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Look behind the eyes of Jared Loughner
Investigations reveal shooter's toxic mix of drugs, occult activity, radical politics
Mugshot of Jared Lee Loughner
22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner is in police custody, accused of opening fire into a crowd in Tucson, Ariz., killing six and critically wounding Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Thousands of news reports have described him as "troubled," "disturbed" or a "loner."
Loughner's YouTube and MySpace accounts give clues to his thoughts, but mostly contain disjointed, rambling diatribes about illiteracy, the government, mind control and "conscience dreaming."
But what else is known about the background of Loughner?
He lived with his parents – who have yet to speak to the media – the Associated Press reports, "in a middle-class neighborhood lined with desert landscaping and palm trees" about five minutes from the scene of the shooting. Neighbors reportedly described him as walking his dog, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, listening to heavy metal on his iPod and keeping to himself.
The more America learns about the accused assassin, however, the more disturbing the picture of this "disturbed" young man becomes.
Occult activity
An article by the AP describes Loughner as "an ardent atheist, he began to characterize people as sheep whose free will was being sapped by the government and the monotony of modern life."
Loughner's high school classmate, Grant Wiens, further told the London Telegraph, "Sometimes religion was brought up or drugs. He smoked pot, I don't know how regularly. And he wasn't too keen on religion, from what I could tell."
Another friend told the AP that Loughner had fallen into a "nihilistic rut."
Indeed, Lougher's YouTube channel includes a video in which he posted the words, "No! I won't trust in God!"
But when a New York Daily News photographer investigated Loughner's back yard, he discovered something startling. Hidden within a camouflage enclosure was what the newspaper described as "a sinister shrine" with "a chilling occult dimension."
Photos reveal a pot filled with blackened, shriveled oranges, topped with the replica of a glaringly white, human skull. The scene also includes a trio of ceremonial candles and potting soil, elements experts told the paper are featured in the ceremonies of a number of occult groups.
Drugs and alcohol
Further investigations have also revealed Loughner had a history of problems with mind-altering substances.
According to an AP report, "For a time, Loughner drank heavily, to the point of poisoning himself, [his high school friends] said. Once, during school lunch break as a junior, he downed so much tequila that he came back to class, within five minutes passed out cold, had to be rushed to the hospital and 'almost died,' one friend said."
Arizona court records further show that in October 2007, Loughner was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
A military official in Washington – speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity – said that the Army had rejected Loughner's attempt to enlist in 2008 because he had failed a drug test.
And Caitie Parker, one of the first to claim to know Loughner and a classmate of his at both Mountain View High School in Tucson and Pima Community College, mentioned in a series of tweets not only Loughner's episode with alcohol poisoning in 2006, but also called him a "pot head."
Those same "friends" who spoke to the AP also reported Loughner's cannabis use, telling the news service that they smoked marijuana together every day, and when they weren't going to concerts or watching movies they talked about the meaning of life and dabbled in conspiracy theories.
Political radicalism
Much has been made in the media of what may have politically motivated Loughner to open fire on a U.S. representative and the federal judge who was killed in the shooting.
Some have speculated that Loughner's anti-government rants, published on his YouTube site, may identify the accused killer as a tea-party-type activist.
As WND reported, however, his classmate Caitie Parker wrote of Lougher, "As I knew him he was left wing, quite liberal and oddly obsessed with the 2012 prophecy."
Loughner also listed on his YouTube channel among his favorite books Karl Marx's "The Communist Manifesto" and Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf," casting further doubt on the notion that he was an angered tea-party type.
One of the high school friends who spoke to the AP reportedly paused when asked if he considered Loughner a Republican or Democrat.
"Is there a radical party? It went beyond that, it wasn't left or right," the friend said.
Indeed, Loughner's almost incoherent political ramblings were evident on his YouTube channel, where he ranted against the B.C./A.D. dating system, the government "controlling" grammar, terrorism, "treasonous laws," money not based on the gold or silver standard, and the phrase "In God We Trust" on currency. He also "favorited" a video of a flag burning.
"I don't think his ideology is anything coherent," said Trent Humphries, co-founder of the Tucson Tea Party. "I just think he was a very, very disturbed individual."
Warning signs
Loughner's unusual ideas and erratic behavior caught the attention of both fellow students and school officials.
"He made a lot of the people really uncomfortable, especially the girls in the class," said Steven Cates, who attended an advanced poetry writing class with Loughner at Pima Community College last spring.
Another poetry student, Don Coorough, told the AP, "He appeared to be to me an emotional cripple or an emotional child. … He lacked compassion, he lacked understanding and he lacked an ability to connect."
And yet another, Lynda Sorenson, wrote in an email about Loughner, quoted by the Washington Post, "We have a mentally unstable person in the class that scares the living crap out of me. He is one of those whose picture you see on the news, after he has come into class with an automatic weapon. Everyone interviewed would say, 'Yeah, he was in my math class and he was really weird.' I sit by the door with my purse handy. If you see it on the news one night, know that I got out fast."
Pima Community College has since issued a statement about Loughner, explaining, "From February to September 2010, Loughner had five contacts with PCC police for classroom and library disruptions," incidents which eventually led to Loughner leaving the school.
The college claims it told Loughner that if he wanted to return, he was required to "obtain a mental health clearance indicating, in the opinion of a mental health professional, his presence at the college does not present a danger to himself or others."


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QUESTION: What are elderly women's experiences of the factors that promote function and enable a successful transition through the recovery process after a hip fracture?
Grounded theory.
Midwestern USA.
15 English speaking women >70 years of age (age range 72–82 y, 100% white) who were recovering from hip fracture, had been discharged from a subacute unit in the previous 9 months, had returned home to live alone, and were cognitively intact. All women had children who visited at least weekly.
Focus groups (3 groups of 7, 5, and 3 women, respectively) were held in a small, comfortable room within a 250 bed hospital. Predetermined, open ended questions were used to encourage participants to talk openly about the transitional conditions through recovery from hip fracture. During the sessions, non-verbal behaviour was recorded and important points were validated by the moderator. Sessions were audiotaped and analysed using open coding, a concept map, and axial coding.
Main findings
2 main categories were identified. The first category, function inhibiting factors, described the obstacles to successful transition after hip fracture. These factors were physical discomfort, such as fatigue and chronic pain; feeling limited, which was expressed as dependency, loss of control, impatience, and fear of falling; bending precautions needed for proper healing of the hip, which affected social and home maintenance activities; need for devices to assist them, which were viewed as hindrances and visible stigmas that reflected a loss of independence; and loss of enabling skills, such as stair climbing and driving. Women used 6 adaptive methods to cope with their limited functional ability: viewing age as strength, looking ahead, confronting problems head on with determination and perseverance, minimising the significance of problems, seeing humour in frustration, and having faith. The second category, function promoting factors, described the approaches that the women took to enhance their ability to make a successful transition after hip fracture. These approaches were recognising progress, which was confirmed by self and other's assessment and helped to overcome feelings of depression; making adaptations for daily activities by using creativity and by learning from caregivers; and accepting help from family, friends, and the community to compensate for shortcomings. Women expressed a sense of well being, thankfulness, and pride from having experienced successful hip fracture recovery.
Elderly women faced obstacles to successful transition after hip fracture but found adaptive approaches to enhance their inner strength and promote their recovery. These women used a variety of interdisciplinary interventions to enable a successful recovery and restore a sense of personal well being.
The study by Robinson adds to our understanding of older women's lived experience after traumatic hip injury by shifting attention from physiological outcome measures to factors that promote recovery. The mortality (14%–36% after 1 y) and morbidity associated with fractured hips in older adults are indications of the importance of this research topic.1
Story telling in focus groups is a good data collection method for qualitative studies because it gives insight into the language used and the meaning of events held by the participants. The study was based on the lived experience of 15 women, and therefore, the findings may differ from other populations. Furthermore, participants were described as cognitively intact but it is unclear how cognition was assessed.
The risk of dependency after hip fracture is high. Understanding how to protect functional independence and community competency are essential to nursing practice. This study links interdisciplinary interventions to promoting recovery. As such, the clinical relevance of this study for subacute units is high because the results give direction for potential interventions for nurses. Clinical utility could be strengthened with a clearer description of the multidimensional components of functional ability. The author writes "Through the qualitative approach, the definition of functional status can be expanded to encompass psychological components" (p 1346). This is in keeping with gerontological nursing assessment where functional status is understood to include psychological components. Other researchers have also shown that functional ability involves physical, psychological, and social functioning.2, 3
This study offers nurses in subacute units direction for providing specific interventions targeted toward holistic recovery that goes beyond bone healing and reaches into elements of quality of life.
Source of funding: no external funding.
For correspondence: Dr S B Robinson, 1265 W Grove, Decatur, IL 62521, USA. Fax +1 217 524 8156.
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Salad Recipes
Super Bowl XLVII Recipe Round Up
I can't believe the week has gone by so fast. Here's a Super Bowl recipe round up in case you're looking for inspiration. My husband has geared up (and I think he looks positively adorkable) and has been proudly wearing his SF 49ers pin, cufflinks and cap. Enjoy, and as Lulu would say, "Go Niners!" (or the other team if you prefer...).
Full Recipe...
Cheesy Eggplant Dip Recipe
Here's a recipe for an eggplant cheese dip. Very flavorful roasted eggplants are mixed with tomatoes that have been cooked until softened, then the mixture is folded into fluffy mascarpone cheese and Romano cheese. The last step is to warm up the dish for a few minutes and wait until it gets bubbly. I paired the warm dip with sweet and smoky barbecue ruffled chips, which serve two purposes: the texture makes it easy to scoop out the dip, and their smoky undertones manage to stand out against the robustly flavored dip.
We're days away from the Super Bowl! Hope your party planning is going well! If you're still looking for inspiration, I'm going to keep posting some recipe ideas until the big day.
Full Recipe...
Super Bowl Snack: Chicken Wing Recipe
Chicken wings aren't really a popular snack in France, so I only had the chance to really experience them when I moved to the US. I love their versatility and they're one of the best choices for party finger foods, assuming you don't mind getting your digits a little dirty.
I made this batch using an Asian-style sweet and spicy marinade, and I used beet juice as natural red (49er-friendly) food coloring. The last step was basting the chicken wings with the thickened marinade using arrowroot starch. I can already picture us in the TV room this Sunday watching the Super Bowl game. My husband will be staring at his favorite team, the Niners, and I'll have my eyes on the chicken wings!
Full Recipe...
Super Bowl Finger Food: Crab Cake Recipe
Crab cakes may be synonymous with Maryland in general and Baltimore in particular, but these delectable seafood treats are made San Francisco-friendly with the use of Dungeness crab. I love Dungeness crabs almost as much as Lulu loves the Niners, so you could say that this dish is a match made in heaven. Except of course that Lulu's a vegetarian (I'll post a veggie version next week).
For all us seafood eaters, this is a super easy dish to prepare, which makes it perfect party fare. The only part that requires any real effort is cooking, cracking and collecting the crab meat, but the results are well worth it!
Full Recipe...
California Sushi Rolls and Tuna and Salmon Sushi
If you love football as much as my husband Lulu does, and also happen to be a 49ers fan, you were probably frantically jumping up and down and screaming for joy as they made it to the Super Bowl last week. Lulu has been looking forward to this since they lost in overtime in last year's NFC Championship game. To be honest, I have no clue what any of those words mean, but I've heard Lulu say them on several occasions.
What I do know is food and I've concocted a week's worth of recipe ideas in honor of the Superbowl and the San Franciso 49ers. I may not know a first down from a field goal, but preparing fun party food for friends and family is a great way for me to get involved.
To kickoff our week of SF-friendly Super Bowl foods, here's a combination of California rolls (avocado crab cucumber) and tuna (freshly caught by our neighbor Tom) and salmon sushi. It's super easy; all you need is fresh ingredients and ready-cooked sushi rice. You can make several rolls in advance, and cut them throughout the party as your guests work their way through them. The other nice thing about sushi as party food is that you can easily make different fillings depending on you and your guests' preferences and dietary restrictions.
Full Recipe...


