ped.ifp" as it is very big, and it will take much time in the Dumping part.
Ok, so you loaded an IFP file. I loaded the Colt 45 animations.
Anim. File: The IFP file name.
Total Animation: Total Number of Anims inside the IFP.
Internal Name: The name the game uses to call the IFP.
And in the list you see each anim by name. You can double clcik one and it will apply the anim on your Model. You can see it by messing aournd with the Time Line buttons.
Now you see how the anims are shown in the IFP.
3. Dumping the IFP
Now we have to "decompile" the IFP, to do so we can close the IFP IO dialog box. And we run the IFP Dump script from the Kam's Animation Panel.
Now the Dump IFP dialog box is open, click on "Dump GTA IFP" and select the IFP we saw before. In my case the colt45.ifp.
While the Dump prossess is active you will see alot of numbers and letters flash in the bottom left of the screen, when the flashing is over and the text is static again the Dump i over.
So now press "F11" and you will see the MAX SCRIPT Listener. Select all the text there and copy it.
Open up the Notepad and paste everything there. Now save that as you want, in my case colt45.txt
4. Editing the TXT
Now, lets see what we have done. We converted an IFP file to a TXT. So it can be read by a human beeing.
Lets try to understand it.
First off, delete the Path Line.
In my case this one:
|<!-- path="C:\Documents and Settings\sonia\Escritorio\colt45.txt" -->
Now let me explain some values:
The Header section is this part:
//This is Header Section
c 4
i 1
c 24
i 1
Important Stuff:
ANP3: Animation Package 3, Version identifier. However there is no pack with ANP2.
COLT45: This is the Name the Game uses to call this IFP file. (As seen in the IFP IO as "Internal Name")
7: Total Number of Animations (As seen in the IFP IO as "Total Animmation")
You must change the name of the IFP, there cant be more than 1 with the same name. So you may call it with the name that reprsent what kind of anims you will add in there. So, in my example i will use "PARKOUR".
If you know how many anims you will add, then change the "7" with number of anims you need inside this IFP. In my case 5.
So this is it:
//This is Header Section
c 4
i 1
c 24
i 1
Now lets move down, to the start of the first anim:
//Animation 2guns_crouchfire Start Here
c 24
i 3
26 4316 1
c 24
Thats the header of the first animation, below that you see each bone coordinates (Nothing important now).
Important Stuff:
2guns_crouchfire: Thats the name of the animation, you have to change it in the "Start here" text and below "c 24" too, must be the same name.
So, if you know what anim will go there, then just put the name of the anim. In my case it will be "BckHndSpingBTuck"
So this is the result:
//Animation BckHndSpingBTuck Start Here
c 24
i 3
26 4316 1
c 24
Each new anim beggings with the "Animation [Anim Name] Start Here", so its easy to see each of them. This IFP has 7 anims, and I only need 5. So i will go to the bottom of the text file and delete 2 anims.
Once done you will have 5 anims declared and 5 anims writed, so everything is ok. Remember to rename the other anims, in my case the other 4 anims are:
Note: Remember to delete all the Bones keys when deleting the unused anims!
If you want more anims than there are in the IFP, select the whole text from one anim. From the Header (The Start part) down until you reach the next animation Start (Dont include it). Copy it and paste it at the bottom until you counted the number of anism you want.
Remember to update the "Total Animations Number" in the IFP Header at the top of the TXT.
If everything is OK, you can save the changes and prepare for next step.
5. Compiling
Now its time to compile the TXT, convert it to IFP again.
You will need the TSB file.
Inside you will see an exe called "T2B.EXE", its a command prompt aplication. If you are not familiar with this kind of aplication dont worry i made a Batch file to exeucte it, you will only need to change the name of the TXT to "package.txt".
Here its the batch file:
@echo off
echo IFP Compiler by Delfi
echo Batch file created by Coin-goD
echo --------------------------------------------------
echo Compiling Package.txt in current folder.
echo Please wait...
T2B.EXE "package.txt" "package.ifp"
echo IFP File created.
echo Done.
echo --------------------------------------------------
Open a Notepad paste that code and save as "Compiler.bat".
Put the compiler, the T2B.EXE and your package.txt in the same folder. Run compiler.bat and it will compile the txt.
Now you created your own IFP file!, but wait! It still has the anims from the Colt 45 IFP.
Its time to go to the last Step to finish everything!
6. Replacing
Ok, now open up your new IFP file with IFP IO in 3D MAX. I changed the name of the IFP to Parkour.ifp
Awesome! The Internal Name of the ifp is Parkour and the anims are listed with the new names!
But the anims are still Colt 45 ones.
So now you have to make your anims and replace them in their correct place.
What i mean is that I will make a Front Hand Spring anim, when its done i will replace the "FrntHndSrping" slot with it!
Do the same with the rest of the anims and the IFP will be ready!
Congratulations, you created you first IFP with custome anims inside!
Download the IFP i created during this tutorial:
Further Reading:
IFP FileType Description
Custom Player Animations
Thanks to:
Wesser, with out him this tuto wouldnt Exist.
Kam, Great Scripts.


text:
Square is debuting a special-edition reader in partnership with AIDS organization (RED). The new 'SQUA(RED) Reader' is red in color, and for every order via the device, 97.25 percent of the $10 donation amount will go to the fund to fight AIDS. When consumers swipe their cards on a (RED), customers can donate right from their emailed receipts, as well. Sellers in the United States can get a Special Edition SQUA(RED) Reader online at mkt.com/red. "Square already helps millions of local sellers run and grow their business, and now with SQUA(RED) Reader, we're empowering them to raise awareness for an important cause and help save lives in the process," said Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square, in a release. The ability to donate from the receipt itself is interesting considering Dorsey's recent commentary around the opportunity behind receipts as an "unused piece of commerce."
Like it? Tweet it.
"Square, (RED) Team Up to Fight AIDS With Special Edition Reader" by @ShellyPalmer
600,000 subscribers and counting...
We write a daily newsletter featuring current events and the top stories in technology, media, marketing and entertainment.Subscribe


text:
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Coast Guard is investigating an incident yesterday involving the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
DOT spokeswoman Hollie Allen says around 6:30 p.m. a wave crashed over a ferry as it headed from Fort Fisher to Southport. She says there were 40 passengers, six crew members and 25 vehicles on board when it happened. The DOT believes the wake of a passing cargo ship caused the large wave.
Allen says the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry makes about 11,000 runs a year, and the DOT says this is the first time an incident like this has happened.
Allen says the ferry was not damaged, and that it is in operation today.
The Coast Guard has not yet returned a call about the investigation.


text:
Results 1 to 1 of 1
03-15-06, 23:17 #1Registered User
- Join Date
- Jul 2003
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 217
Unanswered: Error PREVENTION Techniques in Program Coding
<The Principles>
There are techniques which helps a programmer to reduce prevent programming errors as much as possible. They are based on Software Engineering principles and Software Quality Assurance concepts.
They do not reduce logical errors because that depends on the programmer.
Rather, these techniques only provide the structures which helps the programmer to write programs with as little bugs as possible.
A VB program, like other programs, consists of Data and Program Codes.
Data :
All variables should be declared and have meaningful names.
Program Codes :
They should be easy to read and understand. They should allow you to proof that they are correct with CONFIDENCE. Ideally, the program codes should be layered - this allows you to proof correctness layer by layer. If you can proof that an upper layer is correct, then the subsequent (more CONCRETE) layer has a better chance to be bug free than otherwise. They should be highly maintainable. Doing changes in hard-to-maintain programs is more likely to result in MORE programming errors than maintainable ones.
Actual techniques:
(a1) EXPLICIT variable declaration should be enforced;
(a2) Give meaningful names to variables;
(b1) Put modularity into your programs;
(b2) Put layers of abstraction into your programs ;
(b3) Procedures/functions should have HIGH cohesion;
(b4) Use PARAMETERS as much as possible for inter-procedure communication, to achieve LOW Coupling amongst procedures/functions ;
(b5) Global variables should be AVOIDED as much as possible;
(b6) Try to use built-in functionalities of the programming language as much as possible;
(b7) Try to group procedures/functions by tables as much as possible, e.g. using Class modules.
All procedures/functions which are related to a table will be found in a single location.
In this way, procedures/functions will be LESS duplicated, and ,as result, maintenance will be easier.
(b8) If data structures are being used, then there should be some procedures/functions designed to process them and they should
be located in the appropriate module.
__________________________________________________ ______________
M Lau, Sydney, NSW


text:
Issue No. 10 - October (2003 vol. 52)
pp: 1233-1242
Chein-Wei Jen , IEEE

Abstract—This paper presents a generalized earliest-first (GEF) addition algorithm to accelerate carry propagation addition (CPA). A set of operators and notations have been developed to describe and analyze traditional carry-lookahead or conditional-sum-based algorithms. The proposed GEF algorithm schedules bit-level operations of CPA in an earliest-first manner to reduce the overall latency. With the aid of the developed operators and notations, the algorithm can be generalized to any algorithm based on carry-lookahead or conditional-sum rule. An adder generated by using the GEF algorithm outperforms traditional algorithms when inputs do not arrive simultaneously.

Carry-propagation adder, final adder, carry-lookahead, conditional-sum.
Chein-Wei Jen, Wen-Chang Yeh, "Generalized Earliest-First Fast Addition Algorithm", IEEE Transactions on Computers, vol. 52, no. , pp. 1233-1242, October 2003, doi:10.1109/TC.2003.1234522


text:
"Always A Bridesmaid" at Shiner Gaslight Theatre
The Shiner Gaslight Theatre presents "Always a Bridesmaid," directed by Vickie Westergren, starting Friday. The hilarious comedic romp involves four friends who have sworn to keep the promise they made on the night of their Senior Prom: to be in each other's weddings -- no matter what. More than thirty years later, these Southern friends-for-life are still making "the long walk" for each other, determined to honor that vow.


text:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper honoured the legacy of former Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke during Saturday's National Flag Day ceremony in Ottawa.
Harper presented the Peace Tower flag to Burke's parents, Gordon Burke and Jan Phelan, who were accompanied by widower Rory Bushfield.
Burke died in January 2012 in Salt Lake City just over a week after being critically injured in a crash during a training run at a personal sponsor event in Park City, Utah.
The 29-year-old had surgery to repair a ruptured vertebral artery and was put into an induced coma after being airlifted to Salt Lake City but never regained consciousness.
Recognized on Feb. 15, Flag Day commemorates the inauguration of the red and white Maple Leaf, which was adopted on the date in 1965.
"At no time is national pride in our flag more evident than during the Olympic Games, and it is certainly on prominent display in Sochi over so many podiums and around so many of our magnificent athletes. We could not be more proud," Harper said.
"In keeping with the recent tradition of presenting a Peace Tower flag to deserving Canadians, I am deeply honoured to present this symbol of our country to Gordon Burke and Jan Phelan.
"Sarah was a gifted athlete, a trailblazer in freestyle skiing, and one of the principal reasons why the halfpipe was introduced as an Olympic sport this year in Sochi, Russia. She was a great Canadian whose efforts have had a remarkable impact on the world of sport, and whose story has touched the nation. Her legacy will live on in the many athletes who take up the sport she so championed."
Before her death, Burke might have been the best female halfpipe skier in the world, an icon among those who follow a sport that is well out of the mainstream. She never failed to step on the podium at a World Cup meet during her career.
She also claimed four Winter X Games gold medals between 2007 and 2011.
"On this day, I invite all Canadians to take a moment and reflect on our national icon and what it means to be Canadian," Harper said.
Since 1996, the Peace Tower flag has been presented annually to a Canadian who has exemplified the values Canada holds most dear.
-With files from Dave Pollard, QMI


text:
Reviews (0)
This black handle kit is for Ronstan's RF1573-05 5/16 in. (8mm) threaded Sealoc turnbuckle.
It features a long rotation arm for maximum tension leverage, and lift and re-positioning operation, making it easier to use when rotation space is restricted.
The arm snaps into a snap-free lock down position when it is not in use.