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A Poem of Celebration for National HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day
By Khafre Abif
June 5, 2014
On June 6th I will be 48 years old. I have been living with HIV/AIDS for more than half of my life.
You Are the Brave
You are the brave who do not break.
--Khafre Kujichagulia Abif
First published in Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens: Prayers, Poems & Affirmations for People Living with HIV/AIDS (AuthorHouse September 2013)
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Freedom Rider
Khafre Abif
Khafre K. Abif, AIDS activist, has been thriving with HIV for more than 20 years and is a father of two teenage boys. Khafre is the Founder/Executive Director of Cycle for Freedom. Khafre is one of five men in the inaugural class of The HEALTH (Health Executive Approaches to Leadership and Training in HIV) Seminar Program developed by My Brother's Keeper, Inc. He has also served as the Community Co-Chair for the New Jersey HIV Prevention Community Planning Group. As a librarian in his first career, Khafre was the first recipient of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA)'s Dr. John C. Tyson Emerging Leader Award. Forthcoming books include Raising Kazembe and Cornbread, Fish & Collard Greens: Prayers, Poems and Affirmation for People Living with HIV/AIDS.
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Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Wayne Belock, Esq.
Deputy Chief, Legal Counsel
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
1380 East 6th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Re: OCR Docket #15-08-1276
Dear Mr. Belock:
This letter is to inform you of the disposition of the above-referenced complaint filed against the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (the District), on September 16, 2008, with the U.S. Department of Education (Department), Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The complaint alleged that the District discriminates against limited English proficient (LEP) national origin-minority students and their parents. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the District failed to provide LEP parents of District students with information concerning activities and other school-related matters in a language that they could understand. The complaint also alleged the District failed to provide information to the LEP parents of a student related to his proposed expulsion in a language that they could understand.
OCR is responsible for enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 100. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the bases of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the Department. The District is a recipient of Federal financial assistance from the Department and is therefore subject to this law; accordingly, OCR has jurisdiction over this complaint.
Based on the complaint allegation, OCR opened an investigation into the following issue: whether the District violated the regulation implementing Title VI, at 34 C.F.R. § 100.3(a) and (b), which provides, in relevant part, that recipients of Federal financial assistance may not, directly or through contractual or other arrangements, on the ground of national origin, exclude persons from participation in their programs, deny them any service or the benefits of their programs, or subject them to separate treatment. Specifically, the Title VI implementing regulation, at 34 C.F.R. § 100.3(b)(2), provides that, in determining the types of services or benefits that will be provided, recipients may not utilize criteria or methods of administration that have the effect of subjecting individuals to discrimination because of their national origin.
Pursuant to the regulation, the District has an obligation to ensure "meaningful access" to its programs and activities to LEP parents. Specifically, under Title VI, the District has an obligation to "adequately notify" national origin-minority group parents of school programs and activities that are called to the attention of other parents. The terms "adequately notify" and "meaningful access" mean that parents who are LEP -based on their ability to read, speak, write, or understand spoken English -are not to be excluded from, or denied the benefits of, the District's programs and activities.
Under OCR's procedures, a complaint may be resolved at any time when, before the conclusion of an OCR investigation, a recipient expresses an interest in resolving the complaint. The resolution agreement will be aligned with the complaint allegation or the information obtained during the investigation, and will be consistent with applicable regulations. Such a request does not constitute an admission of liability on the part of the recipient, nor does it constitute a determination by OCR that the recipient has violated any of the laws that OCR enforces. Before OCR completed its investigation, the District asked to voluntarily resolve this complaint. Although OCR has not completed its investigation of this issue, OCR's preliminary investigation included a review of data provided by the District and interviews with the Complainant and relevant District staff.
As the information obtained to date during OCR's investigation indicates that the District fails to provide LEP national origin-minority parents of District students with information concerning activities and other school-related matters in a language that they could understand and failed to provide information to the LEP parents of a student related to his proposed expulsion in a language that they could understand, OCR agreed to enter into a resolution agreement with the District prior to the conclusion of the investigation.
On September 14, 2011, the District signed the enclosed resolution agreement, which, once implemented, will fully address the complaint allegations in accordance with the requirements of Title VI. The agreement requires the District to develop a written plan to provide language assistance to LEP parents. The plan will include processes for:
notifying LEP parents, in a language that the parents will understand, of the availability of free language assistance with respect to school programs and activities;
identifying LEP parents who may need language assistance;
ensuring that each school building has a centralized list of LEP parents identified as needing language assistance services;
ensuring that the central administration maintains a District-wide list of LEP parents;
ensuring that, when the children of LEP parents transfer from one building to another within the District, information regarding the language assistance needs of the parents is transferred to the building to which their children transfer;
ensure that District staff that are likely to interact with an identified LEP parent are advised of the parent's potential need for language assistance;
ensuring that District staff may obtain in a timely manner appropriate, qualified translators or interpreters; and
ensuring that vital written documents are translated into the language of each frequently-encountered LEP parent group eligible to be served and/or likely to be affected by the District's program or activities.
With respect to the individual student allegation, the Complainant advised OCR that no individual remedial action was necessary in an agreement as the expulsion had been overturned on appeal.
In light of this agreement, OCR finds that this complaint is resolved, and we are closing our investigation as of the date of this letter. OCR will, however, monitor the District's implementation of the enclosed agreement. Should the District fail to fully implement the agreement, OCR will reopen the case and resume its investigation of the complaint allegations.
This letter sets forth OCR's disposition in an individual OCR case. This letter is not a formal statement of OCR policy and should not be relied upon, cited, or construed as such. OCR's formal policy statements are approved by a duly authorized OCR official and made available to the public. The complainant may have the right to file a private suit in Federal court whether or not OCR finds a violation.
Thank you for your cooperation and that of the District during the resolution of this complaint. We look forward to receiving the District's first monitoring report by October 14, 2011. Donald S. Yarab will be monitoring the District's implementation of the agreement. If you have any questions about the resolution of this complaint, please contact Mr. Yarab at (216) 522-7634.
Catherine D. Criswell


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[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 111th Congress] [111st Congress] [House Document 110-162] [Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice] [Pages 249-252] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov] sec. xxxvi--division of the question
|Sec. 480. Parliamentary law for division of the question.
|If a question contain more parts than one, it may be divided into two or more questions. Mem. in Hakew., 29. But not as the right of an individual member, but with the consent of the House. For who is to decide whether a question is complicated or not--where it is complicated--into how many propositions it may be divided? The fact is, that the only mode of separating a complicated question is by moving amendments to it; and these must be decided by the House, on a question, unless the House orders it to be divided; as, on the question, December 2, 1640, making void the election of the knights for Worcester, on a motion it was resolved to make two questions of it, to wit, one on each knight. 2 Hats., 85, 86. So, wherever there are several names in a question, they may be divided and put one by one. 9 Grey, 444. So, 1729, April 17, on an objection that a question was complicated, it was separated by amendment. 2 Hats., 79.
|Sec. 481. Jefferson's discussion of division of the question.
|The soundness of these observations will be evident from the embarrassments produced by the XVIIIth rule of the Senate, which says, ``if the question in debate contains several points, any member may have the same divided.''
|Sec. 482. Division of question as related to debate or amendment.
|When a question is divided, after the question on the 1st member, the 2d is open to debate and amendment; because it is a known rule that a person may rise and speak at any time before the question has been completely decided, by putting the negative as well as the affirmative side. But the question is not completely put when the vote has been taken on the first member only. One-half the question, both affirmative and negative, remains still to be put. See Execut. Jour., June 25, 1795. The same decision by President Adams.


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2 days ago
Storm hammer Broncos in Melbourne trial
The Melbourne Storm have thumped the Brisbane Broncos 46-0 in tonght's NRL trial at Princes Park in Melbourne.
Five-eighth Greg Inglis was in tremendous form for the home side scoring one try and setting up a second, while captain Cooper Cronk crossed for two tries of his own.
The Broncos made numeous defensive errors as Melbourne ran in eight unaswered tries.
After leading 22-0 at half time, the Storm continued to run at the Broncos who were without a bulk of stars including Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodgesand Karmichael Hunt.
STORM 46 v BRONCOS 0 Scorers for Storm: Cronk 2, Hoffman, King, Geyer, Lima, Slater, Inglis tries. C Smith 6, J Smith goals. Scorers for Broncos: nil
Princes Park, Melbourne, VIC Kick off: 7.00pm HALF TIME: Storm 22-0 FULL TIME: Storm 46-0
Upcoming matches 16-19 MARCH 2007 Fri 7:30 (Qld) 8:30 (NSW) - BRONCOS v COWBOYS - Suncorp Stadium Fri 7:30 - STORM v TIGERS - Olympic Park Sat 7:30 (NZ) 5:30 (NZ) - WARRIORS v EELS - Mt Smart Stadium Sat 7:30 - SEA EAGLES v RAIDERS - Brookvale Oval Sat 7:30 - SHARKS v PANTHERS - Toyota Park Sun 2:00 - KNIGHTS v BULLDOGS - EnergyAustralia Stadium Sun 3:00 - TITANS v DRAGONS - Suncorp Stadium Mon 7:00 - ROOSTERS v RABBITOHS - Aussie Stadium


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Calling up competition
New touch-screen phones vie for share of Apple's market
By Jonathan Sidener
By Jonathan Sidener
Eighteen months ago, as Apple prepared to launch the iPhone, many analysts wondered how many Americans would pay $599 for a phone optimized to surf the Web and play YouTube videos.
The price quickly fell. With "$199" inserted into the question, the answer became: "A lot."
And it's not just the iPhone, available exclusively from AT&T. A host of devices with iPhone-esque touch screens are now enjoying success at the cash register, including Verizon's BlackBerry Storm, the first BlackBerry without a keyboard, and the T-Mobile G1 from HTC, the first phone running on Google's Android operating system.
Cell phone sales overall have belatedly succumbed to the recession and are slowing for the first time since 2001, according to market research firm IDC. But smart-phone sales – led by devices with big, high-resolution touch screens – are expected to continue to grow, IDC and others say.
With powerful processors and motion-sensing accelerometers, smart phones are luring consumers by offering improved access to entertainment and information, IDC said.
"Take a look at how gaming, mapping and location, entertainment, news and social networking applications for (smart phones) have taken off, allowing users to do much more than just make phone calls," IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said.
IDC projects that smart-phone sales will be up 3.1 percent in the United States in 2009, while traditional cell phone sales are expected to fall 11.6 percent. Worldwide, IDC expects smart-phone sales to rise 8.9 percent while traditional cell phone sales fall 3.5 percent.
Jolted into action by the iPhone's success, carriers and manufacturers have rushed competing touch-screen Web phones to the market.
Sprint started with the exclusive Instinct from Samsung and various incarnations of the HTC Touch, from the Sprint Touch to the Touch Diamond models to the more recent Touch Pro.
T-Mobile introduced the Wing from HTC and the Samsung Behold before the G1.
Not resting on its iPhone laurels, AT&T added the Samsung Eternity, the LG Vu and the Fuze version of the HTC Touch Pro.
Before the BlackBerry Storm, Verizon offered the LG Dare and Samsung Omnia.
There were also unlocked, unsubsidized touch phones released by manufacturers. HTC produced a "slider" version, the Touch Dual, with a pull-out keyboard. Nokia launched the 5800, and Sony Ericsson offered the Xperia X1. The list goes on.
None of the competitors matches the iPhone's popularity and marketing chic. And only one, the HTC Touch HD, equals the Apple phone's good looks. But in terms of performance, most of the new touch-screen phones claim one or more features that outperform the iPhone.
Virtually all of the competitors have stereo Bluetooth, higher-resolution cameras and the ability to shoot video. Several include hardware keyboards or higher-resolution screens offering crisp views of photos and video. The Nokia 5800 comes with a year of free music downloads.
Apple will undoubtedly address some of these issues in future versions of the iPhone. As the market leader, iPhone claims a wealth of exclusive networking, entertainment and productivity applications, or "apps." But the G1, backed by Google and the open-source community, is catching up.
Others say the new smart phones will do more than prop up the cellular industry during the downturn. They are becoming must-have devices because consumers value mobile Internet access. These phones mark a significant shift in how people are consuming digital information and services, technology observers say.
In one example of the growing popularity of smart phones, the iPhone became the top cell phone purchased by adult Americans in November, according to the NPD Group, a research firm tracking consumer sales. Apple's phone dethroned Motorola's Razr, which had been the top seller for three years.
NPD's director of industry analysis, Ross Rubin, said the November sales marked a "watershed shift," with four of the five top-selling handsets including keyboards optimized for text messaging and other advanced Internet features.
Although the iPhone gets the most hype, it's not the only touch-screen phone that had customers camping out overnight. In November, BlackBerry enthusiasts lined up outside Verizon Wireless stores for the touch-screen Storm. Not everyone in line got one. Verizon quickly sold out, and BlackBerry manufacturer RIM set a record for the most new BlackBerry subscribers in a single day.
RIM told analysts this month that it is filling orders as fast as it can and expects tight supplies until early next year.
Like the iPhone, the face of the Storm is dominated by its touch screen, which at 3.25 inches diagonal is a quarter-inch smaller than the iPhone and slightly higher in resolution.
The Storm's signature feature is a clickable touch screen. Lightly touch the keyboard display or other soft button and it turns blue, but the key isn't activated until the user presses more firmly. The feature is an attempt to avoid complaints such as those from iPhone users who found the software keyboard to be error-prone.
Reviews have been mixed on whether the "SurePress" technology is a significant improvement.
The Storm includes a 3.2-megapixel camera, a slight upgrade over the iPhone's 2-megapixel camera. The Storm camera includes autofocus and the ability to shoot video.
Another phone that had customers lining up is the T-Mobile G1, launched in October. Like the Storm, the G1 also exceeded sales expectations. The phone from Taiwanese manufacturer HTC sold well enough that in the days after its October release, the company bumped its estimates of 2008 G1 sales from 400,000 to 600,000.
HTC included a slide-out keyboard, which is more accurate than the software keyboards. The G1 also includes a small trackball that makes Web navigation much faster. Links can be clicked without zooming in to make them big enough to click with a finger.
Reviews have knocked the G1 for its music player and lack of support for corporate e-mail. Its keyboard and trackball make it the most functional of the three phones. The trade-off is that the phone is bulkier than the other two.
For Google phone enthusiast and San Diego resident Michael Martin, the mobile Internet delivered on the touch screen of his G1 provides game-changing features, literally.
"I downloaded Google Scoreboard," Martin said. "I'm originally from New England. Last weekend, I was watching the Chargers game, but I got alerts when the Patriots game began and every time they scored."
He said he frequently uses the phone's mobile maps and directions features and the Internet music channel imeem.
The T-Mobile G1 is part of the HTC Touch family. The original Touch beat the iPhone to market by a few weeks.
While most of the touch-screen phones are offered through the traditional U.S. model of carrier subsidies and requisite two-year contract, there are a few noteworthy touch-screen phones available from manufacturers or online from resellers. The Nokia 5800 is a touch-screen phone available in Europe, with a U.S. launch expected soon. The $400 phone comes with free music downloads for a year. Nokia has dominated the worldwide smart-phone market, and the 5800 will be its first response to the iPhone.
Sony Ericsson has also started selling its Xperia X1, an unlocked phone available at Sony Style stores and other Sony resellers for $799. The phone created a lot of buzz online among gadget fans, but the hype has slowed since Sony Ericsson announced the price.
iPhone fans have dismissed the touch-screen competitors as inferior, particularly on style points. There is one rival, available only at online shops and on eBay, that presents an interesting challenge: the HTC Touch HD. The phone has a 3.8-inch screen, noticeably larger than the iPhone. Without carrier subsidies, the Touch HD has a noticeably larger price as well, ranging from $749 to $799.
The Touch HD features a minimalist look, with four small touch controls hidden in the black frame with a subtlety that rivals the iPhone's single "Home" button. The HD's screen resolution of 480 by 800 pixels is equaled by the Xperia but is significantly higher than the iPhone's 480 by 320.
In the past, smart phones were tools of productivity filled with calendars, contacts and corporate e-mail. But with its innovatively big, high-resolution screen, the iPhone accomplished something phone carriers had failed repeatedly to do: Make the mobile Internet attractive to consumers.
The sands were already shifting before the onslaught of the touch-screen smart phones, with younger phone users embracing text messages more than voice calls, said wireless analyst Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence.
"These phones, the iPhone in particular, have opened the mobile Internet experience to consumers," Sterling said. The new phones mark what is likely to be a permanent shift, he said.
He cited a recent survey of technology experts by the Pew Internet & American Life Project that predicted the mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the Internet for most people in the world by 2020.
In the mobile phone world, this year's pricey, top-of-the-line phone tends to become a $79 device in two or three years, Sterling said. Coupled with an expected drop in prices for data plans, it will become more affordable for consumers to sample and get addicted to the mobile Internet, he said.
"People are going to experience the phone as a mobile Internet device," Sterling said. "They're going to get used to the convenience of getting information wherever they are."
Jonathan Sidener: (619) 293-1239; firstname.lastname@example.com
Verizon BlackBerry Storm
Screen: 3.25 inches, 480 by 360 pixels
Camera: 3.2 megapixel autofocus
Size: 4.43 by 2.45 inches
Thickness: 0.55 inch
Weight 5.5 ounces
Price: $199 with two-year contract
Videos, photos and Web pages look stunning on the high-resolution screen. The SurePress touch screen was designed to improve on the finicky iPhone typing experience. While slightly better than the Apple keyboard, longtime BlackBerry users may long for those top-notch keyboards with real keys.
Bottom line: Upgraded style and multimedia, downgraded corporate e-mail function.
AT&T iPhone
Screen: 3.5 inches, 480 by 320
Camera: 2 megapixel
Size: 4.5 by 2.4 inches
Thickness: 0.48 inch
Weight: 4.7 ounces
Price: $199 to $299 with two-year contract
With its groundbreaking multitouch navigation, loyal user base and good looks, the iPhone remains the lead dog despite hardware that is so 2007. Its link to the iTunes Store adds appeal for many. Expect Apple to respond to improvements offered by competitors.
Bottom line: If you've held out this long, wait to see what kind of upgrade comes out as the original two-year AT&T contracts start to expire in June.
Sprint Touch Pro, AT&T Fuze
Screen: 2.8 inches, 480 by 640
Camera: 3.2 megapixel autofocus, flash
Size: 4.02 by 2 inches
Thickness: 0.71 inch
Weight: 5.8 ounces
Price: $299 with two-year contract
Sprint's top touch-screen phone (also available from AT&T as the Fuze) features HTC's improved fingertip navigation. The screen is noticeably smaller than the iPhone's but offers remarkably sharp images. The phone's slide-out keyboard trades thickness for added functionality. Includes a second, front-facing camera, presumably for video-phone chats.
Bottom line: Sprint's fast data network and recently lowered data-plan prices make the Touch Pro a compelling option for Windows Mobile fans.
T-Mobile G1
Screen: 3.2 inches, 480 by 320
Camera: 3.2 megapixel autofocus
Size: 4.6 by 2.16 inches
Thickness: 0.62 inch
Weight: 5.6 ounces
Price: $179 with two-year contract
Not ugly, but the G1 is no rival for the iPhone in the looks department. The expectation is that the open-source community will quickly expand the number of G1 applications and unlock the phone's potential. With a slide-out keyboard, the phone is thicker and heavier than the iPhone. Works well with Google's Docs, Gmail and other online tools. Does not support corporate e-mail.
Bottom line: You'll never get to eBay if you're typing in eBoy. The G1's touch screen, trackball and hardware keyboard create a best-in-class Web-surfing experience.