text:
Handypersons work in various maintenance capabilities around apartment buildings, office facilities, governmental agencies, and other structures, jobs, and facilities. Specific work may include painting, cleaning, and repair, as well as general daily maintenance.
Quick summary
- Starting salary: $54,000 P/A Senior salary: $94,000 P/A Average salary: $71,500 P/A Wages will vary according to your level of skill, experience and employer Employment level: 49,100 as of November 2012 (Projected employment levels in 2017 of 55,900)
Average weekly hours: Average weekly hours worked for a full time Handyperson is 38.3 hours
Employment by region:
The top three regions for employment as a Handyperson include:
Courses you may be interested in
Employment trends
Employment for Handypersons has grown by a rate of 17.1% over the past 5 years and is expected to grow very strongly through 2017.
Employment growth
Total employment growth over the past 5 years for male and female, employed part-time and full-time is 3,300
Gender (including full time and part time)
The percentage of males and females working full time and part time are:
- Male Full Time: 60.2%
- Male Part Time: 34.4%
- Female Full Time: 2.4%
- Female Part Time: 3.0%
Other relevant information
- Collecting and disposing of rubbish and litter
- Completing greens work by mowing lawns and maintaining gardens
- Fixing smaller items such as light bulbs or water taps
- Installing needed safety and convenience apparatuses, such as hand rails or wheelchair ramps
- Repairing broken structural items, like windows, doors, screens, etc
- Sanding, painting, and varnishing as needed
- Ability to work well with hands
- Interpersonal skills
- Mechanical competence
- Organisation and time management
- Sharp and active listening skills
Working conditions
Handypersons generally are employed by larger organizations, including corporations, building operations companies, apartment buildings, and hotels. They may also work as members of a team or a pool of handypersons and occasionally complete freelance work.
Professional associations / Industry information
Related jobs and job titles
- Bricklayer
- Builders Labourer
- Caretaker
- Cleaner
- Concrete Worker
- Facilities Officer
- Janitor
- Maintenance Worker
- Road Worker
- Scaffolder


text:
Aanval for Financial Services: Protecting and Defending Financial Institutions From Global Cyber Threats With Real-Time Threat Management
The financial services industry today is in a difficult position faced with many business and security challenges as more transactions occur via online channels in the global market. The financial firm's rapid integration and increasing reliance on the interconnected network systems as well as the Internet in order to expedite financial transactions, improve service delivery, and accelerate efficiency has provided the industry more economic prosperity, but at the same time elevated the industry's susceptibility to cyber attacks.
Provided by: Tactical FLEX, Inc. Topic: Security Date Added: Sep 2012 Format: PDF


text:
R.A. Dickey, being perhaps the best pitcher to come out of Nashville, will be a subject of updates on this site. I'll probably call the feature "Dickey Watch" or try to pun "R.A." somehow but in the meantime I've written up a brief history of the man. For further (and better) reading, check out recent NYT and NPR pieces on R.A. (I quoted Dickey out of the Times article)
After a precipitous fall out of playoff contention last season, the Seattle Mariners resolved to make major improvement to their weakened pitching staff this winter. They paid out an estimated 48-million dollars for Minnesota Twins right-hander Carlos Silva and traded five players, including top prospect Adam Jones, for Baltimore ace Érik Bédard. Yet a less-heralded new hurler is attracting the attention of teammates and media at the M's training camp. Nashvillian R.A. Dickey is competing for a spot in the big leagues, on a team now deep in starters, and may have his best shot yet.
Some Nashvillians may remember R.A.'s early playing days as a flame-throwing pitcher who lead MBA to the 1993 state championship. After this incredible 1993 campaign, the Detroit Tigers selected R.A., already labeled a top prospect, in the 10th round of the MLB draft. He chose to pitch for the University of the Tennessee, where expectations remained high. According Mike Anderson, Dickey's best friend and catcher throughout high school and college, "He was labeled from the very get-go one of the top 3 pitchers at UT."
He didn't disappoint, winning an unheard of fifteen games his freshman season (for reference, ex-Vanderbilt stud David Price won 2 games his freshman year). Following an All-American college career, Dickey was selected by Texas in the 1st round (18h overall) of the 1996 amateur draft. Shortly before he could sign with the Rangers, however, it was discovered he lacked an ulnar collateral ligament. The ulnar collateral ligament, made famous as the tendon repaired in Tommy John Surgery, is essential to the stability of the elbow and accordingly, pitching. Unable to undergo surgery on a non-existant ligament, Dickey signed with the Rangers for a drastically reduced sum. As he describes it now: "Imagine winning the lottery and then losing the ticket."
R.A. Dickey didn't dwell on his misfortune for long. Anderson remembers a deliberate change in R.A.'s attitude: "He started thinking, 'This is going to drive me. This is going to make me work a little harder'"
During his time with Texas, Dickey worked mostly in the minors; occasionally making spot starts for the big league team. Taking the advice of coaches, he began to develop a traditional knuckleball, a low-effort pitch more suited for his mechanics. A knuckleball is a achieved by deadening all spin upon release the ball, allowing air currents to determine its erratic path to the plate. Dickey's knuckleball evolved out of knuckle-curve he threw in college and an unknown knuckleball-esque pitch he toyed with in the minors.
The transition wasn't easy. As Anderson remembers it: "He's a power pitcher his entire career. He's throwing fastballs, after fastballs, after fastballs, and now he has to learn a new pitch, especially a knuckleball, which is incredibly different to control or to take care of."
Dickey gained that control after signing a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. Assigned to AAA, he returned to Nashville, a welcome but hopefully temporary homecoming. He finished his season with Sounds 12-6 with a 3.80 ERA. His success earned him the PCL Pitcher-of-the-Year honors (think AAA Cy Young) and the attention of major league teams.
This winter R.A. signed a minor-league deal with the Minnesota Twins in hopes of cracking the big-league rotation. Not protected by the Twin's 40-man roster, he was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the Rule-5 Draft, held this year in Nashville. Fortunately for R.A., the Mariners are required to keep him on their 25-man roster major-league roster, unless they chose to "sell" him back to the Twins. Dickey's chances of making the staff, rotation or bullpen, are the best of his career.
Even without a decision this spring about his immediate future with Seattle, R.A. does not mind thinking long term. "The majority of knuckleballers have most of their success from ages 32 to 40, and win most of their games," said Dickey at camp. His long-time catcher and friend shares his optimism: "Charlie Hough retired when he was 45, I believe, and Charlie Hough was a knuckleballer. So hopefully his career will be very long."


text:
Philadelphia (Pa.) West Catholic all-purpose back Curtis Brinkley is continuing to run all over everybody and is continuing to break city records. With one more in the books, his season is still in progress, and with a championship game in the near future, where will his numbers stop?
Brinkley has rushed for more than 2,200 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior, and has extended his Philadelphia career rushing mark by running for more than 7,300 yards, eclipsing the old mark of 6,122 yards. He has also carried the ball nearly 1,000 times, also a city record, and set a yet another record with a 399 yard performance earlier this year.
With the championship game scheduled for Dec. 6, Brinkley has yet to schedule any official visits, but plans to do so soon.
Article Continues Below
"I am trying to have at least one set up by this Friday," he said. "I will sit down with my parents this week and talk about it." Syracuse is a possibility, as is Maryland, a team that just started calling last week. He currently boast 12 offers, and will be looking at several things when he finally takes his visits.
"I am looking at the graduation rate, playing time, and the social atmosphere," he said. "I want to see if the school tries to switch positions too. I have spent too many years at running back to switch now." He added that all of the schools recruiting him have told him he could play running back except Wisconsin – and the Badgers have therefore dropped off his list.
Rated the No. 10 all-purpose back in the country by Rivals.com, Brinkley stands 5-foot-10, weighs 185 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. A "B" student, he is scheduled to take the SAT on Dec. 6 – the morning before the championship game – so he should have a lot of nervous energy to release on his opponents.


text:
Carly Rae Jepsen has topped the ARIA singles chart with 'Call Me Maybe'.
The singer's debut effort jumps from three to one on the tally, beating Nicki Minaj's 'Starships', which remains at two.
Meanwhile, Labrinth and Tinie Tempah's 'Earthquake' leaps from 11 to four, Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' enters at number five and Qwote and Pitbull's 'Throw Your Hands Up' rounds out the Top 10.
Further down the chart, Ed Sheeran leaps from 19 to 14 with 'Lego House', Timomatic debuts at 16 with 'If Looks Could Kill' and Florence + the Machine land at 19 with 'Never Let Me Go'.
T-Pain and Ne-Yo vault from 44 to 31 with 'Turn All The Lights On', and Stan Walker's 'Music Won't Break My Heart' starts at number 35.
The Top 10 singles in full (click where possible for our reviews):
1. (3) Carly Rae Jepsen: 'Call Me Maybe'
2. (2) Nicki Minaj: 'Starships'
3. (1) fun. ft. Janelle Monae: 'We Are Young'
4. (11) Labrinth ft. Tinie Tempah: 'Earthquake'
5. (*) Justin Bieber: 'Boyfriend'
6. (4) Skirllex: 'Bangarang'
7. (6) Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch: 'Ass Back Home'
8. (5) Flo Rida ft. Sia: 'Wild Ones'
9. (9) Jason Derulo: 'Fight For You'
10. (7) Qwote ft. Pitbull: 'Throw Your Hands Up'
Watch Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe' music video below:


text:
I have a web app that contains a base implementation of menus and content that cannot be changed or modified. I have built interfaces within the base implementation for extending menus, content, filtering, and customizing the display.
The problem is that as the implementation is extended the user needs to add entries to struts-config and tiles-defs files. Is it possible to build an infrastructure that can pick up the extended functionality without having to modify the configuration files? If so could someone provide an example or point me in the right direction?
Struts, actions and forwards (2 messages)
- Posted by: Shawn Martin
- Posted on: February 02 2005 11:07 EST
Threaded Messages (2)
- example by Ash H on February 02 2005 12:12 EST
- example by Shawn Martin on February 02 2005 12:47 EST
example[ Go to top ]
Not sure what you are referring to.Can you give me an example of what you are trying to do.
- Posted by: Ash H
- Posted on: February 02 2005 12:12 EST
- in response to Shawn Martin
example[ Go to top ]
Currently if the user selects the home menu, it is mapped to an action in struts "/home.do". If the user goes to the administration area of the web application and adds a new menu they will also need to configure an associated action in struts to corrospond to the newly added menu as well as extend the layout in tiles to include a detail page. They will also need to create an action class and actionform as needed for the menu they just added.
- Posted by: Shawn Martin
- Posted on: February 02 2005 12:47 EST
- in response to Ash H
I would like to add a generic action class and actionform class that would handle the addition of new content. I would also like to eliminate the need for the user to modify the struts and tiles files.
I hope this seems a little clearer. :o)