text:
Pride International (NYSE: PDE) is a world leader in both land and offshore contract drilling services for the oil and gas industry. Pride contracts its rigs to land based and offshore deepwater oil exploration and production companies in 22 countries. With an internationally diverse fleet Pride has the flexibility to spread out its high-risk plays which also enables the company to meet demand on a global scale. As of February 19, 2010 PDE had a fleet of 23 rigs, consisting of two deepwater drillships, 12 semisubmersible rigs, seven jackups and two managed deepwater drilling rigs.[1]
Long-established oil basins are being depleted and the incentive to expand deep water operations has increased. Pride has recognized this trend and has begun to shift its focus to deepwater oil exploration in order to capitalize on the rising demand for deep water drilling rigs. Pride's oil exploration and production operations are primarily based in West Africa, Latin America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, Middle East and Southeast Asia.[2] Pride has also been divesting its assets in land operations, selling its land-based rigs in Latin America and Norway in late 2007 in order to concentrate on the capital-intensive but highly profitable deepwater sector.
Pride International is also highly leveraged, due to heavy borrowing to cover the costs of its equipment. As a result it has to focus on long-term contracts, even more so than its competitors who have more flexible balance sheets. Pride has been trying to cut costs and increase its flexibility, but the need to focus on long term deals can prevent the firm from capitalizing on short term hikes in day rates for contract drillers. As a result Pride's revenues normally lag behind fluctuations in day rates that contract drillers charge.
The recent surge in deepwater oil exploration has prompted Pride to focus more on promising offshore oil and gas deposits, while the worldwide demand for energy has forced drilling companies to seek out new oil and gas deposits that require highly specialized rigs. With most contract drilling companies trying to strengthen their market presence in deepwater oil exploration, the average day-rates for deepwater rigs became more and more profitable. Despite recent demands for drilling rigs Pride has been unable to cash in on drilling opportunities because most of the company's rigs are tied up in long-term contracts. Though Pride's revenues and operating metrics have remained high and stable, other companies such as Noble (NE) have enjoyed more significant increases in revenue.
In 2009, PDE earned a total of $1.59 billion in total revenues, most of which was derived from long-term contracts with oil and gas companies based on a day-rate price per rig. This was a decline from its 2008 total revenues of $2.31 billion. As a result, this had a negative impact on PDE's net income. Between 2008 and 2009, PDE's net income fell from $852 million in 2008 to $246 million in 2009.[3]
Most of Pride's contracts are with major companies that each generate close to 10% of the company's total revenue. For example, Petrobras (Pride's biggest customer) provided 16.7% of consolidated revenues. Pride's results of operations could be adversely affected if any of its major customers were to terminate their contracts or fail to renew its existing contract.[4] By the same token, the loss of a customer would extricate some of Pride's rigs tied up in long-term contracts. This could open up the possibility for Pride to enter contracts with new companies at higher day-rates.
The dramatic increase in gas and oil prices has stimulated drilling companies to increase exploration activities as existing gas and oil deposits continue to be depleted. As exploratory work intensifies, the increase in demand for drilling rigs relates to the rising demand for oil and gas in emerging industrialized countries such as China and India. As a result, the global economic cycle has been heavily impacted by the economic growth of developing nations. Unfortunately, the Pride's returns on invested capital have rarely exceeded operation costs and as a result Pride has never made a lot of money. Its debt and reliance on long-term contracts are major obstacles to turning a profit, even in periods when day rates and oil prices are high. However, high commodity prices and strong demand will still help the company, and under the current economic conditions there will be continued demand for Pride's rigs.
Offshore drilling companies have begun to seek out promising oil and natural gas deposits at unprecedented depths because traditional oil basins are no longer yielding the same quantities of fossil fuels while worldwide demand for these fuels keeps rising. The recent increases of oil and gas costs have enabled offshore drilling contractors to engage in deepwater oil exploration that was once too expensive to pursue. The costly development of new technology to reach the most remote deposits is more economically feasible than ever due to substantial returns companies are enjoying because of higher energy costs. Pride has initiated the process of exiting the on-shore market in order to pursue more lucrative operations in deepwater plays. With 220 land-based rigs and only 60 deepwater rigs, Pride intends to grow and expand its fleet of deepwater rigs while selling its land-based rigs to finance this development. The company plans to build new ultra-deepwater rigs that drill up to 7,500 feet and earn $500,000 per day.
Severe weather conditions threaten the entire offshore contract drilling industry, especially those concentrated in hurricane prone areas such as the Gulf of Mexico. Pride is especially hurt by disasters in this region, as half of its operating income comes from the Gulf of Mexico region. These areas are vulnerable to environmental disasters as witnessed with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. By concentrating its fleet in offshore operations, Pride assumes greater risk by exposing more rigs to hurricane prone regions. A major consequence of severe weather conditions is that operating days are far less during hurricane season because storms can delay or completely halt operations for several days. Moreover, rigs can be damaged and maintaining, upgrading or replacing rigs is very expensive.
Rising oil prices have led both consumers and companies to seek out alternative sources of energy and invest in renewable energy such as nuclear energy, solar power, wind energy, biofuels, and ethanol. As the global consumer demand shifts toward renewable energy sources due to recent environmental concerns over climate change, this change in consumer consciousness may adversely affect the oil and gas industry. As a result offshore contract drilling companies stand to lose if the oil and gas industry encounters a sudden decrease in demand.
In the offshore contract drilling industry, competition is primarily encountered on a regional basis. Historically, the offshore drilling industry has been highly cyclical, characterized by periods of high demand for rigs, limited rig supply and high dayrates often followed by periods of low demand, excess rig supply and low dayrates.[5] Periods of low demand or excess rig supply translate into poor utilization rates. Low utilization rates indicate low profits, since almost all of Pride's revenue is generated from day-rates.
High day-rates and continual increases of oil and gas prices may indicate that discovering new deposits of fossil fuels is becoming more difficult. Among its major competitors Pride has the lowest rig utilization rate among its competitors at 71.7%, which no doubts contributes to its problems in turning a profit. Without collecting lucrative day rates, Pride cannot finance or recover the cost of its expensive drilling equipment. In an effort to curb its low utilization rate, Pride has begun to exit land based operations in order to compete more effectively in the more lucrative offshore drilling industry.[6]
Below are listed Pride's major competitors.
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|Energy Companies
Anadarko Petroleum BP ChevronTexaco Arch Coal Cameco ConocoPhillips Enbridge Consolidated Edison Entergy Exelon Exxon Mobil Frontier Oil GE Halliburton Philips Massey Energy Occidental Petroleum PG&E Peabody Energy Shell Sasol Schlumberger Sinopec Suncor Sunoco SunPower Suntech Suzlon Toshiba Valero Xcel