text:
2009 Mazda 5 - Consumer Review
Build Quality
Reliability Value
Build Quality
Reliability Value
Great Car for a small family!!
By skgilly on
Vehicle2009 Mazda 5 Grand Touring 4dr Minivan (2.3L 4cyl 5A)
ReviewWe bought this car in Colorado and drove it Arkansas. It was great for me and my family. We have two kids (3.5, and 10 months). My wife sat comfortably in the back with the kid and luggage. We really packed this car down and still handled well. There are many way to configure the car and sitting six for short distances is great. For all the mini van haters the sliding doors are great for getting the kids in and out. Handling is great for a car this size. Overall, great car for the money. Mazda has done well. We are really enjoying this purchase.
Best FeaturesThe value for the money. The ability to pull in and out of small parking spaces. Well built and comfortable.
Worst FeaturesThis car is underpowered, but for the money what can you say!! The arm rest are a bit small. The leg room (for the driver) is small for anyone over six feet. Could use about 3 more inches of cargo space with all seats up.
Recommend (0) (0)
Are you the author of this review?Update Your Review
Comments (0) Post a Comment
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text: Hello. I wanted to know what the key costs would be in moving from a commercial lawncare business to organic lawncare methods. I'm thinking the key areas would include the following: 1. Training/education of organic methods for current staff. 2. Increase in labour - as organic methods can be more labourious 3. Organic fertilizers are more expensive than commercial ones Is there a place I can find more information on this topic ? Thank you in advance. Yasmin


text: On Tue, Mar 12, 2002 at 08:33:23AM -0500, Richard B. Johnson wrote:> This is a simple random number generator. It takes a pointer to your> own private long, somewhere in your code, and returns a long random> number with a period of 0xfffd4011. I ran a program for about a> year, trying to find a magic number that will produce a longer> period.> > You could add a ldiv and return the modulus to set hash-table limits.> ANDs are not good because, in principle, you could get many numbers> in which all the low bits are zero.> > > The advantage of this simple code is it works quickly. The disadvantages> are, of course, its not portable and a rotation of a binary number> is not a mathematical function, lending itself to rigorous analysis.Would you mind explaining what the point of this is? AFAICT this ismeaningless noise inspired by the words "/dev/random".Bill-To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" inthe body of a message to email@example.com majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.htmlPlease read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/


text:
I was looking for a solution for web socket push in my Akka system. Ultimately, I wanted to be able to simply say here's some payload instance, push it out to all clients you are aware of. In other words, to have some clever
WebSocketPushActor and to have it wired up to Netty.
More detailed discussion, including wiring up of regular HTTP APIs, is in the follow-up post.
case class Push[A](payload: A) case class MyMessage() class MyActor extends Actor { protected def receive = { case MyMessage() => // do some business logic val payload = Notification("This is the text to show!") // spam every socket context.actorFor("/user/webSocketPush") ! Push(payload) } }
Let's take a look at how we implemented the
WebSocketPushActor; the handler for the
Push message is clear; the interesting portion of the code is that this actor keeps track of all open web sockets:
case class WebSocketRegistered(channel: Channel) class WebSocketPushActor extends Actor { private val socketConnections = new DefaultChannelGroup() protected def receive = { case Push(payload) => socketConnections.write(new TextWebSocketFrame(payload.toString())) case WebSocketRegistered(channel) => socketConnections.add(channel) } }
The main application simply boots the
ActorSystem and starts the two actors:
object Main extends App { val actorSystem = ActorSystem("example") val myActor = actorSystem.actorOf(Props[MyActor]) val webSocket = actorSystem.actorOf(Props[WebSocketPushActor], "webSocketPush") }
What is missing, of course is a web server. We shall be lazy and use something that already exists: Netty and a nice Scala wrapper for it called Socko. Modifying the
Main singleton gives:
object Main extends App { val actorSystem = ActorSystem("example") val myActor = actorSystem.actorOf(Props[MyActor]) val webSocket = actorSystem.actorOf(Props[WebSocketPushActor], "webSocketPush") val webServer = new WebServer(WebServerConfig(), Routes { case WebSocketHandshake(wsHandshake) => wsHandshake match { case PathSegments("websocket" :: Nil) => { wsHandshake.isAllowed = true actorSystem.actorFor("/user/webSocketPush") ! WebSocketRegistered(wsHandshake.channel) } } case WebSocketFrame(frame) => throw new UnsupportedOperationException( "Eh? We're meant to be pushing only!") }) webServer.start() }
So, this completes the web socket server-side code. I can now write some fancy JavaScript, which creates the web socket connection and simply shows the received message in a box (I did say fancy JavaScript, right?)
And, this is it! You can now run your
Main application, which will start the actors
MyActor and
WebSocketPushActor; it will also start Netty and react on web socket connection by sending a "register" message to the
WebSocketPushActor. That actor will, when it receives the
Push message, send it to all the sockets that it knows about.
Yes, the application is trivial and it ignores lots and lots of useful code: for example, how to add Spray routes to the fray, how to deal with marshalling of the
payload. For the answers to that, you'll have to wait a few days for another post. In the meantime, head over to https://github.com/mashupbots/socko and try the code I've shown you here.
And finally, in production, you will want to separate out the responsibilities for keeping track of the open sockets, sending and possibly the marshalling amongst separate actors!