text:
When the Cat's Away …
What happens when a governor goes on the campaign trail?
In the week since Texas Gov. Rick Perry entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination, he received more votes in the Ames Straw Poll as a write in than Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, poached the treasurer of Stephen Colbert's Super PAC, and toured Iowa by bus. When senators run for president, they have to miss the occasional vote. But how do state governments keep running when their chief executive is on the campaign trail?
Without much difficulty. In the age of digital communication, campaigning governors can still complete many of their daily tasks, like overseeing state agencies and negotiating with local councils. As always, they can also delegate responsibilities to staffers. For executive duties that need to be conducted in person, the next-ranked official, usually the lieutenant governor, steps in. In the governor's absence, for instance, the lieutenant may approve an execution, with the option to pardon. Since lieutenant governors typically don't have many crucial day-to-day responsibilities, the extra workload tends not to cause problems.
Good form dictates that acting governors don't overreach by signing any bills the elected governor wouldn't or making drastic changes. Of course, not everyone cares about manners: When California Gov. Jerry Brown left the state to campaign for the presidency in 1979, Lieutenant Gov. Mike Curb appointed Armand Arabian to the court of appeal, knowing well that Brown intended to appoint someone else. When Brown returned, he withdrew Arabian's appointment and made his own. The ensuing dispute made it to the state supreme court, which ruled both the appointment and the withdrawal legal. During his time as acting governor in 1979 and 1980, Curb made 431 appointments and signed more than 30 bills.
One thing governors are loath to let their lieutenants do is sign important bills. So during state legislative sessions (Texas doesn't have another scheduled until January 2013), campaigning governors typically return to their states often enough to get this done. During such sessions, it's also important to have an in-state presence to meet with lawmakers and influence the legislative process.
Bonus Explainer: What are the upsides to being acting governor, if you're well-mannered? Better pay, for one. Acting governors generally get a temporary raise to the real governor's salary. In Texas, that's $410.96 per midnight-to-midnight of acting governorship. At the same time, Texas governors on leave still get their standard salary. Unless they don't want it: George W. Bush forwent his gubernatorial salary (then $316.01 per day) while campaigning in 1999. Texas' lieutenant governor at the time? Rick Perry.
Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer.
Explainer thanks Richard Kearney of North Carolina State University's School of Public and International Affairs and Lucy Nashed of the Office of Gov. Rick Perry. Explaineralso thanks reader Alec Stapp for asking the question.


text:
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text:
William King, Bath, ca. 1806Item 10596 info
Patten Free Library
William King was born on February 8, 1768, in Scarborough in the District of Maine.
He was the fourth of six children of merchant Richard King and Mary (Black) King, Richard's second wife.
William received his education at home except for one term at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
After working on the family farm and in various mills, William left Scarborough at age 19 to join his younger sister, Betsy, and her husband, Dr. Benjamin Porter, in Topsham, Maine.
Waterfront and downtown Bath, 1851Item 11043 info
Patten Free Library
King moved to Bath in 1799 and served in the Massachusetts Legislature as Bath's Representative in 1800 and then as Senator of the Lincoln District in 1807 and 1808.
While in the Massachusetts Legislature, he fought hard for Maine's separation from Massachusetts.
Shortly after moving to Bath, King married Ann Frazier of Boston and built their home on a hill overlooking the wharves on the Kennebec River where his merchant fleet docked.
King Tavern, Bath, ca. 1910Item 10527 info
Patten Free Library
As Bath's leading citizen, King hosted many parties at his mansion, started the South Church, founded the Bath Bank, served as Customs Collector from 1829-1834 and participated fully in improving the city's services and infrastructure.
North Company of Infantry roll, Bath, 1805-1815Item 10277 info
Patten Free Library
In the War of 1812, King played an important role in enlisting troops and organizing defenses to protect the Maine coast against attack by British warships.
Initially he served as Major General in the Massachusetts militia; later he was given the rank of Colonel in the U. S. Army.
In the early stages of the conflict, King and many other merchants continued to trade with the British under the protection of British licenses and by using vessels registered in neutral countries. Such trading ceased when both countries tightened trade restrictions.
William King real estate assessment, ca. 1847Item 11148 info
Patten Free Library
After the War of 1812, King renewed his efforts to obtain statehood for the District of Maine, eventually presiding over its constitutional convention in 1819 and serving as the new state's first governor in 1820.
Outside the political arena, before and after the War of 1812, King became Bath's most prominent businessman, partnering with Porter and several Bath entrepreneurs in shipbuilding, banking, farming, mercantile shipping and lumbering.
He built at least 14 ships and was owner or part owner of more than 35 merchant vessels involved in trade with England, the West Indies and various ports in the United States.
William King's Stonehouse Farm, Bath, ca. 1920Item 10501 info
Patten Free Library
In addition to his home and many commercial properties in downtown Bath, King also owned an architecturally unique stone hunting lodge/farmhouse on a farm in the northern part of Bath, where he grew potatoes and apples for shipping abroad.
James A. Thompson to Gov. King, 1837Item 10022 info
Patten Free Library
While building his business empire, King also acquired many tracts of land in the vicinity of Bath and elsewhere in the state, especially farmland in what is now Franklin County, where the town of Kingfield was named for him.
Serious financial difficulties in the later years of his life forced King to sell most of these properties.
King Tavern and Customs House, Bath, ca. 1910Item 10502 info
Patten Free Library
After his death in 1852, the King property on Front Street in Bath was sold to the Federal Government and the King mansion was moved to a nearby site where it served as an inn for more than 70 years.
William King receipt for Jefferson book, Bath, 1830Item 10041 info
Patten Free Library
Although lacking in formal education, King acquired a substantial personal library reflecting a wide range of interests. That library, purchased for the Patten Library Association after King's death, is now housed in the Patten Free Library in Bath.
Title page of book on digestion, Bath, 1833Item 10696 info
Patten Free Library
Subjects of particular interest to King were history, politics, geography and medical science.
Journals of Lewis and Clark, Biddle-Allen editionItem 10709 info
Patten Free Library
In addition to collecting the standard classical works of literature and philosophy, King acquired a number of volumes marking the significant events of his time.
Governor King monument, Bath, ca. 1903Item 10526 info
Patten Free Library
William King, his wife and his two children are buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Bath at a site marked with a monument erected by the State of Maine in 1855.
Gov. King ferry, Bath, ca. 1920Item 11162 info
Patten Free Library
Text by Peter Goodwin and Joyce Wanger
Images from Patten Free Library
Suggested Reading:
Clark, C.E., Leamon, J.S. and Bowden, K., Maine in the Early Republic. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1988.
Judd, R.W., Churchill, E.A. and Eastman, J.W., Maine: The Pine Tree State from Prehistory to the Present. Orono, Maine: University of Maine Press, 1995.
Owen, Henry W., The Edward Clarence Plummer History of Bath. Bath, Maine: The Times Company, 1936.
Reed, Parker McCobb, History of Bath and Environs, 1607 ? 1894. Portland, Maine: Lakeside Press, 1894.
Smith, Marion Jaques, General William King. Camden, Maine: Down East Books, 1980.


text:
|Version 52 (modified by 5 years ago) (diff),
Better Error Messages
Good error messages make for more productive developers. This page is a place to collect error messages that could stand improvement, or which are misleading or confusing in certain contexts. Most of us have had the experience of getting a "weird" message, puzzling it out (perhaps with help from django-users or #django) and then moving on.
Some of these may seem like quick patches but others will take a bit of consideration -- that's why the wiki page rather than individual tickets. Some are more along the lines of "Django Lint" than simple changes to error output.
For now, let's try dividing them into sections by major module. Within those sections suggested format is: error message, explanatory context (often important -- a message that is very helpful in one context can be confusing in another), suggested improvements/changes.
Also see:
'NoneType' object has no attribute 'get_field_sets'
Context: One or more models that are referenced by ForeignKey from another model are missing their inner
Admin class. Possible other causes as well. See ticket #1808.
Suggestion: Check relevant Admin settings during model validation?
- Ticket #3219 -- suggestion for better error messages for invalid Admin attributes
Please correct the error below.
Context: This error may appear on the admin screen after trying to save a form, even though there is no error below that is highlighted.
Suggestion: Check to see if you have listed the desired fields in ModelAdmin, but then misspelled one while trying to use a custom form field in an associated ModelForm.
TypeError at ... string indices must be integers
Context: A FileUploadField is being validated but the form did not have enctype="multipart/form-data" set.
Suggestion: Check form enctype during validation? Show FILES in addition to GET and POST on error pages?
- Ticket #3221 -- patch for better error message for faulty URLconf
File "c:\django\django\core\urlresolvers.py", line 255, in _get_urlconf_module raise ImproperlyConfigured, "Error while importing URLconf %r: %s" % (self.urlconf_name, e) ImproperlyConfigured: Error while importing URLconf 'reports.urls': tuple index out of range
Context: A Trying to load my home page and it is evidently finding something wrong with my urls.py
Suggestion: Output which tuple it is trying to index, and perhaps even the entire 'patterns'
- Ticket #6537 -- Unhelpful error message: 'tuple index out of range'
Error: cannot import name FooBar
Context: You get only this error line starting the developer server. But this doesn't help to find the real error.
Suggestion: e.g. one model can't import because you have a import loop. Use the patch from Ticket #11667 to get a full traceback and bugfix your models.
- Ticket #11667 -- Full traceback if import error before model validation
AttributeError: WSGIRequestHandler instance has no attribute 'path'
Context: This error gets raised when a server started by runserver is (by accident) accessed via
https://. Details here.
Suggestion: runserver does not support https, please use it only via http.
ImproperlyConfigured: The included urlconf %s doesn't have any patterns in it.
Uninformative foremost as %s is top-level urls (problem usually in included urls).
Caused by using reverse rather than reverse_lazy in some view.
No feedback whatsoever is given as to:
- that the error is caused by view rather than url
- which view this might be, or even which app it is in.
Context: You get this error starting the developer server. The error is cached (#11712) and fixing it doesn't make the error go away adding to the confusion.
Suggestion: At least more specificity as to where the error lies.
Related tickets:
- https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/17084
- https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/15685
- https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/11712
OperationalError: Unable to close due to unfinalised statements
Context: SQLite file permissions are incorrect (directory or DB file lack write permission)
Suggestion: Check file permissions when running with SQLite backend and warn user if they seem incorrect
ProgrammingError: ERROR: current transaction is aborted, commands ignored until end of transaction block
This pyscopg2 (PostgreSQL) error usually signifies that some previous database query was incorrect (e.g., you tried to
order_by() a field that doesn't exist, or put a string in an integer column, etc.). That previous error aborted the transaction, causing all subsequent database access to fail with this message.
If you get this while at a shell, you can fix your database connection by executing a rollback:
from django.db import connection connection.cursor().execute('rollback')
If you get this from a view, it probably means the immediately previous query had a problem (but was caught by an over-eager exception handler).
In certain situations with PostgreSQL, a bogus error message about SET TIME ZONE may be returned. See #3179 (which is closed, but has a description of the problem). The real error message can probably be found in the postgres log file.
DoesNotExist: %s matching query does not exist
It would be really helpful for the error message to state what the query was, for example:
raise self.model.DoesNotExist(("%s matching query does not exist " + "(query was: %s, %s)") % (self.model._meta.object_name, args, kwargs))
If you create a ForeignKey with
blank=True, but you don't specify
null=True, and try to save the object without a value for the foreign key, you get this exception:
ValueError: Cannot assign None: "Cat.home" does not allow null values.
You could argue that it's obvious, but it's confusing many people:
- http://www.google.co.uk/search?gcx=c&sourceid=chrome&client=ubuntu&channel=cs&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Cannot+assign+None%3A%22+%22does+not+allow+null+values.%22
- http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4117345/django-null-foreignkey
- http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1810745/django-cannot-assign-none-does-not-allow-null-values
- http://groups.google.com/group/django-users/browse_thread/thread/af89c86e824cb0d8
- http://firstname.lastname@example.com/msg91776.html
I think it would be a really good idea to make it really clear from the error message what you need to do (blank=True requires null=True on foreign key fields).
Unfortunately we can't automatically fix it, because if the field is left blank, the developer might be intending to supply the value automatically before save (https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/13824).
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'widget'
(in BaseForm.full_clean)
A ModelForm refers to a nonexistent field.
If you create a ModelForm but neglect to indicate the model in the Meta, you get:
TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not callable
In django.forms.models line 240 there could be a check to make sure the options instance has a valid model declaration and if not warn the user more explicitly ("ModelForm <classname> does is missing the model") This is covered by #12285.
#15126 describes a common class of problem -- users with a single-item tuple forgetting the trailing comma. This was reported in the context of ModelForm.fields, but is a general problem that can (and should) be caught and reported.
AttributeError: Http404 instance has no attribute 'has_header'
Context: Http404 is
returned instead of
Suggestion: Check type of HttpResponse before attempting to use (perhaps unPythonic?) or possibly give Http404 a clearer name like Http404Exception
Invoking .render() with a <coconut> object instead of a HttpRequest as the first argument invokes AttributeError with the message: "'<coconut>' object has no attribute 'META'". Better will be something like, "render() takes a request object for the first argument."
- See this thread on the django-developers list for discussion of suppression of TypeError in the template engine
Using an invalid template tag results in the generic 'list index out of range' error which doesn't show any information about the offending file or expression. E.g., if a template contains:
... {% invalid_template_tag %} ...
An error occurs at line 279 of django.template.__init__.py:
278 try: 279 compiled_result = compile_func(self, token) 280 except KeyError: 281 self.invalid_block_tag(token, command) 282 except TemplateSyntaxError, e: 283 if not self.compile_function_error(token,e): 291 raise
What seems to be happening is that self.invalid_block_tag(...) raises an error which gets caught by TemplateSyntaxError and which eventually leads to the generic 'list index out of range' error being reported in the Django error page.


text:
SportsDirect Inc.
Bruins 2, Canadiens 1: Tyler Seguin scored 14 seconds into the third period and set up David Krejci's eventual game-winning goal 1:51 later as visiting Boston posted a fifth straight victory over its Original Six rival.
Krejci also recorded an assist and Tuukka Rask stopped 20 shots to snap a personal five-game losing streak against the Canadiens. The Bruins' third-period flurry led them to their fifth win in six contests (5-1-0) and a spot atop the Eastern Conference.
Defenseman P.K. Subban netted a power-play goal and Carey Price survived a pregame scare to finish with 21 saves for Montreal, which saw its five-game home winning streak come to an end.
With the game tied at 1-1, Seguin skated into the offensive zone before feeding Milan Lucic. The bruising left wing wired a centering pass from the left faceoff circle which caromed off Krejci's stick and into the net. The tally was Krejci's third of the season and second in three games.
Subban opened the scoring midway through the second period as his blast from the right point deflected off Rich Peverley's stick and over the glove of Rask. Seguin answered early in the third, accepting Krejci's centering pass on the doorstep and backhanding it past Price.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Price's night didn't start off well as teammate Lars Eller unleashed a shot which hit him in the groin during pregame warmups. Price fell to the ice in pain before retreating to the locker room for several minutes. ... Montreal held an 11-4 edge in shots during the first period. Boston was held without a shot until C Gregory Campbell's one-timer with 8:36 remaining in the session. ... Boston C Ryan Spooner, who was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Monday, made his NHL debut and logged nearly 5 1/2 minutes of ice time.


text:
Regarding front page stories "Schools face financial woes; Pensions, retirement expenses leave districts in hole," (Aug. 25) and "Contract will be reopened; Butler teachers, board to discuss 1-year deal," (Sept. 3).
Federal workers have had a wage freeze for several years. People on Social Security for the past three years have had a two-year benefit freeze, and last year we got a 1.7 percent cost of living adjustment.
Meanwhile, Butler teachers in the past two years have had wage increases of more than 8 percent.
I'm no economist, but I would say a wage freeze or concessions would be in line.
Tom DeGeorge, president of the Butler Area Education Association, said he is looking to build on these increases.
He said teachers agreed to pay more for health care. That's a laugh. People on the Medicare drug program supplement pay $356 a month out of their Social Security for their health care.
I think it's time to freeze property tax rates when the property owner reaches 65 years of age.


text:
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Shouldn't it be
Asus has launched its MacBook Air-style Eee PC 1008HA in Taiwan, and will do it all over again over here early next week, Register Hardware has learned. Asus Eee 1008HA Asus' Eee 1008HA: Air inspired? The skinny netbook measures between 18 and 26mm top to bottom, has a footprint of 262 x 178 and weighs 1.1kg - one of the …
Why do reporters always seem make comparisons using different units?
Golly, this 26mm thick Asus is up against the inch thick Acer.
WTF? Why don't you do the conversion instead of forcing god knows how many thousands of you readers to do it for you?
Paris wouldn't even notice an inch thick one I'm sure
you refer to this as 'skinny'
surely you mean 'skineee'
She sells Eee Shells on the sea shore
Have they had the sense to offer Linux as an option again, or perhaps a machine w/out an OS ?
Anyone know the screen res? 1024x600 like the other EeePCs, or something better like the Mac it's imitating?
Amazon UK have it for £379 on pre-order, or you can go for Laptops Direct and pony up £399. Maybe you could have done some research in addition to kindly reprinting the press release from Asus.
Is it purely due to its thinness? Otherwise there are no similarities... one is a proper computer, the other is a Mac (boom boom!). Seriously though, they are completely different and aimed at different segments with completely different levels of capability...
Air is in the same group as the Voodoo Envy, Thinkpad X300 and Vaio TT or Z; this Eee is in with the S101 and NC10.
You have a story about (a) an Asus product (b) that's called "Seashell", and you don't use the photograph of the Asus Eee beach babe? What's wrong with you? This isn't The Register I know and love.
Probably because 1" is 25.4mm
Calling your notebooks/netbooks this brings a whole new meaning to Demolition Man? Still can't quite work out how stalone would have used this.