text:
In the Calgary Flames' post-season chase for the Stanley Cup, the golden rule has been expect the unexpected.
Except for one thing: Game 5.
Each round, the script heading into the swing game has been the same.
The series is tied 2-2 and the Flames are a long way from their friendly confines.
Funny how that's a comfort for a club going up against the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the best-of-seven final, which continues tomorrow night at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Moments after dropping Monday night's
1-0 clash at the Saddledome, that's what they were thinking.
"It would have been nice to win last game but it's over now," said right-winger Shean Donovan. "It's three games and the first to take two wins the Stanley Cup and we know we have to steal one in their barn to do it.
"It'll take our best effort but we've seen that when our backs are against the wall, we play our best hockey."
Certainly, that was the case the first three times they've faced this test.
- April 15 in Vancouver -- A textbook Flames win, a 2-1 Kipper special.
- May 1 in Detroit -- A 1-0 win over the Red Wings.
- May 17 in San Jose -- A surprising 3-0 victory over the Sharks.
The self-professed underdogs are hoping to keep that streak alive.
"We take a lot out of the past, all the good things. We believe in our room," said captain Jarome Iginla. "That was a tough loss to take, every loss in the playoffs is very hard, but we know we have more in this room.
"It wasn't like we were totally outplayed. We just have to find a way to win next game."
Past history has proven the importance of doing just that. In the 18 Stanley Cup finals that were tied at two wins apiece, the winner of Game 5 has won 14, or 78%, of them.
The exact numbers aren't important to the Flames or the Lightning, a club that's won both Game 5s it's faced this post-season.
"Guys know the percentage of teams that win the series after winning Game 5 is pretty huge," Donovan said. "It's a big turning point and a chance to gain big momentum."
The big issue is how to do just that.
The obvious is to score first, which the victor of each game has done. Another is to keep Lightning star Brad Richards off the scoresheet, since Tampa is 8-0 when the pride of P.E.I. has tallied. The Flames are determined to skate and hit each and every Lightning skater at every turn.
"It's gotten us this far this year," Iginla said. "If we looked at our whole game (Monday), in the second period we had our chances. The third period wasn't great and the first period wasn't great. The team that's won each game has been the team that's been more desperate. We've got to find a way to be that team."
Best-of-three for fourth time
RANDY SPORTAK -- Calgary Sun
, Last Updated: 3:51 PM ET


text:
Colorado Bingo-Raffle Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Date: June 27, 2012Location: Secretary of
State's Office, Blue Spruce Conference Room, 1700 Broadway, Denver, ColoradoMembers Present: Bishop Dan
Gincig, Vera Craven, Tom Bednark, Austin Gomes, Beau WilliamsMembers Absent: None
Secretary of State Officials Present: Mike Hardin, Greg Lestikow, Darleen Herrera, Shannon Bee, Brian Gryth
Meeting was called to
order at 10:03 A.M.
The Pledge of Allegiance
was conducted.
A motion was made by Tom
Bednark to approve the April 11, 2012, meeting minutes as presented. The motion was seconded by Vera Craven and
approved by unanimous vote of the Board.
Secretary of State
Mr. Hardin commented that
Sarah Steinbeck accepted a position with a private law firm and presented Greg
Lestikow, her replacement in the Bingo/Raffle and Charities programs. Mr.
Hardin stated Rudy Johnson and Patrick Ryan retired from the office. Both of these positions will be replaced in
the near future.
Mr. Hardin asked Chairman
Gincig if he would host Mr. Lestikow and any new employees at his hall to
observe a bingo session. Chairman Gincig
said he was open to this whenever we could arrange to have them go out.
Mr. Lestikow presented
the bingo financial reports which were distributed to the Board and
audience. The report shows net profits
on bingo are trending slightly higher than last year even though the amount
wagered is about the same. There was a
large jump in raffle proceeds, but this appears to be from a handful of very
large raffles which started in the first quarter. Mr. Lestikow also stated that the
bingo-raffle program will be making improvements to the financial reports to
increase consistency and improve readability. This will be completed by the
next board meeting.
Mr. Hardin stated that the
Secretary of State will be sending a questionnaire to all licensees regarding
electronic filing. Legislation discussed
at the last meeting is now law and includes funding for an electronic filing and
reporting system. The questionnaire will
help the office determine how to go forward with this system. Also, the e-learning system for games manager
training has progressed significantly.
It is currently going through an editing process and may be available
for viewing at the next meeting. Mr.
Hardin reported that the Secretary is currently reviewing the fee structure in
Bingo/Raffle and considering fee decreases that would benefit all licensees in
the future.
Chairman Gincig asked if the
Secretary's office had reviewed the idea of collecting an extra fee from
licensees to start an advertising fund.
Mr. Hardin stated that the Secretary of State's office is not inclined
to take on this role, and that it may not be within the office's legal mandate
to do so. He stated the office would look into it further and get back with the
Board at the next meeting.
Carol Zeles, of Alpine Skating Club, asked if bingo
bills could be paid with a credit card. Carol
further stated her group has never had a card linked directly to their
bingo-raffle account and was not aware their group could do this.
Rule Change Discussion
Chairman Gincig suggested
an increase in faces allowed on electronic aids, from 36 to 54. He would also like to consider going forward
with a referendum or rule change to allow paid callers and other workers at
Mr. Williams felt it was
not fair that groups conducting raffles have to pay quarterly report fees based
on the gross proceeds of the raffle, rather than on the net proceeds. The Secretary's office committed to
determining whether this was a statutory or rules-based requirement by the next
Mr. Hardin stated that the Secretary's office will
consider the issue of whether paid callers can be allowed as an expense by
changes in the rules or statutes.
University of Denver
(DU) Presentation Discussion
The DU group's final report
was distributed to each member of the Board.
The video of the summary comments was presented to the Board and
Mr. Gincig commented on
the recommendation in the video of groups playing bingo in bars. He stated that a couple of local bars had
approached his charity to do this, but in reality the bar would make more money
with free bingo and giving away prizes.
Chairman Gincig also felt the students did not get a good feel for halls
with more electronics available. Mr.
Hardin commented that this study was just a start and future studies will be
more focused and have a much narrower scope.
Mr. Lestikow presented a
few of the graphs from the study. The
first graph showed that total gross receipts from bingo have been declining
over the entire country as well as in Colorado.
Colorado is about in the middle of the road in the amount of decline
across all the states reviewed in the study.
Mr. Hardin asked the
Board to review the study and present study topics at the next meeting.
Mr. Bednark moved to
adjourn the meeting. The motion was
seconded by Ms. Craven and approved by the Board.
Meeting adjourned at 11:20
The next meeting
of the Board will be September 12, 2012, at 10:00 AM at the Secretary of State's
Office, Blue Spruce Conference Room, 1700 Broadway, Denver, Colorado.
Deliverables from SOS office for next meeting:


text:
|Sep 19-30
|Sept 2017 Ezine Issue
|Nov 1-31
|TRR's New Look!
|Nov 12-25
|Win Treasure Chest! $100 GC and 26 Contemporary Romance
Fun, Flirty & Sweet Romance with a Dash of Heat! ** FREE READ **
Vince is a shifter who can't shift. How can he ever be what sassy werecoyote Penny needs?
He wore the skin of a killer, and bore the heart of a lover...