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Dr. King interprets Jesus' command to "love your enemies" and outlines how to accomplish this goal. He closes this sermon by relating the philosophy of love to the use of nonviolence as a means to overcome oppression.
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text:
ecto 2.2.2 is now available for download here (mirror site). This version is mainly bug fixes release.
Please read the history.txt file for details.
What's new and updated in this version:
- Added sorting to the HTML Templates, so now they appear in alphabetical order.
- Added mirror download site to Check for Update function.
- Improved Email notification. Now with SSL option.
- Updated Help file with Amazon and Flickr searches.
What's fixed in this version:
- Fixed non-breaking space being removed when switching between Rich and HTML views.
- Fixed inconsistant paragraph spacing between existing and new paragraphs.
- Fixed tags HTML generation not includes the Start and End Tags in the templates.
Bug Report
Please report any bugs found in the Windows Support forum, or email me at firstname.lastname@example.com
Technorati Tags: blog client, ecto
As of 01/10/2007, Blogger has completely moved to a new version of their system. If you are on MacOSX, please download version 2.4.2, which is also linked to in this blog's sidebar. Version 2.4.2 works with the new Blogger. I recommend setting up a new account in ecto for your Blogger Beta and using:
as the access point. That way you can copy over your older drafts without risking losing them. Note that you will have to use your Google login (the email and password you use to log into Blogger Beta).
Since my focus is on ecto3, I did not have time or feel the need to implement into ecto2 support for both Blogger Beta's Atom and it's proprietary authentication method and the older Atom 0.3, which that has different a format and authentication methods. ecto3 approaches blog system support differently and will not have this issue. If you require the old Atom support, please download ecto2atom03.dmg.
Version 2.4.2 also updates support for del.icio.us and fixes one bug with preview. This is the last bug fix release as I continue work on version 3. This work is progressing nicely, but since this is not my day-job, the speed of progress is not as fast as I would like it to be.
Technorati Tags: beta, blogger, ecto, intel
Since the full rewrite of ecto2 as ecto3 is taking its time, I have decided to release an intel build of ecto 2.4.1. It is not fully tested and no support will be provided, but it should be a good interim solution for those having trouble running the PPC version on intel Macs.
You can download the intel build as a 4.2Mb disk image and it's also linked to in this blog's sidebar. If you use Blogger Beta, use the patched version instead.
ecto 2.1 is now available for download here. The major features added to this update are Amazon search and additional settings for Upload Preset. This version also includes a number of important bug fixes, including a fix for the "Registration Error" issue. Please read the history.txt file for details.
Amazon Search
You can now search Amazon from within ecto to add item details to your post, and you can customise how the item looks in your post using the template feature.
Thumbnail Upload Preset
Upload Preset now includes thumbnail settings. When saving a preset, ecto remembers the thumbnail's width and automatically calculate the thumbnail height the preset is applied.
Bug Report
Please report any bugs found in the Windows Support forum, or email me at email@example.com
Technorati Tags: blog client, ecto
I have started keeping a regular log of my work on ecto3. It's on my personal blog.
Some users report not being able to post to TypePad, seeing it return an error: "Wide character in subroutine entry at /usr/local/prod/cpan-lib/HTML/PullParser.pm line 83.". Apparently, TypePad engineers working on upgrading the TypePad code base have slipped in an error so that it cannot handle UTF8 characters anymore. The TypePad people are aware of it and working on a fix. In the meantime, there is a work-around. In ecto, open "Edit Settings..." under the Weblog menu. In the dialog that pops up, go to the Preprocessing tab and check "Encode HTML-entities". Once the bug is fixed in TypePad, you can toggle that setting back again.
UPDATE: I've been informed that TypePad will roll out a fix next week.
UPDATE: This has been fixed as of Friday, 19th, JST. You can turn off HTML-entity conversion again in ecto now that the unicode characters are recognized properly.
Technorati Tags: bug, typepad, unicode
The ecto 2.0 is officially released and available for download! It has been a long development process, far longer than I anticipated or wished, but I think the result is pretty good. Although the application does not look much different outwardly, there are many code rewrite under the skins.
This upgrade is free for all registered users.
What's new
- WYSIWYG editing.
- Spellcheck as you type.
- Upload caching and setting presets.
- Find & Replace.
- New installer which will automatic download and install the new .Net Framework 2.0 during ecto's installation if required.
- Better font scaling for those who use the Large Fonts settings.
- Many other UI improvement and bug fixes.
Known Issues
- No 64bit XP support. The eSellerate code currently does not support 64bit Windows. ecto runs but will display error message when contacting the server and prevents post being sent or edited. An update will be released as soon as this issue is resolved.
- For WindowBlinds users, with certain themes ecto will sometimes insert the background colour of the window as the post background.
Download & Installation
ecto 2 will use the existing data that 1.8.8 has. But to avoid potential conflict, it is recommended that 1.8.8 is first uninstalled before installing 2.0.
ecto 1.8.8 is still available here.
Bug Reporting and Feedback
If you encounter a crash or an error please make sure you attach a console log and exception log when reporting the bug to the Bug forum.
Please post feature request to the forum, or email your suggestion directly to me.
Finally, special thanks to all the beta testing users for donating time to test many beta and release candidate builds. Special mention must be given to Neville and Kelly who have gone above and beyond their duty as ecto users to make this release a polished one.
Technorati Tags: blog client, ecto
It has been just over a month ago that beta build of version 2.0 was released for public testing. During this period, I received lots of help in identifying bugs/issues, as well as receiving a lot of good suggestions.
Currently there are only two outstanding issues remain before 2.0 can become a general release. One is non-critical and has a workaround, while the other only occurs in some user machines. Unfortunately both issues are out of my control so I will give it another couple of days to see if I get the answers that I need. If not, I will release ecto 2.0 this week with those two outstanding issues and include the fixes in future updates as soon as I get the answers.
Technorati Tags: blog client, ecto
development ,general
I have received many requests for an Intel build of ecto. I actually have one, but it is an unfinished major upgrade of ecto. In fact, I am rewriting quite a few components in ecto, adding several new (mostly user-requested) features, and for WYSIWYG editing I have also switched to editable WebKit (which is part of the engine that powers Safari). In addition, all image editing features that are in ecto2 have to be rewritten for the Intel build, since they depend on deprecated system code. This all will obviously take time, but it does not mean nothing is being done. In fact, I work on code almost daily. Not many people know that, although I work for Joichi Ito, I am doing all the work by myself. Only the Windows version of ecto is Alex Hung's responsibility. Unfortunately, there are some things that stop me from devoting time to the upgrade: I have had major thyroid surgery and am suffering from fatigue from low thyroid hormone levels (although that should be cured soon), I am also doing work on endo, I do some consulting, I spend a good portion of time on support issues, I have a family that I want to spend time with, and when possible I want some free time to play World of Warcraft, a game that my boss has hooked me up onto. ecto3 is happening, sooner than later. It takes a bit longer than you would expect from me given the history of frequent updates, but it would be reasonable to expect it this summer.
This will be a free upgrade, by the way.
Technorati Tags: ecto, endo, intel, upgrade, webkit
Blogger currently has a serious issue preventing users from logging in via blogging clients. They're working on a fix and knowing them, it'll be fixed sooner than later. More info can be found on the BloggerDev mailinglist. Please be patient while Blogger fixes the problem.
Fixed as of Tue, 4th, 08:00 JST
Adam Burt writes:
ecto is just too cool!! I've written a free little script that works in conjunction with Blojsom, so that you can Geo-Blog your individual blog entry with geographical locations in Google Earth! There is a whole load of free video tutorials to go with the script. If you fancy having a look just go to http://confluence.rave.ac.uk/confluence/display/SCIRC/Geo-Blogging.
Adam added another script to add your own Longitude, Latitude, Altitude, Tilt angle and Heading data.
Another excellent update on this page.
Technorati Tags: blojsom, geo-blogging, google earth, script
Now that I'm back from hospital and recovering, it would be a good time to pick a new ecto-powered blog of the week. Since I have a weakness for nice pixels, I'm awarding it to eboy.com. This group blog is run by a small group of four people based in Berlin. They create re-usable pixel objects from which they build complex and extensible artwork. The blog comes with many nice illustrations. I should pick up snowboarding again...


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President Kennedy invites Dr. King to attend a White House Luncheon on the occasion of the visit of Archbishop Makarios, the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
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text:
From our food contributor, Shaina Olmanson.
Strawberry season where I live comes late. We wait until June, patiently watching as the tufts of green leaves poke through the dirt and then expand. Little white flowers with soft petals and fuzzy yellow centers come next, singing in the May breeze.
When the berries finally arrive there is a fevered rush to fill as many flats as possible with sun-warmed berries. I enlist my kids as field workers, promising them they can eat the literal fruits of their labor. We spend early mornings on our knees between the rows of fragrant plants, lifting leaves to find the glistening reward beneath.
As we carry our prizes home, I make lists of all the things to do with them. I clean and freeze as many as possible for use in smoothies. I make a few jars of jam to get us through the next year. Sometimes I make a few varieties, combining spring berry and rhubarb or vanilla beans before tucking them away on a shelf. I stuff several heaping cups of berries in between pastry crust and freeze those, too, to be pulled out after the berries are long gone. Plenty are eaten straight from the flat, still warm from being on the plant in the sun. Still others get made into sauce or baked into doughnuts or stirred into muffin mix.
Before I know it, strawberry season has come and gone, and I am left waiting for it to appear again. The fleeting weeks in June that always signaled the true beginning of my Midwestern summer.
Cheesecake is a family favorite, requested for birthdays and family gatherings. Here it gets a bit of swirl treatment over the top and is baked into bars. Cheesecake bars are great for swirling strawberries because the low profile means more berry-to-cheese ratios without having to add it directly to the center, and this dessert that usually requires a fork becomes finger food at backyard barbecues.
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1⅔ cups sugar
- ¼ cup arrowroot
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup cream
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and the granulated sugar. Add in the melted butter and stir to combine until all the crumbs are coated and moist.
- Pour the crumbs into a 9x13" cake pan. Using your hand or the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass, press the crumbs tightly into the pan to cover the bottom evenly.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar and arrowroot powder until thick and creamy. Then add the vanilla and eggs, beating after each egg until incorporated. Stir in the cream.
- Pour the mix into the crust and use a spatula to spread it evenly.
- In a medium saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and water. Simmer over medium-high heat until thick and syrupy. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Spoon tablespoons of strawberry syrup over the cheesecake topping. Using a long skewer or a thin knife, run it through the cake to create swirls. You can make a pattern or swirl it randomly.
- Place a baking pan with 2 cups of water in the oven under the cheesecake to create steam. Bake for 55 minutes or until cooked through but still slightly wobbly. Turn the oven off, prop the door open, and allow it to cool slowly.
- Transfer the cooled cheesecake from the oven to the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Pin It


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Save more during Energy Star tax holiday
Energy Star-rated products operate more efficiently and help owners save money on their electric bills. This month, North Carolinians won't have to pay sales tax on Energy Star-certified appliances purchased Friday through Sunday, Nov. 2–4. There is no price ceiling on products purchased. The sale tax exemption applies to these appliances:
- Clothes washers
- Freezers and refrigerators
- Central air conditioners and room air conditioners
- Air-source heat pumps
- Ceiling fans
- Dehumidifiers
- Programmable thermostats
For more information about the sales tax holiday, visit www.dornc.com.


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40 ex-LAPD officers seek reviews of dismissals
Apr. 29, 2013
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dozens of fired Los Angeles police officers are taking up the chief's offer to re-examine their dismissals since a deadly rampage by Christopher Dorner, who claimed that he was wrongly expelled from the force.
The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/Y7E2uY ) reports 40 former officers have requested case reviews in the two months since Dorner killed four people before apparently committing suicide in a mountain cabin.
Dorner claimed his 2009 firing was prompted by racism. Chief Charlie Beck vowed he would re-examine the cases of other officers who believed they were wrongly expelled.
However, the Times reports the officers have been told the city charter prevents the LAPD from reinstating officers who were fired more than three years ago.
Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com


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Encrypting and decrypting strings in T-SQL code is complicated in SQL Server 2000 and earlier. You have to use the undocumented PWDEncrypt and PWDCompare functions or use symmetric (i.e., secret) or asymmetric (i.e., public) keys. Fortunately, encrypting and decrypting strings in T-SQL code is much easier in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005. One of the easiest ways is to use the ENCRYPTBYPASSPHRASE and DECRYPTBYPASSPHRASE functions.
Related: Decrypt SQL Server Objects
To demonstrate the ease of using ENCRYPTBYPASSPHRASE and DECRYPTBYPASSPHRASE, I created two simple functions: dbo.Encrypt and dbo.Decrypt. The dbo.Encrypt function encrypts the plaintext that you pass to it, whereas the dbo.Decrypt function decrypts the ciphertext you pass in.
As Listing 1 shows, the dbo.Encrypt function gets a nvarchar string and encrypts it to a varbinary result using the ENCRYPTBYPASSPHRASE function.
Listing 1: The dbo.Encrypt Function
ENCRYPTBYPASSPHRASE has two mandatory arguments: a passphrase (which will be used to generate the encryption key) and the plaintext to be encrypted. In this case, the passphrase is 'SQL SERVER 2008' and the @str variable contains the plaintext to be encrypted. As the latter demonstrates, you have the option of storing either of these arguments in variables.
Listing 2 shows the dbo.Decrypt function.
Listing 2: The dbo.Decrypt Function
It gets an encrypted varbinary string and decrypts it into a nvarchar string using the DECRYPTBYPASSPHRASE function. Like the ENCRYPTBYPASSPHRASE function, the DECRYPTBYPASSPHRASE function has two mandatory arguments: a passphrase (which will be used to generate the decryption key) and the ciphertext to decrypt. In this case, the passphrase is 'SQL SERVER 2008' and the @encryp variable contains the ciphertext to be decrypted. (The passphrase that you use to decrypt the ciphertext needs to be the same as the passphrase you used to encrypt it.)
To call the dbo.Encrypt function, you use the syntax
dbo.Encrypt (ItemToEncrypt)
where ItemToEncrypt is the plaintext you want to encrypt or a variable that contains the plaintext.
To call the dbo.Encrypt function, you use the syntax
dbo.Encrypt (ItemToDecrypt)
where ItemToDecrypt is the ciphertext you want to decrypt or a variable that contains the ciphertext.
Listing 3 gives a simple example of how to incorporate the dbo.Encrypt and dbo.Decrypt calls in code.
Listing 3: Sample Code Showing How to Use the Functions
This code uses the dbo.Encrypt function to encrypt the phrase 'Eli Leiba is a SQL guru', stores the result (an encrypted string) in the @code variable, then prints it. Next, the code uses the dbo.Decrypt function to decrypt the string in @code, stores the result (i.e., 'Eli Leiba is A SQL guru') in the @x variable, then prints it.
As you can see, the ENCRYPTBYPASSPHRASE and DECRYPTBYPASSPHRASE functions are easy to use when you need to encrypt and decrypt strings. However, there's a caveat—you're responsible for managing and securing the passphrase. By default, no permissions are required to execute the ENCRYPTBYPASSPHRASE and DECRYPTBYPASSPHRASE functions and you don't have the ability to select the algorithm they use for encryption and decryption. So, depending on how your SQL Server environment is set up, a few people might be able to see the passphrase and even execute the dbo.Encrypt and dbo.Decrypt functions if they had access to their code.
However, there are ways to help secure passphrases, such as storing them in a table that resides in msdb or a master system database and allowing only DBAs with the sysadmin server role access to that table. For example, the code in Listing 4 creates a table named passPhraseEncoders and inserts the 'SQL SERVER 2008' passphrase into it.
Listing 4: Code That Creates and Loads the passPhraseEncoders Table
After you give this table the necessary permissions, you need to create a synonym named passPhraseEncoders for master.dbo.passPhraseEncoders in the application database.
Then, you need to adapt the dbo.Encrypt and dbo.Decrypt functions accordingly. In the dbo.Encrypt function in Listing 1, you need to replace the line in callout A with the code
DECLARE @passPhrase varchar(80) SELECT @passPhrase = Pass_Phrase from passPhraseEncoders SET @res = EncryptByPassPhrase(@passPhrase,@str)
In the dbo.Decrypt function in Listing 2, you need to replace the line in callout A with the code
DECLARE @passPhrase varchar(80) SELECT @passPhrase = Pass_Phrase from passPhraseEncoders SET @res = DecryptByPassPhrase(@passPhrase,@encryp)
Although storing the passphrases in a protected table provides an additional layer of security, even this setup has its vulnerabilities. Only reliable DBAs and trusted individuals should create these functions. It's also a good practice to create them with the ENCRYPTION clause. Consequently, you might not want to use the dbo.Encrypt and dbo.Decrypt functions for encrypting text just before exporting it out of your database to an exposed text file, for example.
The dbo.Encrypt and dbo.Decrypt functions work on SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005. (I've ran them on SQL Server 2005 SP1 and SQL Server 2008 Express.) You can download the functions' code by clicking the "Download the Code" hotlink at the top of the page.


text:
Hall of North American Birds
The Leonard C. Sanford Hall of North American Birds features more than 20 dioramas that depict bird species in habitats ranging from the Florida Everglades to Alaskan riverbeds, with forests, prairies, marshes, and deserts among the ecosystems represented.
The Peregrine Falcon, the swiftest of all birds of prey, is one of the most widely distributed species of bird, nesting on every continent except Antarctica. The world's largest urban population of nesting Peregrine Falcons is in New York City.
Museum ornithologist Frank Chapman used habitat dioramas to call attention to the plight of endangered birds. In 1903, he persuaded President Theodore Roosevelt to establish the first Federal Bird Reserve, on Florida's Pelican Island.


text:
After two years of his latest music effort "Psiche", Italian singer and songwriter Paolo Conte returns to his public with "Nelson", a nostalgic still intriguing and ravishing album featuring fifteen new contemporary songs. Combining swing-jazz cadences, vaudeville riffs, French chanson and elegant melodies, this album explores into the musical, emotional and existential geography so close to the artist, conjuring up music of memories, sudden enthusiasms, and nostalgic recollections. "Nelson" is an album of sentimental journeys on the road to poetry that knows nothing of frenzy but is nurtured only by the breath of life, keeping its own time and its own rhythm for us to intercept. It is published by Paolo Conte's Platinum music label and includes lyrics in English, French, Italian and Spanish.
Moleskine joined the release of Paolo Conte's new album with a special Soft Cover X-Large Notebook which pays homage to the 'maestro' talent. Silkscreened in orange the name of the songwriter along with the title of the album, and on the paper band, a small reproduction of the CD cover -hand-painted by the artist himself- featuring his beloved dog "Nelson" to whom the album is dedicated.
Paolo Conte is currently touring Europe, for further information visit his official website www.paoloconte.it