text:
It's time to get out.
Barack Obama, who has spent most of his nascent presidency in the White House compound, is shifting into travel mode.
The rundown: Saturday and Sunday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland; Monday in Indiana and Tuesday in Florida for economic events; Thursday in Illinois to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday; and then Valentine's Day weekend with his wife, Michelle, at home in Chicago.
One motivation is for Obama to break free of the Washington debate and sell his economic plan among the people it is designed to help. The other is for the president simply to get away from the White House, the gated address that has quickly become his office and his family's home.
Obama became president on Jan. 20.
Asked if the president is already starting to feel cooped up, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs smiled and said: "Safe to say."
"Look, you know, some of you have covered him and some of you haven't," Gibbs told reporters in his daily briefing on Friday. "But he's a bit of a restless soul."
Obama has acknowledged that one of his biggest adjustments to becoming president is the loss of privacy. The days of just being able to take a walk in public are gone. He is now flanked like never before by the Secret Service, followed by the media and engulfed by intense public interest wherever he goes.
Of course, the White House offers him and his family plenty of solitude – perhaps too much.
When he and Mrs. Obama made a surprise visit to a local school on Tuesday, he told some second-graders: "We were just tired of being in the White House."
And clearly, Obama enjoyed his first taste of high-flying presidential travel this week.
He took both the Marine One helicopter and the president's jet for the first time in office on Thursday as part of a trip to a Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, Va. "Thank you for giving me a reason to use Air Force One," he told the lawmakers. "It's pretty nice."
This weekend, Obama plans to make his first trip, with his family, to Camp David. The secluded, highly guarded estate in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains has long been a favorite getaway for presidents.
He will hold town halls on Monday in Elkhart, Ind., and on Tuesday in Fort Myers, Fla. – both areas with soaring unemployment. In between will be Obama's first news conference, a prime-time event on Monday night. With those events coming after Obama's feisty speech to his party's House members, Obama's agenda and rhetoric are starting to take on a campaign feel. "Sounds like the good old days, doesn't it?" Gibbs said.
After Obama's out-and-back trip to Springfield, Ill., on Thursday, he will leave Washington next Friday for Chicago for the Feb. 14 weekend. Gibbs had few details about the president's first return trip to Chicago, but he confirmed this: "I'm sure the president and the first lady will go out for Valentine's Day."
Getting a head start, the Obamas and daughters Malia and Sasha went to the Kennedy Center on Friday night to see a performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The Obama family entered the theater with Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife, Sharon Malone, and received a standing ovation. Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and his wife, Michelle, also were part of the group.


text:
- Home
- Media
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Archives by Tag 'energy production':
Humans are coming: how distributed energy production is changing the world
The price of solar modules is dropping fast. From 2006 to 2014 the price of solar modules has dropped from $3.25 to $0.72 per watt and continues to drop further. In some parts of the world energy from solar is competitive with conventional sources of energy production even without government subsidies. But if we consider […]


text:
Yesterday I cried .....I could hear my own heart ache echo through the house I cried so hard I had to lean over and keep my heart from falling out and I'm sure my neighbor heard my horrible screaming cry.
I just wanted to not be there in my body at that moment
I wish I could stop loving my wife, who my wife was, the girl I met and I married and cherished above all. But now it seems like she has all the power, even though I'm the one who was cheated on.
I feel lost, and crushed, and disposable. So I am right there with you. If I lived near you I would bring you hot tea and give you a big hug, and that would help me too.
I have been there as well--that deep wracking wailing pain.
So many chances were offered. We begged, changed, opened ourselves again and again in the name of saving our family. But they made their choices and left us with none.
It is they who divorced us. That is how I am choosing to frame this.
Strength to you.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
WH#2 (SorryinSac)- Killed himself (May 2015) in our home 6 days after being served divorce docs.
XWH #1 - legally married 18yrs. 12+ OW (that I know of).
I edit often for clarity/typos.
I just wanted to not be there in my body at that moment
I feel like this so often.
(((huRtZ413))) you are not alone. I know it feels like we are but were not. I know there are days (and I have a lot of them still) That the pain and sorrow are so strong that I often will feel like doing ANYTHING to get away from it.
I try not to resort to bad coping mechanisms, but I sometimes do and it is scary.
Maybe you can take a break from life and treat yourself to something nice today!
[This message edited by crazyblindsided at 2:22 PM, July 31st (Wednesday)]


text:
T-Mobile USA completed the acquisition of Richardson-based MetroPCS Communications on Wednesday, but the prepaid wireless provider will continue to operate out of its existing local headquarters.
The MetroPCS brand isn't going away either, said MetroPCS president Tom Keys, who was named executive vice president of the new Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile US Inc. and will run the MetroPCS division.
In fact, Keys said, this "little" company, which was the fifth-largest wireless provider until Wednesday, is now poised to grow.
He's targeting wireless customers at the end of their two-year contracts with the big three: Verizon Wireless, Dallas-based AT&T Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. Plus, he'd like to make Apple's iPhone available to his no-contract customers.
A big geographic push is in the works, too, since T-Mobile networks already own licenses in most U.S. cities.
The merger was announced in October, and since then, Keys said, he's held 130 meetings with employees, dealers and vendors to answer questions.
MetroPCS sells prepaid, no-contract wireless service in 15 markets and plans to add 15 to 25 more over the next 12 months, including Houston, New Orleans, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Keys said.
"You can tell how excited I am about all this," he said during an interview Wednesday. While no staff changes are planned at this point, MetroPCS in Richardson may need to hire workers later to handle the national market expansion, Keys said.
T-Mobile, the No. 4 wireless provider, also sells prepaid wireless, but most of its business is contract service. The brands will be marketed and sold independently, Keys said.
MetroPCS, which just made it into the Fortune 500, has 3,616 employees, including 512 corporate staffers in Richardson. It had sales last year of $5.1 billion and a profit of $394 million.
T-Mobile and MetroPCS had $24.8 billion in sales last year. If prepaid wireless continues as a growing business, Keys sees lots of potential in the $178 billion U.S. wireless market.
Prepaid plans make up about a quarter of the U.S. wireless market, says Washington wireless industry think tank New Millennium Research. Some forecast it will reach a third of the market soon.
With 43 million subscribers, the combined T-Mobile US will still rank a distant No. 4, but it's positioning itself as a disrupter in the huge business.
Here is an edited Q&A with Keys.
MetroPCS sells some of the most popular Android phones, like the Samsung Galaxy 3. No-contract customers who want the Apple iPhone, however, are out of luck, and T-Mobile was the last major carrier to get Apple devices.
We would love to do something with the iPhone within the next six months. We sell the most popular Android phones and will have the Samsung Galaxy 4 when it's available soon. T-Mobile became the first major carrier to drop smartphone subsidies when it started selling Apple iPhones in April. We call ourselves the un-carrier.
Would a prepaid service iPhone work the same as it does with a contract wireless provider?
There's a misconception that in prepaid, the customer has to settle for less. That's just not true. Prepaid smartphones do everything that contract phones do. Little old MetroPCS was the first wireless carrier in the world to launch a 4G LTE handset and network.
What differences will MetroPCS customers see?
Within two years, MetroPCS customers will morph to the T-Mobile network, even though the brands will stay separate. It will be business as usual. Customers of each company won't see a change. Everything will be the same.
You have been looking for a merger partner for some time.
What we've been looking for is spectrum the last three years. Right away, we'll have three times the network bandwidth with the combination of T-Mobile's [network] in our 15 markets. We come to this merger with aligned ways of thinking as No. 4 and No. 5; we've been constantly looking up at Nos. 1, 2 and 3. It's a cultural fit.
This is a local story from an employee standpoint with your largest workforce headquartered here. How will they be affected?
We'll maintain a significant presence in Richardson. We have no current plans to reduce this staff. The process of integrating the two staffs will be addressed in a few months. But one of the tenets of this merger was to expand MetroPCS. It took us 10 years to get to 15 markets with 100 million potential customers. Now we're adding 15 to 25 markets with 300 million potential customers within the year and, in some cities, within four months.
Why should these potential customers become prepaid wireless users?
People can budget. Taxes and fees are included in our prices. It's simple. There are no surprises. And if you don't like the service, you can vote us off the island and switch providers. In the economic meltdown in 2008, as American families struggled, wireless contracts were a hindrance. If you don't pay your bill, your service is cut off and your account gets sent to a collection agency. With prepaid, you own the phone and pay for service monthly.
Is that your demographic, the struggling family?
I don't agree that prepaid services are pinned to a demographic or an income group. Prepaid service is for everybody, and that's where we see growth.
Follow Maria Halkias on Twitter
at @MariaHalkias.


text:
Bromley South to Romney Street
If you are undaunted by sundry hills in Bromley's Green Belt, and some in Kent as well and fancy a good pub lunch, please join us for a ride out to the Fox & Hounds at Romney Street. After lunch we plan to whiz downhill back to Eynsford via the picturesque Knatt's Valley - and then take the train back home. I would anticipate getting to Romney Street by about 12:00 and getting home to Eynesford for a train home by 14:00 at the very latest.
Overall distance - around 30 miles - and lots of hills!
Contact details
Andrew Fergar - 07717 693 701


text:
May 4 (Reuters) - British luxury brand Burberry plans to move around 300 jobs from London to a new office in Leeds, northern England, to consolidate its back-office operations and cut costs.
The company said on Thursday the new office would open in October and help to cut costs because it would be able to reduce office space in London.
The company will keep its headquarters in London.
The move comes a fortnight after the fashion house, led by designer Christopher Bailey, posted a slowdown in quarterly sales growth. (Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Potter)


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HAMILTON -- Paul LaPolice envisioned many roles and responsibilities for Khari Jones, but none involved the duties associated with being an offensive co-ordinator.
"Absolutely not,'' LaPolice said on Thursday. "And that's not a disrespect thing. I've worked with several quarterbacks and I won't say he cared about Xs and Os.
"Why? Because he was such a charismatic football player on the field and he had such great instincts. Some guys would live in the office and talk scheme, but with Khari it was let me know what to do and I will find our guys."
During Jones' tenure in Winnipeg, LaPolice served as an assistant when Jones would become the CFL's most outstanding player.
Friday night, Jones will make his debut as Hamilton's offensive co-ordinator, a role that seemed natural following two years of serving as the Ticats quarterbacks coach.
When Jones worked as a broadcaster for CBC, LaPolice would often talk with Jones.
It was during those moments when LaPolice had an inkling Jones would one day get involved with a franchise.
During their preparation for Hamilton, LaPolice noticed a pass play the Ticats used in the pre-season that looked eerily familiar.
"It was the exact same concept we used in '02, '03 when I was the co-ordinator and Khari was throwing to Arland (Bruce) and Milt Stegall. Yup, that was Khari's favourite play when we played together.
"Knowing Khari, he's going to have a lot of motion and he'll stretch the field."